Great Eastern based EMU Terminus.

[Spikeyorks]

I have been sketching out a plan for a shelf layout to run my collection of GE emus on.

 

My requirements are as follows;

1) The ability to have 4-5 emus on show at one time.

2) At least 3 platforms.

3) Carriage washing plant.

4) The diamond crossing near the washer (as per Enfield Town or Chingford).

5) At least one other traffic flow (perhaps parcels like Southend Victoria) to bring in diesels.

6) Must be able to run 4 car emus into all platforms and stabling sidings.

 

I can fit a 13 foot run in the available space and have come up with the following plan which gives me most of what I am looking for and also has the vast majority of the pointwork on the central board. (The boards would be 4ft / 5ft / 4ft in length).

 

Not sure whether to use cassettes or a traverser. Also not sure whether or not to run the top sidings back under the roadway to the traverser too.

 

Any thoughts out there?

 

Thanks

 

David

 

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi David

 

When I was building Sheffield Exchange Mk1 and operated it with just DMUs I found the traverser was excellent way of changing trains. I have never tried cassettes but for 4 car EMUs I can see they could become awkward to wheel about. 

 

Your collection of EMUs looks wonderful, can I ask the origins of them. I am in the process of building a series of GER EMUs.

 

I look forward to seeing how your layout develops.

[Rivercider]

That looks pretty good to me.

Re the top two sidings, perhaps extend one, suggesting another industry/private siding off-scene.

But keep at least one as a short siding, the stop block provides an opportunity for scenic work (weeds, litter, etc)

 

cheers

[Harlequin]

Remember to leave room for a traverser to slide across so that all of it's roads can connect to the rest of the layout. And the similarly for cassettes: you need room and easy access to handle them.

 

Do the kick-back spurs at the top centre have a specific function? If not, maybe consider removing one or both of them so that you have a bit more room for some scenic atmosphere. And maybe remove the topmost siding completely to open things up even more? That would still leave room for 6 trains parked up and one moving.

 

Maybe use a large radius point into the stabling sidings to reduce the joggle?

Edited January 22, 2018 by Harlequin

[sb67]

Looks good to me too, I'd go with a traverser as well and I like the idea of traffic for some diesels, maybe you could have a stabling point similar to the one that used to be at Liverpool St so you could run all sorts of diesels. I love the photo of the EMU's and the GE is my local line so I'll be following this with interest.

Steve.

[Fenman]

That’s a delightful project.

 

Others are much better qualified than me to comment on your proposed layout: but it occurred to me that your station looks like the central part of the GER terminus at King’s Lynn. There, there are a couple of carriage sidings sandwiched *between* the two main platform running lines. That may be a neater layout than having the carriage sidings at the top.

 

I also wondered about traverser access. If you curved the approach lines up a little, the traverser could access all running lines more easily and the station throat would then get a neat reverse curve like Minories (to me, that would be a good thing - the flow of coaches through the track work is more satisfying than a straight in/out run).

 

YMMV!

 

Good luck.

 

Paul

[Izzy]

Having tried both cassettes and sector plate/traverser options on recent layouts I would now go for the latter every time. Cassettes need less access space for each entry/exit road, but I found I spent far more time swopping them over all the time just to do the simplest moves than actually running the layouts.

 

Absolutely love those EMU's, especially the 309's and their curved windows, brings back such memories of them, particularly in these liveries. Wonderful.

 

Would agree the entry/exit roads need moving up towards the back a bit somehow along with entry access to all platforms, especially when EMU/DMU's are involved. Not quite sure how the track could be adjusted to be arranged as such though.

 

regards

 

Izzy

[Joseph_Pestell]

Does not quite meet all your criteria, but have you taken a look at St Botolph's/Colchester Town?

[sb67]

Does not quite meet all your criteria, but have you taken a look at St Botolph's/Colchester Town?

 

 

I've always thought Colchester Town would be a good choice for a small layout.

Steve.

[Spikeyorks]

"Your collection of EMUs looks wonderful, can I ask the origins of them. I am in the process of building a series of GER EMUs."

 

Hi Clive

 

These EMUs are all Britannia Pacific models acquired over a couple of years. Funded by the disposal of a large amount of N gauge and tinplate.

