Anyone do custom track work?

[Specter3]

I want to do an ntrak to onetrak junction module that looks like this.



Our club runs the three mains for crowd pleasers and is starting to consider  organized operations on the alt blue line for our fun during shows. I came up with this junction module that makes access from either direction on alt blue possible and I believe offers a neat scene. The full extent of the module is not shown but the major elements are. The largest hurdle is creating the curving crossovers of the branch line over the mains. Is there anyone out there that feels like they have a good chance of success with these crossovers? If so how much would you charge to make them. They have to be bulletproof for the mains and fully DCC compatible. Track will be all code 80 for this as it is an Ntrak module. Let me know.

Ryan

[Gen]

Ryan, that IS a very interesting junction.

I've been limited to building straight and curved turnouts so far, so your trackwork would certainly present a challenge for me, even if I had the time to volunteer.

I'm not quite sure how the tie spacing would layout, but at first glance it looks like you might have to accept a code 55 tie spacing (closer) to help out with the backbone of the trackwork, even though you need code 80 rail for the module. I think it's great you are thinking outside the box. I've seen some east coast ntrak, and the displays improve each and every show. Keep up the good work, and I hope that junction materializes for you.

[Hiroe]

Are grades allowed on the Alt Blue in your local club? If so, I'd suggest building this as a flyover module, and skip the custom crossings.

[johnhale]

Ryan,
   Where is your club at? We have quite a few oNeTRAKers in our club (including myself).  Our oNeTrak to NTrak modules are much simpler than your vision, we just create a passing siding in front of the red line (making it orange) and then wye it off the front of the two modules.

John

[Specter3]

Grades would be ok but then you have to reverse the grade back down to one-track module. That has been thought of but to get both directions up the module would have to be pretty big. I thought of just putting a bump off my existing ntrak modules and pulling a line off the red but it makes there have to be a full crossover from alt blue to red of a local train that has to accomplish this while avoiding the bi-directional parade of crowd pleasers. Just not logistically probable. We already have decent switching on the current alt blue line so that is where trains that would use the onetrak sub would be coming from. So this plan is what I have come up with to get it done.

Thanks

Ryan

[mmyers]

Grades are the reason we do our onetrak changeover from the orange line as John pointed out. A flyover takes about 16 feet of NTRAK modules to get the height needed. Then you have to make sure every layout that gets set up has at least 16 feet of straight area where the onetrak extension goes and more important the owner of those modules has to show up.

My own modules consist of four modules. Two - 2foot modules that contain the orange line turnout. One right and one left. They also have crossovers on them from blue to yellow. They really need crossovers from red to yellow but that's on the roundtuit list.

The other two modules were deigned as 2 x 4 modules but they are turned 90 degrees so that the NTRAK portion runs across the two foot way. They only use two feet of NTRAK space. The orange line turns 90 degrees to the red line to become a onetrack connection. Place all 4 modules together and we have an eight foot NTRAk section with a large wye.  Ed's posted many photos of his trains rounding one curve under my Edison highway bridge. They can also be split up to create two onetrak off shoots. Or the two foot modules can be used by themselves as simple straight modules.

Keystone NTRAK has a design similar to yours with some excellent custom track work. I don't think it's used for onetrak though.

Martin Myers

[seusscaboose]

Martin

which Club did we set up with in Louisville (in our loop) that had the internal yard... they had a flyover out front on the main... was it Dayton?  they were opposite of us (for the most part).

maybe they have some pics... i kind of recall their incline's weren't to spec.

i might have some pics around.

EP

[mmyers]

Eric, those were from Orlando but he was working with a couple of Dayton guys. That was also a rather large set of NTRAK modules. At least 12 feet. Maybe 16 total on the NTRAK part.

Martin

[seusscaboose]

i might have some pics around.

i looked... no pics... 

[mmyers]

Mississippi Valley has a couple on their site
http://mvns.railfan.net/graphics/DCE/Saturday1/DSC02235.JPG

Here's the back side. Looks like a five modules set. It came in a trailer. You would need minimum of a full size van like mine to cart it around.
http://mvns.railfan.net/graphics/DCE/Sunday3/DSC02570.htm