Paper Trapped Under Cork
There are quite a number of places where I will not have cork under the track, at least that is the way I am considering it now.
No cork under freight yard, steel scene, peininsula, and of staging yard ladder and stowage tracks. Cork only under the main lines.
At least thats the way I see it at the moment.
Compliment on another forum
Hey Brian!
That’s really neat. You are helping to inspire young people to learn. Congratulations.
Dave
Waterfront, Brick Factory, Cement Silo
This mockup works on the lower right hand corner of the train shed (just to the right of the entrance way). My waterfront scene had already been chosen to be located here, and is designated by the big irregular shaped black marker pen lines on the right of this photo (and there is a small size print out of the scene taped in the middle of that blob)
To the left of that scene there is the brick factory with 2 tracks down either side, then the 4 kilns with their smoke stacks. The footprint for the factory is that of the Walther’s Water Street Freight Terminal.
Viewed from the opposite end, you will see that I have managed to put a ‘Medusa Cement’ structure on its own siding in the very corner of the shed.
The two heavy black lines are the twin mainlines making the curve thru the corner of the main deck. They are 29" and 30" radius curves.
More difficult to see are the penciled in lines that define the tracks of the staging level that is just below this main deck. I have actually mapped out both the main deck tracks & the staging level tracks in this corner of the shed, …all on
As a spin off from the pin wheel comment earlier, you could use the pinwheel to mark a location then pull up the paper before laying cork.
In an older layout I built, I drew up my track centerline (pencil on plywood) then used that line as my guide to lay down the cork (split on centerline). In your case, you could use the pin wheel to mark your centerline onto your base material then pull up the paper then lay your cork according to the pattern created by the pin wheel.
Brian said he isn’t using cork in a lot of places, only the main line.
So there isn’t much need to draw a center line, IMO, unless he wants to also mark a center line on the top of the track to ensure both lines align within the few millimeters he appears to be concerned about.
I could be wrong, but I always thought centerlines were for strictly aligning two haves of roadbed since they must be split to form a curve. Since the first step would be to lay roadbed, if you’re going to use it, the center line puts the roadbed on the spot where the track will eventually go.
Big Paper Plans/Dwgs
Some have voiced concerns with handling BIG paper templates. well yes if you were trying to template the entire layout in one shot. But I am working with sections and spec corners, scenes, etc.
So here are a few shots of some of my full size templates rolled up to get them off of the 4x8 foot ‘drawing table’ in my carport.
Then just roll it out on the board,…fast and easy…4’ wide roll, approx 8’ foot long, or shorter if desired…
(my ‘table’ sits on an old workbench, with casters, I acquired from a garage sale of a remodeling contractor)
Brian,
Nice work on the paper templates. They seem to continue helping you. Other forms of assistance you might consider are using either the Atlas or other free software tools to make your layout. There is a learning curve, but by following the tutorials, you should be fine.
It looks like you aren’t in any hurry to get a layout up and running [:o)]. But some have more fun in the design and construction process - that appears to be your thing. Me, I’ve been in situations most of my life where I never got a layout actually up and scenic’d so I don’t think Ican be bothered with a full sized mock-up on paper. I was able to mock things up as I built and laid track last time and it seemed to work well and getting the track down took less time. Different strokes for different folks. Some here are probably learning from the extended dog and pony show!
Tracing Copies of Tracks
As I mentioned before this full size dwg has BOTH the track plans for the main deck and the staging deck drawn on it ( I didn’t feel that I needed two separate ‘originals’ for this corner).
Now I wish to make the separate copies I’d like to have to actually utilize to lay the track. I decided to use ‘tracing paper’ to make these copies. The first images shown here are tracings of the 2 mainline curves and the turnout leading off to that siding along the sidewall.
This dwg can then be flipped over to provide a pattern for the same curves that will appear on the opposite corner across the entrance. Over in that corner (down from the freight yard and behind the steel mill), there will be the same 2 mainline curves, with an identical ‘siding’ along the wall being the track that leads to the helix, and subsequently down to staging. Nice that these 2 sides became mirror images.
