...but I'm doing it anyway. I just added a Walthers Superliner sleeper and coach to the three cars I already had (coach, diner & Sightseer lounge), and now I have a respectable looking train.
Problem is my main track, a 5" wide shelf around the upper perimeter of the dining room, only has 18" curves. Supposedly you shouldn't run Superliners on 18" curves. But I've run IHC streamliners with no trouble, so why not Superliners?
On a floor level test track I found the Superliners would sometimes come uncoupled on the curves. I replaced all of the plastic couplers with Kadee #46, which are the same length, but they seem to grip better and have less vertical slippage. I ran the complete train on my test track for a good 20 minutes clockwise and 10 minutes counterclockwise with no trouble.
I still want to do some more testing and have a greater degree of comfort before I put them seven and a half feet above the floor, but it looks good so far.
------------------ Sing to the tune of Humoresque: Passengers will please refrain, From flushing toilets while the train, Is standing in the station, I love you.
I bought a sheet of plywood and made a decent curve on my wall. I have a 37" radius on my curves with no problems at all.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Mike, that's nifty. (Which end is the front?) More or less looks like what I have. But mine is in a small dining room, more of a nook really (6'x11'), so I can't do wide curves. If I had the time do do it over, which I don't, I'd shape the corners to accommodate 22" radius curves.
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
Mr Toy, it's all a matter of scale. The front of the train is to the right of that picture.
Here's a picture of the next corner.
Posted by scavoman (Member # 1629) on :
hey Mr Toy your shelf set-up is exactly what I'm planning for my home office. How did you fasten the shelf without visible brackets?
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
I'll post a photo of my own setup when I have time. To answer the immediate question, I used brass L brackets and hung the vertical part upwards instead of downwards. The bracket fits into a little notch cut in the inner edge of the shelf to allow the shelf to go flush against the wall.
BTW, I now have my Superliners up on the shelf and running fine. One minor irregularity is the Phase I baggage car, which is the only one I have. From a short distance it looks close enough to a Phase III to pass by the casual eye without incident.
And I still need a transition sleeper.
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
Mr. Toy: The brass L bracket is the same setup I used. I just did not do the "notch" thing.
The following picture is the third, or kitchen corner. It was supposed to be in two sections, but I blew the cut, so it became a three cut section. {Oops}
And if you ever want to "break out" of your dining room, you could do something like this:
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Great photos, Mike. Friends have suggested going through walls, but my wife has made it very clear that I would be sleeping elsewhere if attempted it!
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
No... No.... No..... Mr. Toy!
Not going through walls... It's creating a tunnel. Every RR must have a tunnel... It's sort of like putting a nail hole in the sheetrock, only bigger.
{I imagine a 9 foot long bridge is out of the question... right?)
(I didn't like the first picture I posted)
[This message has been edited by mikesmith (edited 08-01-2004).]
