The Junction & Conwy

[JackB95]

Morning all,

 

Been a bit quiet since I returned to RMweb after a spell of not being on here. My name's Jack, and I'm a guard for a certain train company based out of York. I've been on the railways for four and a half years now, having started as a dispatcher in Manchester, then working my way through the conductor role at Northern through to where I am now. I've been into model railways since I got my first train set for Christmas 2007 - it was one of Hornby's brand new DCC starter sets. Since then, my wallet has taken a beating and my collection has expanded. I've also built various layouts over the years, mainly whilst living at my parents' in North Wales. When I moved to Manchester to start my railway career, I didn't have much in the way of room for any kind of layout, even a box file, so just ended up building my collection of stock up for when I had the opportunity to build a layout. Several years and house moves later, I was able to officially declare myself a proud homeowner in September just gone, which comes with a rather sizeable loft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks a bit of a mess at the moment, especially as I've had roof work done since. Had a local tradesman round to quote me on a conversion to fit a new hatch, ladder, floor with insulation, and pendant light, and have now booked him in for the end of July. I'm not too sure what the size of the space I'll actually be able to use is, considering there's a chimney support, and of course the pitch of the roof etc, but I'll at least have some sort of decent space to build with.

 

As for the design of the layout, I've not really come up with anything proper yet. What I do want to do, however, is build a station based on Llandudno Junction which has been subject to recent upgrade project including overhead wires, reinstated platforms, a brand new rolling stock depot, and a few other features.

 

If anyone's got any hints and tips for building in a loft, please do let me know. I'm aware that spaces like this suffer from temperature changes often, and I'm hoping the addition of a Velux or two will help.

 

Cheers,

Jack

 

Edited January 25 by JackB95
Fixing broken pictures

[CazRail]

Now thats a decent sized loft! Sounds a very interesting project, how much of it are you thinking of utilising for the layout?

Edited June 27, 2019 by CazRail

[JackB95]

1 hour ago, CazRail said:

Now thats a decent sized loft! Sounds a very interesting project, how much of it are you thinking of utilising for the layout?

 

Cheers Caz. The aim is to use as much as possible to maximise layout size, but also incorporate enough storage for stock, workbench and such. 

[teaky]

Hi Jack.  Don't take this the wrong way but "... a new hatch, ladder, floor with insulation, and pendant light, ..." isn't a loft "conversion" it's just an improved storage space.  There is more to converting a loft than putting in some flooring and a roof window.  This is a perennial topic and I suggest you do a quick search of RMweb for "loft conversion" in order to re-live the usual bun fight.  Good luck!

[Joseph_Pestell]

Can I see the underside of tiles there? If so, I would suggest that the purlins need a bit more support (although they do look straight enough at the moment).

 

Any version of Llandudno Jct is going to need a lot of space. What scale models have you collected?

 

I like the idea of modernisation. It would be great to see more layouts based on the near future. Might even give the folk at DaFT some good ideas.

[JackB95]

2 hours ago, teaky said:

Hi Jack.  Don't take this the wrong way but "... a new hatch, ladder, floor with insulation, and pendant light, ..." isn't a loft "conversion" it's just an improved storage space.  There is more to converting a loft than putting in some flooring and a roof window.  This is a perennial topic and I suggest you do a quick search of RMweb for "loft conversion" in order to re-live the usual bun fight.  Good luck!

 

Thanks! Not too familiar with terms like that. To me, it's converting it into a usable space. But point taken! I'll have a mooch around the forums and see what I can digest from it. 

 

2 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Can I see the underside of tiles there? If so, I would suggest that the purlins need a bit more support (although they do look straight enough at the moment).

 

Any version of Llandudno Jct is going to need a lot of space. What scale models have you collected?

 

I like the idea of modernisation. It would be great to see more layouts based on the near future. Might even give the folk at DaFT some good ideas.

 

In the picture, yes you can. I've since had the roof basically rebuilt with new tiles, lining, and timbers to meet modern standards. I'll be fitting insulation to the roof also. 

 

The idea is to base my station on the design, but adapt it for a layout. I model in 00 gauge, and the aim to be able to run nice long trains. 

 

 

Thanks all for your comments so far. It's going to be a big learning curve this. 

[1722]

Good to see this, Jack. 

Get doodling! 

[hayfield]

Jack

 

Good luck with the project, and do search the forum about converting lofts. Be careful when insulating the roof, get advice from professionals as the last thing you want to do is to cause problems with ventilation and around the roof beams.

 

I found the novelty of using a loft soon wore off due to the temperature extremes found in many lofts. Thankfully at my last house and this one I have modelling space in the house, all be it much smaller but far more accessible and useable

[JackB95]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

Jack

 

Good luck with the project, and do search the forum about converting lofts. Be careful when insulating the roof, get advice from professionals as the last thing you want to do is to cause problems with ventilation and around the roof beams.

