Don't matter......or Does it ??

[John Busby]

QUOTE: Originally posted by devils

Well if you want a loco that will look good in the northern or southern hemispheres going clockwise or anticlockwise may I suggest a Double Fairlie from the festiniog? Two boilers, one facing each way!

I'm going to keep the toilet equation handy though for the rest of my locos! must paste it to the seat and see what reaction I get . . . .

Hi
Just to confuse things [:D]
Are we talking single or double Fairley
and is it the FR, WAGR, QR, NZR or D&RGW RR version of the beast[:p]
regards John

[devils]

Well if you want a loco that will look good in the northern or southern hemispheres going clockwise or anticlockwise may I suggest a Double Fairlie from the festiniog? Two boilers, one facing each way!

I'm going to keep the toilet equation handy though for the rest of my locos! must paste it to the seat and see what reaction I get . . . .

[Capt Bob Johnson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

T-J,

It is very critical that you only operate your trains in a certain direction, based on which part of the hemisphere you live in.

To determine the direction for running, flush your toilet and make careful notations as to which way the water drains down, clockwise or counter. If hard to tell, place an object in the bowl as it is being flushed to see better which way.

The direction of the flush should be the direction for running your trains. There's a whole feng shui science to this, btw.

Don't need to go to all that trouble; we already know that N of the equator it will be clockwise, and South of equator it will be counter clockwise. Only problem I can foresee here is what if your back yard is on the equator???

to throw a facetious comment into the subject, doe the rule hold true on a N of Equator built ship when it is visiting down under???

[FJ and G]

T-J,

It is very critical that you only operate your trains in a certain direction, based on which part of the hemisphere you live in.

To determine the direction for running, flush your toilet and make careful notations as to which way the water drains down, clockwise or counter. If hard to tell, place an object in the bowl as it is being flushed to see better which way.

The direction of the flush should be the direction for running your trains. There's a whole feng shui science to this, btw.

[tangerine-jack]

QUOTE: Originally posted by John Busby

Hi all
I see the responses refering to evening up wear.
has any one thought of the dont run it round in circles solution to this
a few well placed dreaded "S" bends will do the same thing.
my trains tend to spen more time running CW
regards John

That's my solution. It looks more natural to me to have non circular pattern track. That way I don't have to think about it, and it gives a changing view of the train as it runs. It's a little bit like why European road racing is way better than Nascar, it takes skill and daring to turn BOTH ways during a race![;)]

[Capt Bob Johnson]

The driver's answer was, "Left, left... straaaaaight... left, left... straaaaaight." [:o)]

[Anonymous]

Under the Christmas tree, CCW, just like the boys at NASCAR. [:D]

Actually, there's a good reason for it. The track is in a tight spot and the locomotive just brushes the curtains when it passes by. The right side of the curtains close over in front of the left side. If I run CW the locomotive hits the curtain just enough to open up a gap while running CCW keeps the curtains closed.

Bill

OT: This topic reminded me of an interview at one of the NASCAR races last season. The reporter asked a driver what he thought about when he was running around the track at 180 mph. The driver's answer was, "Left, left... straaaaaight... left, left... straaaaaight." [:o)]

[John Busby]

Hi all
I see the responses refering to evening up wear.
has any one thought of the dont run it round in circles solution to this
a few well placed dreaded "S" bends will do the same thing.
my trains tend to spen more time running CW
regards John

[BudSteinhoff]

Two mainlines, 1 CW, 1 CCW and always run the same way.
Bud[8D]

[Anonymous]

I use a simple relay system so trains run in alternate directions. I like the more natural look of that. When one train enters the station, it flips a relay, the current to the rails switches, and a waiting train leaves in the opposite direction.

Cost me a lot of figuring out - it´s not that difficult, I´m just not much of an electrical engineer - but now it works fine. It is expandible to more stops.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Capt Bob Johnson

What about running in both directions to even the wear on the flanges and gearboxes??

If you think I'm keeping track of how much time I have run any given loco in any given direction you got another think coming! I'll run it til it dies then get a new one!

