If you install a .dwg reader on your computer (cheaper than purchasing AutoCad) you can open this attached file to see my dream layout, Drawing 3d, which is purely operational.
Drawing 4b is actually more realistic in possibilities but still quite large.
@Rob Leese posted:If you install a .dwg reader on your computer (cheaper than purchasing AutoCad) you can open this attached file to see my dream layout, Drawing 3d, which is purely operational.
Drawing 4b is actually more realistic in possibilities but still quite large.
Those layout drawings are incredible Robert! As they could say in an outtake scene from Jaws, I think we're going to need a bigger garage! =p
Yes, I operate a switching pike themed on the Oil Creek & Titusville RR. With the formation of Conrail many branch lines and even mainlines were either spun off or abandoned, one of which was the PRR mainline from Pittsburgh to Buffalo. Titusville, Pa was left high&dry wrt rail service so several local businessmen salvaged a piece of the old PRR mainline in order to connect Titusville with the Western New York and Pennsylvania RR (a regional line created from bits of the Erie RR). Thus was born the OC&T (which subsidizes its freight operations with tourist passenger train revenue!).
The Plywood Empire Route connects [fictional] Titusville with [fictional] Oil City and moves freight between an interchange yard in Oil City and several [fictional] line side industries in Titusville. A daily train varies from 3 to 7 cars and travels a loop before arriving at the East End industrial area which consists of two spurs, one with room for 7 cars and the other 9 cars. There are 7 industry car spots, 4 on one spur and 3 on the other. Besides rail-fanning the loop operation consists of switching cars to-and-from those car spots as determined by a very simplified "switch list" (which is actually dynamic, being determined by previous set-outs and pickups). Each day's work is different from the previous day and is not repetitiously boring. A "daily" operation takes from 20 to 40-or-so minutes.
Including a route-diversion from the loop to the "interchange yard" (in reality a fiddle-track in the next room) and a second route-diversion from the loop to the East End this pike is implemented with just (3) track switches. No run-around track because my fictional pike is too thrifty (poor) to build and maintain such when it isn't needed. A retired Conrail crummy is used as a safe platform for the conductor during the shove-move from town back to Interchange.
All-switching-all-the-time using Lionel-style "claw couplers" (to me more realistic than Kadee couplers because actual locking knuckles) is facilitated with plungers rising from beneath the track acting as car-brakes.
Pics of the East End, the heart of operations on the Plywood Empire Route.
I am currently working on an operational layout myself. Plenty of switching for interest. (Search me if interested) Eventual finish will be setup to have others over for switching movements, with index cards for waybills. I think Dave C and Mr. Delbridge and whole lot of others on this thread have it right. There is a ton of experience on this thread. Do some deep diving searches on this forum!!!! I also concentrated on one RR. and some interconnecting ones as pass off providers to mix it up! Also, I kept my layout under 3’ arm length to uncouple cars and such. Keeps people up close and involved! You may want to think of a medium size switching layout??? I’ll be following!!!
I also think this is a very interesting thread.
It seems that a limitation is the coupling and uncoupling of train cars by remote control other than using a locomotive electrocoupler.
Modern locomotive electrocouplers using DCS, Legacy or the LionChief dedicated or universal remotes makes it simple and fun to move a consist into a siding, and at the press of a button, uncoupling that consist from the locomotive and leaving the consist in the siding.
How do you folks uncouple cars when the locomotive is not involved? Only way I know to do that is using the old fashioned remote control tracks for uncoupling and unloading, and that, IMO, doesn't always work and is less than ideal.
Arnold.
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:I also think this is a very interesting thread.
It seems that a limitation is the coupling and uncoupling of train cars by remote control other than using a locomotive electrocoupler.
Modern locomotive electrocouplers using DCS, Legacy or the LionChief dedicated or universal remotes makes it simple and fun to move a consist into a siding, and at the press of a button, uncoupling that consist from the locomotive and leaving the consist in the siding.
How do you folks uncouple cars when the locomotive is not involved? Only way I know to do that is using the old fashioned remote control tracks for uncoupling and unloading, and that, IMO, doesn't always work and is less than ideal.
Arnold.
Those of us that use/used Kadee couplers use slightly sharpened "chop sticks" to manually open the Kadee. I had ip-graded all locomotives and freight rolling stock to Kadee couplers, and never had any undesired uncoupling, plus never had to bash together the cars in order to get the couplers to couple & latch (as with lobster claws).
During my experimentation with 3 rail (early 2000s) to see if I could use the 3 rail medium to satisfy my desires in model railroading, which included with the ease of handling larger 3 rail trains, I designed an urban type switching layout to fit within a room of 9'6" width x 14' 6" length. (The 14' 6" length includes the closet.)
I had designed-in provision for double track loop running for those times I simply wanted to watch the trains run, or so I could have a train circling as I switched the industries.
