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St Michael's Hill - Modern image micro-layout. Suburban Station


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Hello.

I'm fairly new into the hobby after a 15 year break, and whilst I'm planning a large layout (which I'm busy acquiring stock for) I thought I would work on a small (micro) layout as a way of practicing the old skills I had and learning a load of new ones which I didn't use back in the day (DCC for one). I am going to be working on a scenic section of around 4ft by 1.5ft and will be modelling the late 90s (around the time of privatisation). I would love some feedback on the track plan and would welcome any suggestions. Especially when it comes to prototypical signalling. 

I have a list of must haves, as I need to check off all the things I'm looking to practice. 

1) Must be DCC
2) Must be have working point motors on the turnouts
3) Must have working light signals (although manually operated is fine)
4) Must have a section of water (pond, lake, steam etc.)
5) Must have enough platform to store two 2-car DMUs (at least, 3 would be even better but perhaps not realistic)
6) Must have some other sort of working to allow some minor shunting etc.
7) Must have some different levels (although only minor differences).

I have put together the following track plan and would love to know what people think. The scene break will be a road which the tracks will go under. I plan to have the sidings at the back very slightly higher than the tracks leading to the platform. The river at the bottom will be significantly lower and would run under the tracks a little further off the scene. 

The station will probably an un-manned one, with a small car pack. The fence will have gates to allow workers to access the two sidings if required. 

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Edited by richscylla
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The 158 Sprinters were introduced around your time period and at 76 ft 2in per car are going to fill your platforms with nothing to spare and looks as though the shorter platform is not long enough. Suggest increasing platform lengths by 3 to 6 in.

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I have extended the platforms a little. I'll be looking to mainly 156s, 153s, 150s and 143s. Maybe the odd 158 so I thought it was worth while. I am thinking perhaps a more urban feel, but either way I need ideas on what can fill the space between the two sets of track. I was thinking in an urban setting, it could be a wild overgrown area full of rubbish, old pallets etc. Then a couple of containers on the rail side. Do you think a fuelling point for trains would be prototypical in either urban or rural? Or is it not something that would be allowed that close to a station?

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Looking forward to seeing how this progresses - especially as I'm in the same situation as you, returning after a long break. I have plenty to (re)learn!

Could you make the sidings for engineers' trains?

I would suggest having just abandoned land between station and sidings. Some junk as you suggest. But I think less might be more in this case.

I hope this helps?

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Looking at going to get a load of baseboard material tonight - with the aim of starting the build this weekend. Just working out the best way to create the recess for the river in the bottom right corner. I was thinking about raising the track on a polystyrene banking, I'm not sure that would make connection to the fiddle yard easy, and also don't know how I'd do point motors if I did that. I'm thinking about cutting down the baseboard for that section. 

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A fuel point is tempting, but relatively unrealistic and implausible.  The fact that so many choose to go down the fuel point route to showcase endless locomotives has, in my eyes, turned it into a cliche, but it's your layout to develop as you wish.

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A fuel point is tempting, but relatively unrealistic and implausible.  The fact that so many choose to go down the fuel point route to showcase endless locomotives has, in my eyes, turned it into a cliche, but it's your layout to develop as you wish.

That's pretty much what I was thinking, and I don't have too many locos anyway. 

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Hi,

Chard makes a sound point re the fueling point.

Are the two tracks going off scene up and down roads or is the lower one going offscene a siding or something. If they are up+down then you'll need to shunt a unit to get to the upper platform.

My inclination would be to run both platforms into a single road offscene and split it there which would make fiddle yard ops a bit easier.

 

Cheers

Stu

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I realised I made a little error with my basic maths! In fact a large one! Due to an over reliance on a unclear tape measure, and not using my brain, I was working on the VERY incorrect assumption that 4ft was 202 centimetres, not 122. Which means I've had to re-do my track plan a fair bit. I still think I've managed to get everything that I want in, but I think I'll have to make the water a canal which goes under the station (a little bit like the river Avon goes under Bristol Temple Meads. This, in my mind at least, has made up my decision about urban vs. Rural and I'm going to sticking with an urban feel, although towards the fiddle yard I will get a little more green!

I picked up a load of 12mm ply last night and will start on the baseboards today! Any suggestions on the track plan are still welcome, my baseboards are going to be the same size regardless. 

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I have had a crack at the baseboard for the layout this weekend, it's all together and is feeling good. Needs a little sanding in places, but it's a good base for the layout. I've left a gap at the back big enough to slot a 12mm board for the back scene, the three panels sticking out are just to check the slot is the right size. I just need to work out the best way to lay the track over the gap. 

I've also picked up a load of Peco 100 lengths, some ballast and now I'm just waiting on the turn outs which I ordered online. I was going to lay the track on a thin layer of cork, although saw the Peco track bed stuff whilst I was out yesterday. What is everyone's opinion of both methods?

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I have made some more progress tonight, although not TOO much. 

 

I have made a hide side that evens out the gap in the baseboards down to the canal section. I will continue some of this onto the raised baseboard on the right hand side to make it look more natural. 


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I have also cut some more 12mm ply to form what will be the canal bed, the tow-path and a retaining wall along it. 
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This is the view from above. 
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I'm thinking that before I lay the track, I need to get the canal and everything on the lower level finished, otherwise the bridges will be a nightmare to work around. I'm thinking of using the toilet paper, PVA and varnish method as seen here: 

The only waves I'll have are from a boat moving along the canal. 

I considered using Woodland Scenics realistic water, but the cost would be massive for that amount of water and I'm not sure if I can assure that PVA hasn't got to the area, and I hear that realistic water + PVA = ruined effect.  Edited by richscylla
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Looking good, however if you're going to use that method for the canal (or any method that is fairly thin) then your towpath of 12mm ply is way too thick. A canal towpath should only be 6"-9" above the water level, which is 2-3mm in OO.

 

JRB

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Looking good, however if you're going to use that method for the canal (or any method that is fairly thin) then your towpath of 12mm ply is way too thick. A canal towpath should only be 6"-9" above the water level, which is 2-3mm in OO.

 

JRB

Good shout! Thanks jrb! I will probably use 1 or 2 of the thinner MDF sheets then. 

 

I'm also working out how to do the supports for the bridges on the right hand side on the incline - I'll have a play with that this week. 

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I spent last night doing lots of boring measuring, cutting and sanding jobs. I also started to fix the polystyrene hillside down, which I will apply a layer of filler over at some point soon. I've cut the retaining wall for the canal and new pieces to make up the towpath at a much reduced height. Hopefully in the next few days I will get some time to put it all together ready for plastikard brickwork. 

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I have started filling on the hill tonight, as well as getting the tow path on the canal. The brick plastikard needs to be painted and weathered and then I can get it fixed and a small layer of filler to cover the screws and give a nice surface for the tow path. The hill needs another few coats of filler (and well of some padding in the larger gaps)

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So I've had a go at painting the plastikard brick sides for the canal and I'm fairly happy with how they've turned out!

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Looks good - need to get it stuck down now and then I'm ready to start on the water for the canal and the concrete top for the tow path!

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