Royal Pacific Railway Layout....


That looks way "thicker" than I would have expected from the plan. Can't hardly wait to see how much more depth will be added with the scenery installed.
 
Horseman, how do you mean "way thicker", I don't follow you there? The scenery is going to be fun to do. I have a lot of room to play with things and create a fairly significant 3D terrain. Right now I know my main town will be built of at least 2 levels.
 
Ahh, yeah actually when I looked at the video the whole layout looks larger but there is a lot, and I mean a lot of space for scenery. Not that I will but, because of the shape I could have a desert scene in one corner and rain forest in another. The size will make transitioning the scenery very easy should I want to.
 
Lynn,

Thanks and yes, it took awhile top get there BUT I think all of the planning and prep was worth it. An "Empire", well, not sure about that but it is going to be a decent size.

Today I have been fighting with the risers to get the grades and clearances right. As it stand at the moment, I think I am going to be tight with clearances beneath two bridges and retain the (now) 2.25 grade that will be the layout. When I say "tight" they will be enough at 1.75" for your normal everyday train but wont get a double stack OR my micro camera under them. I was aiming at 2" clearances all round. If worse comes to worse, I might have to increase the grade by 0.125 up and down JUST for those two bridge areas.
 
Remember you can always double up locomotives if you need to. That small raise in grade shouldn’t make that much difference.
 
Agreed Mike, I don't think 1/8" over 100" is going to make that much of a difference. Problem I have with doubling up loco's is - I don't know how to make a consist. The only thing I could do would be to run two engines with the same engine number and hope they both run the same. Yeah I know, I need to learn this stuff :(
 
Agreed Mike, I don't think 1/8" over 100" is going to make that much of a difference. Problem I have with doubling up loco's is - I don't know how to make a consist. The only thing I could do would be to run two engines with the same engine number and hope they both run the same. Yeah I know, I need to learn this stuff :(
I never make consists, but do exactly what you said. Just program them both to the came channel.
 
You use NCE don't you Tony? Even if you address the individual locos to their cab numbers, you can still just add them to each other using "Old Style" consisting, a choice in the Consisting panel at the bottom of your cab's button pad. Press Set up and enter, 2 choices, Old Style or Advanced, select and press 1 for Advance, or 2 for Old and enter. If you don't use individual #'s for all your locos, and set all to the same address instead, you may as well have stayed with DC, because if they're on live track they will all obey at the same time.
"Advanced" consisting is nothing to worry about, there's no great mystery, it gives better control of individual locos functions within the consist i.e. Lead, Rear and mid train (Add Loco) and the direction they face/run. Locos in a consist then, especially with sound, can be assigned those positions, roles, especially the lead loco with it's lighting, horn and bell functions. But you don't have to leap into all that at once, I didn't. That came much later.
 
Ahh Toot'n, no one said anything about using the same cab number for ALL of my engines, just those in a "possible" consist. Individually, I run my trains with their respective cab numbers ;)

The only reason I would consider making a consist is if the grades are little steep for one train. I have spent the better part of this evening tweaking my grades and now believe that all of my engines will be able to handle all of my grades individually, at least that is what I believe. That being said, I have bought one of those Micro Mark Digital Levels to double check the grades I have.
 
Ahh Toot'n, no one said anything about using the same cab number for ALL of my engines, just those in a "possible" consist. Individually, I run my trains with their respective cab numbers ;)

The only reason I would consider making a consist is if the grades are little steep for one train. I have spent the better part of this evening tweaking my grades and now believe that all of my engines will be able to handle all of my grades individually, at least that is what I believe. That being said, I have bought one of those Micro Mark Digital Levels to double check the grades I have.
Two reasons I put engines into consists, largely because it's needed to run a longish length train at the club and otherwise, even if it was flat, I would still do it, 'cause it looks and sounds good (that's the main reason). If you were to run consisted locos without using either of the consisting options, and all your locos are individually addressed, then it would be necessary to change one of them to the others address to do so. Not very practical when there's a system to do it.
I had the instance once of running a train at the club and wondering why it was acting up, until I found another member with the same number on his loco, not even from the same country's prototype. Had both of us baffled.
 
Toot'n, couldn't agree more with you more when you say having two (or more) engines in a consist looks and sounds good - you get no argument out of me about that.

My layout is not big enough to run any more than 1 train pulling (maybe) 15 cars tops, at least I don't think it is. As such, I would never have a need to consist engines, other than for the look or, if my grades were too steep for one engine - which I now don't think they are; although, that is yet to be seen. I also agree if you were running long trains all (or most of the time or regularly) then using the consisting system would be the way to go for the reasons you mentioned.
 
I had the instance once of running a train at the club and wondering why it was acting up, until I found another member with the same number on his loco, not even from the same country's prototype. Had both of us baffled.
As I have more or less never been in a club I have to ask ... doesn't someone check things like that before letting members run their trains?
 



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