11X11 FasTrack & Atlas-O Version Layout: O36 Min. FT. O45 Min. Atlas Two 4x8 Sheets

Maybe two mountains and a station, and a steam locomotive service spur:

Trimming these two corners helps reach to the back corners a bit.  Trying more industry.

Looks great! What are the turn radius on the two end caps? O-36 with an O-60 switch?

@BurkusCircus52 posted:

Looks great! What are the turn radius on the two end caps? O-36 with an O-60 switch?

Right!  O36 with the O60 turnout.

Adding more terrain contours, at 2" steps.

Color-coded:  Blue is O48.   Green is O60.

Ken are you doing this in anyrail?

if so how did you color code that?

@BWRR posted:

Ken are you doing this in anyrail?

if so how did you color code that?

 

Right, AnyRail.  Use isolators to create a section, then choose the color for that section.

Working on a variation, this is minimum diameter O42 (O48&O36 composite).  Turnouts are O48, O60, and O72Y.  Not finished.

Thank you Ken.

I was hoping for an automated way of doing it.  As I work and the layout gets bigger, I lose track of what is where.
Especially switches and curves when doing easements

@BWRR posted:

Thank you Ken.

I was hoping for an automated way of doing it.  As I work and the layout gets bigger, I lose track of what is where.
Especially switches and curves when doing easements

 

Would be nice, but not with AnyRail, that I know of.   Its a bit tedious, but after some practice, it goes quickly.

With more details.  Shaping up!

This illustration of the railroad serving Junction City highlights the track diameters, with O36 in RED, O48 in BLUE, and O60 in GREEN.  Scenic details include the spur in the center of town serving the freight station embedded in the asphalt for pedestrians and vehicles to cross.  There is a dam on Jane's Creek to create the cooling pond for the power plant, which when full, backs water up the inlet and tributary streams.  There is a wood border/fascia around the layout.  FasTrack lighted switch stands have been added.

L-shaped 4x8 variants have inspired me to become an OGR magazine subscriber.  Been looking for something portable to first time build, beyond past 10 years running sets around the tree at Christmas.  Amazing to see your 10x10 in Run 312.  Was building some simple table top sections over the Father's Day weekend, two interlocking 4'x6' with some extensions.  Key point is each section easily make it up & down my building stairway with a 90 degree turn landing in it.  I like your 11x11 design (less $$ turnouts too).  When I get some time off, I'll stretch the frames a little and run my stairwell test again.

11x11 Question:  Did you try fitting O60 easements to the remaining sides of the two end loops?

Thanks Mick, very interesting.  Also glad to hear about your testing and work with sections that can make it around a 90 degree stairway turn, that is a useful standard to keep in mind.  Cheers!

Thanks for the pics, that is good work.  -Ken

Easements, I looked at this design a couple of times casually to consider easements.  This latest version might be able to benefit:  the O36 turns have either O60 or no easement.   Perhaps I can add an easement.  I like the idea of easements for the look as trains enter curves, and have used them on other designs.   Thanks for that suggestion!

With easements leading into the two O36 curved sections.  Each easement is 22.5 degrees of O48.  

Compromise:  I had to run the layout closer to the edge of the 4x8 sheets, and change the center section O60 turnouts to O48 (blue).

Worth it?  You decide.

I decided to try using Compound O42 instead of O36 (O48+O36 quarter sections).  I figured as long as I was doing easements into the O36, I might just as well go all the way to O42.  The mainline is now O42 minimum.   A bit more room around the edges.  A better layout in a number of ways.   Needs refinement.

After some clean up and refinement:

I added a cool water intake pipe from the pond, and a warm water outlet to an open channel (more cooling of exhaust water) back to the pond.

I was able to squeeze in a second spur for the powerplant, for loads and empties.

Nice improvements to the details and flow of the layout.  I can see a line of coal hoppers waiting.

Ran my stairwell test this evening using one half of my 10x10 bench top with extensions to mockup the proper 11x11 outline (see photo).  It made it through the stairwell, but it was a beast compared to the 10x10 half.  Add plywood surface, 1-2 inches of foam, and track.  Hmmm... I'll likely go with building the 11x11, just wouldn't label it readily portable.

