Always Starting Over
As I have with nearly every layout I've ever built, I started this one twice. At least this time around construction wasn't very far along—I'd only cut the track pieces and assembled them for a test-fit. The reboot was inspired by the recent introduction of a new line of roadbed track from Rokuhan.
"Roadbed track?" I heard some readers exclaim in disbelief. Yes, I'm using roadbed track for this project. I have a number of reasons for doing so, which I'm not quite ready to reveal; all in due time. Anyway, after seven revisions, I'd completed a track plan using Micro-Trains roadbed track. It was an acceptable rendition. But when all of the track was assembled, something started to bother me, although I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time. Here's what I had:
When I plopped a mockup of a structure next to the track, the problem started to sink in... it all seemed out of proportion. That's when I finally did what I should have done at the outset: render the original plan at Z scale proportions. Converting the 80" x 43" HO Scale layout to Z, the final size works out to be 31" x 17". But my initial version was 36" x 22". That's why things seemed off!
However, a Micro-Track version was not going to fit in a 31" x 17" space, and I didn't want to resort to mixing flex track with roadbed switches; besides, the switch at the lower left wasn't going to fit no matter what. So the project went idle for some months.
Then along came Rokuhan's new line of roadbed track. With a total of nine different curve radii, plus two different switch geometries, I was not only able to get everything to fit, but I was able to align the track to the original plan with near pinpoint accuracy. Which surprised the heck out of me.
This quickly brought the project back out of mothballs and onto the front burner; I've already got most of the track required. But there's one little wrinkle: the stubby switch at the lower left was only recently announced by Rokuhan. It's probably not even in production yet, so it may be quite a long time until it hits the street. Still, because the rest of the trackwork is so letter-perfect, I'm prepared to scratchbuild my own custom switch, if necessary, should the wait drag on too long—or worse, the product is dropped.
After printing the original G&D plan at 1:1 for Z and assembling it on a sheet of Foamcore (above), I placed some rolling stock props on the plan (below) which helped reinforce the now-correct proportions. I can't wait to get started on this project in earnest—it looks like it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun!
