MattWallace Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Hi all, I've lurked here for a few months and I thought it was about time to post about my layout in the hope that some people might be able to help and advise! I'm relatively new to railway modelling, having had a standard 6x3 "roundy-roundy" layout as a kid and only just coming back to it "properly" after approx. 15 years. My layout is based upon Westerleigh Fuel Terminal near Bristol (just to the left of the M4 as you head towards Bath from the top of the M32) however space limitations have required me to flip some of the layout 180o and reduce the number of tracks heading into the depot. The general plan for the layout is as follows: Since I first created the layout plan, I've decided to replace the Tunnel (green lines) with a Road Bridge to lead into the fiddle yard - I can't quite spare the space for a full 6-lane replica of the M4, however I think I can get away with a A/B-Road with at least 2 lanes, and possibly a Dual-Carriageway. All the track (apart from the points) is Hornby and is left over from my layout as a child - this means it's not the best quality, however for the time being (and given the budget I'm on for this!) it will do. Up until a vist to a local model fair yesterday, the main engine for this layout was going to be a class 92 (see here with my old cab-less shunter in a previous incarnation of the layout!): However I am now the proud owner of a Bachmann GBRf Class 66: This is the first loco I've owned that isn't made by Hornby (or one of the sub-brands!) and I'm amazed with the build quality! The track is laid onto three sections of baseboard and I've choosen not to use underlay as this is a layout to helped me get back in to the hobby so noise isn't a real concern. Annecdotally, I've also discovered that chipboard seems to dampen the sound quite well as it is, so previous attempts at mounting on artist's card foam etc. do not appear to be necessary. The board sections look like the following when linked together: I've also build a control panel to switch the points using DPDT switches and 3mm LEDs as indicators for the points - again, this probably wasn't necessary for a layout of this size, however as it's a trial run for a much larger layout when I can afford to buy my own house instead of renting, I thought it would be good to get the practice in now: The LEDs are fed by Peco PL-13 accessory switches mounted on the PL-10 motors under the basebaord. I'm hoping to mount the control panel on the board tonight and take a video of it working in the next few days. Once the track is down, I'll move on to the scenics! All thoughts/advice welcomed, Matt Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 The control panel is now working, here's a few shots of the completed base work with the controllers attached and some loco's on it. I'm hoping to get the lights done by the end of the week, then I'll move on to modelling! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
taytrain Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 nice work so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 This layout is no longer being worked on, I've moved onto a bigger layout with more scope for development, the initial designs for which can be found here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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