Stakčín - Slovakian Branch Line

[D1023]

A couple of years ago whilst on a eurobash I stayed in a place called Stakčín on the eastern Slovak border with Ukraine. On arrival I found a cargo class 751 shunting the timber terminal and also spent some time watching an open wagon being hand loaded from a lorry in the station yard - a very 1960/70's scene!

 

I can remember thinking this would make a good layout....fast forward a couple of years and a house move meant my British outline layout had to be dismantled and the new house had a converted loft ready for the next project...I had planned to start afresh with 70's BR blue diesels etc but increasingly I wanted to do something different so I have started Stakčín.

 

Stakčín is a typical Czechoslovkian station with four running loops but there are two timber loading sidings, one adjacent to the station and the other is part of the headshunt at the end of the loops. The passenger service is a mix of local hauled and 4-wheel railbuses.

 

The baseboards are done - it will be a permanent fixture - and I have temporarily laid some peco track recovered from my old layout so I can have a play and get a feel for whats possible. I have ordered Tillig track which will replace the peco later this year.

 

I saw Dobříš at the Newbury show back in Feb and got a few good tips of the guys operating it that day.

 

A few pics are below and I will update this thread with progress

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by D1023
lost images

[Supaned]

Watching with interest. 

[Neils WRX]

Just one thought could you put a 3 way point at the far end to extend the loops another coach length? Just an idea to run longer trains.

Which side is your station building going to be?

[D1023]

Just one thought could you put a 3 way point at the far end to extend the loops another coach length? Just an idea to run longer trains.

Which side is your station building going to be?

 

Hi Neil

yes maybe a 3-way point, but I'd like to keep to the prototype trackplan if at all possible, but there are going to have to be compromises on train lengths...

 

Looking at the bottom picture I posted, the station building will be at the far end of the loops on the left (where the track rubber is). One timber siding will be on the far right and the other will be where the photo is taken from. A short scenic/rural area will be the approach to the station from the fiddle yard, which is under the Skiddaw nameplate (replica!)

 

Just wating on the Tillig track delivery so I can get on with it!

[Neils WRX]

Looking forward to seeing progress, must confess to using 2 *3 way points to on my layout to extend the loops in the station.

[Guest]

A fascinating subject and an interesting project. Good luck with it.

One word of caution - I recently ordered a dozen Tillig points direct from Germany and was disappointed that 4 were broken on arrival. The boxes were factory-sealed, so maybe there was a quality control issue. The tiny pin on one or both point blades had broken and the blade had become disengaged from the tiebar. I really do like Tillig pointwork and for a continental prototype, it's a great choice. Hopefully I was just unlucky, but do please check each point carefully when they arrive.

[roundhouse]

Having used TT scale Tiilig on our Smrzovka layout I did find the turnouts fragile and had to replace the blade tie bars but would use them again

Edited April 28, 2017 by roundhouse

[dullsteamer]

I've got some Tillig turnouts on hand for a future project. What's the best way to repair them if they do become damaged?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Guest]

I've got some Tillig turnouts on hand for a future project. What's the best way to repair them if they do become damaged?

 

Mark, in the few years that I've been using Tillig, I've come across 2 problems. One is that they can become distorted over time if not stored dead flat. Once laid, they're fine.

The worst problem is that the tiny, tiny little soldered pin on the underside of each point blade can break off. If that happens, there is no way at all to secure the blades to the tie bar. I did try to resolder one pin but they're absolutely miniscule and I couldn't get the pin in the right place, in fact I could barely see it. I have heard of folk ditching the plastic tie bar and using a copperclad sleeper to solder the blades to. Luckily, the ones that I ordered recently got a good look over and I just sent the broken ones back for replacement. Two of the four replacements arrived broken too!

If your points are ok now, just take extra care when laying them and they should be fine. It does help to turn the point over and use a fine pair of needle-nose pliers or a scalpel blade to make sure the pin is properly bent over against the plastic tie bar. If you don't do this, I'd worry about the blades becoming loose after ballasting which would be virtually impossible to fix.

I do still like Tillig, in my opinion they look terrific, helped in no short measure by the one-piece point blades that flex rather than rely on a hinge.

Good luck.

[dullsteamer]

Good advice which I'll take on board, thanks Pete.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[D1023]

Bit of an update on my project. Most of the Tillig order arrived last week. In the intervening weeks I spent the time weathering some of my stock. I used the same methods I used on my UK outline stuff on my previous layout which was thinned down enamels sponged off as required then drybrushing and fibreglass pen to add effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by D1023
lost images

[D1023]

As I said in previous post, my Tillig track order has arrived - all in working order. Although I have 2 turnouts on backorder - hopefully they wont be too long.

