HSB Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Hi Howard, I think that's an interesting plan and it holds plenty of varied shunting puzzles, it also does not look overcrowded in the space you have available. I build to 31.5mm have some of Debs 0-MF gauges and very good they are too, is Debs making some more gauges? As there were a few chaps on here who did want some a while back. Good luck with the point building, I thoroughly enjoy building trackwork just as much as building locos and stock. ATB, Martyn. Debs now has all the 0-MF gauges (including a new 0-MF+ roller gauge) currently available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I thought I'd better double check the size of the plan yesterday by counting the 150mm squares and unfortunately found it was very slightly oversize! Only by a few inches each way but enough to make my trackplan no longer fit as drawn. The only way I can get it in is by reducing the radius of the approach curve to the station to 4' 9" although this would still take the track rather close to the wall leaving little room for the retaining wall let alone any other scenery. I can't change the radius of the fiddle yard tracks as I already have the points in stock. This will be a rather sharper curve than I would like for sending passenger stock round and I am not sure if it would be visually acceptable so I'll need to do some experiments and consider this further. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I am now thinking in terms of abandoning the idea of a passenger station and just have a parcels depot and a few freight sidings. My rebuilt LIMA Mk 1s can stay on Ramchester but I do have a liking for non-passenger coaching stock and if I make my 50' LMS BG the longest vehicle they won't look so bad on the tight curves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 I have now modified my last plan to replace the passenger station with a small parcels depot. By eliminating passenger trains I can do away with one of the tracks in the fiddle yard which, ironically, has meant I now have room for a 5' curve after all. It will also save me having to lash out on a couple of DMUs! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
81A Oldoak Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I have now modified my last plan to replace the passenger station with a small parcels depot. By eliminating passenger trains I can do away with one of the tracks in the fiddle yard which, ironically, has meant I now have room for a 5' curve after all. It will also save me having to lash out on a couple of DMUs! west_kirkley_2.png Perhaps you could devise a story based on an early passenger station that was made redundant for passenger traffic by either a later station or duplication at the grouping, but was retained for non-passenger traffic e.g. Witney, Oxon on the East Gloucester branch to Fairford for the former or Oswestry GWR station following the grouping of the Cambrian Railways into the GWR for the latter. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 I was thinking in terms of somewhere like Dewsbury where the Midland Railway only had a freight depot (don't know if there was a parcel depot!) as the LNWR, L&Y and GN already had passenger stations there. A former passenger station would be the other option. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I have had another play. If I settle for slightly less siding space in the fiddle yard I can go back to my earlier station plan with a 5' radius main line. The redesigned fiddle yard will give me three tracks approximately 6' long (long enough for three passenger coaches and a loco) and one track about 4' (long enough for a two-car DMU or a very short goods train). ] 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I have been watching the progress on this layout plan since Howard was "converted" to O gauge. During his regular twice weekly visits to "Ramchester" (see The Ramchester Chronicles" - elsewhere on 7mm+ modelling). He has already re-worked 3 Lima coaches and built an LMS parcels van using a set of "scratch aid" parts and has made a really good job of these. He also has an English Electric Type 1 Bo Bo loco by Heljan and some wagons. He is all set to go! However I hope for purely selfish reasons that he does not start until "Ramchester" is finished as without his help the layout would not be as far advanced as it is. I will of course give him all the hep and support that I can when he does start. Railwayrod 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 (edited) In recent months I have found myself being drawn towards German 0 (or should I say 'Spur Null'). The growing range of superb models from Lenz, MBW and Brawa and my recent trip to the Rhine Valley coupled with disappointment with the inaccuracy of some of the British RTR models to date and the rather long wait for others announced a couple of years ago is leading me to rethink what I want to model. While I have built or reworked a number of wagons and coaches in recent years the novelty is starting to wear off a bit and, unlike many 0 Gaugers, I have absolutely no interest in building brass loco kits! Anyway, I thought I'd see if I could rework the West Kirkley track-plan into something more representative of German practice and after looking at a number of DB station diagrams this is what I have come up with. The curves are a bit tighter than I would like in order to get in a reasonable length of straight track in the station but as the minimum radius for Lenz and MBW locos is around three foot this shouldn't present any problems. Edited September 14, 2014 by HSB 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Hi Howard. I think this plan is a good one and that you should make a start as soon as you can. Work on Ramchester can still continue but at a much slower pace than hitherto so there should not be any reason for you to procrastinate. Onwards and upwards! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Nice plan - now start the build - just extend the platform one third of it's present length to the right to bring the platform length in sync with the length of the FY sidings. The platform would be a "Schüttbahnsteig" anyway. Some more pics here (Disclaimer: not my site). Am looking forward to your building thread. Best of Luck, Christian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Thanks for the comments and the picture links, Christian. The platform would be longer but as the plan was done on Templot it was easier just to draw in the straight part. I haven't yet made a decision on what I am actually going to build as I have several conflicting interests ( and not just in 0)! