08-05-2011, 09:02 PM
I don't even know what to do with this all now. This layout is driving me insane. I'm starting to think i really do have to get rid of it, which is making me mad since I just rebuilt half of it. In fact, the entire hobby is making me bash my head against the wall.
The flex track has been somewhat effective at reducing electrical problems (I haven't yet soldered all feeders in, so it is understandable that some spots will be shaky until everything is set up properly). That said, I now have trains dieing in the DEAD CENTER of flex track sections. I haven't cleaned this track yet, but its brand new Nickel Silver, how dirty can it be? The other problem might be the locomotive wheels, but I've cleaned some of these locomotives CONSTANTLY and yet the locomotive dies just the same as it did on the spectacular sectional track. That isn't the end of it either. Some sections of the flex track on the curves had managed to become all sorts of kinks, being broader then tighter than the intended 18" radius (no room for anything bigger). This caused havoc with some of my 50' cars, especially one particular tank car that became damaged in the process of trying to roll through it. I can see that i'm going to need those metal radius gauges that help shape the flex track if i want to do this right.
Apparently, some of my freight cars with skinnier wheels (like Athearn Genesis) are falling into my crossover turnouts (which are Snap Switches). In particular, the parts where the diverging rail has a "cut" into side for the point to fit flush against the rail. as the right hand wheels fall inside the gauge of the track, it forces the left hand wheels up over the points, derailing the train. This had the added advantage of destroying the detail parts on one of my box cars.
Not surprisingly, the NMRA track gauge doesn't like this spot much either, but i have no idea how I'd fix this. I've already experimented with better switches like the Peco Mediums, but they are just to long between the frog and the points to fit in. If I used those switches, cut down to the minimum possible, I'd STILL have to rebuild the rest of my track. Not only would this make my existing catenary towers unusable (without rebuilding), but it would force me to rebuild quite a bit of my industrial park to. Much of that is already ballasted and more or less stuck as it is (especially considering that two of the turnouts are buried under hydrocal roadway).
Even after all of this frustration, I finally did get my trains running on the inner oval. After sorting out cars in my new yard, which thankfully works perfectly, I ran a few loops around the different sections of new track to make sure everything was solid. No problems other than those mentioned above, and so I went to go operate my industries. Again, frustration. I had conveniently forgotten that there is no easy way to switch it with anything bigger than a 44 tonner. God knows where my 44 tonner went to, because I couldn't find it. I don't think I've EVER lost a locomotive before, but i suppose there is a first time for everything. Its somewhere in my basement, I'm sure, but it wasn't on the shelf where i store it, so now that has me concerned.
I think my new Conrail SW can fit in there also, but that's changing how I operate the layout. I was really hoping I could stick to my Road switchers like my GP15-1 or RS2 to do this sort of work. The only way the layout can easily be switched is if I only switch a few cars at a time, or basically run 4 car trains with an SW sized locomotive. I thought i could get away with a 5 car train, but apparently I was wrong. The only way that could really be done is if I have my industrial switchers set all the cars on the industrial lead so that my Conrail freight can pick it up and keep going. There are plenty of complications with this sort of operation to, and I suppose at this point I had enough with all the problems and came up here to complain about them.
Once again, i'm trying to think if there is any way I can work with my available space to make a better layout. At this point, I'm almost willing to literally remove everything off the layout, all the way back down to bare plywood.
Before I do that, though, I'm thinking about adding on to my layout, by putting 1x6 boards around the perimeter, creating a 5x9 foot layout. At the very least, i could make some of my curves wider.
I don't know. Some say this is a learning experience, but shouldn't things be improving if I'm learning? It seems that the consequences for mistakes are far more persistent than any improvements I've incorporated into the layout.
Thanks guys! Its going to be a big change now. Its kinda depressing in a way, because there is now no doubt, I'm entering into a new stage of my life, and all those days of ample free time are rapidly coming to an end. Especially considering the program I picked to join, I'm now terrified of what sort of assignments they'll give me. The future is obscure and I don't know what to expect.
