Point radius for motive power depots/steam sheds

[hongkongmike]

I am about to embark on a scale model of Ferryhill depot Aberdeen, around the late 1950's/early 1960's. I have a track schematic for the shed track layout at this time, but need to know what point radius would have been used, and how does this translate into the available off the shelf items (for example Peco), small, medium and large radius?

[Phil Bullock]

Hi Mike

 

Suspect that although depot pointwork was pretty notorious the smallest it would relate to in the Peco range would be medium...

 

Have you the room for that - that's probably the true question! use the largest you can in the available space....

 

Phil

[hayfield]

If the shed was to house mainline steam locos then I would guess it would be large radius turnouts, you will I guess be limited to the space available

[luckymucklebackit]

And you can almost guarantee that the track in the shed yard will be bullhead rail, so the new Peco bullhead points would be the most appropriate.

 

Jim

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

I am about to embark on a scale model of Ferryhill depot Aberdeen...

 So you have the space! Which is nice. The Doncaster big engines were built flexible enough for 4.5 chain radius, dead slow. That's 297 feet,  and thus just shy of 4 feet in 4mm/ft. Conveniently that's what the Peco large radius point - nominally four feet radius - offers, even if the divergence angle at the crossing is a little sharper than we would like. So you can have the big engines creeping around with creaks and grioans from suspension and frames, and the shriek of sliding metal on rail, which many of us will remember. I was too young for a shed visit while steam was working, but could see KX 'bottom shed' loco from platform end, all of it laid to 300 feet nominal radius according to the diagrams, which provoked the merry music from the Doncaster pacifics, (and there's pics of the P2 on the KX loco turntable so they got around too)...

 

Less conveniently most shed layouts had three and even four way points to cram in all the necessary siding space, and we are not getting those RTR in bullhead anytime soon. But I have no plan of Ferryhill to see what delights it offers on this front.

[luckymucklebackit]

Looking at this map http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=57.1323&lon=-2.0973&layers=170&b=1 the trackwork looks to be quite simple.

 

Jim

[hayfield]

Looking at photos on Google with the main line locos on shed plus looking at the map put up in another reply the turnouts will be large, if you are hand building the turnouts then download the plan into Templot, that will give you some idea. On the other hand you will be limited by what you have space for

[Miss Prism]

Even Peco large radius is not large enough for most MPD pointwork.

[martin_wynne]

Looking at this map http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=57.1323&lon=-2.0973&layers=170&b=1 the trackwork looks to be quite simple.

 

This turnout seems to be about B-7.5:

 

 

If it was straight it would have a turnout radius in 4mm/ft scale of around 83" (say 7ft radius).

 

You are lucky to have chosen a location for which good-quality 50" maps are available free on the NLS site. Templot can easily load them for you as a background guide.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

[hongkongmike]

Many thanks to all who have replied....luckily I have a reasonable sized room for my model, so will go with large radius. I may even try hand-building.

 

best wishes to all for this festive season,

 

Mike

[Trog]

B8's seem to be the almost standard siding BH lead in my experience, having seen more of them than everything else BH put together.