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Track laying

Barry Ten

Entry posted by Barry Ten

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I've finished the two tracks that run through the Shillingstone module. They're lightly tacked down since I want to tweak the alignment a bit but the wiring is done and tested. Since I don't envisage ever wanting to operate two locomotives at once, I've only used on-off switches, so a train can be parked in the station while another passes. I do want to run DCC-equipped locos on the layout occasionally, though, so there's a DPDT switch to select between analog and digital. Screwed to the underside of the boards is an ancient Meccano controller which supplies 18V AC for the Gaugemaster handheld, and will also supply 9-12 V for the Tortoise motors (which are in situ, but not operational yet). I knew it'd come in handy one day!

 

View looking down the layout. The two yard sidings will be on the right, and the board will be extended out to create a little more width. I'll only do that when I've finished work on the sky, though, as otherwise the reach-over will be unworkable.

 

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Looking the other way, with the tracks coming off the non-scenic board connecting the country scene to this one.

 

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Another view of the country scene.

 

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Once I accepted that this was going to be essence-of-Shillingstone, rather than an accurate portrayal of the real station, I started having all sorts of naughty ideas about maybe adding another siding off the rear loop, kicking back to serve a milk depot or something as at Bailey Gate. But I keep reminding myself that this all started as a test track with maybe a bit of scenery and a point or two - it wasn't ever meant to be a big, complicated layout with loads of operating scope. So I'll do my best to resist the temptation...

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  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

Aha, another one-loco-in-operation man, you have good tastes smile.gif I'm very inspired by the curved backscene and the railway-in-the-landscape look - very convincing. Good luck resisting the temptation to add extra sidings etc. It sometimes seems as if staying on course is one of the hardest parts of modelling, doesn't it?

 

 

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold
Barry Ten
  • RMweb Gold
Aha, another one-loco-in-operation man, you have good tastes smile.gif I'm very inspired by the curved backscene and the railway-in-the-landscape look - very convincing. Good luck resisting the temptation to add extra sidings etc. It sometimes seems as if staying on course is one of the hardest parts of modelling, doesn't it?

 

 

 

 

Mikkel, absolutely - and I'm not very good at it!

 

By the way the curved backscene is embarrassingly low-tech. The main layout backing consists of sheets of 2mm mdf joining at right angles. In order to create the curved sky I simply added a top layer of blue card and allowed it to bend in the corners. It works fine for a home layout (and the card seems to be happy being oversprayed provided it is done in light passes) but would be too flimsy for an exhibition design.

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  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

That sounds good enough for me, I can't tell the difference even now that I know!

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold
Brinkly
  • RMweb Gold

That is very nice, only just found this layout!

 

Regards,

 

Nick

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