Help Me Plan My Layout


Very nice work. Can't wait to see the bench work going up. I am so wanting to get back going on mine but we were out of town and now that I am back I am finishing some projects with the house first. Great job .
 
Had some time and energy to get back to planning the benchwork. I laid out some cardboard on the floor to check out the dimensions. There was and will be some tweaking to do, but I am sure the general track plan with work. I will need to lay out the curves, turnouts, and some of the other features to see how things line up....... but that is for another day.

Benchwork Template1.jpg

Benchwork Template2.jpg

Benchwork Template3.jpg

Benchwork Template4.jpg
 
Great looking space there and nice mock up with the cardboard. I am looking forward to see the bench-work rising! Thanks for posting.

Yannis
 
Great idea with the cardboard! Are you sure you're going to have enough room for turns in those 90 degree corners? Looks a little tight. But then again, you are actually standing in the room and I am just looking at a picture.


The cardboard might be overkill, but it is what I had on hand, I am liking it because it does not krinkle, fold, or bend easily. As far as the turns fitting I am 90% sure they will fit, but will draw them in along with the turnouts later today to make certain.
 
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Laying out some track lines. Starting to get the idea..... Maybe if I do it twice I won't make as many errors when it counts. :) I will clean up the ladder the on the real benchwork, this a first time try. I want the curve part to have the tracks 3 inches on center for clearance, but then I will taper that down to two inches on center on the straight sections. I think I have the turnouts positioned the correct directions. The ladder turnouts are number 4s, and the ones on the mains are number 6s.

Best news of the day, it is going to fit nicely.

Track1.jpg

Track2.jpg

Track3.jpg
 

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To get more accurate curve radii, make yourself a trammel
images


There's the way shown, or you can have the point fixed and drill several holes for the pencil at selected radii. Just remember that when using flex track, you don't have to be too slavish in following a fixed radius in order to get things to fit. In fact it's preferable to have an easing of the radius where it enters or exits the curve (called an easement oddly enough).
 
To get more accurate curve radii, make yourself a trammel
images


There's the way shown, or you can have the point fixed and drill several holes for the pencil at selected radii. Just remember that when using flex track, you don't have to be too slavish in following a fixed radius in order to get things to fit. In fact it's preferable to have an easing of the radius where it enters or exits the curve (called an easement oddly enough).


That is the tool I need. Looks easy to build.

Thanks
 
I am trying to understand the reason behind which is the correct way. Why would the first yard turnout be different than the other two? Seems like if that one should be flipped so should the other two. The 4th one is for traffic headed in the other direction.
In a normal yard ladder the first one is always opposite to get the track diverging away from the primary. Then each one that follows is opposite to put the next tracks parallel to it.

In this case, notice that the track toward the next turnouts is more curved away from the first track. I always let the departing leg of the turnout match the natural flow of the track. As shown in the original picture, there would have to be an "S" curve in the opposite direction to make the first straight track parallel with the others.
 



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