Time will tell. LOL Naw, I should make a predicition. Guessing, based on experience you could be in one pile of heaping $#!+. No joke. Do I dare say we both need to find a way to minimize the temperature variance for our railroad homes. My mobile home can get extremely hot and cold without the aid of fans, AC and centrail air for heating. Do I dare mention, some additional insulation. Now let's talk about my toaster oven, the train shed. Not to worry, almost home with the toaster oven. Going to miss the way it warms up my cinammon rolls. Track? I'd rather have the cork roadbed and Atlas Flex track installed according to my Rick approved CYA procedure. I've watched the Kato track and switches do some narrly stuff. Then, and then. Get this! With my railroad having passed inspection and the main line back up and running. All good news. Having had more trouble then I asked for. What happens? My prize locomotive throws a shoe. Don't get me started. However, like others it will be BFS to the rescue. No more of those confounded, GD *%&$(*^*%^$$##&*&^v forsaken, idiotic TT's for me. I have no idea why in 2012 we are still operating with those dreaded TT's. They are a pain in the @$$ to fix and nothing but a nuisance. A poor man's excuse for a good running locomotive. And I don't need to listen to anyone's nonsensical rational for such. Bunch of idelistic MR's (Model Railroaders...what did you think I met?). If I mean or meant morons, I'll write morons. Sorry, I've just about had it with the whole idea. What model railroad? Who's? Mine? You might want to get in line ahead of the others as I may just literally and very deliberatly, liquidate everything I've got. No, don't get in a hurry. Easy now! Gosh there's a line out my door as I write, with so called MR's and their hands out........ Yep, they are wanting a hand out. What? I thought they were all in church hitting the Pastors up for...whatever! Do I put off some sort of odor along with the neon light on my fore head that says "Sucker"????? Give me a chance here. I've been known to change my mind. Food or clothing I'd gladly give them. My pantry is always open to those who need it. I wonder, the layout would make for a good scratching post for homeless cats. Sigh! Now, now.....may be the time to wire in the C4. Oh, I'll get over it.
I've been working on the railroad All the livelong day I've been working on the railroad Just to pass the time away... Easy my friend...step back from the shed. Have a cold one...watch some TV. The problems will still be there tomorrow...but sometimes ya can think better for a solution if ya aint starin right at the problem....cussin @ it !!!! ;-) JMHO...YMMV
I ain't done cussin. But, I tell you what I need to do it on my own thread and not hi-jack yours. Sorry about that.
Another one of those &$(%&_^*&^$^##^) moments with Unitrack !!! LOL. I put in all THE Lucky Penny Yard track. The second line off both mains had a small gap. You can see the second line with the same gap at the top of the pic !! I checked Kato's page. The smallest piece of track they make is 1 1/8 inch. These gaps are both 5/8 of an inch !! I finally grabbed an old Atlas flex track and pulled out the rail and snipped it to length. I slipped all the Unitrack connectors on all 4 pieces and got them slid in place ok. Just seems odd...no matter what combinations of length pieces of Unitrack I used on these 2 lines...it still came up 5/8 inches short...hmmmmmmmm
"Lucky Penny Yard" ( The pic is a bit deceiving...the shortest track length...the one on the outside...is 66 inches... When we gutted THE RV the only cash we found was a single penny under one of the beds...heads up...LOL. THE Wife thought "Lucky Penny Yard" would make a good name instead of just "THE Yard". Gotta keep THE CFO happy ya know ;-)
Check back in the archives. Mike Fifer showed how to cut sections out of Unitrack, to make custom lengths and preserve the unijoiners on each end. Also, I have found that you can stack some of the 030 track 64mm to add small fractions, or also use some combos of the two smallest sizes. Worst comes to worst, there is also the expandable section
Yuppers...got that page of Fifers bookmarked The only problem...the plastic needs to be cut just behind the cross web underneath. I tried it twice...and the pieces where so small at the web...they just snapped. I am thinking of taking the busted 'outside' pieces and just sliding them in from the outside and glueing them in the gap...just before ballast goes in ;-)
You can cut the nubbins off and attach the two pieces of Unitrack just like you would Atlas, flex or sectional track. I will cut a section of Unitrack down to fit, install rail joiners a little CA and I'm good to go. I do it all the time. Of course that's the first place...oh, I've hollered about that enough. Need a hump yard I can tell you how to set one up...not LSL (laughing so loud). I do like the way the penney yard is turning out. I want one.
Thnxs Rick... I may give that a try too. IF I can find that box that has all them old regular track joiners in it...LMAO !!
