TheRailwire
General Discussion => Layout Engineering Reports => Topic started by: nuno81291 on July 07, 2022, 06:00:46 PM
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Hello TRW :ashat:
It has been some time since we moved and dismantled the Nth version of the HO Layout. My prospects of a finished layout space are not good, and in the intervening time I have decided to build a shelf switcher in my office to keep my hobby sanity! The goals of this layout: Shelf switcher on the 2 available walls of my home office. Target width is 18" as I found that to be good at armpit/taller height for reach in depth. I wanted water to appear, and snuck in a little canal scene for visual interest. I wanted a few spurs, a run around, facing and trailing point moves required. My door to the office is where the staging is, so that will have to be a drop down or removable section. This iteration is the "more is more" approach, I have thought about less trackage ala Mindheim, but I think this has enough play value, and I enjoy an on scene run around opportunity. Looking for any input before I get to benchwork! I have unfortunately come down with Covid and figured this is a good way to spend some unscheduled down time.
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Get well soon!
How much room do you have for the staging track? And what are you thinking - fiddle yard, fold down tail track, sector plate?
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Get well soon!
How much room do you have for the staging track? And what are you thinking - fiddle yard, fold down tail track, sector plate?
I have 6’ for staging. Thinking a fiddle yard with maybe 2 tracks, maybe a small runaround so locos can run around a returned train.
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Glad to see you're back on the horse. I'm a big fan of your work.
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I have 6’ for staging. Thinking a fiddle yard with maybe 2 tracks, maybe a small runaround so locos can run around a returned train.
Unless you’ve got to have the locomotive do it, I’d just leave them stub ended and either 0-5-0 the locomotive or do some sort of transfer table. Otherwise, it looks like you’ve got a good handle right now on what you can do. I would suggest laying out the track and operating the plan some before permanently affixing anything; I’m messing around with different layout setups right now myself and it’s been very rewarding for breaking out of the planning box and seeing how different switching arrangements work out.
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Thanks Ed, its exciting to have some prospects at modeling again. Thanks for the wishes of health Philip H, we got knocked on our :ashat: pretty bad by it. And I completely agree Packers about some testing to flesh out any desired changes.
Here is the Less is More version. Pros: more prototypical track arrangement for such a relatively small space. 1 large industry, 1 smaller and a transload area. No runaround but I am reminded of a few branchlines in the area (Peabody branch serving Rousselot gelatine, or the former Watertown bakery) that had to shove to the end of the line with no run around. Could be an excuse to model a beat up transfer caboose to "lead" the way. Less trackwork means trains running sooner, and realistically a little more breathing room for some scenery in such tight confines. I think this plan would give me plenty of play value, and could easily spend an average 30-45 minute session switching the line. I am on the fence still between both plans, but as all of my chain saw layouts have shown in the last decade; its easy enough to start over!
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Love it! This plan certainly "breathes" a little more than the previous one.
Frank
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That would also work well to 'scale up' to a P:87 layout 8) (just minding the reach-in depth in the corner)
Ed
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Good to be back in the game to be sure……
With a smaller project you can get into more detail - scenery, structures, equipment etc, than you could/would with a larger project.
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I like the simpler track arrangement BUT.... if this is depicting an older industrial area and back in the 1980s I kind of think the more complex track arrangements were more common back then at older locations .. just my two cents
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I like the simpler track arrangement BUT.... if this is depicting an older industrial area and back in the 1980s I kind of think the more complex track arrangements were more common back then at older locations .. just my two cents
I think this is true. Model all the track, but some of it out of service or overgrown, in proper Guilford style...
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The saw dust is flying, foam being cut, and whatever scraps of material from the previous layout being mutilated :D
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Quitting time for tonight. Quite the day- decided to cut it to 16” total width after hovering over my desk with a morning coffee and tape measure. Ripped a bunch of old 1x4 to make the frame, cut up some 2” foam. Put a deliberate split between two segments to make this semi modular after the heartbreak of the last layout. Attached the foam, cut some Masonite as the water surface, carved some rough land forms, got some brown paint over the pink and painted underneath with white primer. Even got some old fascia cut up and installed. Tomorrow will see the back drop Masonite, bringing the layout up to the office and mounting on brackets (or some legs… undecided) then time for track!
