Some fellow in one of the many forum postings I have read in the past month or so said, "Just lay some track and run some trains." So I have. Here are some photos of what I have done so far:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7392037@N05/sets/72157600010787853/
The temporary road bed is old 1x4 cedar decking that I had laying around. I cut it the same length as the track pieces to be put down , and arranged the cedar pieces into the figure 8. Then I just plopped the Aristo-Craft track on top. The Cedar will all come out and be replaced with either one long trestle or gravel road bed.
Man what a trip! I have a couple of 7.9% grades, if I am calculating that right. (3.75 inches/4ft). So this initial set up will be a short haul logging or mining operation. I hope to add a ground level yard, station, and long haul freight and passenger routes later this year. I will have my hands full for a while building the trestle and rocking the grades to each circle. Anyway it has been a blast! "Jump right in and run some trains", has been good advice so far.
Regards,
Zak
Keep On Railroad'n..............
Hi Zak
I think you need to try and ease the grades a bit if you can.
Looks like a good start take the time to enjoy what you have for a while and find its limitations the ones you can change and improve on while you work out whats next.
Don't forget to re use the key stones or what ever it is that's created those two circular beds as the line grows.
Borrow a few books on your chosen theme and throw a couple of buildings together or maybe a very utilitarian loggers ?? miners coach just to make sure the theme is what you want
You now have a bit of breathing space to smell the roses and experiment.
regards John
Thanks for the nice reply John,
Great Idea about using the stones, and I am going to ease the grades also.
Nice start!
You'll want to ease those grades a little. It might help if you got the low point on the underneath line under the bridge and continued the grade through the corners and the upper straight.
The head is gray, hands don't work , back is weak, legs give out, eyes are gone, money go's and my wife still love's Me.
John Busby wrote: I think you need to try and ease the grades a bit if you can. Looks like a good start take the time to enjoy what you have for a while and find its limitations the ones you can change and improve on while you work out what's next. You now have a bit of breathing space to smell the roses and experiment.
Tom Trigg
Wow....thanks for all the great tips you guys...I can't wait to get out and play in the dirt this weekend...raising the lower level with the landscaping brick and cutting the grade in half is a great idea!
Keep on Railroadin'
dwbeckett wrote: dont forget to post new pictures as you go we all like to see progress even though we sometimes, I for one, don't make any ourselfs.
Have fun with your trains
For crying out load. 90% of the replys I read is Criticism. Why didn't you do this or You should have done that.
You built something you liked. YOU are having fun.Sooner or later you might want to try something else. GO for it. When you see a problem You will have fun correcting it.
Right now Your pride and Joy is give you fun and relaxation and a lot of suspender stretching pride.
You took the first step to happiness pulling your hair out.
BLOW YOUR WHISTLE AND RING YOUr BELL
Hi spikejones52002
Part of this thread and a previous one is that we where asked what to do and for our opinions
We have now been shown what has been done our opinion was asked for those of us that know must let those that don't what we think there are no telepaths on this forum we cannot mind read either.
I have not seen one destructive criticism in any of the replies.
So with respect I request you apologize to the forum for the unpleasant tone of your message this is a forum for like minded hobbyists intent on enjoying our hobby and assisting those that asked for our opinion
This is not the houses of parliament or congress so we expect people to behave like gentlemen
with apologies to the rest of the forum for my tone
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
zakowitz wrote: Wow....thanks for all the great tips you guys...I can't wait to get out and play in the dirt this weekend...raising the lower level with the landscaping brick and cutting the grade in half is a great idea! Keep on Railroadin' Zak
SPIKE
I for one agree with John WE ALL TRY to play nice and share our idea's when asked.
Hey Howdy Again,
Thanks fellas for all the great ideas. I am going to lesson the grades and add some sidings. I will post some more pics in another month or two for you guys to opine on. I enjoyed all of your comments. I am a noob at this and your advice is very much appreciated. :) Regards...
Don't forget to let us know of any problems you find interesting solutions too
If you get stuck with a problem we will try to assist
Just because we may have been in this game a bit longer doesn't mean we know everything and you might just have the solution for one of our problems.
As others have said "LOTS OF PICTURES PLEEEASE"
Appoligize for what?
TTRIG & DWBECKETT does not like his wall!
TOMBECKETT does not like how his grades run!!
JOHNBUSBY does not like the amount of grades!!!
Lazy 8 RRis running on what he constructed.
Why tear apart what he has when it works?
If you spend all of your time and money rebuilding what works. You will never have time to expand.
Hi spike
How about we start with the first few words in your first message which automatically set the tone of your message as attacking and offensive in the extreme
I would suggest going in your garden set up a grade like in Zack's first message get a nice train say 10 box cars and a caboose LGB or Aristocraft or other US "G" scale manufacturer will do not a particularly large train now fit every car with solid metal Aristocraft wheels or heavier ones if you have them.
Get an 0-4-0 locomotive and drag that train up the hill without a rack rail or banking loco
A garden sized 0-4-0 should not have trouble with such a short train as described I can assure you it will not cope very well with a 7.5% grade change it to real steam and it will not get further than the length of the loco on that grade.
