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**Orionvp17** · 03-30-2015, 06:32 AM

Bruce,

Nicely done! I particularly like the absence of clicks, bonks, bumbles and so on as the locomotives traverse the frogs. This is Good Track. You might consider asking the Evaluators to have one of them close his/her eyes and just listen while the operation is demonstrated just to make that point. This is Good Track....

That said, I'll recommend another pass with the NMRA gauge through everything to ensure that it all meets the standards-- you're not ballasting, etc. and you don't want to give away additional points.

It might be worth an additional check to ensure that you have no errant solder blobs-- same reasoning as above.

Please let us know when the evaluations are complete!

Congratulations! 8D :up:

Pete

in Michigan

**Dutchman** · 03-30-2015, 06:45 AM

Thanks for the comments and tips, Pete!

**George_D** · 03-30-2015, 12:05 PM

Very smooth operating turnouts, Bruce. :up:

New subject: What are you using for the table top? It seems to be fairly quiet.

George

**Dutchman** · 03-30-2015, 01:11 PM

quote:

Originally posted by George D

Very smooth operating turnouts, Bruce. :up:

New subject: What are you using for the table top? It seems to be fairly quiet.

George

Thanks, George. That is 3/8" plywood with cork squares glued on top. It is the cork that quiets things down (and makes it easier to seat the Micro Engineering Micro Spikes ).

**hon3_rr** · 03-30-2015, 01:56 PM

Bruce, let me thank you for the information/idea of just creating a small " shelf" to display the various track components. I'm sure that the judging of the track work will earn that merit sticker.

I've got to admit that I never "got it" until I saw what you had created, even though it is described in the civil AP page on the NMRA website. Simply one of those 'duhh' moments. The only track work examples I've seen were included in the layouts. Thanks for clearing my foggy mind. Looking forward to seeing your name in the NMRA Magazine for a new AP certificate soon.

**jbvb** · 05-20-2015, 07:08 AM

The SOQ for Civil requires 'one scale drawing' showing elevations, radii, turnout sizes etc. My originals are on 27x32" paper. My scanner is 9x12" and I'll have to fold the blazes out of the big sheets to get complete coverage. My redrawing in XTrkCAD shows the turnout sizes by default. But it only shows radii and elevations when you request them from a running copy of the program.

There are good reasons why the NMRA should not marry itself to one or even several track planning CAD programs. But I find it ironic that I'm considering tradeoffs between adding the "circles & arrows and captions on the back" with GIMP vs. with a pencil on a printout vs. modifying XTrkCAD so it prints what's necessary.

**jbvb** · 07-23-2015, 11:30 AM

I posted pictures of a detailed HO scale turnout in pages 1 & 2 of this thread. It was given 116 points by my Civil evaluators this afternoon. I showed my XTrkCAD track plan to the evaluators on my computer monitor. I will post details of how I submitted it to the Region AP Chair once that's actually approved.

**Orionvp17** · 07-23-2015, 12:33 PM

James,

No certificate with 116 points attached to it is likely to be disapproved! That's huge! Congratulations!

Pete

in Michigan

**Dutchman** · 07-23-2015, 01:14 PM

Congratulations, James!

**George_D** · 07-23-2015, 01:31 PM

Congratulations, James.

George

**jbvb** · 07-27-2015, 03:38 AM

Thanks, guys. I just got word that the XTrkCAD screenshots I submitted with my Civil application are OK, at least in the NER:

XTrkCAD starts to displays elevations and turnout details when the zoom reaches '8:1'. It also shows dots at each

curve center, but without any labeling. But selecting the curved track segment will change the color of the dot as well.

I created a new 'Curve Data' layer, colored orange here. Then I selected major curve segments one by one and added text '+ NN' to

show the center and radius as displayed at the bottom of the screen. A text size of '56' was large enough to read at this zoom. One could

add arrows indicating the related curve segment, but that's more than the AP requires.

I turned off layers I didn't need, like 'Power/Control' and 'Blocks'. Then I made a set of overlapping screenshots showing the whole

layout as JPEGs. I added one screenshot zoomed out to show the whole layout and the XTrkCAD 'Profile' window. They came out between 166KB

and 270KB. I submitted them via email.

**jbvb** · 08-09-2015, 04:00 PM

Some track detailing photos taken at the summit of Crawford Notch (NH) on the former Maine Central's Mountain Division:

A small tieplate on 80 lb. rail, probably from well before WWII.

A compromise rail joint (gauge side) between 85 lb. and 80 lb. rail.

The non-gauge (field?) side of an old-style 3-piece joint bar in 85 lb. rail. Note how much it projects away from the rail. I don't know the rationale for the wood block inside it, but they were common on B&M sidings & spurs which had last received heavy maintenance before WWII.

**wvrr** · 11-10-2015, 04:07 AM

I am working on my Civil certificate, as well. I have built three turnouts, one to use as a standalone and the other two as a crossover. But, the third piece of track is something unique, a scale track. Last night, I built the "bones" for the scale track:

Chuck

**Dutchman** · 11-10-2015, 04:26 AM

Looking good, Chuck!

**Orionvp17** · 11-10-2015, 04:53 AM

Looks good to me, Chuck! :up:

Pete

in Michigan

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