Alan, my handicap is that I'm left handed! :twisted: Seriously it is floating around 16. I just like to go out and play, enjoy the fellowship and the fresh air.

No, I have absolutely no train loco's cars or anything! that will change here quite soon I think, once I decide on which DCC system to purchase. I am trying to keep from "Jumping the gun" but it's very HARD!

Wayne

 

 Wayne, you have an excellent 'blank canvass' there to start what i know is going to be a fantastic layout.

Happy building and remember "All the Big Brothers are watching you"

Brilliant job so far:doublethumb:doublethumb

[user=22]Wayne Williams[/user] wrote:

Alan, my handicap is that I'm left handed!

Wayne

That explains it all

Brilliant progress, Wayne!  Not long until we see some track being laid, I hope.

How on earth do you keep everything so clean and tidy n that space :exclam:shock::question

[user=22]Wayne Williams[/user] wrote:

  then a trip to the train store to get the Woodland Scenics Inclines on Wednesday.

With all that spare foam Wayne, you should be making these yourself.  We all know how good a handy man you are now, so no excuses! go on, at least give a go, in fact think what you could achieve with all that spare foam, the only limits are your own imagination and what your locos will handle;-)

Wayne, I like what you have done so far and think the foam underlay idea is first class.

Just one question has been bugging me for a few days. Perhaps I'm being thick, but why the gap between the L shape board against the wall and the U shape one nearest the camera :question Is this where you gain acess into the adjoining room, so is where your lift out section will be :question 

Jeff,
I guess it must be difficult to see in the pictures, but there is actually two "gaps", one right next to the L-section and another one that is, as you say, nearest the camera. They are all access lanes for me to reach the layout. If you take a look at the track diagram it shows it much better.

Tim,
You ask, How do I keep it so tidy? Well there's a very simple answer to that, one I'm quite sure you'll understand, it's ………..SHMBO………nuff said!  :roll::roll::roll:

Lawrence,
I know I said I wanted to scratchbuild everything, but those Woodland Scenic Inclines are so easy to use, and work so good, well ………. their already on order! :pedal    I did think about it though!


Kevr,
"All the Big Brothers are watching you"

Yeh, I know!  :It's a no no  :It's a no no  :It's a no no

Wayne

Wayne, sorry I'm not making myself clear. I'm saying there are two baseboards, when they are in fact two sets of connected baseboard pieces. So, looking at this picture :-



There are two seperate baseboards (or sets of boards joined together), one is an L shape (underneath the clock) and the other is made in a U shape (and is the one nearest the camera). Now there is a gap between the two board sets, where you can see the wall next to the large window. This is the gap I'm talking about. Question  ..  why are the two sets not joined and how is the gap to be bridged.  

Jeff, there is no gap. I took two more pictures that hopefully will show it better. If not, then keep trying.



The L-shaped table is 7" higher than the rest of the layout. The train must climb that height to get up there.



Did that help?

Wayne

 What a plonker I am  :exclam:exclam I could see the end grain of the bracing and "saw" a gap between the two tables instead of a height difference  :roll::roll:

Now looking at the earlier photos it's obvious. Thanks Wayne, that one has had me scratching my head for days thud

No problem Jeff, just blame it on 2D pictures!

Wayne

Jeff, don't worry - I too thought that there was a gap & that it would be filled with a lift up. With the re-angled photo, it is now all clear & no longer am I confused ( or a plonker - using your word).

Now that gradient would be a perfect excuse for a fantastic multi-arched viaduct :exclam

[user=95]Sol[/user] wrote:

Now that gradient would be a perfect excuse for a fantastic multi-arched viaduct

:hmm   :hmm   :hmm

Wayne   :doublethumb

I was also thinking like Jeff was regards the L shape layout and the other one , now you have shown a pic to better explain it makes sense now.

What a lovely blank canvass you have.

Phill

[user=22]Wayne Williams[/user] wrote:

Tim,
You ask, How do I keep it so tidy? Well there's a very simple answer to that, one I'm quite sure you'll understand, it's ………..SHMBO………nuff said!

I would even dare think such a thing, Wayne.  :shock::shock::shock::shock:  I know my place in life :???:

Wayne

I was a little confused with the layout of the baseboards, I thought that you were having a gap between them, this being were a  multi-arched viaduct would have gone. But it all falls into place now, sorry.

With the game of golf out of the the way, we can look forward to seeing the inclines put into place. :Happy

Alan,
If all goes well, this afternoon, I will go over to the train store, and hopefully the inclines will have arrived. So you can bet your booty, I'll be back home and rarin' to go.
While I do have a layout drawing to follow, there will be some serious thinking going on as to the heights involved for those inclines. So if you smell something burning over there, don't worry, it's just my brain!

Wayne

I'm sure we all know how well laid plans seem to go astray. Well the inclines did not show up, may not even show up this week. :twisted: So I had to make the best of it and decided to begin laying out the track design.

I am disappointed in all of you for not warning me about how difficult it is to layout the track. It is fun though! I think I have made it more difficult than it really needed to be. I decided to lay out all the curves using a "Cubic Spiral". While it takes four times as long as a true radius, it does look so much better. Hopefully it will function better also. Only time will tell in that regard.

The outside track in this picture actually has a flat spot in the center at the top of the arc. I used a 24" radius and still had a 5" flat spot. I'm not sure I like the looks of it, but I think that when the actual track gets installed I can soften it up a bit.


It is difficult to take pictures of this, I had to stand on a ladder with the camera almost touching the ceiling to get these.


It took me most of the afternoon to get this far, so I guess it will be a while before any actual track goes down!


Slow going but it sure is fun! I'm actually doing something on the layout! :Happy :Happy:Happy :Happy

Wayne

A bold start, Wayne.  Please remind me - what is a "cubic spiral?"  :roll:

Good work, wayne :exclam  You are now in the middle of my favorite part of the prepairation. If I could design and draw the track layout, get someone to lay the track and wire it, then get on with the scenery, I'd be in seventh heaven. I'd also be building a layout every 18 months, just for the fun of it.

I've cheated this time, using set track curves (2nd and 3rd radius) to get my curves right, a i yard straightedge for the straights and turnout templates to draw in the branching lines. I still needed to resort to an old fashioned string line and pencil in places though :exclam:exclam