 

As I detest ballasting track I also ordered the styrostone underlay, which seems ok for the flexi track but as the points are so delicate I cant see how you can get them into the underlay without destroying them - is there a knack to this ?

 

Edited September 27, 2022 by D1023
recovered photos

[swisspeat]

I know what you mean about the Tillig ballast.

 

Have you tried heating them with a hairdryer? This usually makes them a lot more flexible and they can then carefully be pushed onto the base of the point.......

 

Pete

[D1023]

Tracklaying started mid July and these pics taken 22 July show initial progress. I found the Tillig track ok to work with, managing to get all the pointwork into the underlay without damaging any them!

 

 

 

Also all stock will be fitted with Kadees, so careful thought was given to where the magnets will go. A shallow 3mm slot was chiselled out for the booster plates.

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by D1023
recovered photos

[D1023]

I the last few days I have finished the tracklaying. All the points are motorised using Cobalt IP digital - which I found straightforward to install once I had got my head around how the elctrofrog works.

 

The single line approach to Stakcin

 

A view of the station with the track to the timber terminal still to be laid

 

Planning the fiddle yard - trackwork here is recovered peco streamline

 

A few pics of the nice Tillig Turnouts

 

 

 

Completed Fiddle Yard

 

A 754 waits to leave for Humenne

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by D1023
recovered photos

[D1023]

A few more photos showing a bit more progress

 

Below: The platforms are built from a laser cut wood/card kit (JM Detail). Then painted and covered with a dark grey scatter I had. They are not fixed in place as yet.

 

 

Below: The back lighting circuit is done. The yard lamps are JM Detail again

 

 

Below : The real Stakčín has two signals, one in and one out. These are made by Němeček. The starter signal is R/G and the inbound signal can show R/G and flashing white. Both are controlled by the Lenz 100 via a ND4 signal decoder made by MTB, which was quite a challenge to set up as the instructions were in Czech!

 

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by D1023
recovered photos

[D1023]

A few more photos to show progress in the last couple of months

 

Pic above : a view showing the backscenes (yet to be fully stuck in place). These are ID backscenes which are a UK landscape but fit the actual Stakčín resonably well. The other backscenes available I found to be too Alpine/Germanic.

 

Pic above : The wood mill and loading terminal. The concrete apron is printed paper and the buildings are scratchbuilt with plasticard and card. They are based on the real thing but a bit freelance too. The logs are by Herpa.

 

Pic above : A view from what will be the station yard looking at a scratchbuilt low relief wood mill building. The yard lamps are a little drunk as they are not fixed as yet. The logging truck is by Herpa.

Edited September 26, 2022 by D1023
recovered photos

[Allegheny1600]

Hi Tim,

Always nice to see something a bit different, especially H0 scale.

Will continue to observe with interest.

Cheers,

John.

[D1023]

A new Lok in the shape of a class 721 'Hektor' shunting/trip engine. My first MTB loco and very impressed.

I need to obtain some transfers somehow to update it to present day ZSSK numbering

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by D1023
recovered photos

[Vecchio]

Looking good. I am sure sourcing the rolling stock is not easy. All the best Vecchio

[Max Legroom]

Just spotted this thread. That's a really interesting layout you've got there and definitely something a bit different.

[D1023]

Looking good. I am sure sourcing the rolling stock is not easy. All the best Vecchio

Thanks. Yes, none of the ZSR/ZSSK coaching stock is currently in production, what I do have was sourced (expensively) from europe via E-bay and I'm still on the lookout for one or two further vehicles.

[D1023]

Another Update..

 

Above: A view of the woodyard with the scratchbuilt industrial buldings now painted and also lit using MicroLeds

 

Above: A scratchbuilt half-relief workshop, based on the real thing

 

Above: In the real Stakčín there is a large house near the woodyard. This does not represent the real building but instead I used a kit by Czech manufacturer 'WEPE' which arrived as an unprinted, grey card kit with very basic instructions and I was a bit disappointed to be honest, but it has gone together really well. I have also detailed the interior and added led lights to some rooms. Eventually it will be surrounded by a fenced garden.

 

Above: a view of the bottom end of the layout with all the required buildings now made. On my last visit to Stakčín the trackwork here resembled an unkept field! I intend to replicate this somehow..

 

Above: A view of the station. The plasticard to the right is the base for the next scratch-building project - the station building and offices. Beyond that is the hardstanding for the station yard loading area.

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by D1023
recovered photos

[D1023]

A couple of phone photos of progress on the station buildings

 

 

 

And the real thing. 

 

[Vecchio]

Building to scale makes huge structures. Looks good.