Dunnoch

[Bino]

Procrastination is indeed the thief of time.  I say this because this project 'started' 20 years ago and only now as I am in my early 60's that I realise I shouldn't delay much longer. I'm creating this layout topic as an means to spur me into action!

 

As a concept I wanted to represent the Buchanan Street to Aberdeen route circa 1963 with a fictional location somewhere between Dunblane and Perth. The station will be a double track mainline with a loop and branch line. This is very loosely based on Dunblane but I shied away from naming it such.

 

Originally this was going to be a loft layout but my daughter leaving home presented an unexpected bonus (her bedroom). This coupled with growing concern about how much longer i could climb that loft ladder made for an easy decision. The room is approx 14ft x 8ft which is less than I had in the loft but a decent compromise. One side of the room will be the station area (10ft x 3ft) and the other side will be taken up by the storage sidings (10 x  2ft). This leaves an operating well 3ft wide. I'm a little frustrated that half the layout will be taken up by the storage sidings as I would have loved a scenic area for my A4s to storm through. I may develop the branch line to incline and create a scenic terminus above this area but I'm already getting way ahead of myself.

 

The storage sidings will be Peco Code 100 and the Station area I'm hoping to use Peco Bullhead 75 (lottery win permitting).

 

 

There are significant obstacles that I've identified:-

 

Finance : My wife has recently lost her job so I'm recycling as much wood as I can from the loft and trying to be inventive.

Availability: A recent trip to my local B&Q prompted me to ask if they were closing down. Supplies of sheet material were either poor quality of non existent.

Skills: I'm no carpenter or electrician but I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Something's gotta give.

Time: I'm not getting any younger.

 

I hope to post pictures and maybe video of my efforts but progress may be slow. As i tell my wife, the joy is in the journey!

 

Dave

[lmsforever]

Good luck its a good layout on a very good prototype line our B&Q  had only rubbish when I went last bet they will blame it on Covid.

[andytrains]

Try and find a timber merchants. Most are very good and will supply and cut you sheet timber to your specification.

They are not cheap but most will have good quality sheet timber. If not in stock they will be able to source.

Personally I would not use B&Q for timber as most of it is warped or full of knots. Their Plywood is very poor quality, (well that I have looked at in my local stores).

Layout looks exciting with A4's and perhaps A1 and A2's whizzing past with also the occasional A3?

[Bino]

First steps.

 

The frame for the Storage Sidings is done.

 

It's tempting to start laying track but I'm going to press on with the framework as it's noisier work and I cant really be disturbing everyone into the night.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Bino

[Bino]

Some good progress has been made with the framework. I’m fairly pleased with the results although close scrutiny would prove embarrassing. The short end ‘bridges’ still to be adddd once I calculate the maximum radius I can get away with. The storage sidings will take one loco with a rake of six coaches in both directions. This will be the A4s with various shorter trains taking up the other 8 lines. Next step will be laying the storage sidings.

[Dixie Dean]

Well it's certainly taking shape.  Looking forward to travelling with you!

 

[Ian Smeeton]

Look closely at your fiddle yard plan.

 

Curved points on the entrance/exit can increase the length available, and rather than going for a ladder type in each direction, try splitting the approach tracks. Consider  Use of Kickback sidings for extra trains.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[Bino]

On 03/09/2021 at 23:07, Ian Smeeton said:

Look closely at your fiddle yard plan.

 

Curved points on the entrance/exit can increase the length available, and rather than going for a ladder type in each direction, try splitting the approach tracks. Consider  Use of Kickback sidings for extra trains.

 

Regards

 

Ian

Thanks Ian, all good advice.

 

I’ve had bad experiences with curved points in the past but I’ll look again at the fiddle yard.

[Bino]

Here I've revised the fiddle yard design to, not only increase the capacity for longer trains but, increase the number of trains I can park. I know that sometimes a plan on paper (or in this case Anyrail) does not always translate to the boards but I've laid it out using printed templates and it looks as if it will work.

