Dream and design
Layout Plans
I'm currently working on a test bed 4x8 layout, but i'm setting up the plans for my big one (once the space it is destined for is complete).
XtrkCad Question
I'm getting to the point where I'll be posting my preliminary design of my layout, but I'm wondering how best to get it into a small graphic file. The only option I see is to export it to a bitmap file, which are huge. I tried to take that into my graphics program (Paint Shop Pro) and export it to a reasonably sized .jpg, but the quality went in the toilet. I don't remember having this problem before, but perhaps its that I haven't designed one this large before, so I never had to shrink it. I'm sure I'm missing something obvious, but any suggestions?
Multi-Level vs Multi-Deck
Hi,
I have recently modified my original design for the "next" layout. I am modeling the Lyndonville subdivision of the Canadian Pacific in North East Vermont, now the Washington County Railroad run by the Vermont Rail System. A Map of the route can be found HERE.
Two deck designs
Most of you have seen this before but here are my latest thoughts on adding a second level to the layout.
First please note that the left top and right sides of the diagram are against walls that can not be moved of penetrated except for holding up the upper level of the layout. Since that portion has to be built against these walls, a mishroom configuration won't do. Where a mushroom might fit is in the bottom part and central peninsula.
The lower right hand portion will be the location of car float operations and the supporting yard that is required.
Car Floats and Tug Boats 3
I looked thru Volume 2 of Morning Sun's New York Harbor Railroads in Color. it has more photos of car floats and a few picrures Sea Train and Sea Land operations too.
Car floats and tugboats 2
Over the weekend I gave some thought to the desig of a homemade car float in N-Scale. What I came up with is a 24" long plank of bass that is 4 inches wide. This works out to 324' x 54' in N-Scale and is capable of handling 15 50 foot boxcars on 3 tracks with some room to spare. These can be made quite easily with sectional track and would nicely match an apron only 6 inches long with proper bridge work on it.
Car floats and tugboats
I've been doing alot of reading and research on carflaots and tugboats. Along the way I found the Sylvan Models produces both a car float and a tugboat in N-Scale. They aren't exactly cheap nor are they exactly what I have been looking for but as they say beggars can't be choosy. Or can they?
Car floats and the docks at Bay Ridge, NY
AS I've mentioned elsewhere, I have decided to base my new layout on the tracks used by the New York Connecting Railroad. One of the things I want to includ is the car float operation that brought cars onto and took cars off of the tracks at the Bay Ridge, NY railroad yard. I have track schematics for the yard and simplistic ones for the 4 aprons used with car floats in the yard but I don't have plans, pictures or even much of a written description of the car floats themselves or of the docks and aprons used in that area.
I think I found the basis for my layout
After spending a lot of time trying to come up with a reasonable prototype to follow with little or no success, I think I have found it now thanks to a book by Robert C. Sturm and William G. Thom. It's titled "The New York Connecting Railroad: Long Island's Other Railroad." It was published by the Long Island -Sunrise Trail Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
Track Plan templates
I've been thinking and reading and then thinking some more about the topic of translating a trackplan onto the benchwork and come to the conclusion that it would be great to be able to print out your trackplan in the exact size of the benchwork. This would allow you to actually use what was on the paper as a template to lay out your track as accurately as possible.
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