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 I've recently been drawing up a few plans for a possible German layout in RailwayRod's shed although I think it would make it a little too congested in there when there are a few visitors! I have, however, also tried to see if I could adapt some of the ideas to my own DB layout. I have previously tried to keep the minimum radius to 5' but Continental 0 will go round curves a lot sharper than that and as I only intend to buy fairly short 4 and 6 wheel coaches I have decided to reduce the minimum curve to 4'. After trying various configurations I have finally come up with this one which I really like:- 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) Here we go again! While I like both the previous plans I really didn't like having to have a duck-under and the last plan has the extra complication of having the station throat on top of it and I don't want point mechanisms under the baseboard there. As I'm now leaning very strongly in favour of a DB branch I thought I'd try flipping the last plan over and putting the fiddleyard in the middle of the room so I can then have room for an entry aisle. On the negative side it does mean a very sharp 42" radius curve although this should present no problem for the locos and stock I'm planning to use as they are designed to go round a 3' curve. So here is my latest plan for which I have decided on the name "Bruckenheim":- Edited January 15, 2015 by HSB 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) Hi Howard, I have only just seen this thread, daft question, can the door be reversed to open out onto the landing ? If not, how about fitting a bi-folding door ? if not that can you turn you layout plan through varying 90' angles so there is a possibility of ending up with a lift out curve section "with the least tracks on it by the doorway, and the station section curving along the 12'1" wall into the corner.? Best regards Craig. Edited January 16, 2015 by muddys-blues Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 Hi Craig, I did try looking for bi-fold doors recently but the only one I could find was too wide. They appear to have gone out of fashion! I also considered a sliding door but couldn't find any listed anywhere. There is a window at the bottom of the plan roughly where it says "Bruckenheim" which I don't want to block if I can avoid it. Operating and/or building sessions will normally be in the afternoon and I would like to have as much natural light as possible. I don't really want the complication of a lift-out section and it would be a bit of a pain if somebody needed to use the loo halfway through an operating session! By the way, I have experimented with quite a few alternative plans to the ones I have posted on here. I have only posted the ones which I feel work reasonably well. Before working on the German plans I have looked at a few German station diagrams mainly on this site:- http://www.ralfs-eisenbahn.de/ If I go ahead with this I would like to produce something which looks like a typical DB station rather than a GWR branch-line with German buildings! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 A sliding door or for that matter a folding one would not really help as if the layout was moved forward a duck under would still be necessary . Wouldn't it? As this is a railway room the door could be removed altogether and a curtain put in its place. Rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 link Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 It is quite easy to re-hang the door to open the other way round, and a " lift up" section as in like a bar top in a pub would do the job. That way you could have a larger radius across the top section of the layout, just a thought. Martyn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) Hello, Howard, Here is another site: http://www.sporenplan.nl/html_de/index.html Not only German plans, but also other countries' plans. I like you your plan - could label the station area with some more detail as what is where, please. Best Regards, Christian P.S.: Ask me help with German language is needed. Edited January 16, 2015 by cklammer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 As requested here it is with a bit more infomation:- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) I've also be playing around with this slightly smaller arrangement which has a minimum radius of 4'. Passenger services would probably be provided by a railbus. Although I am now thinking in terms of a German setting this could also work quite well as a Cattewater/Turnchapel inspired layout with a Heljan railbus instead of a Lenz VT98 although the Heljan railbus with plain DC costs almost the same as the Lenz model with DCC and sound! Edited January 17, 2015 by HSB 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
66C Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 As requested here it is with a bit more infomation:- Bruckenheim (walk-in version).jpeg Hi Howard A couple of suggestions: Have you considered turning the plan from this post upside down? That would give you walk past space from the doorway at the end of the fiddle yard and you would be able to increase the radius of the curve by placing the fiddle yard against the wall. If the approach pointwork were started on the curve that would maximise the length of the fiddle yard sidings. Another possibility is to use a sector plate for the fiddle yard - this would give a longer run in the scenic section and potentially allow longer sidings. It would also save on two points in terms of cost and building time. Regards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 I have drawn out several plans with the configuration you suggest, Bill. As I said in an earlier post it will normally be operated in the daytime and I would prefer not to block out too much light from the window so I don't want to put a scenic section across it. The scenery would have to end to one side of the window as in the latest plan I posted with just a plain board in front of the glass which would mean the track heading into a tunnel immediately after negotiating the station throat and I would prefer to be able to shunt without running into the tunnel. The alternative would be to make the station shorter and losing the double loop arrangement typical of many German branch termini. I could increase the radius on the curve to 4' on this plan but it would mean reducing the width of the entry aisle to less than 2' which would mean everybody having to shuffle in sideways! A sector plate could be a possibility for the fiddleyard. In fact, a turntable arrangement might even be possible. Food for thought! Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Hi, Howard, where is the Ladestrasse (that is the area where mass goods like coal, oil etc. would be loaded directly from the trains wagons into customer trucks). Customers would be assigned several hours to unload a wagon have to have finished by a certain point in time, so these spots should not be on any runaround track. Best Regards, Christian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Hi Christian, There are two places. On the first part of the siding leading to the ramp and on the short spur in front of the station building. I have coloured them in grey on this modified plan:- Following 66C's post suggesting a sector plate I thought I'd see if I could get in a revolving fiddleyard. It would be quite easy to fit in one about 6' long although a sector plate would probably be more than adequate for what I need. Also, following a brief test with a couple of tables, I now think an entry aisle 18" wide would suffice which has allowed me to ease the radius of the curve to 45" (the minimum radius of Lenz sectional track is only around 36" so this is quite generous by comparison). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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