HINTS AND TIPS - THE FOLLOW ON
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Layout Owners Model Railway Operating Guides Pt1
Adapted from the NMRA web site by Cliff Robinson. Keith Gutteriez, David Barrow and Richard Kamm
1 - Command Control is Ideally Required
Regardless of the trackplan, you should have a command control system; brand is not important as long as it works. One of the key causes of new operator dissatisfaction is having to remember all of the secret switches, blocks, methods, procedures and policies governing the operation of their locomotive. The most effective system is transparent to the operator and requires no sermons on how to use.
2 - Motive Power Must Run Smoothly Equip your operating fleet with the best running locomotives and place all others on the repair bench for repair or rebuilding. This should be done even if the operating fleet may be prototypically incorrect. A highly detailed, prototypically correct, but poorly running locomotive frustrates the best operator. Do not continue to use a locomotive in need of repair. Advise operators how to determine locomotives in need of repair or just wheel cleaning.
3 - Less Than 2 Derailments Per 100 Wagons Moved Excluding operator errors, the mechanical condition of trackwork, rolling stock and locomotives should result in less than two derailments for every 100 wagons moved.
4 - Insure Operator’s Comfort The most enjoyable sessions take place in a climate controlled room which has adequate heating and cooling. Climate control assists in meeting directive number 3 since layout expansion and contraction is less. Floors should be ideally be carpeted and there should be strategically placed stools for tired operators. Layout height should be comfortable and of an average height.
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Modular Shelving Support Systems as a Layout base
From Charles Beckman (Nevada)
I am a firm believer in using the modular shelving support systems which mount slotted steel channel vertically on 16" centers, with shelf brackets that hammer into the slots. The upper level is supported from the back, there are no aisle-edge view blocks and the resulting framework is more than adequately strong to support anything short of 1" scale live steam.
At present I am building a layout with several levels, all supported in the aforementioned manner. I have drilled the shelf brackets and screwed them to 1" by 2" horizontal joists, bringing the plywood sub-roadbed down to the tops of the brackets. Total upper level thickness, including 3/8" subroadbed, is less than 3" for a 24" wide shelf, and there is space for lower-level lighting (cheap miniature Christmas Tree bulbs) and all the upper-level wiring needed. A fascia of hardboard can be shaped vertically to match the scenery and bends easily for curved edges.
This system will probably NOT work for a peninsula unless there is a view block down the center that is both vertical and sufficiently strong to handle the twisting effect of the shelf bracket system. Of course, if the two sides of the peninsula allow a T-shaped upper deck, the twisting effects of the two sides will largely cancel each other out. (In my case, my peninsula has a non-structural stud wall somewhat off center. I can chin myself on a shelf bracket without generating any visible stress.)
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The Layout Environment Pt 5 – Dealing with excessive heat Pt 1
From Jim Campbell,
A modeler in mremag explained how the temperature rose in his shut-up 'parlour' on a hot day and how the brick work was radiating heat just like a storage heater. Well, that is exactly what it had become. Although he had insulated the roof and floor, there was no mention of the walls.
There are two problems here. The one that modeller referred to in how to protect the track but the first problem has to be to reduce the temperature within the room. In that way the track expansion becomes less and easier to deal with. Always start by treating the cause and not the symptom.
The first approach should be to reduce the heat gain to the space and to do that I would recommend insulating the walls. Timber battens would create a small air space and then insulation board of some kind. The brick wall will still heat up but its effect on the room would be greatly reduced with heat gain slowed down and reduced. There would be the added benefit of lower heating bills in winter.
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Layout Owners Model Railway Operating Guides Pt 2
Adapted from the NMRA web site by Cliff Robinson. Keith Gutteriez, David Barrow and Richard Kamm
5 - Aisles Must Accommodate Operators
Operators come in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Aisles should be wide enough to allow operators room to pass. Narrow aisles require careful scheduling to prevent boxing-in an operator. Back-to-back operating stations or positions must be avoided and adjacent positions must allow adequate elbow room.
6 - Point Controls Easy to Understand Fixed operating positions, such as yards, should be equipped with standard control panels. Layouts designed for walkaround control should use simple point controls mounted on the fascia panel directly below the turnout. Switches must be easy to throw and provide positive indication of point direction. A direction convention such as "up=reversed" and "down=normal" must be adopted and consistently applied.
7 - Track Must Be Easy to Reach Cars occasionally and quite mysteriously jump off the track. Rerailing is much easier if the operator can reach the track without ladders, stools or a sky hook. Avoid hidden staging tracks since chances are 50-50 there will be a problem when entering or leaving. And finally, the probability of having a derailment is directly proportional to the degree of "reach" difficulty.
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The Layout Environment No 6 – Dealing with excessive heat Pt 2
From Jim Campbell,
The next step to consider is reducing the temperature in the space. To do this I would fit a fan in much the same way as I suggested to deal with humidity but in this case control the fan from a thermostat. I would not necessarily run the fan during the heat of the day as to do so would only be to draw hot air into the space. No, run the fan as the outside air temperature drops below that that has developed internally.
The fan will now have a cooling effect. It may be beneficial to run the fan for an extended period through the night, reducing the air temperature to say 15 degrees C. This draws heat out of the building fabric which then takes longer to heat up the next day (a technique known as night purging and becoming very common in commercial buildings in this sustainable age to reduce loads on air-conditioning systems). Incidentally, if insulating the walls is not an option then this use of a fan will be even more beneficial.
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Layout Owners Model Railway Operating Guides Pt 3
Adapted from the NMRA web site by Cliff Robinson. Keith Gutteriez, David Barrow and Richard Kamm
8 - A Communication System Must Be Provided
On larger layouts, telephones or radio should be used to insure proper and timely transmittal of train orders without distracting other operators. Guidelines for using radios must be understood and followed to avoid interference.
9 - Switch Lists and Spots Must Be Readable The simplest switch list is usually the easiest to understand and use. Always specify pickups first to make room for setouts. List towns in order of arrival. List cars alphabetically. Intra-town car moves should be uniquely marked to avoid accidental removal. Identification of all industry spots must be unambiguous and easy to see.
10 - Limit Visitors and Trainees Limit the number of first time operators (Trainees) during normal operating sessions. Best case is when a regular operator shadows a trainee during an entire session, explaining things as needed. Trainees should be allowed to make errors without fear of embarrassment. Visitors should be discouraged from coming during operating sessions.
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Waterfalls and Rushing Water
From Dave Johnson (Pennsylvania)
Here is an alternative for water falls and rushing water. Purchase a tube of clear silicone, and some waxed paper. Spread a thin layer on the waxed paper with your finger. Spread it in lines going the same direction. Make it longer and wider than the area of the falls. After it dries, use scissors to cut to fit. You can use the same silicone to glue it in place.
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Alternative to Venetian Blind slats used as roofing Pt 1
By Gary Flack (New South Wales)
Here is another source of Free roofing that you might want to consider. I purchased some time ago some white metal cattle wagons that had the Venetian Blind slat provided for the roof. The only problem was that when I tried to fit the roof they where 2/3mm short.
After some thought and while I was throwing some plastic soft drink bottles in the bin, it occurred to me that these were curved and whilst not the exact curve would be able to be fitted and held with glue.
They have been in place now for a few years without any sign of bowing.
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Alternative to Venetian Blind slats used as roofing Pt 2
From James Brook (New South Wales)
I often use cans for four wheel wagons as the curve is usually just about right, but they tend to be too short for most bogie vans.
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Ballasting around Points
From Several Modellers
I use very little ballast under and around turnouts. Especially around the points and guard rails. Paint the sub road bed the same color as the ballast and use very little ballast and you will have good results. It take a little practice to be able to put the right amount of ballast down. It is easier to add than to take away too much.
I squirt a small amount of oil around and under the throw bar between the head block ties to keep any glue from sticking things together. Use the labelle with the little needle to feed the oil in just where you want it. Make sure the oil you use is compatible with plastics.
With using a ballast coloured paint, you can now get textured paint that looks even closer to ballast. Just check to make sure the texture doesn't make the throwbar drag, can be sanded down just under the throwbar. Also, with any painting, if you have any foam on your layout, be sure the paint is friendly to your baseboard material (take a small piece an try it) or just use a latex paint as an undercoat.
One thing I did while ballasting my diorama was to work the points while everything was drying. This helped me spot a few places where it would have snagged and let me clean them out while it was still wet. Oil or Vaseline will prevent the gluing of the throw bar.
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Backdrops using Trainz
From Trevor Gibbs
A few years ago now as you read this, I made a backdrop by using the Buildings in Auran trainz and taking screen shots of them, and pasting them to Paint or Gimp. The picture is then printed and pasted on to foam core board, the edges of which are painted a grey or black colour. Rather than make my layout fit the backdrop, I can make my backdrop fit my layout by printing out as close as I can to what I want or envisage.
When you do the screen dumps onto the Auran "baseboard" put some scenic green underneath it and rotate your building and or your view so that you get the full "sunny side" … which in the case of you in the Northern Hemisphere is the South aspect of Trainz compass.
The pictures are printed on sticker A4 size paper then cut out and applied… and it is fun!
Last edit: by xdford
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Avoiding Scenic Damage
From Mike Slater (Wisonsin)
Something I learned at the Hobby Shop I work at. When we re did the store display layout about ten years ago we started making roads out of plaster. The roads has bass wood strips on the side for forms. When I got on top of the layout the roads started to pop off of the plywood and crack. What was need was a strengthener in the plaster.
I stapled Woodland Scenic's plaster cloth to the plywood between my forms, sprayed them with water to activate the plaster, then pour the plaster between the forms. To this date I can get on top of the layout and have no damage to the roadways.
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Testing your Track Work Pt 1
From Adam Crolley
If I can give just one piece of advice to anyone. TEST ALL your track work before proceeding to ballast and scenery. I just replaced a point that I had put in place 2 years ago. It had always acted a little "funny" but I was only running engines and 1 or 2 cars. When I running full trains 6-10 cars and traffic increased, I suddenly got a large number of derailments. Turns out the point was defective. I tried to hurry things along, so please heed my mistake!
