354 replies to this topic

[shortliner]

Gauge HO
Scale 3.5mm/ft
Name Harlem Station (my version of the Eire Harlem Terminal Yard) Per plan on Carls site Scrapbook 91
Current size is intended to be 48" x 32" with an optional double length Peco Locolift fiddle yard to represent the carfloat
Locos - Alco Boxcabs + possible GE 44 tonner
Cars - all freight almost certainly all 40' types
Power- 12v DC
Minimum Radius - 12"

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[Allegheny1600]

Hello Jack,
That is one compact layout there with an awful lot of switching potential - i'm sure it will keep you amused for a good long while after the comp!
Good luck with it,
John E.

[shortliner]

Thanks John - and good luck to you too. Currently struggling with how to bend a smooth 12" curve without spending about ??40 on a rail bending jig. I have Fleischmann 10" curves but they are right on the limit of the boxcabs turn radius and 12" would be better

[The Stationmaster]

shortliner, on 17 November 2009 - 12:45 , said:

Thanks John - and good luck to you too. Currently struggling with how to bend a smooth 12" curve without spending about ??40 on a rail bending jig. I have Fleischmann 10" curves but they are right on the limit of the boxcabs turn radius and 12" would be better

Use a couple of Tracksettas perhaps? I know they aren't ideal but it is possible to use them to get a flowing constant radius curve with a bit of judicious pinning (of sleepers) as you go.

[shortliner]

That is a possibility - what I really need is one of these from Fast-Tracks - but US$59.95 + postage is rather pricey for something I may never use again!

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[cornelius]

Looks like a useful bit of kit. You could eBay it afterwards? Or hire it out to other forum members for a small charge

[Bruce Depot]

Hi jack
That sure is a tight curve, will watch the progress with interest. So tempted to dable back
in US HO again, but need agreement from her in doors first!

cheers
Keith

[shortliner]

I had both the boxcabs running on the Fleishmann curve yesterday but it is, as I mentioned, right on the limit - in fact both run better one way than the other. They are probably the noisiest locos I have EVER heard and they sound like coffee grinders full of pebbles with the bodies on. Might have to try some foam inside! Once i find a way of curving a length of flex down to 12" radius I'll give them another try - part of the problem is that I'd prefer NOT to have to use trackpins, which will transmit sound to the baseboard - Lots of experimenting needed. Just seen the photos of Fulton Terminal in the Tolworth Showtrain thread - LOVELY!
Go on, Keith - you know you want to!

[cornelius]

If you glue and also lightly pin the track to hold it while the glue is curing, you can take the pins out again when it's all set.

[shortliner]

Yes, but unless it is precurved, the spring in the rails is going to be permanently trying to straighten it out again, and it would be better without the stress.

[Talltim]

Its nice to see another NY terminal layout. Are there more of them around in the last few years or is it just that now I've discovered the prototype I notice the layouts?

[Glorious NSE]

There do seem to have been more recently, but given how nice and "do-able" the prototypes are i'm not surprised it's popular.

Plan looks nice Jack, looking forward to seeing this one come along!

[shortliner]

Thanks for your comments, and encouragement - good to know that my idea isn't quite as daft as I was afraid it might be. TT - I suspect that, as more layouts are becoming known, and they are set in that area, the extra exposure is giving more impetus to people to build these tiny dockside-type layouts with float bridges. One advantage is that, just like the prototype, they are small, and self-contained, and thus very suitable for US modelling in small UK accomodation. From my POV it is the ability to use tight curves and small radius turnouts that allows a lot of traffic in a small area, and the fact that the prototype crammed track into tiny spaces, means that I can do the same.
The internet has helped in a big way too, enabling us on the right-hand side of the big pond to get much more information about the left-hand side than would have been available even 10 years ago. It isn't a subject covered to a great degree in the American model press - which is still focussing heavily on basement empires, rather than box-room empires!