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Got the backdrop cut up, shelf brackets installed and put the layout up.
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Doing some mock-ups with structures to determine where the track will actually end up.
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I finished the removable staging track, got the tortoises installed and wired, hooked up ye old DCC system and fired it up. No issues at all and a pleasant 30 minutes Op session was had. Almost done plastering the seams on the back drop, then a few tedious tasks like filling in the gaps of the fascia and foam seams (why did I not do this before laying track!) then onto my favorite part- scenery. :D
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Got a coat of blue on the backdrop. Decided to try a new color that isn’t as gray as my old one (was also out of the old color). I noticed in a lot of my photos the old color looked semi overcast/hazy which I was going for with it but wanted something a little more vibrant. Still debating on a season for this layout, may do summer but with signs of drought such as we have here currently, a lot of burnt out grass.
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Let me know if you need a backdrop printed.
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Let me know if you need a backdrop printed.
Not to drift, but can you print a clear sky backdrop? (say 24" x 16')?
Ed
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Let me know if you need a backdrop printed.
Thanks Ed, I am currently scouting suitable locations in my area to photograph- will be test printing and seeing how they fit. The street scene will be key, and the few gaps between structures. I am thinking something nondescript above the roof lines- trees maybe some houses. Speaking of that, when I go to shoot these do you all try to take photos from eye level? A raised tripod? Trying to think what perspective would play best. Thanks for the offer! Would rather support a fellow :ashat: than Staples
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I've been thinking about trying to write an article on how to do this very thing.
And I haven't gotten anywhere.
But I'm about to have like 13 hours in the air and that's usually a good time for me to do it.
That said, I've actually had some decent luck using Google Streetview and this wonderful tool: https://svd360.istreetview.com/
That's how I did this backdrop.
(https://conrail1285.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-08-24-20.31.48.jpg)
My current approach is to generally start with a nice "generic" background that I've shot myself. These are the TOUGH part because you want them in high resolution AND there are somewhat specific requirements. You need to shoot your own panoramic photo, but you ALSO need that photo to be of a subject at a significant distance so that the angle that you're perceiving viewing things at is nice and shallow. The background here is shot doing that.
(https://conrail1285.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-07-11-21.29.02.jpg)
Then I'm layering on individual elements from streetview or from other photos.
Here's my current in-progress pano for behind "Downtown York" here.
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I want to say "Oh, this isn't that hard" but the more I try explaining it the more I realize that yeah, it kinda is. lol
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Yup I’ve been stitching together street view photos to get a rough idea, my wife is somewhat of a photog and will take the on location photos when I have decided on settings for each critical spot. I have found a few sort of vistas that would work for panoramic shots where some cities have sort of unusually open areas that could be conducive to shooting from a considerable distance. Unfortunately none of my other layouts got to that point but I have a feeling this one will. (And luckily will be incorporated into whatever large layout is built in the future- glad I didn’t cram all that track in from my first track plan!)
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Yup I’ve been stitching together street view photos to get a rough idea, my wife is somewhat of a photog and will take the on location photos when I have decided on settings for each critical spot. I have found a few sort of vistas that would work for panoramic shots where some cities have sort of unusually open areas that could be conducive to shooting from a considerable distance. Unfortunately none of my other layouts got to that point but I have a feeling this one will. (And luckily will be incorporated into whatever large layout is built in the future- glad I didn’t cram all that track in from my first track plan!)
Awesome. One thing to consider: it's a lot easier to do backdrops first. I realized that as I was arranging my one for York that you see above. I'm going to need to join streets up etc, and it's strangely easier to move them on the layout than the backdrop once it's done.
Just look at the photo on the right of my profile. Even with unpainted track and unsceniced ground, the backdrop goes a long way.