North American Inglenook (N Scale WPB)

[mango]

New Year New Plans

 

I bought a wrapping paper box before christmas and I am now building a n scale North American inglenook shunting layout across two boards that will fit in the same box.

 

I have built the boards out of scraps from my previous layout hence the bits tagged on the end.

 

More to come soon!

 

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by mango

[mango]

Picked up the track from leicester's model shop aptly named the signal box. 

 

I'm using electro frog switches and code 80 track, I got a length of concrete to add some visual difference.

 

You can see the vague track plan coming together, I'm just figuring out how long the headshunt needs to be to successfully run an inglenook layout. I think the less cars that can be pulled into the headshunt the harder the puzzle is?

 

 

Edited January 18, 2020 by mango

[Moxy]

1 hour ago, mango said:

You can see the vague track plan coming together, I'm just figuring out how long the headshunt needs to be to successfully run an inglenook layout. I think the less cars that can be pulled into the headshunt the harder the puzzle is?

 

 There's some info here about Inglenooks and how they are shunted.

 

It's your layout and up to you, but if I were building it I would shorten the sidings at the right hand end and move the pointwork to the right a bit to make the headshunt a bit longer if you can.  I can't really tell from the photo, but it looks like the right hand sidings will take a loco and around 6 cars, the headshunt only a loco + 2, which would make it very frustrating to shunt.

 

Hope this helps

 

Moxy

[DanielB]

That's a pretty good point. I'd make the headshunt at least a loco and 3 cars length.

[mango]

Trackwork is mostly complete minus the sections that will run over the board joints. 

 

I have put together a track cutting jig that helps me use a hack saw to chop the rails. Yes it's a bit crude but it got the job done and saved me like £13 on the actual tool. 

 

I plan to use the shortest sections of n scale peco set track to bridge the gaps across the board as it is far more durable than the Flexi track I already have.

 

[DanielB]

Much better track layout for operations, nice work.

 

Have fun wiring it up so you can play trains!

[mango]

Cutting track and getting ready to lay switches!

 

Being as my partner is coming home soon it's time to tidy up a bit and get these boards stacking in the box.

 

I've used scrap ply and bolts to create bridging ends that sandwich the tracks together. This will protect them and the low level scenery later on when I get onto it. 

 

With the bolts done up tight the whole thing just about squeezes in the box, like I mean is scraping the edges. Next time I'll make sure I generously compensate for this but being as it's mine I can get away with it.

 

In the negative spaces in the box you can see I am able to store all my boxed rolling stock in the lower half, and the top half will be for large scenery, power control and what ever else I'd need to exhibit it!

 

Crit and feedback is welcome!

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by mango

[mango]

I've got all the track and points layed today, I had to wait a bit until I acquired some short set track pieces to bridge the gap across the board join. I completed this in about four hours.

 

Now onto the electrics and wiring this up as simply as possible.

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by mango

[mango]

Longtime no see,

 

I have been working more on the layout including wiring, buying a gaugemaster combi controller and some scenery work.

 

Today I spent a few hours weathering up these small box cars using a mix of watered down acrylic paints, chalk pastel and hairspray. Considering their size i don't think they look too bad especially in the setting sun, its amazing how much more real these toy trains look when they get some real lighting.

 

 

 

 

 

[Elliot Friend]

This is looking good, looking forward to seeing more. I do like how you’ve got both boards in the box.