Templot Club Archive 2007-2020                             

topic: 859Templates for Flat-Bottom track
author remove search highlighting
 
posted: 8 Jun 2009 23:46

from:

MikeTrice
 
 

click the date to link to this post
click member name to view archived images
view images in gallery view images as slides
I have bitten the bullet and bought a copy of Templot, specifically to produce templates for Flat bottom track.

I have long appreciated the benefit of having accurate templates to simplify track construction. By accurate I mean with the correct rail dimensions and clearances, as it makes a difference where rail bends occur. It also clarifies where the foot of the rail has to be removed to allow the switches to mate with the stock rails.

I was therefore very disappointed to learn that Templot does not reproduce the foot of the flat bottom rail (unless I am missing something). I have built a number of flat bottom turnouts using my own templates and always rely on the position of the footer to fix the rail into the correct location on the turnout, especially when fixing the initial straight road. The problem of course is that without the footer being shown once the rail is in place you cannot see where the rail head should be located, making the template almost useless. This problem does not exist when using bullhead rail.

To see what I have been up to check out:
 
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=42746

and yes I need to include those double sleepers where the switch and crossing join the centre section (a common feature on the continent, not just Switzerland).

Please give the reproduction of the foot your highest priority, or perhaps give me an indication of when you might introduce the upgrade with it as I am currently somewhat stuck.

Thanks.

posted: 9 Jun 2009 00:02

from:

Martin Wynne
 
West Of The Severn - United Kingdom

click the date to link to this post
click member name to view archived images
view images in gallery view images as slides
MikeTrice wrote:
Please give the reproduction of the foot your highest priority, or perhaps give me an indication of when you might introduce the upgrade with it as I am currently somewhat stuck.
Hi Mike,

Welcome to Templot Club.

Rail foot lines are on my list, and I have done some preliminary work on them. However it is far from simple. The position of the rail foot has to be adjusted for the cant angle in the rail (which is always 1:20 in the UK, but differs in other parts of the world), and consequently also for the height of the rail section. In addition there are twists in the vee rails, to allow them to be vertical at the nose and canted for the remainder, and this twist has to be made while keeping a straight line in the running edge. The foot line is therefore not smooth. There are also several designs of FB switch rail, some over-riding the foot so as not to need a cut-out in the stock rail.

We shall get there in the end, but I can't give any time scale, sorry. There are other matters more urgent, such as the irregular diamonds, gaunt turnouts, and mouse-adjustable check rails. That's without thinking about the Sketchboard. And I'm still working on saving Preferences files.

In the meantime there is a workaround which gets you half way to what you want. You can put a duplicate template under each one, with its rail "width" set to a dummy dimension to give the outer rail foot line. This gives you one of the foot lines, to which the rail can be aligned. See the template below this.

Assuming your rails are vertical (for soldered copper-clad), measure the rail head width and the foot width. Add them together and divide by 2. This gives you the dummy dimension equal to the distance from the running face of the rail to the outer edge of the rail foot. Convert it to prototype size and enter it as the rail head "width" at real > rails > rail section data... menu item. If the model rail section is a good representation of FB-109, BS-110A and BS-113A sections, the dimension you want is 4.1/8" (4.125"), as shown below.

Another handy trick is to print a duplicate template on tracing paper (use an ink-jet printer, one sheet at a time). You can then lay this on the rail tops during construction, to check and confirm the alignments. (If expense is no object, you can print on OHP transparency sheets. :) )

regards,

Martin.

outer_fb_rail_foot.pngouter_fb_rail_foot.png


posted: 10 Jun 2009 20:11

from:

MikeTrice
 
 

click the date to link to this post
click member name to view archived images
view images in gallery view images as slides
Thanks for this. I am guessing the vast majority of users are more interested in bullhead rail, which kind of keeps flatbottom support shunted down the priority list.

I hadn't appreciated the issues relating to the rail being canted at 1 in 20 as I don't tend to try and recreate it in model form, so full marks for trying to get it right.

Another option, which others might like to comment on, is the possibility of doing an interim release featuring the rail without the cant as I suspect it will be accurate enough to fix the initial rail positions, with a "proper job" being implemented later.

Yes, your workaround would probably work although I would prefer both rail foot edges to be present. My difficulty all stems from the initial placing of the first rails on the template, after which track gauges take over. I am curious how other modern image modellers get around the problem.

posted: 10 Jun 2009 21:15

from:

jeckardt
 
Beaverton - Oregon USA

click the date to link to this post
click member name to view archived images
view images in gallery view images as slides
Yes, I share your need for outlines for exactly the same reason.  And I also have no need for canted rail, so the suggested "interim" method that Mike suggests would also work great for me.

I'll give the overlaid template approach a try and see how it works for me until proper foot outlines are supported.

Joe

 

posted: 10 Jun 2009 21:39

from:

MikeTrice
 
 

click the date to link to this post
click member name to view archived images
view images in gallery view images as slides
I suppose another option (if you have it) is to export as DXF, load into a Cad package and create offset lines.

posted: 10 Jun 2009 23:13

from:

Martin Wynne
 
West Of The Severn - United Kingdom

click the date to link to this post
click member name to view archived images
view images in gallery view images as slides
MikeTrice wrote:
Yes, your workaround would probably work although I would prefer both rail foot edges to be present. My difficulty all stems from the initial placing of the first rails on the template, after which track gauges take over.
Hi Mike, Joe,

There is another workaround you can use to add the inner foot lines for the main road only, in version 091c.

1. generator > generator settings > trackbed edges menu option.

2. Measure the rail section and calculate the dummy "track gauge" between the inner foot lines.

3. generator > generator settings > trackbed width... menu item.

4. Click the ? help F2 button for full information.

5. Set the dummy "track gauge" as the trackbed width.

regards,

Martin.



Templot Club > Forums > Templot talk > Templates for Flat-Bottom track
about Templot Club

Templot Companion - User Guide - A-Z Index Templot Explained for beginners Please click: important information for new members and first-time visitors.
indexing link for search engines

back to top of page


Please read this important note about copyright: Unless stated otherwise, all the files submitted to this web site are copyright and the property of the respective contributor. You are welcome to use them for your own personal non-commercial purposes, and in your messages on this web site. If you want to publish any of this material elsewhere or use it commercially, you must first obtain the owner's permission to do so.
The small print: All material submitted to this web site is the responsibility of the respective contributor. By submitting material to this web site you acknowledge that you accept full responsibility for the material submitted. The owner of this web site is not responsible for any content displayed here other than his own contributions. The owner of this web site may edit, modify or remove any content at any time without giving notice or reason. Problems with this web site? Contact webmaster@templot.com.   This web site uses cookies: click for information.  
© 2020  

Powered by UltraBB - © 2009 Data 1 Systems