So here’s what I plan to do. I figure I can gain another foot of track by putting another double slip at A. The odd bow at B should also go away when I’n not limited to the geometry of the curved turnout. The layout is 54" x 45". The loop track is a given.
The tangle track is sceniced staging. I hope to be able to store 3 4-car trains.
Chip, I can only make assessments based on the appearances in this diagram. If it were up to me, I’d not think twice about moving the curved turnout at B counter clockwise about 6-10" so that you could tidy up that crescent.
I agree about the DS…can’t have too many of 'em. But, seriously, it would tidy up that rising spur as well, take some of the curvature out of its early part.
I know those are the problem areas of the drawing, but if I don’t use that canned curved turnout, the whole geometry changes and I will have parallel tracks. That rising spur also changes with the third double slip. The program just wouldn’t let me pile the turnouts any higher.
No nightmare, just keeping logistics correct.
Study this and you can get it. The middle crossings if the turnout is a sharpish version can be like any crossing, but the best way for it is to have a moveable point crossing for a seamless rail.
MR had an article years ago how to make a double slip. You may be able to buy turnout templates that are truesize for HO and can be a great aid for handlaying a double slip, or single slip.
If you want closer details, I’ll go snap better pics.
This is on a module I can no longer use, I intend to scrap it saving the rails for parts.
Spacemouse,
I rather think your chosen title pretty much sums it up for me. I agree with Selector, all we can do is look at the drawing. From my experience, landlaying is heavily dependent upon a clean drawing.
Reliable, smooth and trouble-free are givens for me. I can’t imagine 2 much less 3 double slips meeting any of those requirements.
Just my 2 cents.
Joe Daddy
Dinwitty, I;d love to see a better shot.
Joe, it’s a limitation of my abilities with the software. That’s why I included the letters and a description.
I deal with architectural drawings all the time… “it works on paper” doesn’t always translate to something that’s buildable in the field.
Between the squashed geometry and the hidden S turns, you’re not looking at a track laying nightmare so much as an operational one.
It will be easier to negotiate with your wife for an extra foot of layout space so you can lay that out more reasonably…
Lee
Boy that looked familiar. This is the work of Kevin Strong who writes for Garden Railways -
Though its a bit easier in large scale.
-Brian
Okay guys, this is what I have been talking about. I cheated on the crossing.
Looks good Brian.
Question, is that straight piece of track between the two turnouts at the top of the design really buying you anything?
By the same token, is the straight track at the bottom connected to the curved turnout buying you anything?
As note that this a pretty fancy piece of track work to accomplish anywhere especially out of slight in a staging yard.
Have fun
Chip,
In tight situations such as yours you might want to lay it out full size. Thanks to Fast Tracks you can download and print full size templates. Fast Track has templates for just about everything. Such as this double slip template:
http://trackmaster.fast-tracks.net/item.php?id=2230&link_str=334::337::452&partno=TT-HO-S-6
Print out the templates and overlap them as needed to achive what you want. You will then find out for sure what works and what won’t work.
Once you are satisfied you can tape everything together and have a full size master drawing to study. You can even send us a picture of your master drawing.
Good luck,
-John
This is sceniced staging, more or less. An engine in the engine house would have to make three moves to connect with the cars on the opposite side without it.
This is the main line. This is not a switching layout. It is being redesigned to take to NMRA meets and sit in the corner. Mostly I want to have 3 different trains that can make loops from staging and still look good.
It’s not out of site, it will be a 360 degree display.
Here’s the deal. It’s not about this layout, although I think it will look cool. It’s about designing my basement layout in the future. Just thinking about handlaying makes me realize how many times I’ve compromised my designs to avoid it. If I can do 3 double-slips and two curved turnouts in two square feet, I won’t be ascared uh nuthin.
John,
That’s a very good suggestion. I think the double slips I’m planning might be closer to 5’s, but I am very much planning on using the Fast Tracks templates as study guides and reference if nothing else. They are already downloaded onto my computer.
I also like the idea of getting sheet of butcher paper and drawing this out 1:1.
The drawing I posted was more or less for my sake to make sure everything would fit so I could sleep at night. I’m figuring where the puddin proof meets the pavement is on the layout.
Fast Tracks has a #5 double slip template.
http://trackmaster.fast-tracks.net/item.php?id=2229&link_str=334::337::452&partno=TT-HO-S-5
What they don’t have is a 23 degree crossing to go with a #5 (11.5 degree) angle. You could measure the 19 degree and 30 degree crossings to get an approximation of how much space the crossing frogs would require.
Don’t draw - cut and paste.
In any case, good luck,
-John
Oh yeah, try this!
http://www.railwayeng.com/turnouts.htm
Or maybe this!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_union
Or maybe some traction
http://www.trolleyville.com/tv/school/lesson2_3/index.htm
Have fun
That track diagram isn’t so complicated (compared to using computer-aided drawing aides.) Simple: the heart of it is a double-crossover where three of the four regular switches are replaced with double-slip switches. I agree you should obtain FastTracks turnout templates and see if it fits in your space.
Regarding reliability of double-slip switches, I have little doubt that precision-built turnouts like FastTracks should work well, but I have my doubts of commercial mass-produced double-slips. A local club is tearing out a dozen or more Walthers double-slips because its members have been unable or unwilling to make them work consistently with its locomotives.
Mark
Mark, I replaced the 8 #8 handlaid turnouts I built on my layout with Atlas commercial Mark #8 units for the very same reason your club replaced their Walthers double-slips. I was unable to make the handlaid unit work perfectly (properly).
A double-slip is an order of magnitude more complex than a turnout. Precision, patience and expert skill are required. At best, I only had two.[|)]
Just my experience,
Joe
A good and correct plan in making a turnout is best bet, especially a double slip.
I’ll have pics soonish, worked today and taking care of things.
The club I was in made their own turnouts and made them right, even tho DCC wasnt around when I was in, those turnouts would be DCC friendly by the club’s design, and they were very good.
I decided to use movable point frogs for the crossing in these doubleslips.
I use spiking on already laid wood ties, all this track was built in place, not on a bench.
The track plan was scoped out. There was to be a virtual mirror of this on another module.
This was made for a hump yard operation on a series of special modules.
I got the hump yard basically working as far as being able to uncouple cars into the hump yard, but never carried it much farther.
The first thing I do making this is lay down the straight tracks, spike them down and variuos points, remove the rails, leaving the spikes in place. The spikes serve as guides in making the switch.
I lay down the crossing rails, spike, remove the rails.
Now I can lay down the outer curved rails running them thru the already placed spikes forming the curves. Automatic. Adjust the curves to suit, spike down the outer curves. I can eyeball where the points will be, mark the ends, remove the rails and file up the point locations.
BTW the right hand rail going to the 2nd distant double slip is one rail piece.
The next creation is the outer points, you take a lenght of rail and appoximate your length, guess a little longer than needed, hard-bend it to an angle and eyeball-fit it in place, your pre-laid spikes will aid in placement. Hard-bend the rail again till your satisfied on the angle, find the point end locations, clip and file the points.
Now you can make your frog rails coming from the crossing rails you just laid in. This is just your basic frog making process as usual, just the points are slightly different.
Last bit is the inner curved points, find the length, file the points, hand bend the rails to a curve close to the build, gauge and lay in.
figger out your means of moving the points and yer done. You may need to work out cutting gaps in the right locations.
I use PC ties to move the points