A couple of months ago I posted a few construction photos of a new wye I was building near my gazebo. Here is the link to the original post:
I couldn’t put down the track until I finished the car barn project. Like some of you here at the forum, I tend to have multiple projects underway at the same time … and sometimes they interfere with each other. I finally got most of the track laid this past weekend and here are a few photos to prove it actually happened.
Here is the east end of the wye looking due west across the Rico yard tracks toward the gazebo. This end of the wye diverges from the same switching lead that goes to the car barn. This allows cars to be pulled from the barn, turned if needed, and assembled into a train without tying up any of the yard tracks. The south leg runs parallel to the car barn and the north leg follow along the edging blocks. Both legs have 24 foot long run-around tracks to facilitate switching moves. The west leg runs near the base of the gazebo. The long narrow space between the south and north legs will eventually contain a few structures.
Here is the view looking southeast toward the car barn where the north and west legs meet. The west leg curves off to the right on a 20 foot diameter curve around the gazebo. The north leg diverges into a run-around track. Note the S-curve formed by the two curved switches. A lot of folks will warn you about the issues with S-curves, but they will work just fine if you keep the curves gentle and put at least a car length of tangent between them. The position of the oak trees and the gazebo didn’t leave me a lot of options at this location.
This view, taken northwest of the gazebo, shows the end of the tail from the north leg / west leg switch shown in the previous photo. Here, the tail will connect to the inner loop track that will eventually head out across the moss bed under the oak trees to meet the track in the distance and on into Rico behind the spruce forest.
Here is the view from the south side of the gazebo looking northeast. This is where the west leg will join with the south leg. I haven’t decided whether to use a #8 (laying there) and a wye switch, or just go with a 3-way #8. In either case I need to build or buy another switch. The west leg runs to the left around the gazebo and the south leg diverges into a run-around track.
Here is the view from inside the gazebo looking due east through the screen. Note that the north leg has another S-curve as it follows along the edging blocks that separate the picnic area from the layout. This S-curve was by choice and not by necessity. S-curves like this serve a double purpose. First, they allow the track to be longer than if a straight line were used. But secondly – and perhaps more importantly – S-curves provide visual interest. They help break up the monotony and toy-like appearance that comes from straight lines.
Here is the view from the picnic table looking at the west leg curving around the gazebo. This a 20-foot diameter curve and is one of the tightest curves on the layout thus far. Note the use of stepping stone pathways to provide operators a convenient path for throwing switches and uncoupling cars. I cannot stress enough the importance of having safe, convenient, and well-lit pathways to access the layout for operations and maintenance.
Until the next project …
Bob