 

I found the novelty of using a loft soon wore off due to the temperature extremes found in many lofts. Thankfully at my last house and this one I have modelling space in the house, all be it much smaller but far more accessible and useable

 

Thanks very much. It's something I certainly don't want to screw up further down the line. Professional advice will be sought after. 

[Andrew P]

1 hour ago, JackB95 said:

 

Thanks very much. It's something I certainly don't want to screw up further down the line. Professional advice will be sought after. 

AND,      Make sure any alterations do NOT invalidate your House Insurance, i.e. FIRE etc as many such projects will need building or planning consent according to another thread all about this subject.

[Joseph_Pestell]

18 hours ago, JackB95 said:

 

Thanks! Not too familiar with terms like that. To me, it's converting it into a usable space. But point taken! I'll have a mooch around the forums and see what I can digest from it. 

 

 

In the picture, yes you can. I've since had the roof basically rebuilt with new tiles, lining, and timbers to meet modern standards. I'll be fitting insulation to the roof also. 

 

The idea is to base my station on the design, but adapt it for a layout. I model in 00 gauge, and the aim to be able to run nice long trains. 

 

 

Thanks all for your comments so far. It's going to be a big learning curve this. 

 

We all want to run long trains :-). Your loft looks a bit small to me in 4mm scale for long trains and a station like Llandudno Jct. But let's see what you can come up with.

 

A long time ago, a steam-era model of Llandudno Jct featured in RM. He had managed to get it into a reasonably small space and still looked OK.

[ThaneofFife]

ive just been up into my loft to fetch something and boy its like a sauna up there and that's with no under roof insulation.   I have velux windows up there and if I had a layout in that space I would definitely need them for some fresh air and ventilation.....

 

playing trains in blistering heat (like this weekend) wont be any fun so do your homework before paying out more money.....

[ThaneofFife]

Llandudno though sounds like a superb idea.   always preferred stations with a diverging route rather than boring straight through stations.

[teaky]

1 hour ago, ThaneofFife said:

ive just been up into my loft to fetch something and boy its like a sauna up there and that's with no under roof insulation.   I have velux windows up there and if I had a layout in that space I would definitely need them for some fresh air and ventilation.....

 

playing trains in blistering heat (like this weekend) wont be any fun so do your homework before paying out more money.....

Insulation keeps the room warm in winter and cool in summer.  I'm writing this in a pleasantly warm attic at 24°C which is slightly cooler than outside.  Prior to converting it would, as you say, have been like a sauna.

[JackB95]

2 hours ago, teaky said:

Insulation keeps the room warm in winter and cool in summer.  I'm writing this in a pleasantly warm attic at 24°C which is slightly cooler than outside.  Prior to converting it would, as you say, have been like a sauna.

 

Just out of interest, do you have any pictures of your loft to share? How have you done it? Be interesting to see. Is it 'converted' or just got lots of insulation? 

4 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

We all want to run long trains :-). Your loft looks a bit small to me in 4mm scale for long trains and a station like Llandudno Jct. But let's see what you can come up with.

 

A long time ago, a steam-era model of Llandudno Jct featured in RM. He had managed to get it into a reasonably small space and still looked OK.

 

Footprint of the house is 25x15', so allowing for pitch of roof and crap photos, at least it'll be more room than I've ever had to play with. I'm highly inspired by Everard Junction and how he's managed to avoid (so far) obvious corners and curves. 

[teaky]

See the link in my signature.

[Joseph_Pestell]

14 hours ago, JackB95 said:

 

 

 

Footprint of the house is 25x15', so allowing for pitch of roof and crap photos, at least it'll be more room than I've ever had to play with. I'm highly inspired by Everard Junction and how he's managed to avoid (so far) obvious corners and curves. 

 

That's about what I had calculated by counting the rafters in your photos.

 

So allowing for a loss of about 8' to take account of roof pitch, you should end up with a space about 16' x 14', less that very  intrusive chimney. In a house that size, I would be very tempted to get rid of the chimney altogether as it would also give you more space downstairs. But it's a mucky job.

 

The other thing that may affect your layout design is where the hatch is. But that can be changed fairly easily.

 

IN the context of a modern Llandudno, what would you consider to be a "long" train.

[JackB95]

1 hour ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

That's about what I had calculated by counting the rafters in your photos.

 

So allowing for a loss of about 8' to take account of roof pitch, you should end up with a space about 16' x 14', less that very  intrusive chimney. In a house that size, I would be very tempted to get rid of the chimney altogether as it would also give you more space downstairs. But it's a mucky job.

 

The other thing that may affect your layout design is where the hatch is. But that can be changed fairly easily.

 

IN the context of a modern Llandudno, what would you consider to be a "long" train.

 

That would sound quite reasonable. The more I think about it now, the more I want to get rid of it as, as you say, allowing for pitch and other factors, I'm rapidly losing precious space. I've raised it with a tradesman and will see what he comes back with. Obviously it's something to get sorted now rather than after the flooring's gone down.

