Stations, curves and points

Hi Guy, how is the dark side (*). I keep being tempted, but its expensive...

I assume you're talking OO ? In which case scratch built track is easy once you've convinced yourself to try and have learned a few basics with a soldering iron. Iain Rice' book on finescale track (pub. Wild Swan) is recommended. Probably covers much more than you need.

If you want to do it really well, and like playing with computers, there is software called Templot which will draw out the exact track formation. But, Templot isn't a "dabblers" tool, it does require a bit of effort to get into it and to understand what its about - scale representation of a railway track and turnouts.

Might be the easiest way if you're planning on using standard Peco/Hornby track parts.

One option, done many many times.. Model a station which has a big over-bridge along the platform. Many stations did this, with the buildings placed on the higher (road) level, with stairs down to the track platforms. Thus, a platform is bisected by the station building, and need only be half as long. Then place the station building near a corner of the layout, with a fairly tight curve hidden in the background. To make it work convincingly, you need the straight track to continue a little way under the station building before starting the corner. That way, coaches (etc.) are running on straight when they emerge, rather than starting to lurch around an unprototypically tight curve.

(*) reference to another newsgroup.

- Nigel

Heh! The Dark Side is calling, young Jedi, wind resistance is futile!

(note to urmr: this is auk.rec.cycling in-joke, see

Yes, 00 it is. I nearly bought that book at Pendon yesterday - Doh!

Ah, I'm already struggling with XTrkCad - although to be fair that is mainly because I not doing badly with pencil 1.0, plastic templates and a French curve. My engineering drawing A level coming back to haunt me ;-)

Yes, I mulled it over and thought that if I ran in to a curve and out on a straight I could put the pointwork on straight track and save some pain. Much as I'd like to go finescale etc., I really don't have the patience to do it well - and I have a nine-year-old who wants to run a train....

Ah, sneaky! I like that!

My layout is under construction in the loft, where there are certain interesting constraints. A couple of 4x2 purlins at 60 degrees supporting the roof, for example, which I reckon can be worked into scenic hilsides with a tunnel taking the track behind the purlin.

At the moment I am starting to run out of patience for drawing and planning and looking to get something laid down (danger point!), but I don't want to box myself into a design which I'll later regret.

If its not a scisors crossover you can use curved points, in N the inner curve on Peco points is about 18 inch radius, which is a bit tight and other makes are tighter (7.5 inches for fleichmann for example) but other may be able to advise on alternatives.

If the available curves are too tight you could hide them inside an overall roof. The Peco book One Man's Railways (details not to hand) covers a chap who has built a large O scale layout as his last great project based on what is basically an oval. His solution was to have the entrance to the station modelled across one end of the end curve, no station as such, leaving the straight free for points, sidings etc.

That was something of a revalation to me when I read it, I have used this idea once myself, but I started the curve too soon. If doing it now the platforms would extend one coach length into a station covered by an overall roof. As on my original layout the platforms would then end alowing the use of curved points to provide me with four or more hidden tracks on the curve (hidden by the Railway Hotel adjacent to the station which appeared to carry straight on).

If you cannot get a return loop you could use the entrance to the station as the entrance to the fiddle yard, trains look better on the move than standing in a station and you dont have to find room for separate carriage sidings as these can be assumed to be at the far end of the station.

Having said which I work, or rather play, in N and I am a slapdash modeller at best. The people in the group have been most helpful whenever I have asked my often rather basic questions

HTH

Stick with pencil, string, etc.. CAD and Templot is only really worth it if you actually need it.

And, with your comments below....

Peco/Hornby

.... 9 year old wants trains running. Stick with Peco/Hornby. Otherwise you'll take too long getting it to run.

I think it could be your solution - let the town and station run away into the distance, and the layout makes a quick 90 degree turn to another part of the loft. Might work better if you've got a layout where you sit inside it than one where you view from outside.... ... Remember to make the hidden section long enough to hide the complete train !!

Platforms are a problem on any layout with long (prototypical) trains. So, the trick is to not have them on the layout, but just the hint of them.

Also bury inside large buildings (factories etc). If train is in deep cutting with brick retaining wall...

.... if the train is hidden from the children, how about cutting little "spy holes" to get track-level views of otherwise hidden trains..

One way would be to lay a few bits you are sure of, and then just tack down some flexi-track to link it all up. Then plan the other bits later.

Build temporary buildings with rectangles of timber painted approximate shades of paint until you're certain they are right - half of the massive Copenhagen Fields (finescale 2mm) model is full of buildings done that way.

- Nigel

I feel as if I *ought* to, but the learning curve is sufficiently steep that I can actually do the job more quickly, if less accurately, the old-fashioned way.

I'm as impatient as he is ;-)

Yes, the operator's well is inside the trackwork, so we can do that OK.

I'm going to have to go for a representation of other features rather than a full scale replica, so I'm certainly comfortable with that idea.

Good idea.

Another good idea.

Yes, that was my plan - we'll also use some old battered Metcalfe kits and Horby plastic buildings until we replace them with better models. It's mostly about having fun running trains, after all.

Thanks for some good suggestions.

It occurs to me that you should be wearing a modelling helmet when doing this stuff. Low beams, diagonal purlins, no-doubt a ladder from loft to house. The possibility of a serious head injury must be massive. You know it makes sense and that all sensible model makers wear helmets, only those with foolish death-wishes or extreme fashion consciousness would choose to run a model railway without a polystyrene hat on their head. ( Ooops, sorry wrong group again ).

Good luck with it all.

When I was about 9 or 10, I used to really like making model buildings from cardboard, painting them, etc. They were pretty crude by any model standards, but did the job. Half the challenge was working out how to fold it up from a small number of parts - forming the chimney, calculating the roof length, etc.. Luxuries were the odd pre-printed card building kits, though they were rarely as much fun as something I'd worked out myself.

- Nigel.

...

My 6 and 3/4s year old does a similar thing with cardboard cut-offs and wooden blocks/strips (again cut-offs) stuck together he's already made a station that he's proudly named "London Bridge" and even incorporated a name board to this effect on the platform.

As a more general point I can't recommend enough the practice of making card board mock-ups and seeing them in situ before going on to make the "real thing", great for ensuring clearances and the like.

NC

I *do* wear a hat. Mine is made out of tinfoil and it stops the mothership contacting me when I'm slaving over a hot soldering iron.....!

-- Enzo

I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.

Does it have a spinning doohickey on top to repel the space slugs?