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AndyMac7

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Posts posted by AndyMac7

    Mark 5, By Accurascale

    in Accurascale / Irish Railway Models

    Posted

    I managed to grab one of the few Aberdeen packs when they became available again, very excited to see them land on the doorstep later this week. Roll on the TPE packs, at least I had my act together and pre-ordered those ages ago.

     

    Very impressed with the notifications and stock counts on the Accurascale website. 

    • Like 2

    Mark 5, By Accurascale

    in Accurascale / Irish Railway Models

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, nightstar.train said:

     

    At the end of the day rule 1 applies and you run whatever you're happy with. Modelling in OO scale nearly always involves some sort of compromise, few can run full length HSTs or Pendolinos! You could run a 92 with a short rake I think. When Euston is inaccessible for whatever reason and the sleeper diverts to Kings Cross the platforms aren't long enough for the 16 coach train. So the highlander gets split into two trains and the lowlander is short formed to fit. A quick browse of Flickr suggests that this means the Aberdeen section is its own train, which is 6 coaches behind a 92, and the Glasgow portion is shrunk to 6 coaches (I expect the Edinburgh portion is too). 

     

    Thanks Tom, much appreciated. I think rule 1 is the way forward, hopefully I can grab a pack of the Aberdeen coaches if any come up for sale.

     

    Cheers,

    Andy

    Mark 5, By Accurascale

    in Accurascale / Irish Railway Models

    Posted

    Hi all,
     

    What length of layout are people running their sets on?

     

    I’ve got a 14ft long loop inclusive of 3rd/4th radius curves at the ends. I’m wondering if running the 8 coach Glasgow lowlander with a 92 is going to look too long and a bit daft!

     

    I’m contemplating trying to get the Aberdeen set if any come up and running the 6 coaches with the 92 even though that’s not, as I understand it, prototypical. 
     

    Many thanks

    Andy

    Mark 5, By Accurascale

    in Accurascale / Irish Railway Models

    Posted

    45 minutes ago, Accurascale Fran said:

     

    Hi Andy,

     

    We want to get the pre-orders out first, then see where we are at. There will be packs to sell, and we will likely drop them for sale towards the end of this week. I will stick a note on here when we do as a heads up for everyone.

     

    Cheers!

     

    Fran 

     

    Brilliant, thank you! 

    Third time lucky

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    @Zomboid wow that's a great piece of work, thank you. I like the way the unit sidings curve upwards leaving plenty of room for scenic sections below. I also like the freight sidings on the curves, it's a good use of the space. I'm definitely going to incorporate some of this into my plan. Thank you again.

     

    I think rule 1 would apply on whether a particular track plan is prototypically Scottish.

     

    @RobinofLoxley dual level is something I'd spent quite a bit of time looking into but I couldn't quite get anything I was really happy with. 

    Third time lucky

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    Thanks for all of the replies folks, some excellent suggestions and I'm about to go and study Ipswich on Google maps. @Zomboid thanks for the track plan and the suggestion I can see some valuable ideas in there that I'm going to try and bring in.

     

    Regarding the 40cm operating well I'm actually OK with it. I've spent a fair bit of time in there so far and it's been ok. Despite too much beer & wine during lockdown I'm lucky enough to be on the slight side and still relatively young so getting under the boards isn't an issue. How that might change over time remains to be seen, hopefully in the fullness of time I can get rid of some of the young kids toys in the garage and rebuild the whole of that bottom 20cm section into something wider and better. I might see if I can extend the 20cm board an extra 10cm though to make it a full foot wide, I think that would make all the difference.

     

    Many thanks again,

    Andy

    • Like 1

    Third time lucky

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

     

    I like this approach, but you probably need more siding space, especially if you want to run goods.  A couple of quick thoughts:

     

    - could you continue the sidings branch round to rejoin the main at the station throat?

     

    - you could probably lengthen the platforms a little, but even so they will be rather short for the trains the layout can accommodate; the part-station dodge would work well here, using the right hand curve to hide stationary trains. 

     

    Hi Simon,

     

    Thanks for the feedback, I was indeed looking at the part-station dodge using the raised town scene to hide the trains in the right hand curves!

