I have found a plan in a very old model railroader magazine. In ho gauge it is 9’ by 5’ and is called the springer & cincinnatus. In someone could explain how to post a picture I am hoping for some advice please.
Thanks very much
The HELP link above (http://www.trains.com/community/forum/faq.asp#hyperlink) explains the how.
First. You will need to load your picture (GIF, JPEG etc) to your own provider or to a website that hosts pictures. I happen to use http://www.railimages.com. There are others.
Second. Then use the process described in the help link to “insert” the link to the picture in your forum message.
Good luck.
[#ditto] to what Tom said.
I use Village Photos. Up to 800MB per month free. More than enough for my needs.
Once you have your photo uploaded on your host site, copy the url address for your photo and paste in between the code **[img.]**and [/img] (but without the period)
(click on high lighted words for link)
Thank you both for the help.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1636001
wow that’s quite a plan ! i got dizzy trying to figure out where the track was going [:D]
the only ‘problem’ i see is there is a lot of round and round , but not much switching . that’s only a problem if you’re really into switching though , and a lot of people like watching a train loop around the layout .
it may be a bit of a challenge to build and run with all the hidden track , i guess that depends on your experience
Even under a magnifying glass the hidden tracks are difficult to follow especially where they cross over under cincinnatus station. I did wonder about trying to make one hidden track and one of the inner loops on the left a helix but figured that was almost impossible to do.
My other idea was with the outside track on the right that follows through to the top left and starts in the middle bottom - it would not take much to make it a complete circuit.
The plan also gives an alternative layout idea for the turntable area.
What you have is a classic folded dogbone (simulating a double track main) and branch (the track running around the right end to the station at the top left.)
This could be a fun layout to operate. You can let one train orbit the main while switching the branch, or you can hide a couple of trains on the hidden tracks (back in storage) and have a through freight drop off cars for a mainline local freight as well as the branch. You can also operate helper service up the hill from the coaling station to Cincinnatus, since the crossover is available at the top of the grade to let the helper get back down the hill. Note,too, that the two crossovers by the coaling station allow a mainline train to run ‘wrong way’ around somebody switching the spurs at the bottom left.
With three crossovers between the tracks of the folded dogbone wiring could be an issue. The easiest way to handle it would be to treat both of the stacked turnbacks as reversing sections.
That’s a surprising amount of railroad for a ping pong table layout. It even lends itself to timetable operation and ‘car card and waybill’ car distribution.
Chuck.
The squares are 24 inches across so it can be done on a 9’ by 5’ set up. Any improvements come to mind…
Maybe something could be done with the mountain space in the middle areas but perhaps the hidden tracks are enough…
The mountain space could be developed as a mine, with the access switch to the right of the Cincinnatus station. In addition to mined product out, mines have a surprising amount of inbound traffic, which could get interesting. There should be space enough for at least three spurs (two under the tipple, one for supplies.)
This would operate best with the left end against a wall and a full view block except for the last foot or so at the right end. It will seem more realistic, and a lot longer, when you can’t see Cincinnatus from the junction.
Chuck.
The write up that came with the plan mentioned it would be better against a wall. First thing to do I think is test out the track radius & spacing - five tracks at one end!
I don’t care for this track plan for one reason - access to the hidden track. In my not-so-humble opinion, you MUST provide access to every inch of track, some how, some way. You MUST be able to get your hand in there to rerail, remove, fix, solder, uncouple, couple, or any other of a myraid of tasks. Now, in your case that access to the hidden track can be from underneath. Just make sure you design and build it that way! AND make sure you don’t mind getting underneath the layout to actually take care of business!
If you don’t provide the access and/or aren’t willing to crawl underneath to fix whatever went wrong, then use a different plan. Otherwise, eventually the layout will gather dust until you cut it up in frustration.
Murphy lives!
Fred W
I know this layout, it is from April 1957 issue of Model Railroader (my birth month). The whole idea of the layout is a prototypical instance of where the “town” could not be on the mainline. So the railroad made a “branch” just to connect the town. Another version of this layout is the last one in the book Atlas Custom-Line Layouts for HO Scale Railroads.
I love this layout and have every intention of building this layout some day. I believe the original will not quite fit as presented, hence the Atlas version. If you could squeeze another six inches width it would make things fit better.
Another feature no one has mentioned is the placement of crossovers allow the dog bone to be used as a double track mainline where one can “overtake” a slower train going up grade.
What sort of advise were you looking for on this. As someone else said it will be pretty difficult to construct as all the track is in perpetual grades with many “bridges”.
Access does seem to be one of the serious problems. Not certain if it can be done, but trying to think up a way of having removeable scenery.
Kind of like the Atlas # 10023. A folded Dog Bone with branch
The folded dog bone with branch refered to by gsetter as Atlas 10023 can be found in the 1971Atlas Custom-Line book. It is refered to as Track plan #209.This plan looks like it could be a great deal of fun to build and run, since it is built on a 5 1/2’ X 8’, just about the size of a regulation ping pong table. This is another of John H. Armstrong’s layout schemes. BTW, looking through books and other reference material, these 1971 prices are something we will never see again.[:(!] But then again, nothing can deter a true model railroader.
Have fun with it. [8D]
That would be the one. The more I see it the more I want to start construction!
A classic John Armstrong design.
Clearances are tight, so a few more inches all around would work better. And the hidden staging tracks could become a maintenance headache.
i had this one as a kid. my father built if for himself and myself. have a lot of menories of if
ray