My prior layout was primarily clockwise. With a very good reason.
That made the single ended yard lead trailing point, as well as the industrial spurs mostly trailing point. (Save one.)
I had one run-around, and placed the single facing point spur right near it.
New layout will be determined.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
This thread is still going? As someone said, in another forum, with equally poor spelling skills as this one.
Holly Molly
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I hadn't seen this topic before either, but I've been sitting here, chuckling over some of the responses. I personally don't think it matters, especially on our model railroads, which are tiny compared to the prototype--there simply isn't a preferred direction. I suppose if you have a double main, there are conventions about which of the two tracks you should be on, depending on the direction. But how do you define direction in a model railroad. Most of them basically run around a room, so you could arbitarily define clockwise as north and counterclockwise as south, for example.
I was initially bemused by the observation regarding prototype operations: "North on the westernmost line and south on the easternmost line..." At first, I thought that trains in the West weren't allowed to travel south (e.g., I can go from LA to SF, but not from SF to LA). Then I realized the point: For a double main, the westernmost (left-hand as you face north) track is traveled north and the easternmost (right-hand track as you face north) track is traveled south. I think that's right, although my brain is being damaged by thinking about how this would work for a train traveling north and then turning east: e.g., would the east-bound train have to switch from the left-hand to the right-hand rail? But in the context of our tiny model railroads, I don't think it matters. It's your railroad, so you can adopt any conventions you want!
I'm in the midst of building mine, and I hadn't really thought about this sort of convention. I have two reversing loops, so I can run trains in either direction. I don't have much double-main, so I doubt if will matter for me, but now that someone has raised the issue, I'll give some though to which direction ought to be north and which ought to be south, etc.
BigDaddy This thread is still going? As someone said, in another forum, with equally poor spelling skills as this one. Holly Molly
I once dated a girl named Holly Molly.
Little Richard wrote a song about her, Good Golly Miss Molly.
Rich
Alton Junction
I run trains clockwise on my 4 by 8 layout, rarely do trains go counterclockwise. It's a single track line, so there's nothing going both directions at once.
"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -Lin Yutang
-
Coreolis effect.
Maybe that is what the original poster needs to know.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
richhotrainI once dated a girl named Holly Molly.
I was involved with three girls in a row named Holly, and in Nashville I lived on Holly Street.
My car had a Motorcraft carbeurator.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 richhotrain I once dated a girl named Holly Molly. I was involved with three girls in a row named Holly, and in Nashville I lived on Holly Street. My car had a Motorcraft carbeurator. -Kevin
richhotrain I once dated a girl named Holly Molly.
However, if you follow sports or horse racing, it's counterclockwise! For some reason, when I exercise, I walk the track counterclockwise, and so do most of the other people there. I don't know why.
i think its mother nature same goes for when we are at store flea market etc ...people tend to stay to the right ( maybe because of how we drive)
a few years back when I was member of local YMCA they had indoor walking track...MWF Sun...one direction TuThSat the other
This is something I've never heard before!
Gulf Oil Should I occasionally reverse the direction so as not to place undue wear on the same outside wheels?
Should I occasionally reverse the direction so as not to place undue wear on the same outside wheels?
For me, as the OP mentioned, I switch directions ever so often to reduce the wear and tear on wheels, but also just for variety. Usually when I can the consist of my train or the locomotive or whatever, I'll flip direction just because.
Still, I think I naturally run the train counter clockwise... I have no idea why...
Strangely, the layout my Grandpa has that I first ran model trains on usually runs couter clockwise too, because that is how the switches where arranged for the yard to be trailing point.
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
richhotrainI once worked with a guy named Fred Jolly. It would be interesting if Holly Molly married him - - - Holly Molly Jolly.
That would be reported as as the Molly-Jolly wedding. You would probably have a bunch of ravers show up thinking it was a party, then the police would shut it down.
SPSOT fanStrangely, the layout my Grandpa has that I first ran model trains on usually runs couter clockwise too, because that is how the switches where arranged for the yard to be trailing point.
The only oval loop railroad I had was the first N scale layout I built in high school.
Now that I think about it, the inner loop always ran clockwise because of the direction of the tunouts in the yard. The outer loop just has a passing track. I usually had it set up with one train running each direction.
SeeYou190 richhotrain I once worked with a guy named Fred Jolly. It would be interesting if Holly Molly married him - - - Holly Molly Jolly. That would be reported as as the Molly-Jolly wedding. You would probably have a bunch of ravers show up thinking it was a party, then the police would shut it down. -Kevin
richhotrain I once worked with a guy named Fred Jolly. It would be interesting if Holly Molly married him - - - Holly Molly Jolly.
richhotrainm sure some people thought that I was joking when I wrote that, but I was being sincere. With all due respect to Fred, how do you get a last name like Jolly
From his father/grandfather/etc,
davidmurray richhotrain m sure some people thought that I was joking when I wrote that, but I was being sincere. With all due respect to Fred, how do you get a last name like Jolly From his father/grandfather/etc,
richhotrain m sure some people thought that I was joking when I wrote that, but I was being sincere. With all due respect to Fred, how do you get a last name like Jolly
But, I'm guessing his forefathers used a much longer name like Jollczwksky and wound up having it shortened at Ellis Island which was often the case.
