First draft!

[codek]

Hi,

 

I've got a layout that measures 3770 by 2440.  The boards are 600 wide.

 

For various reasons, i'm keen to model NSE, and particularly maidenhead.  Already got some NSE stock, and a motley collection of other diesels from that time.

 

I mocked up a maidenhead station layout from the plans book and it seems to fit!  Obviously not to scale, but back of hanky calculations i reckon 5 coaches fit..  I've even got the little branch line!

 

Note: I've had to drop to 2 tracks rather than 4 going right round, but i think that fudge can be made to work?

 

Now; I know nothing about layouts, plans etc, so go easy

 

I do specifically want a circular layout, or at least something that goes round and round - as it's vital for interest for the kids I think!

 

There's scope to add a brewery, and possibly a tmd or something at the top. And who knows what down the sides!

 

For now however; I just want to get the station and main circuit built.

 

b.t.w. i'm not against changing the boards, adding a triangle at one corner etc.  May be nice to get some height/elevation in there too, but not sure how yet!

 

Oh; It's OO scale, traditional DC control.

 

Looking forward to hearing of any gotchas/howlers that i've made.  Thanks in advance for any and all hints/tips/ideas!

[Zomboid]

The obvious comment is that pencil drawn switches and crossings tend to be a little optimistic. Try out how those bits will fit in a more realistic planning tool. (The RH end double junction looks particularly optimistic to me, but I doubt the left hand end one will work as drawn either without very tight radii on the plain line).

[Robert Stokes]

I agree with the above comment. Try "Anyrail" which you can download. It's very easy to use. The free section allows you to use 50 pieces of track, but you only need to investigate the areas mentioned. Try to use curves of as large a radius as possible and definitely nothing less than about 18".

 

There is another thing. I assume that at the top there are storage loops in an off-scenic area. Will you be satisfied with only one off each main line?

 

Robert

Edited October 1, 2019 by Robert Stokes
Missing word

[Pete the Elaner]

You've not picked the easiest example have you!

 

What features of Maidenhead appeal to you? Could you list them (maybe just for yourself) & prioritise them in order of importance?

Is there anything there which in your opinion gives it a sense of location? I can see a football stadium nearby. Maybe you could depict this as being closer?

Maybe you could get away with moving the A308 over the top of the station instead of underneath. That way, you could use it as a scenic break & the platforms will be partially underneath. You could then take a liberty with this & move them further along.

 

& as above, the more gradual you can make your curves, the better it will look.

[The Johnster]

What period?  Steam era will need the goods facilities as well, and fast running will want the curves to be as easy as you can make them.  

[codek]

4 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

What period?  Steam era will need the goods facilities as well, and fast running will want the curves to be as easy as you can make them.  

Network south east.. 80s 90s. ish!

[BMS]

What scale are you on: N OO?

Regards

Basil

[Tallpaul69]

2 hours ago, codek said:

Hi,

 

I've got a layout that measures 3770 by 2440.  The boards are 600 wide.

 

For various reasons, i'm keen to model NSE, and particularly maidenhead.  Already got some NSE stock, and a motley collection of other diesels from that time.

 

I mocked up a maidenhead station layout from the plans book and it seems to fit!  Obviously not to scale, but back of hanky calculations i reckon 5 coaches fit..  I've even got the little branch line!

 

Note: I've had to drop to 2 tracks rather than 4 going right round, but i think that fudge can be made to work?

 

Now; I know nothing about layouts, plans etc, so go easy

 

I do specifically want a circular layout, or at least something that goes round and round - as it's vital for interest for the kids I think!

 

There's scope to add a brewery, and possibly a tmd or something at the top. And who knows what down the sides!

 

For now however; I just want to get the station and main circuit built.

 

b.t.w. i'm not against changing the boards, adding a triangle at one corner etc.  May be nice to get some height/elevation in there too, but not sure how yet!

 

Oh; It's OO scale, traditional DC control.

 

Looking forward to hearing of any gotchas/howlers that i've made.  Thanks in advance for any and all hints/tips/ideas!

Hi Codek,

Do have a look at my thread "Design Ideas Welcome".

 

This is based on Maidenhead, and NSE is one of my eras, although I also model c1962 and 2016!

Like you I have reduced it to 2 tracks but the station itself had to go! 

 

Unlike you I have completely removed the fast lines because the activity on the slow/ branch IMHO is much more interesting.  I do run a few expresses in my timetable, that I reason were diverted to the slow lines because of maintenance on the fasts!

 

My space is 12ft x8ft, the plan in the thread was drawn by Harlequin (Phil) who is much better at it than I am.

 

Hope the layout which I am calling "Lower Thames Yard" helps you? Let me know what you think?

 

Cheers

Paul

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

What period?  Steam era will need the goods facilities as well, and fast running will want the curves to be as easy as you can make them.  

 

1 hour ago, BMS said:

What scale are you on: N OO?

Regards

Basil

These points were both given in the OP.... NSE, & OO.

 

3 hours ago, codek said:

I've got a layout that measures 3770 by 2440.  The boards are 600 wide.

You'd have to put that into Old Money for some of us to get a better idea of the size!! But my thoughts are similar to others - hand-sketched junctions and curves can be very optimistic!!

[codek]

1 hour ago, BMS said:

What scale are you on: N OO?

Regards

Basil

OO

[codek]

I do agree about the hand sketched nature. Hence i tried to do the station in anyrail. It seemed to me it does basically fit. So my thinking was, build each side of the station, and then just make it as long as it possibly be depending on where all the junctions end up..

 

Oh, i have mocked up the top in any rail too, but it's not complete yet!

