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Par - N gauge Modern day Exhibition Layout


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Weren't tempted by code 40 with the new Finetrax FB concrete bearer pointwork...?

 

Looking good anyway, given the standard of Crofton and Oak Road I'm sure it'll be a great one to watch!

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On 01/11/2019 at 11:18, njee20 said:

Weren't tempted by code 40 with the new Finetrax FB concrete bearer pointwork...?

 

Looking good anyway, given the standard of Crofton and Oak Road I'm sure it'll be a great one to watch!


Code 40 was a bit too much of a ball ache because nobody does flat bottom points. It would’ve been nice, but given the fact that Dave has 91m of code 55, the decision was easily made :lol:

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11 hours ago, njee20 said:

Wayne is now doing flat bottom points, the crowdfunder campaign ended a couple of weeks ago, hence mentioning it :)

 

91m sounds like a fiddle yard worth... ;) 

 

Unfortunately, the flat bottom points hes doing aren't right. There's no concrete points at Par so Dave decided to make use of the track from Crofton - it's not ideal but it seems a shame to waste it......although going through the box full of points, there's a lot more left handed ones than right for some reason! :laugh:

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Hi Paul,

 

This is about as far as the 'official' track plan got before we ran out of pieces in Anyrail.   It's  still going through planning and will probably still be as we lay it....      essentially a double oval going through the par station track plan as it is now.....   raising off scene (on left)  to go over the branch line,  when it will split into a 6 lane fiddle yard before  coming back together and down to scenic side on right again....     the branch lines will stay on the flat and either run between the pair of 3  yard line sets, as a pair of storage lines  or might still come back up to rejoin the mainline before it emerges again.   It depends on what we can get away with and what is going to be more interesting to depict the Newquay / Goonbarrow lines......   watch this space.    Oh,  and of course it will change again - like it does everytime Mike tells me he's got a cracking idea :scare:

 

Once we've got the gradients in (starting this week hopefully),  the track should be fairly quick to go down (with super-elevation of course)  and hopefully things will start to become clear. (to me hopefully anyway :laugh_mini:).

 

image.png.be17d462a66dae4a6ff22abdaeb35170.png

 

Edited by DJTrains
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6 minutes ago, DJTrains said:

Oh,  and of course it will change again - like it does everytime Mike tells me he's got a cracking idea :scare:

 

 

image.png.be17d462a66dae4a6ff22abdaeb35170.png

 

What Mike change the plan?!? :D

 

 

On 04/11/2019 at 19:35, scoobyra said:

I’m not sure there was anything wrong with Ctofton when I did that! 

No but which plan ;) 

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On 14/08/2019 at 22:05, DJTrains said:

Board design....    still have the tops to fit but they need some levels adding first to the branch line end  (left hand end as you look at it)1587373110_Parboards3.jpg.00b04c5527e20c363451a161548d0a49.jpg

 

If you don't mind me asking, what thickness and type of wood have you used for the framework and baseboards? I assume the holes are to reduce weight, rather than pass wires through (although a double purpose I suppose.  Given your aiming for exhibition running, I assume each section is quite lightweight?


Rich

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On 24/12/2019 at 22:06, MarshLane said:

 

If you don't mind me asking, what thickness and type of wood have you used for the framework and baseboards? I assume the holes are to reduce weight, rather than pass wires through (although a double purpose I suppose.  Given your aiming for exhibition running, I assume each section is quite lightweight?


Rich

Hi Rich,

 

No problem,   anyone please feel free to ask any questions.....

 

The boards are about 90% 9mm birch ply,  which I had pre-cut for me by my local Covers building merchant into the tops and 3 inch strips.  I then worked the 3 inch strips into size with a chop saw, router  and hole saw.     The other 10% is the ends where two boards connect,  where I have gone for 18mm ply for super-strength.     The holes are indeed cut for weight reduction more than wiring,  although will be used for wiring too.    I was unsure if the effort would be worth it until I picked up the bag of 'circles' I had at the end :training:!!    a few pounds saved for sure.        

 

The overall weight wasn't really going to be an issue on this build,  because  I knew from the off  it was always going to need 2 people to move it.  

(Altho it is quite capable for  1 person to lift each board,  because they are 3 ft x 3ft 9  it was never going to be an easy 1 person lift - especially when the elevated track and scenery goes down). 

 

For transport,  they will be 'crated-up'  in pairs,  with the scenic sides facing each other ,  so will be a two man job for the moving & setting up for sure.   

 

I could have gone for 6mm tops,   but given the size I think it will be worth having the added strength of the boards  over saving a few pounds - esp given the 2 man lift size above. 

 

Now xmas and New year are out of the way,  I'm looking forward to cracking on,   although I know Mike has a bit of work to do on Oak Road too....     

 

We have finished the dowels   (DCC Concepts alignment dowels), and glued it all up solid,    and I have completed the leg braces and given it all a coat of primer undercoat (to help keep out any damp from the ballasting etc).   Once I have a tidy up I'll take some update pics.     

