# need some advice on my train setup



## seabee4life (Jun 7, 2010)

okay well im new to this train stuff i have always be intrested in it but never got down to bussiness with it its that time i want my layout to be a bridge all the way around my room the only thing im really concerned about is the turn radius for the corners....is there a track that turns sharp loke that i havent bought the track yet so this is a good thing.......

okay so my question are

is there sharp turns to go around my room like this

i want to do a bridge across the center of the room i have attached a picture of the bridge type im using making it myself out of 1/4x 1/4 x36 inch balsa wood

im looking to ho scale so it seems pretty small so it will turn track if i can possibly make this setup

and can someone tell me how to upload a picture on here i cant seem to figure it out


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

seabee4life said:


> okay well im new to this train stuff i have always be intrested in it but never got down to bussiness with it its that time i want my layout to be a bridge all the way around my room the only thing im really concerned about is the turn radius for the corners....is there a track that turns sharp loke that i havent bought the track yet so this is a good thing.......
> 
> okay so my question are
> 
> ...



Go up to the paper clip, next to the smile face in the box where you are writing your post and click and then browse your computer for the picture, click open when you find it, then click upload, after it uploads you can insert into the post.

Though you might have to wait till you get more posts.

I think you might be able to start a personal album though.

Or else if you have something like a flicker account you can put a link in a post.


You might have to wait till you have some more posts though.


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## seabee4life (Jun 7, 2010)

ok so here a try on th upload of my bridge in the making


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

seabee4life said:


> ok so here a try on th upload of my bridge in the making


it worked..........nice start on the bridge.:thumbsup:


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Very nice. What material are you building it from?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Reckers said:


> Very nice. What material are you building it from?




Didn't you read his first post?


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## seabee4life (Jun 7, 2010)

well its balsa wood in school and in the military as for i was and will always be a seabee for you who do not no what that is its construction in the navy we would design bridges out of balsa wood. to see if and weekness in the bridge so i figured this is a good idea since balsa is light weight and can hold the train and after all it looks cool...kinda time consuming but we all have sometime on our hands


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I just got the url from the image, and copied to the post card in edit mode.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

big ed said:


> Didn't you read his first post?


Hush, Ed! You know I'm ignorant!


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

This site might appeal to you:

http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/download.htm


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## seabee4life (Jun 7, 2010)

okay a little update on my progress so i have almost complete the bridge.......i have attaced the picture of it so i have purchased a train set which is ho scale i didnt want to spend a ton of money so i found a colletors set of a 1998 snap on tool train i have attached a picturew of tht to last night at work i found some foam so i will use that a tunnel.......so somemore questions i have is 


are all ho scale engine and cars the same ???? it seems like there is alot of info to gather from this ......

are the tracks the same i am waning to do a pretty much square lay out around my room i am putting the track on a shelf so it is firm but the thing is how wide should the shelf be to make a 90 degree turn for ho scale ?


and lastly did i get an okay train set does anyone no who makes the snap on set??


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

SeaBee,

Glad you're onboard here and having fun!

A couple of suggestions re: your bridge structure, if I may ...

1. Assuming you have adequate height clearance, add some structure cross ties between the left and right sides at the top of the bridge, preferrably in line with the "nodes" of the triangular sections. These could be a triangular grid pattern, too, echoing the rest of the truss.

2. If this is intended to carry (support) any significant weight, add some doubler wood (i.e., beef up) the two longitudinal beams running at the top of the bridge, and perhaps down the leading and trailing diagonal entry/exit beams. I.e., maximize material (and hence strength/stiffness) in the "flanges" of the I-beam-like structure.

Good luck!

TJ


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