These were purchased about a month ago. As far as I know, this one came like this from the factory.
Put down some track this evening. Fixed the turn-out issue mentioned on the previous page, and then continued the run. I am taking a couple vacation days thursday and friday, so will be hard at it!
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Hey, Gary! In that last photo you posted, I counted six places where it appears that you "wrapped" the cork roadbed in what looks like duct tape. Well, at least there are six short "silver" sections of roadbed. :?
Being the sometimes overly curious person that I am, I was just wondering what I was looking at? :? :?
The uncoupling electromagnets are under those spots. The following thread shows what I am doing for those.
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While we are at it, there is another thread showing my manual turn-out controls:
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And the control panel for the layout:
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Gary,
The progress looks good!
I'm using Atlas custom line turnouts as well, and I hope I don't have any issues with those! I haven't take a close look at them just yet to see if any are likewise warped.
But then again I've hand-laid some turnouts (5 to be exact) and only plan to lay one by hand on the present layout (if I have to, I guess). Still, that experience goes a long way towards correcting errors in ready made products. At least I hope it will, again, if it's necessary. We'll see.
Galen
Thanks Galen,
Some of the turn-outs are worse than others. It is easy to fix when laying the track as long as you notice it. Since I am glueing the track and using pins to hold it down while the glue dries, I just "unwarp" the turnout with the pins.
Today's work:
First, two views of the industrial area. Put in some temporary bridges for now. In the first photo, I used the telephoto function - it makes those curves look awful tight - but they really aren't.
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Starting work in the interchange/fiddle yard:
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And the existing curve tied into the new:
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Will probably do some wiring tomorrow, along with more trackwork.
Galen: I was installing some turnouts this morning and got to thinking: The turn-outs that are warped are #4s. I don't think the #6s and up have the issue because there is less bend spread out over a longer space.
Gary, just a "heads up" with an easy fix for Atlas turnouts. I'm not sure if the Atlas turnouts conform to NMRA standards or not, but even if they do there are tolerances built in to the standards, and the Atlas are built to the wide side of the tolerances for guard rail clearance to the stock rails. You need an NMRA track and clearance gauge to check everything. On one side of the NMRA gauge there is a little nub for checking guard rail clearance to stock rails. That nub should just fit between the stock rail and the guard rails with the gauge at 90 degrees to the rails. It should barely touch the inside edge of the stock rail and the outside edge of the guard rail, and it should not have any slop. I don't remember the exact size shim needed, but it will be somewhere between .005"-.015". Since atlas guard rails are part of the plastic tie casting, you can cut a sliver of the appropriate size styrene and glue it to the guard rail to close up the gap. The guard rails grab the inside edge of all wheels opposite from the frog and should help eliminate derailing over the frogs.
It has obviously been a while since I have been here to see you progress Gary, but you move at an incredible rate my man. Building up and functional, trains, track, turnouts, turnout controllers, uncouplers, all on the go and all being completed.( Not like some of me I know)...I takes me hat off to you.
I would like to think your new a fun palace will host some great times in the years ahead. Congratulations, you are indeed multi-skilled.
Seems like your wife and daughter are also part of the talent pool at your place.
Jack
Gary..Looking good..!! Those "breaks" do look sharp, but the same effect can be seen on full-size prototypes. Sometimes I see a picture and wonder.."Real trains can do THAT..?!?!!"
In that next to the last photo, that wide open area (where you got your tools & the square), are you planning any track work there..?? It looks awfully inviting....
Gary - are you using easements on any of your curves? Just heard a great clinic the other night on easements, and seeing your s curve before that bridge got me wondering.
I gather that speeds on your layout won't be mainline speeds anyway, so it shouldn't matter too much. Just curious.
Galen
Russ Bellinis Wrote:Gary, just a "heads up" with an easy fix for Atlas turnouts. I don't remember the exact size shim needed, but it will be somewhere between .005"-.015". Since atlas guard rails are part of the plastic tie casting, you can cut a sliver of the appropriate size styrene and glue it to the guard rail to close up the gap. The guard rails grab the inside edge of all wheels opposite from the frog and should help eliminate derailing over the frogs.
Russ, thanks for that tip. I'm going to monitor the atlas switches and see if they need that fix. Some of the "bump-bump" I have seen when a car goes over an Atlas turn-out may very well be because of the wide tolerances... allowing the occasional wheel flange to hit the frog point.
OBJack Wrote:It has obviously been a while since I have been here to see you progress Gary, but you move at an incredible rate my man. Building up and functional, trains, track, turnouts, turnout controllers, uncouplers, all on the go and all being completed.( Not like some of me I know)...I takes me hat off to you. I would like to think your new a fun palace will host some great times in the years ahead. Congratulations, you are indeed multi-skilled.
Seems like your wife and daughter are also part of the talent pool at your place.
Thanks for the very kind words, Jack. I've been enjoying the "work" so far. And i really love all the technical aspects and wiring. If you ever get over to Houston, you're invited! As for the family, Vicki is doing an Olympic distance triathlon tomorrow.
Steamtrains Wrote:Gary..Looking good..!!
Thank you sir!
Steamtrains Wrote:Those "breaks" do look sharp, but the same effect can be seen on full-size prototypes. Sometimes I see a picture and wonder.."Real trains can do THAT..?!?!!" In that next to the last photo, that wide open area (where you got your tools & the square), are you planning any track work there..?? It looks awfully inviting....
For now I am leaving that area open, just scenery, or possibly some non-railroad structures or houses. I already have 20 medium to large size industries on the layout, not sure if I need more!
Concerning those sharp breaks, I am considering going back and making the track there a little more "free-flowing".