MikeH_83

Ok thanks Martin, Maybe some of the Vee's on their own might be a little bit more suitable then for the shallower curved points and I will have to try tackle making the rest on the curve which I don't believe there is a jig for? Cheers, Michael

Thanks, Yes I think I got my numbers mixed up and I think it would be 1.6, basically the same thickness as the peco flexi track. I will check later. Anyone have any feedback on the other questions? Especially the frog one on curved points as I'm not sure what I'm best off doing there.. Thanks all

Thanks all so far for your comments, I think I will go the Proxxon route then and buy some hopefully good quality plywood sheets and cut them up, A little more time consuming but it gives me something to do while waiting for my C&L order to come through. I like the template Gordon, I think I may have to do that too, It will save measuring up all the time I will try your method of attaching the dropper wire to the rail, It sounds like it will hide things just nicely. That's a good few questions off my list which helps alot. So thanks to all that have responded so far

I have a couple of questions regarding track making before I start with my large ish layout in 4-SF and I hope someone could help answer a few of them?.. 1) Does anyone use a Proxxon table saw to cut up plywood (3mm thick) for sleepers? Is it accurate enough? I am a little worried about delamination too, But I did think it might be cheaper to buy some 3mm plywood sheets and make my own sleepers/timbers as I need alot and it would work out cheaper I think. 2) My points are on curves, ranging from 38" curve to like 50"odd, Is it ok to use pre-assembled C&L crossings? as they are quite straight or the pre-made Vee's? Or would I need to custom build all that because they are on a curve? (see pictures below) 3) I have started doing the whole "nudge timbers" in templot and I am wondering if anyone could just have a look to make sure I am doing it right? I have only done the one's on the main running line and the station area.. I didn't touch any that support the important rails and vee's as I know that's abit of a no no! (box file attached) 4) Are there any special chairs I should use for the check chairs for 4-sf? As C&L don't do one's with the 1mm gap 5 (bonus question) How do people go about hiding the dropper wires so that they remain hidden? I'm going with plastic fully functional chairs Many Thanks Thebranchlayout.box

Indeed, I am waiting patiently at the moment but as this is his last planned show for the year I am hoping he will start tending to orders next week..

Thanks, Yeah I think it might be too difficult to switch all the buildings and signals, But another option would to occasionally have a heritage railway running session I think I could get away with putting one in at the end of the headshunt if need be. Thanks, At least I can see how it will work now and keep it looking reliastic

Thanks, I will have a good read of that thread. I think I may leave the plan as is then Thanks, I guess I will have to go southern then.. I suppose I could make up some story as to why the occasional loco from another area might appear from time to time lol (namely my slw class 24.. it's too good not to run!) The shunting sounds good and should provide some interesting operation. I will have alot at those stations. Cheers

Ah I see, Thanks for that! It might be better to see if I can fit a point in to join onto the headshunt further down the line then so that I could reduce the movements? Some interesting ideas there! I shall give it some thought!

Thanks, I didn't know if it was "ok" to pull straight into the top platform effectively on the wrong road but it seems it's fine to do that under proper signalling.

I am modelling in 4mm scale 4-SF. The top section I have about 11ft length after a sharpish exit from the fiddleyard onto the scenic bit but I want to keep the station on a gentle curve but the rest no more than 3ft radius.. It is quite a struggle to fit it all in while looking right I did think about that.. After the bottom point it is on a too sharp curve to reliably put a point in I have found.. I could put one in right at the bottom of the headshunt though but with it being quite a distance from the station I didn't know if it would look abit wrong.. I was thinking I might have to succumb to doing that. I was trying to make it more of a single track mainline so I could run larger loco's at times but just wondered what (if any) correct movements would be to shunt from the other direction

