Layout Build - From the Benchwork up and more!!

[ACL1504]

Those tressels look great. It must be very impressive when you have trains running over them! I really like the 4-diamond crossover also....that's a piece of art! You're really getting a lot of excellent work done. Keep the photos coming.

Mark,

Thank you for the compliment on the layout, much appreciated. A train over the high trestles is quite the sight! I'll talk a little about the crossovers in the next installment! The photos will continue!

Tom

[ACL1504]

Tom,
This is awesome! Looks really good... I hope to get down there one day & check it out personally... thanks for sharing your journey. Maybe you can work with Bob Sprague... he's tops at getting track plans on the computer...
R/,
Norm

Norm,

Thank you for the compliment on my layout work. Listen my friend, you and the Mrs. are welcome anytime! The layout is a work in progress and one day I hope to actually finish it! That would be a happy and sad time all in one! If you make it on a Saturday, I'll arrange for the Saturday Butty Group to be in attendance.

I'd love to work with B. Sprague on the track plan but it too is still a work in progress. When I get the track plan fisished I'll get with him!

Tom

[ACL1504]

Ok, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Looks like the track approaching the diamonds is super elevated. What gives?

Cousin David

Cousin David,

First let me say there is nothing wrong with your eyes my friend! The tracks leading into the diamond crossovers are in fact elevated. On my elevations I use .10, .20 and .30 strip styrene by Evergreen to ease into the curve. I'll use about 10-12 inches of each with the .30 being in the center of the curve. A typical curve could be elevated like this - .10, .20, .30, ,.30 ,.30, .20 and then back to .10. That's on a 36 inch curve. If the curve is tighter down to 30 inches, which is my minimum radius for the layout, I'll only go with .10, .20 and back to .10 for the medium curve, or even do a .10, .10, .10 for the 30 inch radius curve. Even the .10 elevation is noticeable on a long freight or passsenger consist. So, that is what gives!!!

[ACL1504]

That's a right nice set of crossovers - are they handlaid, or out of a package? It's hard to tell (But the look handlaid to me).

Craig,

Thanks for the compliment on the crossovers although I can't take credit for hand laying the crossovers as in building them from scratch! However, I can say that I hand laid them after taking them out of the Walther's/Shinohara boxes! They are 60 degre crossovers. So, you are correct on both assumptions in that they are out of a package/box and they are actually hand laid. LOL!!!!

I'll talk about the crossovers in my next installment which should be in about 30 minutes or so. I need to suck down a little Diet Pepsi first.

Tom

[ACL1504]

Excellent track work!!



Cruisin,

Long Horn Caddy

LHC,

Thanks for the compliment my friend! It is very much appreciated. I'm going to add a little more to the thread tonight.

Tom

[ACL1504]

The idea of using the crossovers came to me when I decided I didn't want to have a regular folded type loop mainline. I've always loved the look of a double track main so my layout is a reflection of that love. Using the four 60 degree crossovers allowed me to literally double the length of the of the double track mainline.

Here is how it works. Referring to the picture of the crossovers (I've attached it again here so you don't have to page back to the other photo) you'll note that two are let's say north and south and two are east and west!

Four Diamond Crossover.JPG (44.26 KiB) Viewed 411 times

Your train is on the left northbound track and stays on this track until it circles the room on the entire upper level. When it enters the diamond for the second time it will enter on the upper west bound track. This track starts to go down to the lower level to the right. When the buildings are complete the train will slip behind the buildings. Additionally, if your train is on the right northbound track it will enter the diamond for the second time on the lower westbound track. Are we confused yet?

The two tracks going west and then north down to the lower level will circle the room on the lower level and come up on the opposite side of the room and back to the starting point on the diamonds.

With two trains running, this is no problem but you still need to pay attention to the crossovers as your trains will be twice as likely to meet. When we run four trains you have two on the upper level and two on the lower level. The diamond crossover is now four times as dangerous.

Now, let me throw a little spike into the mix. If any one of the trains crosses over to one of the others tracks, you will have three trains on one main line and now you can see the problem. This is why JMancuso mentioned the crossovers as a point of some self induced stress while running trains. However, we all have been caught shooting the bull and BSing and had cornfield meets at the diamond!

Now, the above scenarios are only if the trains are running on one direction. We will run them in opposite directions as well for more fun at the "Four Diamonds".

[ACL1504]

A major part of the layout redo was to install a staging yard, a 12 track staging yard!. This turned out to be a major task as well. First, I had to remove a portion of the layout to include the double track mainline with a crossover using #8 turnouts and a 6 track fiddle yard. In the photo's this fiddle yard will be referred to as the south yard!

In the planning of the 12 track staging yard, I also knew that I had remove many items that were in the way. Not only were these in the way of the yard but also had to be moved so I could have access to the area.

brass.JPG (40.73 KiB) Viewed 386 times

Once all this stuff was boxed and moved, I then needed to remove the track above this area.

south yard.JPG (43.69 KiB) Viewed 386 times

south yard1.JPG (41.78 KiB) Viewed 386 times

track removed.JPG (45.81 KiB) Viewed 386 times

Once the track was removed, I needed to remove the plywood and homosote (these are glued together). After this was done I started work on the staging area.

staging1.JPG (25.22 KiB) Viewed 386 times

staging2.JPG (38.15 KiB) Viewed 386 times

staging3.JPG (20.8 KiB) Viewed 386 times

staging5.JPG (35.45 KiB) Viewed 386 times

I'm almost at the limit for photo uploading so I'll end this one here and continue in a few minutes to finish the staging photos.

[ACL1504]

Okay, I'm back for more uploading.

The maximum length of track in the staging area is about 13 ft. The Illinois Central passenger train in the photo consists of 11 Walthers Heavyweight cars and Broadway Limited A&B E units. That's about 12 ft. of train.

staging lead.JPG (38.41 KiB) Viewed 385 times

staging lead1.JPG (77.62 KiB) Viewed 385 times

staging lead2.JPG (31.68 KiB) Viewed 385 times

staging lead4.JPG (49.06 KiB) Viewed 385 times

staging lead5.JPG (39.07 KiB) Viewed 385 times

staging lead6.JPG (65.41 KiB) Viewed 385 times

staging lead7.JPG (79.62 KiB) Viewed 385 times

Notice in the above photo that the staging lead track has been installed and is now connect to the lower portion of the layout. The following photo's show the completed 12 track staging yard.

staging6.JPG (55.51 KiB) Viewed 385 times

staging7.JPG (50.81 KiB) Viewed 385 times

\

The grade starts out at 1.4 and the last few yards its close to 1.7. I wanted to keep it all at 1.4 but had to give way to the layout size and the length I had to go. Questions?

[ReadingBob]

Wow! You've been busy. Very, very busy! It looks really nice Tom.

I've had my share of corn field meets at those crossovers. They also put a new meaning to the old phrase "Here comes da' Judge."

[JMancuso]

I'm with you Bob. I'm getting a little nervous watching all this develop. Staged trains rolling out in multiple directions 40 feet from the "black" diamonds? Pick your poison. Then you have to consider that all the engines are custom-painted brass...yikes!

Unbelievable progress, Tom (for anyone else anyway). Can't wait to see it in person.