BoltblasterM1910

"Could the f/yard turntable be an add-on with door open when operating? This would gain an extra coach length on traverser. Agree Thanks Informative/Useful Craftsmanship/clever Funny Friendly/supportive" Yes, that could be possible, I would have to re-swing the door to open the other way or better still put a sliding door in. I have thought about doing that when I was planning a continuous run layout.

After months of deliberating and coming up with various track plans to fit in an 11'1"x 9'9"room, leaving room for the door to open and to fit other gear under the layout I've come up with this design using Anyrail, free version CAD software, While the plan is plotted using code 100 PECO, it will be build using code 75. I used code 100 to allow me to set the minimum radius to setrack R4 curves. I've based the design loosely on the Kyle of Lochalsh Station and engine shed. Its been simplified and compressed with the engine shed on a separate board. This seems the best solution I could come up with given the size of the room available. Fiddleyard will be a 4 track traverser with a Turntable at the far end. 4 coach trains with full-size Tender locos will fit. I know the train lengths are a bit short but I just can't extend the FY to the doorway and gain an extra 2'9" which would be nice! Criticism and advice welcome. I hope it will have good operational potential, I think it probably will. Could it benefit from a Kick back siding/s ?

"If you run larger mainline locomotives onto the layout, say as tour trains, you would use a tank engine to shunt the coaches to release the big loco. Agree Thanks Informative/Useful Craftsmanship/clever Funny Friendly/supportive" That's a good idea and would add some more operational interest as well as free up some space. Thanks. The Larger TT is a bit extreme for a small BLT! Kitwood Hill Turntable are available in a 30', a new 40'is being developed and a 48'in 7mm scale. The 48'is approx. 13.5" Dia. The 40'is about 11"so I have been informed. This one isn't shown on the website yet as its still under development. http://www.kitwoodhillmodels.com/brands/7mm-O-Scale-.html

Hello! I'd like some advice and opinions if this track plan I've come up with is a workable and has reasonable operational interest. I'm concerned that my spacings/clearances may be a bit out? * O gauge/7mm scale *11' length. *2' width at narrow end, up to 4'wide other end. * 19.5" (approx.)Dia. Turntable as part of Run around loop. Loop should accommodate up to 3 x 18" L.O.A Coaches. I know there were prototypes, not many for this arrangement. Alternatively I suppose a "Moor" street style traverser could be substituted for the turntable? If I decide on a TT it will probably be a Kitwood Hill 7mm scale 65' model. This will take a BR 9F locomotive.....would it fit an A4 pacific?......love to get one of those someday, even though realistically its far too large to run "authentically" on a small BLT!! * Sidings for coal staithes, Goods shed, Engine Shed and Kick back siding (Not ideal for shunting!~?). for small industry. Fiddle Yard in other room, Tunnel through the wall. Height of the layout( track height) will be between 4'- 4'6"above the floor, probably 4'3"as this will give a good 1'clearance above the fiddle-yard of the OO gauge layout it will be built over. All track and points will be PECO. Wired for DC but with the provision to make track all live for DCC at the flick of a switch. I have a Dapol 57xx 0-6-0PT and an Ixion Fowler 0-4-0 Diesel so probably G.W.R. themed for a start, but adaptable to Early BR so I can run a varied range of locomotives etc.. at a later date. The turntable obviously could be a lot smaller for these two locomotives, but I would like it to be able to turn larger engines in the future, like a 61xx or even a 43xx. I'm not modelling any prototype, but would like some realism and basically the layout should be interesting and fun to operate! It will be built over the fiddle-yard /return loop for an OO gauge layout that I'm also planning. 2nd. Picture rough draft of lower OO Ga. Layout. 3rd. O Ga. over OO Ga. The lower layout has been developed more but as I'm only using the trial Anyrail version I've had to delete some trackwork. I can't take up any more space in the room as it has to double as my Guitar/Music room!

Hello, I've posted a couple of ideas recently but none have quite met my requirements and they just don't look quite right. Trying to fit too much into a certain area just doesn't work as I don't want an over crowded look. I have an 11'1"x 9'9"room which is a reasonable area, but has to double up as a Music practice room and the doorway needs to remain clear with a 2'9"aisle. That gives me approximately 11'x 7'for my model railway. OO gauge. 42" - 48" above the floor. No lifting or hinged sections, so has to be a "duck-under" to get to the lower lever fiddle yard and operate the upper Outer Suburban "Minories" derived Terminus with goods facility and Engine Shed. I have come to the conclusion that I can't build a dual level layout in the space I have with shallow incline between levels and a minimum radius of 24" so I've adopted a different approach. A dual level layout, but no connecting line between the layouts and the top, "Minories" layout's fiddle-yard is in the next room through a "tunnel" in the wall. The fiddle-yard will be de-mountable and only in place during running sessions. Probably use Analog 12V for the lower layout (with the ability to hook up to DCC by making all the Iso. sections live by a flick of a switch. Upper layout will be DCC. All PECO Code 75 track and points with Electro-frogs. I have been using the Demo version of Anyrail CAD and have been trying to keeps radiuses 24" or greater. Doesn't seem to be working! I plot the curves using 4th radius ST235 and 5-6 R 238 Setrack curves then delete some and fill in the spaces with Code 75 flex track. Its giving an approximate idea. Anyway , thoughts, advice, criticism, about the Track Plan and its operational interest are welcome. *** I am aware that the head-shunt is incorrectly connected to the fiddle-yard! I have fixed this mistake on another draft!***

A bit of a re-work. Get rid of NG-build that as a standalone somewhere else., use whole room, move fiddleyard under layout on the far-side. Turntable at the end of FY represents a simple rotating loco release. Needs more adjusting. Include another branchline of the main to a small seaside terminus . That should probably be around the other way so that it can run through the main station and down the Branchline into the Fiddle yard.

