Diary of a semi-beginner's layout

Are they DCC compatible?

Jim Stewart

Reply to
Jim Stewart
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NO!! It uses the DC system as described at

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;-)

Reply to
Greg Rudd

"The CB&Q Guy" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Thanks! I ran into that one the other day when I was prowling around. I took my info from a semi-official history of the L&N. It seems that L&N acquired the controlling interest in NC&StL in

1880, but there was such a public furor over a possible monopoly that they continued the operate the NC&StL as a separate entity, running on complimentary rather than competing routes. They finally absorbed them completely in 1957. At least, so sayeth the history that I read.

I'm mostly concerned with RRs that I saw while growing up in Nashville in the 1950's. (I'm a 1946 vintage.) I'm not trying to duplicate Nashville, but the terrain on my layout will be loosely based on what is common in Middle Tennessee.

Reply to
Norman Morgan

My apologies to anyone who may have tried to visit my web page. I just found out that my domain name is not translating properly to the actual site.

With that said, here is a working link to a track diagram of what I am planning to build. Any comments or constructive criticism are welcome. I'll post a lot more at that address as the work progresses.

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Reply to
Norman Morgan

I like it. Being a passenger train fanatic, I would put more emphasis there myself, but then it would be my layout and not yours. What program did you use to create the layout?

Carolyn

Reply to
Carolyn Marenger

Carolyn Marenger wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@igs.net:

It's a great little (FREE!) program called XTrkCad. Just Google for that and you'll find it. Apparently it was a commercial product now going open source.

I tried to get a bit of everything in there. Double mainline because I know my grandkids will get a kick out of just watching trains run around and around; the upper split branch to be able to do a loads-in, empties-out type operation (the middle part of the double section will be hidden with trees and terrain so it looks like two back-to-back double sidings); the multi-track yard arrangement for both freight and passenger (I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how to cram Walther's Union Station in there!); and the other sidings for miscellaneous industry.

I love the passenger trains, too, but as I mentioned earlier in this thread, my granddad made his living shuttling way freights around Nashville, so I can't ignore that.

Reply to
Norman Morgan

It may be free, but you didn't tell me that there was a linux version. Now I am salivating. :) It's downloaded and about to be installed.

I understand that one. I want to model the main station in a little german town called Mainz. In N scale, I would still need at least 30' x 4' just for the station, the engine shop at one end, and the yards at the other end. The train wouldn't be able to go anywhere, other than platform to platform, wait in the yard to get repaired at the engine shop, then back to another platform. Ignoring the yard and the engine shop, I still need about 10' of length, just for the platforms.

I am working on a layout that will give me a 7' length for the station, then helixs up and down to other levels for more on either end of the station. Down will probably go to a terminal station, yard, and engine shop. Up will go to a german countryside setting with a couple small stations, and a loop.

My Grandad worked for CP Rail, a civil engineer designing bridges and the like. I inherited the love of trains, and I have made a couple decent, IMHO, model bridges. Scratch built, as there were no models resembling the bridges I wanted for the layout. Found the bridges on the net, and modelled them from the photos and other stats I found there.

Thanks, Carolyn

Reply to
Carolyn Marenger

Jim=A0Stewart replied:

I wish they'd had accordian walls back in 1991 when I was building my present railroad! What'll they think of next!

Are they DCC compatible?

------------------------------------------------- I would hope that I could use 'em for my DC contolled railroad since I don't use DCC. Of course this would be a good argument for conversion.

Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad:

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History of N Scale:
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to 1,000 sites:
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Reply to
Bill

Looks interesting.

Unless my eyes deceive me, I think you have two reverse loops built into it, which will require some wiring/operations considerations.

Not only that, but the reverse loops overlap partially.

Take a look at:

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I've outlined them in different colors.

I think the wiring on those could get pretty tricky. Maybe some wiring guru's here could offer an opinion.

