Tutorial 2

Use the Double Slip and Siding Template with the Gated Level Crossing

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The double slip and siding template may be used on its own to guide track placement in constructing trackwork that comprises two "main" lines and a parallel siding, with access to the siding from either of the main lines via a trailing point and double slip arrangement. Similar trackwork was laid at Saxmundham station on the East Suffolk line during the middle part of the 20th Century, with the siding lying along the Down line. A trailing point on the Up line led onto an access track that crossed the Down line to connect with the siding. Where the access track crossed the Down line, there was a double slip, to allow access between the Up and Down lines, and between the Down line and the siding.

Owing to a lack of space at Saxmundham, the station layout was rather cramped, and part of the pointwork was built on the level crossing that carried Albion Street through the middle of the station site. This arrangement can be reproduced by placing the SM3DVM Level Crossing on top of the template. On both the template and the level crossing, the datum point is indicated by a yellow marker pillar, so the template and the level crossing can be aligned by lining up the two yellow marker pillars.

Tracklaying is then best approached by taking the task in separate stages:

  1. Place the template and level crossing on the map. Then move the level crossing and line up the yellow marker pillars to ensure correct alignment.
  2. Lay the three straight tracks (the Up and Down main lines and the siding) along the three parallel white lines of the template. Make sure that there is a node at each point indicated by a coloured marker pillar attached a straight track, and that the tracks join on to the level crossing at the attachment points marked by blue and white marker pillars.
  3. Lay a crossover track from the Up line to the Down line by way of the red curves, and the level crossing attachment points indicated by red marker pillars. Ensure that this track contains a node at each point indicated by a red marker pillar.
  4. Similarly, lay a crossover track from the Down line to the siding by way of the blue curves. Ensure that this track contains a node at each point indicated by a blue marker pillar.
  5. Lay a piece of straight track to connect the node marked by a red pillar at the end of the red curve nearest the level crossing with the node marked by a blue pillar at the end of the blue curve furthest from the level crossing.

Some care will be needed when laying track to avoid making junctions in the wrong places, (hold the shift key down when moving or placing track unless you're certain you want to form a junction or attach track to an object). Also, the junction levers automatically placed by Trainz will be in some odd places to begin with, so these will need to be moved around, and preferably replaced by point motors, to give a less visually cluttered effect.

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This page was last updated 20 April 2010