First steps in 0 gauge now for sale

[Steve Purves]

I suffer from a low modelling mojo because of my day job so I was thinking about something completely different. At this point I was offered a quantity of 0 gauge locos and stock which I feel will be different enough to motivate me. The stuff is all from the Midland/LMS around the time of the grouping. My interest lies more with earlier Midland pregrouping stock so a couple of the locos will be finished off in their earliest possible condition (an 0-4-4 tank and a 4f) whilst the other two I have not decided yet to keep to run a second period when the fancy takes me (a jinty and a 2p)

With regards to a layout, I have never built anything in 0 before so I am unsure of a start point. I have a single garage to work with, I prefer modelling real locations and have a desire to stay with the Midland Railway. I currently have not found a plan that tickles my fancy so am open to suggestions on that front!

[muddys-blues]

Hello 47845, welcome to 7mm modelling, what are the dimensions of the garage you have at your disposal ?

 

best regards

Craig.

[Steve Purves]

Its a standard single. I think 18ft by 6ft (to rear door). I think a reasonable starter for ten?

[BG John]

If you're unsure where to get started, how about building a quick and simple shunting puzzle or similar while you're thinking about what you want? It's somewhere to run some of your stock, and to get used to the size of O gauge. It can be done very cheaply, using materials you have lying around, and you can knock up some quick track using secondhand Peco OO code 100. A traverser or sector plate saves space, and avoids the need for points. It's what I did with my Cheapside Yard, although that was to get me started with O-16.5 as well as O.

[Nearholmer]

6ft wide sounds pretty narrow for a garage, most are 8ft+ unless pre-WW2, so I would check that dimension.

 

It will be crucial to deciding whether you can get a U or circuit in. At 6ft, you would be pushing your luck in nominally finescale 0.

 

Ifyoudofindthatyouneed to cope with quite tight radius curves, four foot radius or below, let us know, because I can offer advice on how to get away with it without suffering buffer-lock or having 0-6-0 locos jam-up. 4-4-0 and 0-4-4T are lovely engines for sharp curves, so the 2P and the Johnson tank ought to be worth hanging onto.

 

My main layout thread shows how much squashed-in 0 fits in a single garage, and although it I use coarse track/wheel standards, with a bit of care I could have achieved almost the same with finescale.

 

Kevin

[Steve Purves]

There is an access door in the back wall which may cause a headache. I was thinking a full Length terminus to fiddle that tapers out at one end for a bit of room for shunting

[Nearholmer]

A lifting flap would get you past the door.

 

K

[Steve Purves]

I did think that but have never tried it before. I have sold most of my N and 00 collection so far to fund the move. Is it worth joining the G0G?

[Northroader]

I'd say it's worth joining GOG if only for the quarterly gazette, which is fully comparable to other model mags, with good news on all the trade releases. There's also a sequence of shows and trade fairs, which as they're specialist rarely get a mention on here, with a pile of traders. E.g. Reading trade fair 10/12/16, Bristol GOG show, 22/1/17, both good outings. Most get a bring and buy stall, and an executor and trustee stall, both good for finding odds and sods. Then there's a network of O gauge nutters meeting within reach of wherever you live. All in all, well worth it.

[Steve Purves]

Well a good day at Warley if a brief visit. Joined the guild, picked up some bits I had bought and found a couple of gems hiding away too...

 

Midland Johnson 1P. To be painted

 

A Very heavy 4f with inside valve gear

 

the lucky find of the day was this lovely little 1116a with inside motion

 

and this rather fine bogie bolster ex Parrot/warflat

 

Now I definately need to build a layout!

[Guest]

Well a good day at Warley if a brief visit. Joined the guild, picked up some bits I had bought and found a couple of gems hiding away too...

 

Now I definately need to build a layout!

 

You're gonna struggle to fit that lot into an APA box, Steve. Good luck!

 

[Andrew P]

Some great buys there Steve, I hope you found a MOJO in one of those boxes as well, I'm looking forward to your project.

[Steve Purves]

You're gonna struggle to fit that lot into an APA box, Steve. Good luck!

 

Hi Pete! Hope you are well bud, I've been a long time lurking now, I think the only APA's in this incarnation will be as stock boxes... how novel, to actually use them for storage!

Copped my first glimpse of Croydon North Street the other week whilst working at the Great Electric train show... lovely layout that. Looked even better in the flesh as it were

[MarshLane]

I did think that but have never tried it before. I have sold most of my N and 00 collection so far to fund the move. Is it worth joining the G0G?

 

 

Welcome to O gauge!  You'll find you'll enjoy it once you get started!  I was going to say, well worth doing the GOG, but I see you already have!  Some nice acquisitions there.  You were talking about possible trackplans ... do you have any specific area of the Midland you like, or are you more into goods workings than passenger?  Just trying to get some ideas of what you are aiming for, and we might be able to throw some possibly plans your way.

 

Rich

[Steve Purves]

Welcome to O gauge! You'll find you'll enjoy it once you get started! I was going to say, well worth doing the GOG, but I see you already have! Some nice acquisitions there. You were talking about possible trackplans ... do you have any specific area of the Midland you like, or are you more into goods workings than passenger? Just trying to get some ideas of what you are aiming for, and we might be able to throw some possibly plans your way.