 

As always, comments welcomed 

[RobinofLoxley]

Did you consider 3-way points at the entrance to the 'fiddle yard' left hand end? The highly curved 25/33 degree points I had some trouble with so for my new layout I redesigned to use Streamline turnouts where the sharper radius is about 22 degrees.

Also no 'hidden' link between the two halves of the yard.

[Bino]

2 hours ago, RobinofLoxley said:

Did you consider 3-way points at the entrance to the 'fiddle yard' left hand end? The highly curved 25/33 degree points I had some trouble with so for my new layout I redesigned to use Streamline turnouts where the sharper radius is about 22 degrees.

Also no 'hidden' link between the two halves of the yard.

I plan to use streamline throughout but didn't consider 3-way points as cost is a factor. I'm trying to use the points I already have and I'll have to spend a fair bit on the curved points.

 

I do plan to introduce a connecting crossover between the up and down lines of the fiddle yard.

[Bino]

Some progress to report. The boards have all been laid, adjusted, re-adjusted and adjusted again 

The main frustration was that the walls were not true. The hatch was another issue but I'm reasonably happy with the result. Gaps and holes have been filled and sanded awaiting painting.

 

 

[Ben Alder]

Looks great. A flat even base board is the foundation of smooth running track and well worth spending time on.

 

[AndyB]

@Bino can I ask a question about the last photo showing the lifting flap? 

I don't know how far you're going to extend the scenic treatment on the whole layout. But would there be sufficient room for any scenery on that flap when it's up against the wall?

Cheers. Andy

 

[Bino]

23 hours ago, AndyB said:

@Bino can I ask a question about the last photo showing the lifting flap? 

I don't know how far you're going to extend the scenic treatment on the whole layout. But would there be sufficient room for any scenery on that flap when it's up against the wall?

Cheers. Andy

 

Hi Andy. The flap won't be a scenic part of the layout. You quite rightly point out that it sits flush with the wall in the raised position. I originally had intended this to be a lift out section but it was going to be too heavy. As it is, I've used 3mm MDF in 3 sections for the track base. It may be something I return to in the (distant)

future. A single piece of board would look much better.

 

Dave

[Bino]

Boards painted and cork lain on the storage sidings side. Track laid more or less to plan. Next steps will be motorising the points and laying track across the lifting flap. 
 

I’ve decided to go with code 75 on the scenic parts of the layout. Hopefully I’ll have at least one circuit complete by Xmas.

[Bino]

Track laying is well underway on the station area. I’ve postponed fitting the point motors on the storage sidings in an attempt to get trains running before Xmas. Modifying the point work around the station will be next on the agenda.

 

 

[Dunalastair]

Any progress @Bino?

 

I tried a model of Dunblane in N in my teens back in the seventies, set just before the Callander line closed. I lived in Dunblane at the time, and would have caught the train to Callander for school, had it still been open. There was talk of the SRPS taking it on, but that came to nothing and we trundled up the road in a fleet of blue Lodekas instead. Not so good for homework ...

[Bino]

On 18/07/2023 at 19:25, Dunalastair said:

Any progress @Bino?

 

I tried a model of Dunblane in N in my teens back in the seventies, set just before the Callander line closed. I lived in Dunblane at the time, and would have caught the train to Callander for school, had it still been open. There was talk of the SRPS taking it on, but that came to nothing and we trundled up the road in a fleet of blue Lodekas instead. Not so good for homework ...

Funny enough, I grew up in Stirling and also travelled to school on a Lodeka! I was told by someone at Model Rail Scotland a few years back that the SRPS had an option to save the Callander line but didn't persue this.

[Dunalastair]

I'm sure that there were issues, not least finance, and it might have been a stretch too far, but I do like the idea of 419 simmering in the island platform at Dunblane, exchanging passengers with a 101. Callander was and is a popular tourist destination so it might have worked. I would imagine that us spotty schoolkids would have been given suitably tatty rolling stock to ride in. There were pupils in the school boarding houses at Callander during the week when I was there who would have caught a daily train from Killin in the old days.