Minimal Wiring Shunting Layouts

[Boggler]

Hello,

 

I've recently taken up railway modelling again after a long gap, so thought I'd start by building a very simple, compact shunting yard layout, using the Bachmann Western Wanderer set as a way in.

 

I am clueless about wiring but have some sectional track to use, which I picked up at a bargain bucket price, including insulfrog points.

 

I have used SCARM to devise a series of layouts but would really appreciate some advice on wiring. I think I can get away with just one power connection, as I will be using only one loco at a time, if I arrange the track plan as I have shown in the diagrams on my blog:

 

https://jimsmodelrailways.blogspot.fr/2017/07/minimal-wiring-shunting-layouts.html

 

I would be grateful if you could pop over and have a look - any suggestions would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Jim

[BG John]

One wire to each rail in the places you've marked, except that you don't need the one marked "?" in the third plan.

[Pacific231G]

Hello,

 

I've recently taken up railway modelling again after a long gap, so thought I'd start by building a very simple, compact shunting yard layout, using the Bachmann Western Wanderer set as a way in.

 

I am clueless about wiring but have some sectional track to use, which I picked up at a bargain bucket price, including insulfrog points.

 

I have used SCARM to devise a series of layouts but would really appreciate some advice on wiring. I think I can get away with just one power connection, as I will be using only one loco at a time, if I arrange the track plan as I have shown in the diagrams on my blog:

 

https://jimsmodelrailways.blogspot.fr/2017/07/minimal-wiring-shunting-layouts.html

 

I would be grateful if you could pop over and have a look - any suggestions would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Jim

Hi Jim

You do only need one power connector on all three of your plans so you don't need the one you've marked with a query on the third plan. In fact you could wire all three plans with a single feed even with live frog points .

 

I do though think that you've got one siding too many on the first and second plans as it makes a couple of the sidings long enough for only one wagon which actually reduces the shunting possibilities. Inglenook has room for three wagons on the two shorter sidings and five (the completed "train" eventually) on the longer siding and generally speaking a smaller number of longer sidings gives you more shunting than a larger number of shorter sidings in the same space, partly because points take up space but also because longer sidings allow for shuffling wagons into the right order.

 

So long as you're only using a single controller, wiring isn't really the dark art that people seem to think (well not until you get to slips) . Even with live frogs the simple rule is that power should always be fed to the toe end and never to the frog itself. If you look at any of Cyril Freezer's plans in the Peco plan books he always showed where the feeds and breaks should be to achieve that which is useful even if you don't follow those exact plans.

 

I think you're right to start with something simple and a development of Inglenook will get something you can enjoy operating very quickly. . 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Pacific231G

[DCB]

The wiring looks good apart from the second feed on the bottom layout which could cause shorts if live frog points were substituted for set track.

 

Obviously the layouts need a shunting neck/ fiddle yard on the left hand end or you won't be able to shunt them so with the 7 feet layout and 3 ft fiddle you are looking at a 10 ft length

 

The track layout isn't so good. Set track wastes space, especially width.  Re drawing with streamline, especially the Y points will free up a lot of width.    Loading / Unloading Sidings should ideally be paired.  Unloading space, two sidings real close together "4 foot" ish then unloading space then two more and so on.   Marshalling roads in marshalling yards where shunters trucks roam vary, many are at "6 ft" spacing to allow "Shunters" men with uncoupling poles/ brake sticks to run between lines of wagons to couple up and pin down brakes.

 

This shunting "thing" on the full size was on of a number of scenarios.  Often one goods per day called and shunted a set of sidings, on the GW this could have anything from 28XX 2-8-0 to a Pannier tank on it, but all hell broke loose for half an hour and then nothing for the rest of the day , quite often this was one train in one direction only.  

