Colorado Ray Why are you using #8 turnouts in a yard. You'd gain longer tracks if you used #6s. #8s are great for mainline crossovers but overkill for the slower speeds in a yard. Peco turnouts have sharper rail closure radius than other brands, but I'd still bet the #6 closure radius is greater than your minimum radius. Ray
Why are you using #8 turnouts in a yard. You'd gain longer tracks if you used #6s. #8s are great for mainline crossovers but overkill for the slower speeds in a yard. Peco turnouts have sharper rail closure radius than other brands, but I'd still bet the #6 closure radius is greater than your minimum radius.
Ray
I don't like the way that 73 foot long centerbeam flats and wood chip hoppers look going through #6 frogs. All cars look better going through the shallower angles.
Everything I see on google satellite these days looks higher than #6 frogs, just about everywhere.
And I only need to hold about 20 cars on a 12 foot long by 1 foot deep yard. Really, each yard is going to be about 2 tracks. Both yards terminate into backdrops at either end of the space, giving the illusion of longer tracks. Less clutter. I have the space.
- Douglas
This is what I'm building, but its a lot flatter. The SW and NE angles on this diagram are about 60 degrees, whereas the LH turnout frog would make them about 7.1 degrees The NW and SE angles shown here would be the inverse of 7.1 (so that all 4 angles added up to the required 360 degrees of course), with the "mainlines" (actually some are switching leads to industries, but that's not relevant) extending the top and bottom tangent lines to the east and west. All four sides make up the runaround
The two verticle lines are the ladders, with the angles of the yard tracks coming off at 7.1 also...but that's not relevant to my question.
And imagine squishing the rhombus flatter...the NE and SW corners would be pushed farther apart as this rhomus was flattened.
Its very flat, but all track is straight, so I'm thinking that basic geometric principals and formulas should be able to tell me how far apart the SW and NE frogs will be diagnally. The height of the rhombus is 9 inches and its lenght is about 98 inches.
This is sounding like a geometry test question, LOL.
I understand that there are easier ways to do this. I just thought that it would be fun to maybe think about how it was done in the old days.
Many times either drawing myself (pencil-paper) or using someones software.... the trackplan never matches what the track actual does (can do). Meaning, for instance, Atlas's Right Track Software you would think would match Atlas track angles- degrees- bends- etc. etc. It doesnt. And others are the same - for whatever reason.
When this happens I usually grab the pieces of track in question and lay them out just as if i were actually putting them down permanantly. Then I take measurements.... realign this or that, even sometimes come up with a better idea. Or, and this has happened..... DANG IT! It just wont fit!!!! Arrrgh!
You may want to try this and forgo the head scratching - hair pulling (for those of us that still have it) - math. "Model Railroading is FUN!" Math is for school, and school was never fun! Not wise to mix the two.
As an added incentive, once the track is 'pre-laid', measured, and or re-arranged how you like it..... its a simple matter of marking your centerline so when you do lay the track permanant like..... you already have marks in place that are dead on the way you want them and where you want them.
Easy peasy, no math thats sleazy!
Clear Ahead!
Douglas #2
Even with my knowledge of geometry, a picture, or sketch would go a long way here.
The rhombus shape is a common approach to build yards with all tracks being nearly equal in length, but understanding how that intergrates with you other trackage is not well described.
I'm with Ray, why #8's in a yard?
And I don't have any PECO turnouts as a template....
Sheldon
Doughless Hmmm. The thread isn't as much fun as I thought it would be.
Hmmm. The thread isn't as much fun as I thought it would be.
Rich
Alton Junction
No, 3rd planit comes with templates for different commercial turnouts built-in. You just select what you're using and plop it down.
Onewolf42 If only there were existing software that would allow you to draw this and see exactly your dimensions/options are. Oh wait, there is. I use 3rdPlanit (trackplanning.com) to do my tinkering in the virtual space.
If only there were existing software that would allow you to draw this and see exactly your dimensions/options are. Oh wait, there is.
I use 3rdPlanit (trackplanning.com) to do my tinkering in the virtual space.
I may try that, but that would require the internet research I was avoiding for the fun of it.
Although I could probably find an internet tutorial and figure this out, I thought that it would be more fun to pose the question here.
I'm redesigning the interchange/yard area of may layout and breaking it in half to have sort of an east facing yard and a west facing yard. In the middle will be the main runaround (they are also the ladders). The runaround will be in the shape of a rhombus, if you remember geometry class.
I'm building it with 4 LH PECO #8 code 83 North American turnouts. All 4 running East/West, two facing North, and two facing South. While the shape will be symetrical, it looks like the shallow frog angle will have to give the rhombus sort of an "offset" shape. PECO says the frog angle on its #8 is 7.15 degrees
I want to keep the diverging tracks perfectly straight, used as ladders.
Edited for more clarity (I hope):
Height of the rhombus along the veritcle axis is 9 inches and the lenght along the horizontal axis is about 98 inches.
What is the distance between the SW and NE frogs...as the crow flies?
What is the total distance of the two legs that connect the SW and NE frogs? ...that will be the linear length of the runaround track (s)
No cookies available for prizes, just my appreciation. Enjoy.