FORUM CLINIC: Designing for satisfying operations

[GDRMCo]

BUMP
Mitchell

[electrolove]

Bump!

[Bob Hayes]

Joe,

Take a look at how Stephen & Cinthia Priest did away with helixes. There's a track plan in July 2004 MR and June 2005 RMC. I'm really thinking of using this plan as a basis for a new layout, but with more indrustries.

Bob Hayes

[GDRMCo]

BUMP
Mitchell

[Bob Hayes]

My turn,
BUMP

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob Hayes

Joe,

Take a look at how Stephen & Cinthia Priest did away with helixes. There's a track plan in July 2004 MR and June 2005 RMC. I'm really thinking of using this plan as a basis for a new layout, but with more indrustries.

Bob Hayes

Yes, I'm a big fan of what the LDSIG calls the Nolix ... which is basically an around-the-room helix, where the track climbs such that by the time it's made it around the room, it's high enough to be the second deck.

I believe Bill Darnaby has done that as well on his Maumee Route.

[Pruitt]

The nolix is nothing more than a distored one-plus turn helix that's mostly visible, after all......

[GDRMCo]

BUMP
Mitchell

[electrolove]

BUMP

[electrolove]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob Hayes

Joe,

Take a look at how Stephen & Cinthia Priest did away with helixes. There's a track plan in July 2004 MR and June 2005 RMC. I'm really thinking of using this plan as a basis for a new layout, but with more indrustries.

Bob Hayes

Just a little curious about the trackplan and how they solved the nolix thing. Can someone maybe post the trackplan here?

[Anonymous]

you said you analized trackplans or something like that? i would appreciate it if you could look over the plan on this website http://www.trainweb.org/railvids/modelrailroad.htm
and tell me if the plan is any good for modeling the early 90's. thanks a lot.
GEARHEAD426

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GEARHEAD426

you said you analized trackplans or something like that? i would appreciate it if you could look over the plan on this website http://www.trainweb.org/railvids/modelrailroad.htm
and tell me if the plan is any good for modeling the early 90's. thanks a lot.
GEARHEAD426

Gearhead:

Sorry, this post of yours got burried and I just realized you asked for comments on your track plan.

Not bad little plan for a 4x8.

When I see a yard, I look to see if you have a switching lead that allows you to switch and not foul the main -- this plan has that.

The industrial area in the center in kind of interesting ... for a 4x8 it's almost branchline status!

The industry track is designed as a bit of a switching puzzle with the very short tail on the runaround track that's also an industry spot. I tend *not* to like switching puzzle designs that deliberately make switching tediuous since that's rather unprototypical and it will make doing the switching of that industrial area wear thin pretty quick.

If I were you, I'd move the runaround track further away from the end of the branch to give you more of a tail track beyond the end. Ideally you would at least have room for a couple cars and a loco beyond the end of the runaround.

But all-in-all, this is an elegant and well done little track plan for a 4x8.

[pcarrell]

Bump

[Anonymous]

GEARHEAD, that's a good trackplan for a 4x8. A decent sized yard for a small layout, and some industrial action.

[GDRMCo]

I was just wondering Joe but can the yard and the passing sidings handle 200-300 car ore trains on the layout you designed?
Mitchell

[Anonymous]

I've got some LEGO trains, how can I OPERATE REALISTICALLY? (1:38 SCALE?

[ericboone]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ModelTrainman

I've got some LEGO trains, how can I OPERATE REALISTICALLY? (1:38 SCALE?

I would think all the same basic principles previously discussed would apply. Of course with such a large scale, you'll need a decent amount of space to do too much.

[DavidGSmith]

Joe I got the new DCC from CVP on Sat. Its partly installed as of tonight. The weather here in Ontario Canada has been miserable over the weekend,a holiday long one up here. Good excuse to let the lawn and garden work go and work on the layout.
I'm looking forward to getting everything in operation.

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GDRMCo

I was just wondering Joe but can the yard and the passing sidings handle 200-300 car ore trains on the layout you designed?
Mitchell

Nope.

