Wanna see a long coal train running through Yard Extension? Start the video here! [video=youtube_share;p_C985wKdbA]http://youtu.be/p_C985wKdbA?t=4m35s[/video]
Great video, thanks for sharing. I noticed the locomotive headlight and ditch lights all flash together. I have a locomotive that does that too but still haven't figure out how to remove the flash. Any suggestions? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Looks good! By this pic it looks like you have been on a trip to the USA and did a little custom painting....
Hello Mikael, all turnouts are #7 (so far). At our latest meeting in Waldenburg I decided to extend Manaukee (former Yard Extension) with two 80 cm (31,5") long segments. The total length will then be 4,8m or 16ft. The first extension will be put in right from the engine shed, so the lead track will became significantly longer. The second segment will extend all tracks right of the yard ladder. For more flexibility in operation the first additional segment will get a crossover from the maintrack to the yardlead. On the eastern segment, I will connect the main with the storage track. Since the main track is about 2mm (1/12 ") higher than the other tracks, I will use #10 turnouts to get a sufficient vertical transition curve.
Now I have detail planning issue with the two segments for extending the yard: since the mainline in Manaukee ist about 0.08'' higher than the yard tracks, I have to conquer this hight difference in a little bit more than 3'' (the green straights between the red turnouts). Because I had my doubts about this I built a "test installation" today. Look at this short video, especially have a close look at the couplers between the locomotive and the woodchip gondola and also on the fuel tank of the SD7: In the reality of our FREMO operating sessions even longer rolling stock and locomotives will climb these ramps, so I think I would get a lot of problems with train breakups because of the relative vertical movement between the couplers or with fuel tanks hitting the grund i.e. the railheads. So my solution will be that I cut the ramps in two parts by shimming the turnouts on the sidings about 0.04''. The result will be a little "hump" in the lead track and the siding. My question: do you think that this would be prototypical? Does anyone of you have a photo of a similar prototype situation?
Nice looking yard extension and overall modules berNd! Question, sorry if I missed this earlier, but what are you using for the Wheel stops in this photo?
WOW! That's a great mini-yard!! Love the detail and track weathering. Gonna have that at the Pleasanton show?
BerNd - Prototype yards out here can have some sharp drops such as you had in your video. I don't have a photo, but the old elevator here on the Sidney branch has a drop of about 4 feet in three locomotive lengths, or 200 feet. That works out to around 2%. It looks a lot steeper when they are using it. So, it wouldn't be too far fetched to be plausible and realistic.
As already identified the Hayes wheel stops are the metal castings from Tomar. Pleasanton show: I'd like to participate. Does your teleporter work to get me and some of my modules to California ? The real problem is not the grade but the short distance between the top and the bottom of the grade. Think about rolling stock with a big distance between the middle of the truck and the coupler, for example six axle locos and passenger cars. The coupler just starts to rise or fall when the truck reaches the grade. At the extreme you would have the situation that one piece of rolling stock is horizontal on the lower level and the other on the upper level and the middle of the couplers are seperated 0.08'' vertically. Then add the tolerances of real coupler hight. Train seperation will not be avoidable. BTW: in Model Railroad Planning 2016 was an interesting article about vertical curves. The recommendation for the radius of 40 times the length of the longest piece of rolling will result in intersecting circles in my situation...
The module kits arrived last Friday, so the extension of the former Yard Extension will begin. And I will have the possibility to put the whole thing in my apartment albeit with small restrictions for daily life ;-)
Looking very cool. I spent some time last night reading up on fremo/americaN and watching your videos, it's a shame there's nothing like this in the UK. I'm a modular group but it's just for running trains for the public rather than for operating.
It looks to us on continental Europe that the UK is rather immune against the FREMO concept of modular railroading with realitic operation at non-public meetings. Really sad because I like british railroads. It would be great to see P4 or P2 groups at the FREMO.
I think it's because we don't have a history of operating model railways (rather displaying them), and I've never seen or heard of a British layout using car cards or similar. That could be because it's considered a more solitary hobby, usually in smaller spaces so there isn't really the scope to operate. Obviously FREMO is an answer to that, but you're fighting against the entrenched concept of 'this is how model railways are done'. Maybe one day!
@ Hemi: no, I´m not a carpenter. The module kits are made by Harald Brosch Some days ago I took my drill and jigsaw and prepared the side- and frontplates as well as the the stiffeners so I can now glue the parts together.
First test setup in my living room to check the alignment of the segments with the alignment dowels glued in place Here is the refined track scheme:
