Dear All
After posting a little introduction on the "locomotives" board, I took time on the plane from Sparsholt to the Yukon (I kid you not!) to draft up some initial plans for my first ever OO9 layout.
A few words of context - this is designed to be my "test" layout, one that will allow me to fiddle with OO9, build up some rolling stock, experiment with DCC etc before I move on to building my empire in the workshop. So, small enough to be carried into the house and sit on the dining room table for working on, large enough to remain interesting and meaningful.....will likely use a foam/wood composite baseboard construction that I have had success with in On30 and HO modular layouts I have built before. That should help with weight. Fiddle yards at each end removable, and supported on slide out extension rods within the main baseboard itself.
Theme - well, I spent some time in Darjeeling and would like to capture the essence of an Indian Hill Station - not modeled on anything particular, but trying to capture the flavour of that part of the world - rails, roads and people compressed into a small space (the brown line is the Hill Road going off through the beginnings of Teesta Bazaar)
Sounds like an interesting idea. The track plan looks like a good start to me. If you wanted to allow yourself some more room how about extending the loop 'off scene' to the right by moving the point further past the tea shed. I know this will mean you won't see the run round operation , but if its moved slightly further right you'll have the suggested presence of the end of a loop anyway as the tracks converge as they exit the scene.
It's an interesting idea, would you be interested in chronicling it in the 009 News during construction? If you're interested please email contents@009society.com
Great advice - I will make some adjustments to the track plan and repost to see what you think. I have printed off the OO9 Mainline Peco templates and will play around with a full scale mock up, as it is a little difficult for me to visualize how much track-work can be accommodated into a defined space in OO9 - all good stuff for this beginner to struggle with!
Thanks for the guidance!
Stephen
Stephen
To give you a little more leeway on the run round perhaps consider the Peco 12inch radius points as they are a little shorter than the mainline points. Little 0-4-0 locos cope adequately with them.
Roger
It looks like an interesting layout. My first impression is that the sidings of the left off-scene section look a bit small in comparison with the capacities of the other sections of track but it depends what sort of train movements you are planning and how you intend to use these off-scene sections.
Krizzy - was trying to shy away from the tighter radius points, but if smaller locos can manage them (I like the term "cope adequately" ;D) then it might let me get the run around in full view - I am going to try a few alternatives and maybe a I can run a vote! Lol
GraemeD - good point - to be honest, the fiddle yards at either end were a bit of a last minute add on just after the second drinks service on the plane....realizing I needed somewhere for the trains to go and the "human hand turntable" to operate....the left side does look a little short - but I will leave it be at this stage until I know the lengths of the trains I am dealing with.....I can always add an "extension to the extension" to deal with that 13 coach express service Teesta Bazaar have been discussing!
So, taking some of the advice posted here (don't tell my wife I listen to advice, for heavens sake!), I tried two other options - one uses the smaller PECO points in the runaround loop, allowing it to fit a little "easier" into the actual view scene. Not too shabby, provided performance over the tighter points doesn't turn out to be too grumpy.
The second moves the runaround loop off scene to the right; I actually like this and think it might give an interesting and somewhat unusual "suggestion" to the viewer of operations beyond the edge of the scene board. One of the tricks will be to disguise both rails leaving the scene close to one another - the tea shed was strategically placed to provide a little camouflage in this regard, but I may need to think a bit more on how I can make the tracks leave the viewers field of vision without seeming like they broke through a plywood wall!
Anyhows, gritty criticism and random meanderings gratefully received.....
S
And option 2......
I think the loop looks more realistically shaped in option 2.
Bear in mind that the older 12" points were developed in an era long before DCC, and are a pain to convert for the wiring - I've tried and failed, and ended up replacing them with mainline ones ;)
I agree that option 2 looks better.
Only a minor modification, but if I was planning this layout I would use a Y point at the School end of the station loop then a straight track across the level crossing to the next left hand point. This would remove the only reverse curve on the layout.
One thing worth mentioning is that Peco completely updated the 12 inch and Y 009 points in 2010. The newer ones are a huge improvement on the ones made before 2010. So when you get the points I would strongly recommend that you get the ones made after 2010. Unfortunately Peco did not publicise this update and the part numbers and packaging were not changed so you have to be careful you do not get new points that have been in stock for some time and date to before 2010!
Brian Meldon
The point updates that Brian has mentioned, however, still don't make them any easier to convert for DCC use.
Quote from: invercloy on April 15, 2014, 13:14
The point updates that Brian has mentioned, however, still don't make them any easier to convert for DCC use.
Having now seen and used a DCC layout with unmodified 12 inch Peco 009 points with frog polarity switching and two insulating fishplates isolating the frog I can state that it works without any problems at all. Obviously you do get a short if you run the wrong way through the point, but you get that with DCC converted points as well.
So it would appear that the perceived problem of the back of the wheels touching on the point blade just does not happen. Or at least it did not on this layout.
However others may have had a different experience with this.
Brian Meldon
For reference I have two types of 12 in radius turnouts, as per attached (hopefully) photo.
I assume the upper, unfitted one is the older type and the lower, fitted and working one is the newer type.
The clearance between the stock rail and the blade is going to need a substantial wheel to bridge the gap, long wheel base locos on the curved route may be different. My farish and Roco 0-6-0 dont have a problem.
Quote from: Stephen Mead on April 13, 2014, 21:51
.....will likely use a foam/wood composite baseboard construction that I have had success with in On30 and HO modular layouts I have built before. That should help with weight. Fiddle yards at each end removable, and supported on slide out extension rods within the main baseboard itself.
This looks like a good starting point for a layout.
I used a 1/16th ply/10mm foam board/1/16th ply composite for many of my layouts, including the latest, Dean Hill. I use solvent free Evo-Stik (not the glue sniffers one).
Another idea to reduce weight is to use 2 x 1 inch balsa for the underlying structure. This keeps the base firm and is still very light and easy to carry.
Since my wife and I cannot carry heavy loads, this is important to us when designing a layout. If you are siting it on a table then equally it makes it easy to set up.
Quote from: andy1878 on April 15, 2014, 14:42
For reference I have two types of 12 in radius turnouts, as per attached (hopefully) photo.
I assume the upper, unfitted one is the older type and the lower, fitted and working one is the newer type.
The clearance between the stock rail and the blade is going to need a substantial wheel to bridge the gap, long wheel base locos on the curved route may be different. My farish and Roco 0-6-0 dont have a problem.
Yes the upper, unfitted point in the photo is the 1980 to 2010 version.
The lower point is the newer 2010 onwards improved version.
Brian Meldon
Quote from: B.Meldon on April 15, 2014, 13:35
...However others may have had a different experience with this.
As I've indicated, I did.
Perhaps worth experimenting with before building an entire layout using them.
Dear All
So, thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate it and I think I am close to having the first step in the planning process complete. I changed the point near the school into a Y to prevent the reverse curve, and maintained the larger Mainline points elsewhere "on the scene". Next step will be to knock up a mock up and make sure it all looks right!
Will post some pictures of the mock up, and also a few of the baseboard when I get something worth photographing! Exciting times here in the Yukon - the snow is melting, temperatures are above zero and spring may be over by next week!
Cheers
Stephen
Although it is shorter than the mainline points the 009 Y point has the same 18 inch radii as the mainline points.
Brian Meldon