Train sets!

First topic message reminder :

that is a matter of discretion, but so far it's been my old house, my current job, and my trains

What if someone does not know anything about train sets? Then image would be useful. May you please find one and post it for us?

was hoping  this wouldn't be necessary, but this is a good example of a return loop  

How is progress coming?

getting there slowly, both my 89' flats can handle the gradient, as can my well cars, so it's a good sign

An 89' flat? Is that a train car or something?

yes, an 89' flat is a flat car that is 89 feet long

That is a very long train car there

the 89 feet is scale feet, so it is not very long in reality. in reality it is only about a foot and half long, maybe a little longer

the longest car on that train layout is an HO Scale representation of a 5-unit spine car (with each one of the 5 separate unit being 52.6 feet long). I will let you do the math on this,as I've completely forgotten what the car's total length is.

times it by 5 and you have your answer, but  that does not count, as that car is in pieces, not one solid piece. I may be also getting another 89' all purpose flat, but am not sure yet

How is progress going?

Unfortunately progress on the layout's 2nd level is very slow, but there's little that can be done as there are critical problems that need to be solved.

What kind of problems?

just some logistical stuff, but it's very difficult to solve them at this point

The three of us (myself, my twin bro and my dad) are trying to build a drop bridge in order to gain access to the layout's inner area as the current access point creates uneven track and this often results in a train literally falling off the track.

as i said before, logistical stuff

1mtvfan wrote:just some logistical stuff, but it's very difficult to solve them at this point

TigerTankFan wrote:The three of us (myself, my twin bro and my dad) are trying to build a drop bridge in order to gain access to the layout's inner area as the current access point creates uneven track and this often results in a train literally falling off the track.  

1mtvfan wrote:as i said before, logistical stuff

So what is the plan to fix it? Do you know what preciselly is causing the track to be uneven?

just have to tinker with it, that s the only fix

There's an open space in this layout in which a bridge span is being used as a gateway. However, the floor that the layout sits on is uneven and will shift with the seasons. As for fixing it, we plan on installing a drop bridge that will keep one part of the track level (well, that's the plan anyway).

just have to tinker with it, and see what works, that's the only way to fix it

TigerTankFan wrote:There's an open space in this layout in which a bridge span is being used as a gateway. However, the floor that the layout sits on is uneven and will shift with the seasons. As for fixing it, we plan on installing a drop bridge that will keep one part of the track level (well, that's the plan anyway).

1mtvfan wrote:just have to tinker with it, and see what works, that's the only way to fix it

How exactly do you plan to add the drop bridge?

we plan on installing this kid of bridge on the western end of the layout so it can be lowered for entry and then raised into place for operating sessions. It may be a while though, as we still have to get some missing parts.

just some parts to secure it in place when operating, then comes the leveling, because if it stays UN-level, the trains derail constantly, which takes the fun out of operating

1mtvfan wrote:the 89 feet is scale feet, so it is not very long in reality. in reality it is only about a foot and half long, maybe a little longer

I just did google search and found this picture of something close to what an 89' Flat car on a train set (HO Scale) would look like:


As for that problem you guys are having, is this what a drop bridge looks like?

Something like this?

[Only mods are allowed to see this link], the bridge picture isn't quite what we had in mind for our drop bridge. As for the flatcar pic, that is one configuration of a flatcar. Come to think of it, I've seen 89' flatcars set up for carrying trailers and containers in addition to serving as the bottom level of auto carriers (also known as auto racks).