Dogbone Traction, Part 3 (MSTS), Continued

By Sanford Mace

Now choose the A1tPnt10dRgt and click your mouse on the bottom right of the first section. Keep hitting the T key until the switch is lined up correctly. Then go to the curved part of the switch and place another switch and hit the T key until it is placed correctly, see above picture. Chose Dynamic Track and fill in the gap between the dual straight and the switch end and make the right-hand straight a length equal to the switch. These will be 20 meters long (adjust in the Dynamic Track View window, which you turn on from the Window menu choice). We now have 10 meters, the straight, 20 meters, the dynamic piece and 40 meters, the switch of track, and 70 meters. Now place a 10-meter section of Dynamic Track at the Southern end of the Western switch (bottom left) and add a right-hand switch with the turn going to the west. Then add a 50-meter section of Dynamic track to the Eastern leg.


Dynamic curve northeast track

We now have 160 meters of the straight. Add two sections of the double-track straight to the north end we are going to run over, but remember, we are not trying for an exact match of the priginal route, we are trying for the feel. Then add a dynamic track piece to the right (Eastern) track. Click on the check mark for the first curve, make it 50 meters and 45 degree (0.785 radians in the box). Make the first and middle sections 2 meters. (See above.) Now do the same thing to the Western track and make it 54 meters. Now use the selection tool (top left house) and click on the green triangle at the head of the Eastern dynamic track piece. Then press the T key to make it a right-hand turn. Do the same thing on the Western, left-hand track. This is the beginning of the S-curve north of the station. Now place a Dynamic Track piece on the left-hand (Western) section and make it 50 meters. Make the Middle length 20 meters. Now place a A2T10mStrt at the end of the left-hand (Western) section.


The North end with the switch. What I used to match the curve.

Now place a dynamic piece on the right Eastern section and use the Dynamic track menu to fit the curve between the switch curve and the Eastern curve section. And you wind up with this:



We have added another 60 or so meters of length to the straight for a total of about 225 meters a side. Close to what we want.

Now we will close the loops with dynamic track. First the left curve on the left Western track. Then the right Eastern track. Then connect the ends. The values that I used are in the graphic below


First, second and third curves.

Now go to the south end and add a dynamic track section to the curved part of the switch. Make the curve 1.40 because we already have a 10-degree curve, we only need about 80 degrees. Click on the selection tool, then click on the green triangle of the dynamic track we just added to select it. Hit the T key on the keyboard to make this a right-hand curve. Add a dynamic track to the end of this curve. Add a third dynamic track to the end of the second piece and use the lengths to match the Eastern sections.


The curve leading from the second curve from the switch.

Now use dynamic track to add the Southern (Freight House) spur and Northern (Station) spur and finish each off with A1tUSBuffer. I will leave the measurements to you, but remember you have to fit a station between the Station Spur and the Eastern track.


Where we are and location of switches.

Close up of switches, the two on the left are placed between the two west line switches on the 10-meter straight section we placed there for this reason.

<< Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>

Article and screen shots �2006 Sanford Mace. All rights reserved.

More Articles. [Visit the VR Reading Room.]

If you want to be notified when a new article arrives, join the VR-News group at Yahoo. This group is purely for notification. Anyone can join; only the moderator can post.

�2006 Sanford Mace. All rights reserved.