pcarrell wrote:Well, you guys have been wondering how far I got on the benchwork. At this point it's only roughed in, but the footprint is there and thats what I wanted to establish up front.Got a long way to go, that's for sure! But the basics are there.
Got a long way to go, that's for sure! But the basics are there.
A good start! I miss the construction phase of my layout. I'm looking forward to getting started on my next layout when I take over my spare room, if I could just come up with a track plan.
-Tim
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
One frustration I am running into in N-scale is finding Steam era cars!! Anyone have a line on some gondallas as well as 50 ton ore cars, and tank cars or any steam era cars for that mater? Please HELP, Ahhhhh..... I am pulling my hair out. I have found some older roundhouse kits for my box cars and stock cars. But I will need a couple reefers as well as some sort of ore cars. I am currently going to be using some atlas 70 ton ore cars ( I have 3). I am also looking for some overton cars and am looking at the athern sets, any one have any experiance with those cars???
Curt
I need to get started designing on my new layout as well. It's probably going to be about three feet by six or seven...And if I decide to go wild with the dimensions...Four by Eight.
I need to design a track plan...Anyone got any recommendations for free track planning software?
Scott - Dispatcher, Norfolk Southern
Free track planning software: RTS from www.atlasrr.com or XtrkCad from www.Sillub.com.
There are many other threads on this subject on this and on the Atlas forum
Bob Casey
Otto Ray Sing wrote:I really like RTS, and use it all of the time. I do have two other programs but they take more work. With RTS one can simply just start laying track.
The atlas program isn't as powerful, but it's a lot easier.
Scott, to give you an idea of what the atlas program can do, might I offer you a tour of some of the layouts that I've had the pleasure of helping people design with it.
http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Track%20Plans/
curtw_944 wrote: One frustration I am running into in N-scale is finding Steam era cars!!
One frustration I am running into in N-scale is finding Steam era cars!!
They are in short supply.
Anyone have a line on some gondallas as well as 50 ton ore cars, and tank cars or any steam era cars for that mater?
If I remember right, Atlas has some gons.
Please HELP, Ahhhhh..... I am pulling my hair out.
Don't do that, you'll look like Uncle Fester from the Adams Family!
I have found some older roundhouse kits for my box cars and stock cars.
Got a bunch of those myself.
But I will need a couple reefers as well as some sort of ore cars.
Atlas used to have some reefers.
I am also looking for some overton cars and am looking at the athern sets, any one have any experiance with those cars???
I have a bunch of the overtons and the 50 footers too. They're all great, though I do swap out the trucks on everything for Microtrains trucks with low profiles.
Hope this helps!
Thanks P That was what I was expecting. On the round house cars and all my cars for that mater I am planing on switching to MTL Betendorf trucks and couplers. I may get a set of the andrews as well for good measure. I am hopeing to get a Denver and rio grande set.
So a little on my lay out;
It is a layout based in the colorado mountians around the 1900's- 1940's. It is a free lanced line that shares an AT SF and Denver Rio Grand Main line. The town is going to be called "Thunder Valley" and the main source of income for the town is the Thunder Ridge Gold and Silver mine. Main motive power is going to be consolidated 2-8-0, as well as a couple 0-6-0 switchers in town. The Mine is going to have a couple 2 truck Shay Engines to help traverse the 5+% grades up to the mine.
This is going to be the first part of a larger layout and " Thunder Valley" may be devoloped in part 2 of the layout plan. I am going to be reloading the atlas track planing freeware and working on the plan this week. You Have to love when the computer crashes. Any way there is a little of the story.
Talk to you soon,
Curt,
Check out Bowser's N scale hoppers. They're based on Pennsy prototypes, but the prototypes were sold to RRs all over (mostly eastern US), and they're offered in paint schemes from the 1910s through the 1960s. All pre-1920 layouts should have a few Pennsylvania Lines or Pennsylvania Lines West hoppers (prior to the full consolidation of the PRR) and you can get 'em from Bowser. Be prepared to swap out the trucks, though. They're beautiful models but roll like a cube straight out of the box.
I'm almost to the track laying stage on my new layout.
Here's a link to my website that has pics and some discussion.
http://www.ironpeng.com/nscalelayout/nscalemain.html
Mike Tennent
Wow! Your layout looks great! (at least the parts I saw) I love those unit coal trains. Would you mind sharing what color you used for the backdrop, and how you painted those clouds? They look very nice. I wouldn't mind seeing more of your layout either
bnsfncoal:
Those clouds do look sharp and I'm about to that stage.
Do they have good instructions or did you depend more on what you saw at the clinic? I.e, can someone who hasn't seen the clinic do OK?
Mike:
There are instructions and with about five minutes on a piece of cardboard you'll be fine.
Guy
Hi to everyone. I've been on this forum for a short time.
Sounds like most of you have more space to work with than I do. My layout is only 39 1/2" x 88". I have cramed about 75' of rail onto this small space. The only way I could get the layout close to the way I wanted it was to use non-sysmetrical radius turns and some flex track.
I did my basic layout about 4 years ago. Then it sat idle up until the last two months. I have added a trolley run which covers about 7' of rail. I received the electronic for it last week which will control the stops at the end points, the reversing of direction and the station stops along the route. I am currently working on the landscaping and it's really turning into a headache. I have a lake that is about 3 1/2 sq.ft. in size. It may have to be made smaller to handle everthing I want to place on the layout.
Someone was asking about older rolling stock and I suggest to watch eBay. In the last two months I have purchased a lot of rolling stock, loco's and buildings from eBay. I have got brunt by one seller and if I had looked at his feedback report I would not have made a purchase from him. I have placed a complaint to eBay about this seller and I see he has no items currently listed with them. the sellers name is "RC Planes and Trains." I don't know if eBay has pulled down his account or not. I suggest not buying from him.
I'll try to post a pic or drawing of my layout at a later date. The layout was created using the Right Track software. I'm not sure how to get it into a pic type of format so I can post it.
Dewayne wrote: Hi to everyone. I've been on this forum for a short time.Sounds like most of you have more space to work with than I do. My layout is only 39 1/2" x 88". I have cramed about 75' of rail onto this small space. The only way I could get the layout close to the way I wanted it was to use non-sysmetrical radius turns and some flex track.I did my basic layout about 4 years ago. Then it sat idle up until the last two months. I have added a trolley run which covers about 7' of rail. I received the electronic for it last week which will control the stops at the end points, the reversing of direction and the station stops along the route. I am currently working on the landscaping and it's really turning into a headache. I have a lake that is about 3 1/2 sq.ft. in size. It may have to be made smaller to handle everthing I want to place on the layout. Someone was asking about older rolling stock and I suggest to watch eBay. In the last two months I have purchased a lot of rolling stock, loco's and buildings from eBay. I have got brunt by one seller and if I had looked at his feedback report I would not have made a purchase from him. I have placed a complaint to eBay about this seller and I see he has no items currently listed with them. the sellers name is "RC Planes and Trains." I don't know if eBay has pulled down his account or not. I suggest not buying from him.I'll try to post a pic or drawing of my layout at a later date. The layout was created using the Right Track software. I'm not sure how to get it into a pic type of format so I can post it.
That's great! You actually have a bigger layout than I do; miine's just 36" x 80." But that's what makes N scale so great! That same layout in HO would be about 6' x 13.'
I too would like a chat room for "N" builders. Just took a part my old, old layout and am working on finishing a basement with a Train Room. Hope to have it done before spring soas to start a new layout, 30ft long by 2ft up to 4ft wide. Will post plans as you grow. George
ps Pennsy also ( 40s 50s)