A moor in 4 x 4

[woodenhead]

So before lockdown began I had been playing ideas of what to put in my new playroom, so far my space had been limited to shared space rooms and such like but now I had my own room finally.

 

I have stock in two scales N and OO, and it's the N gauge that is getting a chance to shine again at the moment.

 

The playroom is also my home office and library so a big desk with monitors and bookcases everywhere, it's south facing and filled with light and space.

 

I've a couple of reasonably long walls - 8 foot down one side and 7 foot over my desk (if I don't move it to another part of the room).

 

I would prefer to have layouts in both scales so I need to be careful not to go mad but my monkey mind almost did that and just before lockdown I was down at a local wood merchant to purchase a load of plywood to build a narrow layout round the circumference of the the room that would terminate on a couple of Grainge and Hodder baseboards I had bought.  The plan was a nice big single line loop around the room with the boards being both the main station and at the back the fiddleyard, the station would be a pastiche of Grosmont and I would run trains very much in the same way the NYMR run services.

 

The plan looks like this

 

It was quite tight scenically so not really allowing much if any of the National Rail side of the station to appear other than as a junction but it would let me watch trains go around and around with a loop in the fiddleyard to run around Whitby trains, a line to store the National Rail DMUs and end on sidings to represent Pickering.  There was no engine facilities at the outset I would add something later.  The trip to the wood merchants was not a success, the ply I wanted wasn't in stock so I came away empty handed - probably a good thing, if I had built this then absolutely no room for anything in OO though it would have been a pretty decent run for an n gauge layout.

 

A second version albeit narrower and limited to 8 x7 was also considered but not planned beyond a sketch because it required too much disassembly in between operations, the bigger line above just required a small bridge section that could be simply lifted.

 

Monkey mind then got to work after reading the excellent Great Central Railway Mainline Operations around Manchester book, I've always liked the Minories idea and especially the execution of the theme as Bradfield and Mr Mortimore's Sheffield terminus and I came up with an idea to model the GCR side of Manchester London Road (without the freight facilities).  But then the realism of filling an 8x2 scenic area with buildings reminded me I am not ready for that and will quickly become disillusioned.

 

So today I am back where I began this quest for an N layout to run my wildly eclectic mix of ex GWR, ex SR, BR steam plus blue diesels:

 

I need to slightly extend the boards to cope with the end curves but here we have a set of covered sidings and a servicing point for some un-named preserved line.  There is a complete loop to allow through running but the sidings at the top represent each end of the line, trains will arrive and detach the engine which is then isolated and then one of the other engines off a free road can attach itself to the end of another train to return to the other end of the line.  As it is preserved, engines running tender first is not an issue, I can mix my regions and eras and I can watch a train go round and around if I want to.  Within all this monkey mindedness the one constant has been whatever I came up with, it had to operate with a Royal Scot, a Jubilee and a Black 5.

 

For intense services the loop can be used to hold a train allowing 8 trains in the fiddlayard to be able to swap around, but if I just run trains through then 7 trains could be accomodated plus what I want to put into the covered sidings.  At least with this layout the scenery shouldn't be too challenging, I have more than enough coaching stock (in fact it rather drove the number of sidings) and I have plenty of locos too.

 

During lockdown I made all the baseboards up, in my haste to clear my late father's house before the lockdown I may have dumped more than enough 2x1 to act as frames for the layout but that's academic now, I can begin the build now and build the frames when lockdown ends.

 

The curves at either end will be masked with trees and scenery as will the mainline running through the back of the covered siding space, I did consider a station but the moment you add one they seem to dominate the whole scene and when space is at a premium can detract rather than add to the scene.

 

Anyway, fingers crossed, now I have added this thread I stick with this, and yes I still have the Ikea shelf devoid of track that started my road back into OO - I think I might need to resurrect that too for an OO plank to play with little engines on but that should be something for next winter - monkey mind be gone.

 

Edited April 22, 2020 by woodenhead

[woodenhead]

Monkey mind at work again.

 

If I set the boards to be 4x4 then I can do this with an extension to the side

 

The top right would be a station, small engine servicing area plus a couple of coach sidings, then the main loop bit would be the running line and the line off the bottom would be represent the other end of the line and would be a fiddleyard to begin with to be later developed as a station (off the 4x4 board).  This keeps the layout simple, offers a station plus continuous run, a passing loop and plenty of scope for scenery (landscapes being the main benefit of N gauge).  This is still a rough version of the plan which will still represent a preserved railway not any specific era or type of line.

[woodenhead]

Amazing how big something looks on screen then you put some coaches on the baseboards and you realise.  I might miss out the passing loop and focus on the two stations that will be on additional boards

[woodenhead]

But now I look at my N gauge stuff where I was paying 15 quid for Blue Riband Mk1s and realise just how lucky I am to possess my collection.

 

I basically need to lay two curved points and a great big 21 inch radius loop, I think I can manage that tomorrow

 

Legs will have to wait though until lockdown is eased.

[BoD]

Do you plan to keep gaps down both sides as shown there, if not, reaching the back might be a problem.

[woodenhead]

19 minutes ago, BoD said:

Do you plan to keep gaps down both sides as shown there, if not, reaching the back might be a problem.

My own biggest concern with these boards

 

Sadly no gaps and yes that is a concern - the roof comes into the room so removes any space down the side without compromising space for the board for the station.  So very simple on these boards, of course I am going to put the two points at the back aren't I putting in somewhere to derail trains out of reach because they will be hidden under scenery. 

 

Options - making the layout moveable or cutting holes in the baseboards to let me reach into that area from underneath, the latter sounds the most sensible.  Curves are gentle, trains will be relatively short, low speed and very flat to hopefully minimise derailments.  My last N layout had decidedly less gentle curves and the less said about the plywood the better and then the only coaches I had that derailed were Mk1 sleepers in blue grey on curves (the maroons were fine!!) and my Dapol 4500s didn't like 2nd radius.

