5x9 Ping-Pong .rrt Layout Design from FasTrack Book

Well done!

Peter

Daniel;

Welcome to the mad house. Your first shot looks good & very busy, It will keep you moving. Some prefer less crowding, some like every inch filled.

Everyone gets to run trains the way they like them, That's bottom line here.

Looks like an interesting plan. The grade will be at least 3%, or a lot more if you want to keep the track level all the way through the siding as it appears in the views.

Daniel...

Very nice.  I have this plan on a 6x12 table and did stretch it the 3 feet.  I do like what you did with this plan.

Thanks for the replies, and if anyone has pictures of their version of this plan I would love to see them!

I just noticed the track elevations as marked on the plan. 9% grades seem rather extreme, unless it's a traction layout!

(2.47-1.72)/10= 7.5%

(3.54-2.47)/12= 9.0%

(4.61-3.54)/12= 9.0%

Average grade as shown is about 6"/84"=7%.

I was going to say-5" in 6' is a little extreme.  Cool software the way it shows 3d and all.  I'm still using templates I copy, cut & paste from the book.  May need to stretch that out a little to get an acceptable grade to the 2nd level though. 

Good plan, although you may have some issues with equipment overhang clearance on the ends of the bridges if those are the ones you plan to use. Most times you need a straight section before going into a curve to avoid hitting the bridge sides.

Peter

Good points on the grade, what is the acceptable height you can get away with for an overpass?  I wasn't sure, so just grabbed a couple of Lionel bridge piers.

That plus the Atlas bridge put the track base at 6", but if this could be less it would make the grade less severe.  I might push the plan out to 10' to see how much the grade relaxes.

Love the looks of the Atlas bridge, but it's too long, and as designed one would have to chop it down a couple girder lengths.  I wonder if I can edit the bridge length in the software?

5" is acceptable.  5" rise in 100" of run is a 5% grade.  It would be nice to be closer to 3.5 %.  5% is a tad steep, but it is done by some.   

If it was for me, I would re-engineer the entire plan to add another half-lap of track between the reverse loops, to reduce the grade. Or pick another plan.

As PDX mentioned, the through-truss bridge needs straight track on the approaches. The span is really too long for the space IMHO.

This is the plan for the layout I am building in my sister's Florida room. It is 5'6" x 9 ' but may give you some ideas.

Mike,

That is an awesome layout plan. Thanks for sharing.

Sunrise

Mike:

Can you post a parts list? I'm especially interested in the parts connecting the two crossovers and also the 90 degree crossover with the left hand switch. Kind of hard to tell what parts are 1 3/4" and 1 3/8". 

Attached is the track list and labeled layout. Hope this helps.

Before I moved to the attic.

If you added three feet in length, and kept the elevated line seperate, what would you do?