7. Evolution.
Entry posted by Methuselah
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After re-entering this hobby just over a year and a half ago, it took me the first year to get any sort of real plan together. I have, several times, thought that out of the mists, some sort of settled plan had emerged, and it had - sort of....!
One thing that is now clear is that it pays to stay flexible for as long as possible. Now that I've finally started to do more drawings to scale, I'm both finding the flaws in my ideas - and getting new, improved ideas.
I finally got around to visiting Pendon yesterday, and what a treat it is - if rather daunting for someone coming back to all this after many years. The standards are pretty stratospheric, with so much to see and admire. Hats-off then to all those who have contributed to this miniature wonder....! It is, however, very inspirational, even if one knows that one must have more modest aspirations. There is little I can add to the superlatives already showered upon this masterpiece - so I won't.
One of the things that really interested me was the effect of having so much space - and not having to cram too much in - or use absurdly tight curves - something that I was already planning. All of my non-scale curves will be hidden - and there will be no distortion of the real locations dimensions or curves. This will only be possible as a) The real locations lend themselves to this, and b) Because I will have a reasonable space to build in.
I was also interested to see that authentic camber/cant had been incorporated into the track some areas - a prototypical feature absent on most model railways.
A further point of interest was that the whole running-system is basically fully-automated - albeit in DC. The clever electronics are all in the layout - rather than in the engines. Magnets are used under trains to provide sensing of track occupation. I'm after a similar system - however utilising DCC. However - having an aim, an aspiration, is one thing. Realisation is quite another...!
One of the more mind-bending facts about Pendon is that most of the buildings also have scale interiors too.... In many cases, this is unseen, and even with the layout in night-mode', it's still very difficult to discern any interior-detail. This probably works great in 7mm scale, but at 4mm....it's something that really needs to be used very selectively. I won't have an army of volunteers helping me either...!
One of the problems that has been bugging me for a while is access. I will have a branch-line off the main line bisecting the main room right across the middle halfway down the room - it's unavoidable if I want to keep the main junction looking correct. I'll also need to enter the centre area, as the whole layout will be viewable only from the central space, and only the control-point is outside.
The scenery - and the multi-layered nature of the track design make moving sections of baseboard very impractical - not impossible - just difficult. One solution to this problem is two 'sumps' - underpasses really, about 1,000mm deep. This is a new feature, but fortunately - it's come along early-enough to be planned-in, if the movable sections can't be made practicable. I'm still working to resolve this problem.
Finally, back to Pendon, and the attached photo. They have many fine locos at Pendon, but the one which most caught my fancy was the attached 4-4-0, which I believe to be a Dean/Armstrong design, very similar to the Dean Single. At some point, I must build one of these, they really are an absolute stunner.
M.
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