Darrell's Comment, Part 2

This is in response to Darrell's comment on my response to his August 17 comment (I hope that makes sense!).

First of all, Darrell, I appreciate your observation about eyesight! I wear trifocals, which help with close work, but I still occasionally take off my glasses for really close work; it's one time when being very nearsighted helps!

As far as the use of a ruler in turnout construction, I guess it's more of a double check than anything else, mostly to make sure the gauge throughout the turnout is within tolerance. And, of course, to make sure there's a slight widening of the gauge at the toe of the points, etc. I think I probably take much more time than I need in constructing turnouts, but I will say the result is smooth running, so I guess it's all working out. I've found what really is important is making sure the gauge is proper in the straight sections of the diverging path; that is, at the points and through the frog. I find if I get that right, the curved portion of the diverging stock rail tends to line up accurately.

I so far have built only standard turnouts, with the exception of a curved turnout experiment a couple of layouts ago that was a so-so success. I am considering trying that again...just considering, at this point. If I were really brave, I guess I'd think about a three-way turnout, which I've found intriguing ever since I saw a prototype example in a Portland, Oregon industrial area.

Turntable Reference Articles

The turntable mechanism was designed based on an article in the July 1951 Model Railroader, and the turntable bridge design itself was somewhat of a composite based on a number of plans I've seen, but leaned heavily on an article in the October 1940 Model Railroader. I picked up the 1951 issue at a hobby show, and photocopied the 1940 article from a magazine in the Portland, Oregon main library's archives.

I favored the 1940 turntable bridge design because it's an "armstrong" man-powered turntable, with a push pole, being relatively small.

Fun Vs. Fanaticism

A word about my hobby philosophy. First of all, it is a hobby, a pastime. Just that, and no more. It is only one of many things I enjoy. I'm blessed with a wonderful wife; after 36 years of marriage, we're having more fun than ever, and we thoroughly enjoy doing things together. We spend a lot of time with our daughters, sons-in-law, and granddaughters, and we take a number of senior citizens' continuing education classes at the local college. At train shows I have encountered those for whom this hobby is their whole life, and I've seen this in people with other hobbies or interests. That's fine for them, I'm sure, but not for me.

Guess that's why my layout progress is a little unevern, but what the heck...there's no schedule! However, that being said, track construction is going well and should, for this phase of the layout, be finished soon. By "this phase" I mean the "left" and central part of the layout. My plan is to completely finish this portion, including scenery, before moving on to the "right" section which will include the port area. I like running trains, but I also really like working on scenery and structures, and this approach will allow that to happen sooner.

As track is laid I test it with both of my locomotives and make any necessary adjustments which, so far, have been fairly minor. The 0-6-0 is the more demanding of the two engines.

I've also unpacked my turntable, which served well on my Idaho layout. It is manually operated by means of an under-the-table control wheel, based on an article in an early-1950's Model Railroader. I'll provide the exact edition in a future post, since I'm writing this while away from the train room. The turntable style itself is based on an even earlier Model Railroader article. Anyway, I will soon be working on installing it.

It's also time to think about installing a backdrop, but I'm holding off until the December Model Railroader, which will have an article on that subject. I pretty well know what I want, but I think I'll hold off and see if there are any new ideas in that article.

Comment On August 17 Post

My apologies to Darrell for not replying to his August 17 comment. For some reason (aging process?) I didn't see the comment until today, when I was flipping through past posts.

Darrell, your question was regarding using a ruler in building turnouts. I use a ruler when laying the straight stock rail to ensure alignment. But I also use it to measure gauge at every tie. I should amend my statement to say I also check the gauge by using the three-point track gauge, but it's not my primary tool, and I find it a bit difficult to use with my frog assemblies. I guess it comes down to the fact that I am probably over-meticulous in laying out turnouts, and indeed it does take me a while to build one!

I hope this answers your question.