barrowroad's Blog

Cool

 

I dont know if you have been asked or mentioned this before but what are your thoughts on 'rescuing' a loco from the shed during a show. Assuming that they seem to know when they are on display and where the worst possible place for them to jump off the tracks is!

 

I have a large roof on my layout and am open to suggestions!

 

Cheers

 

Jim

Cool

 

I dont know if you have been asked or mentioned this before but what are your thoughts on 'rescuing' a loco from the shed during a show. Assuming that they seem to know when they are on display and where the worst possible place for them to jump off the tracks is!

 

I have a large roof on my layout and am open to suggestions!

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

Hi Jim,

 

Lifting off the roof of Birmingham New Street is an interesting propect as is removing the roof from the roundhouse on my layout.

 

Before getting to this point several things can be done to obviate the need to do it or at least minimise the need.

First I have gone for a turntable mechanism that operates using a stepper motor and will only connect power to the relevant turntable road once it is aligned correctly. This should minimise derailments inside the shed.

Before adding the roof the turntable and all the trackwork will be thoroughly tested. This also applies to all locos and stock.

 

However as we all know stock is bound to derail at some point and this means the hand in the sky will be required to rectify the problem. This means that some method of access is required.

With Barrow Road I have sectioned the side of the shed away from the main line. This gives access to to full length of this side of the shed - the access height being 13cm. This coincides with the edge of the board and has a detachable 3mm thick clear acrylic sheet fixed to the board. This should be visible in the photos. This serves two purposes -

1.to enable a good view inside the shed and

2.to give access to all turntable roads on that side of the shed by removal of the acrylic sheet.

 

View of Acrylic Sheet

 

Any problem with locos on the other roads will require a different solution. If one or two locos on that side gives a problem during a show I always have the option to leave them where they are with a 'not to be moved' sign attached'

 

The last resort will be the remove all or a section of the roof. I have not finalised how I am going to achieve this but as there are three pitches I suspect I will build the roof so each pitch can be removed seperately.

 

Birmingham New Street with an overall roof poses more of a problem the my roundhouse not least because you have coaching stock and locos whereas I just have the latter. If any of stock of a train in BNS derails I can see no solution other than some method of roof removal or part thereof. I suspect you have already worked this out.

 

How long is the station roof and is there any logical way of dividing it into 'obvious' sections?

 

Keep in touch - I keep a regular watch on your progress with a superb layout.,

 

Cheers,

 

Robin

Thanks Robin

 

Thanks for the kind words too. New street roof is 9 feet long but also quite deep so I could leave tunnels for access from the back. Problem with that is my grand plan is th have 4 ft of scenery behind the layout. I will have to have the roof seperate anyway and in 2 pieces. I suppose worst case scenario is to hinge the roof at the back and access from the front.

 

Even if I get the track perfect and test the stock so that it never falls off new street has a and b platforms meaning trains can converge into 1 platform. I can see after a day and a half of show a collision occurring!

 

I dunno why but I assumed your Perspex wall was at the front of the layout so that the public cab see all the work you have put into the insides

 

Cheers

 

Jim