All the EMUs look great although I took a bit of a gamble with the CL305s by basically having a 3-car CL304. (These are now going to be tweaked with ex-luggage coaches to make 4 car units).

I convinced Peter to make a CL307 and now have the first two of these he has made (1 refurbed, 1 original).

Hopefully I will be getting two CL306s at some point this year, plus some large window CL305s, and then that will be that.

 

Your EMUs currently under construction seem to be coming along nicely. I wish I had the skills to make something like that myself however I am hopeless at anything creative involving glue !!!

I will keep watching your developments and see how you get on.

 

David

[Spikeyorks]

"That looks pretty good to me.

Re the top two sidings, perhaps extend one, suggesting another industry/private siding off-scene.

But keep at least one as a short siding, the stop block provides an opportunity for scenic work (weeds, litter, etc)"

 

Hi Keith

 

I wanted to avoid only having EMUs on the layout.

I will acquire a CL31 and some Blue Suburban coaches to add a bit of variety to the passenger services.

I already have a Cravens 2 car and will have a CL125 DMU (3 car) soon.

I just wanted to have some sort of freight kicking about even if it is very small scale.

 

At first I considered a dairy (as per Ilford), then parcels as per Southend Vic.

I'm now mulling over some sort of departmental yard which would require short trains to arrive on the main lines and then set back under the road bridge.

There are regularly 'interesting' wagons appearing on Ebay and the like and I quite fancy that.

That's why I'm considering keeping the "stub" and pushing the other line back under the bridge.

 

Scenic wise then I am aiming for "grubby and unloved" !!!

 

David

[Spikeyorks]

"Remember to leave room for a traverser to slide across so that all of it's roads can connect to the rest of the layout. And the similarly for cassettes: you need room and easy access to handle them".

 

Hi Phil

 

I'm pretty sure that I am in traverser land here. I don't have the space to knock up a fan of sidings that would work and I'm not convinced that a 4 coach long cassette will be the best way to handle the EMUs without dropping them.

I do think that the width of my plan might be a sticking point and I might need to find the proverbial "extra 6 inches" which is a possibility.

I'm not too bothered if all tracks don't all line up but, obviously, most will need to if the layout is to operate properly.

It might be that with the extra width I can pull the stabling sidings forward leaving the space behind for the traverser?

 

David

[Foulounoux]

A 1970's to early 80's Hertford East ???

Ok 2 platforms but at that time you had the central road and sidings behind the walls on both sides

With the length you have you would have to omit the carriage washer line

Searchlight signals and a GER signal box

 

 

https://signalbox.org/diagrams.php?id=435

 

 

Colin

Oh and must have a green Vauxhall Viva 1159cc sitting outside with yours truly waiting for his father to arrive home each evening

[Calimero]

If you did Southend Vic you could have parcels or coal, Hertford East you could have a speedlink type working running round (Hertford East was an RA9 route for the sleeper trains at Rye House) or Enfield Town which had a ground frame on P3/P2 for engineering trains to run round.

[Chimer]

On your original drawing, it looks as though you would be limited to a 3-track traverser, as a 4th track couldn't come far enough "south" to pick up departures (though it could link to an extended siding).  Moving the arrival and departure tracks "north" or the stabling sidings "south" on a wider baseboard could get you up to 5 at least.

 

And I'm sure you're aware an incoming train can't arrive at the bottom platform?  (Other than from the stabling sidings, which is perhaps your intention)

 

Cheers

 

Chris 

[jonny777]

Would Walton On The Naze come close to satisfying your requirements? I know the real terminus there is curved, but it was not too different from the track plan you are proposing (at least until the inevitable rationalisation took over). 

 

Under Rule 1, you could assume that goods traffic was of higher frequency than in reality. I have seen photos of class 15s there somewhere on the web, which might be a bit out of your time-line but a more modern version of local goods/passenger service could be substituted. 

[Spikeyorks]

On your original drawing, it looks as though you would be limited to a 3-track traverser, as a 4th track couldn't come far enough "south" to pick up departures (though it could link to an extended siding).  Moving the arrival and departure tracks "north" or the stabling sidings "south" on a wider baseboard could get you up to 5 at least.