 

Marshalling yards with lots of parallel sidings like Acton Yard and Moreton Cutting served to break up trains from a number of originating points and reassemble them for a number of destinations, these could work 24/6 with sundays off.  Shunters trucks were frequently used

 

Some small yards, Bridgwater quay etc, had a small shunter fussing around on day shift moving small numbers of wagons around to be loaded or unloaded as required.   These were quite rare, but very frequently modelled and the locos would be the small shunters, tiny 0-6-0 (1361) and 0-4-0 shunters rather than the big 2721 and 57XX panniers.  Again Shunters trucks were used for the shunters to ride on and carry their tools spare coupling links etc

 

Other goods depots had shunters on day shift mainly moving wagons from reception sidings to be loaded and unloaded, often in and out of the big goods sheds, the small GW Panniers, 850s and 2021 did this sort of work pre war and larger ones before diesel shunters took over.

 

Sometimes wagons were left unloaded in yards when there was no back load and no immediate need for them elsewhere, customers were charged demurrage for any wagons they had not emptied in a reasonable time.

 

On models the need to remove some wagons, leave others partly emptied (or loaded) and bring in others is not given much thought.

[Boggler]

Thank you for the help and suggestions.

 

I agree with you about the extra short siding. I was just trying to maximise use of the points that I have, while building in a very short isolated spur on which to park a loco, so that I can then shunt with a second engine. I don't think it looks right either, so will stick with the third plan, which looks a lot less cluttered.

 

Good idea to use streamline track rather than sectional track. This was my initial plan, until I acquired a load of settrack at a bargain price. I will do what you suggested for my next layout, which may be more prototypical and probably in N rather than OO.

 

Thank you again for your help.

[Pacific231G]

Hi Jim

Probably worth getting hold of a copy of the current (August) Model Rail as it's a special on compact layouts. I don't usually see it but someone brought it to a meeting today and I'm definitely going to buy it.

[Boggler]

I have that one already..it is very good and has definitely helped to shape my layout plans. Thanks for the tip.

[Pacific231G]

I have that one already..it is very good and has definitely helped to shape my layout plans. Thanks for the tip.

Unfortunately for me the September issue of Model Rail was out before the end of July. That meant that I couldn't get the August edition from my local WHS on Monday (still July) so presumably will have to get it as a back-number. Publication dates do get a little crazy sometimes. 

[The Johnster]

My little South Wales 1950s BLT Cwmdimbath is laid out so as to minimise wiring in the interests of economy (I am a poor pensioner) and reliability as well as ease of construction.  All points are Peco, streamline on the visible part of the layout and setrack in fiddle yard, and insulfrog. This means that the current only goes where I tell it to by switching the points, which is done by hand as this is as good a method as any of checking that a road is correctly set before you clear the signal for it, also by hand.

 

There is one single feed.  Situated between the outlet from the loco run around loop and the fiddle yard, it feeds power whichever way the road is set anywhere on the layout, except for the 2 kickback sidings, one off the platform road and one off the run around loop.  These are energised by single wires from the feed from the controller to the 'outside' running rail of each respective kickback road; as the actual current into the road depends on the point being set that way for the return part of the circuit, there is no need to switch these.  All the wiring is either on the surface of the baseboard if it is behind the fiddle yard scenic break, otherwise, in the one case where it intrudes onto the scenic area for a few inches to connect the kickback from the loop, it is buried in scenery.  There are no droppers and all soldered or screwfix electrical connections can be accessed from above the boards in full light and a comfortable position.

 

This is minimalism taken to extreme, but it works and I can perform any movement anywhere on the layout and isolate locos in sidings or loops.  What I can't do is move more than one loco at a time, or have more than one on a powered section at a time, but that is no great hardship on a layout such as mine where this would be pretty unusual anyway.  Not only does it work, it has proved 100% reliable, and I am very pleased with it!  My locos go where they are told when they are told to go there, and can be made to come back as well.  And the process of first checking that the road is set by manually switching the points and then clearing the signal for it when you've checked it feels very properly railwaylike and disciplined, which provides satisfaction in itself!