[shortliner]

Looked at suitable baseboard material this morning - but didn't have room in the car to transport it. The design has undergone slight modification, since I realised that extending the board by a couple of inches, and removing a standard RH Setrack turnout, and substituting a RH Setrack curved turnout would allow me to actually simulate the carfloat off-scene, with the cars vanishing through the back-scene onto two Extended Peco Locolifts.
This is the modified trackplan. BTW If anyone wants a copy of the XTrkCad file - which is runable - to try car-switching, send me an email address.

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[mog]

Jack - have you gone mad?? Look at the size of this monster!!

Looks good, be interesting to see how many changes you come up before building..Keep us up to date!

[F-UnitMad]

Plenty of switching to do there...

I had to laugh at Jack's "improved" trackplan, though... not that there's anything funny about it, but if there's one thing you just can't do, Jack, it's leave a trackplan alone.!!!

My one concern is where an uncoupling magnet would go to serve the lower set of sidings... there's a straight piece of track on the top switching lead, but at the lower side the points start right off a curve...???

[shortliner]

Actually Jordan, I think that trackplans were made to be improved upon, and I find it amazing that a few days further thunking throws up more suggestions - also someone elses views frequently drops so more ideas/variations into the pot. Regarding uncoupling, and possibly turnout throwing, There is something about throwing turnouts by hand as it was done in a yard. I suspect it may be a "HOG* uncoupling stick", but I have some tiny 3mm cube magnets and they may have to go on the straight part of each siding. All subject to experiment

*Hand Of God

[shortliner]

So - before getting the baseboard material cut to size - I decided that the old maxim of measure twice, cut once, was a good idea. I got a large sheet of cardboard, measured and cut it to the appropriate size, took it to the garage and put it in the back of the Ka with the rear seats folded down. Guess what? - naturally it is too big! AAAAAAARRRGH! Okay - is it possible to adjust the plan and still do what I want? XtrkCad seems to think so, but the simulated car float will have to be reduced to a single track - fortunately being off-scene that doesn't matter too much. I can always use two seperate cassettes to simulate a two track carfloat, using one at a time instead of both together as per the earlier idea - and the tight radius curve can be widened slightly. So V3.03 in 46" x 33"

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[sunshine coast]

shortliner, on 17 November 2009 - 19:37 , said:

Yes, but unless it is precurved, the spring in the rails is going to be permanently trying to straighten it out again, and it would be better without the stress.

Jack, if you can get hold of Hornby R8090 semi-flex 1 mtr lengths....it is very stiff and when curved will stay in place ....I did join a length to itself that gave a 6" radius which if anyone is interested a OO Pug will run on quite happily ....

Regards Trevor ....

PS there are a lot of 40' boxcars coming up on ebay today ...

[sunshine coast]

Jack ,also found this ... link
while following another link on RMWeb....It proves you are not completely mad !!!!

Regards Trevor ....

[shortliner]

Another minor change gets us back to a twin track car float, changing the two streamline small radius turnouts in the top track to Setrack lets us get a loco+2 cars in the headshunt at the expense of a smaller freight house

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[shortliner]

This afternoon I decided that before we start cutting wood, it would be a good idea to check that the plan actually works! Printed off some templates, drew some lines, stuck some paper down and laid some actual 40' cars and a boxcab on it to check clearances. Wonder of wonders - it looks as though the concept will work! Although fitting the freight house in will be fun! It also looks as though one of the sidings beside the carfloat will have to go -(not fitted in the photos)

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[shortliner]

Pointwork ordered yesterday from The Signal Box. No baseboard yet, today we have a very heavy frost and freezing fog to go with it - and lots more forecast for the weekend. Just put fresh water out for the birds - it has taken 3.5 hours to freeze solid!

[shortliner]

........and at lunchtime today my pointwork turned up - excellent service from The Signal Box. It is far too cold to be outside playing with wood, so there will be a short hiatus before the baseboard gets made.

[shortliner]

Just had a completely mad moment, and won this on ebay - no idea if it will run round the curves on Harlem (possibly as the centre drivers are blind), but if not I'll find somewhere else for it, like my shoebox layout. I don't DO kettles, but this is such an ugly little thing, I fell in love!

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