aprofitt0002 By the way, Steve ole pal...I saw your "Hook 'em Horns" logo and I've got only one thing to say being part of the Big Blue Nation, "Go Cats!" Doc
By the way, Steve ole pal...I saw your "Hook 'em Horns" logo and I've got only one thing to say being part of the Big Blue Nation, "Go Cats!" Doc
Ditto that. UK class of '73 here. Adolph Rupp was still coaching until my senior year.
In answer to Steve's post:
Yes, later today, I will re-sketch my bench plan on graph paper for greater accuracy and will take a picture of it and upload thre pic to Imgur...that's about the only way i know to do it. I have to respond to some student emails and do some planning on a presentation I'm to make at the college this morning, but I should get to it before noon. Thanks, Doc
Reply to Mike:
Ha! For some reason that struck me as funny...sort of like a mule looking at a new gate sort of funny. Doc
Reply to Cololrado Ray's post:
Wahoo! Another BB fan! I want to ask you what you think of this year's team but nobody else would want to listen to such important stuff so I'd better keep things "on track" so to speak (pun intended!). Doc
The name of the guy on the video about the Cotswolds is "Rick Steve's" and the show is Rick Steve's Europe. This edition is Rick Steve's England: The Cotswolds...this is what i hope to replicate in my model. Doc
I will re-sketch my bench plan on graph paper for greater accuracy and will take a picture of it and upload thre pic to Imgur...that's about the only way i know to do it.
That is what I would recommend. You have to draw a plan to scale to have a realistic track plan. That generally requires you use graph paper with a scale rule and compass (old school) or some sort of software to allow you to do it on a computer.
I usually use 11x17 graph paper (you can buy it at Staples) and draw in the room walls/boundaries along with doors, support poles, etc. to scale so that you can fit the whole thing on one sheet (ideally) and to scale.
I've got one draft of a track plan with all the major features drawn in for my 15 x 33 1/2 foot main layout area. The first "option" allows me minimum 32" radius with an sort of e shaped track configuration but narrow pinch points (24") and narrow benchwork on one side. In the plan, the main and hidden storage yards run along the bottom wall, over and up along the left wall and up around to the right, then back down to the left above the yard and turns back over and around the the top. The bottom tale of the e on the right side goes up and to the right for a helix and turn back loop. (I'll post picktures when I get a chance)
I am planning on drawing up an "option 2" track plan to use the full width of the 15 foot wide space but will require a liftout bridge at the bottom of the basement stairs to enter the basement, but that will allow wider walkways and benchwork.
I used to have the ability to scan to PDF's at work but I may just take a photo and upload to imgur to display the track plan drafts.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Looks like some nice country. I just watched part of his video on West England, and the Cotswolds.
As you read your track planning and layout building books, you'll understand how you can make your trackbed make slight elevation changes, to help accommodate the terrain you want your trains to run through, and still have good operations without steep grades.
Railroad construction engineers take the easiest route, like following rivers and valleys.
Mike.
My You Tube
Replying to Rio Grande:
Let me first say one of our children lives in Northern Va in Alexandria. She works at the State Department and her husband is in the Army Medical School at John's Hopkins. Now, having said that, I have the graph paper right here on my desk at home along with a scale rule and a compass and will set about the business of completing that sketch plan later today. I also want to say to you and to the others that many of the things you are planning in your bench layout sound good for mine as well. I just hope we can make this a creation by community and i believe we can do that. I'm going to be open to any and all advice and try to incorporate as much of it into the final product as I can. Doc
One of the good things i have gong for me is that my wife and I ride our bicycles on a local RailTrail (The Dawkins RailTrail named for the Dawkins Timber Company that raped the forests of Eastern Kentucky back in the early 1900's and hauled out the timber on rail cars) so we have become quite familiar with graduations and grades. We have two tunnels on the section of the trail that we ride on and one day...yes, one day...I want to do a second layout marking the journey from the Gun Creek Tunnel to the Tip Top Tunnel...one day i hope to do that. Those Cotswolds took my fancy right now though. Doc
aprofitt0002 Replying to Rio Grande: Let me first say one of our children lives in Northern Va in Alexandria. She works at the State Department and her husband is in the Army Medical School at John's Hopkins.
Let me first say one of our children lives in Northern Va in Alexandria. She works at the State Department and her husband is in the Army Medical School at John's Hopkins.
Small world. I alternate between Alexandria and Lorton VA as a gov contractor and my wife, a Brit (who immigrated from England in 2011) works for a couple who are PhD psychologiests at the State Dept.
