-Gerry's Mixed Layout - Building Stage

[gerryo]

I have been looking for a Y cable to hook up 2 Kato turnouts to the same switch.  Has Kato not provided a ready made one yet?

 

Gerry.

[bill937ca]

Kato offers a 24-827  3-way extension cord for this purpose. It can be used to connect multiple feeders,   powering electric turnouts and accessories (Kato 24-827 instruction wording.)

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10003115

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by bill937ca

[gerryo]

Thank you.  I need 6 of them for my Railroads and for the trams.

Gerry

[gerryo]

I got the PORTRAM line in place, but I don't think it can stay. Meanwhile....

 

 

A MODEMO tram is my test car and it works .... with some jerking.  Probably dirty track.  It has been sitting in boxes for a couple of years.  

I say that the line might not be able to stay because of space.  I won't know until I get the car wash and check it out.  

Gerry

 

 

[gerryo]

I have had to make revisions without waiting for the car wash.  I spent yesterday building the fishing village buildings, and after placing them on the layout along with the boats from Tomytec, I found that there was not space at the right end.  So, I do see what you mean, Jeff, when you say to experiment with the plan and see if it works the way you want it.

I have deleted one 246mm piece out of the layout track, at both the front and back, and find that everything fits better.  Possibly makes room for other things but at least I get to keep my fishing village.  Now there will be people living nearby, and will need the Portram more than ever.  I have also shortened the Unitram by one city block, inside the loop, and will probably add a half block outside the loop to be part of the village.

 

More is bound to happen to change things.

Gerry

[gerryo]

The biggest disappointment I have with the layout is the fact that the bus road BRT-A, with its double road and double bus stop, is more than twice as wide as the original road with a bus stop.  The bus road is 37mm wide and the bus stop is 48mm wide.  Added together that all comes up to 170mm.  The turning loops at either end are only 168mm diameter.

This sure takes up a lot of the layout across the bottom.  I think I will go back to a single lane bus route with it's narrower single bus stop.  I could put 3 stops in there, instead of  2 with the double road.  Plus, I might be able to put a station in the middle there somewhere.  I have a small suburban station which might fit in.

I have narrowed the tram track from the wide tram track to the unitrack width and that sure makes that a lot easier.  I now have my Portram track across the middle, curved down to the fishing village at one end, and at the other end I am able to include a tram repair shop.  I will use the Kato tram stop for this tram route.

 

Gerry.

[cteno4]

It’s rule number one with layouts, it’s all about tradeoffs, can’t have it all unfortunately. But keep fiddling as you can usually find a happy compromise to get enough to make you happy. That’s why I advocate playing a lot!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[gerryo]

I have made some drastic changes again which will make the whole thing better.  The Unitram set is larger on the left end and is centered between the curves of the double viaduct.  This in turn gives more room at the right end for the village, the car wash and some other odds and ends.

 

The whole thing stays the same size with the possibility of the castle as an add on at the left end.  Maybe not.  

The Unitram is larger but a lot more like a layout I found on another site with the double viaduct and large city center.

The Portram is connected to the Santram in the city which is not prototypically correct, but then nothing else is either.

The station streetscape is added back in across the front which will provide a road for some vehicles, as well as people places.

I still have to wait for the car wash because so much depends on that apace.  But, it's on its way.

Gerry

 

choose files...Click to choose files.url

[gerryo]

I have decided, after trying out the car wash, that I do not want all that space taken up by such a large unit that really does nothing.  With that space freed up, with the large viaduct added back in, and some tweaking of the track spaces, I will now have room for the castle on the main layout, not an add on idea.  Yes. I have a car wash by Tomytec for sale.  I think I should make up a list.

 

I also have to turn the whole layout around, so that the viaduct station is at the back and visible for the viewers.  

 

So, must get on with it.

Gerry 

[Martijn Meerts]

I like all the experimenting you do before actually fixing anything and place and really start building. I should learn from that :)

[gerryo]

Thanx Martijn.  I learned years ago not to glue anything down until you were very sure.  Especially with the new things being made to fit a layout.  Like the car wash.  It seemed like a neat thing to put on until I tried it, and then find out that it just takes up space.  I guess it could work as a parking yard, but there are easier ways to do that.

