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screen 20:

screen 21:

Likewise the grid lines are becoming too prominent at 50 mm spacing. Click the pad > pad grid options > grid spacings... menu item to set wider spacings, say 250 mm. The data-entry form appears (screens 20 and 21).

screen 22:

Screen 22 shows where we have got to. We have a short length of platform line which we want to extend to the right. First we must swap the fixing peg to the opposite end so that the template remains locked to the existing track. The quick way to do this is to click the peg indicator as shown. In this case this is the (CTRL-1 joint) end. The result is that the red peg has moved and the indicator now shows 1 (compare this with the previous screen 20).

To help show which end is which for plain track, Templot draws a mark across the CTRL-1 joint end, showing here in a light colour under the red peg, and also on screen 20.

screen 23:

Screen 23: This time I remembered to name this template straightaway, so I have clicked the rename button and called it "platform line". Note that the letter n on the rename button is underlined. This means that we can "click" this button simply by pressing the N key on the keyboard, and we can do this even if the information panel is shrunk so that the rename button is not visible. So we don't really have any excuse for forgetting to give each template a name at the earliest opportunity.

If you are not familiar with using these "accelerator keys" in Windows you will find them very useful elsewhere. For example, when we come to use the shove timbers and spacing ring windows in later tutorials, they might need to be re-sized much smaller to avoid obscuring the drawing. But we can still click all their buttons via the keyboard.

Having fixed this current template at the left, we can now use the F3 length mouse action to extend it to the right along the (imaginary) platform. Set a length of approximately 2 metres (2000 mm) as shown.

Notice that in the information panel our plain track here is shown as right-handed. In Templot a plain track length is handed just like a turnout. To determine the hand of a length of plain track, look along it from the CTRL-0 datum end, which in this case is on the right of the screen. The hand is then the same way as the direction of positive curving. In this case we have a negative radius of -6712.33 mm to the left, so the direction of positive curving is to the right, and this plain track length is therefore right-handed.

screen 24:

Now we will put a turnout within this length for access to the run-round loop. Click the track > insert turnout in plain track menu item (screen 24).

screen 25:

In screen 25 this whole current template has now become a turnout template, the previous plain track template having been replaced with a turnout located at the CTRL-0 datum point, and the fixing peg is also moved to that point. This turnout template has a length of exit track making up the original template length (and no approach track).

Our plain track was right-handed, so the inserted turnout is also right handed, which is conveniently what we wanted. But because it is currently a B-7 turnout on a negative curving line radius, the minimum radius within it is unnecessarily large (showing as 2189 mm - 86"). To save space we can afford to reduce this somewhat. So click the track > crossing... menu item.

screen 26:

The crossing window appears (screen 26). To shorten the turnout we need a smaller crossing angle. So click the 1:6 item in the list. The turnout road is going to curve back towards the loop, so leave the crossing type showing regular crossing (normal). More about this later in screen 36a. Click the green OK panel to set this new crossing angle.

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©  revised 30-12-00