 

And I'm sure you're aware an incoming train can't arrive at the bottom platform?  (Other than from the stabling sidings, which is perhaps your intention)

 

Cheers

 

Chris 

 

I think that I have to widen my baseboards otherwise I think you are right and the traverser idea wouldn't work. I think I will redraw the plan with the stabling sidings moving south a few inches as that seems to be the easier of the two options. That way my two main running lines will be more to the centre of the board.

 

Regarding platform 3 then my thoughts are that there would be a crossover between the two main lines out of sight on the other side of the road bridge so that, actually, you could then arrive at that platform.

 

The station at the moment is based very loosely on Enfield Town although the loop and sidings at top of the board are completely fictional. Enfield also had 4 stabling sidings that rose above the main running lines ending at the level crossing. I can remember walking to the crossing and seeing a row of CL305s looking down at me. Shame no one seems to have an image of this nowadays.

[Spikeyorks]

Would Walton On The Naze come close to satisfying your requirements? I know the real terminus there is curved, but it was not too different from the track plan you are proposing (at least until the inevitable rationalisation took over). 

 

Under Rule 1, you could assume that goods traffic was of higher frequency than in reality. I have seen photos of class 15s there somewhere on the web, which might be a bit out of your time-line but a more modern version of local goods/passenger service could be substituted. 

 

I have considered Walton (perhaps too simple) and also Clacton (perhaps too complicated) and either wondered about some amalgamation of the two.

There are some nice photos of Walton when it still had two platforms and some sidings however I think I want to go urban rather than rural with grimy buildings, walls and trackwork etc.

Having said that there was a nice seaside town layout on Ebay (Woebegon on Sea) that I did wonder if it could be altered to fit the GE electric period.

 

Yes I am considering a CL15 or even a CL20. Yes they might be out of period but a really grubby green version might be acceptable (more dirt than green though). After all Colchester had a green carriage heating unit kicking around for a good few years. 

 

I'm getting a CL125 DMU next week which, technically, wouldn't have been seen with the GE electrics at that time. Certainly not in blue anyway.

[Spikeyorks]

If you did Southend Vic you could have parcels or coal, Hertford East you could have a speedlink type working running round (Hertford East was an RA9 route for the sleeper trains at Rye House) or Enfield Town which had a ground frame on P3/P2 for engineering trains to run round.

 

With Enfield Town you have worked out my starting point however I think I will be using the Bachmann Art Deco station buildings to provide a long run on the island platform.

Mind you I do like the look of the March station buildings which do also have a North London feel to them.

Decisions Decisions.

[Spikeyorks]

I must admit I do particularly like this version of the CL309........even though I can never remember seeing one in this livery in real life.

[Zomboid]

Love the EMU collection.

Have you looked at some of the places which never were electrified? Felixstowe town (before it became a supermarket) could offer some inspiration, if you want to look at something less suburban. Harwich town when the train ferries ran would offer freight options, though not so much in the way of EMU fun.

[jonny777]

I must admit I do particularly like this version of the CL309........even though I can never remember seeing one in this livery in real life.

 

 

I can't ever remember seeing one with that frontal livery, although I am not an expert on 309s, but I would have certainly tried to photograph it if I had seen it. 

[Clive Mortimore]

I can't ever remember seeing one with that frontal livery, although I am not an expert on 309s, but I would have certainly tried to photograph it if I had seen it. 

One in that livery, 625 from memory, in a late 1960s or 1970 combine. 

[jonny777]

Thanks Clive, I must dig out a few combines - nostalgia hour beckons.....

 

 

Edited, to add - Well that didn't take too long, it was the first one I looked. The 1967 book with the maroon Western on the cover. 

 

309 unit is 625. 

Edited January 26, 2018 by jonny777

[Pete the Elaner]

Hi David

 

When I was building Sheffield Exchange Mk1 and operated it with just DMUs I found the traverser was excellent way of changing trains. I have never tried cassettes but for 4 car EMUs I can see they could become awkward to wheel about. 

Don't you remember operating Sumatra Road  at Tolworth? That had cassettes which were about 4' long. Unfortunately they were untreated wood on an untreated wood board so they didn't slide about very easily at all, which made it difficult to position them.

I much prefer a traverser, especially once the runners have been properly greased.