Cronstowe - WR Branch Junction/Timesaver Shunting Puzzle in OO

[BG John]

I think a Timesaver is a fairly conventional branch/small station layout. It just needs stretching in places. Part of the design of this layout is that I could extend the loop at the left hand end, and turn it into a pretty normal station. I wonder how many people would actually recognise that it's actually a shunting puzzle in its current form.

 

By the way, I've made a fair bit of progress with it, but I'm not working on it at the moment. I'll start a topic on building it one day.

[BG John]

Thanks everyone. I've built the baseboard, printed out a full size track plan, stuck Peco templates to it, and plonked the buildings I've made so far on it. The only slightly tight spot is the Timesaver position for two wagons on the loop, where the two longest wagons have to slightly foul the point to the dairy siding to clear the main line. I may be able to extend the loop a bit, but otherwise I can live with it. I'm just about to order the extra track and other bits I need, so hopefully will have everything in time to start tracklaying over Christmas.

It's only taken 13 months to lay the track, with a bit of a break in the middle!

 

 

 

 

 

I've just got to solder some copper clad strip across the tracks at the ends of the baseboards, and trim them. The intention is for it to be just this baseboard, but I can extend the fiddle yard at the left end, and add one at the right end, if I want to.

 

Then I've got to finish fitting the point motors, and do the rest of the wiring. Everything is surface mounted, partly as the baseboard is a cut down door, with no framing underneath, and I don't want to make holes in it, and partly because it's much healthier for my back, as well as being easier to work on.

 

I've stuck exactly to the track plan, except for the fiddle yards. I've laid the two tracks parallel on the rear one, and just laid a piece of straight track for the front one. I can add a sector plate or traverser later if I need it.

 

As threatened before, I'll start a proper layout topic sometime!

[marc smith]

If it's taken 13 months to lay the track, how long will it take to ballast?
Mind you, I can't talk - I've got a small OO layout somewhere which I haven't done anything at all to.... in even longer than that!

Still looking good John - hope to see this completed soon
I like layouts with a couple of fiddle / entrance / exit roads  - always adds a bit more interest and expands operating potential
I do like this plan, and the trackwork does seem to "flow" nicely

[BG John]

It probably only took a couple of days to lay the track, but spread over quite a lot of days in short spells, and those days were quite widely spread . I'm building a few other layouts too!