martin_wynne

Hi NT, You asked about creating a slip as an entity and moving it into position. I said I would create a second video showing how to do that, so here it is: https://flashbackconnect.com/Default.aspx?id=MTd0T1Pp4DIGd5QfbfBqQw2 However, it is really not a good way of working in Templot most of the time. It is much easier to create things in their final position, as in the first video. If it's not right you just delete it and create another one. cheers, Martin.

Hi Gordon, It could be either or neither -- it depends how the bridge was designed. There are several different methods for skew arches. The principle is that the force supporting the load should travel perpendicular from the face of one stone/brick into the face of the adjacent stone/brick. If the force is at an angle it will tend in time to make the stones/bricks slide across one another and the bridge will fall apart. In a skew arch everything is at an angle, so laying out the rows of stones/bricks is tricky. To keep the forces perpendicular the faces of each stone must be cut at complex angles. That needs skilled masons and some means of drawing out the plans of each stone, hence the number of different skew designs. With rectangular bricks it is easier, in that they are small enough in relation to the size of the arch that you can fudge it with the mortar. That's why there was a great preference for brick as soon as anyone mentioned "skew". cheers, Martin.

Hi Gordon, You asked about stone masonry bridges, but I think brick would be more in keeping with your site. Probably blue engineering brick. Railway-over-railway bridges do tend to be brick, by definition coming later than the original laying down of the great main lines. Also locality plays a part. Where is Eastwood Town? How far to the nearest stone quarry? Brick is much easier to transport and bricks were used in their millions for Victorian infrastructure such as this. Also the significant skew would make any engineer choose brick given half a chance. cheers, Martin.

Hi Gordon, Your design are skew arches, which has a significant effect on the design. Lots of pictures and explanation on this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skew_arch A few of them: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16134839 MegaPedant CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7854624 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Peter Robinson Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Martin.

First video now available: https://flashbackconnect.com/Default.aspx?id=Ndn_TgoI5WNCP_agsZTJYw2 I will make another one shortly showing how to move a slip around and join it to other templates, should that be needed. cheers, Martin.

Hi, You didn't say so, but I assume you are asking about Templot. Everything you want can be done quite easily, once you understand the way Templot works. A slip is made up from several components because that is the way the prototype does it. It's best always to be thinking of the prototype when working in Templot and disregard the fact that you will be building a small scale model. Most of the dimensions and settings in Templot are entered in their full-size prototype sizes. By being made up from prototype components you can have a slip of any angle you wish, and it can be inserted in curved track of any radius -- not just in straight track or a few fixed sizes as you would have in pick-and-place style software. You will notice that each component template in the slip has been given a prefix tag number on its name. You can use that tag to create a group of templates, which you can then re-position as an entity, or align it with and join it to any other template. However, it's much better not to do that. In most cases you want to create a slip which is already in its final position so that it aligns with the templates around it. On the same curve, at the same angle, etc. You use the starting turnout to define that final position. If it's a single-slip, the turnout also defines the required side for the slip. If you found the slip is being created on the branch exit of the turnout instead, you must have clicked make slip crossover instead of make slip. A slip crossover is a very common prototype formation, so Templot has a function to create one directly. If you give me an hour or two I will make a bit of video showing all the above ideas in practice. cheers, Martin.

It's not about geography, it's about socio-economic importance. You go "Up To Town" and "Down To The Country". The Up direction is generally towards the more important destination, often the railway company's works or headquarters. If in doubt, look at the crossbars on the telegraph poles. They are on the Up side of the pole. Likewise along roads, the crossbars are on the telephone exchange side of the pole. Martin.

Hi John, This is the paper I've been using: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002YCH5OG/ Even thicker would be better, but it gets expensive and not so readily available. cheers, Martin.

Hi John, It is easier to trim the templates accurately if you print on thicker paper than ordinary office paper. I recommend 160gsm paper for the templates, which is almost a thin card. The trimmed pages can then be butted together like tiles and stuck down with Spraymount or double-stick tape onto something else, such as your track construction board or a roll of decorator's lining paper, rather than attached to each other. If you are having trouble with the trim margins on your printer, they can be adjusted at output > trim margins and corner info > margin settings for printer > menu items. cheers, Martin.

