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18ft x 8ft continuous em gauge


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Plenty of space if you can use 3ft Radius curves, over 10 feet of straight or gentle curve between the return curves.  

Do you mean the 1880/90s or the sectorisation  era?   1890s sounds like fun if you have two spare lifetimes to scratch build almost everything.

[Added Comment]

Its quite amazing I believe 3ft is the minimum most folk recommend for EM where trains are pulled ,some say a metre or 4ft where they are pushed,  and I just saw a video of a bloke running an OO 0-6-0 round 9" radius curves. Funny old world

Edited by DavidCBroad
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Yes, the minimum recommended radius will fit but it's a slightly oddly proportioned space. Is it part of a room, a whole room or would the layout be freestanding?

 

You would need an operating well in the middle, which might be 3ft wide, giving 2ft6in width boards either side. Or 3ft scenic, 3ft well, 2ft fiddle yard, or all manner of other permutations.

 

If you choose to hide the relatively tight radii end curves but ease them to wider curves as they enter the scene then you could achieve around 15ft of scenic track length.

 

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I'd agree with what others have said, 3' radius curves shouldn't present any particular problems, although for realism, I'd have them off scene.

 

I'd start off with the practical limitations, like positions of doors, windows, etc in the room, then move on to consider what you want to include on the layout or what location it might be based on.  It's then just a case of working out what fits.

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It's hard to see (not enough pixels) but it looks like one end of a steam-era double track through station.

 

Something like that would work very well. If you biased the station to one end or the other then you could have a reasonable length of purely scenic run at the other end.

 

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A bit over ambitious for 18 X 8.  West Coast main line, Duchesses, 14 coach anglo scottish expresses, endless procession of freights, 4 running lines at the right hand end, three at the left hand end, may be something double track would be more practical?  And somewhere a bit less busy?     Road overbridge one end with station building above is a good ploy, if short of space.

Ideally a station with goods yard beside the platforms not beyond.   NE.  Goathland? station, goods yard beside, river bridge with points and then road bridge over as a scenic break..  Lots of elevation changes and you can even go and photograph it when lock down eases.  No real need for the 1 in 49 gradient.

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Hi Craig,

Can you clarify what era your are aiming for, please?

(Bearing in mind that small through stations generally get less interesting the closer they get to the present day... :wink_mini:)

 

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9 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

A bit over ambitious for 18 X 8.  West Coast main line, Duchesses, 14 coach anglo scottish expresses, endless procession of freights, 4 running lines at the right hand end, three at the left hand end, may be something double track would be more practical?  And somewhere a bit less busy?     Road overbridge one end with station building above is a good ploy, if short of space.

Ideally a station with goods yard beside the platforms not beyond.   NE.  Goathland? station, goods yard beside, river bridge with points and then road bridge over as a scenic break..  Lots of elevation changes and you can even go and photograph it when lock down eases.  No real need for the 1 in 49 gradient.

 

Layouts such as Wibdenshaw and Hornsey Broadway, amongst others, are IMHO, the minimum size to properly showcase such trains. Given that the straight viewable part of these is 24 feet, plus the curves, I reckon you're about 50% light.

 

Mike.

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14 hours ago, 43078shildoncountydurham said:

Thanks  gang,

 

Going to have a think about it, think I’ll have to have a look at some north eastern track diagrams...

 

Craig

 

 

Assuming you are aiming for the 1980s-90s, I suggest you look at the Bishop Auckland branch.  This is still open to passenger trains and the extension to Wearhead was open for freight in your period.  My 1980 Baker shows several freight terminals along the Wearhead line but I suspect most closed within a few years, apart from the cement works at Eastgate.  Shildon Works was open until the mid 80s.

 

I'd suggest a station between Darlington and Bishop Auckland, perhaps with a a fictitious freight customer for interest.  Passenger would be mostly DMUs, with the travails of Sprinterisation providing a reason for loco-hauled substitution from time to time.

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1 hour ago, Flying Pig said:

 

Assuming you are aiming for the 1980s-90s, I suggest you look at the Bishop Auckland branch.  This is still open to passenger trains and the extension to Wearhead was open for freight in your period.  My 1980 Baker shows several freight terminals along the Wearhead line but I suspect most closed within a few years, apart from the cement works at Eastgate.  Shildon Works was open until the mid 80s.

 

I'd suggest a station between Darlington and Bishop Auckland, perhaps with a a fictitious freight customer for interest.  Passenger would be mostly DMUs, with the travails of Sprinterisation providing a reason for loco-hauled substitution from time to time.


Hi Simon,

 

The above is a very good shout indeed, with a bit of modellers license the old diversion line to Durham could be still be open, for the odd Hst or loco hauled train...

 

Regards 

 

 Craig 

Edited by 43078shildoncountydurham
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Is that based on appearance or running issues?    

Appearance on visible line, running issues everywhere, particulary with steam stock. On Diesel/EMU probably ok at 3'.

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4 minutes ago, kipford said:

Appearance on visible line, running issues everywhere, particulary with steam stock. On Diesel/EMU probably ok at 3'.

The problem with 42in radius is that it gives very little room for manoeuvre within the OP's stated space (inner blue dotted lines).

But 36in radius allows the tracks to be moved away from the edges of the baseboards (inner red dotted lines).

962314643_EM18by81.png.c2689d5eb91043fd4525251dcede0a5a.png

 

If transition curves are used in the scenic area, as sketched above, then the relatively tight 36in constant radius curves could be hidden/disguised.

 

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