Thanks, Mick, that is good information!

The outside passing track is 11' 7" in length, a decent sized train for this small layout: Ten 10" cars plus a loco.

Here it is in Atlas-O.  O45 minimum everywhere, running O42.

Atlas version looks great, and appears to be with a lot less fitter pieces.  Maybe easier to add outer edge exit switches to each table end.

@Mick60 posted:

Atlas version looks great, and appears to be with a lot less fitter pieces.  Maybe easier to add outer edge exit switches to each table end.

I agree on all points.  O45 turnouts to build off of the loops is easy.

Atlas-O is MUCH easier to work with than FasTrack, in part because of the flex track.  Also because the turnouts are drop in replacements for a 10" straight, and a perfect match for the curves.  That helps mucho.  Using cut flex reduces the number of track section joints (better conductivity).

Here are the track sections.  O45 by default, blue is O54, green is O72.  The light brown sections are straight flex, cut to length.  One could just cut 40" straight sections to length, instead of flex.  On the other hand, using flex gives a bit of wiggle room in case your build has variances.

I like that this track plan has long graceful curves of O72, very nice to watch trains transit.

Adding a 2nd outside mainline, all O54, so you can run some big scale trains:  11'8" x 11'8".

Adding two O54 cross-overs allows O54 trains to run the return loops through the crossing.

I like the added 2nd track.  It adds a nice added route for a second continuous train. 

Shows the inherent expansion ability with the basic design.  For my portability need (moving by next year), I’ll stay without the second full loop but add turnouts off the ends for expansion of this interchange layout.

As the yard is now accessible from the O54 mainline, I revised it to be O54 as well.

Perhaps a better O54 yard:

If you look closely, you will see the yard has two O54 'S' curves - but probably OK as they are O54.  There are two O54 cross-overs with 'S' curves as well.

Two of the yard spurs are 50+", and the other three are 40" long.  Twenty-two 10" freight cars.

The five industry spurs are only accessible from the O45 section, so a smaller loco can handle those.

Scenery roughed-in:

Ballasting:

@Mick60 posted:

Shows the inherent expansion ability with the basic design.  For my portability need (moving by next year), I’ll stay without the second full loop but add turnouts off the ends for expansion of this interchange layout.

I like that idea!  Trains could be staged off both the right, and bottom, and enter the layout to run and then interchange in the yard.

-Ken

Mick, here is one way to add interchange turnouts (staging or expansion).  

Ken, why not just make that inside curve by the crossover O-63? Think that would look better if the tracks stayed together & parallel.

@BurkusCircus52 posted:

Ken, why not just make that inside curve by the crossover O-63? Think that would look better if the tracks stayed together & parallel.

It won't fit, not enough space.

Ken, This layout has several layout options, great for newbies like myself.  Thanks for the inspiration.  Even the single loop version has O72 outer and inner paths if extended in the future straight beyond the ends.  FYI- I won’t be able to make build progress until my week off, July 13th week.

Question for anyone:  I’ve built 6 legs already, but don’t think it’s enough for this 11x11 L shaped table.  Any recommendations on # and placement?

12x12 L-shaped bench top completed after a trip to my favorite local Menards for more 1x4's.  Had to re-think sections to be able to navigate my 90 degree stairway landing, keeps the layout movable if needed but had to go with 3 sections (the center is split if needed also).  Kept the initial two piece 10x10 L bench top for future layout expansion.  Have a great weekend.

Mick, that is looking good!  Thanks for sharing with us!

I would think six legs is enough.   Even if your layout base is going to be very thick plywood (I recommend 2" foam sheets).

Regards, Ken

@Mick60 posted:

12x12 L-shaped bench top completed after a trip to my favorite local Menards for more 1x4's.  Had to re-think sections to be able to navigate my 90 degree stairway landing, keeps the layout movable if needed but had to go with 3 sections (the center is split if needed also).  Kept the initial two piece 10x10 L bench top for future layout expansion.  Have a great weekend.

Nice work! Should be able to get those pieces up, down or around most stairs.