Much Oakley

[Dragonfly]

Evenin' all,

 

So I've got a couple of layouts in progress right now, but as this one's just starting, it seems a good one to start with:

 

I've recently splashed out on a new bookcase:

 

 

Not that exciting, I know. But as I already have quite a bit of book storage space, I don't need it ALL for it's supposed purpose, so I figured why not use some of it for layouts?

 

So, first off, I don't want to damage the lovely shelves, and want the layouts to be removable, so I set about building a couple of MDF enclosures, cut to precision way above my normal standard to fit in the available space.

 

 

You'll notice I've gone for keeping the bracing on the inside, to maximise space usage, and glued them in rather than screwed. I may regret this later, but so far they're plenty sturdy for my needs. (The brackets have been placed with the track plans in mind, so there should be no conflicts there)

 

The one pictured will be an OO-gauge viaduct diorama. The other:

 

 

So what we have here is a tiny branch-line terminus in a small village in the region of the Wye Valley / Welsh Border. There's a one-platform station, minimal run-round facilities (although most passenger workings will be autocoach sets or early railcars), a couple of goods sidings, and a short branch off to an unspecified industry (nominally a colliery, but could be anything). This is represented by the siding vanishing through a bridge or tunnel to a hidden siding off-scene.

 

Space is tight, so the operation of the layout will likely be along the lines of an Inglenook, but whilst Inglenook did form the initial basis of the design, I haven't kept within that puzzle's restrictions, so it's not a true one. It is quite an awkward setup though, so should be interesting.

 

The top part of the layout will be a higher-level village scene, likely incorporating a church. The section to the left of the red line will be removable to access the hidden siding.

 

The "fiddle yard" is pretty much on-scene (necessarily so, due to the nature of the layout), formed from a 25cm turntable with 3-4 tracks (depending how much I can reasonably fit on it). It does hang off the front of the layout, so stock safety considerations will need to be thought of at some point. It will be secured down, so should not just tip off, at least. The unused parts of the turntable will be scenicked too, to blend in.

 

Points will probably be operated by a wire-in-tube system, which I have used on my other layout and enjoy. If I don't have the space, it will be Hand of God. Uncoupling will hopefully be magnet-based, with a box of small but strong magnets purchased for experimentation. Failing that, again, Hand of God. Trying to keep everything above board level, so wiring will have to be cleverly hidden too. To keep it simple, I'm thinking two feeds (one near the turnyard/fiddletable), and one at the end of the headshunt, with a switch to select one or the other), and isolation solely by the points. I know, I know, insulfrogs = bad, but the geometry necessitated them, and they've served well on Clatter so far.

 

Oh and I've cheated with the turnyard; there's no way I could cut a perfect circle, so I found a craft place selling 6mm MDF or 3mm Ply shapes, including a range of circles, and bought one of their 25cm 3mm-Ply circles. The postage was double the cost of the item, but still less hassle than trying to cut one myself!

 

 

All thoughts of course welcomed.

[andyram]

This looks a promising project. I like the idea of using the book shelves for your layout. It is a variation on using the top of such units. I look forward to watching this progress.

[Bill_J]

I shall follow this one with interest.

 

I noticed in your last pic, the Metcalfe viaduct kit in place in another box. Will you make the two boxes linkable? Then you can pull both boxes out and join them on a dining table for extended play operation.

[Dragonfly]

I shall follow this one with interest.

 

I noticed in your last pic, the Metcalfe viaduct kit in place in another box. Will you make the two boxes linkable? Then you can pull both boxes out and join them on a dining table for extended play operation.

 

Huh, I hadn't even thought of doing something like that. There's certainly potential for having one or two mode modules depicting other points on the line... It would be simple enough to have an alternative fiddleyard that's just a scenic set, with the track continuing through a hole in the side wall... Well, that's Stage 2 of the layout already planning for, before I've even begun Stage 1. :-)

 

Had a rummage through the second-hand track bins at a couple of local shops and shows this week, so have all the track I need for this bit, along with a few other things. So I've got no excuses not to get started, really...

[andyram]

Now you have the track I look forward to seeing things taking shape. The idea of further modules is a good one too.

[Dragonfly]

Just a quick update for now, nothing major to show just yet.

 

First step, laying out the track to get an idea as to how it'll look.

 

 

Then marking out where the points are, and where the wire-in-tubes will need to go.

 

 

Actually, that's a lie. I'd clearly fitted the turntable already by then. So simply, a hole drilled in the board, and in the centre of the turntable. Annoyingly, it's not perfect centre, off by about 0.75mm, but there'll be enough give to allow for a bit of a wiggle, hopefully. Otherwise, I can just order another one, and get them to drill the hole.

 

So, washers were duly bought, and a load of extras glued to the board to support the turntable.

 

 

Not the tidiest solution, I grant you, but it'll do the job for now.

 

Next, tubes taped into place.

 

 

I've avoided gluing, to allow for a bit of flexibility, and they'll all be held into place by the ground surface soon enough anyway.

 

So now, it's on to laying down the cork, ready for tracklaying.

 

[andyram]

Nice progress. I look forward to seeing how the turntable works.

[Dragonfly]

So, a little bit of movement over the weekend.

 

Literally, I mean. After laying the first pieces of track, testing each stretch to ensure it was powered.

 

 

And then continuing to lay out the rest of the track, as much as I can anyway, having knackered one set of points.

 

 

Point control is working near-perfectly. I've had a few revelations, like that they work a lot better when attached to the hole on the FAR side of the point, for whatever reason (a better angle, I suspect), not to mention being far less obvious.

 

I have given up on the magnetic uncouplers for the moment, until I can get a solution which relieves more aggravation than it causes. A more physical solution using Peco SL-330s could work, but would involve a lot more wires in tubes. Something to explore in a future project, I'm sure, but for now I'm happy to accept the "Hand of God" approach.

 

One track has been laid on the turntable, but it is not powered yet. It was simply to gauge the curves, overhang, etc. I'm awaiting the power connectors in the post, before laying any more.