Wye Configuration

Jan - you're right - I was just looking at Dave's 12.5" wedge and going off of that but I can certainly build the wedge at an angle on that side so there's no cutting involved.

FWIW, the dimensions of the rest of the extension are as shown on the attached plan:

Doorway opening - 31.5"

Far (west) edge of the doorway through closets to end of room - 18.5 feet

South Wall - 10.5 feet

Width across furnace room - 4.5 feet

Thanks, again.

Just an idea, and I don't know what switches you would need, but that switch on the lift out bothers me. What about moving the switch to complete the wye past the door- you have 18' there, right? Could be a hinged lift maybe.

This is assuming you don't want to relocate either the siding or the existing track on the existing layout. I don't know how finished it is. That would be the simplest option.

Maybe someone with CAD can see if this works.

Will, I believe Richie said there are pipes or something in the wall that give him only enough room for a single track to run through the wall and closets on the other side.

Jan/Richie, I only added the wedge to fill the space that is missing from the existing layout and shelf. It and the lift-out can be any size/shape that works.

Just don’t forget that the new tracks might need a filler in the upper right in order to connect to the existing O36 switch. I’d hate to see you start laying tracks from the switch and then find they won’t connect.

To be honest though, the measurements must not be accurate because everything connects with the O36 curve and straight that are there now, so they should connect when those are replaced by the O36 switches. Those should be a direct replacement and fit right in.

I hate to harp on this, but it’s a discrepancy and I don’t want there to be any surprises. The software can only go with dimensions provided. And it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re aware of it in case the replacement tracks don’t line up like I think they should. At any rate, you have a workable solution and that’s what matters.

DoubleDAZ posted:

Will, I believe Richie said there are pipes or something in the wall that give him only enough room for a single track to run through the wall and closets on the other side.

Yes, the main stack.

Hi Dave - I'm not worried about or concerned with any small discrepancies in the design. I realize that it's not an exact science and that there are probably going to be some discrepancies and am prepared to adjust for same as I go along. Having already built a  double main loop 15' x 15' layout with a 4' x 10' staging yard (which Jan also helped me with a couple of years ago), I'm familiar enough with FT where I can make those small adjustments and FT has a small amount of "give", anyway. As long as I have a basic design to work with, I can adjust as I go.

Like you said, I now have workable solutions and that's what matters.

I'm just grateful to you and Jan for being able to come up with multiple ways to solve the initial issue of squeezing everything into a workable design, which is something I couldn't do. It's really a blessing to have people on the Forum who are willing to give up their time to help other train enthusiasts out with their particular issues - whether it's mechanical, electrical, construction, design or any other area.

I'll post pic's and keep everyone informed as I go along - I should be starting this weekend.

Thanks

Very well said, Richie, and I look forward to watching your progress.

Ditto!!

If you are still looking at ideas, maybe the concept of "turn right to go left" might work, see image.  I can't quite determine if this will work with your existing layout, but thought I'd share.

You get virtually the same footprint with just the wye, O36 curves and switches. Unfortunately, the left switch would straddle the lift-out and main benchwork, so it's not practical.

Richie, I had nothing else to do this afternoon, so I put together a new rendition with a revised lift-out, some added tracks based on what I gleaned from your photos and the measurements you mentioned. I'm sure the right side is not close, but I hope it shows folks what you're trying to accomplish. It'll be interesting to see how much tweaking you'll need to do when you make the changes and add the reversing loop.

Hah … how about tennis or golf ?

Seriously, that's pretty close, Dave. Attached is my original plan and Jan's tweaking of the yard. It must have gotten tweaked a little more because I have 8 sidings, not 7, but it is very close to what ended up being built. One of the sidings extends all the way through, but I use it mostly as a storage siding.

The outside loop on the far right side is elevated and there is a long tunnel across both loops on the straights next to the wall. I also removed the top half of the wall so the layout extends flat all the way to the left of the far loop. There are also O-72 cross-overs along the inner loops on the right.

Appreciated.