On my Dream Layout, I would need to build 20 diamond crossings at Alton Junction in Chicago.
Who can say for certain what the degrees of the various crossings would have to be and, undoubtedly, these exact crossings would not be commercially available.
You can see these crossings in the green box in the drawing below.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that only the tracks outlined in red would be functional as wired tracks. The rest is purely aesthetic.
So, my question is, what would be the most practical way to construct these crossings. I am thinking handlaid with Fast Tracks or some such thing. Maybe set it up as one piece that can be dropped in place.
Practically every one is on a curved track, so there are no commercially available crossings. If you stick to that track plan, they’ll have to be scratch built.
Well, this is where you modify the design to fit what is available, and what you can do. If you can do hand laid, go fo it,
LION would curve into that crossing complex, but the tracks crossing each other would actually be straight, then I would finish the curve on the other side.
How will it work electrically. LION would isolate the whole thing, and only give routes with green signals the power.
LION likes his interlocking towers. Take time to build a proper tower for that plant. You will enjoy it.
Wow quite a project and the prototype degree of crossing would seemingly be something that would also need the prototype curve radius which I suspect is impractical even on a dream layout.
While I am sure some track charts somewhere have the degree information, I’d take a look at Mike Schaefer’s track plan that appeared some years back in Model Railroad Planning. He has a condensed version of State Line Tower and crossing which is similarly complex and selectively compressed on his huge layout.
If you do handlay the track take careful notes and documentation and in-progress photos. That would take points in the NMRA’s achievement program towards Master Model Railroader.
You sure do know how to pick um,I’ll have to agree with,DN, WOW !! I can see it now,‘‘night mares’’ in my dreams,about Rich’s Diamonds…Have a Lot of Fun,on that one Buddy…[bow]
I used XtrackCAD for my plan, so I would perhaps try to create on the PC with commercial crossings, closest to the optimum angle. Add flextrack and other features that connect to or overlay flex curves to the shortest you think you can cut the commercial crossings. Alternately, get full scale copies of the crossings and turnouts for the system and play with them and flextrack on a scrap piece of plywood.
If you go with commercial, HO code 83, I’d avoid Atlas crossings basis my 90 degree crossing experience. I used their flex but the crossings (I have three in series) had many rolling stock items bumping over them because the clearances of the guards or depth at the guard rails is far off. I’ve fiddled with them (filing) and reduced the problem but would never (don’t ever say that) buy them again.
Remember though that only the tracks outlined in red would be functional as wired tracks. The rest is purely aesthetic.
So, the diamonds and the tight curves do not need to be operational. Only the red colored tracks passing through the diamonds need to be wired and operational, as they lead to other parts of the layout.
Hand laying the curved tracks and diamonds would take some level of skill, but the main objective would be to look realistic without interfering with the operation of the red colored tracks that pass through the diamonds.
Idea!! Build the Red section,first,get that operational and build up around that,then have a track gang standing around it scratching their heads? NO??[:-^]
Wow! Look at all those curved tracks that need to be laid. I hope you’re not going to use the springy stuff. That would be a job for an octopus.[:-,][(-D]
Forget Fast tracks, they build a set angle and None of those is going to be a set angle.
I see at least two options.
Draw it all out in place. Lay all the ties for all the routes. Spike down the rails for the dummy routes through the crossings. Mark the locations of the red rails on the tops of the dummy tracks. Notch about halfway down into the rails on the dummy tracks. Take the red rails and notch about halfway up from the base at the locations it crosses the dummy rails. Spike the red rails in place. Add guard rails.
Lay the red route and then butt the dummy tracks up to the red rails, filing them off at angles. and spike down.
Given the need for a puzzle palace, here’s my method:
Lay out the track centerlines full size on cardstock - the stuff I use comes in 20 by 30 inch sheets from the Big Box office supply emporium.
Temporarily lay flex track on each centerline, and use a carpenter’s pencil to cut in the tie lines. Do this on EVERY rail route.
Look at photos of crossings to see how the rails are supported on non-standard ties at odd angles. If you have photos of that specific area, so much the better.
Install crossing ties, same thickness as the ties under your flex track. Then, lay the two red tracks with flex track, gently removing the plastic ties where they would conflict with the crossing ties. (Note - it is possible to slide ties on flex track, but requires patience and a gentle touch.)
After the working tracks have been test run and tweaked as necessary use flex to build up to the outside of the working tracks, Aftter that, it will take six short lengths of rail to complete each route across the two ‘hot’ tracks - gapped to prevent electrical shorts, soldered to the stock track rails to anchor them at one end.
Finally, dremel out the flangeways in the stock rails each place where wheels on the dummy routes need them - for that beautiful, prototypical wheel slamming every time a metal wheelset passes through.
I leave figuring out how to simulate the corner brace castings, and the humongous nut/bolt/washer sets that hold the whole works together, as an exercise for the student.
For your next exercise, try crossing four tangent tracks with two tangent tracks at an appropriate frog angle, then connecting them all with double slips. Extra points for frog-closing arrangements (pun intentional.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with puzzle palaces)
I could very well agree with some of the idea’s,but I won’t,to me they involve to much,to do in the beginning,you will be wasting all your time trying to cut and fit pieces together,not even knowing if it will work,you may even get discouraged and not do it at all…Do the red tracks first,get them operational and be able to use them,while you are working on the others…Who knows,you may come up with a better way,once you see the red track in place,even if you don’t,you at least can use what you did put down…
I can’t add much, except my first ever piece of handlaid track was a crossing and it works. I’d say you’ve got your work cut out for you[:O]
You’re right that having a lot as non-functional will make things easier. Laying the rail is bad enough with that many crossings, but the gaps and feeders will drive you bonkers.
If it was me, I’d give consideration to how it would look with one less set of tracks through it. That would still make a heck of an impression, while limiting the chance they’ll have to haul you off to the rubber room.[:o)]