As mentioned before I was able to fit the Madusa cement structure into the very corner on the right hand side. I’ve been wondering what I might fit into that left hand corner? There are a few pencil scribbles on that tracing paper for one idea I might consider,…a diesel engine maintenance building (likely just cut off front half of the structure), and several tracks for parked diesels waiting for service. This corner might also have some mirrors behind it to make this building and the number of locos look more massive.
Prior to my full scale drawings project I likely would not have considered this scene as possible. That’s part of the reason I find this exercise so much fun. I actually feel like I am advancing with my overall layout plan, rather than stalled in the scale dwg mode.
Actually I’m a little disappointed in my ‘construction speed’ as well. I was beginning to get discouraged with my multiple alterations and scale dwgs of same.
Laying it out full scale has been a big help to help me visualize what might really be possible. Plus as of late I think I have committed to certain locations getting certain ‘scenes’,…now its just refineing them.
Like you were able to mock it up as you bulit it, I am trying to mock it up on full size paper that I hope to help make laying the track that much faster and less demanding to rearrange.
I’ll already run into 2 problems that might have been avoided by proper planning,…both involved locations of electrical outlets on the walls. I hope NOT to cut the plywood decks of my layout incorrectly. I have already discovered I can cut the depth of my freight yard deck by 1.5 inches and make that aisle a little bit wider…Planning
It’s what you feel comfortable with. Sometimes paralysis of analysis can set in and definitely slow things down. In your case you’ve got a small space and are trying to squeeze in every drop of operation and storage that can possibly be done; that does make it a challenge.
I’ve been disappointed with how long it’s been taking to get my basement finished so I can start layout construction. Unfortunately there have been a lot of time consuming projects during this calendar year and expect they will continue but wife has made it a priority now to get the basement finishing moving along now.
Today I made the tracing of the staging tracks in that corner of the room to the right of the entrance to the shed. As mentioned before I now have 6 staging tracks down each side. When they arrive at the entrance to the shed I have decided to only have the 3 outer tracks pass over a bridge to make an entire loop of the room. The next 2 tracks inboard will make the turn at this end, but end just prior to the 36 wide entrance. The most inner track will end in a straight manner.
That staging yard tracing can be flipped over and used as a pattern for the other opposite corner on the left hand side.
A word about my bridge across the entrance might be in order here. The ‘bridge’ will be a rectangular framed structure that will be hinged around a bar across its upper edge that’s mounted to the inner shed wall above the door. This rectangular frame will pivot about that bar such as to swing up towards the ceiling and get hooked there for clearing the doorway.
All three bridges, upper level, main level, and staging level will be built into this rectangular frame. Of course the upper 2 are ‘fake bridges’, of different style and set against their own individual backdrops. Its all mounted on one frame that pivots up to the ceiling with entering and leaving the train shed. Both of the upper bridges are double tracked for their 2 mainlines. The staging track bridge will be 3 tracks wide and camouflaged somehow
Visualizing things in real scale certainly helps to see how things will look and fit, and that can certainly be comforting. I don’t know how much time it will save since fitting and adjusting things requires rearranging track no matter if its a paper template or real track laying. You m
Left Hand Corner Mock Up
Today I only had a very short time to play around with the full scale planning. I chose to look at the track plan of the lower left corner of the shed,…down from the freight yard, and containing the steel mill.
First I drew in the two concentric mainlines in pencil. They are slightly different than the right hand corner, so I couldn’t use my mirror image tracing idea. They are the same 30” outer radius, 29” inner radius as the other side, but they are connected to the 2 mainlines that are closer together than the other side (2" CL vs 2.5"CL).
This first image would be as one was looking towards that lower corner from Balt city corner. The track along the edge (wall, right edge of photo) would be the track that is bringing the trains up from the helix/staging level. It eventually joins that outer mainline via a left hand med size Peco into a double curved Peco (30”-60”r) on the mainline (makes for pretty broad curves).