     

    A re-join of the main line at the station throat is a great idea and adds a little more operational interest, I'll see what I can mock up for that. I agree on the siding space as well but every time I try to add some more it starts to look really cluttered, definitely something to play around with though. 

     

    Cheers,
    Andy

     

    • Like 1

    Third time lucky

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

    When you say "modern image", do you mean circa 2020? How long do you want your DMUs to be?

     

    Do you want to run freight at all?

     

    Hi Zomboid,

     

    I'd say anything from 2000 onwards but for passenger service primarily Scotrail Saltire livery and onwards which is 2008. I have a ScotRail 3 car 170 DMU and an Inter7Cities HST which is two power cars and four Mark3 coaches, that HST will be the longest passenger service I intend to run, it won't quite fit into the longer platforms but the ends will vanish under the town scene so it should be ok.

     

    Freight wise yes absolutely. I've got 12 Accurascale PCA cement waggons and the same number of PFA's and I think that'll  be the longest I'd run.

    • Like 1

    Third time lucky

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    Hi all,

     

    After taking some time to really consider what I wanted this is the my third attempt at designing a track plan. I'm modelling a fictitious modern image location in OO which will live in the garage. I'm using mostly code 75 rail with some code 100 set track for sharper curves with peco SL-113 pieces to transition between them both.

     

    Boards have already built and the space is 14ft x 5ft total with a top section which is 3ft deep and a bottom section 20cm deep with a 40cm operating well in the middle, the plan below will hopefully illustrate it better than I can describe it. In hindsight I'd go back and make the boards 2ft deep on both sides but I'd settled on a track plan before building the boards and then changed my mind, I really need to settle on something and stick with it rather than procrastinating over the plan!

     

    The whole layout is designed to be scenic with no fiddle yard and I'm happy to live with that compromise.

     

    There are a few things I'd really quite like:

     

    • A TMD to house my diesel fleet
    • In lieu of a fiddle yard sidings to house the freight and passenger coaches
    • A three road station with one terminus platform

     

    And there are a few things I'm happy to compromise on:

     

    • Lack of fiddle yard
    • I don't mind sharper curves although 4th radius would be the minimum for visible curves

     

    I've attached a proposed layout below. The right hand most 2ft will be covered over with a town scene, hiding the sharp R2 and R3 curves, these will be set track rather than flex track. In my initial binned design I had the depot entrance coming off the main lines between the two sets of points at the top left, I'm still up in the air about that.

     

    Any opinions and feedback would be appreciated.

     

    Capture.PNG.7ac9969104094c248994241c5098c6cd.PNG

     

    Thanks,

    Andy

     

    • Like 1

    Is a continuous run possible?

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    Thanks for all of the replies folks. After some serious consideration on my must have's and protracted negotiations with the wife I've gone down a totally different route with a 14ft x 5ft area which will allow me to get a continuous run in without any difficulty, I'm happy enough to trade off on what will probably inevitable be some "train set" curves in that space especially if I can hide them fully or partially in a tunnel. 

     

    Unfortunately I was part way through board construction when the plans changes so my 5ft depth is made up of 3ft deep boards on the back side, a 40cm deep operating well and then a 20cm section of board. It's not ideal but I've got a good idea of what I want to put on there. 

     

    Thanks again,

    Andy

    • Like 1

    MOD Railways.

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    On 09/06/2020 at 21:59, hmrspaul said:

    I agree that the various military sites were very interesting. I was fortunate to visit a number during the 1980s and early 90s. There are quite a number within this collection https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/industrialinternalwagons

     

    ROF Bishopton was simply amazing, 10 sq.miles we were told, and the guy that accompanied us had been there 43 years and had never seen the station on the site (which I didn't photograph!) which had a platform probably suitable for a 10 coach train. As my photos show it had the most enormous number of tank wagons, and other wagons many dumped for years but others still active. We were also told there was a Golden Eagle nest on the site - which was hard to believe as it is only a few miles from Glasgow! But makes a nice story.

     

    Paul


    I grew up in Bishopton in the 80s & 90s and was always fascinated by the railways in the factory so I love your photos, thanks for sharing. 
     

    I always thought it would be a good site to model with the main Glasgow to Gourock/Wemyss Bay line serving as an entry point.

     

    Sadly Google maps now just shows the massive housing development being built on the site but there are plenty of arias shots still available of what was there previously. 

