In real life it's a Dremmel.

[simonjackson1964]

A handy little power tool that does everything except hammer in nails.

And is really good at cutting lengths of track.

What would be handy would be a way  of cutting a length of track  in two. Or more specifically into three so the bit in the middle can be lifted out and replaced with a turnout.

For example.

Cheers

Simon

[Henry]

Why ? use the track editor.

Henry

[Goetz]

Hello Simon,

in addition of Henry's suggestion, concerning ...

vor 9 Stunden schrieb simonjackson1964:

a way of cutting a length of track in two

... here's a video demonstrating the method he mentioned:

It's as easy as using a dremel.

Please note that I use the Y-vector from the gismo to change the length of a piece without affecting it's curvature!

Kind regards
Goetz

 

[simonjackson1964]

I've not figured out how to do those fancy videos yet, so I'm afraid yu'll have to make do with stills. (I'll get there, it's just finding the time).

Goodbye smooth curve, hello wiggles!

The only way to do it is to position the turnout over the track, carefully, first. Bur what if I'm trying to do some "clever" engineering and create my own turnout with unique track geometry? (And yes, I've managed to do this, it's an interesting exercise in "getting it right!")

Suppose I want to put a turnout on this curve (below)? The flexible track length is already in place, but I've decided I want a siding, loop, or branch connection, and for "Reasons" it has to go Right There!

As you can see, the existing turnout doesn't align with the track and if used will change the shape of the curve, meaning adjustments to scenery, catenary. ballast, landscape, roads... Far easier to be able to cut that piece of track out, and change the cut length into the turn out by adding a route and switch positions...

I'm thinking maybe this could be achieved by adding a "Keep Length" option to the "Follow Path" function? Otherwise it is almost impossible to shorten a length of flexible track and keep the geometry the same.

Bearbeitet 2. November 2021 von simonjackson1964
reposition a picture

[Goetz]

vor 25 Minuten schrieb simonjackson1964:

it is almost impossible to shorten a length of flexible track

True, Simon.
The flexible track is a different beast altogether and cannot be treated the way I demonstrated with a straight piece and a curve.

The mathematics behind the flex track is very different. 
Even when you place a switch manually ontop of the flex track and then reconnect one flex end to this switch, it produces a rather different curve.

Greets
Goetz

 

[simonjackson1964]

I know... I realised that after I posted it.

In this case I have moved the branch junction further up the main line, so the branch and main run parallel for a while - which is actually prototypical, at least in the UK.

I have to say, at some point, that I LOVE the route system at V7. Interlocking everything using contacts and boolean variables was such a pan to do by hand.

[simonjackson1964]

Anyway, here's what I think would work:

Have a "Keep Length" option on the "follow path" tool. So  I put three lengths of track, two long and one the length of the turnout or crossing. And I set them to follow the path of the flexed track length, each in it's own place, keeping the lengths the same.

I then delete the existing length of track, and add the route (and switch positions as necessary) to the short length in the middle.

 

=====

Related but slightly different:

Remember a long time ago I asked about doing a scissor crossing, because the vehicles were doing really weird things? The advice I got at the time (V5 I think) was to shorten two of the points and put a short length of straight track in there.

Well at V7, that doesn't work. The track in the middle there is actually a diamond crossing. edited painstakingly to get the geometry correct, a tenth of a millimetre and tenth of a degree at a time!

It has to be that way. If you just cross to pieces of track over each other, the routes don't recognise each other and the trains do a wonderful job of passing through!

A single diamond in the middle like that gets locked by one of the two routes that use it and the other goes into wait mode!

I'm going to try and find the original thread and add the above to it.

Cheers, Simon

[Henry]

Try

 Double track connection

Braces - Crossing

In preparation we lay the required tracks on the board so that we can measure the real track distance.

To do this we place the intermediate track 24077 on a smooth X value (2900) The Y value is arbitrary.

and add the necessary turnouts and crossing until our model is created.

Now we read the X-value (3020.08) from the parallel straight line and form the difference of the X-coordinates as the track distance of 120.08 mm.

We now have all values together, but will not include the intermediate tracks 24077 in the parallel track layout in the model. If necessary, these can serve as separate switching tracks for the direction of travel. Separate because the switch combination can only be addressed as a complete track in queries of the PA.

We start with the curve 24224 and add in gauge 0 the straight length of the crossing 24649 with 103,4 mm and complete with the turnout counter curve 24224 to the left:

as track 1 we now work on the branch to the left in the same way, but it starts shifted by 120.08 mm to the right.
(in the picture it says 120.07 , but it is 120.08 mm).

The crossing was not used. The tracks overlap.

We add the straight lines on the left side as
Track 2 (Pos x = 0,0, Pos y = 0,0) and
Track 3 /pos x = 0.0, pos y = 188.3 + 77.59).

and on the right as
Track 4 (Pos x = 120,08, Pos y = 0,0) and
Track 5 (pos x = 120.08, pos y = 188.3 + 77.59).

Now we edit the switch positions by activating the tracks. With combined tracks (0 and 1) the segments do not necessarily have to abut.
0 = Track 0 + Track 1 curved branches
1 = track 2 + track 3 + track 4 + track 5 straight branches
2 = track 0
3 = track 1
4 = track 2
5 = track 3
6 = track 4
7 = track 5
So there are more points than tracks.

All switch positions from 0 to 7 (from left to right)

for your use

greetings Henry

*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

 

Bearbeitet 4. November 2021 von Henry
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