The new High Moselle Bridge in Germany opened on 21 November 2019. It may not be a railway but it is definitely a line in the landscape: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Moselle_Bridge Wikimedia Creative Commons That is more than double the height of Crumlin (which definitely was a railway):

Hi Andy, For 00 gauge (except DOGA-Fine): a. RTR wheels are typically RP25/110 profile with flanges 0.8mm thick -- set the back-to-back to 14.4mm. b. Romford/Markits wheels have flanges 0.7mm thick -- set the back-to-back to 14.5mm. Using Romford axles you don't have much choice about this. c. Kit wheels such as Alan Gibson / EMGS / Ultrascale have flanges typically 0.6mm thick -- set the back-to-back to 14.6mm. (For DOGA-Fine add 0.3mm to the above back-to-backs. This means modifying RTR wheels.) For optimum running, when the flange is running against the rail head on one side, the back of the opposite wheel should just kiss the check rail. With the above flange thicknesses and back-to-backs, that is achieved with the check gauge at 15.2mm (for DOGA-Fine 15.5mm). Those back-to-backs are the maximum. For 00-SF the minimum (all wheels) is 14.3mm. For 00-BF the minimum (all wheels) is 14.0mm. (For DOGA-Fine the minimum (all wheels) is 14.6mm. This means modifying RTR wheels.) It might be better to move this to a separate topic -- this is Gordon's layout topic. cheers, Martin.

Sigh. I do my level best to provide good information which will enable modellers to get the best results with 00 gauge models. When I first released Templot 20+ years ago I resurrected the dormant "EM minus 2" standard which I had used in the 1970s and gave it the name 00-SF. The results in this topic on Gordon's layout are clear to see. Many other modellers have now adopted the 00-SF standard and have had similar good results. But always, always, someone comes along to muddy the waters. It is just NOT FAIR on beginners. I can't speak for DOGA, the 00-SF standards are at: http://4-sf.uk/ If you think the DOGA standard is preferable, start a new topic about it. Shout about it from the rooftops. Argue the pros and cons. But don't wait until I have posted some information and then immediately throw a spanner into it to confuse anyone trying to follow it. Modellers can choose which standards to follow by observing the results. Here is a video showing a layout using the 00-SF standard and some comments about it by the owner: Martin.

That's the correct solution. It is also what the prototype does on sharp curves. It is also the reason why the 4-slot roller gauges provided by the trade are utterly useless. If you have any of them, fill in the inner slots with epoxy so that you don't accidentally use them. To set the flangeway gaps at the V-crossing (frog), use a piece of metal shim of the required thickness. For 00-SF that is 1.0mm. At a pinch a piece of 40thou plastic card could be used. For traditional 16.5mm 00-BF it is 1.3mm. Spark plug feeler gauges can also be used. To set the check rails, use a 2-slot 15.2mm check gauge. This is the same dimension for 00-SF, 00-BF, DOGA-Intermediate, and all other modern 00 gauges (apart from DOGA-Fine), so worth getting a pair of them whichever 00 gauge standard you use. C&L sell them (listed under 00-SF). 00-SF isn't really suitable for very sharply curved turnouts, it is probably better to build them as 16.5mm 00-BF (using the same 15.2mm check gauge). 00-SF and 00-BF pointwork can be mixed on the same layout. cheers, Martin.

37688 on Victoria Bridge, Severn Valley Railway, 11th September 2019.

Hi Gordon, If you have updated Templot yesterday you are probably finding that your large track plan is now taking much longer to save. That's because it is now also exporting a MECBOX file, and I have forgotten to implement the switch on that option. I'm very sorry about that and will get it fixed as soon as poss. In the meantime, there is a work around you can use: save group and then group select all. On the trackpad that's the group > save group... menu item. Or on the storage box, the save group... button or the group > save group templates... menu item. More info here: http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=3558&forum_id=1 More about MECBOX here: http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=3555&forum_id=20 cheers, Martin.