New Layout, Suggestions Needed


When it comes to a turnout on the middle track of 3, what’s the practice as far as the switch machine placement?
 
Quick update…. Have the outer lower level loop layed, gotta wire it. Working on the bridge scene still, unsure how I am gonna do the piers. Bought a set of 6 Conrail coal hoppers, hope to see those being pulled soon. Will add a few pics here soon, need to clean the mess first so you see the track and not the junk lol
 
Just caught up with this via the picture, interest shape offers lots of curves and must increase overall track and scenic options, look forward to seeing more
 
Topherisme said:
Quick update…. Have the outer lower level loop layed, gotta wire it. Working on the bridge scene still, unsure how I am gonna do the piers. Bought a set of 6 Conrail coal hoppers, hope to see those being pulled soon. Will add a few pics here soon, need to clean the mess first so you see the track and not the junk lol
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Junk and clutter add a level of "I Spy".
 
Quick update….
Outer loop is running, bridge is in and traversible, needs some tweaking, been running 2 trains at once looking for trouble spots. Track looks good but found a car that doesn’t like turning left, another with a high coupler, no big deal…
Gonna lay the track for interchange yard and decide where to go from there, thinking slow down a little. Maybe replace ties and weather before upper level begins…
 
Kinda lengthy, prepare to fast forward and mute lol Around brick and to furnace will be hidden trackage, removable table top in case I need to do furnace repair/replace. Open space in the middle where I am temporarily using for “storage” will be the helix…
 
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Topherisme said:
And I am gonna name it The S.I.N.K. RR (Southern Indiana Northern Kentucky), for some reason the name strikes me as slightly humorous …
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Well at least it’s not the “Southern Trunk Indiana and Northern Kentucky”, now that would be more than slightly humorous!
Lookin good tho!
 
Traveling over my code 100 atlas turnouts, both 4s and 6s, my wheels want to dip into the frog. Does anyone have a suggestion that prevents this? I am thinking about layers of vinyl in the frog to raise the level slightly….
 
Looks great! A long train with no derailments or electrical issues is a huge success.👍

Ballasting is the one part of the hobby I DREAD. The first thing that came to my mind watching was, "that would be my ballasting nightmare". o_O
 
Marlin39 said:
Looks great! A long train with no derailments or electrical issues is a huge success.👍

Ballasting is the one part of the hobby I DREAD. The first thing that came to my mind watching was, "that would be my ballasting nightmare". o_O
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Thank you, been another learning lesson as always. My problem is I learn enough from each track build I am already looking forward to the next one 🙄
I enjoy ballasting, makes the railroad look more like a railroad. My biggest dread is weathering the track, never done it, probably take me years and still won’t look good lol
 
Topherisme said:
Thank you, been another learning lesson as always. My problem is I learn enough from each track build I am already looking forward to the next one 🙄
I enjoy ballasting, makes the railroad look more like a railroad. My biggest dread is weathering the track, never done it, probably take me years and still won’t look good lol
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Krylon Camouflage "brown" is a good, inexpensive, base color. Practice on a scrap piece of track. Spray the base coat, wipe off the top of the rails, let dry (hair dryer), then apply a dark earth (or another lighter contrasting color ) wash. Striving for perfection will send you down an OCD rabbit hole.

I also start planning the next layout a month or so after finishing.;)
 
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Pretty basic yard, hope to do something a little more intricate for NS on the top level…. Got a couple corrections to make, but the trains ran smooth. There will be a double track coming from the helix on the end where the turnouts are placed.
 
Ugh, got bit by the train bug at work yesterday, ordered 2 locos and a caboose which I don’t really need yet 🙄 and the ground throws to complete the yard. While I am waiting for delivery I am installing more ceiling material for dust retention and lights…
 
Work schedule has me busy, and honestly down in the dumps since there is no play time, but a little progress was made…
Got my single track truss bridge done and am in the process of joining the 2 raised tracks and getting them to the start of the helix. Really need the spring weather so I can be outside for all the wood cuts needed to continue benchwork for the upper level, but if I get this bit of track done will leave me just the industrial spurs for bottom level to finish up. Might decide what I want where and start kit purchasing…
 
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