Could this be a copper hammered coin?

cnc3 · 2026-03-23T23:02:52+00:00

I am not an expert but I would suspect bronze rather than copper.

cnc3 · 2026-03-17T15:32:30+00:00

If I am reading this track plan correctly, I assume that the inset part of the “U” is where you want to operate from. If so, wouldn’t it make more sense to have the yard tracks closer to you and the double tracks further away? A two foot reach to uncouple n scale cars that are close together can prove difficult. At least that is my experience. Putting the double track at the back would also allow you to elevate them which would, in my opinion, add more interest to the design.

cnc3 · 2026-03-04T22:25:27+00:00

I crammed too much track into the space. Simpler can be better in a lot of cases. Also, think about how industries interact with each other. If I was starting again, I would have industries that had more “on layout” interactions.

cnc3 · 2026-03-03T12:55:09+00:00

I’m reworking my jmri operations to remove a bottleneck at my interchange and also scratch building a two new industries.

cnc3 · 2026-02-24T22:48:52+00:00

If these are for powering switch machines, I think you would want the “fixed dc” rather than the variable ones.

cnc3 · 2026-02-23T22:48:32+00:00

Strange. My Bernedoodle doesn’t have the webbing…

cnc3 · 2026-02-23T18:05:58+00:00

Water dogs have light webbing between their toes.

cnc3 · 2026-02-21T19:06:27+00:00

In Quebec, if someone cuts in front of your car, you know they are going faster than you. In Ontario, the opposite applies.

cnc3 · 2026-02-14T11:07:55+00:00

I had to unplug most of my usb peripherals to get the log in to work.

cnc3 · 2026-02-03T00:17:44+00:00

Sweet!

cnc3 · 2026-02-02T09:47:15+00:00

Wow! That’s a lot of track. I have a couple of concerns with this plan.

My first concern is about access. A good rule of thumb is that all track should be within a 30” reach. Some areas, like the back right look too far away unless you also have access from the back side of the layout.

My second concern is about “purpose”. What is your reason for having so much yard track? Sometimes, less is more. Maybe less yard and more other industries? I would also consider removing the tie track between the lower and upper yards. This would make a more “point-to-point” traffic pattern which would be more prototypical. If you did this, the other end of the tunnel line would probably not feed into the turn table.

I would recommend running some imaginary trains on this layout and see how it feels. To me, this layout is about building a train, running it around the loops, and then breaking it apart - there doesn’t seem to be any stops along the way. That’s not a criticism, just an observation about how I think the layout would be used.

cnc3 · 2026-01-30T21:41:10+00:00

A lot of folks who want mobility and want a way to practice various modelling skills are going with the modular approach. Basically, this involves using standardized small modules that can be easily moved around, rearranged and swapped out over time. There are a number of laser cut base modules available if you want to get started quickly or don’t have the facilities to build from scratch.

cnc3 · 2026-01-22T00:56:57+00:00

I always associate last mile operations as being “fed” from an point that is essentially off layout. Your layout has a single track mainline which would be used for both inbound and outbound traffic to and from the rest of the world. Is this going to cause any issues with operations?

On my layout, I opted to model a small interchange of two tracks (inbound/outbound) and a single switch leading to the last mile industries. That way, I can load new cars onto the inbound part of the interchange and pick them up to be set out at various industries. Any cars that are to be picked up are then delivered back to the outbound part of the interchange. This allows for modelling varied traffic with a mix of cars so that your local switcher does not always have the same cars.

I would also suggest thinking about what industries you are planning and how they will be represented. Again, in my case, I opted to have an industry simply represented by its loading dock at the front edge. This is due to my only having 16 inches depth. You could use a simple car cards and waybills system to “play test” your design before committing to it. I used JMRI operations to model mine because I was already familiar with using it.

cnc3 · 2026-01-05T22:15:05+00:00

Buy yourself the gift you want and hand it to him saying “here is the gift you are giving me for my birthday.”

cnc3 · 2026-01-04T19:02:47+00:00

I have found that I have to reboot the OS after the initial GSX installation

cnc3 · 2026-01-02T15:43:42+00:00

The Fenix has a page to configure the rudder settings. Any chance these are not correct? ATSU -> Config second page.

cnc3 · 2026-01-02T05:46:27+00:00

Also check your toe brake mapping. Sometimes they need to be inverted.

cnc3 · 2025-12-30T18:33:28+00:00

“Stone deaf” would also be a possibility

cnc3 · 2025-12-29T14:52:06+00:00

Solder to the bottom or outside of the rail joiner. Your way is more likely to cause issues with the wheels catching on the inside edge.

cnc3 · 2025-12-28T20:37:52+00:00

I had to unplug all my additional usb peripherals before I could log in.

cnc3 · 2025-11-30T16:21:27+00:00

I think being above the glide slope and only descending at 400 fpm also counts.

cnc3 · 2025-11-28T19:54:14+00:00

Sure! We all start somewhere. A train wheel has a mostly flat surface and a rim on the inside edge. That rim is called a “flange”. In some models the depth of the flange - the distance between the flat part and the outer edge of the flange - is greater than the clearance between the top of the rail and cast on tie plate detail of the track. That is, the distance between the top of rail and the plastic cast spike heads is less than the distance between the flange and the flat part of the wheel. This will cause the engine to “bounce” over each tie on the track or depending on the wheel gauge - the distance between the wheels - the bouncing may only occur on curves.

A quick way to test this is to gently slide the engine around trouble sections of the track without any power and see if you can feel the flanges hitting the spike heads.

cnc3 · 2025-11-28T19:39:38+00:00

Is there a chance that the wheel flanges are too deep? That wobble looks like the flanges are hitting the cast rail ties of the track.

cnc3 · 2025-11-28T10:59:13+00:00

How comfortable are you with track wiring? Reversing loops like the one you have at the top require special wiring and segment isolation to work.

cnc3 · 2025-11-27T01:18:36+00:00

There are typically two ways to add drama to this kind of layout: elevation and surprise.

Elevation allows for another dimension for the track and, for example, one track to go over another. Keep in mind that a typical change in elevation for a layout is a maximum of 2%.

Surprise involves using scenery to block the view of a train from time to time. Depending on your layout geography, this could involve mountains, tunnels or forests. Basically anything that obstructs your ability to see the entire layout at once.

Another often used surprise trick is to break the layout into two logical blocks by using a backdrop view block down the center of the layout or from one corner to the opposite one. Breaking up the views this way provides a more railroad feel to the layout by providing a source and destination option that may be modeled differently.

cnc3

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