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nathan9117

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  1. Welcome to my new layout thread, this is a work in progress and as of yet the baseboard need to be constructed. I have spent the last few months researching Loconet compatible equipment and have decided to use a combination of Digitrax and Digikeijs hardware. The layout will be situated in my loft measuring 9 Feet by 18 Feet. The layout itself will be 8 Feet by 18 Feet as to allow for a backdrop to be fitted. At current the loft has been strengthened and had flooring put down the only tasks left to complete are to insulate and cover the roof and wire up 5 sockets and lights. The layout will be a mix of DCC Manual and DCC Automatic control I will have the computer dispatch random trains around the layout while I drive a loco of my own or do some shunting, there will be many features added to make for a very fun operating session such as random freight trains being sent to the yard ready for sorting before being handed back over to automatic control ready to be sent off around the layout to its next location. The layouts scenic area consists of two levels split by 3-4" and I will be using 30" & 32" radius curves, the fiddle yard will be on a third lower level around 8" below the scenic boards. I will be using the open frame method to construct the baseboards as only a few will have a full top covering. Layout Plan Explained Red highlighted tracks are bottom level and blue tracks top level the green lines indicate tunnel mouths. The red and blue lines at the top of the plan are inclines the rear incline from the bottom level will run under the top level tracks and behind the retaining wall marked on the image. All labels ending with a question mark are not yet final and are open to suggestions of things in place. I would like a TMD and a separate yard to shunt wagons I am considering putting a small TMD where the right hand side TMD label is and running a access line from the TMD to the Yard. Please note there will only be one TMD I just have a choice of two locations. If anyone has any ideas on what I can add remove or change please feel free to let me know as I want to finalise as much as possible in planning so that prep and basic layout structure will be a breeze to assemble. All boards are 2 Feet wide and there is plenty of room for ideas, the upper level station does not have to consist of multiple platforms and can be as narrow as possible if scenic ideas for the lower levels unused space are developed or suggested. Thank you all and please excuse the hilariously bad Photoshop jobby of my layout plan ! TIA !
  2. Your best bet here then is to find out your curve radius and make sure you place enough rods around the curve. Sufficient support should mean no sag or bumps and plenty of fine adjustment once you have the first helix section installed all the others are a breeze to stack on top.
  3. Hope you don't mind me throwing in my two cents on Helix's here, the best bits of advise I can give is to use good quality wood such as a plywood this should help aid against sagging like MDF would. Also you need to consider how the helix will be held up will you be using the method of threaded rods and nuts or using protruding parts from the circle to screw wood standoffs into. This will determine the thickness of wood needed and also the width of the track bed with enough excess for threaded rods or wooden standoffs.
  4. Well progress has been made most track is now laid just missing two insulating rail joiners for the last two sidings. All point motor holes have been pre drilled and motors will be fitted when I wire the trackwork. Next jobs on the list will be track feeder wires and getting some back scenes cut for the layout both ends and one length of the board will have back scenes fitted the track running right to the board edge will join up to a removable fiddle yard.
  5. After falling in and out of love with this hobby and due to a house move not having space to start a new layout the bug finally bit again, now settled in and having many ideas I decided to re use some old point work I had lying around to create myself a small 6' x 2' TMD/Yard wrokbench. The layout is purely fictional and will serve as somewhere to run trains and practice scenery techniques as I plan the main layout. The main layout will be situated in my loft with a space of around 8' x 18' give or take depending on the height above the floor, it will feature Digitrax DCC with computer control block detectors signal drivers and point motor controllers allowing me to automatically run different trains around routes as I build a train ready for a route in the yard area. During this small scale project I will be exploring the use of Digitrax equipment once purchased and practice setting up block detection along with configuring Train controller Software. (More about Traincontroller: http://www.freiwald.com/pages/index.html) Here is the baseboard and a track plan I came up with the masking tape serves as track lines as I didn't want to start cutting flexi track until happy with the plan. The only tweak to the plan might be to drop the double slip at the front of the layout however it does provide me with a extra storage track all advise welcomed.
  6. For all who are interested there is a new video out go check it out !
  7. Looking really good I remember when I went to Warley for the first ever time and I saw Blackmill my jaw dropped I had never seen a layout like it ! if only I had space to create something similar. I have no doubts this layout will be just as good and better !
  8. Looks like a neat little space to build in look forward to watching how this turns out You could possibly squeeze a double track mainline with a slight re jig of the plans or do you want a single track ?
  9. The pit lighting windows are fantastic and the led lights look pretty good too. I remember going down a few pits and they are pretty dim and dark in most cases so the led lights look good from what I can see. I would never have the patience to make the little light windows for the pits .
  10. Looking really nice ! I like the shed you have done it out pretty nice inside, I am still torn on paying for a large shed and kitting that out for a railway room or do I stick with the loft. Both cost the same amount to do out but hey ho time will tell. Look forward to seeing the layout progress however !
  11. until
    Event Name: Warley National 2014 Classification: Exhibition Address: Hall 5 The NEC Birmingham B40 1NT Day 1: 22.11.14 Opening times Day 1: 9.45AM - 6.00PM Day 2: 22.11.14 Opening times Day 2: 9.45AM - 5.00PM Prices: TICKET TYPE ON THE DAY IN ADVANCEAdult One Day (Aged 17+)
  12. Aye it does but it is alot easier than trying to squeeze it in to each side of the baseboards or making things smaller so it all fits. Looks lovely cant wait to see some snaps of it on the circuit many will enjoy the scenic work of this layout. The handmade track is fantastic I need to get myself some of the pcb strip and rail to have a go my self.
  13. Very nice scenic work. Simple track plan too but it works ! Like the handmade tracks they look very very nice. I am also going to be modeling a cement works and a small yard neat idea with the building across the baseboard joint. Might have to nick the idea of that because it could save me alot of hassle having to hide the join between.
  14. Aha I see would be lovely to have a club round here but I dont think there are many going anymore around the west Yorkshire area of east riding.
  15. Holy cow ! wish I had 24' of layout ive only got 8' x 2' so far and still would never fit 24' in the longest I can fit in the loft is 16' Cheers ive already made a start on hacking my IDE cables into sections to make a fence haha !
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