shortliner Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Photos here http://www.pbase.com/atsf_arizona/bapm2010&page=all It seems it was the best so far. Please scroll about halfway down the page and look at the 6 photos of "The incredible mini-layout" Eyecandy! Who says they don't have room for a layout? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 30-something Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 That mini-layout is superb, no excuse now for not having any space. Great idea. My girlfriend says like a railway running round the Millenium Falcon!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted June 28, 2010 Author Share Posted June 28, 2010 More pictures - http://www.pbase.com/tracktime/bapm2010&page=all Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Very interesting selection of pictures, especially the round plant line, many UK modellers should look at the standards involved. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonB Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Any ideas on how it was operated? there does not appear to be a fiddle yard at the rear, is it end to end, or a continuous figure-8 ? Whatever, superb modelling! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted June 28, 2010 Author Share Posted June 28, 2010 Continuous folded figure 8 - there is a turnout around the back leading off - although I suspect it may sit on a coffee-table at home. You can see the turnout at http://www.pbase.com/tracktime/image/126003146 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbostrains Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 What a cracking layout,all in 3ft,amazing!Could anyone do a track plan ,please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbostrains Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Still can't figure out the track layout on this cracking layout,can any one help? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Still can't figure out the track layout on this cracking layout,can any one help? I tried sketching it in Paint,but you don't want to see it. I think it's a figure-8, folded over on itself with one loop inside the other. A single slip or pair of facing switches with a crossover between their diverging routes would improve operations alot. http://www.pbase.com/atsf_arizona/image/125989913 So in the above photo, the tank car is on the back of the train with the UP switcher on the front, and a loop inside the buildings. The outer loop runs round the outside. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbostrains Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Thanks,still can't figure it out,do you think it's sectional track? Need to see it as a plan,would like a bash at something like this,cheers Rob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Thanks,still can't figure it out,do you think it's sectional track? Need to see it as a plan,would like a bash at something like this,cheers Rob. Dear Robbo, It's a really quick n ugly MSPaint schematic, but does this help? Red Lines = track (suspect average 15-16" radii, with tighter sections) dashed red line = track hidden inside the building (suspect relatively consistent/smotth 12" radii) Brown lines = approx outline/footprint of the building blue "tunnel portals" = where track enters/exits the building Obviously, the layout is built on a 3' dia circle benchwork, not square as implied by the drawing No, I do not think it's sectional track, as the radii of the hidden trackage is around 12", as is the "kinks" leading into the outer legs of the diamond crossing. A close look at the turnout around the back of the layout seems to suggest it's a Atlas item, and Atlas also do small/short diamond crossings. Ergo, I suspect the trackwork is either code 83 or 100 Atlas flextrack and the above-mentioned pieces. Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr "...everybody's gettin' sidetracked lookin' for mysteries, sometimes it's the most deceptively simple plans what are the most engaging/attractive/appealing..." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plarailfan Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Talk about 'thinking outside the box' !! Nice layout, you need a loco that can run reliably at low speed all day, - that rules out anything from Lima with the old pancake motor then!! I was just thinking a British version would be nice, with a class 33 and some short 4 wheel vans and maybe a few cement or salt wagons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbostrains Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Dear Robbo, It's a really quick n ugly MSPaint schematic, but does this help? Red Lines = track (suspect average 15-16" radii, with tighter sections) dashed red line = track hidden inside the building (suspect relatively consistent/smotth 12" radii) Brown lines = approx outline/footprint of the building blue "tunnel portals" = where track enters/exits the building Obviously, the layout is built on a 3' dia circle benchwork, not square as implied by the drawing No, I do not think it's sectional track, as the radii of the hidden trackage is around 12", as is the "kinks" leading into the outer legs of the diamond crossing. A close look at the turnout around the back of the layout seems to suggest it's a Atlas item, and Atlas also do small/short diamond crossings. Ergo, I suspect the trackwork is either code 83 or 100 Atlas flextrack and the above-mentioned pieces. Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr "...everybody's gettin' sidetracked lookin' for mysteries,Thanks for sketch,will try with some Peco track I have. sometimes it's the most deceptively simple plans what are the most engaging/attractive/appealing..." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbostrains Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Thanks for sketch.Rob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Talk about 'thinking outside the box' !! Nice layout, you need a loco that can run reliably at low speed all day, - that rules out anything from Lima with the old pancake motor then!! I was just thinking a British version would be nice, with a class 33 and some short 4 wheel vans and maybe a few cement or salt wagons. Dear Carboot, When I saw the double-headed Athearn SW1500s, my first thought was "I'd hate to see the thrashing the drivelines /shafts are getting" If you were building locos _specifically_ to run on such a layout, replacing the stock mech with an under-floor drive like a pair of 27:1 ratio Black Beetles http://home.waterfront.net.au/~sem/bbeetle.htm would be just the ticket. Then all you'd need to worry about is whether the coupler swing between the locos n cars would become the 'weak link"... In terms of UK stuff, I'm not sure that any of the 0-6-0 diesel shunters would make it around the 12" curves, unless the centre wheels were blind/flangeless. That said, I'm seeing some nice smooth running out of the newer Bachmann Branchline stuff, so smooth/slow mech + flangeless centre wheels + small UK 4-whl wagons = ??? Hmmm.... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Thanks for sketch.Rob. Dear Rob, No worries, glad it helped. It's actually a deceptively simple "folded figure 8"... As mentioned above, replacing the diamond with a double-slip would render the inner 12" circle as a pair of "back-to-back spurs", and the outside 15" circle as the "mainline", with a short/sharp "reverse-direction" kink thru the dbl-slip... (but would increase the "switching/shunting" factor by a few notches ) Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Dear Rob, No worries, glad it helped. It's actually a deceptively simple "folded figure 8"... As mentioned above, replacing the diamond with a double-slip would render the inner 12" circle as a pair of "back-to-back spurs", and the outside 15" circle as the "mainline", with a short/sharp "reverse-direction" kink thru the dbl-slip... (but would increase the "switching/shunting" factor by a few notches ) Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr Dear RMWeb fans, This just broke, YouTube posted of this fantastic little layout Thanks to Ian @ Small-Layout-Design yahoogroup for the link! Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Peters Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 WOW, need I say more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Dear Carboot, When I saw the double-headed Athearn SW1500s, my first thought was "I'd hate to see the thrashing the drivelines /shafts are getting" If you were building locos _specifically_ to run on such a layout, replacing the stock mech with an under-floor drive like a pair of 27:1 ratio Black Beetles http://home.waterfront.net.au/~sem/bbeetle.htm would be just the ticket. Then all you'd need to worry about is whether the coupler swing between the locos n cars would become the 'weak link"... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr My HO scale layout uses a minimum 12" radius, and i've found most cars up to 50' length are fine, although coupling them on a curve is an issue. Loco wise, i've run Athearn locos up to a GP38 (including a SW1500), CF7, Atlas S4, Bachmann 44, 45 and 70 tonners, plus a few brass interurban locos. I once built a figure-8 test track on a 4' x 2' sheet of MDF, and played the same "train chasing it's tail" game as on the video..!! The tightness of the redius is less of a problem, the main issue being any sharp kinks or "S" curves that the trucks or couplers did't like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I think I would put the line a bit further out instead of using a slip, the reverse curves would be nasty, you'd end up handbuilding a "sharp" slip and embedding the slip in the road would be hell anyway...my suggestion would be something like: Gives you a bit of spare track to leave cars on whilst switching, if you didn't have too many cars and had each door as a different industry you could do origin-destination traffic, pick up from one location, run round the train, deliver to the other, run round the train...etc etc How about r/c or otherwise moveable vehicles that you have to move out of the way before switching the industries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 But I think you've still got the problem that any continuous layout, even with a 12 inch radius in HO, is going to stick out into the space in such a way that the room needed to tend the thing with non-compressable human bodies is going to double (or more) the actual space consumed. Especially for street running, a shelf layout is maybe even better suited to switching. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 But I think you've still got the problem that any continuous layout, even with a 12 inch radius in HO, is going to stick out into the space in such a way that the room needed to tend the thing with non-compressable human bodies is going to double (or more) the actual space consumed. Especially for street running, a shelf layout is maybe even better suited to switching. A friend has built a similar sized layout for a minimum space competition, and i'd have to agree that such a finished project can be quite bulky. We did suggest making an outer covering from old carpet and rolling the layout into exhibition halls on it's side..!! : http://www.kathymillatt.co.uk/logging_layout.htm But then again, this type of layout is more of a fun side project than the serious main one. Imagine either of these with a glass lid over the top, for use as a coffee table... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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