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City Basin Goods


D1059
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My previous layout - Totnes (a few pics appeared on this forum) is now no more. I'd run into a dead end developing it, couldn't get the buildings right (apart from a superb model of the signal box built for me by a club member) so the layout has been dismantled, and the bedroom in which it resided kitted out as a proper modelling room rather than a modelling area shoehorned in around a layout.

Having operated quite a few different layouts at exhibitions over the years I've decided to have a go at building one of my own. One of the most fun layouts I've operated is East Dock, a minimum space dock shunting layout in EM, built by a fellow Abingdon MRC member; so after a lot of thought I've decided on a shunting operation, larger than a minimum space challenge type layout, but small enough to be kept assembled at home.

The trackplan (as it stands at the moment) is shown below. Size is 7' * 18". It doesn't show too well, but the right hand end beyond the viaduct has a scenic break hiding the 2 fiddle yard sidings/or cassettes

City%20Basin.jpg


It is set in the late 1960's and will be WR hydraulic era based. It will portray an urban goods only freight terminus with

Fuel terminal
NCL sundries depot
BR parcels depot
Private aggregates siding (offstage via transfer siding) with ex BR industrial shunter
Either a domestic coal yard or a small cement depot (leaning towards a cement depot having seen the new Farish Presflos)

The biggest challenge for me will be to use auto couplers with delayed action - I've been playing with MBD's and they seem to do the job. Got to work out how to convert all the current locos and stock though

The trackplan was designed using XtrkCad and I've been shuttling virtual trains around working out where to place the magnets.

Next step is to build a quarter scale mock up of the layout. Can't decide whether to model the viaduct as an operating railway or as disused with a span missing over the parcel depot throat. What do you think would look better ?


STEVE

Edited by D1059
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Hi mate.

This looks promising.

As for the viaduct. Look at it this way. Dissused is an exersise in scenic modeling with rusty and over grown track with perhaps a decrepid set of bufferstops and a rusty old bit of temperary corrigated iron fencing at the missing span with the truncated track used as a cripple road for rotting old stock maybe with a bunch of kiddies building a "camp" in say a knackerd old brakevan or utility van. If you model it as an in use line then its a place to park a bit of passenger stock at a red signal with the driver on the phone calling the box to find out what the hold up is. Scope here for the odd passinger leaning out of open a window to get a beter view etc. Either way has possibilitys.

Look forward seeing your progress. :)

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Thanks - I like the idea of the cripple road leading to a missing span. Maybe a signal post with missing arm. Must'nt overdo the decay though. Most major lines that closed in the 60's had only been out of use for a few years by the end of the decade.

 

 

STEVE

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Hi Steve,

 

Looks like it will be an interesting layout to operate.

 

As for couplings have you considered DG's I've used them in 4mm and 2mm and they work very well in both scales. In N/2mm they can sometimes be pushed into the slots that the RTR couplings pull out of, just need to be secured with a drop of superglue. The aren't as fiddly to put together as they look.

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Hi Steve,

 

Looks like it will be an interesting layout to operate.

 

As for couplings have you considered DG's I've used them in 4mm and 2mm and they work very well in both scales. In N/2mm they can sometimes be pushed into the slots that the RTR couplings pull out of, just need to be secured with a drop of superglue. The aren't as fiddly to put together as they look.

 

Hi - thanks. I've tried to make shunting tricky, but plausible.

 

I'm playing with some MBD couplings from the N Gauge Society Shop, which are similar to DG's and supposedly will couple to them as well, but can be made with just a hold and fold- no soldering. Doubtless I will post about them in due course.

 

STEVE

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That's a rather neat looking tester model you have made there. Has it shown anything that you are going to modify?

 

Hi - still mulling it over. I'm fairly certain the track layout will be OK as I've been playing with XTrkCad for a year. One thing that did stand out is the height of the fuel storage tanks. The ones on the mock up are scaled to around 40'. I think this will be too high and will compromise the sight lines to the sidings beyond when viewed from the front.

 

 

STEVE

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I think it adds an extra dimension to a layout if there are obstructions that the viewer has to look round, a bit like the real thing where you can never get the view you want! It will make the viewer look a bit harder and around the tanks, as long as there is room between them so catch glimpses.

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That looks rather interesting. Nice mock-up. Is the vertical at the rear the backscene? If so I think I'd be tempted to have it much taller and if possible try and get rid of all the 90 degree bends by using as large a radius curve as possible. Just my 2 cents of course.

