Bench Work

[JR&Son]

Guys,
Can I pull this off in 4 x 7 feet
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r91/JRSON_photos/JRSONTry1.jpg
Since the color does not show up.................
The Mountain is in the upper left corner
Most extreame left track goes OVER the mountain (shows triple black)
Center track goes thru TUNNEL the mountain (shows red)
The right track goes around the mountain (shows green)
Top left hand corner shows 2 tracks going nowhere.
Future expansion for a 4 X 3 feet fiddle yard

JR&SON
Owners Team Clueless Inc.
Props. Red Mtn & Flat River RR

 

[Dansco]

posible (with many alimitation)

How about this:

22" minimum radius on out side loop
18" minimum radius on all other curves

Designed using RTS (free)

The mountain is in the same place, and I only have one spur for future expansion.

Due to grade limitations I think you will only get about 1 1/2 inch diffrence in the "over" vs "around" or "through" but since the tracks dont verticly overlap, youll be able to have the "over" cross over the "shoulder" of the mountain, the "around could go around the base of the mountain and the thru could go, well thru..

Hope this helps (im a noobie btw, though I like to design)

 

[Dansco]

Oh,
I assumed HO scale

 

[JR&Son]

It is HO
What is RTS

JR&SON

 

[baldwinjl]

It is HO
What is RTS

JR&SON

Atlas's track planning software:
http://www.atlasrr.com/righttrack.htm

 

[Russ Bellinis]

I think your plan is totally unworkable. You just don't have room for the necessary grades to make the separations. To get those three tracks at three different levels out of three adjacent switches and then back down at the three switches on the other side of the layout will demand that the grades be almost verticle walls.

 

[JR&Son]

The inner and middle line are actually the same grade level.
The outer line is the "over" the mountian road.
Im thinking a "cut" thru the pass, so that the look is right but the grade is not huge.
Basically an inch to a max of 2 inches high "in the mountians".
I have not figured out the grade, but over 4 feet it will only rise 1 to 2 inches.

Will it work now?
2 inch rise in 48 inches works out to 4% if Ive done the math right.

JR&SON

 

[Squidbait]

I'm not quite seeing what the point of having 1 siding rise and fall 2" is... it's kinda roller-coaster-ish, and doesn't really go anywhere.

What do you want from your layout? 1 train running with a long mainline? 1 train with several "routes"? 2 trains? Switching?

And why 4' x 7'? That's an odd size, and in your sketch you show a possible extension off one end. Are you trying to fit an existing table?

 

[Santa Fe Jack]

Grades aside, you have a major problem with the curves throughthe mountain. With only 4 ft of width, it's all you can do to have a single curve, like what you have drawn on the outside loop. You cannot have another loop go inside the mountain and double back. Try working with a compass and some graph paper, or with RTS, and you will quickly see that it can't work.

Nevertheless, if you perhaps make the tunnel part another simple curve, like an inner loop, then it could work.

 

[JR&Son]

The over the mountain is more or less just a "cut"
The bottom of the cut will actually be lower than the top of the tunnel.
The tunnel and around the mountain are at the same level.
2 mainlines will run, one clockwise one counter.

The area I have is 4x7 with a possible addition on 3x4
Hence my size constraints

JR&SON