Layout pics/Intro

TrainJunkee

New Member
:wave:Hi all today is my first day on this forum... I am putting up my layout (Work in Progress) as promised... I am trying to find out what structures I can fit and I have buildings all over the place so ignore the huge mess it is... I found a plase were I can get recycled foam for 3 bucks a sheet...Sheets are 4'X8'X3".. I had no real plans on paper and building this as I go... I made my own foam inclines and the grade is huge I go up 8 inches in 8 feet hope I can get trains up it..

Again... Suggestions from the pros are welcome and I would like to know if the incline of 8 inches in 8feet will work with small logging load

Thanks
 

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TrainJunkee

New Member
3 more pics so you can get a view of the entire layou

3 more pics
 

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Triplex

Active Member
I made my own foam inclines and the grade is huge I go up 8 inches in 8 feet hope I can get trains up it..
That's 8.3%. I don't think anything other than a geared loco will pull anything up that.
 

TrainJunkee

New Member
Like the Cog railway in the white mountains NH... Do they make those in HO?...LOL I really want a train to go across the trestle bridge I am making for the gorge and I dont have enough room to make the grade smaller... What can I do
 

Nomad

Active Member
Do you have a trackplan we can look at? Sometimes you can raise or lower another area to lessen the grade.

Loren
 

TrainJunkee

New Member
Do you have a trackplan we can look at? Sometimes you can raise or lower another area to lessen the grade.

Loren

I made layout without a plan...1rst mistake... I drew one up quickly.. Scale is 3 blocks = 1 foot
 

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bigsteel

Call me Mr.Tinkertrain
8.3% is one hell of a grade.i didnt even think a shay could climb that by itself.and if you didnt want to modify your trestle,just make the gorge go down into the baes layer of foam and make it just a deeper gorge.--josh
 

bigsteel

Call me Mr.Tinkertrain
OK,i got some plans.here is what your old trestle/gorge looks like to me.your gorge is on top of the base foam,why not "dig" down into the base to lower the overallheight but stillbe dramatic and keep your trestle
old:
oldtrestle.jpg



new:
newtrestle.jpg

yes i realize the name is wrong but this was quick,so dont burn me :D i hope i could help.--josh
 

TrainJunkee

New Member
8.3% is one hell of a grade.i didnt even think a shay could climb that by itself.and if you didnt want to modify your trestle,just make the gorge go down into the baes layer of foam and make it just a deeper gorge.--josh

I got my M1B up it... I wasn't easy...more like the little train that could.It was pulling 2 cars... Would a Shay have more pullining power than my 2-8-4.. I would think the shay would since all the wheels are geared drivers (even the tender).... the 8.3% incline is also a 24 radius
 

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buffalo bob 52

New Member
Hi,

I have been planning my layout for 2 years, LOL I keep getting side tracked. I may just plop a circle on a hollow door so I can run the trains I do have.

Did you think of a switch back, great way to get height with little effort?

Bob
 

TrainJunkee

New Member
OK,i got some plans.here is what your old trestle/gorge looks like to me.your gorge is on top of the base foam,why not "dig" down into the base to lower the overallheight but stillbe dramatic and keep your trestle
old:
oldtrestle.jpg



new:
newtrestle.jpg

yes i realize the name is wrong but this was quick,so dont burn me :D i hope i could help.--josh

That is a good idea... I may go with that and dig into the sub- base foam right to the front of the layout...
 

Nomad

Active Member
Where you wrote "gorge" is that the problem? And is that inside and outside loops of track you have? And are they connected? Sorry for all the questions but I can not tell much from your drawing.

Loren
 

TrainJunkee

New Member
Where you wrote "gorge" is that the problem? And is that inside and outside loops of track you have? And are they connected? Sorry for all the questions but I can not tell much from your drawing.

Loren


Yes the inclines leading to the gorge go up 8 inches in 8 feet an it is just the inside loop... Ths loop will be connected to the inside loop of the mainline with a cross over in the front of the layout so it will be a twice around and I conected thethe double mainline track with a double crossover that I made with 4 switches and a cross-over..So there is a double main line which goes oround and under the mountan and an inside circle (Branch line) 3 loops in all I'm too cheap to buy a one piece double crossover..:eek:ops:
 

Nomad

Active Member
OK, if you can't drop the grade down, can you raise the other loops to lessen the grade? That would put the center of your layout in a valley.

Loren
 

Nomad

Active Member
Sounds like Bigsteel's idea is your best bet then. I have never ran a geared loco, so I don't know if they could pull that steep a grade.

Loren
 
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