 

Gerry

[gerryo]

I was working away on the layout and found perfect space for a single bus road right beside the Unitram section and got it laid in and decided to try it, see if it worked.  It worked fine until the bus came to its stop and moved over to the side and stopped.  When it started to move again everything went wrong.  The bus took off across the unitrack section following the track..  Seems that the track for the tram is more attractive than the bus road wire.  Can't put the road there.  So, no bus road arter all.

 

Gerry

[gerryo]

Perfect space for a tram.  No magnetic problems there.  This track will go on 3 sides of the castle.

 

Gerry

[NXCALE]

On ‎31‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 6:11 AM, gerryo said:

 I learned years ago not to glue anything down until you were very sure.  Especially with the new things being made to fit a layout.

Planning is important, I must remember that. Lately I just have been using my rotary mini drill (to cut things for my layout) without planning much... 

[gerryo]

Yesterday evening I took the night off from testing track layout and decided to build something else.  I have had this Fujimi model around for quite some time and decided to build it.  It turned out Ok.

 

I think that items such as this Yumedono are intriguing.  It was hard for these old hands to build because of the size of some of the pieces, but then, that is N scale.

 

Gerry

 

 

 

 

 

[gerryo]

Last night's project was a Pagoda, by Fujimi.

 

 

This was a lot more difficult as there were a lot more small pieces.

 

Gerry

[gerryo]

I have an esthetics question which needs an answer before I make a feau pas.

 

 

Would it be OK to place a Pagoda in the yellow square in the right hand city building space?  Shown above.

Gerry

[bill937ca]

Do you mean in an urban setting?  One way an urban setting might work would be if it was raised on a mound or hill like many Japanese castles with the city around it.

[cteno4]

Gerry,

 

there is Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa district of Tokyo that is right in town with  the Hanayashiki amusement park right next door. There are some limited ground around it and many large trees ringing it.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=kannon+temple+tokyo&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=mivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjM0o2_56naAhWRxIMKHW3uDjAQ_AUIEigC&biw=1112&bih=732

 

https://goo.gl/images/PWWYLe

 

jeff

[gerryo]

Can anyone tell me about the Tokyo Sky Tree by Tomytec?  It is the one with the Town Model at the base, and is called the Limited Edition, Item number 232094.

What I want to know is the size of the town model, and if it could be used on an N scale set.

 

This would be placed at the opposite end from the castle.

Gerry

[bill937ca]

It is 1/2000

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10176265

[cteno4]

Towers are tough in n scale, Skytree would be almost 14’ tall and Tokyo tower 7.25’ tall. 

 

There is a smaller tokyo toweresk model. 20x20cm base area and 80cm tall. It ain’t cheap, but a nice model. I picked it up 50% off at a hs sale last fall. On backorder right now.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10222423

 

there was a 1/350 wood model and also prebuilt plastic (with nice led lighting) model of Tokyo tower but those are pretty long oop.

 

jeff

[gerryo]

Thanx Bill, but I already knew that.  What I meant is the town site base of the set.  Is it 2 feet long or more and how wide is it.  Those are the dimensions that I need.

 

And Jeff.  I wonder about that size difference.  Would it look too weird?

The tower in Tochigi Prefecture would be good but quite expensive.

 

Gerry

[cteno4]

Well 1/2000 is like 1/13th the size of n scale so it will look pretty odd on an n gauge layout.

 

at 1/2000 and the Skytree being like 2000’ tall would make the tower about 1’ tall and quick guesstimate of the base like 8’x3’ from the look of it.

 

folks will do forced perspective using smaller scale stuff in the distance to make the apparent depth of the layout look deeper to the eye. But at only a few feet deep on the layout you can only do like 1/200 or at most like 1/300 innthe back of the layout to do this. Any more and the trick on the eye falls apart.

 

yeah I only picked up the Tochigi tower when it was half off! Even then it was an ouch, but the only thing that would feel right on a layout.

 

jeff

[gerryo]

I've been thinking it's time I got some pics in with my newest ideas.  I was cruising the internet one day and happened to google an item about Kato Unitram layouts.  Within there I tweaked on an item including Unitram and Unitrack which interested me very much.  So I have used a lot of the ideas about the use of Unitram as the central attraction along with the Unitrack viaduct.  I have tossed this idea back and forth over the years, and finally admitted that that was the first thing that attracted me to Japan layouts.  So here is my present version in semi completed state.

 

Gerry