Transferring plan onto baseboard.

[emjaybee]

Quick question.

How do other people go about transferring a paper plan print out onto the baseboard for track laying?

I have this:

[jpendle]

Assuming that's 1:1 then I just pin it to the baseboard and lay the track on top of it.

Once I'm happy with the track I tear the paper away.

Regards,

John P

[dannyboy]

I have never tried it, but would sticking pins through the paper, into the baseboard, say at track joiners and then 'join up the dots' work? 

[chrism]

I have never tried it, but would sticking pins through the paper, into the baseboard, say at track joiners and then 'join up the dots' work? 

It certainly does work - or, at least, has for the six layouts I've so far built or been involved in building.

[njee20]

I used double sided tape on mine. Didn't work that well. Wouldn't do it again, or I'd use more tape.

[sparky]

Just make sure you have not printed it in "OO"scale though......

[ntpntpntp]

I've never bothered with printing full size on paper, that's always seemed a waste of paper.  If the plan is pretty much finalised I buy the required track and lay it out.  I'll print off and use Peco track templates to help visualise the general idea, making adjustments until I'm happy.  It's common for things to come to light and change a little once you lay out some track and some trial items of stock to check clearances and siding lengths etc.

Certain fixed things such as minimum radius curves I just mark out from a centre point using a pin and a piece of card with holes at the required distance, but that's only as a guideline for laying cork strip before the track goes on top of that.

[LASteve]

I've used both @jpendle and @ntpntpntp methods, and the latest layout was a combination of the two. I printed out the sections of the layout with crossovers or points and stuck those down to the baseboard, and drew the turnaround curves at each end of the layout with what amounted to a large-radius pair of compasses.

The mainlines I just laid by eye using the PECO separation guide thingy to keep the track centers the requisite distance apart. There's very gradual curves to the mainlines through the station and it was easier to eyeball those than try to convince AnyRail to draw them the way I wanted them.

[chrism]

I have never tried it, but would sticking pins through the paper, into the baseboard, say at track joiners and then 'join up the dots' work? 

It certainly does work - or, at least, has for the six layouts I've so far built or been involved in building.

I ought to qualify the above, since 5 of the 6 have been models of real places where I've tried to replicate the original track layout - which doesn't match any model track geomentry.

I found it easiest to make the design on the computer, based on scans or stitched screenshots of either scale track layouts or maps. Once I've got the overall plan in and sized to, usually 1/10 of 2mm scale, I then start overlaying images of the Peco points (also reduced to 1/10 size so I can fiddle around to select the most appropriate points and tweak the plain track to suit, thus none of the plain track matches any model curve geometry - except any straights, of course. I also make any necessary adjustments to fit space limitations - e.g. Coniston gained curves at the ends so I could get it into an 8' length but the main station area is only altered to fit available point geometry, the plain track lengths and curves are as close as possible to the real plan.

Once I'd got it looking right on the computer, the easiest way, for me, to transfer it was to upscale to full size, print it out and pin the prints to the baseboard.

If I were working with only model geometries and just building "a layout", then I probably wouldn't bother with the prints but would just transfer it to the board by eye, laying out the points and inserting the plain track to suit. I possibly wouldn't even bother using the computer, a quick hand sketch would suffice.

[emjaybee]

Thanks everyone. If it wasn't a layout with a restrictive size, with tight radii, it'd be a lot easier. In the past I've tried a few of the aforementioned methods, but I struggled to get the curves smooth, which inevitably lead to running issues, and re-laying.

I've not tried marking out the curves with a pair of compasses, so I think I'll give that a whirl this time round.

As an aside, I'm always mystified why tracksettas, go down to 12" and then there's nothing between there and 9"! Why do a ridiculously tight 9", but not 10" or 11"?

Thanks for all your help.

[Webbo]

Hi Michael

When setting up the track layout for Deadwood, I used a pencil swinging round a drawing pin attached by a piece of string. This way one can get any radius one likes including large radii.

If you are using flexi track, I would be thinking about drawing circles with the string method and then connecting everything up by eye. Easier to get easements this way. Bending flex track produces an easement at its ends naturally.

Webbo

[ntpntpntp]

... I'm always mystified why tracksettas, go down to 12" and then there's nothing between there and 9"! Why do a ridiculously tight 9", but not 10" or 11"?

I've only ever kept a 9" Tracksetta in my tools simply as a check for the defacto minimum radius.  I can't remember the last time I actually used it, probably back in the 80s or 90s.

If you draw the curve on the board first and follow the centreline you don't really need Tracksettas.  Double track can be spaced using the Peco spacing gauge.  I avoid tight curves other than for hidden return curves etc. and for those I use Setrack curves anyway rather than fighting with flexi track. I'll use a bit of flexi on the ends of the curve to create a transition (as per my previous photo).