 

My plan is to get trains running on the loop whilst I order the extra boards for the stations - gives me plenty of time to fettle and be happy that reaching the back of the layout will not be a regular occurrence.

[woodenhead]

Some progress, minimum 21 inch radius.  Coaches don’t look unnatural on those curves.

[woodenhead]

On 18/04/2020 at 20:44, BoD said:

Do you plan to keep gaps down both sides as shown there, if not, reaching the back might be a problem.

A realisation that in the short term I only need one fiddle yard - the track to the left can be a hidden kickback - that means the layout doesn't need to go right to the back wall giving me space to crane an arm in for derailments.

[Jim76]

I had planned to build a lockdown layout myself. Haven’t got round to it yet. Will follow this with interest. Jim 

[woodenhead]

I have a loop, wiring and point motors next.

[saxokid]

Looking good so far from plans n build..

[woodenhead]

Apart from first plugging into the AC connections rather than DC and then forgetting to switch the track on, the layout has come to life

 

 

 

Nice to see my Royal Scot which hadn't run for a couple of years at least worked straight out of the box.

 

Dapol 45xx later - these were notoriously bad on curves for derailing the leading pony - will be interesting to see if that happens even on a 21 inch radius curve (it better hadn't!)

 

Point motors next in line for wiring, then onto a frame so I can measure up the next baseboards from Grainge and Hodder.  With the design of the track on this board and where the tracks will lead off I've pretty much tied myself into a larger run around the room but I can start with this loop and a side fiddleyard whilst I extend slowly.

 

[woodenhead]

Couldn't find my 45xx models but did come across my Dapol M7, it was mentioned in another thread they don't run well slowly.

 

Well this has not run in over two years and it's not going too fast here

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by woodenhead

[woodenhead]

Another step forward today - wired in a Seep point motor for the first time.

 

Last time round in when I reached the stage where I should have been putting in point motors before anxiety struck, with my OO foray I put just two Peco side motors in at the far end of the layou so I could run around trains without having to walk down to the end of the layout.

 

Four more to do tomorrow if I have sufficient wire, otherwise I need to make an order for some.

[woodenhead]

So yesterday began with me waking up stressed on a bank holiday with a work deadline looming.

 

Two hours work cleared my head and yesterday afternoon I approached the layout build again with a plan to put in the remaining point motors

 

I'd lost my template that I'd made last week for positioning my motors so a new one was made, using the template I drilled holes then attached 4 motors to the boards, wired them, added the CDU and tested.

 

Apart from not having set the wiring the right way round to fire both points in the correct direction for the passing loop everything works, two minute fix.

 

RESULT!!!

 

Next steps are to build the frame to raise this off the floor then order more baseboards from G&H for the right hand extension which will act initially as the fiddleyard.

 

For me and my stress in building model railways this is actually a milestone, I've never got to a point where I have the railway with working under board point motors before, this is usually where I reach the 'this is just too hard stage' and decide a new layout is the way forward.

 

This time round I have the boards in a state where I can tip them so I am not working underneath them, even after I get the frames built it will still be possible to lift the boards themselves for tinkering.

 

Today though more work, then a walk in the sun I think

 

[woodenhead]

I snipped the Seep motors yesterday, what a faff.  Didn't realise they made the shafts from something forged in Mount Doom - several wire cutters tested and I was about to get my Dremel out when I found a large set of pliers with the strength to cut them.

 

Now got a working module of the as yet not fully planned railway - few more locos out last night - an eclectic mix - Ivatt 2-6-2, small Prairie, a Class 26 and a mogul to add to the M7, Royal Scot and Manor - well it will be a preserved line.

 

Glad to see that the Prairie likes 21 inch radius curves and was going back and forth without derailing a pony, ironically it was Ivatt that decided to toss a pony out of bed and derail but it may have been a one off.

 

Thoughts now turn to the frame under the baseboards and how I reach the back of these boards once in situ - I should really have considered this more when deciding on a 4 x 4 module but I wanted a loop without really tight curves, the obvious answer is two big holes in the board where I can reach in to clean - it won't be scenic back there so I am sure I can come up with a solution of some sort even if it means hanging from the ceiling like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

[woodenhead]

Anyone experienced a Dapol N gauge coach wheel disintegrating?

 

I was using the coach yesterday, just set the train it was in again and the coach deposited this wheel in two bits 

[woodenhead]

More trouble - Farish split gear on my class 46.

 

So much for thinking keeping everything boxed in a stable atmosphere keeps this at bay.

 

Rather oily fingers, one gear removed and loco now running sweetly.

[woodenhead]

Baseboard now on legs, somehow a little N Gauge railway has morphed into a 4x4x4 box.

 

Space around the back so I can reach all parts, need to plan next baseboards to extend.

 

Wasn't meant to top out at 4 foot above floor level but it lets me extend later over my PC screens and actually from a viewing perspective quite a nice height.

 

The legs extend 5cm beyond the height of the sides and stop the baseboard coming off.

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by woodenhead

[woodenhead]

Had a night to contemplate how much of the room this loop has taken up - I mean I had the warnings when I put the two baseboards together (original plan was end on joins to create 8 foot length with tight radius curves).

 

Originally when I got this room I wanted two terminus stations with a loop in between so trains could leave one station, use the loop as the running section and then exit onto the other terminus.  Whilst this loop is rather different to what I envisaged it is still a loop for continuous running with two exits which were to go onto a bigger loop around the room but now I think perhaps I come back to the original scheme of two termini of a preserved line.

 

A bit of re-organisation of the room required as well.