Trams

[Emettman]

How about using standard track and this gizmo

Now that looks like a very handy device. I suspect it would take a little practice to use well.

On 16.5 mm gauge tracks preformed 12" Playcraft, Jouef, and 10" Fleischmann curves can be found with a little hunting.
(for most people smoother than bending your own at such critical radii.

Chris.

[Bufferstop]

I liked the "sound system" seen being put down at around one minute in.

[TimberSurf]

I liked the "sound system" seen being put down at around one minute in.

The trouble with this horse is that it only has two left feet and the other tram's horse must have mufflers on his horseshoes!

[RAF96]

I wondered about using crash through points with an elastic band to biase the point one way, but I guess I would still need to consider polarity changing at the moment of impact.
Rob

[Mountain]

I wondered about using crash through points with an elastic band to biase the point one way, but I guess I would still need to consider polarity changing at the moment of impact.
Rob

Instead of using an elastic band which may perish with time, and springs can be a little too strong, Why not drill a hole through the board, and attach some fishing line to the point and at the other end of the fishing line add a small weight to it.
I once saw a garden railway built onto a wooden garden fence. It was a type of end to end layout with a run round loop at the end. The young man used H0 points made by Fleishmann as the points have a baissed light spring which allows trains to pass against them. Thus he was able to run round a train and couple up the other end to return to his shed. His layout had operated like this for over a year when I saw it and it all operated flawlessly. He'd not touched the points other then cleaning the track. He did have a small garden (More of an outdoor yard) which was sheltered to the harsher weathers, though it was still open to the great outdoors.
I thought I'd mention it. The points he was using were secondhand and I would say were made around the 1970's to the 1980's.(I dont know a lot about Fleishmann track!)

[RAF96]

Good idea with the weighted fishing line Mountain. We had a similar arrangement on the crewroom door many moons ago as a self closer safety device due to it being a smoking room and leading directly into an aircraft hangar.

My main concern is the polarity, easily overcome using DCC reverse loop modules, but not so easy in DC which my tram run is at present.

Dead track - then it is an ideal method as long as the little wheels don’t get knocked off track.
Rob

[Emettman]

My main concern is the polarity, easily overcome using DCC reverse loop modules, but not so easy in DC which my tram run is at present.
Rob

There are a few easy work-arounds, the choice depending on whether semi-automatic operation will do or fully automatic is required.

Chris.

[Mountain]

Good idea with the weighted fishing line Mountain. We had a similar arrangement on the crewroom door many moons ago as a self closer safety device due to it being a smoking room and leading directly into an aircraft hangar.

My main concern is the polarity, easily overcome using DCC reverse loop modules, but not so easy in DC which my tram run is at present.

Dead track - then it is an ideal method as long as the little wheels don’t get knocked off track.
Rob

For DC, a reverse loop can be electrically sorted using diodes as long as one does not mine a one way operation. For DCC one needs a reverse loop module. In both cases isolated railjoiners are used after the pointwork.

[Bufferstop]

For DC the supply to the loop has to be reversed before the first pair of pick up wheels reach the rail breaks at the exit otherwise the first and second wheels on the stock rail side will complete a short circuit across the IRJ (you need them in both V and stock rails). DCC with a reverse loop module and, in this instance, an insulfrog point, without any bonding or DCC clips is pretty foolproof.
The obvious solution for electric trams is to follow the prototype, electrify the ovehead and wire both rails to the return. Short circuits will be almost impossible. Working overhead isn't difficult to make if you use pantographs or bow collectors, trolley poles are a little more difficult, but still feasible.

[RAF96]

The tram i have at present is a double trolley pole Atlas Feltham running regular two rail feed under control of a Gaugemaster DC shuttle unit (diode detected stop and reverse).

I was thinking about a single line through a townscape with a crash-thru teardrop turnaround at each end. So the tram would run into town, stop for a time and leave, go around the loop and reenter, etc.

Second scenario is for two trams to each stop in a passing bus stop layby (one either side of the street) going in opposite directions to the single line and off-stage turnaround loops.

Rob

[Emettman]

I was thinking about a single line through a townscape with a crash-thru teardrop turnaround at each end. So the tram would run into town, stop for a time and leave, go around the loop and reenter, etc.

Second scenario is for two trams to each stop in a passing bus stop layby (one either side of the street) going in opposite directions to the single line and off-stage turnaround loops.

Rob

Both can be done with diode control and the shuttle, provided the period of the shuttle can be set safely longer than the transit time for the longest section.
In both cases an additional stop in each return loop is needed as well as the central stop or passing loop.

I have a passing station on my garden railway controlled this way, with diodes and two spring-loaded points.
No control wires or switches for the station at all.

Chris,