Its not HO indoor toys the cars are heavy and the recommended grade is about 3% the loco will not do it.
I have built a garden railway I was fortunate to have people stop me making a few mistakes
Do you honestly expect me to sit silent when I see a potential problem and you should have read Zack's message properly and the previous thread he started
Now when you have done what I suggested and are prepared to be a gentleman and read and think before bashing those computor keys we might listen to what you have to say.
But if you want to use an attacking tone thats your problem
spikejones52002 wrote: If you spend all of your time and money rebuilding what works. You will never have time to expand.
Spike,
Real Rail Roads spend there money also rebuilding and redoing as some of us.
I can understand your point but if it is to help a person increase his/her engines life span, then yes I do agree with lowering the % of grade.
Unless you have so much money to buy new motors and engines, please by all means up the grade.
Normal high grade is 4%.
Spike, I feel it was a WOW factor they seen and helpful replys came after.
William
SPIKE, Opion's are like a**hole's everyone has one. If you can't provied construtive input when asked then suht up. we ,at least I for one, don't care to blasted for replying to a request for input on OUR thougths on HOW TO do something.
TO THE REST OF THIS FORUM I appliogize comments above
Dave
Spike, so your saying we should say nothing till he strips the gears on his brand new loco?
If you look at the comments , every one of them has been supportive on getting started and praising of the gumption to get out their and get yer hands dirty.
Where comments have been made have almost exclusivley been regarding that one 8% grade.
Theirs a reason for that, those with experience know its a thing to avoid and are simply trying to inform Zak that he should raise the approaching rails to allow a reduction in the grade to someting more reasonable, its called ADVICE, not criticism. Its called Dont make the same mistakes WE'VE made
Those with experience know from experience that very very steep grades like that are very limiting to what you can run, how much you can haul, and greatly increase wear and tear on the locomotive gearboxes not to mention the risk of the wieght of the train literally pushing the train down the grade and derailing, also going right into a very steep grade like this absolutly require a vertical transition easement, liiteraly track section bent to ramp up or down to give the train the ability to transition from grade to level without derailing. Very steep grades without these transitional easements might be OK for 2 axles locomotives, but anything larger or with pilot or trailing wheels in gaurenteed to derail without those transitions. I know because I have been torture testing my stock on a 5% grade test track planned for my insane pretzle of a layout. I will be using these easements at each grade transition.
Zak shows in his pics has plenty of room on his approach to make a gentler grade, so much that he likely will not require the vertical easments. Its ultimatly his choice to do it or not.
Strange - I haven't made any comments on this topic at all. How come I get slammed for some comment about grades I never made?
Tom Beckett
I think what has been said here, should help all of us. I've heard that a 4% grade is about the normal grade for any rr. But then I'm new to all of this and have only one train. But if you ask for someones opinion, you expect to get their honest answers. That's what I would want.
If I was making a long term mistake, I would want to know, so that I could correct it and not have the damage done to my engines. Yes, I also think that you should be able to build exactly whatever you want to. And add to it as you can.
I do find the bold type and capital letters as yelling an opinion however. Come on guy's, we are all here to share and help each other. Lets try to keep it civil.
Just my humble opinion.
Melissa
Hi Sweet Santa Fe
Haven't seen you post before so a belated BIG
Generally speaking as I understand it writing in capitals is concidered to be yelling as far as Internet manners are concerned.
But we on this forum at least tend to try and ignore large bold type
We got caught out by a genuine case of it has to be that big and bold so I can see what I am writing.
But as you have been unfortunate enough to see we will stand up when we feel it necessary.
Which train do you have? and what plans do you have for your railway
Holy cow!
I never expected my little post to stir the pot like this....
To answer John's question, I am running a LGB 2-4-0 at the moment. I have started to build the trestle bents and I will post a picture after I get them set. I will be raising the lower level up so the resulting grade should be around 4% or so...maybe even less. I will be expanding at the ground level with a yard and another strictly long haul route. I live in the NW (Tacoma, Wa) and the weather on my days off has not been very cooperative.
I truly appreciate all of your comments. :)
John,
I have a small train. The engine is a 4 4 2 with two rolling stock and a caboose. All in G scale. I'm planning to add to it as I can. It's by Lionel.
I was just trying to calm down the situation, not get my self into a mess. And if you must know, I have O scale and HO scale trains. Is that considered good enough to be on the forum????
Don't worry about it, not your fault you did not set the cat amongst the pigeons
Hi Melissa
Hope I have not offended or caused you offence not my intent
Of course you are most welcome
And tipping a bucket of water on the fire is just what was needed.
My question on trains was to try and move things back to where they should be
What is the Lionel "G" 4-4-2 like I have heard mixed stories on them as to there reliability but have never been able to ask some one who has one what they are like
I recently acquired a Lionel 0-4-0 it seems to be OK
No offense taken. I sometimes get a little defensive as this seems to be a mans hobby. I like my Lionel train. It doesn't hop the track, as long as I make sure nothing is in the way. It's big and heavy. I especially like the way that it starts, stops, and goes in reverse. It's easy to set up, and take down when necessary.
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