Hi George. Did some homework for you using info from Kato's website and your info on the gap (5/8 inch 15.875 mm). I calculated on the 4 longest straight lengths. [TABLE="class: grid, width: 600"] [TR] [TD]Replace [/TD] [TD]With [/TD] [TD]Need about[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]64 mm[/TD] [TD]1-Adjustable[/TD] [TD]79.875 mm[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]124 mm[/TD] [TD]1-45.5 mm + 1-Adjustable[/TD] [TD]139.875 mm[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]186 mm[/TD] [TD]2-Adjustable or 1-64 mm + 1-45.5 mm + 1-Adjustable[/TD] [TD]201.875 mm[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]248 mm[/TD] [TD]1-124 mm + 1-45.5 mm + 1-Adjustable[/TD] [TD]263.875 mm[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] The Adjustable's range is 78 - 108 mm Gary
Take a longer piece, and cut that down, replacing a couple sections, rather than trying to make just a small piece. Another idea is also to think "outside the box", or in this case the yard. What you can do is shorten one of the tracks leading into the beginning of the yard (one end only), which then lengthens the yard by the (approx) half inch. You would need to adjust all the yard tracks, and I can't tell from your overview shots exactly where your gap(s) are. Could you create a schematic layout of the yard, showing which track sections you are using? I could see if I can come up with non-surgical solutions. I have found that using combinations of the 29mm, 47mm, 60mm, 62mm and 64mm pieces, I have always been able to solve an issue (though it took time for two of them). Besides my bridge, I only have one expandable track on the layout, and I did that on purpose (did have it solved with smaller track), and the only surgical track I did using Mike's technique was for my trestle.
Caution: Construction Zone !! I wired the first sets of terminal blocks in for the feeders yesterday. I wired in feeder tracks that I got in a lot purchase of Unitrack months ago. So one area of the layout...before and after the double xover leading thru Lucky Penny Yard is done. The Unitrack feeder tracks didnt have the wires so I had to open them up and hardwire the drop feeds. Its a good thing I am using termnal blocks. I found I wired one feeder track backwards and simply swapped the wires at the block (you can see the red and black wire swap in the pic) and everything is fine One drop down panel down...about 20 to go ! Note to Self: Go online and find the 12 position barrier terminal blocks (CHEAP)...8 position blocks from Radio Shack aint gonna cut it...LOL !!
Don't forget to put a note or something next to that panel on why there is one set of reversed colors! In case you ever have to disconnect and reconnect. Of course, since your track isn't fixed down yet, why not just turn that one feeder section around?
Yup ;-) Just wanted to make sure it was all goona work first...lol. Now that it does...I'll just flip that track AND ...of course the wiring.
Rick... Here is what I have: Starting after the dbl xover on the post above...I have: (1)...2 7/16 straight (1) #6 right turnout There are (10)...9 3/4 straights on the straight leg of the turnout thru on both mains to the other end. On the diverging leg of tyhe right turnout there are... (4)...#6 left turnouts up the diverging leg of the yard: Starting at first leg off main and connecting deverging routes of each turnout thru to turnout at other end: 1st turnout....(8)...9 3/4" and one 5" straight. 2nd turnout...(7) 9 3/4 straights and that odd 5/8" section. 3rd turnout...(5) 9 3/4 straights...(1) 1 1/8 piece and (1) 4 7/8...(didnt have a 6 inch straight left...lol) 4th turnout...(4) 9 3/4 and (1) 1 3/4 The outside is just a curve into straights. The other side of the yard is identical. Hope that makes sense...it did when I typed it :-S
George, Here's a quick AnyRail layout, following the description above (which doesn't quite match your photos). The part numbers are shown and the full yard uses this parts list: Track & Objects 20000, N Kato Unitrack 20000. Straight 248mm. 48 20010, N Kato Unitrack 20010. Straight 186mm. 6 20030, N Kato Unitrack 20030. Straight 64mm. 34 20040, N Kato Unitrack 20040. Straight 62mm. 8 20091A, N Kato Unitrack 20091A(20-070). Straight 45.5mm. 8 20091B, N Kato Unitrack 20091B(20-071). Straight 29mm. 2 20150, N Kato Unitrack 20150. Curve radius 718mm, angle 15º 4 20202, N Kato Unitrack 20202. Left turnout 186mm. (remote) 10 20203, N Kato Unitrack 20203. Right turnout 186mm. (remote) 10 20210, N Kato Unitrack 20210. Double crossover 310mm. 15º 2
The only thing I see is...you only have 9 straights on the mains thru the yard...I have 10. I dont know how much difference that will make on the other yard lines...hmmmmmm