I submit you do have a valid point about the Shea, but what about the angle of view for those who live on the other side of the tracks?

It's your railroad, do that which pleases you! Don't it give you a feeling of power to have all that much say about how things are done???

I have never thought of that. I will have to start following suit for even wear.

[tmcc man]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

This is why I like Climax's over Shay's..look great in either direction.

That is exactly what I was thinking.

[Puckdropper]

My partially finished HO layout doesn't have CW or CCW. It's a straight line. My G scale track doesn't have a direction defined yet.

[Anonymous]

Is it time for a Poll? I run mine CW

John

[Tom The Brat]

Seems to me each layout has its own natural direction. David suggested I turn the trains in the asylum around once. After a day or so, I put them back the "right" way. Last time I was on the Gateway club's modular layout, they were running the wrong way. Don't know why, but it just wasn't right.

[piercedan]

I have 2 figure 8 loops, so I guess my answer is neither CW nor CCW.

However I do have the habit of always running the trains in the same direction on these tracks. [:)] [:)] [:)]

[Tom The Brat]

Since a boy, I've always wanted to build a layout with 2 passing sidings and run 2 trains in opposite directions[;)] Just haven't done it since getting back into trains.

[DannyS]

Jack, water may run down the sink in reverse in the southern hemisphere, but garden trains run in both directions, otherwise you do not need crossing loops to pass an oposing train, put the pick up freight in the loop and bring the fast passenger train thru.

[Bucksco]

I'm in trouble I run them in opposite directions at the same time![;)]

[Tom The Brat]

Strange. I run mine cw both in the asylum and in the shop (no longer)

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Jack, You're starting to sound like Torby![:o)]

[Bucksco]

Do things change below the equator?

[Anonymous]

I run my trains CCW because of some slopes on the layout so it does matter for me

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting thread! I hadnt really thought about it but my HO set (recently dismantled due to a 'child' moving back home) ran CCW and my outdoor line is CCW also. I wonder why that is? Seems a lot of people run their trains CCW...

[ttrigg]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Capt Bob Johnson

Okie,
I wouldn't worry about it, those hunks of metal are harder than out heads, and we haven't worn them out yet!

In giving it some thought in forming this answer, I find i'm running about 2/3 of the time CCW. Why? 1. I just like the look of them going round the pond in that direction. 2. they don't seem to pick the points on 2 of the switches as much when going that way. 3. I just seem to get them on the track heading that way more than going CW!

Whichever way they go they wind up going the other way when I'm heading into a siding, so does it really matter? I don't think so!

Capt Bob;

I had not thought about it until reading your post. Seems as though I do more CCW than CW. My Yard (still under develpoment) enters in a CCW mannor, and the proposed extension out througgh the wifes rose bushes will be comming out of the falls in that direction as well. I guess I'm letting the pond control more of the GRR than I thought.

[gvdobler]

For 19 years I ran the Christmas LGB counter-clockwise around the tree, about 25 feet of track. This year I ran it clockwise and almost everyone that came over asked "why is it running backwards?"

[grandpopswalt]

Okie,

I don't know what you're planning for your layout (Point-to-point, loop-to-loop, or just plain loop) but no matter what, you'll probably have a couple of towns from which your trains will be starting. I'd plan my spurs such that a train coming from either direction will have an equal number of spurs to service that are in a trailing-point direction. This allows the train to back into the spur to do it's switching. A facing point spur usually needs a run-around track close by to easily switch the spur (unless you're O.K. with pushing the newly switched cars around instead of pulling them).

Walt

[vsmith]

This is why I like Climax's over Shay's..look great in either direction.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Okie,
I wouldn't worry about it, those hunks of metal are harder than out heads, and we haven't worn them out yet!

In giving it some thought in forming this answer, I find i'm running about 2/3 of the time CCW. Why? 1. I just like the look of them going round the pond in that direction. 2. they don't seem to pick the points on 2 of the switches as much when going that way. 3. I just seem to get them on the track heading that way more than going CW!

Whichever way they go they wind up going the other way when I'm heading into a siding, so does it really matter? I don't think so!