Next inboard are the 2 mainlines with a Shinohara double crossover included there. This double crossover will provide for reversing trains around on the layout’s mainlines. It will also provide for getting big steam engines from the roundtable area over to head up certain trains brought up topsides from the staging tracks by diesel workhorses. (possible that many of the steamers will NOT have to drag their trains up the helix from staging, but rather will be able to join their consist topsides).
There is another Peco double curve on the inner mainline that allows diesel engines that have refueled/serviced on those 2 inner freight yard tracks to enter back into the mainlines.
There may be a spur
Now over to the steel mill portion of that corner of the layout. I really don’t know what I will finally do here, but here is my newest idea. I will NOT utilize the electric furnace, but basically stick with the blast furnace and rolling mill, and rearranged thusly.
Here is how I quickly laid out the track there.
My basic condensed version assumes the Rolling Mill assumes two roles,…accepts molten metal from the blast furnace, and turns it into basic shapes it ships out on the other end??
NOTE: I think that mirror I show at the end of the blast furnace should make that scene appear much deeper,…and hide the dble mainline behind it.??
Had a few moments today to play around with an idea for the coffin corner there on the left…
As mentioned before I was able to fit the Madusa cement structure into the very corner on the right hand side. I’ve been wondering what I might fit into that left hand corner? There are a few pencil scribbles on that tracing paper for one idea I might consider,…a diesel engine maintenance building (likely just cut off front half of the structure), and several tracks for parked diesels waiting for service. This corner might also have some mirrors behind it to make this building and the number of locos look more massive.
There may be a spur off of that helix service track to something in that coffin corner outside of the big curves. I threw in some sample trackage, ….just in case?
Brick Factory Template problem
Ken Rice first brought up the problem with my paper template of my proposed brick factory building,…
To the left of that scene there is the brick factory with 2 tracks down either side, then the 4 kilns with their smoke stacks. The footprint for the factory is that of the Walther’s Water Street Freight Terminal.
Ken Rich wrote:
Brian, that paper water street warehouse cutout you have look like there is negative clearance between it and the two tracks. It looks to me like you have the ends of the ties against the bricks of the office part of the building, leaving off the freight platforms on both sides, and with the roof overhang going over the track. The walthers pic seems to just show the roof over the freight platform that extends down the whole length of the warehouse and office? I must be missing something?
Brian responded:
I think you are correct Ken. I will have to look into this possible mistake of mine.
May just have to go down to only a single track on one side of the building,…bummer.
Vince added:
Track on one side, truck loading/unloading on the other side.
Use Only a Single Track Suggestion:
That may just be the solution. I had thought it i
Water Street Freight Terminal is pretty much intended to be used as seen in the second picture - track on one side, trucks on the other. of course, one can always repurpose structures to use how they see fit, tracks on both sides and it could be something other than a simple freight terminal.
ANother way, if you have the room, is to have 2 tracks on one side - freight houses often operated with multiple parallel tracks on one side of the building, bridge plates were laid from car to car to facilitate pulling the goods out of cars on tracks futher from the building. Cars had to be spotted with care, so that their doors lined up. So that may be a way to get 2 tracks in the limited space - instead of straddling the building, put them both on the same side.
http://www.readingrailroad.org/gallery/vignettes1/rdg_gallery_vig1g.html
On the right side of this picture you can see rows of box cars lines up at the Reading freight terminal alongside the old Outer Station (in the center of the wye of tracks on the left).
–Randy
That’s interesting, the use of bridging plates between cars. I had not realized that.
Perhaps I could still have tracks down both sides of the building,…just make those truck loading doors on the original model be box car loading doors. Then make the truck loading ramp across the back of the building full width for several trucks.
There is no way I could use those existing truck doors (for truck loading) with the close proximity of the kilns. Of course those truck loading door openings could also be ‘bridged’ to the box cars.
But bottom line is that back side face of the terminal will NOT be seen at all from any operator on this layout plan, so no need to worry about the tracks down both sides. At the moment I am not to interested in changing it.
