OnTheBranchline

Thank you for the responses. Does anyone have any pictures of GWR/WR bankers prepared and waiting, or would anyone be suggest where I would be able to find some?

I understand that at major stations on the GWR, the banker/pilot would be waiting to be attached at the front/back of the train. Are there any examples of where the banker wouldn't necessarily be waiting at the station but at a signal & signalbox or near a water tower on a siding? Thank you in advance.

Would trying the Cakebox Challenge be a good first step?

Thank you for the idea. How did you build that?

Thank you for the suggestion, I haven't forgotten about it.

Right now I am going in between a continuous single line running with just scenery and not much else, or a double track main line with or without a rural station. I will likely be the only operator for the vast majority of time. I think my original plan was a bit ambitious. I would like an engine shed/coach sidings/freight sidings eventually but it's all conjecture at this point. Maybe expanding into the basement bedroom. I think right now, ditching the storage lines underneath might be the best idea. The reason I wanted it is that I didn't want my stuff to sit in boxes and to at least be on rails in some way. Please give an example of a specific layout, so we can all know what you are referring to. I've noted this for reference. Do you have any other examples of runnings for West Wales?

That's not a bad design to be honest, I would rather shorten the length by a foot or two so I can walk around to the side rather than crawl under.

Like this? Churston What were the other ones?

It was Canada if that was not clear.

The wife was saying that it would be cool to change the layout as the seasons change but when I asked her how I would get the snow off the layout, she didn't really have an answer! Of course, we would be with them when they are playing anywhere, until they are old enough to be trusted. Brio: Forget model railways, that's the expensive stuff! Sensible advice. I think the last bit is everyone's biggest problem when they are first starting out. By the way, what are the American ideas you speak of? Simply tight curves and steepish grades? I'm a little unclear how those are American ideas and not 'beginner' ideas? See, where I live, there's only one British model railway exhibition every two years and it's been going downhill for the past few times. Most of my research will have to be online/Youtube. I would mount the layout about 4 feet off the ground so there is a bit of clearance at least when the kids are little. I'm sure there could be a protective cover that count be constructed if my future children are the literal definition of the devil. Those are interesting options, I would like to have a few 'foreign' company locos on my layout but I hadn't given any real thought to which. Would you crawl down and under the layout or am I misunderstanding to get to the access space? You are correct. I'll give you a hint: I'm in the country that won the war of 1812 (double hint: it wasn't yours ). I chose feet because most people on here talk in feet rather than metres. I'm sure I do not realise how time consuming a proper layout is, I do realise that it will never be complete. As said before, the future layout will be mounted about 4 feet off the floor. I would like a loco shed as well, or is that too ambitious to do a fiddle yard and a station and a loco shed at this conceptual point? I would assume the fiddle yard would have to be done first, then the station, then the loco shed. I hadn't considering a full through station because I wasn't planning on making the long wall side that wide (which it would have to be unless it's a two lane road through station). I am sort of attracted to a terminus station because I could have little Panniers fussing around with coaches and some light engine movements. I would prefer not to put any holes in walls (which is what connecting the layout to any other room would have to be). The furnace room is not possible as it is a main walking path to the bedroom/toilet. I.E: It might be noticed. In terms of borrowing, it all depends on how much I am allowed to take. I think my work bench would have to be outside or in the garage, due to some of the foul-smelling elements of model making (i.e. liquid cement). By the way, how did you draw Upton Hanbury?

I'm thinking OO gauge. I will redraw it again sometime soon. No, it's not possible. I think it's a little ridiculous to make people go through a(n) [unfinished] furnace room to get to other places in the basement just for the sake of a bigger layout. At least I wouldn't be comfortable doing that (obviously I can't speak for others). The main space will be a part train room/part future children's play/family area as well (myself and my wife are newly married and we plan on having children in the next few years). That's why I don't want to take over the whole space (at least maybe for another 20 years). That being said, we are newly married and I would prefer to keep my SWIMBO! I hear divorces are a nasty business. Gradient: It's either a long gradient or a helix and I thought a helix would be too big for what the space that I want. 1) That's what I was thinking. Do it in sections and put it together. 2) That's also what I was thinking. 3) Sorry mate, it's OO. 4) Good point, I don't want to have hernia lifting the baseboards. 5) The thing is that I don't want to jut the layout too far into the room (or at least dominate). I do agree with the theory but it basically depends on SWIMBO. I've heard two trains of thought when building the layout; 1) try to get away with as much as you can early in marriage because forgiveness only goes down from there, or 2) play within the rules and then play the long game. Again, I would feel guilty about taking up too much space for a room where my future children play with their toys. All good points. The reason I would prefer the storage underneath is that it saves space on the top level for more layout. One of my mate's dad's layout has a fiddle yard underneath and it makes space to me. Track cleaning could be both by one of those motorized units I suppose. I hadn't thought the operation of layout (more of a train set at this stage rather than prototypical running). There are some engine sheds which aren't right beside the station so a bit of running back and forth wouldn't be the most un-prototypical thing in the world. I was thinking of the illusion of a big station shed and a big station with a rural/countryside in the middle (although it doesn't have to be firm). I have quite a few GWR 4-6-0s chomping at the bit so I want to create the atmosphere that would make it sensible for them to be seen. Part train room and part future children's play/family area. OO Gauge I am debating switching to Kadee couplers for ease of use. The underneath fiddleyard is really to sort all the trains (rather than keeping some of them in boxes).

Hi everyone, So in the basement of our house, there is a large room that is about 33' by 20' (barring the area for the stairs/small storage room under the stairs. Naturally, I thought a layout could be worked into this space. I haven't invested a lot of time/effort in learning any track illustration software (I have downloaded SCARM and AnyRail but I have barely used either), so it's on good old paper for a start. Note: It's not quite drawn to scale but you should get the idea. Also note, the measurements on the outside are for the layout, not the length of the wall. Basically, it's a n shape (or a C shape) with a straight instead of a curve. There would be a fiddle yard underneath the whole layout and the fiddle yard would be connected to the main level by a hidden line on a gradient which spans most of the 33' long section (I run steam so I need as low a gradient as possible). The hidden section would have one line going down and one line coming up. I considered a helix but I decided that a helix would be too large in order for steam to work. On the left side, I was thinking of a terminus mainline station but with a loop that runs around the outside and behind the station (hidden by a hill/rocks/etc). On the right side, I was thinking of a loco shed that also has a loop which runs around the outside and behind the loco shed (hidden by a hill/rocks/etc). In the middle would mostly be scenery, a through station, perhaps a passing loop. The loops are a requirement as I want to have the ability to watch the trains to go and not worry about them running past the stopping blocks. I have not decided on the station or the loco shed will be based on but it will be In terms of width, I was thinking that 2 1/2' is the widest I would want to go if in case I need to reach for a derailment. Does this plan seem reasonable or is there a better way I could use this space? I've tried not to be quite over elaborate with my plans. Please keep in mind that I have never built a proper layout before and I'm sure I have a lot to learn. Given the size of the layout, I'm also sure that this will not be a cheap layout but something that can be worked on over the years. I might have to build it section by section rather than try to do it all at once with baseboards and track and nothing else. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts. PS: I haven't shown the plan to my wife but I'm sure that she would prefer it not to be too big and too intrusive in the room (i.e not come out too far from the wall).

Careful, it's more important that she chooses to keep you!

Can we please have a picture of the cat?

Did anything become of this; i.e. did he build the layout?