I haven’t been around in a while because I have been very busy building my benchwork. I finished tonite and I am very pleased with it. The braces and legs are 2"x4"'s, the fascia is pine 1"x8"'s, and the base is 1/2 inch plywood. The whole cost of the wood was a little over $200 at home depot. There is a 4" shelf which runs around the room which I anchored the benchwork to. I will be using a minimum 2" foam base with Kato unitrack. Notice the new track lighting I installed ($35).
I’ll be running HO scale on it. Thanks for the compliments. It is my very first benchwork job and it is absolutely bulletproof. Very sturdy. I have tested it by sitting on it (can’t stand because ceiling too low). I weigh about 170 lbs so I think it will do the job.
I’m really excited to get started on the track laying and scenery. I just bought the Digitrax Zephyr and a kato unitrack starter set. Tested my new BLI Hudson and I’m in model RR heaven. I really like the kato track and have decided to do my whole layout in it (minus bridges and engine servicing facility of course).
I do carpentry and can say that it loks good. [:)]
Also The lighting in NOW will help later as well. Trying to put it in after the scenery is in is
[censored] , um er lots of fun. lol
Looks good Surfstud31
Thanks everyone. This gives me great confidence as I move forward to the next step. I was a little nervous about posting pics but I’m glad I did. The minimum radius curves on the layout will be 21 5/8" with alot of 24" radius curves. #6 turnouts on the mainlines and #4 on some sidings. Here is my current track plan (I say current because it keeps changing). It was created in Xtrkcad using Kato Unitrack for all but the bridges and engine facility:
A question about your track plan. Probably my ignorance, but I have never seen two tracks going into a turntable. If you do have two running in they would have to angle to allow the engine to run straight on.
Nice benchwork and overall plan. I do question about switching in the lower right (and to a certain extent in the upper left loop). You have three different swtching areas but no runaround except a long passing siding. This makes for difficult switching.
Nice benchwork, and the track plan looks great!
I don’t know if having 2 leads to a turntable will work. The turntable will have to meet them at an angle and your locos probably won’t like it. I think a wye turnout placed just before the turntable will work better. Just my [2c]. Other than that nice job on the plan!! [bow][bow]
What era will you be modeling?
are you using Kato unitrack for some specific reason ? using flextrack lets you put subtle curves in long straight tracks that makes them look more interesting than the perfectly straight lines you’ll get with any of the track/plastic roadbed systems . i’m pretty sure you’d save some money too …
The track plan has been thought out very carefully. My prototype is the New York Central circa 1951. The single track mainline represents the Putnam Division. The double track mainline is the Harlem Division. Both divisions meet in Brewster where they connect to the New Haven. The switching area in the lower right represents a real spur on the Put where the train crew had to perform a ‘flying switch.’
I see what you guys mean about the 2 tracks coming to the TT. I was hoping I could curve them both slightly to meet the TT. These are my service tracks but I may change that around a little. Keep the comments coming! I think I will go to Home depot today and pick up my foam sheets.
SurfStud, this is very interesting to hear. On my freelanced layout I plan to have NYC operating over it with an interchange at one end with the New Haven. It’s good to hear that such an arrangement existed. And I’m familiar with Brewster; don’t live too far away and the my wife’s grandmother lives there. At the other “end” (I plan it to be a horseshoe like pattern, so both “ends” will actually be near each other on the layout but represent far apart locations) will be interchange with the PRR. Do you know of any online/print resources where I could learn more about interchange between the NYC and the NH?
The New Haven connects to the NYC Harlem Division in the north at Brewster (technically Putnam Jct. an employee only station) and in the south at Mount Vernon. As far as I know, the two connections still exist today although under different railroads and of course the Putnam Division is long gone. The NYC - New Haven connection at Brewster was part of the first passenger rail route from New York to Boston.
The Brewster connection was more of a freight interchange from the Maybrook Yard and the connection in Mt. Vernon is more of a passenger connection. You can still ride Metro North out of New York City, change at Mt Vernon West and pick up a New Haven Line train. In Brewster there is still a New Haven Line shuttle to Danbury.
I like your idea of connecting the PRR to the NH. You could have the PRR meet the NYC in New York City and then have it meet the New Haven in Brewster. Whatever you decide, good luck and have fun!
Surfstud, thanks for generously sharing this info. Even though my layout will be freelanced, I like it to be plausible and having actual history that I can borrow from is great.
As for my future plans for my layout, since my available space is small, my two “ends” --one situated in/near PA and the other in/near CT-- will actually be side-by-side divided by scenery. I will then have a short length track with hidden staging at each end that runs roughly perpendicular to those ends with interchange connections to the ends. Sometimes that short lenght of track will be the NH which stops at one of the ends but skips the other (essentially the Pennsylvania located connection doesn’t exist for the NH) and sometimes it will be the PRR’s track which stops at the other but skips the Connecticut situated end. It requires one to be more “imaginative” and willingly ignore physical connections on the layout but it does allow me to fit more operations into a small space. Since I expect to always operate my layout alone using a sequence type operation schedule rather than adhering to a time schedule, the inability for the short track to be simultaneously the NH and the PRR shouldn’t cause many complications.
I have 2 tracks leading to my Walther’s turntable and there is absolutely no problem. Think about it, there are several tracks leading off the turntable to the engine house…what’s the difference? Of course, in the track diagram you provided, it looks like the 2 approach tracks to the turntable are parallel. Actually, they need to be slightly angled to each other as you show the tracks leading into the engine house.
