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What cdavenport said is ideal for working on a layout. It may not be your ideal for viewing or operating a layout. For operating a layout while standing, chest high seems to be the consensus these days. This generally puts rail tops in the 48"-54" range. Probably a similar relationship for...

Something to consider. You can get larger diameter curves than O27 which match the O27 track profile. Marx made track with an O34 curve. Lionel and KLine made the O27 type track with O42 curves. And Lionel also made an O54 curve in the O27 line. The O34 and O42 track can be found at train...

Mountain Man Another alternative: continue using paper and pencil. Take a pic with your digital camera as a subsitute for a scanner. Post your latest design and let us flame away. :twisted:

I agree with you about XtrkCad being pretty useless for quick doodling - at least at my stage of lack of mastery. The newest version of RTS - version 8 - does have quick benchwork templates for a quick doodle. And I can use RTS to fairly quickly place the critical check-for-fit items - 180...

The simplest and easiest to use software track planning package I have used is RTS 8.0, available as a free download from Atlas. The drawback is that only Atlas track is featured in the library, and there is no easy way to add other brands of track. But my question back would be: how do you...

Mountain Man As per the site Dwight gave, the Inglenook was a British layout created at the last minute for an exhibition. It's a very simple, very small layout with just 2 turnouts. The "game" aspect of it was developed at the show, and was a show success, with the crowd shouting out what...

Mountain Man There are more than a few examples of branch or short line terminals with 3 spur tracks, as some reading on Carl Arendt's site (http://www.carendt.com/) will reveal. Spur end terminals without runarounds were not uncommon in the 19th Century - gravity and/or flying switch moves...

Actually, you would be very surprised at how many new pieces of rolling stock come from the factory with wheels not quite at proper gauge. We don't pay enough for our models to be hand checked for all the things that might go wrong. The quality is in the hands of the Chinese assembler. Add...

For prototype information, a good starting point is the Early Rail Yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EarlyRail/). There are often prototype pictures shared there. Shame on me, I don't know whether you are pursuing narrow gauge or standard gauge. If narrow gauge appeals, then the HOn3...

Any GP diesel without a high short hood is plain ugly, IMHO. I guess that locks me into the early years of diesels, which is fine by me. There are a few steamers with ugly proportions. But there is nothing prettier than an 1870s 4-4-0 coming through the woods with 4-5 varnished open platform...

I repeat my comment that the track plans in 101 Track Plans were hand drawn without the assistance of software to ensure things would fit. Also, Atlas turnouts are longer and broader curved than the plans in 101 Track Plans allowed for - regardless of whether you use N or HO scale. To build a...

I'm assuming you really meant 24" by 24". Let's look at reality. If you use standard 9.75" radius curved track, that means a circle of track is 19.5" across - track center line to track center line. The outside edges of the ties will be at least 20" across. That leaves 2" between the track...

A couple of things I think you should consider before buying: - are you going to be happy with a fixed power pack form factor such as Zephyr, given that your layout goes around the room behind you? If you truly want walk-around control, then I recommend you price out your end-state solution...

Mark In Westcott's book there is a chart for allowable spans for various girder types and lumber sizes. IIRC, the chart states 1x4 with 1x2 flange is needed for spans greater than 7ft. Flange lumber size has little impact on the stiffness of the girder, but vertical size has a great impact...

My map of the Caspar, South Fork, and Eastern RR (operated by Caspar Lumber Co in Northern coastal California) shows 3 inclines along the line. No pictures in the book, though. :sad: When I visited Cape Hinchinbrook Lighthouse (entrance to Prince William Sound, Alaska) in 2002, I found quite...

Bill Thanks for the very fast response. The heads up on the ball mount is something new. I had already planned on rounding off one of the telescoping line shaft joints to avoid driving the Shay engine from both ends. As you say, both the Roundhouse and Keystone Shays have to have the...

Bill Very, very nice work on the Shays. I've got 2 to build - they will be primary power on the Port Orford & Elk River HOn3 line - with 6-8% grades and 3-4 car trains max. Switchback tails are 20" long. Have you had any wear or other problems with the white metal parts - crankshaft and...

Common carrier narrow gauge turned out to be a rather short-lived failure in the big scheme of things. In the 1870s, the vision was 7/8 the capacity at 3/4ths the cost of standard gauge. Keeping initial costs low was critical for railroads not receiving the federal land grants of the...

Detail parts, including brass tender plate and draw bar, are likely Kemtron. The base locomotive - white metal pieces - would be from Mantua. Kemtron produced brass and plastic parts, but little to no diecast white metal. AKAIK, the only standard gauge locomotive produced in HO by Kemtron was...

Rob If the layout is an honest 24" wide, you will want 10" radius curves, not 12". Radius is measured to the centerline of the track, not the tie edge. Anything more than 11" radius is going to overhang the edge. 10" radius gives you 2" space from track centerline to table edge - about minimum...