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southsideiron
 Post subject: Testing the waters
PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:19 pm 
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Posts: 7
Location: Chicago
Hello everyone,

My name is Dan, and I just found the Fast Tracks site. After several years of inactivity, I'm considering jumping back into model railroading. Almost all of my spare $$ goes back into my business for tools and materials(I'm a mechanic with some machining skills). I have a Digitrax Zephyr DCC system, 10 DCC equipped locomotives, and about 100 freight cars. More than enough rolling stock to keep me busy. My intention is to get off the ground in HO scale, hone my skills, and move into O Scale traction (possibly), next year.

I dont want to use Atlas code 83 turnouts, as they havent proven reliable without a lot of tweaking, Shinohara (Walthers), and ME turnouts are beyond my budget. I'm not big on the cost of the ME bulk rail either. Time isnt the problem, keeping the cost of building 30 (RELIABLE) turnouts under $10 apiece is.

Fast Tracks has definitely left me feeling positive about jumping back into model RRing, we'll see how things pan out in the next few weeks...
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zztop
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:44 pm 
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Location: Utah
If it can be done easily in Z scale in HO these would certainly be your ticket. Here is a link to some Z scale work and also a picutre from one of our local Z club members turnouts he is working on for a module.

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=86158

📷 Image no longer available
Originally hosted at zcentralstation.com — the host went away before this archive was made.
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southsideiron
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:52 pm 
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Location: Chicago
zztop (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
If it can be done easily in Z scale in HO these would certainly be your ticket. Here is a link to some Z scale work and also a picutre from one of our local Z club members turnouts he is working on for a module.

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=86158

📷 Image no longer available
Originally hosted at zcentralstation.com — the host went away before this archive was made.


Pretty sweet! The one thing I've noticed is that all of the wood ties are bonded to the rails, but not the roadbed. Can you or someone explain that? I've always associated handlaying rail to driving spikes in homasote...
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zztop
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:14 am 
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Location: Utah
southsideiron (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):

Pretty sweet! The one thing I've noticed is that all of the wood ties are bonded to the rails, but not the roadbed. Can you or someone explain that? I've always associated handlaying rail to driving spikes in homasote...


It's just a matter of order and ease. You could bond the ties to the roadbed/homasote first but it's just much easier to bond then to the turnout fists and then bond it to the homosote. I know in real life it's not done this way but with tiny parts and big hands and fingers it's a convenience.
On the larger scales you could spike them, in fact I think somewhere on this site Tim or Russ has some photos of usings spikes to fasten the turnout down.

I found the link for warp speed to the photos
http://handlaidtrack.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14
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southsideiron
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:03 pm 
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Location: Chicago
zztop (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
...It's just a matter of order and ease. You could bond the ties to the roadbed/homasote first but it's just much easier to bond then to the turnout fists and then bond it to the homosote. I know in real life it's not done this way but with tiny parts and big hands and fingers it's a convenience.
On the larger scales you could spike them, in fact I think somewhere on this site Tim or Russ has some photos of usings spikes to fasten the turnout down.]


Its my understanding that traditional handlaying involves driving the spike through the tie and into the homasote subroadbed for strength. I've seen several pics here of a turnout laying on the workbench with not only the pc board ties, but wood ones mounted to the rail as well.

It's not my idea to handlay straights or curved track, but to handlay switches for a custom look and improved performance.
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zztop
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:12 pm 
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Location: Utah
southsideiron (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
It's not my idea to handlay straights or curved track, but to handlay switches for a custom look and improved performance.


Once these are finished with weathering etc they have the appearance of the real thing and performace is greatly inhanced due to the closer tolerances that can only be attained through hand built turnouts. As you watch the videos on this site that have been put together they walk you through why their turnouts run with little to no de-railment and because you can adjust and tweek the turnouts because you made them and understand the workings of the turnout more thoroughly. Once you have made one or two you will be amazed at how smooth the engines and rolling stock glide through the turnouts.
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southsideiron
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:06 pm 
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zztop (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
southsideiron (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
It's not my idea to handlay straights or curved track, but to handlay switches for a custom look and improved performance.


Once these are finished with weathering etc they have the appearance of the real thing and performace is greatly inhanced due to the closer tolerances that can only be attained through hand built turnouts. As you watch the videos on this site that have been put together they walk you through why their turnouts run with little to no de-railment and because you can adjust and tweek the turnouts because you made them and understand the workings of the turnout more thoroughly. Once you have made one or two you will be amazed at how smooth the engines and rolling stock glide through the turnouts.


I did watch part of one of the videos Sunday morning. A yard throat full of #8 double slip switches looks like fun...LOL

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zztop
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:49 am 
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Location: Utah
southsideiron (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
A yard throat full of #8 double slip switches looks like fun...LOL


It does sound like fun. Lots to do and so litttle time! LOL :D
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southsideiron
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:19 am 
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Location: Chicago
zztop (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
southsideiron (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
A yard throat full of #8 double slip switches looks like fun...LOL


It does sound like fun. Lots to do and so litttle time! LOL :D


This morning I just found out that the Illinois Railway Museum DOES have Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee engineering drawings in its archive. I'm one step closer to an O Scale traction model.

A stub end passenger terminal with a throat full of double slip switches would definitely be an eye catcher. I pass my time creating layout design elements, I guess it's time to learn CAD. LOL. I use Atlas' free software right now to more or less create elements. I've reached the point now where I want to tweak them with custom trackwork. The atlas software just cant do that...

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Jeff
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:33 pm 
Try XtrkCad, http://www.xtrkcad.org. It's free and can do almost anything you'll need. It does not render 3-d drawings, but other than that it is pretty complete.

Jeff
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southsideiron
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:47 pm 
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Location: Chicago
Jeff (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
Try XtrkCad, http://www.xtrkcad.org. It's free and can do almost anything you'll need. It does not render 3-d drawings, but other than that it is pretty complete.

Jeff


Thanx Jeff,

I'll check that out....

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southsideiron
 Post subject: Re: Testing the waters
PostPosted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:59 pm 
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Location: Chicago
southsideiron (!empty($user->lang['WROTE'])) ? $user->lang['WROTE'] : ucwords(strtolower(str_replace('_', ' ', 'WROTE'))):
Hello everyone...Fast Tracks has definitely left me feeling positive about jumping back into model RRing, we'll see how things pan out in the next few weeks...


Sort of an update since this thread is still getting a lot of hits on it. It looks like I am going to stick to HO for the duration. A new friend posted some really great drawings of interuban equipment, that looks like it has a lot of potential. I am going to see if I can make a run of cars from those drawings.

I'll continue to repost in this thread for those interested in my modeling progress...

Dan Fitzgerald

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