Urban subway Track plans

Modelers have been posting their subways for well over 20 years now. Plenty of layout photos and books out there. Have to wonder where have you been?

@SIRT posted:

Modelers have been posting their subways for well over 20 years now. Plenty of layout photos and books out there. Have to wonder where have you been?

somewhat of a low blow comment here...

care to share a few examples?

OGR OCT/NOV 2020 has a nice one. If you're a digital subscriber, you can look at every issue of OGR ever published. I highly recommend you subscribe; you won't regret it.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

OGR OCT/NOV 2020 has a nice one. If you're a digital subscriber, you can look at every issue of OGR ever published. I highly recommend you subscribe; you won't regret it.

Thank you

@SIRT posted:

Modelers have been posting their subways for well over 20 years now. Plenty of layout photos and books out there. Have to wonder where have you been?

It is best to not talk and let others wonder if you  are a nasty foo,  than to talk and remove all doubt.  If you have never heard this adage one must ask where  have you been?

@SIRT posted:

Modelers have been posting their subways for well over 20 years now. Plenty of layout photos and books out there. Have to wonder where have you been?

This is another variation on questioning fellow forumites' sanity.  Many of us do it all the time. whether it seems to be appropriate or not, or in jest or not.

Here it might be helpful to give the OP a hint, even a little one, of where to find them, or at least one of them.  If there are so many out there that shouldn't be difficult.

Mike

It would help if you have a size that you want to fit the layout in  You might not like the design of other layouts either    We have elevated and subways on our layout in a space of 72 feet x 30 feet    We have a yard in between the two that is accessible to both which gives some operational value.  We chose Atlas track for the look but sorry we did as we have had many problems with it   The best idea is to purchase a copy of RR Track or Anyrail to design a plan that fits your needs   You can play around with designs and when you are finished it will give you a count of what you need

A simple end-to-end elevated line can be two tracks, with a single pair of switches at each end to allow the trains to enter on the right-hand track and leave on the other track. Dallee or other manufacturer's controls can make the operation automatic.

@Arthur P. Bloom posted:

A simple end-to-end elevated line can be two tracks, with a single pair of switches at each end to allow the trains to enter on the right-hand track and leave on the other track. Dallee or other manufacturer's controls can make the operation automatic.

Thanks for the information

I am trying to visualize this concept but a bit confused.  If I am understanding this correctly  there are two separate subway trains traveling on two separate parallel tracks each both going back and forth from one end to the other like a  bumper trolley car.   If so don’t quite understand why switch tracks are needed

@yanksali posted:

I am trying to visualize this concept but a bit confused.  If I am understanding this correctly  there are two separate subway trains traveling on two separate parallel tracks each both going back and forth from one end to the other like a  bumper trolley car.   If so don’t quite understand why switch tracks are needed

Here's an example where the greenbelt station is the terminal end of the line station. Trains enter from the bottom of the screen to the station on the "right" track located on the right. When they depart, they cross over through the switches/interlocking and switch to the inbound track (normal direction flow )

I would guess an end to end like that can get pretty boring   The switches are so the trains dont go both ways on the same track  One is northbound only and one is southbound only

Here is what he was asking for :

Does anyone have detailed track plans to share for a an urban layout  running subways cars both on an elevated line and a below ground level line ?

Wouldn't mind seeing those myself.

John

@bluelinec4 posted:

I would guess an end to end like that can get pretty boring   The switches are so the trains dont go both ways on the same track  One is northbound only and one is southbound only

It wouldn't be boring if it was an automatic operation as part of a bigger layout. If the train "disappears" at each end (say, into a tunnel), then reverses and switches over to the other track and comes back out and stops at the station, that's exactly what a real subway operation would look like.

Although I've never done it, I understand the MTH subways' station announcements can be programmed for just such an operation. While trains run around on the rest of the layout, this automatic subway operation provides another feature for the viewer to look at.

@yanksali posted:

Hi

Having grown up in the city and riding the subway I have an interest  in having  a two level city layout using O scale  subway cars with an elevated line and a line on a lower level.  I can’t find any train snd track plan books dedicated to building such a layout.  Do any exist?

Does anyone have detailed track plans to share for a an urban layout  running subways cars both on an elevated line and a below ground level line ?  I have seen many photos of urban O scale layouts but I can’t find  diagrams or photos of the actual track plans used which itemizes  how many straight,  curve, etc tracks are needed.  

Also interested in hearing from anyone who has an urban subway layout with an elevated line what manufacturer of   tracks (Atlas, Lionel fast rack, etc) you found most realistic for an elevated urban subway cars line and whether you made your own trestles or bought them

Hi Yanks.  I don't have any plans that itemize tracks needed to build, but I will say that I love Atlas O track and switches for my lower subway level.  I used K line track and switches with the built in ties (I believe its called shadow rail) for my elevated lines only because I got it at a really great closeout price. However, If I was to start over, I'd use Atlas for the elevated as well. I built my own elevated trestles out of wood loosely following this - http://www.nycmodeltransit.org/ModelEl.htm

A company called bridgeboss used to make some really good elevated sections but they unfortunately just shut down after the passing of the owner.

Here is a video of everything running to give you some perspective -

Good luck!

Hi Yanks, take a look at my layout.

Did not see  a link to see your layout

@DCtransit posted:

somewhat of a low blow comment here...

care to share a few examples?

In subway Forum there are plenty of photos……………..

You're probably not going to find any books with 'ready to build' track plans the way you can find books on building common 4x8 layouts. Subway modeling is kind-of niche, and making such a layout look convincing is in the realm of advanced building owing to all the details needed to pull off the look with an urban environment.

What you might have better luck at is looking at the various photos posted by those who have built dedicated subway layouts, or added subway lines to an existing setup, take visual cues from their builds, and then custom-design a track plan for the space you have available (very important). It could be simulated underground like Joe P's build, mostly elevated like Joe Frank's layout, or even an outer-borough-style surface/embankment/trench line like the #5 Dyre Avenue branch in The Bronx, or similar routes in Brooklyn/Queens that were built on the roadbeds of former railroads.

Whatever approach you take, there will be a lot of back-and-forth involved, what with designing a track plan, fitting in details (like stations), adjusting track plans to fit those details in. Then once you're done fiddling with your track plan, there's figuring out how to build those details (since little is commercially available in terms of "ready-to-plop-down-and-go").

In short, it's very do-able thanks to the efforts of those who have gone before you, but it won't be a "built from a layout book" setup.

---PCJ

@yanksali posted:

Did not see  a link to see your layout

Check out Joes outstanding subway layout here -

https://ogrforum.com/...-2-0-progress?page=1