Tramways crossing railways

[Steve Manners]

I live in Hull and I am making up a toy train set of the Beverley Road Stepney station area. I am using 45mm gauge track and working in "1/24 ish" scale. I plan to scratch build a tram and tramway to cross the railway at right angles using RC for the tramway. I would like to use RC and analogue track power for the railway. I have some thoughts on how to do it but wonder if anyone has already had a go at something similar? If you have I would welcome any thoughts you might have. Steve. M.

 

[Gizzy]

Welcome to the forum Steve.

Do you plan to have the tramway set into a road way....

 

[Steve Manners]

Hi thanks for responding. Yes I will probably make the road up from foamex. As I will be using an RC motor block for the tram I haven't decided whether to use cheap plastic 45mm gauge track, make up my own rails from plastic extruded sections or buy commercially produced lengths of rail section. That's really why I am interested in the way someone else might have tackled something like this. Commercially produced crossover sections seem like a hard to find and expensive way to go.

 

[PhilP]

A commercial right-angle crossing, might seem expensive, but if you are new to building track you could easily find yourself spending more time sorting the track, than running trains..

In the overall cost of the project, I am not so sure the economics would be worth-while?

PhilP

 

[Gizzy]

I would buy second hand LGB track and cut the foamex to fit between the chairs of the rail.

Cheap plastic track is a false economy and not readily available, may not be UV stable and won't be compatible with your track powered railway.

LGB make a nice 90 deg crossing, costing around £25....

 

[JimmyB]

Steve welcome to the forum, and as Gizzy says plastic track is a false economy, as Phil’s comment on buying second hand is worth considering.

 

[ebay mike]

Hi Steve. I have a fair quantity of lightly used LGB track available, including some 90 degree crossings. If interested drop me a line using the conversation button (envelope) top right.

 

[Paul M]

I am making up a toy train set of

Steady on, old chap "TOY" ??????
Seriously some people have successfully used plastic track, but metal rails are usually the better route, if not the cheapest. I've ut some track though a path by infilling with cement, after 2 years it still works well

 

[3 minutes of fame]

Tramways crossing railways were very unusual, but where it happened, the crossing would be made with standard bullhead or flat bottomed rail and would have been biased for high speed running on the railway track. There would then be a transition back to lighter tram rail a few meters either side of the crossing.

I would suggest that Code 180 Gauge 1 track would be best for the tramway, as the lower rail section will be more in scale. - Cliff Barker - Home

 

[schienenkönig]

Here are a sample from Dortmund.

Peter

 

[Neil Robinson]

Interesting.
I presume the overhead arrangements are designed to cope with different electrical systems. Typically over here trams run on 750V DC with overhead electrified main line services on 25kV AC

 

[Steve Manners]

Here are a sample from Dortmund.

Peter

Thanks for the photos Peter, sorry I can't reply in German. I will be modelling our local trams from the early twentieth century, but your pictures of modern trams are fascinating. They would have no problem if the area flooded and if the support structures were strengthened the top of the structure could also be used for vehicles of some type. Trams or trains could run in the opposite direction on the above/upper level. Or it could be an expressway for emergency vehicles with suitable descent ramps to reach the ground level road system.

 

[Steve Manners]

Tramways crossing railways were very unusual, but where it happened, the crossing would be made with standard bullhead or flat bottomed rail and would have been biased for high speed running on the railway track. There would then be a transition back to lighter tram rail a few meters either side of the crossing.

I would suggest that Code 180 Gauge 1 track would be best for the tramway, as the lower rail section will be more in scale. - Cliff Barker - Home

Thanks for your input Cliff. We had a few level crossings in Hull in the tram era due to the NER system, two close to where I live. I am still in the early stages of constructing the buildings and railway so I haven't started on the tram part yet but thought I would see what information was "out there". I will pick up the thread again when I get to the tram stage. Was that a pun?

 

[Steve Manners]

Thanks for the photos Peter, sorry I can't reply in German. I will be modelling our local trams from the early twentieth century, but your pictures of modern trams are fascinating. They would have no problem if the area flooded and if the support structures were strengthened the top of the structure could also be used for vehicles of some type. Trams or trains could run in the opposite direction on the above/upper level. Or it could be an expressway for emergency vehicles with suitable descent ramps to reach the ground level road system.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I do remember a dutch model railway layout in a smaller scale that was trying to reproduce a crossing where the tram catenary was swung out of the way of the main line - it's a bit hazy as I read about it some years ago

 

[dunnyrail]

I do remember a dutch model railway layout in a smaller scale that was trying to reproduce a crossing where the tram catenary was swung out of the way of the main line - it's a bit hazy as I read about it some years ago

Could well have been following a prototype scenario, there were a lot of Trams going over Railways in the past. Could still be a few for all I know. Where is Henri when you need him?

 

[Madman]

Here are a sample from Dortmund.

Peter

The pictures are there, but I still cannot grasp how the high voltage and low voltage lines work with the pantographs of electric locomotives and the pantograph or trolley pole of a streetcar.

 

[dunnyrail]

The pictures are there, but I still cannot grasp how the high voltage and low voltage lines work with the pantographs of electric locomotives and the pantograph or trolley pole of a streetcar.

Probably with short dead coasting sections, most railways have these for section breaks.

 

[ebay mike]

I've had a good look at the overhead Dan and think the coloured 'wires' are probably electrically dead as there are insulators visible.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Could well have been following a prototype scenario, there were a lot of Trams going over Railways in the past. Could still be a few for all I know. Where is Henri when you need him?

Oh, it was for defo a model of a prototype as the article included pictures of the 1:1 - it was not modern, though.