Oh no! I'm Having THOSE Kinds of Thoughts Again!

[DKS]

I downloaded David K. Smith's 1:1 track plan and printed it out today.  This evening, I cut and pieced it together to see how it all fit.  It looks great and will definitely fit.  Unfortunately, I must have entered the parameters incorrectly when telling the software how large to make the picture at the time of printing, because it is slightly undersized.  However, it definitely gives me an idea of where the turnouts go, and I can easily connect the dots with flextrack once I have the turnouts placed.

That is seriously cool. What a great way to get a feel for a plan before even buying anything.

It definitely looks undersized, though. The double-track mainline should go from end to end, likewise the two interchange tracks from side to side.

[davefoxx]

I agree.  I set the parameters (which uses paper width rather than actual feet) at however many sheets came to 7.9'.  But that missed the length by at least 12-15"!  The other direction was automatically determined to be 3.1' by the software, and it clearly doesn't reach the end of the table either.  Since I blew a chunk of toner on my printer at work, I can't really experiment too much, so I just may use the template as "guidance."  I think once I figure out how to center it on the table, I can start setting the turnouts in Aberdeen and go from there.  It was not a waste of time, because it definitely gives me an idea of where to start and how to proceed.  Thanks!

Dave

[DKS]

...I can't really experiment too much, so I just may use the template as "guidance."

Absolutely. It's a more than adequate starting point.

[Brakie]

Looks good!

[davefoxx]

I figured out what I did wrong on blockposters.com and the 1:1 layout printout.  I tried again this afternoon and noticed that the default setting on paper size was A4, not US letter.  So, I changed that and the overall "poster" is now 99" wide, so it will be just slightly larger than the table, but I think that should be negligible as far as using the plan merely as guidance to set the turnouts, which will be connected by flextrack.

By the way, if I'm reading the UPS tracking correctly, I should have a package of code 55 track waiting for me when I get home.  Yay!

[Dave V]

@DaveF, isn't this the best part of model railroading?  I LOVE that bare benchwork stage when you start laying track.  When it comes time to solder joints and feeders, however, that's when my enthusiasm begins to wane, lol.

[davefoxx]

@DaveF, isn't this the best part of model railroading?  I LOVE that bare benchwork stage when you start laying track.  When it comes time to solder joints and feeders, however, that's when my enthusiasm begins to wane, lol.

Yessir, the clean slate stage is awesome.  It's make or break time.  Thankfully, the plan we came up with is not only reasonably faithful to the prototype but will be a lot of fun to operate, railfan, and photograph.  I'm going to have a lot of fun staging SCL/SBD trains passing through Aberdeen on the mainline.  You know, occasionally, the Juice Train must get detoured from the A-line over to the S-line through Aberdeen. 

That's the great thing about DCC on a small layout.  I don't have 50,000 wires and blocks to contend with.  Yeah, I know, to achive proper conductivity and signal, I should solder a feeder to each rail and/or solder every rail joint, but I don't.  Like you, I find that tedious.

I have had minimal problems with just several feeders on a layout of this size.  If I experience a problem later, I'll drop another feeder.  I had that happen on the Virginia Central: a siding died because a turnout contact must have failed.  I scraped some paint and cleaned the rail in a spot, dropped a feeder, and bang!, power restored.  I also don't solder every rail joint, to allow for expansion and contraction.  I only solder the rail joints in curves to avoid kinks.

DFF

[DKS]

You may want to at least create a couple two or three power districts. Even on a layout this small, it's useful for pinpointing problems.

[davefoxx]

You may want to at least create a couple two or three power districts. Even on a layout this small, it's useful for pinpointing problems.

How does one do that?  Are we talking additional boosters or other hardware or are we talking about mere simple double-pole electrical switches to disconnect the sections?

DFF

[DKS]

mere simple double-pole electrical switches to disconnect the sections.

Ding, ding.

[Iain]

I still say you should do the late 1960's so that Southern connection becomes an NS connection...

[Ryan87]

I still say you should do the late 1960's so that Southern connection becomes an NS connection...

or 1974, then you could have both... or just have a "rubber" era, it is a small layout...

[davefoxx]

I still say you should do the late 1960's so that Southern connection becomes an NS connection...

And use what for motive power?  A NS Baldwin AS416?  Oh...   ;D  Seriously, most of my collection fits the 1980s, so, for now, that controls which era I model.

[Chris333]

Hey Dave, I was loving the progress on the door. Says you used 1" foam and I see your into trackwork now. In the bridge area with the stream and road ducking under. Will you have enough room to "dig" down that far?

[davefoxx]

Hey Dave, I was loving the progress on the door. Says you used 1" foam and I see your into trackwork now. In the bridge area with the stream and road ducking under. Will you have enough room to "dig" down that far?

Chris,

Good to hear from you.  Great minds think alike.  David K. Smith posed the very same question.

I want to use the lauan surface of the door as the riverbed, so the 1" foam should work out perfect for me.  On the Virginia Central, I used 2" foam, which created a lot of vertical separation between the rails and the surface of the river.  I don't want that much here, because, on the A&R, there are a number of low wooden trestles.  The 1" foam plus 1/8" cork roadbed less negligible thickness for scenery materials and approximately 1/8" - 1/4" for the thickness of the trestle under the ties should still give me at least 3/4" for the trestle bents.  That's like 10' in N scale, which is the look I'm after.

Dave

P.S.  I'm still looking for a way to recycle your sweet curved turnout into this new layout.  It would have been perfect for the enginehouse tracks, except it's a left-hand turnout.  I needed a right.