After much umming and ahing about track plans, and location, I've finally come up with something... Which wasn't easy given the space I'd got and what my motive power pool currently is (mainly NSE branded diesels and a couple of multiple units).

The idea is a bit real world, but a lot of artistic license involved, and whilst the plan below had plenty of settrack pieces, most of the straights are going to be put together using lengths of flexi-track.

After thinking through where would be an ideal area to operate, I came across the Southampton and Dorchester Railway, and started thinking 'Thomas Hardy'... (Possibly Casterbridge South, but I'm not decided yet).

As I'm planning this to be in some form of cutting, from the right hand side, I'm planning on using an over-bridge as a scenic break, with a station building on the over-bridge, serving an island platform, then dropping down to single track, passing behind a signal box and disappearing in to a cutting to exit stage left. The pointwork top centre has been put in to hold a 'ready' locomotive (33/73 sized), to take TCs, on from here through the single track when there's a diversion in play, whilst not blocking the through line for freight workings.

On the right hand side, I've planned it with enough scenic to hold a two car multiple unit underneath, and rolling that in to the platform to simulate a terminating service, the left hand side is going to be just wide enough to accommodate a 90 curve in the back scene in case I ever decide to extend further up the office wall with it. Currently, all the marshalling of stock is planned to use cassettes; and if the extension goes ahead, that would continue on a single track with a halt for possible MU workings, with a fiddle yard behind, and the right hand side is also planned to be extendible as well, but still cassette served for the short term.

The main 'background' so to speak of this station, is that it is based on an approximation of the aforementioned Southampton and Dorchester railway, primarily served by local services from Reading via Salisbury, Portsmouth via Southampton, etc, worked by mainly multiple units, with the occasional through passenger continuing down the single track towards Weymouth and Poole (either Multiple Unit as before or a TC drag/push by 33/73 stock). Also, with having the through line to Weymouth/Poole, having the possibility of operating through freight, parcels, etc, without having to go through the Southampton Central tunnel bottleneck and also potential diversions in place from engineering in the New Forest area so bringing the Poole originating sleeper service through.

Well, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it!

Actually, the layout was planned around something a bit different than an operational prototype; more to have an open space that I could take pictures of stock on more than anything. With my day job of photography and design, every so often, I get a box full of stock from the local model shop to photograph for their website, and up to now, this has all been done on a light table, and it looked a bit too clinical. Whilst they'd got a HO gauge layout, they hadn't got an N-gague, so I saw an opportunity to get back to what I used to enjoy doing, and also the other half's arguments would be mooted because I am primarily writing this off as a work asset, even though I'm paying for it out my 'pocket money' so to speak.

I could have run the baseboard bigger, to give it more scenic or to give myself more wiggle room with bits and pieces, but taking in to account that I want this to fit in to the back seat of the car, and also have enough room to work around it with lighting and a camera, I kept it at this to start with.

At present, I'm thinking of wiring it for DCC control, but keeping it as DC for the time being, as I've not really seen or looked at enough DCC to be comfortable with hacking old Farish locos to bits to add in decoders.

So, now I'm going to leave the plan overnight, to stay in the head whilst I sleep on it and if I still like the idea or the excuse for operations in the morning, it's out with the double sided tape to hold the track in place with.

Any suggestions, hints or comments greatly received.