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Bantam Street Yard


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  • RMweb Gold

Having started modelling in 7mm scale, and decided I'd never go back to anything smaller, I made the fatal mistake of ordering a Hornby Peckett, just because they're so gorgeous. In ex works livery, it sat in it's box for over a year, while work on my O gauge layout had almost stalled as I'd been spending time on commissions and making resin and CNC cut 7mm scale buildings that I produce on a short run basis. I started to wonder about producing a little "photo plank", to give the little Peckett somewhere to shuffle about and perhaps as a presentation piece if I scaled down some of my buildings to 4mm scale.

 

While I was thinking about this, I came across the Norfolk Heath Works Micro Modules baseboard kits, intended for 009, and wondered if I could squeeze a little OO gauge micro onto them, so ordered 3 modules (including a sector plate) which duly arrived. They went together very easily and I can report they are a very nice piece of work, and reasonably priced. Then came the challenge of whether a believable little scene with a bit of operational interest could be made to fit. I had a few bedraggled old bits and pieces of track from a previous stalled layout lurking in corners of the garage, which were enough to come up with this basic plan.

 

Capture.JPG

Edited by Gareth001
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  • RMweb Gold

Track now laid, and held in position by blobs of superglue prior to painting and ballasting. The point at the exit of the fiddle yard is a cut down curved Peco point to save space....it was the only way I could get a run around loop in the tiny space. 3 wagon trains will be the order of the day. Track is all doctored Peco code 75.

 

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Very ingenious track layout, and one with plenty of operating potential - I used a similar one for Arrow Paints, and regularly enjoy running it. I do especially like the use of the point crossing, although I can't help wondering if you'd have more capacity if you simply ran both tracks to the sector plate separately.

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  • RMweb Gold
8 hours ago, TechnicArrow said:

Very ingenious track layout, and one with plenty of operating potential - I used a similar one for Arrow Paints, and regularly enjoy running it. I do especially like the use of the point crossing, although I can't help wondering if you'd have more capacity if you simply ran both tracks to the sector plate separately.

 

I am using a similar track plan on my micro Span Yard, my fiddlestick is your right hand siding.

I also think that you could have gained a bit more elbow room, but by replacing the 2 nearest RHS turnouts with Ys, and come off with 2 separate tracks therefore saving on the butchered turnout, this would give a bigger run round loop.

Looking good though.

 

Mike.

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks for all the replies....all very valid observations. I did think about running the tracks separately to the sector plate...that's a good point. But because of the limited width and the limited movement of the sector plate itself, the tracks on the plate can really only line up to a single track along the centreline. I've pushed the envelope to get the alignment on the 2 exits on the truncated point....and if I'd left the point out I would have lost the run around loop. I did also originally plan on using y points throughout, but being a skinflint adapted things to suit what I had in the junkbox. Should have called it Scrooge Lane Sidings.

 

Quick squirt of paint and the addition of a check rail on the tightest curve follows. The pic shows the particularly naff condition of the recycled pointwork, but a lot will be buried under the usual industrial grime.

 

check.jpg

Edited by Gareth001
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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Jim....they seem pretty rigid to me. They are designed to be bolted together, but Ive permanently stuck mine, and there isn't much in the way of twist, at least not without risking damage. I have noticed a very slight sag in the 3mm mdf baseboard though, so I'm going to add some bracing as you suggest. I think they're up to the job though.

 

I'm in the process of designing some card baseboard kits (made from mounting board, well braced) which I think I'm going to make in 2' x 1' modules to start with...I'll post updates on here to let you know how I get on! They'll be light, strong and cost effective. I'm also thinking about fitted backscenes and presentation arches to suit.

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Your layout is very impressive with some inventive track formation to the fiddle yard.

Well done so far Gareth and as the saying goes "where there's a need there's always a way". 

 

I add this to my ones to follow list and to accompany your 7mm layout build.

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Good to hear from you Mark, and hope you're well. I've made a little progress on the O gauge layout, but I've spent quite a lot of time on commissions...plan to do a bit less in the new year. I'll update soon, and I have a new terraced house kit nearly ready. 

 

All the best to you and yours for a happy and healthy 2021.

 

Cheers, G.

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Jim..always interested to learn from someone else's ideas, so very grateful for the pics. I'm looking at a die cut or CNC cut solution, so I can produce an accurately repeatable square and rigid module. Of course the design has to be right, so lots of planning and prototypes to make. I'll post updates, and thanks for your input

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks Jim.

 

If I needed reminding why I moved up to 7mm scale, cutting chairs in half for the check rail certainly provided it: more on the floor than on the bench, and several more pinging off as I tried, with maximum magnification, to fit them in place. Railway modelling is not supposed to be this close to extreme violence, but having resisted the urge to launch the lot into the field, we got there in the end. Now for some sparky bits and see if we can get some movement.

 

check.jpg

Edited by Gareth001
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On 30/12/2020 at 15:21, Gareth001 said:

.......and I have a new terraced house kit nearly ready. 

Sounds interesting Gareth I look forward to seeing it when ready.   I'll have to see where I may be able to fit one in my scenic build.

 

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  • RMweb Gold

The first little waddle of the Peckett across the yard. It really is a lovely piece of work by Hornby, and with a bit of fettling runs smoothly over the recycled pointwork. Point control next, which is again going to be courtesy of old bits and pieces from the back of the cupboard: this time some servos courtesy of Heathcote Electronics. Dangerously close to playing trains, or would be if I had any rolling stock. The wagon in the background is all there is at the moment!

 

 

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On 06/01/2021 at 11:40, Gareth001 said:

 

w9.jpg

 

I'm interested in that fiddle yard, to line up on all tracks surely the pivot point needs to move, maybe along a slot cut in the top sheet (an arc?).

 

The sector-traverser is invented! - or maybe re-invented?

 

Edited by SZ
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Hello SZ.

I'm sure Gareth will answer your query but I notice that the traverser tracks are curved at the ends.  That is to ensure that they align when pivoted so you should have nothing to worry about..

 

 

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1 hour ago, Barnaby said:

I'm sure Gareth will answer your query but I notice that the traverser tracks are curved at the ends.  That is to ensure that they align when pivoted so you should have nothing to worry about...

 

 

I think that works only with near parallel entry tracks.

 

The closer the entry tracks converge the closer the pivot point needs to be to the entry point, eventually crowding out the possibility of having multi-tracks on the sector plate. Which is why some traverse movement on the plate is needed.

 

Edited by SZ
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  • RMweb Gold

Hi SZ....all the tracks do line up (very closely) from a single pivot point. Some aspects are slightly better than others (see pics below), but the angle is close enough that even the little Peckett runs over at a crawl, with a wheelbase of only about 22mm. There isn't any noticeable "kink" as trains run across...I say trains, but I only have one wagon so far! It's saved me about 6" on the length of the layout....important on one this tiny. It all works reliably with the microswitches isolating and energising the tracks as they line up. I don't think it's a new idea.

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Bit more wiring done today while I should have been working.

In the general spirit of using up any old bits I can find, the point actuators are made of a bit of rail running through the brass bits cut out of terminal strips and soldered to brass strip, simply driven by a servo. The end of the rail works a microswitch to change the polarity of the frog. Bit Heath Robinson, but it works.

 

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