Gerry's Tomytec Bus and Tram Module Planning

[cteno4]

gerry,

 

what i was talking about with the 128 on the viaducts just after the curves was only if you were putting points in for passing tracks on the station. otherwise w/ no passing tracks you can have the station right in there next to the curves. w/o the passing tracks you can do a much narrower single plate wide station with the single platform in the middle (with preferably the 718 for the bump out on one track for the platform). this will free up more space for scenery and allow a shorter viaduct length as well.

 

glad all the trains fit.

 

best wishes for fast recovery here on the surgery. should make working on the trains easier!

 

jeff

[katoftw]

Just to throw a spanner in the works.  Could you not do a L or C shaped layout in that room.  Maybe 900 deep.  And 1200x1200 on the ends to allow for the curves?  Would allow a lot more length to place yards in and longer stations.

[gerryo]

Hi katoftw.  My previous design would have been better at 3300mm by 2400mm, with a 1200 by 2100 space in the middle.  The room is only 2700mm wide so a 1200 x 1200 square at the ends would leave 300mm for me to get through, and I know that that won't work.

 

The other thing is the length of my arms.  My wife and I just now measured and it is 650mm long, so 900mm or 1200mm wide modules will not be feasible. 

 

Also, a larger layout means more spending on track and scenery.  I think, right now, is the time to put a stop to buying things. 

 

I think my latest plan will be the end.

 

Later,

Gerry 

[gerryo]

This Pic. has to be the final.  My wife says working at the computer is ruining my eyesight.  HA.  I ruined my eyesight before there ever was computers.

 

Anyway.  To describe this plan.  The main double loop is for commuters, and others who dare to take their chances on fast traffic. 

The Main Station will be the Kato Purple roofed Overhead Station.  Will have 2 sets of the Kato V15 Station Tracks, as well as connections to bus and tram routes, one to each side of the station.  The 2 main tracks are long enough to handle the Shinkansens. 

The loop around the Castle will be buses only. 

The 2 extra tracks in the yard are for commuter service.  Bus or tram, I haven't decided yet.

 

Please offer ideas on this plan, I'm not doing any more.

 

Gerry

Edited May 4, 2016 by gerryo

[kvp]

If you use the 64mm pieces to get the tracks to be aligned with the platforms instead of the dedicated Kato S pieces, you can use #4 platform ends that allows longer platforms and/or the addition of small straights after the curves, so trains won't cut the turnouts while coming out of the curve.

 

[cteno4]

Gerry,

 

Looks good, simplified there. You have a bit of room you could always put in a point to point tram line if you want later.

 

How much unitrak do you now have? One good thing with unitrak is that you can set it up and play with it some and modify as needed. Playing with it gives you a lot better feel for it that in the layout programs which really force you to imagine most of it in your head.

 

Jeff

[gerryo]

Hi Jeff.  I have quite a lot of Unitrack, and have been setting up most of my ideas for layouts. 

 

I also have some of the bus road and tram fine track from Tomix.  Not enough to make it very interesting but enough to keep me interested.

My problem with most of it is the fact that none of the instructions have been translated into English.  In all my years of working with German, Austrian, & French models, there have been translations.  I spent about 15 years working with Marklin Z and never had a problem.

 

I have spent today working on the central bus roads, and have found that the best place to show off the castle is to place it near one end but still within the double loop.  That's another frustration.  Not having the products to test with, and no one to even try to estimate when they will be produced again. 

 

So, must keep at it,

Gerry

[cteno4]

Gerry,

 

What items do you need translations for? You might post them and see if anyone has translated them.

 

If you can get access to a smart phone or tablet with a camera you can use google translate app and it works very well to translate printed instructions. Good enough to figure out the meaning when needed. Walthers just released the bus system for the us so I expect they may have translated those now. I'll check with someone who posted in a list they got it recently to see if we can get ahold of a copy.

 

Great you are playing with ideas with track, does help get the feel.

 

Yes the castle off center will help, asymmetry is much more real then total symmetry in a scene.

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

Kato has everything in English.

[gerryo]

If Kato has everything in English, WHERE IS IT.  A statement like that only makes it more frustrating.  Kato's answer to me was  "We translate nothing."

 

Gerry

[kvp]

Everything that is sold in the US is translated to english. That means tracks and generic accessories, like buildings and control systems. The documentation is either enclosed in the US sold packages, obtainable from the Kato USA website or in case of english signage for buildings, orderable online.