The yard was to be treated like a "fiddle yard" in that I would manually swap cars on/off the layout in between "op sessions" for variety.
I actually got the entire double track main functional, all of the 12th St. Yard scene functional, some industry PhotoFlats created, constructed and in place, and was in the process of starting on the left wall industry tracks. Here's the original track plan:
Once I had the 12th St Yard scene up and running, it didn't take long to see that I needed to revise the plan to do away with the switching area inside the closet, instead extending the industry track and inserting a long yard track for more car capacity, hence functionality. Doing would also eliminate concerns I began having about the user-friendliness of switching the closet scene. Here are those revisions shown in red:
I liked the way the visuals were coming together in the 12th St Yard scene:
The reason for the decision against continuing in 3 rail has been mentioned before on these forums, so I won't rehash it here.
However, I did prove to myself that it was entirely possible to have a viable operational-based layout in a small space using 3 rail. In that respect, the experiment was successful.
Andre
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:How do you folks uncouple cars when the locomotive is not involved? Only way I know to do that is using the old fashioned remote control tracks for uncoupling and unloading, and that, IMO, doesn't always work and is less than ideal.
Arnold.
I use Lionel Fastrack remote uncouplers and enjoy [nearly] 100% reliable uncoupling, perhaps because while my rolling stock is equipped with MTH "claw" couplers, I use only the ones with the hinged plates under the truck, NOT any of the "thumbtack" versions.
Oh, and there is a certain percentage of MTH trucks (less than 10%) I have to discard because the knuckles don't latch when coupling without literally crashing them together. Those [few] of us who uncouple and couple these things over and over in everyday switching (typical operating session involves more than a dozen coupling/uncoupling operations) learn about these quality control failings involving the precise shape of the coupler knuckle. One fail is when the pin won't drop in place behind the knuckle and the other is when the shape of the knuckle is such that the adjacent car knuckle simply doesn't push it completely closed. If you push the knuckle with your finger it will close and the pin will drop but another knuckle pushing against it doesn't "rock" it fully closed.
Then for 100% reliable slow-speed coupling without ANY "crashing" I invented remote-controlled car stoppers which hold cars from movement while coupling pressure is applied to an adjacent car by the switching engine.
Mine is operational. I can only accommodate three, two man crews. I've found that 1-2 hour operating sessions are long enough so we only do about six moves for each crew when the whole group comes over. If I host smaller groups, we might go a little longer and even use a caboose with each train, which makes things a bit harder. My layout can also be a loop runner when I am by myself.
@geysergazer posted:...Then for 100% reliable slow-speed coupling without ANY "crashing" I invented remote-controlled car stoppers which hold cars from movement while coupling pressure is applied to an adjacent car by the switching engine.
Great info regarding couplers - gives me some food for thought, as I've always avoided "operating" my 3-rail trains due to coupler issues but have no interest in converting everything to Kadee. I think the "stopper" idea is worthy of being published - I'd love to see what's underneath.
@David Minarik posted:Mine is operational. I can only accommodate three, two man crews. I've found that 1-2 hour operating sessions are long enough so we only do about six moves for each crew when the whole group comes over. If I host smaller groups, we might go a little longer and even use a caboose with each train, which makes things a bit harder. My layout can also be a loop runner when I am by myself.
IMO, that's a worthy goal and the best of both worlds. I regularly participate in operating sessions on HO, N, and On30 layouts - there's a sweet spot regarding time. And while point-to-point operations are interesting and prototypical, I enjoy relaxing and watching trains. Loop running is very useful when showing the layout to non-train folks.
I had a fairly large area for a layout and wanted long runs for the trains. I sat down with a sheet of drafting paper and drew up a three level layout that is one long section of track with reverse loops at each end. I incorporated yard tracks at each reverse loop. My desire was to have friends in to operate taking trains from each end and running them from one end to the other and putting them on the yard tracks when they reached the other end. The run time between reverse loops at scale speed is about 5 minutes unless a train has to wait on a passing siding. 
@Mallard4468 posted:Great info regarding couplers - gives me some food for thought, as I've always avoided "operating" my 3-rail trains due to coupler issues but have no interest in converting everything to Kadee. I think the "stopper" idea is worthy of being published - I'd love to see what's underneath.
What's underneath is pretty simple, enabled by a Tortoise slo-mo switch machine familiar to HO folks and a piece of K&S 5/32 brass tubing inside a piece of 3/16 tubing:
Easy to put together and adjust. The tubing is cut to lengths suitable to pass through whatever roadbed and track one is using. A SPDT toggle switch and a couple diodes make up the control apparatus. Circuitron says half-wave rectification of 14VAC results in a safe [effective] operating voltage for the Tortoise machine (which is rated for 12VDC):
Andre, that was a good looking model railroad! I’m sure your HO layout is just as nice.
Jeff C
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