WaxonWaxov wrote: dknelson wrote: First if you have not already done so you should read Paul Dolkos's article "No Space is No Excuse" in the 1996 issue of Model Railroad Planning. He covers the topic quite well. If you have old issues of Model Railroader you might also have the March 1991 issue where Dolkos wrotes about British model railroad exhibition layouts. Dave Nelson Are we certain it's the 1996 Model Railroad Planning? Could someone chek their copy to be certain? The description on Kalmbach doesn't include that article.
dknelson wrote: First if you have not already done so you should read Paul Dolkos's article "No Space is No Excuse" in the 1996 issue of Model Railroad Planning. He covers the topic quite well. If you have old issues of Model Railroader you might also have the March 1991 issue where Dolkos wrotes about British model railroad exhibition layouts. Dave Nelson
Are we certain it's the 1996 Model Railroad Planning? Could someone chek their copy to be certain? The description on Kalmbach doesn't include that article.
http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=I&MAG=MRP&MO=1&YR=96
Stein
steinjr wrote: WaxonWaxov wrote: dknelson wrote: First if you have not already done so you should read Paul Dolkos's article "No Space is No Excuse" in the 1996 issue of Model Railroad Planning. He covers the topic quite well. If you have old issues of Model Railroader you might also have the March 1991 issue where Dolkos wrotes about British model railroad exhibition layouts. Dave Nelson Are we certain it's the 1996 Model Railroad Planning? Could someone chek their copy to be certain? The description on Kalmbach doesn't include that article. http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=I&MAG=MRP&MO=1&YR=96Stein
wow cool...
Now I know how to search there also.... cool!
I would build a flat board, maybe with 1/2 inch plywood, or use a piece of 2-inch foam. I'd use a piece of 1x2 at each end as a stop, probably mounted with dowels and holes. The stop at the end that connects to the layout would be removed after putting the casette in place. If the casette is one-way, then the stop at the other end could be permanent. I'd put side rails on it, too.
Get a big piece of cardboard. (Hint - buy a big-screen TV and save the box.) Make up a cover that just fits over the trains. If you shape the end stops appropriately, they will also help hold the cover in position. Now, you've got a casette where the trains won't roll off the end, and if you spaz totally they won't tip over the edge, either. Even better, the trains are covered and will be kept free of dust if you use the casette for storage. You could probably even stack them on top of each other.
Other than the cost of the big-screen TV, this is a pretty cheap solution, so you could build numerous casettes without breaking the bank.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Here is a basic design drawing I make of Jon Grant's "Car Cassette". There is another thread about this by Jon Grant some where here in the forums but I was unable to locate it at this time. It goes more in depth as to power routing and has pictures as well.
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Johnnny_reb Once a word is spoken it can not be unspoken!
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Johnnny_reb wrote:There is another thread about this by Jon Grant some where here in the forums but I was unable to locate it at this time. It goes more in depth as to power routing and has pictures as well.
There is another thread about this by Jon Grant some where here in the forums but I was unable to locate it at this time. It goes more in depth as to power routing and has pictures as well.
Gary
Thanks Gary, but that's not the one I'm talking about. The pictures I seen were different, they may have been on his photo link. They show better details of the joint of the cassettes to the layout and tell the measurements. Find one of Jon Grant's posts the link should be there.
MECman wrote:I've read about these "pattern maker's dowels" in Ian Rice's books but I haven't ever seen them in person. Is there a US source? What is a pattern maker anyway? thanks,David
I've read about these "pattern maker's dowels" in Ian Rice's books but I haven't ever seen them in person. Is there a US source? What is a pattern maker anyway?
thanks,
David
steinjr wrote: So you got two male dowel parts on each end of the cassette and two female dowel parts on the layout ?
marknewton wrote: MECman wrote:I've read about these "pattern maker's dowels" in Ian Rice's books but I haven't ever seen them in person. Is there a US source? What is a pattern maker anyway? thanks,DavidI don't know of a US source, but I imagine there must be someone, somewhere?The patternmakers referred to are the blokes who made wooden patterns and moulds for casting items in a foundry. A casting with a complex shape would often require a mould with multiple parts, so the dowels are used to ensure accurate alignment or registration of the moulds.(This is a very simplified description, I know, but you get the idea!)Cheers,Mark.
Was discussed in a previous thread - do a search for user marknewton, word patternmaker - there was a link to a manufacturer in the UK in that thread.
garya wrote:I priced aluminum angle once, and I thought it was really expensive
marknewton wrote: steinjr wrote: So you got two male dowel parts on each end of the cassette and two female dowel parts on the layout ? Sorry for not replying sooner, Stein, I didn't realise this thread was active again.My cassettes are as you describe, so they can be turned end for end. The "bridges" are a bit different, on one end the dowels are fixed, and on the other they can slide in and out to engage the sockets. I'll have to get hold of my camera and take some photos I think, probably easier to explain that way.All the best,Mark.
I am getting close to having to build the mating mechanism for my own cassette bridge, so that would be great.
What I have done so far is to get two longish aluminium (whichever way one wants to spell that word - British, American, Australian or Norwegian English :-) L-shapes, and use a strip of woodland scenics H0 scale track bed as a spacer, before gluing the L-shapes to a 1x3" plank.
Seen from a cross section, it looks like this:
Here is a fairly poor quality image to give an impression of what it looks like in reality:
I've made it about 6" longer than the gap to be bridged, so there should be room for some kind of mounting/mating mechanism at the ends, but I haven't gotten there yet - got sidetracked into changing my prototype and making fairly extensive changes in another part of my track plan - got the last turnouts for the changes in the mail today.
Edit: btw - it is the gap in the lower left corner of this oom the cassette will have to bridge in my plan:
Anyways - I'd also be very interested in seeing some pictures of mounting/mating mechanisms here.
Smile, Stein
I use cassette staging on my layout. I can stack them and they do not take up much room. I can also use them at different locations on the layout. Moveable staging, sort of. I ripped 3' long 1/2 ich ply wood for the base, then ripped old paneling to a heighth just above the tallest car. I have a solid end with a piece of foam as a bumper on one end, and I use a shaft of bamboo at the other end to keep cars from rolling off. I've used them for over a year now and have not had any problems. One just needs to be careful when handling them.
Chuck
Modeling the Motor City
Fair warning: the following is all theory and no practice
I am going to build some cassettes for HO scale. I intend to use 1/2" wood for the floor and 1/4" wood for the sides and ends. I will use glue to keep it together. One end (and maybe both) will be attached with a hinge and some sort of tackdown. I am going to use a big nail to hold couplers (and keep the train in place) on the end which does not open. I intend to make this about 24" long and just wide enough for a piece of flextrack (or my widest car, if bigger). I will have to also build a leg (or two) and something on the bottom of the cassette so the whole thing will stay put when I am not holding it.
Any additional advice or comments - except for "you are making this all too complex"; I've already been told that - are welcome.
Oops! The photos did not show up -- here are what my cassettes look like. They are lightweight and sturdy.