[turkeylegs]

Hello everyone,im new to this although iv always had an interest.Well iv decided to get my 00 flying scotsman set i recieved as a gift a few years ago out ,and sort the attic out to put it in.What im wanting to do is complete the track mat layout,then later add a single line to take it around the edge of the attic,sort of a mainline leading to and from the trackmat layout.Because i really dont know much about this ill probably be asking a lot of questions,so i hope im not going to bore you with obvious things that i dont understand yet.
This site looks great,ill be browsing it for a while i think,hope to post and chat soon,cheers.

 

[frame69]

Hi

 

[pedromorgan]

hi there. welcome to the forum.

dont be shy! we were all new to this once!! but do have a good browse and try to get the hang of the search function in the top right.

Peter

 

[zmil]

Hello and welcome to the forum

There is always someone to lend a hand if you get stuck

Regards

ZMil

 

[FUNGUS]

Hello!

 

[Brian Considine]

Hi & welcome to MRF - be sure to ask away with questions - we all started somewhere & there is a wealth of knowledge available here.

 

[7113]

hi and welcome to MRF.

A friendlier place would be hard to find - just join in when you feel you can.

Regards

 

[turkeylegs]

Thanks for the welcome,well iv managed to clear space in the attic,and a bit of board is on its way,6x4 so i can get started setting my set up,it should be here tomorrow sometime,ill try and remember to take a few pics so you can see how its going too,cheers.

 

[Chinahand]

Hi Turkeylegs and welcome to the MRF.

The MRF is a great sorce of information and knowledge and you couldn't wish for a friendlier bunch of members who are always willing to help out if you hit a problem.

Enjoy the hobby.

 

[turkeylegs]

Hi guys,
It's been a long time since I was here due to life and things, but iv actually managed to get the trakmat set up with track only.
But a problem iv come across is I can go anticlockwise on the track from outer to inner track but can only get back on to the outer track if I reverse onto the outer track over the points. Iv followed the instructions carefully w file building it from the expansion packs and I'm stumped as to how have a continuous run from outer to inner.
Iv built the track with all the packs up to pack E.
I'm thinking I'll need some more points to put in on the other side of the layout so I can carry on in the same direction and get onto the outer track instead of stopping and reversing to get to it.
Or am I missing something?
Many thanks guys.

 

[Julian2011]

Good thinking, the extra points on the other side of the layout will let you get to the outer track from the inner one. It may be of interest that the full size jobs normally do reverse over points to get from one track to the other. The reason is fairly simple, as points are [preferrably] laid so the normal running direction takes the trains into the heel of the points towards the toe. So to get from the correct running direction, a train will go past the points and then reverse across to the other line, where it can return in the direction it came from.

Regards
Julian

 

[turkeylegs]

So going anti clockwise going onto the inner line but not back or onto the outer line is normal then? Reversing onto it before continuing anti clockwise running is perfectly normal.
I'll eventually get the points for the other side I think, I prefer the idea of continuing in the same direction and being able to access the outer line that way.
Thanks for your reply though, you made me feel better about it as I thought I'd made a mistake somewhere.

 

[Robert Stokes]

Julian, reversing over a trailing crossover to change lines used to be the way it was done years ago but not now. When I go from Doncaster to Sheffield the journey starts with the train going straight through three (if not four) facing crossovers.

Robert

 

[Julian2011]

Hi Robert, I'm not denying that there are some modern exceptions and some earlier ones, too. It was, none-the-less, normal practice until recently, with a few exceptions, where location / operations dictated otherwise and it still remains "normal" practice. There are exceptions and it's fine to mention them as such.

To Turkeylegs, You may wish to note the reply from Robert, which is perfectly valid, in so far as it goes. For many decades, the "normal practice" was for trains to be driven on the left set of rails, just like on the road. It has also been normal practice to have the points approached at the heel and exited by the toe and remains so. On an oval layout the inner circuit would be run in an anti-clockwise direction and the outer rails in a clockwise direction. It's your layout and such matters are for you to decide which you prefer, as Robert says there are exceptions, so if it suits you you can choose to place things other than normal practice and you have both methods outlined here, as your justification.

Win - Win.

Julian

 

[Robert Stokes]

My apologies, Julian, I didn't realise that reversing was still normal practise. I'm so used to that Doncaster/Sheffield journey (when wife wants me to go shopping with her to Meadowhall) that I thought it was normal rather than an exception.

Robert

 

[Julian2011]

Hi Robert, there are no apologies needed, your observation was perfectly correct and relevant. Without observations like the ones you posted we would be left with dogma and that's not a place I want to be.

J