I've been looking at making an exhibition layout (okay so I am nuts).
Starting with about 9'x12' going round the outside of the area on 18" boards (using H0 - 80s - Chicago(ish) - seperated passenger and freight tracks [ie commute on an upper loop and switching on a lower deck]...
I started to think about run-thru freight... and then drove myself completely crazy...
I reckon that by dropping below the displayed tracks I can get a staging yard that makes almost a full circuit...
Someone please tell me that this is completely insane...
or how they've done it?
TIA
What do you mean by an "exhibition layout?" Is it one you'll be taking apart to take to shows? Or just one that you like to show off in its permanent place in your home?
You could combine a Chicago-like elevated commuter line with a lot of switching and scenery very easily. The elevated line could be towards the back of the layout, occasionally moving out to the front for variety. I've got a set of the Life-Like (now Walthers) R-17 subway cars, and they will easily climb a 5-degree slope, so you can even bring them down to ground level without too much pain. (I do the opposite - I've actually got subways most of the way around, and they have to come up to the ground level.)
You've got to be more careful with the up and down ramps for the underground staging. To get your hands in, you need a decent amount of clearance, which means a significant elevation change between the staging and the visible layout. However, if you're going to do something that looks like a round-the-walls with 9x12 feet, you should have enough room for a decent ramp to maintain a moderate grade.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Dave-the-Train wrote:I reckon that by dropping below the displayed tracks I can get a staging yard that makes almost a full circuit...
3997
MisterBeasley wrote: What do you mean by an "exhibition layout?" Is it one you'll be taking apart to take to shows? Or just one that you like to show off in its permanent place in your home?You could combine a Chicago-like elevated commuter line with a lot of switching and scenery very easily. The elevated line could be towards the back of the layout, occasionally moving out to the front for variety. I've got a set of the Life-Like (now Walthers) R-17 subway cars, and they will easily climb a 5-degree slope, so you can even bring them down to ground level without too much pain. (I do the opposite - I've actually got subways most of the way around, and they have to come up to the ground level.)You've got to be more careful with the up and down ramps for the underground staging. To get your hands in, you need a decent amount of clearance, which means a significant elevation change between the staging and the visible layout. However, if you're going to do something that looks like a round-the-walls with 9x12 feet, you should have enough room for a decent ramp to maintain a moderate grade.
Sorry... I mean a "travel to shows" layout that is sort of modular. Texas Zephyr has it right... the huge challenge would be lining the tracks each and every time. Plug in track panels to cross the joins would be one way with the hidden tracks... but it would need an awful lot of them.
I'm very aware of the height between levels thing... but also thinking about how to support the different levels without blocking access to the one below...??? Again - there is a need to get in to plug in track panels on the bottom/hidden level.
What sort of ratio or %age is a 5degree grade please? I recall your subway. I wish someone made El cars as well. Are you still running the camera car? Do your regular (diesel?) locos handle well on the heavy subway grades - if you run them to discover?
Thanks
Dave-the-Train wrote: What sort of ratio or %age is a 5degree grade please? I recall your subway. I wish someone made El cars as well. Are you still running the camera car? Do your regular (diesel?) locos handle well on the heavy subway grades - if you run them to discover?Thanks
A 5% grade would be 5 inches of rise over 100 inches of horizontal travel.
Yes, I still run the camera car occasionally, usually for show-and-tell when visitors come over. There are just so many things to do on the layout that I haven't gotten around to installing the lighting in the other stations yet, and I think most of the bulbs in the one station that I did light have already burned out. Too high a voltage, I guess. Different bulbs next time around.
The bigger engines will climb the steep grades with short trains, but at the bottom of each hill is a subway tunnel. Because my layout is small and I never intended anything but subways to go in the tunnels, I only provided enough clearance for the subways, which doesn't allow most of my other engines to descend into that heart of darkness.
Since your lower level would be un-scenicked staging, you could probably get away with loose sections sitting on bracing below the main layout. This would make the assembly and alignment process a lot easier, and your modules also wouldn't be as heavy to carry around.