[codek]

I'm also keen to get *something* running, so we can run trains etc, and i can then extend/fettle as time permits!

[KeithMacdonald]

Here's a quick rough attempt in AnyRail. I've had to guess how much width you want for the platforms. There are a few small gaps where I couldn't find a good part, or the geometry needs "tweaking", perhaps with some flextrack?

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by KeithMacdonald
Edit: almost forgot to say, I've only used small 16.8cm points, to match the sketch - but maybe it needs larger 24cm points?

[codek]

3 hours ago, Robert Stokes said:

I agree with the above comment. Try "Anyrail" which you can download. It's very easy to use. The free section allows you to use 50 pieces of track, but you only need to investigate the areas mentioned. Try to use curves of as large a radius as possible and definitely nothing less than about 18".

 

There is another thing. I assume that at the top there are storage loops in an off-scenic area. Will you be satisfied with only one off each main line?

 

Robert

 

This is a good point, and something i need to think about. thanks!  I *think* it'll be enough given the stock i have now.  But I can see others frequently have much bigger fiddle yards.

 

I could well increase the depth of that board, to accommodate more tracks., behind some sort of back scene i guess.

[Zomboid]

Are the double junctions at either end "on scene". That kind of arrangement at both ends of a station is pretty unlikely, though it does exist at Guildford - though that's because it forms part of the junction with the new line. Can happen like that at a 2 into 4 junction, such as at Orpington.

 

Much more likely to have an Up Up Down Down arrangement at a 4 track station on a 2 track line.

[codek]

9 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

Are the double junctions at either end "on scene". That kind of arrangement at both ends of a station is pretty unlikely, though it does exist at Guildford - though that's because it forms part of the junction with the new line. Can happen like that at a 2 into 4 junction, such as at Orpington.

 

Much more likely to have an Up Up Down Down arrangement at a 4 track station on a 2 track line.

 

No I guess not. They're the hack to fit in an appearance of a 4 track station..

 

Not sure if or how I would hide them though. But I was able to push then further away from the station using curved points

 

[codek]

29 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

Here's a quick rough attempt in AnyRail. I've had to guess how much width you want for the platforms. There are a few small gaps where I couldn't find a good part, or the geometry needs "tweaking", perhaps with some flextrack?

 

 

 

Excellent thanks. What advantage does the bigger points give? Just better running?

[KeithMacdonald]

21 minutes ago, codek said:

Excellent thanks. What advantage does the bigger points give? Just better running?

 

Yes, better running, but the diamond crossing you've drawn only match the smaller points - I think - but someone might know how to use a diamond crossing with the larger points with different geometry?

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

Oh - one more thing - I've just noticed the inner layout (as you've sketched it) has only enough space for a small length of platform.

 

 

Have you considered staggering the junction, so you get more space for the inner platform? Just a suggestion.

 

 

[codek]

Ah yes that could work. I kinda got that idea from the track plan implying the platform is actually smaller. I'll double check on google maps!

[mdvle]

4 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

 

These points were both given in the OP.... NSE, & OO.

 

You'd have to put that into Old Money for some of us to get a better idea of the size!! But my thoughts are similar to others - hand-sketched junctions and curves can be very optimistic!!

 

Google gives me 12'4" (3770) x 8' (2440) with 23.6" boards (600)

[Harlequin]

3 hours ago, codek said:

Ah yes that could work. I kinda got that idea from the track plan implying the platform is actually smaller. I'll double check on google maps!

 

The AnyRail plans above are drawn using Hornby parts which have very small radii, silly crossing angles and which don't look very realistic.

 

[The Johnster]

The curvature using set track pieces will look particularly sharp at the ends of the station straight sections; I reckon you could get it to look a lot better with a gentle flexible track curve through the station and transition curves leading into the tighter radii.  I'd prefer to see flexible track throughout with large radius pointwork, as the layout will look far more realistic, but this will eat into your space like Johnster demolishing breakfast, and you may not be able to shoehorn everything you want in.  

 

I like the appearance of setrack curves on minimum space industrial or dockside layouts, and would recommend them for such use as flexi is not designed to be curved that sharply and will pull out of gauge.  To put things into a sort of perspective, a 5 foot radius curve in 4mm looks very gentle, but when scaled to the prototype is sharp enough to require a 25mph speed restriction in real life.  Attempts at 'scale' modelling are difficult and often depressing when you realise how little you can get in the space you've got, even if you're Pete Waterman!  Model railways, all of them, are compromises, and very few people have the space to model something like Maidenhead, where the platforms are longer than a HST, two locos and 8 75 foot coaches.  

 

The RTR manufacturers are firmly wedded to the trainset idea of an oval of track on a 6'x4' board, the xmas present for the kids, and would be committing commercial suicide if they were to abandon the sharp curves and tension lock couplings.  Another major component of their sales is to collectors who never take the models out of the box, to whom this idea of operating trains and trying to make the environment in which they operate as realistic as we reasonably can. We are probably the largest single section of their customers, but the trainsets and collectors are very significant minorities whose needs must be considered as well as ours; more compromise.

[KeithMacdonald]

44 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

 

The AnyRail plans above are drawn using Hornby parts which have very small radii, silly crossing angles and which don't look very realistic.

 

 

Agreed, I was just trying to show how tight it would be - as sketched!

 

Here's a potentially slightly better version with Express Points on the outer two tracks. Could probably cope with the same on the inner two tracks?

 

[codek]

I do have a stash of flex track, for the majority of the rest of the layout.  I think I probably have enough gash/old points, to at least approximately lay this out, and see how it works, probably this is the easiest way!  Then if it looks to be a go-er i can order some of the larger radius points, crossings etc.