 

Cheers

Dave

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That looks rather interesting. Nice mock-up. Is the vertical at the rear the backscene? If so I think I'd be tempted to have it much taller and if possible try and get rid of all the 90 degree bends by using as large a radius curve as possible. Just my 2 cents of course.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

Hi- yes the vertical screen will be the backscene. I'll have to see if curved bends will be possible, but I take your point, they would look better. The baseboard joint will run along the left hand edge of the viaduct which may complicate achieving that.

 

Height is yet to be determined - it will depend on the chosen height for the legs. I want to operate the layout from either front or back to cater for exhibition use or at home.

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That looks rather interesting. Nice mock-up. Is the vertical at the rear the backscene? If so I think I'd be tempted to have it much taller and if possible try and get rid of all the 90 degree bends by using as large a radius curve as possible. Just my 2 cents of course.

 

Cheers

Dave

agree, have you considered to angle the road a bit you could make the backscene into a smoother 's' shape then, have the road nearer the r/h side of the front view and nearer the l/h side at the rear - about 45 or maybe 60 degrees rather than 90 to the main board, as it looks like enough space to do that?

edit:

oops just read its another railway not a road, it could still go accross at an angle though?

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Looks very prmising, and the mockup seems a great way to ensure that the thing feels right. I would just echo Wordsell's comments about the fuel tanks; personally I like to see trains in the secnery, being part of it and not just in front of it, and the tanks will provide depth to the layout.

 

Good luck with it,

 

G

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Great mock up, I could never get around to building a model like that. Good luck

 

Total build time, including finding and cutting some bits of ply was about 4-5 hours, certainly something that could be done over a weekend. Its just scraps of wood and old business cards - stuff that was lying around.

 

STEVE

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agree, have you considered to angle the road a bit you could make the backscene into a smoother 's' shape then, have the road nearer the r/h side of the front view and nearer the l/h side at the rear - about 45 or maybe 60 degrees rather than 90 to the main board, as it looks like enough space to do that?

edit:

oops just read its another railway not a road, it could still go accross at an angle though?

 

Which track do you mean - not quite sure from the description ?

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Looks very prmising, and the mockup seems a great way to ensure that the thing feels right. I would just echo Wordsell's comments about the fuel tanks; personally I like to see trains in the secnery, being part of it and not just in front of it, and the tanks will provide depth to the layout.

 

Good luck with it,

 

G

 

Thanks - I don't have to decide the height just yet, so will leave this on hold. ISTR that Faller do a tank farm kit - anyone know how tall the tanks are ?

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Which track do you mean - not quite sure from the description ?

 

Sorry should have done sketch straight off :rolleyes: ,

post-7-0-48612800-1300833937_thumb.jpg

 

-if you had the bridge going over at an angle rather than square to layout you could have a curved backscene rather than having corners in it was the essence of my post! :lol: - which might look prettier?

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-if you had the bridge going over at an angle rather than square to layout you could have a curved backscene rather than having corners in it was the essence of my post! :lol: - which might look prettier?

 

Cheers

 

That's do-able, I'll have to see if I've got any time this weekend and chop the mock up round a bit.

 

STEVE

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've now made the suggested change to the high level disused line - here's a couple of pics of the line now running at an angle allowing the backscene to curve more gently, rather than 90 degree corners

 

IMG_8354.JPG

 

IMG_8355.JPG

 

IMG_8356.JPG

 

 

STEVE

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  • 5 months later...

After little progress over the summer, moves are now underway to get the baseboards built. A fellow club member has offered to construct them for me. I was happy enough to build my last layout boards as they were permanently mounted round the walls at home and the design was pretty well made up on the fly, but for exhibition work a much higher standard is necessary.

 

One major change to the design since the plan and photos - I've extended it to 8' - the extra foot will be at the right hand end, so now it will consist of 2 * 4'*18" boards. This will overcome or improve several issues

 

1) Easier to store the boards together while in transit

2) Gives more room for the gradient down to the low level cement terminal (definitely cement now as I've ordered 2 packs of Presflos from Maurice at Osbornes)

3) Gives more room in the fiddle yard which opens up the possibility of using cassettes

 

Minus point is that I will have to crawl underneath the layout when its up and running in the modelling room, but I've been doing that for the last 10-15 years anyway and should be able to get away with it for many more to come.

 

 

STEVE

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  • 6 months later...

Boards are now complete and track laying commenced last night at the club premises.

 

I'll have to take the camera down on Friday and also replace some of the previously posted shots that vanished when Image Cave went belly up.

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  • 2 months later...

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