The flex track has been somewhat effective at reducing electrical problems (I haven't yet soldered all feeders in, so it is understandable that some spots will be shaky until everything is set up properly). That said, I now have trains dieing in the DEAD CENTER of flex track sections. I haven't cleaned this track yet, but its brand new Nickel Silver, how dirty can it be? The other problem might be the locomotive wheels, but I've cleaned some of these locomotives CONSTANTLY and yet the locomotive dies just the same as it did on the spectacular sectional track. That isn't the end of it either. Some sections of the flex track on the curves had managed to become all sorts of kinks, being broader then tighter than the intended 18" radius (no room for anything bigger). This caused havoc with some of my 50' cars, especially one particular tank car that became damaged in the process of trying to roll through it. I can see that i'm going to need those metal radius gauges that help shape the flex track if i want to do this right.
Apparently, some of my freight cars with skinnier wheels (like Athearn Genesis) are falling into my crossover turnouts (which are Snap Switches). In particular, the parts where the diverging rail has a "cut" into side for the point to fit flush against the rail. as the right hand wheels fall inside the gauge of the track, it forces the left hand wheels up over the points, derailing the train. This had the added advantage of destroying the detail parts on one of my box cars.
Not surprisingly, the NMRA track gauge doesn't like this spot much either, but i have no idea how I'd fix this. I've already experimented with better switches like the Peco Mediums, but they are just to long between the frog and the points to fit in. If I used those switches, cut down to the minimum possible, I'd STILL have to rebuild the rest of my track. Not only would this make my existing catenary towers unusable (without rebuilding), but it would force me to rebuild quite a bit of my industrial park to. Much of that is already ballasted and more or less stuck as it is (especially considering that two of the turnouts are buried under hydrocal roadway).
Even after all of this frustration, I finally did get my trains running on the inner oval. After sorting out cars in my new yard, which thankfully works perfectly, I ran a few loops around the different sections of new track to make sure everything was solid. No problems other than those mentioned above, and so I went to go operate my industries. Again, frustration. I had conveniently forgotten that there is no easy way to switch it with anything bigger than a 44 tonner. God knows where my 44 tonner went to, because I couldn't find it. I don't think I've EVER lost a locomotive before, but i suppose there is a first time for everything. Its somewhere in my basement, I'm sure, but it wasn't on the shelf where i store it, so now that has me concerned.
I think my new Conrail SW can fit in there also, but that's changing how I operate the layout. I was really hoping I could stick to my Road switchers like my GP15-1 or RS2 to do this sort of work. The only way the layout can easily be switched is if I only switch a few cars at a time, or basically run 4 car trains with an SW sized locomotive. I thought i could get away with a 5 car train, but apparently I was wrong. The only way that could really be done is if I have my industrial switchers set all the cars on the industrial lead so that my Conrail freight can pick it up and keep going. There are plenty of complications with this sort of operation to, and I suppose at this point I had enough with all the problems and came up here to complain about them.
Once again, i'm trying to think if there is any way I can work with my available space to make a better layout. At this point, I'm almost willing to literally remove everything off the layout, all the way back down to bare plywood.
Before I do that, though, I'm thinking about adding on to my layout, by putting 1x6 boards around the perimeter, creating a 5x9 foot layout. At the very least, i could make some of my curves wider.
I don't know. Some say this is a learning experience, but shouldn't things be improving if I'm learning? It seems that the consequences for mistakes are far more persistent than any improvements I've incorporated into the layout.
faraway Wrote:Hurray!! Get the priorities right and do not worry about model railroading
Ralph Wrote:Congratulations and best wishes!
Ralph
Thanks guys! Its going to be a big change now. Its kinda depressing in a way, because there is now no doubt, I'm entering into a new stage of my life, and all those days of ample free time are rapidly coming to an end. Especially considering the program I picked to join, I'm now terrified of what sort of assignments they'll give me. The future is obscure and I don't know what to expect.
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.
![[Image: logosmall.png]](http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg445/CAB_IV/Model%20Trains%202013/logosmall.png)