The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[mu26aeh]

so no more N scale? May I ask why you made the switch? Been following this board for years and I am curious lol

Some of the answer started here

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=25551.msg515819#msg515819

[davefoxx]

Stage 1 of a two-stage double-tracking project of the Seaboard Central 3.0 began tonight.  More details and photos will be provided as the project progresses over the next several days.

DFF

[davefoxx]

so no more N scale? May I ask why you made the switch? Been following this board for years and I am curious lol

@Bsklarski,

Probably too many reasons to try to answer in one post.  But, the main reason is that I decided to go 100% sound, and that tends to work better in the larger scales.  Also, the mass of HO rolling stock just, to me, seems more realistic.  There's also a few things that just began nagging at me that pushed me out of N scale, e.g., track, wheels, couplers, etc.  Going to HO allowed me to try Sergent Engineering couplers, which has been a blast.  My entire fleet has been converted.

DFF

[davefoxx]

The first stage of the double-tracking project has begun.  Here's before- what you are seeing is the north end of a passing siding at the bottom of the picture where the track goes to a single-track through the wye turnout and then to the south end of a passing siding where the train sits at top left in the following picture.  I want to eliminate this single-track bottleneck.  What this picture doesn't show well is that I have already removed a hill and patched in the drainage ditch with lightweight spackling to make room for the second track:



To double track through here, this curved turnout has got to go:



In the next picture, the curved turnout has been removed, and the cork roadbed is laid for the new alignment:



Here's how far I've gotten this project for the night, until I can purchase a new curved turnout to connect the near passing siding.  The new curved turnout will allow me to build a crossover where the south end of the passing siding started before.  This way, a train coming out of the wye from the yard can immediately crossover the northbound track to get to the southbound track.  As you can see, the cork roadbed is laid for most of the inner mainline track.



DFF

[MVW]

Dave, just out of curiosity, what radius are those curves?

(Sorry, too lazy to search.  )

Jim

[davefoxx]

Hi, Jim,

The branch (the 180 degree turn at the left in the following picture) is an 18" radius.  The tracks in the wye, if I remember correctly are in the neighborhood of a 22" radius, so the new track will be approximately a 20" radius, which is exactly the sharper curve in Walther's curved turnouts that I'm using.  Unfortunately, the turnout I pulled last night is too sharp to be recycled into the planned crossover that's needed to complete the double tracking at this end of the layout.  I'm going to try using a larger radius curved turnout and hope I can fit it in with the existing curved turnout that formed one end of a passing siding.



DFF

[wm3798]

That curvature would look real in N scale.  When are you putting the third rail down the middle to complete that "Lionel Train Board" effect you seem to be going for?  Will there a be a little man that pops out of the guard shack too?

But seriously folks... your work is, as usual, excruciatingly precise.  Keep up the good work.

Lee

[davefoxx]

I bought a new larger curved turnout today and was able to make it fit, allowing the existing curved turnout at the end of the former passing siding to be included into a new crossover.

I like to call this "turnout torture," because I'm not afraid to cut 'em up.  The neat thing about this trick is (a) I eliminated rail joints between the turnouts by using the stock rail from one turnout as the frog rail on the other, and (b) I was able to slightly alter the radius between the turnouts to get a nice fit:



The result:



Now, I'm off to lay down the cork roadbed and connect the tracks.  You can see that I also pulled the frog rail from the new turnout for the passing siding track.  Again, this eliminates a rail joint and makes for smoother and more reliable trackwork.  Psst, don't tell anyone, but all those N scale guys who stated earlier today that they ignore HO threads will miss this scale-independent trick.   

DFF

[peteski]

Psst, don't tell anyone, but all those N scale guys who stated earlier today that they ignore HO threads will miss this scale-independent trick.   

DFF

Yes, there are plenty of modeling techniques (usually scenery) which are scale-independent and worth learning.
But I don't give rat's a$$ about some new loco that was only produced in H0, or that a wood-grain pattern is too lightly rendered on some H0 flat car floor.   

[Lemosteam]

Psst, don't tell anyone, but all those N scale guys who stated earlier today that they ignore HO threads will miss this scale-independent trick.   
DFF

@davefoxx , Nyet.  Did this in 2013 to two code 55 #10 to reduce the track spacing to PRR prototype 13 feet...  I think you got it from me...  LOL 

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[davefoxx]

@davefoxx , Nyet.  Did this in 2013 to two code 55 #10 to reduce the track spacing to PRR prototype 13 feet...  I think you got it from me...  LOL 

Well, I definitely didn't invent it, so it's possible I learned it from you.  Wow, thirteen scale feet looks tight!  Your N scale people better keep their arms and heads inside the train.    Nice job.

DFF

[Lemosteam]

Lol. Just wanted the mainline nice and tight!  Just joshing you. I'm sure folks had done it long before me! Your track work is immaculate though!

[davefoxx]

Cork, and . . .



Track!  Cutting up those turnouts really made the difference.  Custom-looking track from commercial pieces.



With the exception of the Bullfrog turnout throw and wiring up the frog to a Hex Frog Juicer, the first stage of the double-tracking project is complete.  Success!

DFF

[C855B]

Gorgeous. Worth the effort.

[wcfn100]

You'll be racing trains in no time. 


Jason