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Accommodating and planning for a Helix
From Charles Beckman (Nevada)
Take a machinists try square and stand it next to your tallest piece of rolling stock (on a piece of flex track on a flat surface.) Make sure you are measuring the tallest point - which may be an extended pantograph if you model heavy electrics.
Whatever measurement you make is your MINIMUM required clearance. Go from there. Now, be aware that the decision you make will limit you to that clearance figure forevermore. If you do not run North American or Australian style double stacks, triple auto racks and loaded Schnabel cars now, you will not be able to run them up the helix in the future - so plan accordingly.
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Testing your Trackwork Pt 2
From David Martin (New Jersey)
Nothing is more important in model railroading than track work. Check and recheck and check again all points, frogs, and joints. Solder all joints - using the splice plates - and provide feeder drops every couple of metres. Use a track gauge along the entire length, and when laying flex track, use a flex track alignment gauge.
Every extra minute you spend on checking track before mounting, painting, and ballasting will save you hours of needless suffering.
And finally, do NOT buy cheap sets of points! Pay the extra and buy top quality; Peco is great stuff and not all that much more than the junk. (And the difference is cheaper than hair replacement therapy!)
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Making your Curves Superelevated, before or afterwards
From Charles Beckman (Nevada)
The method of achieving superelevation is best is somewhat dependent on how your track was originally laid. If the track is simply laid on a flat surface, with or without cork or other roadbed, it is probably easiest to shim under the outer rail. Do not overdo it - in OO or HO, one millimeter is plenty - and do taper the entrance and exit over at least two carriage lengths. If the track is laid on a narrow cookie-cut subgrade elevated on risers in the classic L-girder configuration, it is possible to twist the subgrade and avoid the shims.
If you have decided to go whole way and incorporate spiral easements, the superelevation begins at the point where the easement meets straight track (the actual point of tangency) and reaches maximum where the easement becomes a fixed-radius circle (the actual point of curvature.) This is true no matter which method of superelevation you adopt. It is also true regardless of the brand of track or code of rail.
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Backdrops and “High Skyâ€
From Robert Hahn
For my around the room layout, I chose a sequential set of background pictures that were appropriate for my distant hills, farming, and seaside settings. The tops of the sequential photos are matching sky blue, (with gradual variations). I matched the blue from the printed backdrop electronically at the paint store and painted the plywood above where the paper scenes would be located.
To make it unique I then used a glue stick to attach sets photos of my preferred buildings to the painted backdrop. The photos went on smoothly, and could be realigned if necessary.
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What do we mean by Prototype?
From Charles Beckman (Nevada)
The prototype is the original - which, in model railroading, usually means the 1:1 scale 'thing,' whatever it may be. (Is there a prototype for that privy?) We may choose to try to reproduce it EXACTLY, down to proper placement of every rust spot and dirt speck. (Doing so makes you a "precisionist". Rivet counters insist on counting OTHER PEOPLE's rivets!)
On the other hand, we may be content to reproduce the image of seeing the prototype from a reasonable real-world distance also known as the three foot rule which depending on your scale between about 130 scale feet for 7mm O scale up to nearly 500 feet for US based N scale. This is much quicker and simpler than absolute precision.
Whether or not it is as good, better or worse is a matter of individual judgement, not open to debate or discussion, different for each individual. The extension of, "Prototype," to encompass such things as appropriate rolling stock rosters and operating procedures is an accepted practice, though not recognized by most dictionaries. It all comes down to each individual's perception.
Given the number one rule ( that it is YOUR Layout, those who choose knowingly to put the entire matter on disregard have a position just as valid as that of the individual who has modeled Upper Noketry right down to the last blade of rye grass and chunk of ballast.
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Magnetic Uncoupling of Bachmann Couplers
From Brian Kirby (London UK)
About fifteen years ago, I was delighted when Bachmann brought out their range of Blue Riband couplings with their various mountings, prior to this my standard coupling was the narrow Airfix type, which was a similar size. The trouble was, they still needed those hideously ugly "uncoupling ramps", which looked awful and would hinder locos like the Bachmann 03/04. A few months later i came up with this solution. The operation relies on the "tension-lock" principle to stay coupled over the magnets.
I attached modified steel staple clips (as found in their thousands on packaging) to the coupling droppers and bent to about 120 degrees pointing upwards. When over the pairs of magnets (hidden under the track about an inch apart), they pull down, causing the coupling heads to lift clear. To re-couple, the couplings are pushed away from the magnets and the couplings re-engage.
The Pairs of Magnets come from Kitchen cabinet magnet catches and are buried under the track but are quite strong enough for this purpose.
This works best on Bachmann Blue Riband or "narrow" types, since the hooks are non-ferrous. Other tension-locks, including the new Dapol and Heljan "lookalikes", have steel hooks, which could become magnetised and stick together.
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