The trouble with baseboards is,  until the track is down,  they are blooming handy to pile everything on top of.:laugh_mini:

 

Edited by DJTrains
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Heres another update to the track plan showing the West entrance to the fiddle yard.   The keen eyed will spot how the pair of branch lines go through the centre of a split yard...    this is so they have time to rise up to meet the yard level before connecting back with the main lines.    Again this is not the final version as there may still be a couple of storage dead ends to add,  but hopefully it shows how we hope to be able to run the Newquay branch,   without needing to have dedicated trains just parked 'round the back' .   

 

There may be some  spectators that will notice that  the HST that left for Newquay  has managed to re-appear on the down main - but I'm hoping most will just see 'another green one' :pleasantry:

And this way we can have a lot more movement.     If you're still struggling to make sense of it......   take the two red lines as an incline leading to 2 separate yards,  and the branch line stuff all on the flat beneath it.    Simples !!!         And of course there will be a mirror version of this at the east end bringing it all back to the 2 main lines.

image.png.6aa15b60065cb97ccc91e86bad15f2da.png

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11 hours ago, DJTrains said:

There may be some  spectators that will notice that  the HST that left for Newquay  has managed to re-appear on the down main - but I'm hoping most will just see 'another green one' :pleasantry:

You mean, that you will only have two green HSTs and try to make out they are the 30 odd workings up and down the western region? You are using modeller’s license to extreme!! 

Great plan keep going! 

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23 minutes ago, muddy water said:

You mean, that you will only have two green HSTs and try to make out they are the 30 odd workings up and down the western region? You are using modeller’s license to extreme!! 

Great plan keep going! 

How many HSTs do you think they need?

 

It's Par station, it has three platforms, one of which sees the odd HST service whilst the other two will see the majority of services - and will accommodate two HSTs at most.

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Summer Saturday at Par in 2018

 

Good question!

My reply was tongue in cheek, in the sense that the HST has many livery variations, train lengths and the buffet may have 3 or 4 large windows!

This photo is from 2018 of a train arriving at Newquay from up north via Par. The layout I believe is set in this time period. So a XC HST will also be needed. 

 

So how many HSTs?

At least:

Two blue 

Two mixed Blue and green ones. Power cars different to coaches.

Two green 

One XC

and finally one LNER as they were hired in and did get down south west! (Maybe not to Par, but at least to Plymouth!)

 

 

 

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This is N gauge we don't get a choice in buffet window permutations ;)

 

Does look good, always fun thinking about how to join different scenic routes 'off scene'; something I'm grappeling with for my next challenge, looking forward to watching this come to fruition!

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1 hour ago, muddy water said:

Summer Saturday at Par in 2018

 

Good question!

My reply was tongue in cheek, in the sense that the HST has many livery variations, train lengths and the buffet may have 3 or 4 large windows!

This photo is from 2018 of a train arriving at Newquay from up north via Par. The layout I believe is set in this time period. So a XC HST will also be needed. 

 

So how many HSTs?

At least:

Two blue 

Two mixed Blue and green ones. Power cars different to coaches.

Two green 

One XC

and finally one LNER as they were hired in and did get down south west! (Maybe not to Par, but at least to Plymouth!)

 

 

 

 

Not really relevant to your time period but I couldn't help offering this as a comparison shot to what that end of Par used to look like

 

8116909922_48c220f68e_b.jpgSummer Evening at Par 1 by Stephen Dance, on Flickr

 

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2 hours ago, muddy water said:

Summer Saturday at Par in 2018

 

Good question!

My reply was tongue in cheek, in the sense that the HST has many livery variations, train lengths and the buffet may have 3 or 4 large windows!

This photo is from 2018 of a train arriving at Newquay from up north via Par. The layout I believe is set in this time period. So a XC HST will also be needed. 

 

So how many HSTs?

At least:

Two blue 

Two mixed Blue and green ones. Power cars different to coaches.

Two green 

One XC

and finally one LNER as they were hired in and did get down south west! (Maybe not to Par, but at least to Plymouth!)

 

 

 

Well that takes up most of the Fiddleyard , throw in your Pacers, 150s and 158's and there is no room for the infrastructure and China Clay traffic.

 

Looking at the design I think also most of the Fiddleyard is single ended sidings suggesting there is a lack of space for a whole fleet of HST.

 

Of course if I was doing Par it would be in the 1970-1977 period so then the demand for passenger stock would be very different and certainly not covered by a couple of express trains as it can be now.

 

Warships, Westerns, Peaks and 50s :D

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On 02/01/2020 at 14:56, muddy water said:

Talking about HST formations, I managed to get this from the abrail site before it went off line. 

It shows the different make up of HST if you get to numbering you coaches

98369206-B584-440C-A3C9-A3DCA5C94C35.png

 

Thats great,  thank you.    so far between me and Mike we have 2 full FGW blue,  2 full GWR Green,  and 2 full XC  plus numerous spare blue and green coaches for mixed sets....   plus `old oak common'  and the `Geraint Thomas' dragon pair in GWR just in case. ..... plus the full banana set.....    you can't have too many HST's. !!

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