 

Rich

I think I am more interested in the freight side of things. I like idea of shunting in 0 gauge. I think I would like a small passenger station too, just enough for a couple of coaches and a loco. A typical BLT

[Guest]

...A typical BLT

 

I've had this Iain Rice plan on my hard drive forever, filed away in the "things I'd like to do one day" folder. I don't know where I got the plan from, so can't link to it, I can only add the image here. Apologies for any copyright issues, so mods please remove if need be.

 

 

It does seem to tick all your boxes, Steve. I know it's drawn with OO gauge 12" grid squares, but I reckon you'd get the scenic section into 10 feet (ish).

[brossard]

I'm in the process of building a 12' 7mm layout for a friend.  He saw an OO layout in a recent BRM "Drewry Lane" which seems to be about right.  The thing I'm finding is that Peco medium turnouts (the smallest they do) require quite a long lead to get the 6' right.  This is something to beware of.  The builder of Drewry Lane used all Peco small rad. turnouts.  I've been trying out Peco OO turnout templates blown up to 7mm (190% is correct).  Using small rad turnout templates looks encouraging.  Of course you can't buy these so I'll be making them.

 

You got some great finds there, is there a "green with jealousy" button?

 

John

[Brinkly]

I've fancied building that plan in 4mm Pete. 

 

Good luck with your project, I will follow with interest.

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick.

[Nearholmer]

I can't recall which of Mr Rice's books that plan is in either, but I do remember that it was inspired by SECR suburban termini, Caterham amongst them.

 

My prediction is that, with an H class due in r-t-r 00, it is a plan that will become very popular.

 

The core of it is an island platform, with a runaround one side, and a "bay" the other, and I've got exactly that into 8ft in 0, using 38" radius points, and can run medium-sized tank engines round 3x48ft coaches. I use coarse wheel and track standards, but I would wager money that you could do exactly the same in ordinary fine-scale, provided that you made (or had made by Marcway, say) the points. So, 10ft is ample, but possibly not with standard Peco points ........... something to check using templates.

 

Kevin

[Northroader]

The Iain Rice plan given is built around a double track approach to the station, looks impressive, but no real need if you're coming straight out of a fiddle yard. If you did a single line approach, or do away with the first point off the fiddle, so the main and loop go into the fiddle, the trackwork at the left hand half could be simplified no end, especially the slips, and the overall length reduced, and you'd still have a good layout for your needs.

[Steve Purves]

I agree. I like the Rice plan but it looks over complicated for the scale of the station. Simplified to a single track and moved 100 miles north and I think it holds promise. There was a layout I spied in one of the guild publications I looked at. I think it was called Stackton Binge? It had a lovely flow to it. Any ideas?

[Northroader]

Yes, looks good. If you're stuck for space, you could trim right hand end and bring down to eight feet, but you're starting to lose the flowing curves you like. I'm putting in a link so people understand what we're going on about. One of the benefits of GOG. SMALL LAYOUTS.>>>>http://www.gauge0guild.com/small_layouts_1-02.pdf<<<< SMALL LAYOUTS!!!!!!

[Happy Hippo]

I've had this Iain Rice plan on my hard drive forever, filed away in the "things I'd like to do one day" folder. I don't know where I got the plan from, so can't link to it, I can only add the image here. Apologies for any copyright issues, so mods please remove if need be.

 

rice_008.jpg

 

It does seem to tick all your boxes, Steve. I know it's drawn with OO gauge 12" grid squares, but I reckon you'd get the scenic section into 10 feet (ish).

If you call the grid squares 20" instead of 12", then you won't go far wrong.

 

The drawing is from Iain Rice's Design's for Urban Layouts and was described as 'Majoring on Minories'.

[Happy Hippo]

I'm in the process of building a 12' 7mm layout for a friend.  He saw an OO layout in a recent BRM "Drewry Lane" which seems to be about right.  The thing I'm finding is that Peco medium turnouts (the smallest they do) require quite a long lead to get the 6' right.  This is something to beware of.  The builder of Drewry Lane used all Peco small rad. turnouts.  I've been trying out Peco OO turnout templates blown up to 7mm (190% is correct).  Using small rad turnout templates looks encouraging.  Of course you can't buy these so I'll be making them.

 

You got some great finds there, is there a "green with jealousy" button?

 

John

John,

 

You can download the Peco 7 mm scale  turnouts free from their website:

 

http://www.peco-uk.com/page.asp?id=pointplans

 

There was a sample of the new Peco 'set track' 0 gauge point in the Peco cabinet at Warley over the weekend, which looks promising.  

 

they just need to get their skates on and get it made, as it will probably go like hot cakes for those starved on space and not worried about the Cornish Riviera thundering through their shunting plank

[Nearholmer]

I know nuffink about the Midland Railway, but have always thought that Dursley Station in Gloucestershire would make a great layout for a person with greater interest in goods than passenger operation, and it had a superb backdrop of factory-scapes.

 

It might be too long for your needs, but could definitely be shortened without losing the essence, to give a layout a bit similar to one called, I think, Olney, built many years ago by Colin French, a member of my local club, who knows a lot about 0 gauge in tiny spaces. [Yes, its on p37 of that link given by Northroader]

 

Kevin