When i am using clockwork locos, I run them so that I can insert the winding key from the near side. In almost all cases that means locos face to the left, so on an oval they will run clockwise.
Mike
JAMES CRAFT Then I realized the point: For a double main, the westernmost (left-hand as you face north) track is traveled north and the easternmost (right-hand track as you face north) track is traveled south. I think that's right, although my brain is being damaged by thinking about how this would work for a train traveling north and then turning east: e.g., would the east-bound train have to switch from the left-hand to the right-hand rail?
Then I realized the point: For a double main, the westernmost (left-hand as you face north) track is traveled north and the easternmost (right-hand track as you face north) track is traveled south. I think that's right, although my brain is being damaged by thinking about how this would work for a train traveling north and then turning east: e.g., would the east-bound train have to switch from the left-hand to the right-hand rail?
If it's hurting your brain, you may be overthinking. (And you actually have the directions backwards.)
The convention for "double-track" (without CTC) was to have each track designated for travel in one direction only. Therefore if a line is considered to be an east-west line, one track will be "westward" and one track will be "eastward". The common convention was "right-hand running", which meant normal direction of travel was to be operating on the right hand track.
Just think of it as exactly the same as driving your car on any 2-lane street in North America not marked as "One Way". Drive in the right lane, not the left (oncoming traffic).
However Chicago & North Western was an exception to this, having some lines that were "left-hand running" with trains operating on the left-hand track (like driving in England).
If these tracks were signalled with [passive] ABS (automatic block signals), signals would only be provided in the direction of travel for each track.
There are very few examples remaining of these sorts of double track lines; most have been upgraded with full bi-directional CTC signalling on all tracks, and are now "2 [or more] main track" lines - which IS semantically different from "double track" as described above.
If a double track line crosses and/or joins with another line, switches and crossovers will be provided at the junction to accomodate whatever moves are necessary for trains to move from one line to another on the correct track. There were also be periodic crossovers between the tracks throughout any double track territory so trains can switch between tracks if required - there are/were rules to allow a train to run on the "wrong" track "against current of traffic" but required special orders from the dispatcher to all trains on that track in order to safely protect it.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
It's almost difficult to believe that this thread is still on-going, although it's at least wandered a bit into some more interesting conversations.
I'm still wondering, though, who the heck runs their trains in only one direction? A railroad goes somewhere, then comes back from that place, not circles around to the same place over and over again.
Wayne
Wayne, I think that is the difference betwen "toy" trains and "model" trains.
Ron
doctorwayne It's almost difficult to believe that this thread is still on-going, although it's at least wandered a bit into some more interesting conversations. I'm still wondering, though, who the heck runs their trains in only one direction? A railroad goes somewhere, then comes back from that place, not circles around to the same place over and over again. Wayne
The trains should be able to run Eastbound for a while, then Westbound for a while.
Or you can say the trains are running Northbound, then have the next trains run Southbound.
Empty cars in one direction, loaded cars in the other direction.
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
richhotrain...Every layout that I have built includes a track arrangment to reverse the direction of trains and return them back where they came from....
Yeah, my first layout, a 4'x8', had an elevated crossover to effect a change of direction, and an inside loop to perform the same task.
Perhaps that's why I never saw any appeal to NASCAR racing.
I usually run clockwise. I never really gave it any thought until now, but I guess I just like the way it looks from my perspective better than counter-clockwise. The only exception to this would be my Shay, which I usually run counter-clockwise so I can see the Shay motor on the loco's right side when it runs past me.
doctorwayne richhotrain ...Every layout that I have built includes a track arrangment to reverse the direction of trains and return them back where they came from.... Yeah, my first layout, a 4'x8', had an elevated crossover to effect a change of direction, and an inside loop to perform the same task. Perhaps that's why I never saw any appeal to NASCAR racing. Wayne
richhotrain ...Every layout that I have built includes a track arrangment to reverse the direction of trains and return them back where they came from....
That's why I used to love stock car racing so much. The stock cars ran CW and CWW simultaneously.
Wolf359The only exception to this would be my Shay, which I usually run counter-clockwise so I can see the Shay motor on the loco's right side when it runs past me.
Yup, no matter what your layout's track plan is, Shay Locomotives can only run facing one direction.
Unless, you're modeling the Chicago and Northwestern, I'd run clockwise. C&NW would run widdershins, Ya know, we have a problem, we're raising a generation that may have never seen an analog clock face, just digital, and have no idea what we mean.
BEAUSABRE we're raising a generation that may have never seen an analog clock face, just digital, and have no idea what we mean.
I have nothing but analog clocks in my house, I like to be able to see the passage of time, not just numbers changing on a display.
Through decades of kids coming over to our house... all of them could read a clock face and tell time.
I think people will be able to read a clock face for at least another generation or two.
SeeYou190I think people will be able to read a clock face for at least another generation or two.
And —
DIAL a phone.
Regards, Ed
Although I had 2 loops on my last layout to both is the answer, as a child when I had one now I think about it it always went clockwise.
I do prefer to run both ways though from a wear point of view on my steam locomotives. Paranoia, aspbergers or good mechanical sense. Who knows.
On my first HO scale layout back in 2004, I modelled the C&NW, so I ran trains counter-clockwise on the outer main and clockwise on the inner main. I have retained that directional theme on my current layout even though the C&NW is not the main road name on my layout anymore.