Glenhills Great Central Station

[tigerburnie]

Having tried many variations on a theme, I have finally had to accept I do not have space to do justice to an actual GC station in the area I was raised in southern Leicestershire, I do however want to run a GC themed layout and have come up with a hybrid station and yard, taking key points from actual stations, but compressed to allow me to fit the room I have. This will cater for local passenger and mixed freight to work in a manner true to the prototype, I have made a track plan, now need to figure out how to reduce it's size so I can post it on here!

 

[tigerburnie]

 This the mark one version, things may well change once the build begins, first thing is to find out just how much wood costs these days as I would like to build this on a base that would be easily moved/transported.

[5BarVT]

If it’s an option, I would move the crossover as far to the left as possible so that the platform can move clear of the loop connections and the bridge have two track each side.  I think that would increase the GCR feel.

Paul.

Edited September 22, 2021 by 5BarVT
Fingers too fast

[tigerburnie]

It needs to connect to the bridge as the access will be off the bridge, I agree about the connections, but the passing loops were used to allow faster trains pass on the long climb out of Leicester, Whetstone had a passing loop on the up line for this purpose. I hope to move the crossover to the left, I used anyrail and it is a bit restrictive in items of rail available.

[5BarVT]

On 22/09/2021 at 21:36, tigerburnie said:

It needs to connect to the bridge as the access will be off the bridge, I agree about the connections, but the passing loops were used to allow faster trains pass on the long climb out of Leicester, Whetstone had a passing loop on the up line for this purpose.

Didn’t express myself too well!   Moving the platform was to keep the RH loop entrance/exit clear of the platform to allow trains to pass and moving the bridge was to maintain the bridge access to the platform!  It’s not quite 50 years since I was taken to GCR Loughborough when they were still fairly new.

I was intrigued by your comment of the loops allowing faster trains to pass as I had assumed that they were for goods traffic.  A quick look at available signalling records shows that even though they were the slower way through, many loops were passed for passenger traffic.  I’ve also discovered an interesting GCR (possibly LNER) signalling arrangement using a three aspect colour light distant and a semaphore lower distant for the same box (usually it was for a different box), so thank you for pushing me down that path.

Paul.

[tigerburnie]

There's a photo in the book Mainline Lament of a passenger train passing a small freight train waiting in the loop at Whetstone, my memory is of mixed freight traffic stopping at pretty much every station and the WTT I have for the early 1950's seems to support that memory. My plan is to try and mimic the original, but modellers licence just might come into play a bit, one of the main reasons for returning to the GC is the fact that so many types of locos from a range of regions ran on the metals south of Leicester.

[tigerburnie]

Changing this a fair bit, south of Leicester stations like Lutterworth and Whetstone were raised with the access to the platform from under the bridge rather than like the Bachman covered steps going down from an over bridge, track plan will be the same, but up in the air. Need to get this right before I begin.

[tigerburnie]

I would like to get some items made with a 3d printer, but I shalln't need much, so buying a printer is not something I will be doing, is there someone who will print items for you?