Custom Curved Platform

[KomachiMaster427]

I'm planning on building a small circle layout on a 4 ft by 4 ft sheet of plywood for my mom. Im going to use the KIHA 110/111/112 trains, and am going to need to build a custom station to fit. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to build a good platform and station building? Any help would greatly appreciated.

[velotrain]

I'd suggest looking on other, more generic MR forums - say, a basic Google search for that topic.

 

You realize that's going to be a rather tight radius for a platform, and based on what equipment you plan to run, you need to make sure you allow enough overhang clearance for the car ends.

 

Out of curiosity - has your mom specifically requested a layout?

[KomachiMaster427]

I'm going to have 19 inch radius curves. No, she hasn't asked for one, but I figured it would be something nice to do for her since she likes trains as well, and it also allows me to test my abilities at making a layout.

[Kiha66]

If you only plan to run three cars or less and are ok with positioning the platform on the inside of the curve, one of kato's platform ends matches 481 mm radius trak. This does require a 248 mm straight along the non curved center portion of the platform, although I imagine that trimming the straight part of the platform down would be fairly easy. For the station I'd look at hobby search to see what kits are available, or a yo type freight car could be weathered and painted to represent one of the many small rural stations that use such retired cabooses as passenger shelters. Hope this helps, I look forward to seeing pictures of your build!

[KomachiMaster427]

If you only plan to run three cars or less and are ok with positioning the platform on the inside of the curve, one of kato's platform ends matches 481 mm radius trak. This does require a 248 mm straight along the non curved center portion of the platform, although I imagine that trimming the straight part of the platform down would be fairly easy. For the station I'd look at hobby search to see what kits are available, or a yo type freight car could be weathered and painted to represent one of the many small rural stations that use such retired cabooses as passenger shelters. Hope this helps, I look forward to seeing pictures of your build!

Thank you for the help. I actually had plans on running 2-4 cars and placing the platform on the outside so that the doors are closer to the platform edge.

[cteno4]

Komachi,

You have set yourself s pretty good challenge here.

Like folks have mentioned you are going to have determine your radius that your cars can clear on the 19" radius and there will be a good sized gap on a curve like this. Best way if you want to scratch build would be to eyeball the radius that looks like it clears and draw that out on some corrugated cardboard and cut it out. Then fit it to your curve and see if it clears well. If not or too wide recut a new one. May take a few tries to get it right. Cutting curves like this is a chore. A compas cutter helps to at least draw or scribe the curve then use an xacto blade to get the final cut. Cutting curves takes practice so it may take a little while to work on.

https://smile.amazon.com/Excel-Yardstick-Compass-Swivel-Post/dp/B004HE3R50/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491577350&sr=8-1&keywords=Compass+yardstick

Once you know the radius that will work the you need to cut the platform out of something for the final platform. If you have access to a bad saw or scroll saw those would be the cleanest tool to cut your final material, 1/8" Masonite might be good as you can put a pretty smooth edge on it and not have to bend a piece of thin stryene to make the front wall of the platform along the track. Getting a cleanncurve again will take some practice and patience. Doing a curved roof is also going to be a similar challenge plus having it slope. Roof could be done from heavy scrapbook construction paper in sections and curved like rolling a paper cone to get the slope, but that will take some fiddling to get the right shape to bend thru the sloped curve but once you have it you can just repeat it down the platform. Usually internal structure of metal I beams you can make from I beam stock styrene, then skin with roof and back wall. I Back of platform wall could be thin stryene or heavy paper curved. If no roof then low but with a roof then they usually go up to the roof and have some windows cut in them which again will be challenging as they will also need to curve. Thin clear acetate would work and draw mullions on the acetate with markers.

You have set your self a very challenging project here, might think about a track plan that does not need a curved station unless you really want to get into a pretty nasty scratch build project as there are really no model kit pieces you could kitbash well to help. With straight stations you have a bunch of kits and finished models you can choose from to use directly or kitbash if you want something special. If you have done some scratch building and are handy with this sort of modeling it's very doable, but if you have not done much scratch building then this is starting with a pretty challenging project.

 

if you have the track you might just try starting to play with by whacking up some card board. get a few thicknesses of lower grade chipboard and flat corrugated cardboard from the local art or craft store. cheapo hot glue gun works great to hack up ideas and see if they can work and what it might look like and then refine with final building materials for a scratch build and lift measurements from the mock up.

The 4' circle may also feel a bit strange with the always in a curve. Is space limited for display area, storage, or both? If you can get a bit longer Area you could get an oval of track in like 3.5' x 6' that would give you a good straight station area. The layout could break in two for storage. There is also a design to make some hinges to allow layouts to fold in half for storage. This can require taller building or scenery to have to be pulled off, but most ways you store layouts it makes sense to do that to not waste storage space for a few taller items.

Cheers,

Jeff

Edited April 7, 2017 by cteno4

[keiichi77]

Tomytec makes a couple curved platforms, mind you the radius is small (C317) but it should be fine for a Kiha 110.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10108790

[velotrain]

Perhaps - with some work, you could turn this into a (narrow) island platform.

[KomachiMaster427]

I'm going to the dollar store tomorrow to buy some cardboard to make a small mockup, so we'll see how it goes. I'll try and post pictures of it when I'm finished.

[nah00]

Another way to check clearances is to take the longest car you intend to have go through this station and tape a pen/pencil on each side at the midpoint (make sure to use tape that won't damage the paint/details, masking tape should be fine) and run it through the curve to get a line where the car overhangs. 

 

Note that I find this technique works much better in HO than N, the difference in distance is MUCH more noticeable in N.