Greetings all. It's time to get serious about a portable layout I've envisioned for sometime. This thread will share some photos of trackwork, benchwork, and scenery needed to construct Atlas' Granite Gorge & Northern as modified by John Armstrong in his book "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" (page 85). The layout itself was originally designed for a minimum space of 5'x9' in HO scale. I'm going to construct it in Z scale using a surface space of 46.5" x 28.5". It will use code 55 hand laid turnouts built from scaled down Fast Track pdf templates (reduced 73% from N scale) and those wonderful Humpyard Purveyance manual turnout controls I've had sitting in storage for many years (no I don't have extras available to sell you ) With 2 reversing sections, DCC is the wise choice here. The challenge of this little layout will be to see how many trains one can keep moving at all times. To start, I'm beginning with this section of trackwork, a junction of four #4.5 turnouts. I wanted #6 turnouts minimum throughout because I intend to run Super Chief passenger equipment, but due to space constraints, the #4.5 were my only option for this junction if I wanted to keep a 8.5" minimum radius on the adjacent trackage. The rest of the layout uses #6 turnouts. XTrackCAD was used for the design. Note: additional spurs have not been ruled out, but I haven't yet decided how mountainous my terrain will be. Off we go. Photos are: track plan, point form tool, junction, milled points/stock rails
That's a good project. I used some of these to help me keep handlaid Z Scale track in gauge: All the supplies I used: The MTL Coupler Height Gauge used as a rail gauge for code 55 rails:
Thanks for those photos, that's a great set up. I have those MTL gauges too, but with the purchase of the #4.5 pointform tool I also ordered these 3 point gauges which I'd never seen before in Z scale. These are for code 55 rail but they make them for code 40 as well: I'll let you know how they work out. And more progress - guard rails and hinged points:
Why scale down N scale templates when FT provides them for Z scale? https://handlaidtrack.com/wp-content/uploads/tt-z-t-6.pdf?v=7516fd43adaa Either way it seems like you have a handle on it!
Yes you're correct. If memory serves, I think I was scaling down specifically to use their curved #6 of which I have four. For some reason those are not available in Z and I really needed them to make it all work.
Where did you those 3-point jigs? If you want to make a Wye, you use CAD to flip and paste, then ‘clean up’. Have used Proto87’s stuff (https://www.proto87.com/). Especially if you don’t want to use a rail joiner, you can use the MJB40-1 https://www.proto87.com/N_scale_turnouts_and_track.html The Atlas 2814 Z joiner is nicely short but still thick. Only Marklin’s joiners are thin).
Never mind, i found it on the site. (Some things in life are easy . . . Some are not) I’ll add that i use the Single axle Marklin flat cars to test gauging and fouling. You can easily pull-push against the points, frog and guard/wing rails. The ‘feedback’ is MUCH better than 2 axle truck. A 3 axle trucks works better than a 2 axle truck too.
I've tried using those Proto87s before with code 55 on previous turnouts, they look great but just seemed to have a little too much play for me. Those Atlas joiners have been trimmed down close to 1/8". They are a bit chunky still. I'll get some Marklin's and give those a go.
Some more photos to share with a some notes. Everything was built using .015 62/36/2 silver solder and Radio Shack rosin flux solder. I cut down and flattened the Atlas joiners I had because I couldn't wait for the Marklin's to arrive. I also used N scale PC boards for the throwbar for some additional width. The post 1969 NMRA gauge seemed a little tight based on the natural guard rail placement. I laid them snug against the stock rails and the wheels still seemed to pick the frog points ever so slightly, so I filed them more and widened the spread a bit and that did the trick. Maybe this would not be necessary with code 40. Because I was building four turnouts interconnected I chose to start in the middle and work outwards to minimize any discrepancy with my template. Z is tough to solder! I am primarily an N scaler with a decent amount of soldering experience but Z is a different animal as the PC board copper is much more sensitive and can separate easily if you apply too much heat. The FT 3 point gauges worked out just fine. Everything was scrubbed with a fiber scratch pen and mineral spirits, and it worked out very well. I learned quite a bit here and put a nice dent into the 12 turnouts I'm going to need.
Just hopped on board for a minute been busy this summer but wow! That is really great work! And I’ll add the way they are aligned is cool!
Thanks for the kind words everyone! Matt, that is a very safe and secure way that I like to use to cut isolation gaps for the frogs. The two 1x4s clamped together hold the turnout firmly and the slot is used to access the rail which you are cutting.
Update I managed to completed 4 additional turnouts. One was a straight #6 which I decided to salvage (it was my very first attempt in soldering in Z scale). After a little TLC I reworked it a bit and decided it's still useable, warts and all. Mostly the copper peeled loose from too much heat exposure so I just cut it back on 3 separate ties: By the time I got to my last curved #6 of this batch I noticed my solder joints were needing much less filing to flatten out the excess. In N scale I braid but in Z scale I find that filing gives a better result. Additionally I did some specification research and some conversions to better understand exactly what I have for trackwork. The Rokuhan Z scale #6 curved turnout I used in XTrackCad matches exactly the Fast Track N scale #6-11"-16" curved turnout (reduced 73% it converts to #6-8"-11.7"). I printed out a 1/1 section and they match perfectly. I also added one spur on the left side giving me 3 total industry locations, which I am fine with. No large yard needed as this is a portable layout. Every turnout in the sketch now has a corresponding radius marked with an "r", including the straight ones. Completed turnout to date are marked green, incomplete marked red.
I've started working on the 42° crossing today. Not saving this beast for last, nooo thank you. Rather than clog up this thread with all the photos for this build, I'll just pick a handful, and you can link to the full album here: https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?media/albums/42°-crossing-z-scale-code-55.3587/ Lots of precise angles to cut, but I think this little jig might get things close enough. For the obtuse angle (open) I was able to use rail cutters and clean it up with a file. For the acute angle (closed) I needed a Dremel cut off disc, and it was clean and fast. When clamping everything for cutting, it helped to align and square everything with the ruler markings on my cutting mat.