Yes that is possible, could be a good idea. I would mean that the fiddle yard would have to branch-off in the opposite direction if I keep the open space to the door, which wouldn't be good for running into the Terminus platforms. I'm only in the planning stages at the moment, but I could extend the baseboard to the doorway and have a lift-out section or a duck-under. The main layout is going to be 4'(1200mm) off the floor. I have been thinking about this. I don't use the room really for anything else apart from model railways and keeping my Guitars and amps in. When I play guitar I stand in the doorway or just in the other room so as not to deafen myself! Thanks for the advice. I am aware that I will need to widen the spacing. The layouts I've built before were pretty simple and just built without anything but a rough trackplan and using my eye to adjust flex track curves with the help of some tracksetta radius curves. I was going to ask about double track spacings in regards to straights and curves and how much to increase the spacings by. I would have liked to have radius 4 as my minimum radius but I don't think that would work as regards to fit, it would eat into platform length a bit. Ideally I would like the two Terminus platforms to be 5' (1500mm) or a bit more. See picture of "Widbury on Sea" platforms. I'll try plotting that in anyrail as I also have that on my computer. I like SCARM as it allows you to run a train around the layout to check if operations are viable. I'm finding when I come up with an answer to one problem it often creates another! Compromises have to be made. I would have liked larger radius curves so coaches could be close-coupled, but with radius 3 or 4 this is not possible as far as I am aware. The layout will be '50s-Early'60s BR, mainly Steam with a few diesels and electrics. Not based on any particular area as such but maybe somewhere in the South so I can have both WR and SR BR stock.

Hello, I'm quite new to this! I have built a few small OO layouts which have turned out quite well but they were simple affairs using mainly setrack. I have worked with PECO streamline on a shelf layout, also a simple shunting layout with wired electrofrog points, point motors and switches so I know I can do this! Its now time to do something a bit larger and more complex and delve into DCC. After looking at many layouts I am very impressed with Scenic Model Railways's "Widbury-on-Sea" DCC OO gauge layout at 11'6"x 6"as this meets nearly all my requirements and is approximately the same size as the space I have. While I don't want to make an exact copy, I like the double continuous run, the Passing and Terminus station and the simple Goods and Engine yards and the Branchline on an incline to a fiddle yard. My actual layout size can only be 11'1" x 7' I can't make it any longer or wider. I have drawn up a plan using SCARM but I'm not entirely happy with it. The curves don't look right to me, a bit train set-like, I'm after gentler more flowing curves but don't want to go under Radius 3 (21" on the inner track) and the Station throat is just about right but there is a misalignment of a set of points and the double slip. Any advice would be appreciated. Is this a workable layout, can it be improved? Are there any professional Model Railway design services that could improve and "tweak" the plan for me at a reasonable cost. I want to get it right in the planning stage before buying track and points etc. Any advice/criticism/help welcome. Pictures of the Trackplan and original TP of the Widbury on Sea "Throat". I hope its alright to post the original TP's from Scenic model railways website. They were freely displayed there.

Some pictures from SCARM of my idea. Is it workable? Any serious faults. Should/could I make it a double line ?...etc...etc... Ignore the expose upper level track, that was used to create the effect of a backscene, not very well in places I must admit, but it gives an idea. Ideally this layout should be stretched across a 30' room with a large fiddle yard at the end past the MPD. I have to work within the limitations of an 11'1"x 9'9"room. The centre of room must be kept clear as it doubles up as my guitar playing/practice room.

Hello, I'm new to this! I have made 4 small layouts in the past few years but this is my first attempt at an around the room OO gauge layout. I have limited space. Room size 11'1" x 9'9" with the door in a slightly inconvenient place as can be seen from track plan. Mainly interested in Steam age modelling/early diesel. I like various GWR BLT plans and also the classic "Minories" layout. I have simplified the Minories TP to a single line and incorporated a "Piano Line" style dock with Goods yard 3" lower and in front of the Terminus station. Its in early stages (SCARM) and probably needs lots of tweaking to improve. Nothing has been built yet. The Fiddle yard will be modelled as a MPD/Carriage sidings to maximise the fun! Its a bit short (MPD) but I think will work OK for the shortish trains than will be run. 4 x full length coaches should just about do. I can't lengthen the MPD/Fiddleyard as it would block the doorway and will be pretty tight as it is. I will wire it for both DC and DCC using PECO Code 75 track and electrofrog points. Any criticism, advice would be welcomed very much. Is it operationally OK?...or does it have some serious flaws? I want to get things right before I start building. I haven't spent a great deal of time with the goods/dockyard and I think it could be worked out better. I do like the "Piano Line" idea where the Train enters "centre-stage"so-to-speak, through a tunnel or under a bridge. I'm not going for a particular prototype or great authenticity. Something workable, believable and fun to operate but not overly complex for a modeller with only modest experience.