Baton Rouge Southern - Chapter 2

[Philip H]

Thanks to the generosity of the CEO of the Seaboard Central 2.0, we now have 2 #5 R/H turnouts in code 55 to play with.  Pics tonight, if I can figure out how to drop them into the track . . .

[Philip H]

So, playing around with the switches, I have several ideas about how to put this into action,  Yet none of them seem to have good alignements for the curves:







None of these alignments seem good to me, but then again I haven't cut down the switches yet either.  Any ideas from the Peanut Gallery?

[Leggy]

Use a curved switch for the one on the right maybe?

[Philip H]

That thought had been in th mix early on, but I didn't get any at Bedford, and I don't have any here now.

[Bob Bufkin]

I've got both a left and righ curved PECO if you want one.  Never used.  Problem is they are code 80/

[davefoxx]

I still think you're better off moving the crossover away from the Elkins module, where you have more room to make something smoother. I'm not certain, but it looks as if two regular right-hand switches might work--

You're not putting the turnouts together as DKS suggested.  Connect them through their straight routes, not the curved routes.  See picture above from DKS' post.  This will also reduce the angle of the track and reduce the radii of the curves making the corner.

DFF

[DKS]

[Philip H]

You're not putting the turnouts together as DKS suggested.  Connect them through their straight routes, not the curved routes.  See picture above from DKS' post.  This will also reduce the angle of the track and reduce the radii of the curves making the corner.

DFF

Thanks Dave.  As you may have figured out, I work much better with words then pictures.  Which DKS then provided nicely.  Speaking of which, it appears from his photo that I need to cut them back on their straight ends to make the crossover shorter.  Am I getting that right?

[davefoxx]

I agree that they will need to be cropped.  That will ease the curves a little.

DFF

[Philip H]

Thanks.  I'll do some overlays and see where I get tonight.  Then I have to whip out the trestles (!) and lay track.   

[Philip H]

Well I haven't exactly whipped out trestles, but I do now have deck framing:



This will definitely hold the turnouts (!) in the design alignment:



I just need to add crossmembers in the frame and design a jog to build trestle bents from.  But I may yet get track laid so trains can run from the now functional yard to the rest of the layout!

[davefoxx]

With all due respect to Bufkin Bayou, I'm not crazy about the turnouts on the trestle.  Sure, Ed's Law will easily produce turnouts on bridges, but this example doesn't work for me.  Besides, how are you going to control the switch points?  Perhaps a culvert would suffice and you could model the bayou up front.

DFF

[wm3798]

I'm with Dave.  Either shift the turnouts down to the left to get them off the trestle, or do something else to manage the drainage there...

Also, I think your timbers are a tad bulky to have a scale appearance...


I'd go with something that scales out closer to an 8x12 timber, maybe 1/8th" strip stock.  Looks like you're using 1/4"

Also, the main stringers will be more in line with the rails, not outboard of them.


Tear it down and start all over!

Lee

[wm3798]

Bad photos loosely translated:


Thanks, and have a nice day!

Lee

[Philip H]

Thanks for the sketches.

As you all heap up the Pile o' Peer Pressure on my options here, a few Given's and Druthers:

• The alignment of the two switches is pretty fixed where it is.  As we have discussed up thread, if I can't get two left handed switches of sufficient length to move the crossover close to the existing yard throat, then the two right hand switches I have need to be where they are.  Otherwise, I get a torturous s curve going from the switch leads back to the existing refinery lead.
• The Bufkin's Bayou is a scenic conceit - There aren't any bayous of this type between the Baton Rouge yard and the Exxon North Baton Rouge refinery in real life.  If I don't do the Bayou then I have to go prototypical and put in a bunch of low concrete block industrial buildings ala Lance Mindheim's Miami layout.
• If I don't do a trestle, then I can do a couple of concrete bridges per KCS practices elsewhere.  That said all the bridges in Louisiana are creosoted pile types.
• The switches on the bridge are not that hard to throw - I use Humpyard Purveyance throws which actuate via stainless steel wires in teflon sleeves.  I plan to run up the trestle bents on the back side, painted a control cables.  Add in all the cypress trees I will expertly make (!) and you won't notice it much.