I know everyone is trying to be helpful but some of the suggestions are complicated and will tend to be unreliable.  Quite honestly there is only so much that can be done in HO in a 4'6" square.  You have to take the space you have and decide what you can reasonably do with it.  In your case it seems that you have first decided what you want to do and then you're trying to force that into the space you have.  More often than not that is going to lead to a lot of frustration.  My advice; trim your wants or find more space.  I say this from experience.

Ray

I purchased the On30 Streetcar as a separate item.  To use the auto reversing feature, does the entire layout have be auto reversing track or can I use a couple of pieces at each end of the line?

Ray

The throw travel (I think you know what I mean) will probably not be long enough.  If it were, I, along with everyone else, would be using them instead of Campbell HO throws

Ray

Thanks for the swift answer.  I have not purchased the locomotive yet, but before I do I need to have some idea of the minimum radius.  Mine will be 15". 

Thanks again

Ray

What is the minimum radius for the Side Rod Gas Mechanical Locomotive?
Thanks in advance for the answer.

Ray

As to your question about addresses, I was under the impression that the decoder used in the GP50 would only take a 2 digit address.  But I've been wrong before.

Ray

How close are you to some kind of hobby shop, whether it be model railroad or radio controlled planes or cars.  They will all stock small parts like nuts and bolts, screws, wire, etc.

I have this set up and have never had a problem.  Well not exactly.  If I have been running DC, and the next day decide to run DCC, I have on occasion gotten frustrated because nothing would work.  I've even gotten like Bulldog on Frasier and started ranting and raving outloud and then said, "Oh, let me throw the toggle switch to DCC."  Then everything was fine.

The key, as others have noted, is to make sure you wire it correctly.  If you do you should have no problem.

Ray

Something no one has asked; if you're building a small L-shaped switching layout, why do you need a return loop?  eliminate that and you could probably build curves that would handle almost any piece of rolling stock.  As far as locomotives, since it's a switching layout you probably wouldn't see any C44-9W's anyway.  Stay with switchers, GP's and maybe an SD40-2.

Ray

I'm far from a expert on this, but I think you might have problems with close coupling these long cars on a 28" curve.

I have one of those also and I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that question myself.

Ray

You guys are talking about simply checking the gauge and gluing drivers on with CA.  My understanding is that quartering is something that is not easy to do and that it usually requires some special tool not just eyeballing it.

Quote from: TrainBrain on August 24, 2007, 11:32:42 AM


OK, does Micro's city viaducts come with track attached?

What we're asking is, what does a switch have to do with what you want to do?

Quote from: TrainBrain on August 24, 2007, 09:01:18 AM

Quote from: Doneldon on August 24, 2007, 01:02:32 AM
Most railway bridges (the El is a railroad, after all) aren't curved; they are a series of straight sections at angles to one another.

Right, so does that mean you've got to get 2 straights and curve the track on them, or get 2 straights and put and switch on it?

What?

Try these sites:

simplytrains.com/pages/hints&tips/turntable/turntable2.htm

2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pa=showpage/pid=11.html

Try googleing things like, model railroad turntables.  I seem to remember some site that shows how to expand the atlas turntable.

Ray