I had some problems with some S curves on my layout. My Dash 9’s had a little trouble negotiating the curves, especially when running freight cars behind them. The wheels would sometimes come off the track. So today I removed 3-4 curves and put in straights which seemed to improve it immensely!!! Here are a series of three pictures to show the before and the after. The Regal
This is before
These last two are after.
This one I had to remove one more piece to accomplish what I was going for.
Yep, S curves, while looking somewhat neat, are usually operational nightmares, at the very least limit the size of locos and length of trains.
Good job Jerry.
Regards, Greg
Thanks Greg, and thanks! for all the help you have given me over the past year, I appreciate it very much! Well after it warms up today, I’ll head back out and lay another 80-100 ft of my last double loop, will finish what I started, then it’s off to put in a 6ft trestle that is around 30" high, and wind off of it down to the main line or track. Us handicapped guy’s have got to have a starting point to set trains up that don’t kill our knees. When I lay track it’s lying flat and crawling around to do what I need to do ground level. This way I will have a starting point to start train’s easier. Eventually, I will probably have to raise the whole thing up to around 3-4 ft. Getting pretty hard to get up and down in my OLD age! LOL The Regal More pics to follow.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/bikerbabe.jpg)
Now you’ve met my wife! LOL
Jerry,
My take on S curves…
(You guys can throw rocks all you want–I can take it…
)
If they aren’t necessary, such as to negotiate around a tree or a large boulder, don’t design one in the layout. I’ve seen so many in the middle of a straight run on layouts. I shrug and ask why?
Real rr’s don’t through in an “s” for no apparent reason.
If you have to make one to line up two points, get a friends rail bender and gently curve the line-up.
It will work out better and look much better.
Start the stoning…
I realize that now John, but in order to maintain what I had and not go across the sidewalk i did it that way, that’s why i took up 3-4 curves and did it the way it is in the last picture. Today when I lay the final track for my inside loop, there will be no s’s in it. Also nearest guy to me is 4-5 hrs to get a track bender. If i was going to purchase one it would be a Train Li, and that is NOT in the foreseeable future. Hee hee So you gotta make due with what you have and what you have to work with. Thanks for your thoughts The REgal
No stones from me. To each his own.
But I have seen many S curves on real railroads. I’ve seen many bridges without railings.
I’ve seen very few trestles, but we love to include them in our layouts for visual appeal.
Ralph
Ralph Berg said:Thanks for the no stones, Ralph.
No stones from me. To each his own. But I have seen many S curves on real railroads. I've seen many bridges without railings. I've seen very few trestles, but we love to include them in our layouts for visual appeal. Ralph
S curves on real rr’s are verrrry long and gradual to align up.
The ones I see on layouts are short and abrupt.
John Bouck said:Very true. But in our shrunken worlds, things are tighter. Ralph
S curves on real rr's are verrrry long and gradual to align up. The ones I see on layouts are short and abrupt.
Note the looooonnnngggg straights between the curves in this picture of the BNSF taken near Horseshoe Curve at Trinidad, WA. These S Curves, while pleasing to the eye, were done to follow the contour lines in order to avoid having to build expensive bridges. .
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/BNSF_near_Trinidad_WA1.jpg)
I know they’re supposed to be avoided for various reason but the pic Steve posted is just plain cool looking. Ah the follies of man.
Dave
Of course, Steve’s pics aren’t flatlands, as Jerry’s and most ground level layouts are.
Dear All,
John Armstrong spends many pages and diagrams covering S-curves and their problems in his “Track Planning for Realistic Operation, 3rd Ed.” book.
(Highly recommended. I have an extra copy if anyone is interested.)
From pgs 79-80:
"If there is a section of straght track between reverse curves which is at least as long as the wheelbase of the longest car (or loco) passing through them,
the effect is no worse than that of two separate curves, and the S-curve problem disappears completely.
Our ‘S-curve minimum straightaway’ standard (fig. 6-1 pg. 73) is therefore essentially chosen as one car length."
So, the prototype pics most likely have at least one car length of straight between the opposing curves.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
Jerry Hansen said:
I had some problems with some S curves on my layout. My Dash 9’s had a little trouble negotiating the curves, especially when running freight cars behind them. The wheels would sometimes come off the track. So today I removed 3-4 curves and put in straights which seemed to improve it immensely!!! Here are a series of three pictures to show the before and the after. The Regal(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/track1.jpg)
This is before
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/track2.jpg)
These last two are after.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/track3.jpg)
This one I had to remove one more piece to accomplish what I was going for.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/snow.jpg)
Well I spent two days on my belly laying new track to finish my 40X80 double loop in my back yard wed/thur, joining track ends, laying plastic, then laying down 1/2 ton crushed rock (by hand) 1 shovel scoop at a time (oh my aching back, shoulders, and knees/legs finished on Thurs nite just before dark was 64 degrees here very pleasant day finished up about 5:30. woke up Friday morning to get out and take some after pics to show you guys and here is what I was greeted with. Tried to plow snow today but after making one round on outer loop, engine batteries got weak, came in charged up went back out, and now the rails were frozen engine just spun, so I gave up and came in now probably have to wait until spring, as they are calling for 6-10 more inches, and more cold, and no end in site!! The Regal
Ya gotta set the locomotive outside for a bit to let the wheels get to the same temperature as the rails or otherwise ya just spin…condensation freezes…
Yeah Bart I know!!! Did that still was just spinning on cleared track after sat in the cold for awhile, still didn’t work!!! I assume the rails iced up after clearing snow??? Gave up and came in. The Regal will post a picture of snow cleared somewhat off of track, might be able to see the inner loop completed on thurs nite before snow got dumped on it. The Regal
Jerry,
I had fun with the nice Nebraska weather also, ran trains those 3 days, but knew the bad stuff was coming. We got about an inch of snow here, supposedly more this weekend.
Well, got out the second day of snow here and cleared both loops of track. Now you can kinda see what I did last wed/thur. See below
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/clearedtrack.jpg)
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/clearedtrack2.jpg.jpg)
These two pics show the double track double loop around my yard 80x40 with snow cleared off of tracks finally!!! Satellite dish is between two lines then it curves around the cement pad towards the back of the yard to the left and then curves back up to the mainline on the left and down the straightaway 80 feet under the eve of the roof line. When snow melts will show you the area to the back that I filled in with crushed rock to put plants, buildings, or some type of scenery there. ’ The Regal
Here’s the follow up pics on the new finished inner loop on the J&B line after the snow melted, and some track Maintenance and was able to run a couple of trains on Friday this week. The Regal
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/new1.jpg)
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/new2.jpg)
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/new3.jpg)
Jerry Hansen said:
Here’s the follow up pics on the new finished inner loop on the J&B line after the snow melted, and some track Maintenance and was able to run a couple of trains on Friday this week. The Regal(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/new1.jpg)
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/new2.jpg)
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/new3.jpg)
Nice so thats what grass looks like LOL
Jerry,
Can you show your track going through the door with some close up pictures? No hurry, but that is very interesting.