Now, having said that, I have the graph paper right here on my desk at home along with a scale rule and a compass and will set about the business of completing that sketch plan later today. I also want to say to you and to the others that many of the things you are planning in your bench layout sound good for mine as well. I just hope we can make this a creation by community and i believe we can do that. I'm going to be open to any and all advice and try to incorporate as much of it into the final product as I can. Doc
I'll probably post my drafts for review and comment. I have a pretty good idea what I want to design in to my space but input can be helpful. I didn't fully formalize a track plan from my last 10x18' layout but here is one from the previous 14x25' layout.
We have a daughter who pulled two tours in Afghanistan as a gov contractor...she's the one at the state dept. That's where she met her husband who was then an Army medic...now in training to be a neurologist. Hey ole pal, your layout looks a lot like my benchwork! Now - how did you insert this right into the body of your post? That's what i would like to do later today if I can. Doc
Very cool! Lots of that kind of thing in the greater Washington DC, northern Virginia metro area. They call many here "beltway bandits" who are government contractors who just go from contract to contract over the years.
That track plan I posted was one of my paper copies that I scanned to an Adobe PDF document on a flat bed scanner on a large combination copier scanner and emailed it to myself. In that case I scanned two separate 11x17 pages and there are in a PDF together as one long page. I uploaded it to IMGUR, which is my photo host. It displays smaller since it is one long two page PDF. It is also photocopy of an original drawing so some of the detail is lost on it.
Another method, which also works, is you can take a careful photo with your smart phone and email it to yourself and then upload it to a photohost. A flat bed scanner works best but a carefully taken photo as a jpg can work well too.
Got it. Will do. Doc
My scaled layout on Imgur below:
https://imgur.com/aS1kJl7
Doc
How wide is the layout at the two red marks?
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
2 ft and 4 ft
Ok so a square is 4 x 4 inches - 3 blocks = a foot in a linear direction and a 3x3 on that is 1 square foot.
So on the right side, 36 inches wide will force you to have basically a 16 inch radius curve to fit inside, which is very sharp in HO. In N-scale, not too bad.
Remind me what scale are you working in?
Trouble is he is working in OO scacle slightly bigger than HO scale. I dont think you want anything tighter than 18" in HO.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
He could put a loop in the 4ft wide section for reversing it would be 22" radius which is still tight for passenger equipment, I'd suggest for continuous running a swing gate across the aisle. Also Doc you should consider having at least two or three small industries and one yard, it will allow for some operations even if it's just rotating out cars from industry to yard and from yard to industry. On the bright side you have enough room for a turntable! Which is likely your best bet because you can turn Locomotives in less space than having a loop and if you only have one approach track and no roundhouse you are good, but add a round house you will quickly run out of space.
Reply to Rio:
I'm going with OO which is thew British equivalent of HO Doc
To The Bearman: yep
So, OO scale is 1/76, correct? HO is 1/87.
But OO gauge is the same as HO gauge, in the spacing of the rails.?
I hadn't considered a swing gate. The line that runs from Stowe to Wells is a passenger line. How would I incorporate an industrial line in that context? There are no industries in that part of the Cotswolds...used to be a big wool producing area but that's about all they ever had. Doc
I had wanted to locate Stowe at one end of the line and Wells at the other end and on the long, 2 foot section just have scenery and one manor house with out buildings and quarters. That was my plan anyway. Doc
So just a passenger train. OK, you could use a run around track on each end, as I mentioned earlier.
If only one passenger train and two stations with scenery in between is the plan, then it may be doable, but, if continuous running is in the plan, then there is still the issue of the 36 inch penninsula which will not take an 18 inch radius with overhang, not to manetion that those passenger cars may be on the long side and not look all that great maneuvering through an 18 inch loop.
I think what we need here is a track plan drawn to scale.
It would also be interesting to see what kind of equipment he'll be using.
He seems confident that what he has in mind will make it around an 18" radius, even if he has to add on just a few inches where the loop is, on the narrow end.
That's correct, Mike...so, is it the consensus that given the benchwork i have, I will have to either have a swing gate that will get me to the 40' x 48' section across the walkin divide or put in a turntable alone or run a locomotive on either end of the rolling stock or try to fit in a loop? If so, I think the swing gate would be my preference if it will work. I wanted to run depot and terminal sidings in both Stowe and Wells on either end of the line...possible??? Doc
I think what we have here is an bigger than HO scale train running on HO gauge track. I do not think you are going to go around an 18 inch loop at the scale speed of a bullet train, not to mention the overhang of those long passenger cars as they negotiate the loop.
If you want a continuous run train, that can keep going around and around, then yes, I guess it would be the swing gate.
I'd like to do a search and see what kind of equipment you'll be using. I always loved European trains, even though I've never been close to one.
I have collected a few coaches, but haven't bought a loco yet, as I wasn't sure of any voltage stuff, or something I didn't know about.