I am working on my track plan which will be a single track line with a dual platform passing loop (Either southern or LMS atm as I cannot decide) anyway I can see that mostly the goods would be worked from the trains coming from the south and heading towards the east on the plan as this would be easiest.. However I am wondering if it would be prototypical enough to shunt when arriving from the opposite way and if so which way would it happen? Either running into the bottom platform and then detaching the necessary wagons and shunting over to the other side and then into the goods yard. Or would it just pull through the top platform going the wrong way and straight into the yard? Was that second way even possible? (I know in an ideal world a change of points or adding some more would be ideal but I am quite limited on space while keeping the curves quite shallow) Many Thanks

Will the accuracy of the proxxon be good enough to cut sleepers for my trackwork out of ply? It's between this or buying laser cut and trimming them down by hand

Ah I see, It's a nice idea but I just tried it in templot and it's making the curve on the doubleslip on the inside curve way too tight and there isn't much I can do with the space unfortunately. I shall keep fiddling with it though and hopefully I can sort something out. I have made the headshunt longer like you said, which could be a nice place for a coal area in order to have wagons down that side too for shunting interest. Cheers

That looks nice.. Especially the way you can see how the layout will look with all the scenics. I have tried to achieve some of the same aims with mine. I aim to build abit of a village on the top part and the left and bottom baseboards have been dropped so I am hoping to do some nice scenics with them. Cheers

Ah I didn't press there attach this file button.. Here it is Just ignore the bottom half of the layout as I've not re-worked that bit yet. Cheers

Thanks David.. Are you on about something like this? (see attached) I have added a doubleslip in there. Martin over at templot has helped me smooth out the station area which looks much better now. I must admit I like the idea of being able to use it as a refuge siding too for those rare occasions for extra operational interest. Cheers

Yeah I was keeping it shorter as a way of keeping the shunting maybe a little more interesting with being only able to shunt a few wagons at a time but yes, I agree, I think I need to increase it. I do have that book in the loft actually and have looked at that plan before actually.. I would have to move the track plan around to fit the quarry part in (no idea how i'd do the workings for that) I have actually dropped the left side and part of the bottom baseboards down so that I can try and do something more interesting with the scenics so I didn't want to take them up with too much station stuff

Thanks for your comment. I did think about making it a terminus at one point but my fiddleyard isn't really designed for it and iv'e already changed it 3 times! Also there is a water tank almost in that corner which makes it difficult to gain access. That is why I made 1 long fiddleyard down the right hand side. I am also aiming for a hands off approach and I don't have much experience with computer control yet so I wanted to play it safe rather than having to shunt around goods trains to change the brake van ends in the almost hidden FY. The kink in the platform is from a straight to a 6ft radius curve so it doesn't look bad in real life and I would transition it a little better tbh. Which siding are you referring to? If it's the industry one then I was just playing with some ideas but I don't really like it so it'll probably go. The grid squares a 1ftx1ft. Cheers

I have decided to go for a rural branch line serving a village or something whilst trying to incorporate a small industry. I will be making it in 4-SF and set either 30's or 60's (not decided yet) The reason for putting the industry at the bottom is that I have extra space infront (12ft) where the main branch line will enter a tunnel at 9ft ish to the fiddleyard. I am really aiming for rural countryside but I want enough operational interest whilst having some single track line running through the countryside. The double station might end up being a single platform, not sure yet! What do you all think?

Question.. When ordering and paying by bank xfer, It says at the top to pay when he has picked it and sent an invoice, but at the bottom of the page it gives you the info and tells you to pay now as does the email you get after placing an order? Which method has everyone else done?

I hope Phil get's things sorted as I'd hate to see him loose custom from slow mail orders. I must admit I need to order stuff soon and it sounds like its a right old wait for orders to get sent out so that is worrying me a little. I have no issues with it taking a few weeks, but I think months could just become irritating.

Interesting idea.. there must be some reason though that everyone uses ply?

interesting to hear as I will need to get quite alot soon

Brilliant that should work just nicely. I shall give that a go. Thanks I did think about that but I was a little worried about the card peeling up over the years and making things look a little tacky

That might work, although most of mine will be on some sort of curve it could work out ok and then all I'd have to do is work out the points