Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad Micro-Layout

[OldEastRR]

No offense; I was only wondering why you broke the logic of your layout pattern by putting  the upper right corner at a different angle than all the rest of the layout. This especially because you've said many times layout designers need to get away from aligning their track and buildings with the straight edges of the layout.
On a philosophical note, the common modeler complaint is in our little worlds we have to put curves all over the place where real RRs run straight through. Here, in the case of the Elevated, which is not powered, the track could actually run straight as an arrow like in real life but you deliberately put a curve in it.
I'm not faulting any of this. But I like to know why a planner did this or that thing. Usually they have a practical reason; sometimes it's "for the hell of it". Just wondering if you'd like to share your planning thought process.
Also, the trolley track is not dummy, but completely Unitrack?

[Ian MacMillan]

I am liking the layout so far. The 3 track section where its going up and down looks odd to me right now and I'm not that into it. But, I am certain that as it comes along it will make sense.

[DKS]

While it's true that running straight tracks at an angle to the layout edges adds interest, on occasion, it can create design issues; this was the case for the track at the 90-degree crossing. Had I run it on an angle, three things would have happened: first, I would have lost siding space for one or two cars; second, the two tall structures would be very awkward to build; and third, I wouldn't be able to use the mirror trick under the skywalk (or it would not have worked as well).

As for the elevated lines, they did run straight--where they could; there were all kinds of curves and zigzags and dips and rises in places, since it can only run straight where there are no obstructions. Adding a bend in the el on the layout did several things: first, it followed a realistic and sensible path--that is, the el could not run straight owing to the geometry of the streets and buildings. The bend added interest, since dead straight is just a bit boring. It created the illusion of a longer run: unbroken straight lines on a layout look shorter than lines broken up by curves. And it prevented a "see-through tunnel": when one looks down either end of the el, one cannot see the other end; one can only see buildings. This trick adds considerable visual depth to a small layout.









The elevated track is Atlas Code 55; all other track, including the ground trolley, is Unitrack. The el and trolley are both built for appearance only.

[OldEastRR]

Ah, the mirror trick. I didn't notice it until now.

[OldEastRR]

De, did you post here somewhere what track parts you used, radii, etc?

[davefoxx]

The elevated track is Atlas Code 55; all other track, including the ground trolley, is Unitrack. The el and trolley are both built for appearance only.

Aw, man.  We wanted to see how you were going to pull off building the el with Unitrack.   

[OldEastRR]

How did you modify the 90 degree crossings? Or are the straight legs removable?

[DKS]

De, did you post here somewhere what track parts you used, radii, etc?

No, but I can.

How did you modify the 90 degree crossings? Or are the straight legs removable?

The legs are removable. I did have to make one custom track part: a straight piece 1/2-inch long that fits between the two crossings.

[DKS]

20010. Straight 7.32"   7
20020. Straight 4.88"   5
20030. Straight 2.52"   1
20040. Straight 2.44"   1
20070. Straight 1.79"   1
20071. Straight 1.14"   2
20100. Curve radius 9.8", angle 45º   5
20101. Curve radius 9.8", angle 15º   6
20110. Curve radius 11.1", angle 45º   7
20111. Curve radius 11.1", angle 15º   4
20160. Curve radius 18.94", angle 15º   6
20170. Curve radius 8.5", angle 45º   3
20171. Curve radius 8.5", angle 15º   3
20172. Curve radius 7.2", angle 45º   2
20220. Left turnout 4.96"   3
20221. Right turnout 4.96"   5
20222. Wye turnout 4.96"   3
20320. Crossing 1.3". 90º   2

[OldEastRR]

I assume the 19"R curve was for the trolley line.

[DKS]

I assume the 19"R curve was for the trolley line.

?

Well, yes, part of it. 19" curves are used in several places, and a portion of the trolley line is 8.5" radius.

[OldEastRR]

Thanks for the complete plan w/ part numbers! I'm sure others will be interested in this too.

[OldEastRR]

Hmmmm .... I'm building this per your part number layout plan but the RH side of my oval is narrower than the LH side. What am I doing wrong?

[OldEastRR]

Does Willow Street go "West" past 16th, to the tracks? I'm thinking that dead-end under the "L" is a good place for truck loading for the two buildings on either  side. Looks perfect for one of those grungy, dead-end streets under the "L" - trash, uneven brick paving, maybe a derelict vehicle.

[DKS]

Does Willow Street go "West" past 16th, to the tracks? I'm thinking that dead-end under the "L" is a good place for truck loading for the two buildings on either  side. Looks perfect for one of those grungy, dead-end streets under the "L" - trash, uneven brick paving, maybe a derelict vehicle.

As it happens, that's exactly what is planned for that spot, inspired in part by this image: