Calshot 4mm - SRS's Blog

This looks promising - definitely worth planning out to scale in a track design program, or marking out on the back of wall paper or something, to check it fits, as some aspects seem a little tight.

The plan looks good - I wonder if you'll need to increase board dimensions slightly.

 

What masks the obvious 'loop' exits on the NG line at the back?

How much SG stock will fit on the cassette with clearance for the NG?

 

When are you going to start building it! Good luck. I've enjoyed reading about your thoughts and design so far and look forward to seeing wood cut!

Hi James, thanks again for your continued contribution!

I agree the need to plan it out to scale is a necessity, I've got some old wallpaper somewhere! The narrow gauge loop looks very tight as I assume you meant by some aspects looking as though they may not fit. I'm not even sure it will fit - that's why the full size mock ups are important. Thanks for your compliment too.

 

I expect the board will need to be widened (but I have no room for any more length). Disguising the loop exits is something I thought about last night after I had drawn the basic idea out, I was thinking about having a false scene behind the backscene with the hangar continuing right to the board edge with a small hole in it for the NG trains. Something placed towards the front edge of the hangar (e.g. a water tower that used to exist at the real prototype) would help further. Not sure whether it will work - but again that's what mock ups are for.

 

As for building it, I'd say after 23rd May (I'm exhibiting on that weekend). I reckon the (sector plate) fiddle yard for the SG will hold a tender loco and two-3 wagons, or a tank engine and 4 wagons. (again - mock ups will reveal all!)

 

Once again, many thanks for reading the blog and contributing!

Looks an interesting plan, Jam, and I like the idea of the NG looping round to the front.

 

However, I know that with NG, GAWMing (i.e. getting away with murder) is possible, but I wonder if your curves might be a bit tight? Peco NG points have a 12" radius and the minimun recommended for N is 9". However, if you're running 2 axled stock, you can get away with much tighter.

Yes, I agree with james - it looks an interesting project.

 

I'm not so sure about your arrangement for the NG line along the front of the layout. I presume the two quay-side sidings would be used for freight of some sort? In this case, it looks like the only access to these sidings is through the engine shed. I'm not convinced that even NG railways would find this an acceptable and operable arrangement. You could reduce the shed to just the front road - so as to still provide the scenic block and have the rear track passing behind and then emerging into view as it heads towards the quay.

The other consideration is will the NG stock all negotiate the rather tight looking 180 degree bend in the fiddle yard. It might require significant gauge widening which will prevent use of flexible track.

 

Good luck with the project.

Thanks John

 

Like I said to James, the curves do look (and probably are!) ridiculously tight.

I'll see what I can get away with - if it means widening the baseboard, so be it, it's a good job we have double doors on our conservatory! I suppose the backscene could be removable so I could tilt the layout to get it through doorways/round corners.

 

I take it the minimum recommended is 45cm diameter then? (As long as my conversion is right!)

That's quite a large circle for where I want it, but we'll wait and see! (I had a good laugh at your link!)

If the worse comes to the worse, I can just run the Simplex round the loop and the other locos can use the front of the layout!

 

Cheers

Hi Dave, firstly, thanks for commenting and for the compliment

 

The exit via engine shed is something I had not considered... The NG line is a mixture of passenger and freight, but the front section is mostly freight. I like the idea of narrowing the shed down to one road - that way I can use my existing scratchbuilt shed (with a few modifications).

 

All the stock will be 4 wheeled (as per the prototype) but there will be one bogie stock for the goods line at the front. I think the 180 degree turn in the fiddle yard will be fine as I have up to around 2-3ft to play with.

 

Thanks again

Hi Dave, firstly, thanks for commenting and for the compliment

 

The exit via engine shed is something I had not considered... The NG line is a mixture of passenger and freight, but the front section is mostly freight. I like the idea of narrowing the shed down to one road - that way I can use my existing scratchbuilt shed (with a few modifications).

 

All the stock will be 4 wheeled (as per the prototype) but there will be one bogie stock for the goods line at the front. I think the 180 degree turn in the fiddle yard will be fine as I have up to around 2-3ft to play with.

 

Thanks again

 

Glad to have helped.

 

Regarding the NG curves, it might be useful to draw your tightest curve out full size and temporarily lay some track over it and test the relevant stock. Not sure about NG track, but in P4 circles (excuse pun), flexible track is widely considered to result in under-gauge track if curved too tightly. On my layout (Delph), there is some quite tight, reverse curved pointwork (which is both gauge widened and fully check railed) into a private siding. Several people questioned whether P4 locos would negotiate it so I tested some of my locos out on a length of flexi-track laid to the same radius - just to make sure! (Luckily it was OK, even with my WD 2-8-0!)

 

Regards,

 

Dave.

Hmm, interesting, It might be worth trying that then. I haven't got all the locos I'm going to use yet but as soon as I do I'll try that. I can see what a 4 wheeled loco can manage first though...

 

Thanks once again,

 

Jam

Hi Jam,

 

I'm personally not very good at visualising what will fit where etc. and as others have already commented and made suggestions regarding clearances etc. I'll move swiftly on to the general concept!

 

I've enjoyed watching your ideas progress even if I haven't always commented and I think you've hit upon a great final idea. It looks like you have good scope for operating with enough interest in the small space, and have preserved the sense of location well with what you've planned.

 

I hope you are successful in working something out a bit more to scale. Will you create a 3D mock up first?

 

Peter

Hi Peter,

 

Thanks for your compliments!

 

I would like to preserve the sense of location as much as possible, I feel I have achieved this pretty successfully. If there is one alteration to be made it would be to flip the layout horizontally so it would follow the prototype a tad more - in the reality, the War Department pier (albeit I'm probably be doing a quay) was, looking South-ish, on the left rather than the right. So here's the new final version for comparison. This also means I can attach the fiddle yard when in the home location as it can sit over my desk.

 

I'm not sure about a 3D mock up as they do take some time, but I will probably get round to it after all the exams are over! I'll probably put up a sketch to help everyone visualise the plan later on in the week.

 

Other thoughts include making the NG loop and shelf round the back removable - that way it can have 3/4 of the full 50cm diameter loop on it.

The new version is below with alterations carried out as per advice. I'll need to edit it further to widen the NG loop round the back.

 

 

 

Jam

I've been following your progress and must say it now looks like a layout that should prove to be very entertaining to operate and to veiw. Its good to see something a little different from the "norm"! Your planning has paid off and I look forward to its future developement. Regards GWRfan

Many thanks! I must admit I am quite excited about it now with all sorts of thoughts going around in my head which I may explain in a blog post next week some when. I'm glad it's hit the 'different from the norm' button, that was one of my main aims I hope I can live up to your expectations!

 

Thanks