The Atlantic and Southern Build, Part 1

[ACL1504]

Tom

Great thread - It will be very interesting to see how your design develops.  I hope you have a place near by that you can run trains while you design and build the new layout.

John,

Thanks for checking in and no, I don't have a place to run trains as yet. But I'll get there very soon.

Tom

[gnatshop]

Hope 'get there soon' ain't in Arkansas 'Ledbetter' time!

The Ledbetters are slower than a one-legged cat in a sandbox.

[ACL1504]

Hope 'get there soon' ain't in Arkansas 'Ledbetter' time!

The Ledbetters are slower than a one-legged cat in a sandbox.

Gman,

That must be one stinky sandbox!

Tom

[gnatshop]

Everything in the Ledbetter household is 'stinky', includin' yesterday's breakfast egg and sardine
casserole!
But that one-legged cat is a busy li'l bugger coverin' up all the poop on here!

[ACL1504]

Everything in the Ledbetter household is 'stinky', includin' yesterday's breakfast egg and sardine
casserole!
But that one-legged cat is a busy li'l bugger coverin' up all the poop on here!

Egg and sardine? I don't even have a come back or thought on that! Very sick face goes here!

Tom

[ACL1504]

I was talking to my good friend, Greg DeMayo, and was telling him of a possible plan for the upper level of the new layout!

We were discussing the different radius I could use in the area. I was telling him how the Judge and I were testing the Walthers heavyweights and Walthers Pullman Standard cars on different curves. Walthers states the heavyweights will work on 28" radius. Well, technically they will but not in reverse. In reverse they bind at the corners or end diaphrams and derail. They will go around a 28" radius but they certainly don't look right doing it.

I tested the cars with a long passenger train using the Walthers heavyweights and the pullman standard/fluted side passenger cars. The Judge and I tested them forward and reverse on 30", 32", 34" and 36" radius curves. This information was critical for me as a big part of the new layout on the upper level will involve long passenger trains backing into a Union Station such as the one in Jacksonville, Florida. Another critical piece of data I needed was to see what would fit and what looked normal.

After the passenger car backing testing, I decided they will work on 34" radius curves in reverse with no binding between the cars. They run just fine in forward. Now, obviously 36" or highter is best but 36" radius is all I have to spare. So, for backing into the station I can safely use the 34" radius curve and 34" to 36" radius curves on the rest of the layout and mainline.

Greg worked up a little CAD drawing of the third level using the 34" radius curves in the corners. It isn't a track plan as such but will give me a better idea of what and where a track plan will and won't fit. His CAD drawing is shown below.



Continued later this afternoon.

[ACL1504]

One of the things I've changed on the plan as shown above is the location of the helix! I've decided to move the helix to the upper left of the drawing in the set out of the room. The size of this set out is approximately 6' 10" X 10' give or take an inch. This area will easily handle a two track helix with the inside track 34" and the outside 36" radius.

Again, referring to the diagram above you can see how the helix extends beyond the bookcase. Since I've added the other bookcase the helix and waterfront will no longer be located there.

Tom

[ACL1504]

Over the past several months I'm been in many conversations with Erieman, Frank Baker. Frank volunteered to draw a few track plans. I told Frank I didn't want him to go to any trouble for me as I know he is working on his own Morristown and Erie layout! He said it would be fun and besides I needed a few different people looking at it to give me a better idea on what I could do. The following three images are another set of ideas from Frank.






Continued in a few.

[ACL1504]

Frank and I are pretty much on the same page as far as the layout concept of around the wall is concerned. Notice how he moved the helix to the upper left. This is the set out in my room I was referring to. Notice also he has a double helix? When he first sent me this drawing and I saw the double helix my first impression was, "What the He-- is that"? More on this later.

Anyway, back to the drawings. He shows the passenger back in area on the second/middle level where I have plans for it on the  top/third level.

For the lower level I plan to have it serve strictly as a staging area for all the trains. No scenery will be on this level.

After speaking to Frank about his ideas and mine he went back to the drawing board.

Continued in a few.

[ACL1504]

Frank sent me another set of track plans for the new Atlantic and Southern.
In the first photo below you can see where Frank states the double helix serves as double service as one is for going up and the other is for going down.






Continued in a few.

[ACL1504]

Frank and I spoke on the phone one day for about 45 minutes. During the conversation I came up with the idea of using the middle/second level for a large freight facility and yard area. This is where he shows the passenger station.

Later I decided to use this area for rural industries and a few complicated switching moves to get to certain industries.


I do like the idea of the passenger station on the top level but the yards will be on the sides. I'll have a yard on each level, meaning the second and third levels. This way, the operator will have the ability to move cars from one level to the other as if they were being moved to another part of the country.

Below are yet two other track plan concepts Frank came up with. Frank has more talent in his little finger than I do using all my skills.




What I like about this set of drawings is the fact I can have a city above the top level of the helix. Frank's drawings really give us a visual of things that may be.

I'll stop here for today as I've given ya'll a whole bunch of ideas to digest!

Thanks for following and any ideas you have are welcome.

Tom

[ReadingBob]

Uh.....my head was hurting from reading and testing some complex programs here at work so I thought I'd stop by and see what Tom was up to.  Now my head really hurts!      Looks like a fun layout to run trains on but I could never, ever come up with concepts like that.      I'm doing good just to plan a simple oval.      Guess I'll stick to building structures. 

I am looking forward to seeing where this journey takes us. 

[ACL1504]

Uh.....my head was hurting from reading and testing some complex programs here at work so I thought I'd stop by and see what Tom was up to.  Now my head really hurts!      Looks like a fun layout to run trains on but I could never, ever come up with concepts like that.      I'm doing good just to plan a simple oval.      Guess I'll stick to building structures. 

I am looking forward to seeing where this journey takes us.

Bob,

Sorry to hear about the "head hurt" but I understand your thought process. I've learned to "Chew the meat and spit out the fat" so to speak!

I'm using Frank as my concept man! He says he loves it, I'm not sure. I'll take his word for it! I just don't have the vision for track planning concepts like this. Maybe this is the reason my other layout track plan failed me.


I'm happy you are joining me on the journey. As my friend Bilbo
Baggins said, "I'm going on an adventure". This has certainly been an adventure but I plan to clear the smoke in the next few posts.

Tom

[jbvb]

I think you'll be satisfied with 34" minimum; the Hub Division's modular uses 32" on the inside main, and both commercial and kit passenger equipment behaves well.  You do need to trim the underframe & trucks a bit on the older Branchline Pullman kits, and watch out for cylinder/cab overhang with 8-coupled steam.

[ACL1504]

I think you'll be satisfied with 34" minimum; the Hub Division's modular uses 32" on the inside main, and both commercial and kit passenger equipment behaves well.  You do need to trim the underframe & trucks a bit on the older Branchline Pullman kits, and watch out for cylinder/cab overhang with 8-coupled steam.

James,

Thanks for checking in, much appreciated. I learned early on to trim the Walthers heavyweight car trucks as well.  I haven't had the truck problem with the Branchline heavyweights but then I've only run two although I have six more that need building.

Tom