MART

[ianathompson]

METROPLOLIS

 

Following on fron another thread I have decided, a little reluctantly, to start this thread.

Please read the warning below!

 

Welcome to Metropolis and MART [Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit].

MART is an attempt to portray an intensively worked suburban railway network in a 4 by 2 space which is supposed to fit within a “coffee table”.

I would stress that absolutely nothing has been done in terms of construction so these are notional ideas at the moment.

 

I have always enjoyed travelling on transit systems such as London Underground and have often taken rides just for the sake of it.

As with other interests sketches of proposed layouts came and went and there matters rested.

Over the years I amassed a small collection of Kato N gauge equipment based upon the stock that ran on the Iida line, mainly because I liked the colours!

If I am not mistaken, although I stand to be corrected, I think that the blue and cream livery was used by the Tyneside electric stock at one point in their long lives.

These model train sets (i.e. 2 car emus) were rather cheaper then than they are now!

Having recently bought a couple more I considered producing an appropriate setting for them to run.

(They have occasionally turned out on my GNoSR layouts as a very far fetched (tongue in cheek) tribute to that company’s “Inverness suburban system”!)

The models pick up current from an OHL system rather than the third rail more common in transit systems.

The setting of the MART system is therefore open to debate, as reflected by the place names, none of which are intended to be taken seriously.

 

It is likely, once I get around to creating the artwork that MART will be promoted by Smarty Marty the Metroman.

I have already produced some artwork and a logo for the system logo along with a modern anodyne meaningless slogan of “From Here to There.”

As for the landscape of Metroland, that will mainly be left to the observer’s imagination as the line is a intentionally a bowl of spaghetti, with any scenery crammed in as an afterthought, rather like Dewsbury town centre would have been if all the proposed model railways had been built.

As someone brought up in Batley, that could probably be seen as an improvement!

 

The technical aspects have been considered, well a little bit anyway.

Whether they will work is another matter but I won’t die wondering!

They are all low tech home made solutions and, as usual DCC will have no part to play here.

The intention is to have as few moving parts as possible, mainly by using spring points with the crossings currentless (or dead frog if you really must use that horrible model railwayism).

I have experience of constructing these for a tramway system that I once built so I know that they are viable.

If the build progresses I will look at other aspects in later posts.

 

NOW WE COME TO THE WARNING. I AM A SERIAL LAYOUT BUILDER, NONE OF WHICH HAVE COME TO FRUITION.

DO NOT HOLD OUT TOO MUCH HOPE OF THIS LAYOUT MAKING MUCH PROGRESS EITHER!

 

 

1. The original plan of the system. Some renaming has since taken place.

Travelling away from the terminus the journey is Metropolis Central (purple): Halfway House (red): Two Hedges (black): Angle Street (black) (changed from the original draft): Longside (black): Lateral Broadway (green), Corner Hill (green): Knott’s End (green).

The carriage sidings at Washango Park are alongside the terminal because this is where trains wash and go before parking up.

Much Fettlingham TMD is shown alongside the terminal but may be moved out to the other end of the line.

It will be sited over Looktuther Way, the PW depot for the system.

Names are provisional.

The circle line (in black) will be built first to test the concept as it will be the lowest point on the system.

I had originally intended that operations would be automatic on here with a manual transfer to a single higher level terminal.

However, I realised that reversing the points at Serpentine Junction gave a longer single line run.

Stating the obvious it is a bit of fun rather than a serious rendition.

I cannot imagine any rapid transit line having a single track main.

 

 

2. The layout is a series of lines scribbled onto a piece of Sundeala.

The lower level is shown in black with the berths for stopped trains in pink.

The other lines show the upper levels with potential alternative arrangements.

The curves are tighter than Peco set track radius 1 and have been plotted with cardboard templates to make sure that they are not too tight for the equipment.

This has forced the long loop (a technical necessity) onto the edge of the board (top right) which was not the original intention, although there may be some unforeseen benefits from this.

The piece of paper is representing the electromagnetic brains of the system, still to be built by the mad professor.

 

 

3. Two trains cross at Longside, the long loop which occupies the long side of the layout at the lower level.

The one on the left is actually a diesel but it will undergo a painful operation before taking up residence on MART.

The one on the right is a parcels train that I bought ages ago and is probably a collector’s item now.

Any-one out there know or care?

 

 

4. One train takes the inner circle at Two Hedges. One edge will support the terminus where the other unit is standing.

Washango Park will probably be this side of the trainshed at Central.

Two Hedges will be in a trench.

 

 

5. The parcels train has reached the island platform terminus at Knott’s End.

Smarty Marty is probably frazzled by his journey in the Guard’s van by now and off to the “Bowl of Spaghetti” or the “Dozy Noodles” both well known local pubs.

A PW train is standing in Looktuther Way sidings which will be accessed from Two Hedges outer line.

The relationship between the two termini is apparent here. I hope to keep Serpentine Junction in the open.

This will probably be the site for Looktuther Way ROC, the system’s nerve centre.

 

 

6. Much Fettlingham TMD will be sited in this area as well. It was originally intended to have this at Central but it is now likely to be at the country end of the line.

I suppose that Washango Park could be transferred here also. I could say that everything is up in the air at the moment both literally and figuratively.

The TMD will be against the boundary to allow trains to be transferred on and off the layout using a cassette.

 

 

7. The three trains stand at Metropolis Central.

It is envisaged that, in the great scheme of things, only one will be in service when the system is on auto but that it will be possible to switch them around using the points.

I would prefer to have the terminus at an angle but a Pola trainshed kit was so large that this was not easily achieved.

An alternative is on order.

 

 

8. The relationship between Angle Street an Corner Hill is shown here.

The upper level train is pulling into Corner Hill, a single platform station serving a desirable area of Metroland whilst its counterpart traverses one of the less salubrious sectors of the circle.

 

 

9. The single line section between Angle Street and Longside is negligible but this will hopefully not be too apparent in the finished article.

The train standing at Corner Hill is intended to be held on a timer relay before continuing its journey.

 

Well, as they say on Loony Tunes. "That's all for now folks!"

Don't hold your breath regarding updates.

 

Ian T

 

 

 

 

[ian]

CJF would be proud of you - maximum operation in minimum space.

[ianathompson]

It has occurred to me, after committing myself to “print” of course, that I have not tested the running abilities of these units up the steep grades demanded by the plan.

Despite running on extremely sharp curves they also need to climb like mountain goats.

I have just assumed that they would cope.

Remembering my railway safety training days where "Assume" makes an as of you and me, a test was retrospectively arranged.

 

 

All is well.

This unit is running around a very sharp curve on a stiff gradient without any difficulties.

I intend that the gradients on the finished article are a little gentler than this, although the curves will not be.

The gimcrack nature of the test track is hardly helping the unit as it is complete with lateral and vertical doglegs.

On roughly one quarter turn of the ancient Safety Minor it surged up with no problems suggesting it could handle something steeper if needs be.

More importantly it ran down with some semblance of control rather than taking off on the curve.

 

I even had a Spijkenisse moment, although no whale fluke was handy to catch the trailer.

Travel on MART could be lively!

 

Ian T