    • Like 1

    Chesborough North

    in Layout topics

    Posted

    16 hours ago, Dicky L said:

    At  the town end of the layout there are Radius 1 2 3 4.  the 2 main running lines are 2 & 3. the line that runs into the tunnel under the terraced houses is radius 1. The outer line through the station is radius 4. The other end just has the 2 main running lines. 

     

    Awesome thanks for the reply. I was worried about how tight radius 2 and 3 curves would look but given how good they look on your layout it should be fine. 

    Baseboard Legs!

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    2 hours ago, teaky said:

    It is a permanent layout so I didn't feel alignment dowels were required.  I tried the first joint I did and couldn't budge it.  I would definitely fit alignment dowels on a portable layout though.


    I’m in the same boat regarding the dowels but I would absolutely use them if the layout was to be portable. 
     

    I’m curious though about laying track over the board joins in a permanent layout. Is the track still cut at the join like it would be on a portable layout?

     

    I guess cutting the track would mean that if one side did move it wouldn’t affect the other too much. 

    Baseboard Legs!

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    I'd take this with a pinch of salt because I've not got this far yet but I'm intending on using carriage bolts and heavy duty toggle catches. I think that should give enough stability and alignment for a permanent layout which still allowing it come apart if it really really has to.

    • Thanks 1

    Baseboard Legs!

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, ITG said:

    Probably not critical, but the frame can not be both 4” or 12.5 cm.

     

    That's what happens when I've not had my morning coffee! You're totally correct it's 5"/12.7cm, I'll amend the original post and thanks for picking that up.

    Baseboard Legs!

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted · Edited by AndyMac7
    Sorted frame widths

    Thanks for all of the replies folks.

     

    @brossard those look great and your thoughts are along the same lines as mine. I've already got a bunch of self levelling feet to cater for the garage floor being uneven in places.

     

    @Andrew1974 the frame is 5 inches/12.7cm. The whole thing is going to sit in the garage which is subject to the extremes of the Scottish weather so rigidity and strength were top of the priority list over weight. Having said that they aren't too bad to lift but I wouldn't want to do it repeatedly.

     

    @Jeff Smith thanks Jeff, I'm going to use open top in some places and solid tops in others. I'll look into A frames, thanks.

    Baseboard Legs!

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    Thanks for all of the replies folks.

     

    @brossard those look great and your thoughts are along the same lines as mine. I've already got a bunch of self levelling feet to cater for the garage floor being uneven in places.

     

    @Andrew1974 the frame is 4 inches/12.5cm. The whole thing is going to sit in the garage which is subject to the extremes of the Scottish weather so rigidity and strength were top of the priority list over weight. Having said that they aren't too bad to lift but I wouldn't want to do it repeatedly.

     

    @Jeff Smith thanks Jeff, I'm going to use open top in some places and solid tops in others. I'll look into A frames, thanks.

    Baseboard Legs!

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    Hi all,

     

    I‘m in the middle of building a number of 4ft x 3ft baseboards for my layout. Each board is made entirely of 18mm plywood so it makes up the frame and the top. 

    This is a permanent layout so it won’t be moving any time soon. 

     

    I’m getting to the point of placing legs on each board. Inspired by Richard from Everard Junction I was planning on making L shape legs from two pieces of 3 1/2 inch wide 18mm ply which are glued and screwed together with adjustable feet at the end. 

     

    My main issue is that I’m not sure how many legs I need for each board? My initial thought was one in each corner but I’m not sure that’s enough. The last thing I want is for the whole thing to sag or warp because it wasn’t supported enough. 

     

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 
     

    Many thanks

    Andy

     

     

    Is a continuous run possible?

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    That's amazing @Harlequin thanks so much for knocking that up! Think I'm more or less decided that a continuous run although possible is not going to give me the realistic modelling I'm keen to try and achieve.

     

    On-wards now to deciding what I would to include on the layout and then onto a track plan!

     

    Many thanks again,

    Andy 

    Is a continuous run possible?

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

    I was chatting to somebody last night & we remarked that the hobby is very personal. One person's paradise can quite often be of no interest to another modeller at all.

     

    i think that's the beauty of the hobby for me, you can do pretty much anything and as long as you get enjoyment from it that's really all that counts.

    • Like 1
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