Track and stuff

[Hoss]

The only place it's really going to affect you is where you've got two switches with the diverging routes together like in the picture Arlaghan just showed you. Unless you want your tracks spaced 1-1/8" apart (which I believe is what the Peco Medium Radius will land you at if you connect them directly together with no straight section in between), then you'll need to put a section of straight track between them to get your desired centerline to centerline spacing.

Where did you download XtrkCAD from??

 

[Agatheron]

I downloaded Xtrkcad from their site. It's simply their demo version... I can't lay more than 50 pieces of track until I actually pay the purchase price.

http://www.sillub.com/

Thanks for the figures... I was trying to figure out what the spacing on parallel track would be on both the Peco and Atlas. At the moment, it seems that if I don't put any kind of spacers I could potentially have some collision problems on the turns.

This may be a silly question, but is there an NMRA standard for what is considered to be track spacing?

 

[Hoss]

Originally posted by Agatheron
Thanks for the figures... I was trying to figure out what the spacing on parallel track would be on both the Peco and Atlas. At the moment, it seems that if I don't put any kind of spacers I could potentially have some collision problems on the turns.

This may be a silly question, but is there an NMRA standard for what is considered to be track spacing?

If I remember correctly Atlas turnouts will give you a 1-1/4" centerline to centerline spacing and PECO turnouts will give you 1-1/8" spacing. Of course, you can make it whatever spacing you want by putting track between the turnouts.

I believe the N-Trak standard for spacing is 1.5", but I could be wrong. Most people try to be prototypical....with prototype centerline spacing on double main lines being usually between 13 and 20 feet. N scale is 1/160th the size of the real thing, so if you wanted to model a double main with a 20 ft. spacing you would put the centerlines 1.5" apart. Placing the centerlines 1-1/8" apart would be 15' on the prototype.

 

[Agatheron]

It's a pretty blustery day here in London. Winter seems to have come early... the high winds are causing brown-outs at the moment, and my long eloquent responses are being cut short by power failures

Anyway, Peco is very much a consideration, but keeping budget in mind, I went back and did some adjustments in my track plan for any place where my turnout arrangement would have the Atlas above-board remote switches colliding with each other. In all there are five places in my plan where this would be happening.

Of course, I could just buy XtrkCad or some other trackplanning software and redraw the whole plan with Peco track

Hoss: Thanks for the prototypical reference, that's actually very helpful... thank you... I may adjust things accordingly. The more I look at this trackplan, the more it looks like the whole thing will be flextrack and turnouts...

 

[Agatheron]

Oh! One more thing.

I know there's many here who do manual switching, but the electronics part of it interests me as well. If I go with below-board remotes, what's the best way to go. Peco, it seems has a way to simply bury the machine right underneath the roadbed. How well does this work?

 

[Hoss]

Originally posted by Agatheron
Hoss: Thanks for the prototypical reference, that's actually very helpful... thank you... I may adjust things accordingly. The more I look at this trackplan, the more it looks like the whole thing will be flextrack and turnouts...

No problem. Just passing along some of the stuff that I've managed to pick up along the way.

By the way...if you missed that simple calculation to determine track spacing:

( Prototype Distance (ft) x 12 in./ft ) / 160 = N Scale Distance (in.)

I'm sure you figured that out....but still.

I know there's many here who do manual switching, but the electronics part of it interests me as well. If I go with below-board remotes, what's the best way to go. Peco, it seems has a way to simply bury the machine right underneath the roadbed. How well does this work?

I don't know anything about the PECO switch machines (didn't even know they made any to be honest with you), but I think many people go with the tortoise machines under the table. I believe you have to take the spring out of the Peco turnouts to use the tortoise machines though because the machine isn't strong enough to throw the turnout against the spring.

 

[Agatheron]

I've seen the tortose machines, and yes, the idea is quite appealing. I'm still waffling between track types... knowing full well that the Peco track is very much the way to go. The flip side of this has everything to do with a personal shoe-string budget. Even Atlas powered turnouts run me around $20 CDN. I would like to be able to get some track down to begin with an at least experiment with running some trains... Fortunately since Atlas sectional track is dirt cheap, I can at least have a basic oval on a table top for an inexpensive sum.

Ideally, tortose machines with Peco Streamline turnouts and flextrack. Certainly something to work towards... but in the meantime, a few pieces of Atlas sectional track should at least teach me how to walk, rather than run

Here's another question, DCC can also handle turnouts with stationary decoders and the like. Has anyone gone so far as to equip their layout with these? As far as I can tell, they're simply decoders that attach to the switch end of the wiring for a conventional remote turnout machine... Methinks it assumes you already have the switching equipment... (turnout track, switching machine, hooked up to the whole thing...

 

[60103]

The Christmas train show is coming up in a couple of weekends in Toronto. If you make it down, there are usually some bargains in track and such.
(and a few of us will be demonstrating or selling.)

 

[Agatheron]

Got a link for the dates on where and when?

 

[60103]

Xmas train show

It's Nov 22 and 23. I think it's at the International Centre (Derry Rd and Airport Rd, next to the Malton GO station). Can't find the flyer right now.