Okay, another question for you more experienced folks. Before I lay everything out for the Upper Extension, do you think that it would work better witha run-around up there or a single switch spur for a mine? It will only need to be long enough for 3-4 ore cars.
Loads downhill probably need to have the locomotive in front of them so if you are only going to have one spur make sure it's a "facing-point" arrangement. That means you would push the empties uphill which seems at least somewhat plausible to me. A digression: That it is a lot harder to go downhill than uphill was something I witnessed first hand at the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad, in the mountains north of Santa Cruz, California. When you are "Engineer for a Day"-- a package that was once available from them-- you only piloted the train going up the mountain, not back down. Leave that to the professionals!
Quick update. After the nasty cold snap here [Arkansas rarely sees single digit temps] with the layout on an enclosed back porch, I went out today to see how it had been affected. It was cool but the windows were helping with ambient heat. My new engine [a Spectrum 2-8-0] took right off and the trackage was all still operating properly. Gonna pick up another sheet of insulation foam next week to build the Fox Mesa extension along the rear. Also, ordered the Atlas switches for the roundhouse area. Also decided that the East edge will have the town area, while the lower section will be more of the "rail" area for servicing the locos and yard area.
NW Ark gets darned cold when it wants to, even now. 40 years ago it did it regularly. -28F (real temp, not windchill) was as cold as I ever saw it. Man, we went through some serious amounts of firewood back then at my grandparents' house, built in 1948 with a massive stone fireplace in the center of the house. The small bedroom right behind the fireplace was the best place to be on cold winter nights!
Well finally back out working on the layout. Still trying to figure out the details on the liftout access for the rear two tracks, but I think I have it worked out. Unless, I don't do the liftout and leave the rear open. This is simplest and I have had NO derailments on either of those two stretches. But I am a firm believer that Murphy was an optimist and if I do have a failure. it would mean dragging the entire layout out from the wall. But I still have time to decide which to do. I will be picking up another sheet of 1" foam insulation later this week to help with my decision. I did however, get the final clearances worked out for the West End Tunnel Entrances and if my measurements are correct, the East End is figured out as well. I am just a bit concerned that it might not be enough for my tallest cars. What would you guys say is the tallest car on your layouts?
The tallest railcars I have are double-stack container well cars. Besides that, maybe a triple-deck auto-hauler?
I should note that my double-stack container well cars are from Kato, so I'd bet they made sure they'd run on ground-level Unitrack, under standard Unitrack viaducts on their tallest (2"?) piers. Some folks have had to add spacers under their piers, for the bridges/viaduct to clear tall railcars.
There is only one I am concerned over, the rest are already good. But.....that one will see an occasional domed passenger car [hopefully].
Okay....another question for your input. As the layout sits right now I can run all of my G&D and most of my "transiting" railroad stuff without trouble due to car height. The only stuff that I could not run would be domed passenger cars. Quite honestly, those domed trains could easily be relegated to train show use. This would allow me to speed up construction and simplify the lift out that must be built. Pros and cons? Your advice has been immensely helpful to me, thank you all.
I would have no problem running dome cars only at shows. That’s a small price to pay to not have to rebuild your layout.
How far off is the clearance on the dome cars? Would it be possible to use slightly smaller diameter wheel sets to gain clearance needed?
Between 1/4" and 3/8", it would require a serious revamp of a great deal of supports right where the greatest strength is needed.
Well more supports glued in place and drying tonight. I think I have the lift out support section figured out. Once dry I will test fit the foam layer that will be the lower part with the lip to hold the lift out section. The forward part will be fixed, where the Unitrack run around and spur will sit, so they won't be moved if I have to lift off the rear access part. I think that by actually gluing the buildings there to the liftout section, I can use them as "handles" if I do need to lift it out. Does that make sense?
Well, I have gotten the entrances to the rear covered area figured out. The NE corner Upper entry had to be cut seriously back, so there will be no tall cars on the layout, but it is now running smoothly. I can begin planning for the liftout as the support layer is in. Another sheet of 1/2" foam will be needed, first for making the liftout piece as one piece, and then the remainder will see use for more scenery. With any luck, the link below will take you to a video of the train making laps on the layout. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...&key=UUx4YkNkM0kxUVdoSDljbnBvR2VPQWx0SmZUMTdR
