[Andy in Germany]

Model railways with me are like busses: Nothing for ages, then two turn up at once...

This is the beginnings of 'Spitzenwald', the model I've been trying to make for a couple of decades in different forms. Now I'm finallyat the point where I can start thinking about the track plan, I've got several questions...

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There's nothing ground breaking here: the line enters the terminus at top left, there is (from rear) loco stabling, a platform road and bay, with accessto akickback siding.This willeither serve a cooperative or vanish under a bridge to an off scene industry which will change with my mood. The loco stabling siding and platform road will end at a low-relief locomotive shed.

The red dots are possible places for uncoupling magnets, the white bits of plasticard represent isolating sections, although I'm not sure what use it would be isolating the cooperative siding so scratch that. I also think that the uncouplers on the platform and bay need to be close to the isolating section so I can release locomotives.

The join is butressed by two pieces of beechwood, and I'll run the track over copper covered silicon and solder it down before cutting through the join. I left a space at each side because despite my best efforts the bolts under the baseboard are too sloppy for positive positioning, and I was going to put a slider at the front and back to hold the boards in position while I fastened themtogether, but is that really needed? Can I use sloppy holes and align by eye?
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Andy in Germany
More railway misadventures on:
www.korschtal.wordpress.com

[ruedetropal]

is that N gauge? you don't say,as I have designed a track section to go over board joins, curently only in OO/HO and O gauges. I intend to do one for 9mm gauge,but it will be for code 100 rail, so ends of rail would have to be slightly modified to match code 80.
Apart from resulting in having rail across joint, boards can be fixed together easier as do not have to be as accurate. Track can be at any angle across joint, jou just place the track section in place and cut. Only complex part is having to solder wires to the section on rrail across joint, and connecing to either or both tracks either side.
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Simon Dawson
Will try anything once, looking for the ultimate easy to set up portable exhibition layout, preferably French narrow gauge and with lots going on, not necessary on the rails.

http://www.rue-d-etropal.com

[giles b]

[Andy in Germany]

Oops. I missed the answers to this thread...

[ruedetropal]

for uncoupling(either UK or European ones) the blade of grass method Roger Nicholls designed works very well. I have tried my own version on inset track with a thin piece of card sticking up.
He told me it could be more reliable than kadees . Only downside is having to have coupling hooks/loops only on one end, so is limiting when sidings go both ways. It would need some thinking then, with loco having no hook or loop, both ends and some wagons set right way round for each siding.
Extra blades can be inserted if needed.
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Simon Dawson
Will try anything once, looking for the ultimate easy to set up portable exhibition layout, preferably French narrow gauge and with lots going on, not necessary on the rails.

http://www.rue-d-etropal.com

[colpeake]

[ruedetropal]

I wonder if we are making things over complex. Unless we have general all purpose sidings, then certain wagons should only go in certain sidings, Coal on coal siding, cattle truck next to cattle dock. The card game shunting puzzles can be fun, but are just that. There are other restrictions which would mean certain wagons(or coaches) would in practice never go on a certain section of track. Building that into the script can add realism, and possibly challenges.
Turning it round, maybe we are actually not being complex enough. We are taking the easy path(siding?) by allowing anything to go anywhere.
I have not only watched, but tried it out on my own mini layout,. It was even more difficult as I had to position wagon on a wagon turntable, but it did work eventually. It would not have been as easy to move magnets etc. I still need to finish that layout, especially as it only has 2 dead end sidings, both with wagon turntables, and pointing opposite ways. Different warehouses so different wagons.
To be fair, I am not creating a puzzle challenge, but it would work with the classic 3 line shunting setup. I may use that on something in future.
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Simon Dawson
Will try anything once, looking for the ultimate easy to set up portable exhibition layout, preferably French narrow gauge and with lots going on, not necessary on the rails.

http://www.rue-d-etropal.com

[Blackcloud Railways]

Not so Simon, while certain types of wagon are routed to specific (un)loading spots they may also need to be left on other sidings during shunting manoeuvres. The only way of avoiding this is to use a light engine as the first move to collect and remove outbound wagons the run a second train of inbound wagons to fill the empty spots, even then you will need to leave wagons off-spot unless the inbound train is precisely marshalled to drop wagons in the right order.

While this MO is reasonable in certain circumstances, such as a very confined industrial area specifically tripped from a nearby yard, it is not prototypical for a station yard served by a pick-up goods train.
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Bob Hughes
Playing Trains

Once there were mountains on mountains and once there were sunbirds to soar with and once I could never be down.

[ruedetropal]

that may be the case, but in practice many of our shunting(puzzle) layouts have sidings only facing one way, so it is not really an issue.
The visual and practical advantages of the system Roger developed I believe is better than some others. Many go for Kadees which look ok on USA and some modern stock, but look totally wrong on a British steam engine. Not that the hook and loop ones look much better on wagons, but on loco are only a simple loop, or hook.
The blade of grass system is very simple, can be modified, repositioned if necessary. Only modification to locos and stock is removing hook(s) or loop(s). It is also very cheap.
One option might be to have a shunters truck with both couplings complete. This could then be used if required to pick up wagons 'wrong way around'. Sometimes it is the simple problems that add the bigger interest.
One other thing, unless you have a run round loop, it is only going to be possible to shunt wagons one way round, so if there is a kickback siding, you can have stock specific for that. That is unless you either have asecond loco, some rope and capstan movements, or move items by hand in fiddle yard.
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Simon Dawson
Will try anything once, looking for the ultimate easy to set up portable exhibition layout, preferably French narrow gauge and with lots going on, not necessary on the rails.

http://www.rue-d-etropal.com