The maximum track radius used on Open Grid benchwork can extend beyond the edges of the bench by using Risers that support wider subroadbed. This just dawned on me as I ponder my modified track design. It can be done, but I don’t recall seeing anyones track plan that has done it that way.
Comments?
Yes, cantilevering something is done a lot. Look at a highway in a mountainous area like Yellowstone, and note how it rests on a perch extending out from a cliff. Many bridges are also considered to be cantilever in design.
The fact of extending your roadbed out over the edge is a useful way to make a decent radius loop, but keep in mind that you will also have to mount the fascia to trim around it. Will it intrude into a tight walkway? Can you guard it against stray elbows of passersby?
I suppose we all start off thinking of a box with invisible walls containing a layout, but sometimes it just makes sense to push the walls a bit. Don’t be afraid to try it. Put your ideas onto a piece of grid-paper to see what it looks like.
Go for it, and have fun George
Sure it could be done. Using spline would be my first choice as it would help in a structural way. Spline is so self supporting in many ways. It could be done with plywood also, but would require more support. My only concern would be the long drop to the floor for my trains.[:O]
Brent
That would be a good choice if you’re including a wider radius curve as a deviation from what you had originally planned, but I approached it from the angle of minimum aisle width, building the benchwork as wide as it needed to be, but governed by the allowable aisle width. In some areas, aisles are very generous, while in others, some operators would have problems. I could easily pass my clone in any aisle, though, and as a solo operator, it’s not really an issue.
36" aisle:
43" aisle:
30" aisle, but with an entrance point of 26":
And the other tight spot in the room, at 26" - wide areas on both sides of the tight ones allow operators to pass easily, although “wide loads” could have a problem [swg]:
I set the minimum mainline radius at 30", but most is 34" or wider. My procedure was to build the benchwork with an idea of what scenes I wished to include. I then installed cut-out plywood roadbed wherever curves were needed to follow the shape of the room (see diagram below), using the widest curve practical for each locale. The rest of the layout construction was simply to add the straight-(ish) sections to connect the curves. [:D]
Wayne
Amazing large layout there doctorwayne.
Is that in a seperate building on your property?
The boxes and boxes of what seems to be rolling stock under the bench is remarkable among other things like the sheer size of the thing.
The layout is in its own room in the basement. Originally, it was designed to occupy the entire basement but other family considerations ate up a lot of the available space, leaving a total room area of only about 560 sq. ft., of which 195 sq. ft. is aisleways. As you can see, the room is oddly-shaped, making for a layout with plenty of curves. My plan is to double-deck the area shown in grey on the drawing, adding about 65’ of mainline to the 190’ already in service. However, this means that most of the layout, in addition to being on curves, is also on a grade, either up or down and sometimes, depending on train length, both. It makes for interesting operations, though, with at least two locos on almost all trains. Operation, by the way, is DC, with walk-around controllers, and will be, when the second level is in place, point-to-point-to-point, with the track splitting at South Cayuga. Upbound trains will climb on a 2.5% grade around the peninsula, while downbound trains, heading for Elfrida and Port Maitland, will descend on a similar grade, cutting through the base of the peninsula in a short tunnel.
Here’s a photo showing the northbound tracks leading to the upper level, with the westbound tracks dropping towards the tunnel, which is hidden behind the tall north abutment of the upper bridge. South Cayuga is out of sight to the left:
Here’s an eastbound coal train leaving Elfrida and about to enter the tunnel:
…and another train emerging from the east portal of the tunnel, heading towards South Cayuga:
Here’s a view of South Cayuga, showing the tracks where the lines separate
doctorwayne said:
<Operation, by the way, is DC, with walk-around controllers, and will be, when the second level is in place, point-to-point-to-point,>
You don’t use DCC at all?
Howabout locomotive sound effects?
I’ve seen many pictures of your wonderful layout on this forum - do you have a track plan available?
John
Steaming into the Future
No need for DCC at all - the entire layout is wired as a single block, with the ability to “kill” passing sidings, etc. as required. With only a single operator, only one train should be moving at any one time - with all of the grades and curves, one needs to pay attention. Most of the trains do local switching along their route, and with no place to provide continuous running, unattended trains can run out of track fairly easily. Should I choose, the passing sidings allow me to run trains sequentially, so I can park a westbound and then run an eastbound past it, and with car cards and waybills, all trains have to complete their runs before the “show” can start again. One of my interests is getting my locos to run properly, and most will double- (or triple)head well with the others - this is currently using steamers, but back when I was still running diesels, most locos would run with most others, steam or diesel. Train length varies - passing sidings will accommodate about a dozen cars and their locos, and coal trains are limited to that length, as I run “live” loads. A train of twelve loaded hoppers, plus a caboose, weighs 100 ounces, requiring double heading for the entire run. Merchandise trains and general freight could be twice as long, and I’ve run trains of over 70 cars, but 12 to 16 cars look about right and are sufficient to keep me busy.
Passenger trains are generally short - 2 or 3 cars, although head-end traffic can swell that.
As for sound, while it can be impressive, I’m afraid almost 40 years in a steel mill have left me with more of an appetite for less noise. [swg] I also remove the lights on my locos, as I don’t find them particularly realistic if they flicker as a loco negotiates a switch. In the '30s era which I’m modelling, daytime running didn’t require the headlight to be on, and I’ve spent too much effort detailing cars and locos to want to hide them by running in the dark. [:D]
Wayne
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Thanks for the kind words, John, but sorry, no trackplan - the layout was built without one. It seems to function well enough, although I’ll know for sure when that second level gets built.
Wayne
By the way Model RR is Good, I must apologise, as it appears as if I’ve inadvertently highjacked your thread. [banghead]
Wayne
SO, I’ll put it back on the rails…[swg]
Since my benchwork is classic L girder, it doesn’t have a hard ‘edge.’ However, I did end up with one curve that ‘herniated’ beyond the original planned maximum width for the peninsula. The steel stud joists under it had to be extended a couple of inches.
To solidly support your ‘beyond the box’ curve, try screwing risers to the outside of the header, possibly with spacers to keep them centered under the subgrade. If you make the outer edges of the risers correspond to the inside of the desired fascia line, you can simply screw (or glue) the fascia to the risers at the ‘bulge.’
As long as the aisleways remain adequate for the operator(s) the fascia can undulate like sidewinder tracks, even if the benchwork has straight edges.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with serpentine fascias)
You poor thing. Some of us would “kill” for such space.
Mark
Of course you’re right, Mark, but after having done the bulk of the construction work on the house, it was a disappointment to lose almost 1000 sq.ft. of layout space. In retrospect, the smaller space is probably more apt to someday be completed, but given a choice, I would have preferred the same square footage in a less irregular shape: 20’x28’ would have been nice, or even better, 10’x56’. [;)][:D]
Wayne
Great looking layout. Thanks for sharing.