Hi All,
I'm working on building the upper level of my "big" layout. I have marked out where the track will go, but I'm wondering how much room I should leave around the sides to give enough room for the whole permanent way and to attach the slopes on both sides?
The layout is Austrian HOe and you can find the current plan here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/503/entry-13898-gerlos-lives-again/ (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/503/entry-13898-gerlos-lives-again/)
There isn't a huge amount of room, so a realistic number is required. At the moment the whole upper level including the ramps is one board, I'd like to be able to keep that!
Thanks,
Friso
The width of the "cess" varies dependant on several factors, the first and most important of which is the width of the stock you are running. If you are using transporter wagons then it will be a lot wider than if you aren't! Another thing is the terrain, if it's in a cutting it will be narrower than if it's in the open. So no exact figures I'm afraid. Best bet is to look at photos of your prototype and work it out from that using the track gauge or stock width to work it out.
Blair is correct. It all depends on the prototype.
Some are wide some are not. If you are modelling a prototype than you need to look at that railway, if it is freelance then it is up to you.
However for an example the original FR is about 8 feet wide, but this was originally built for slate wagons and horses not locos and coaches.
Brian Meldon
Hi Brian, Hobby,
I have been thinking about this as well, probably the inside distance should be a tad wider than the outside distance, even though I have the modern ZB coaches, I don't intend to use them, only the older Mariazeller coaches... The new ones just look ridiculous on the curves!
My main concern was the width of road bed and attaching the landscaping to the incline.
Thanks,
Friso
In the British Isles, the rules for small/light passenger carrying railways have been pretty clear since the 1880s.
The Railways Inspectorate required that sufficient space (usually 30 inches) be allowed between the sides of the carriage stock and any fixed lineside structure, overbridge, tunnel or cutting face for passengers to escape from their carriage(s) in the event of an unintended halt. The Festiniog, pre-dating this legislation, had no such clearances.
I assume that on the continent similar rules, whether statutory or good practice, apply.
Paul
There are as always exceptions in the world on NG railways.
For example in several places the embankment works on the WHR from just above the A4085 road bridge to the first of the tunnels had very narrow tops indeed when completed in 1923.
Several sections had to be widened when the line was rebuilt. One section of embankment around the tight curve next to the road had to be completely removed and re-built from the ground up as it was far too narrow and had subsided in places. To make matters worse it was on a very narrow section of land so a special
Frisco already mentioned that he's modelling Austrian practice, there's plenty of photos online, I'd check them and use them as a basis for the model, that's the way I do it as, like him, I am modelling a layout based around a real line though just over the border in the Czech Republic!