Mike Tennent "IronPenguin"

Reply to
Mike Tennent

Mike Tennent wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

The "pink" loop was deliberate. The "green" loop sort of just happened. But they both came about as a result of the same piece of track. If I isolate the stretch from the right side of the lower yard tracks to the right side of the inner mainline, I think it will solve both situations. After I posted this, I made one revision, moving the switch from the inner mainline to the right side of the yard below the crossover switch, thus lengthening the piece I will have to isolate.

I am going to use DCC on this layout and had figured on an auto- reversing circuit on the piece of track in question. I've already purchased the DCC stuff, but not the AR circuit. Any suggestions there?

Reply to
Norman Morgan

If you havent used for 20 years, you don't need it.

The continuos style layout and size you propose will result in many restrictions. The main one will be you are limited in what types of prototypes that can be run. Large locomotives , if they can get around the curves will look stupid, as will long carriages. They will be short trains and look toy like. An around the wall layout does not need to be complex or hard to build and maintain. Yes there is more woodwork, but everything can be spread apart. You have more options, and plenty of room to run long trains if you want to and fit sensible minimum radius curves in. My layout is about 10m long, yet only has one station for example. No more buildings than a typical 4x8 layout. Your around the wall layout could start off as a simple oval and one side could be a staging yard, no scenery needed in the staging yard. Not hard to complete.

Reply to
Terry Flynn

I went back into the jpg and erased all the extraneous track and guess what? You actually have a simple, traditional oval with a reverse section dissecting it. Nothing complicated at all, if you make sure you have enough track for the reversing section.

Any of the AR units available are fine. I've always bought my stuff from Loy's Toys, but Tony's Exchange and others are reputable dealers.

Mike Tennent "IronPenguin"

Reply to
Mike Tennent

Isn't there just one segment of track that can cause a problem? From the right hand side of the parallel yard tracks to where that segment connects to half of the double mainline?

Or am I missing something?

Paul

Reply to
Paul Newhouse

snipped-for-privacy@pimin.rockhead.com (Paul Newhouse) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

That's right. I made it longer that the posted drawing shows by moving the switch to the mainline below the inner/outer crossover. That should leave plenty of room for a Loy's Toys auto-reverse circuit, including the sense sections on each end as well as the actual reversing section. Their write up says that the actual reverse section only has to be longer than your longest loco or MU rig. The sense sections can be very short, like 3".

No track down yet, but we are getting closer!

Boy, am I jealous of the lady who found all that foam board in a dumpster! I had to give $25 per sheet for mine. That was the biggest single expense in my benchwork.

Reply to
Norman Morgan

I've had no luick finding it in the Livermore, CA area at all.

Looks like an interesting layoiut, good luck and enjoy!!

Paul

Reply to
Paul Newhouse

snipped-for-privacy@pimin.rockhead.com (Paul Newhouse) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

I found it at both Home Depot and Lowes. Home Depot had the pink Owens-Corning for $25 per 2"x4'x8'. Lowes had the blue Dow stuff for $28 per. As far as I have been able to determine, the only difference is the color and $3. Given California's rigid stance on some environmental issues, I guess it's possible you can't buy it there, but I have not heard about it if so.

Reply to
Norman Morgan

I take a look everytime I'm at either place in Livermore and I've never seen it. I ask the info desk people and they just return a blank stare. There are a few 2'x4'x1/2" sheets of it at the club but, nobody knows where they came from.

I have to remember to look in Reno the next time we drive there.

Paul

Reply to
Paul Newhouse

CA is a weird duck when it comes to getting things. I live in the Bay Area, near Livermore. I can order major items from AK for half the price Lowes or Home Depot will sell them to me for "if they are special order". Case in point, special order patio doors, $900 to $1000. From AK $600, which include a rather high shipping cost.

Reply to
Jon Miller

"make a serious effort" to contact everyone that they had charged the import fee for the past 15 years.< They also lost that suit on charging income tax on people who live out of state. Another lost suit had to do with the way large corporations got charged for their share of business in CA. That suit was in the many millions of dollars lost and refunded to the companies. I remember IBM was one company involved. Isn't it interesting how you never hear about these things!

Reply to
Jon Miller

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