 

14 hours ago, teaky said:

See the link in my signature.

 

Cheers Rob. Been viewing this thread on my mobile so it's now shown any signatures.

[d winpenny]

Hi bud, loft looks a reasonable size to me  recon that chimney will have to go wouldn't wanna miss out on premium layout space I'm fairly handy with the sledgehammer you want me to come round and take care of it for you 

 

David

[JackB95]

12 minutes ago, d winpenny said:

Hi bud, loft looks a reasonable size to me  recon that chimney will have to go wouldn't wanna miss out on premium layout space I'm fairly handy with the sledgehammer you want me to come round and take care of it for you 

 

David

 

You're a bad person. They only just trust you to work trains...

[ThaneofFife]

if you want to see how hot it can get then look up jenny kirks loft layout project albeit she has a computer up there which adds to the heat.   

[CazRail]

If the roof pitch is a problem, how about lowering the layout as Richard at Everard Junction has done? By doing that you'll be able to maximise the size of the layout

[JackB95]

12 hours ago, ThaneofFife said:

if you want to see how hot it can get then look up jenny kirks loft layout project albeit she has a computer up there which adds to the heat.   

 

Will have a look, thanks.

 

5 hours ago, CazRail said:

If the roof pitch is a problem, how about lowering the layout as Richard at Everard Junction has done? By doing that you'll be able to maximise the size of the layout

 

Funny you should mention that. New Junction's video from the other day when he went round to Everard Junction shows how low the layout is mounted! Very interesting... 

 

 

So I enquired with a local company about the chimney and how best to go about removing it, and they basically said it'd need to a metal brace fitted to support the weight, and once all the necessary work was done, would be looking at about £1500 +VAT. Whilst it'd be another chunk of money, it'd be something well worth doing considering the space I'd be losing otherwise. span widget

[JackB95]

Whilst time passes slowly until loft man arrives, I thought I'd post the list of stock that I currently have. Mostly modern image, with a couple of oddities thrown in for good measure:

 

20309 (Direct Rail Services Compass)

20312 (Direct Rail Services Compass)

37099 (Colas Railfreight)

37421 (Colas Railfreight)

37425 "Pride of the Valleys" (EWS / BR Large Logo)

37429 "Eisteddfod Genedlaethol" (Regional Railways)

37670 "St Blazey T&RSMD" (Deutsche Bahn Schenker)

47739 "Robin of Templecombe" (Colas Rail)

56302 (Colas Railfreight)

57315 (Arriva Trains Wales WAG blue)

57603 (Great Western Railway green)

60066 (DB / Drax silver)

67002 (Arriva Trains Wales WAG plain blue)

67004 "Cairn Gorm" (Serco Caledonian Sleeper blue)

67014 "Thomas Telford" (Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway)

68003 "Astute" (Direct Rail Services Compass)

68006 "Daring" (ScotRail Saltire)

68010 "Oxford Flyer" (Chiltern silver / grey)

68019 "Brutus" (Transpennine Express) 

70006 (Freightliner PowerHaul)

82301 (Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway)

82305 (Chiltern Railways Mainline)

82307 (Arriva Trains Wales WAG blue)

1210xx (Chiltern Railways Mainline)

121032 (Arriva Trains Wales cream/turquoise)

143609 "Tom Jones" (Arriva Trains Wales cream/turquoise) 

150202 (Centro - single vehicle only acting as spares)

150204 (Northern Rail blue / purple - bodies only)

150236 (Arriva Trains Wales WAG blue)

150256 (Arriva Trains Wales cream/turquoise)

150916 (First Great Western blue)

153327 (Arriva Trains Wales WAG blue)

153333 (First Great Western ex-LM)

153334 (London Midland)

153367 (Arriva Trains Wales cream/turquoise)

153368 (Great Western Railway green) 

153374 (East Midlands Trains blue)

153376 (Central Trains / East Midlands Trains green)

153382 (Wessex Trains / Devon and Cornwall advert)

153383 (East Midlands Trains blue)

170102 (CrossCountry)

350101 (London Midland)

350238 (London Midland)

390012 (Virgin Trains)

395001 (SouthEastern High Speed)

DR98910/60 (Railtrack)

 

I've also just ordered, for the bargain price of £129.50, the Kato Eurostar 373005/06 in the old livery. Yes, it's N gauge. Yes, it's completely random. But I've been interested in one for a while, and at a decent price, I couldn't say no!

 

I've also got a few things lined up on pre-orders/planned purchases, including the Cavalex IC/LNER 91 rake (full length), Accurascale TPE mk5A and CS mk5 Inverness packs, and possibly a 73/9 conversion to look into. Also hoping for Bachmann to produce an EWS 90, and an ATW/TfW 158 if they ever get round to releasing the 2012 announcement. 

Edited July 15, 2019 by JackB95
Updating stock

[d winpenny]

Damn I definitely need to buy more stock