The yard tracks and passing sidings on my plan are 20 feet long, which is enough to handle about 100 ore cars in N scale, minus some cars for power and perhaps a caboose.

200-300 car ore trains in N scale will be 40-60 feet long, which will have enough operational issues that they probably won't run reliably without lots of very careful trackwork and rolling stock tuning. The dynamics of trains that long may cause you to rip couplers out of standard loco pockets and car pockets, much less the likelihood you may stringline cars on curves at the head end of your trains because of all the drag caused by the longer train and tight model curves used.

To run prototype-length trains reliably you need to consider more prototype-based track aligments -- like 40" radius mainline curves in N, with proper easements and #10 and above turnouts. Problem is you would need a gymnasium to aircraft hanger-sized space to model such a layout.

As a result, we selectively compress nearly *everything* on our layouts ... we use 15" - 18" radius curves in N, #4 to #8 turnouts, run shorter trains, and even do things like compress buildings and bridges to get them to fit.

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by DavidGSmith

Joe I got the new DCC from CVP on Sat. Its partly installed as of tonight. The weather here in Ontario Canada has been miserable over the weekend,a holiday long one up here. Good excuse to let the lawn and garden work go and work on the layout.
I'm looking forward to getting everything in operation.

Excellent, David! Keep us posted ... [swg]

[Anonymous]

How about a clinic on- The Local Freight

[marknewton]

I'm building a portable module that can be used at home, or taken to exhibitions. It is proto-freelanced, and will feature interchange/belt line operations between an electrified line - based on the the Ilinois Terminal, and a steam road, based on either the NKP or the C&IM. The basic trackplan is here:

http://marknewton01.fotopic.net/p29567819.html

The through road from staging to staging is the steam road, the runround, lead and industry sidings will be the electric road. Comments?

Mark.

[GDRMCo]

Joe, how many 53' N scale hoppers could be fit in 11' with 2 69' locomotives?
Mitchell Legg

[ericboone]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GDRMCo

Joe, how many 53' N scale hoppers could be fit in 11' with 2 69' locomotives?
Mitchell Legg

This is simple math with a calculator. N scale is 1:160. Thus each locomotive is simply 69' / 160 = 0.431'. Subtracting two locomotives from 11' leaves 10.138'. Each car is 53' / 160 = 0.33'. Divid the 10.138' left by the length of the freight cars, drop any remainder and you have your number; 10.138' / 0.331' = 30.628. Drop the remainder and you have 30 cars.

One thing to consider is that the 53 feet needs to be the length of the cars from coupler to coupler as opposed to car body length. Is the 53' you mentioned coupler to coupler length? If not, you'll be able to hold slightly less than 30 cars.

[GDRMCo]

Its coupler to coupler. Thanks Eric.
Mitchell Legg
L&S Hobbies Australia

[jfugate]

Bump ... found this baby back about page 50, so I'm bringing it back to the front so we all have the link.

[SilverSpike]

Bump ... found this baby back about page 50, so I'm bringing it back to the front so we all have the link.

 

Great idea Joe! Since all my old MR Forum favorites are now obsolete. Also another tip, if you check the link for "My forums" it will take you to a list of all the forum topics you have viewed or posted.

Joe, how did you get your signature area to work so well? I keep adding a URL link to mine, some other info and it will not show up on my profile.

[jfugate]

Joe, how did you get your signature area to work so well? I keep adding a URL link to mine, some other info and it will not show up on my profile.

'Spike:

In order to not clutter up this thread with lots of off topic posts, I've started a new thread with your answer here:

http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/852587/ShowPost.aspx

[Anonymous]

Then to get back on topic- hows my trackplan look?

each square is one foot. It's designed for 2 operators (yardmaster, and an engineer/conductor/brakemen). The right hand yard lead is going to be extended several feet. The yard is going to be about a foot longer than shown.

The Kampton branch will be extended as neccesary- enough so those industrial curves dont have to be quite so sharp.

 

I model Chicago Great Western in 1968, in Iowa.

 

[Bob Hayes]

Electrolove,

Like Joe, I just found this thread.  The article and track plan was in the July 2004 issue of MR.  Also appeared in RMC last year, I think.

Bob Hayes