# [H0] The Longvallon RR



## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Hello Happy Modelers !
As usual, I built another small H0 layout (4'9" x 3'8"). I used Peco and Hornby tracks, Peco SL-95 and SL-96 turnouts. The radius of the curves is 20". Because I live on the dark side of the pond (I live in France) I can't build big layouts like you guys do. I don't have enough room for that. But I'm very happy with the result !


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Just for the fun, a few photos...


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Running with the Dragons ! The Longvallon RR operates in a very dangerous country as you can see.


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

I use a slightly modified stockcar to run the Bachmann cars and the old Tyco cars together.


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Thanks for watching my poor work and for all your "Like". Much appreciated.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Looks like you have room for a Train Teaser layout; which is a condensed form of a Problem Solver. I don’t know the metric conversion but a 12 inch by 48 inch shelf would suffice. It could be wall mounted or maybe sit atop that green shelving unit. 
And be a fun “brain teaser” or problem solving mini layout you could do with scenery, structures, everything.


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

OilValleyRy said:


> Looks like you have room for a Train Teaser layout; which is a condensed form of a Problem Solver


 What's that ? First time I heard about it...


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

For mine I used a standard size shelf available at most home improvement stores, or IKEA.
1 foot x 4 feet long, about 1/2 inch thick.

Atop that is roadbed in whichever arrangement you prefer, with one turnout. It can be a wye, a #4, whatever you like.
The turnout location is most important of all. Between the points and the end of the shelf you need to be able to fit your favored locomotive, and for example one 40 foot car and one 50 foot car. Or two 50 foot cars. It’s imperative that not all three cars and locomotive can fit. The bottle neck is the point.

The end that has two tracks can accommodate four cars really, but only three are used, the fourth empty spot being necessary.

From here, you have a deck of cards that provide a switch list, or shunting orders. You need a card illustrating every possible combination of those four spaces (three cars plus one empty or “ghost” car).

Starting with three cars in whichever position, you shuffle the deck, place it face down, and draw the top card which tells you what position the cars must be moved to. Sounds bland at first, until you factor in the bottle neck that allows you to only move two of the three cars at once. Sometimes the movements are easy, just moving 1 car from the frog end of one spur to the frog end of the other. Simple. And sometimes it’s a head-scratcher; look at the card, look at the current positions on the track, look at the card again, trying to figure out how you’re going to accomplish the task?
When you go through all 24 cards, you shuffle them.
It can provide endless hours of brain-teasing challenges, and fun too.

Mine was inexpensive to build. Under $100 USD. That includes ground foam, ballast, etc.
As an added bonus, it can be used as a scenic diorama to take photos of new rolling stock etc. It can also serve as a test track for programming DCC, coupler height, etc. It will fit in the back seat of most automobiles, and atop nearly any clothing dresser or book shelf.

I will take some good photos of mine shortly & post them here.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

A couple overview shots first.


















How cars are associated to the letters is entirely arbitrary. For purposes here we’re going to say
A = All purpose Gondola
B = Boxcar
C = Tank car
_ = vacant spot.
So the photo below shows the cars in correct position according to “the last card that we completed.”









So if we flip over the next face down card to get new shunting/switching orders… maybe it’ll be a tricky one?
Nope, a simple one. Just the tank car & boxcar need to be swapped locations. Nothing wrong with easy.









So getting them in correct position (below), time for drawing another new card… A tricky one maybe? Or simple again? No one can say! (Well, I can because I rigged it for demonstration purposes)









Bugger! A tricky one. Ok. Let me grab my Rogaine hair growth applicator so we can figure out how to accomplish this.
The All purpose Gondola (A) and the tank car (C) need to be swapped around, and the boxcar (B) remain/end up where it is now. How… are we gonna do this? Some head-scratchin’ involved.









Given the fact that… only two cars with our MP15 can fit clear of the point blades.









It can be done. It just takes rubbing two brain cells together until you see smoke.
And once completed, you draw the next card and so on going through all 24 cards. Then shuffle them.

Thanks to google, it is 1.2 meters long by 0.3 meters wide.

I decided to add the solution to that last head-scratcher.
1 Pull Tanker from from front track
2 Pull box from rear track
3 Spot box at far end of front track, keep tanker with loco
4 Pull Gon
5 Spot Gondola on front track.
6 Spot tank car at far end of rear track.
7 Pull Gon & Box from front track.
8 Spot boxcar at frog end of rear track.
9 Spot Gondola at far end of front track.
Tasking completed. Draw new card.


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Awesome layout ! I watched this very famous website:
*


The Model Railways Shunting Puzzles Website


*


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

My "new-used" Tyco rolling stock arrived this morning (it's already 12:18 PM in France).


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

My Tyco's Chattanooga Choo Choo version:


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

My very personal version of the Tyco's Chattanooga Choo Choo:


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