UP in the Pacific Northwest (N scale)

[Serdar S]

Replies inline. Thanks Allen.

Do you know what the radius is now? about 18"
What kind of locos will you be running? 6-axle diesels, mostly SD70ACEs
How long of trains will you run? 15-20 cars long, double or triple engine consists
Will you be backing through that track a lot? not really, there might be some backing for locals, but those will be only 8-10 cars long
Are your cars weighted more than what comes from the factory? no, and this is something I want to fix. I may actually tackle that after I finish this staging loop. I want to make sure that all of my cars are weighted to NMRA standards. I think some also need truck/wheel upgrades, but will see how they perform after they are properly weighted.

Honestly if the track in question is the rear tracks in the back of this image, I honestly don't think it'll be a problem?
If you have room to add some straight sections, go for it. I can't really add that much more because it'll then impact the radius of the staging loop tracks. I have a really weird corner that I'm dealing with. I do think that the curves are gentle enough that this won't be an issue. It is actually one of the reasons why I went with a 4-track loop. Originally I had planned a 6-track loop, but that would've resulted in some veeeery tight curves in all the wrong places. Could've worked with bulletproof trackwork, but I think that it would've ultimately resulted in frustration.

[Allen]

I don't think with 18" radius (in N scale) you're gonna see many issues, especially if the cars have some weight to them.
I think the issues of the dreaded "S" curves are overblown IMHO. Most who have issues with "S" curves are using track that's 11" radius or less.

[SamS]

I agree with Allen. Properly done, with easements as necessary, shouldn't be an issue. I ended up printing a track template, placing track, and doing some testing with a variety of awkward cars (i.e., 89' coupled up to under 40' cars) to ensure everything worked. Granted, the radius involved is slightly larger at 20" but I don't think it'll matter much, especially if you don't have it on a grade like I do.

[herronpeter]

Where there is a will there is a way! What a cool idea with excellent execution! Outstanding…..

Peter

[Paul S.]

I think the issues of the dreaded "S" curves are overblown IMHO. Most who have issues with "S" curves are using track that's 11" radius or less.

That's the issue in a nutshell! It's not "reverse curves" per se (even the 1:1 railroads have those; look at an aerial view of BNSF's Stampede Sub), it's sharp reverse curves without sufficient separation via a tangent. And the issue is made worse without the use of easements.

I recall an Iain Rice HO scale trackplan from "Model Railroad Planning 1998" which a reader took to task for having a reverse curve on the mainline. There was very little tangent separating the curves.

But as was pointed out in the editor's response to the reader's letter, the curves were 24" radius -- not considered sharp in HO -- and so would not likely present an issue with the 40- and 50-foot rolling stock of a steam-era Illinois Central theme.

[craigtownsend]

I've been using the radius formula that was published in the very first MRH issue as my guidelines. Boils down to 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x (times) the length of your longest equipment. A scale draft gear box will get you around 3x and larger. I calculated it all out for my scale and came pretty close to my minimum radius requirements that I was already using.

[Greg]

I agree with the rest of the peanut gallery on here. The larger radius, the less effect of the ever evil S curve. If, that’s a big IF, the room is available use a tangent track of your longest equipment.

[Serdar S]

Well folks, the backdrop support for the lower level is up. I've used 1/16" styrene sheets (3 of them) to create a 20' long backdrop. I have a single piece photo backdrop in order. Once it arrives, I'll attach it to the styrene which will hide the seams between the three panels.

I've used velcro to attach the styrene to the backdrop supports. This was an idea from a user in another forum, and I really like the flexibility it gives when positioning the backdrop. In a pinch, I can also easily remove it. Here are the pictures of the first piece going up.



Because this sheet is only 7.75" tall, I used only two velcro squares per support. On the corners, I used three for extra support. Probably overkill, but why not. Velcro is cheap. Here are the two corners and an overview of the whole thing.




Pretty happy with how it turned out. 😊

[Allen]

That looks like it will turn out very well Serdar!
I like it! As Loren said, it does look professional.

[Greg]

Professional is a word I would use also. I like the smoothness.

[Paul S.]

Velcro! Sure beats driving brads into the styrene and puttying the holes later.

Thanks for sharing the tip. That's a great idea.💡

[Serdar S]

Hello folks,

It's been a long time since the last update, and work has been crazy busy. However, today we got snowed in and lost power and cable. Can't work, so TRAIN DAY! Yay!

I ended up spending the afternoon putting up the photo backdrop. I initially had planned it as a single piece (which is how I had it printed.) However, with just an 8" shelf height and the flexible nature of the styrene, it just felt like it would be super difficult to do so in place. Instead, I cut the backdrop into 3 pieces to match the 3 pieces of styrene. That way I could take the styrene sheets off the layout, lay them flat on a piece of board, and really get all the bubbles as I adhered the backdrop. Having a clean squeegee really helped here. I'm also happy about this decision, because it'll allow me to take down the backdrops piece by piece should I ever need to do so.

Here are the installation pictures. The last photo shows the cutout that's going to be the entrance to staging.









At this point, I'm ready to resume trackwork. I've placed some buildings around to see how it would look. These are not the final structures or placement, but just to see how it would all look. Pleased with the results, especially the area that's going to be engine facility/yard entrance.




I'm going to use the engine house to block the view of the return from the staging yard will cut through the backdrop. I'm hoping that the yard ladder there will look like the tracks that go off to the additional engine facilities in the background. There will essentially be 4 tracks going to that hole to the left of the engine house.

[Allen]

WOW! That backdrop looks great Serdar! It really adds to the depth of the layout.
What a great start.

[Michael Whiteman]

Glad to see you back again Serdar. Installing this in 3 sections makes a lot of sense for sure. I absolutely love this backdrop. It reminds me of the area around Skykomish, that is until I came to the U.P. smokestack in Portland. LOL Keep up the excellent work.

Snow in Seattle ?? Wow!