Since I haven't figured out how to draw mountains, tunnels, bridges, roads, etc, I just made notes of where I want these things.
Next step is reviewing construction techniques and choosing/buying materials.
New member intro & plans
Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I've been lurking for a week or so absorbing information. Great site!
I, like many others, had trains a long time ago. I've got several other hobbies including woodworking, R/C planes, and R/C boat racing. I've decided to get back into trains as something my daughter and I can do at home together.
I'm in the planning stages of building a 30x72" layout. I may shrink it a bit, for portability, now that I've got the design in my head. My wife thinks it's a cool idea. Her design criteria was it has to have a mountain and some tunnels. My requirements were that it have loops for at least 2 trains, and that the loops could be combined to allow one long route.
I tried out XTracCad, but got stuck trying to connect the dots. Someone then recommended RTS, which did the trick. I'm still trying to figure out how to draw scenery and have yet to explore layers, but I was able to very quickly draw the basic track layout that I wanted.
Here's the plan so far:
Since I haven't figured out how to draw mountains, tunnels, bridges, roads, etc, I just made notes of where I want these things.
Next step is reviewing construction techniques and choosing/buying materials.
Since I haven't figured out how to draw mountains, tunnels, bridges, roads, etc, I just made notes of where I want these things.
Next step is reviewing construction techniques and choosing/buying materials.
Re:New member intro & plans
OK looks good execpt for one area. The area where the track crosses itself. Either you have a really big grade with is to steep for you area or the track crosses itself which pose a problem within itself either you have to run really small trains or they will run into them selfes. Here is an idea crude but you get the idea.
Re:New member intro & plans
ejsneonss wrote:
Hmmm, I should have included some elevations in the picture. The area where the track runs along the river is at the lowest elevation (1). It will be in a simulated river valley. The tracks along the front and right side are at a slightly higher elevation (2). The inner loop on the left side starts at 1 where it runs along the river and then rises as it goes through the mountains. By the time it crosses back over itself it should be at elevation 3. Then it goes back down to 2 by the time it reaches the cross overs. Do you think these elevations will work?
Here's a picture with the elevations:
OK looks good execpt for one area. The area where the track crosses itself. Either you have a really big grade with is to steep for you area or the track crosses itself which pose a problem within itself either you have to run really small trains or they will run into them selfes. Here is an idea crude but you get the idea.
Re:New member intro & plans
ejsneonss wrote:
I had the same idea. This allows much more gradual elevation changes. My current layout has a couple of pretty steep grades and they limit train lenghts much more than I would like.
One of these days I'm going to have to snap a couple of pictures and post them, but to be honest it's nothing to be proud of yet. It's still just very roughed in foam on an old Brio wooden train set frame (It's what I had to work with and is in the only place the land leasing agency would grant access...), with no scenery. Compared to some of the other plans and pictures I've seen, mine is a pretty crude attempt, but at least I'm running trains and having fun!OK looks good execpt for one area. The area where the track crosses itself. Either you have a really big grade with is to steep for you area or the track crosses itself which pose a problem within itself either you have to run really small trains or they will run into them selfes. Here is an idea crude but you get the idea.
Re:New member intro & plans
I see the need for the change, but it removes one of the things I was hoping to do, have two independent loops that could optionally become one long run. I spent a few hours trying to make the grades work and keep the figure 8 inner loop, but I kept getting 4-5% grades somewhere.
I finally gave up and switched to an oval for the inside. I did keep the figure 8 plan in case I can solve the grade problem.
Not having the crossing bridge in the middle actually opened up a new idea, a spur by the mine. This gives me a chance to buy a little engine and a couple hopper cars and park them on the mine spur. Occasionally, I can move them up to the spur by the manufacturing plant.
I redrew it and the steepest grade is now about 1.9%. How's this work?
None of the grades go over 3% and most are below 2%. Does it look like it will work?
Re:New member intro & plans
My initial calculations with Railmodeler and Kato Unitrak, outside radius of 381mm/15 inch and inside radius of 348mm/13.7 inches, you would have 92 inches in the inner loop, so on a 2% grade get about 1.8 inches if that is sufficient (probably no autracks anyway). 2.7 inches with Woodland Scenics 3% grade.
Remember to account for bridge/trestle depth below track level.
Re:New member intro & plans
Thanks, here are some details:
Mainline radius
11.3" (the inner left loop)
13.8" (outer left & rt loops)
10.5" (inner rt loop)
11.3 (middle rt loop)
Heights
The low spot for the track is 1" where the inner left loop crosses and then goes over the river. The high spot is 3" at the part that crosses this. I've planned about 2" between these track levels. The river level will be below the 1" level. Do these heights give me enough for the bridges & trestles?
Track
After much research I decided to use Atlas code 80 flex and Kato turnouts. I also bought the Kato double crossover. This will significantly shorten the space taken up by the crossover and will also let me push the tracks closer on the lower right, giving me more space to handle the climbs and a bit larger radius for the turns on the inner loop.
Joined: 2006-08-07