2,000 is bigger than my house!
I am designing my layout for wheelchair access. I do not need one, but I do not know what the future holds. I have had a few friends become wheelchair users and lose access to their layouts.
-Kevin
Kevin,
You are a smart man! I think everyone should think about that as a factor for their layouts. Just for the simple fact that, even if you aren’t in a chair it’s nice to have access to everything when you start to get old and creeky and hurty. So well done there for sure.
What are you using to design your layout?
Mike
I am 100% terrible at layout design, so I “designed” this one by actually building the whole thing 1:1 out of cardboard and making sure everything fit.
This is the thread about my layout design:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/262808/2962624.aspx
-Kevin
I’m no expert, but I have always felt most comfortable using 11x17 graph paper with a compass, scale rule and erasor shield. I’ve used graphical software for other things, but visualize best with a scale drawing with room boundaries drawn in.
Kevin,
Nice man I’ll have to check out your thread!
RioGrande,
A couple layouts I would have argued with you that paper is old school and CAD programs are the way to go. But I’d have been wrong. I still use Anyrail for all my design work but dad and I both agree it’s more for guidelines. On the last three layouts we have severely cut back and changed things from what the CAD drawings show. So I like your idea about hand drawing. It’s just so hard to get measurements and design right on the CAD programs. It’s just to hard to wrap your head around! So I like your appear idea for sure!
This current layout is completely CAD, but while we build dad and I both are in the agreement that you build it to look good to the eye, not what’s on the paper. Because it’s totally different. So we will just use the drawings as a guide and go with the flow to make sure it doesn’t look to cramped or out of line. It’s amazing how easy it is to get too much track on a computer and then you put it on the board and say “what was I thinking?” LOL
Ask me how I know! [%-)]
Mike
Man. Got all my stuff from FastTracks for the #12 turnouts. I’ve got to say. Although expensive, it’s completely worth it.
My first turnout sucked. LOL! Threw it away. 2nd and 3rd were considerably better and the 4th and 5th were works of art!
I have to say that I am completely loving building turnouts! Maybe it’s because in the move all my stuff is packed up and this is the only outlet I have for railroad. Or maybe it’s because my ADHD and OCD just make this part of the hobby incredibly satisfying?
But there is something so satisfying about cutting up the rail, bending, filing and then soldering it all together, only to run a car or pair of trucks across it and have it be the smoothest and most quiet turnout I’ve ever seen.
Do they take time? Yes. But I’m gettting my rhythem down. I’m making parts in 20 switch sets. That way each part is exactly the same and exactly perfect. Sort of an assembly line take to it. And it’s a blast!
I would urge anyone that’s thought about doing hand made turnouts to try it. Agreed if I had a shop and layout to work on it would be sort of mind numbing to have to do the switches instead of work on layout, but for now? Where I’m at and with colder weather coming? Nothing better in my model railroad world than some music, warm house, dog beside me, a cold Mt Dew and building amazingly perfect turnouts…
Thanks to everyone that offered pointers and advice. And thanks to FastTracks for making a killer easy and good package for turnouts! I can’t say enough good things about those guys. They got me everything quick and also have even answered a couple of my questions on weekends via email. They are how companies should be in this hobby!
Mike
I design on paper but check everything on the floor with paper turnouts and cheap secional track, brass is fine for this.
Dude, building turnouts is like a drug! It’s so great! I love handlaying track. It’s… meditative. There is something so satisfying in the tactile experience of driving the spikes.
As far as your original question about track spacing, i know that some people make spacing guages and such to keep the track in line. I have a bunch of (Kadee?) 3 point guages to keep the track in guage when driving spikes.
Another company to look at would be Proto87 if you want handlaid AND crazy realism. The ultimate turnouts they offer are ridiculous. Individual metal tie plates, etc. Wild stuff.
Show us some pics when you’re done!