 

ps: for everything else, i use the google translate application on an android phone, you just hold the phone over the text, make a picture and select the text to be translated with your finger (also works for signs), also works if you hold it up to your pc monitor with a photo that has japanese text on it

Edited May 5, 2016 by kvp

[gerryo]

That's great KVP, but since I am not buying in the US, and paying an excessive exchange rate, that does not apply to me.

 

This is my latest revision to the plan.  The center bus road plan will be different because of the lack of bus roads in the program.  I know it looks foolish to have 3 stations in such a small layout, but so be it.

 

Gerry

 

 

[cteno4]

Gerry,

 

Please ask which instructions you need and perhaps one of us have the translated version. See if any of your friends locally have an iPad or smart phone and might be willing to install the free google translate app, it works well to get instructions translated by just taking a picture of them.

 

Looks good. I would put in the passing siding curve as kvp showed, that's how it's sposta work with kato geometry. That funny S piece is only used when bumping out around a center platform on a two line piece. What you have now is 2 S curves in a row which can be a big problem running wise. It can lengthen your station some along the platforms and also let you put a 62 or 124 between the curve and the points as its never great to have a point go right into a curve like that if you can help it. Also this would be the best place to use #6 points if you can rather than #4 if you have them.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

Bus, Tram, andCommuter Layout.jpgThat's great KVP, but since I am not buying in the US, and paying an excessive exchange rate, that does not apply to me.

All Kato packaging for track pieces and station buildings is in both Japanese and English.  And then there is a Japanese-English website and a USA-English website for further information.

 

What can you actually not find out for figure you yourself with the excellent diagrams the Japanese manufactures give you?

Edited May 5, 2016 by katoftw

[gerryo]

I had to play quite a while to get the image of the castle.  But I think that it looks pretty good for a blind (at least partially) guy.

 

Gerry

Edited May 6, 2016 by gerryo

[kvp]

Small remark: Your main station still has this funny geometry near the turnouts that i mentioned earlier and missing the small straights between the curves and the turnouts...

[gerryo]

Hi kvp.  I have made that revision and it will show up on the next update.  Thanx for the reminder though.

 

Gerry

[gerryo]

As you can see, there are a few revisions made.  I have added a tram line and connection, out and back from the yard to the commuter station all the way around the outside.  This line only has connections to the main loop at the stations.

 

I have changed the main station to get rid of the double S curves coming into the station.  This still leaves plenty of room for my longest trains on both the main and passing lines.  I came very close to making the main loop into a viaduct but everything is still at ground level.

 

Moving the castle and making it look more like a castle was fun, HA, HA.

 

The bus routes were impossible to make look like what they actually will be.  Again, they almost became tram lines, but I think I will be able to make them work.  

 

Gerry

 

 

[gerryo]

OK.  I see what's wrong with that picture.  That would need 4 of the BRT-A, and 2 of the X-001.    VERY EXPENSIVE.\

 

It will be cheaper with 2 of the X-001 and 2 of the T Junction X-003, as will be shown in my next revision.

 

Gerry

Edited May 9, 2016 by gerryo

[gerryo]

I finally figured out how to do colours.

 

Gerry

[cteno4]

Nicely cleaned up!

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

Looks good.  There is a few mistakes in there.  But nothing that wont be fix once you have it on the table getting completed.

 

If using R481 turnout and curves at stations, 2x S64 go between the curves. And S60s need to go on the straight section of the turnout.

Edited May 12, 2016 by katoftw

[gerryo]

You're right of course, katoftw.  I had them in the left end but not the right.

 

Thanx

Gerry

[gerryo]

I decided that because I had to change the geometry of the ends of the station - again - I would try to put in #6 turns instead of #4.  This was not easy to work out, but I finally got it.  There is less length on the station tracks, but there is still plenty for my longest trains and still have the 124mm strt. before the turns.

 

Gerry

[katoftw]

These isn't a desperate need for those S124 "IF" you don't want them.  The inside point wont have any issues at all, as the points curve as the curve leading into the points.  It is the outside loop than may cause issues.

 

Personally though I haven't some across trains that derail yet.  But I only have a small fleet to example.  I used canted 282/315 curves with a R481 #4 point like your outer loop with no straight piece between then.  And even at full 18V kato controller speed, a Tomix 800 series shinkansen, a Kato D51-498 pulling 6 12 series coaches and a Tomytec Otsu 600 didn't derail.  I haven't tested it with the 80 something trains I own.  But I just tested with vastly different trains with the same result.

Edited May 12, 2016 by katoftw