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Thoughts on fiddles

Kris

Entry posted by Kris

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What makes for a good fiddle yard?

 

I suspect that there is not a single answer to this question but I think the closest I will get to an answer to this question is "One that works for the model in question". Now this is not a huge amount of help when you are trying to design one.

 

With the redevelopment of Avonwick I need a new fiddle yard. I have managed to impose some restrictions on what I can build through my desired operating location and maximum radius (caused by a wish to run Avonwick at home and not having endless space). These restrictions / limitations have led me to reconsider my original idea for a conventional fiddle yard comprising of 3 through loops (see plan 2). This led me to wonder what would happen if I were to build a yard as shown in plan 1.

 

The red line on the plans indicates a baseboard join. Plans are most defiantly schematic only as the real baseboards are curved.

 

blogentry-163-1279730391_thumb.jpg

 

Why do something like this for a fiddle yard?

 

Against

  • I loose the ability to run round (Would I really be doing this at an exhibition?)
  • The maximum length of train is reduced. (Realistic maximum of large loco and 5 coaches on the longest sidings).
  • More handling of stock.

For

  • Allows for end to end operation.
  • Larger minimum radius (This is a major selling point to me).
  • The through line should never be blocked by a train that is stored.
  • Only a single line crossing the baseboard joint.
  • All points are in a small area making it easier to monitor their positions.
  • Easy to expand - This would have implications for the maximum train lengths though.
  • Aids the memory in showing me which trains have run in which direction and how they need to be returned.

What am I missing here?

 

These are only ideas at the moment, but as ideas are cheap and easy to make alterations to I quite like them.

 

 

 

As an aside to the Avonwick building bits.

 

Loco's

I have been poking at my class 11 and it lives. I even managed to solder the coupling rod retaining washers on without locking up the whole mechanism. I still have an intermittent short occurring when the body is placed on the loco and the running is not as smooth as I would like (It runs nice and smoothly without the body work on) so I need to keep poking.

 

Through my door this week also came a nice little envelope. The castings and etchings for a pair of Black 5's are now in the pile awaiting their turn in the workshop on the work bench. Having got the class 11 going I feel reasonable confident to have a hack at one of these now. I'm still scared of the 9f though! Not quite sure how I can justify these on a small ex GWR branch line in South Devon though, Farmer Giles may feel that the cyder is getting to him when he sees one trundle past biggrin.gif

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9 Comments

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devondynosoar118

Hmm- Tender locos not common on the branch! Great models though. I would suggest that you have already decided that the 1st fiddleyard is going to be the best for what you want, thereby making it the best design by default! Have you fixed the locations you are addding in the scenic boards yet?

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Kris
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Hmm- Tender locos not common on the branch! Great models though. I would suggest that you have already decided that the 1st fiddleyard is going to be the best for what you want, thereby making it the best design by default! Have you fixed the locations you are addding in the scenic boards yet?

 

 

Locations still aren't fixed (tunnel has to be Sorley though).

 

Tender locos were not common during GWR/BR days but had the line been preserved then ................... who knows, under the preserved guise a class 50 has been utilised for some services. Bridges where heard to creak as it went over them! laugh.gif

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bcnPete
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I was going to ask if you had considered cassettes Kris? Not withstanding the fact you have a curved Fiddleyard of course. Its just the current 3 layouts I have, all seem to have started as traversers and ended up as cassettes...partly due to also acting as train storage etc.

 

Interesting scenairio you have proposed though...worth mocking up on your new boards I feel to see how it looks?...

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Kris
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Hello Pete.

 

I think that cassettes do have potential. Something that I would consider in an extension mode would be just to put in a short spur on each of the fans that allowed me to attach cassettes. I feel that this would give me the best of both worlds allowing for fixed storage and quick rotation. I have considered this approach for a future layout due to the cost of point motors and the effort of building points to an acceptable standard.

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richbrummitt

Plan 2 has a major advantage in my opinion that the trains always face the direction they should travel. Unless every train is going to have an identically formed return working then I don't think that Plan 1 wouldn't work for exhibition.

 

If I was building a roundy roundy then I would probably do it with a traverser at the rear for a single track line. A double tracked line may be easier with loops.

 

 

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Kris
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Plan 2 has a major advantage in my opinion that the trains always face the direction they should travel. Unless every train is going to have an identically formed return working then I don't think that Plan 1 wouldn't work for exhibition.

 

If I was building a roundy roundy then I would probably do it with a traverser at the rear for a single track line. A double tracked line may be easier with loops.

 

 

I had thought about a traverser, but as I also want to be operating from the front this would have meant building one on a curve, now that scares me. There is no way that my wood work skills are up to doing that.

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Donw
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Hi Kris

This is a pretty big question. I think you have to start by working out what trains you plan to run. For example branch passenger 45xx plus B set. Branch freight pannier plus wagons and toad etc. Then you consider whether these will just wait in the fiddle yard before running road again or whether they need to be turned round or rearranged in some way and how that could be done.

Now if I was exhibiting I would find it a lot easier to just have a sequence to run in each direction and minimise the rearrangement of any trains. For home use I would probably want to do more rearrangement of different trains. Your choices might be quite different. I think either plan could work but it is worth thinking it through.

Donw

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Donw
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Hi Kris

This is a pretty big question. I think you have to start by working out what trains you plan to run. For example branch passenger 45xx plus B set. Branch freight pannier plus wagons and toad etc. Then you consider whether these will just wait in the fiddle yard before running road again or whether they need to be turned round or rearranged in some way and how that could be done.

Now if I was exhibiting I would find it a lot easier to just have a sequence to run in each direction and minimise the rearrangement of any trains. For home use I would probably want to do more rearrangement of different trains. Your choices might be quite different. I think either plan could work but it is worth thinking it through.

Donw

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