Plan Drawing Help needed

What track system are you planning to use?  Also, what software package, RR-Track like the drawing?

Jan

Sorry, don't recognize the plan, but I can tell you that SCARM plans are either inches or metric only, and the squares can't be changed from 5 inch size.  So, you have to take your inch totals and divide by 12 to convert to feet outside the program.  Inches are probably a requirement because that is the most common unit of American O gauge track sizing.

Chuck

Hi Jan, I plan on using MTH ScaleTrax for the layout. The software I have been fooling with is SCARM. I hope this helps.

Mike

Thanks for the information about Scram, That is what I have been doing. Having a hard time just getting the table done. LOL Slow effects for a slow guy like myself!

Have a great day!

Mike

Where did you find the image? That might give us a clue to who posted it, etc.

Hi Mike,

Use the tools menu, tool box, select the drop down menu, the the rectangle baseboard(table) tool. The table is 14' x 26' or 168" x 312". You can alter it later for the shaping.

Using the 1 foot squares from the RRT grid, it looks like a mix of 072 & 080 in ScaleTrax. That will only provide 4" center rail to center rail spacing, following the concentric design of the plan posted. So, you'll have to make some adjustments to the entry points of the curves for 4.5" or 5" clearance. I would suggest 5".

You'll have to guess on the switches to find the proper angles of the turnouts by looking at the plan.

There is a feature in SCARM called background image. It's in the View menu. When SCARM is open, select view, background image. Then point it to the layout photo. You'll see it as a small box at the top left. Grab the gray corner on the bottom right of the small picture, left-click and hold and drag it out to resize it.

Now you have an overlay to copy the plan when laying the track.

If you would upload the photo again, I will setup the table with the image for you. I am getting digital mumbo-jumbo when I try to save the photo.

Never mind, I have it. File to come.

Here it is, right-click attachment, select "save as" and save it to your machine, open when it lands.

Ok, Mike.

here is one loop. I had to custom cut 2 072 curve pieces and one straight piece. (highlighted in yellow) Can you cut ScaleTrax? So far, only 072 switches were used.

I did this with the overlay and following the track. The overlay is almost exactly the size of the table in SCARM when you drag it out.

Have fun playing with it. I have the holiday to enjoy. I could complete it in a few days if you get stuck.

Merry Christmas from Moonman Santa!

Carl, here is the rrt file for this layout. The thread can be found here. There are 5 O72 RealTrax half-curves in there that the ScaleTrax library doesn't have.

I want to thank everyone for there help. Great drawings and advice. Doubledaz found the layout on here and I sent a message to Obsidan about his layout. I hope to hear from him soon. I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with new adventures with the Trains!

Mike

Daz,

I don't really need the file as he is using a different track. Same as working off of hand drawn lines. Thanks for digging it up. laidoffsick's layout turned out really nice.

Mike,

I'll finish it for you.

That would be great Carl! I'm doing my best right now trying to get the work bench drawn up. Im Learning thought, but at a slow rate!

Mike

Hi Carl, I have Scarm downloaded on my computer. But I cant open the file you put up in Scarm cause its a Text file. Can you help me out>?

MIke

Mike,

I finished a few things early, so I put the rest together. Here's some 3D pics and the file for you to look at on your computer. Hit the 3D button and move the mouse around. See what you think.

Right-click on the file on your computer- select open with-select the SCARM program

WOW That looks Great! When I try to open it, all it shows is alot of numbers. I think that they are the track size and numbers.

Mike

Click on the Red H in the menu bar- they are the track elevations for the grades or height. That will turn them off.

It Doesnt give me open with option.

Assuming you saved the SCARM file on you computer, the other way is to start SCARM and then File/Open the layout file you want to use.

Guess It's going to take me alittle while to figure this out. It wont let me save as a Scarm file.

DoubleDAZ Can you open it?

Took me long enough! But I got it! Again thank you to both of you guys! Your rock. I hope you have a Marry Christmas.

Mike

And a Merry Christmas to you, Mike, glad you got it figured out. Just note that there are a couple of places in there where tracks overlap, like along the right side, because the layout was originally done using RealTrax and ScaleTrax doesn't have the O72/O80 half-curves.  I was able to change things enough to get it down to just one piece that needs to be cut and placed it at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the turntable. However, you don't really want to use all the small pieces it took and I assume you're going to use FlexTrack where you can to smooth out some curves, like those to the left of the turntable and above the bridge.

Thanks for the information Dave. I have been talking with Carl to see if this can be down sied to fit in a 24' long by 12' wide room.

Mike

What happened to PRR1950's comments? Very valid, indeed!

Chuck, I only converted the plan. Obsidian designed it.

mike g. posted:

Thanks for the information Dave. I have been talking with Carl to see if this can be down sied to fit in a 24' long by 12' wide room.

Mike

I'm sure you could come up with a variation to fit 24x12, but you'll probably have to use O54 curves and maybe even switches. It'll be interesting so see what Carl says.

I Like all the inputs, but Im not sure how that would work, I know the Engine I have An MTH ES44AC says it can run on O-42 Curves. As far as making it so you can see the the turn table I'm not sure how that would work with the yard.

Mike

I'm not sure at the moment either, I haven't had time to look at it. ScaleTrax doesn't have an O42 curve, so the best you can hope for is that O54's will shrink it enough. The first thing to do is the dual mains and see where that leaves us. I'll play with it in RR-Track, but I'm not sure when I'll get to it. If I can make something work in RR-Track, it's easy enough to convert to SCARM by just copying the tracks. This would be a good layout to learn SCARM with. Start with a straight track along the bottom and add O54 curves to see how close you can come o the basic design without the yard or turntable The size of the turntable might end up being a limiting factor.

Carl,

I inadvertently deleted my own comments when dealing with forum software.  Still have to get used to it.

I know the design was done by somebody else, but, I thought before somebody started to copy it, they should be aware of potential future issues.  Those potential issues, briefly, were 1) no yard lead, 2) no easy way to reverse direction of trains, 3) mainlines going through curved leg of switches in yard, 4) limited ability of trains to switch mainline tracks while running, and, perhaps most importantly, 5) putting the now raised level below the existing main level so the layout features (yard and roundhouse/turntable) would be more visible and accessible.

Chuck

Chuck, I didn't see your comments before they got deleted, but have to agree with your assessments. Reading back through the original thread though, I see it started out to be a switching yard layout and grew into this:

Mike, I played with it this morning and came up with this 14x24 version:
(Note-2 red tracks indicate either a custom curve or where tracks don't align)

Hi Dave, I have been E-mailing Carl and he is going to see what he can do. He thinks a round the room on the walls would be better and I agree. I will have a blank canvas to say as Im building a whole building just for a train room. I measured last night and I have room for a 24'L X 12'W.  But I do appericate all the help Im getting here as this will be my last layout build.

Mike

Well, I didn't mind playing with this one because it turned out to be easier than I thought it would be using Carl's file and I almost always learn something about SCARM. It's not my  go-to software, but I usually convert my RR-Track designs to SCARM so I have access to both 3D views. Good luck with an around the room, I completely agree. I'd be doing one my wife didn't want space for her sewing and crafts.