A wee bit of help

[Gremlin99]

Hi guys and gals

 

I'm a total newbie here so please be nice!

 

I've been getting back into model railways over the last two years having had a trainset etc as a kid, building up a collection of stock, but I've just been able to run them on temporary layouts laid out on the kitchen table.  Obviously this isn't so satisfactory! 

 

To that end I've just acquired a shed for the garden measuring 9x6 ft.  The internal dimensions are a little smaller (take roughly 4-5 inches off).  I've been playing about with layout ideas but nothing is grabbing me hence my call for help!

 

So...

 

It's OO Gauge and no particular era (rule 1!) but most of my stock is small steam tank engines and a couple of diesel shunters (a pair of Hornby Sentinels) so I'm looking at 40's-70's (nice and broad!)

 

I like to shunt stuff around so I definitely need space for something like an inglenook based shunting/goods area.  I've also got a young nephew (who's not going to get his hands on things yet!) so I'd like a single line of continuous run so he (and I) can sit and watch the trains go by.  That being said, the main part should be about the goods area, the continuous run is something I'd like as I go forward.  I've been really inspired by some of the small shunting layouts on here (particularly dig "No Place" since I saw it in BRM).  My thought is a shunting area as a "module" with a continuous single line to bring stuff in/take stuff out.

 

I'm a freight guy more than a passenger person.  I have an addiction to wagons, especially smaller Private Owner types and hoppers.  I am not bothered about much in the way of coaching stock but a platform for an auto train or a bubble car would be cool.

 

Here's a list of the locos I have at the min

 

Hornby J50

2 x J94 (Both Hornby: United Steels and Lord Phil)

A Hornby Peckett (Lilleshall)

Hornby Pug 

A Railroad Jinty

A pair of 14xx (The Warley ltd one and an ancient Airfix model)

A Wrenn 0-6-0 "North Thames Gas"

An IOW Terrier named Newport (I think this is a modified Hornby model but it's in a Dapol box...)

Fowler 4F 

 

So I have had a few fiddles but I really could do with some inspiration as I'm kinda losing the will right now!

 

I'm initially going to go with DC but DCC appeals in the future (but I can't afford to chip all those locos!).  

 

Lastly, I'm not sure whether to have three main baseboards making a "U" shape (giving me space to make a scene and a small fiddle yard and an operating well) or a larger baseboard of about 7.5x4 ft that I can situate more or less in the middle (well with a 4 ft side shoved up against one of the 6ft walls).

 

Hopefully I've given enough information!  I've seen how many questions folk ask others making this kinda thread!

 

Phil

(Yes, that *is* why I bought Lord Phil... How could I not?)

Edited August 23, 2018 by Gremlin99

[The Johnster]

A U shaped layout with a lifting section for the door and continuous running is probably the way to go, but there are alternatives. An end to end or terminus to fiddle yard will suit you well if you like shunting, but personally I wouldn't go the Inglenook route; private sidings and a small railway company goods yard will provide you with destinations for wagons broken down in the yard from main line trains and tripped out to the customer's premises.  Perhaps you could use a card system to determine where traffic is going as is common on some US shunting problem layouts.  

 

Keep it simple for running reliability and ease of construction; you want to be up and running fairly quickly to maintain enthusiasm.  I would use set track given the space issue, and hence insulfrog points to simplify the DC wiring; well laid insulfrog track should not provide too many problems with 0-6-0s but some of your 4 wheeled engines might not like it.  Keep everything clean and pickup wipers properly adjusted and you'll be surprised what you can get away with, though!  But take the greatest of care that your baseboards are level and the track is laid dead level and with smooth joins.

[Harlequin]

Hi Phil,

 

In the space you've got it's probably best to run the circuit around the outside with a central well.

 

You could have L shaped scenic boards down one long side and across the end but then reduce down just a non-scenic shelf for the opposing L to maximise space. The long arm of the non-scenic L could run through a cassette and you could store other cassettes on shelves above and below it so that you would effectively have a very space-efficient vertical fiddle yard. The short arm of the non-scenic L would lift and would bridge across the doorway (I assume).

Edited August 23, 2018 by Harlequin

[Gremlin99]

Thankyou! My sentinels run ok over my set track insulfrog points when they’ve just been laid on the table so with properly laid track I’d hope they’d be ok..

 

Harlequin: that’s what I was thinking. I like the idea of using cassettes for a “lift out” section. That hadn’t occurred to me. When i’ve Come up with a few more ideas I’ll post and if either of you could tell me what I’m doing wrong I’d be really grateful!

 

Thanks again

[Gremlin99]

So I had a wee bit of a play about and came up with this.  Thoughts?  

 

It basically (hopefully) gives me somewhere to bring a train in, loco retreats to be serviced, second loco shunts wagons into new order, old loco comes back and takes wagons away.  Alternatively, outer line is a quarry or mine type line.  Loco brings full wagons into exchange.  Mainline loco comes from spur and takes the full wagons away.  Meanwhile industrial shunts empties and prepares to take them round to the bottom where there's cassettes to swap things around. 

I figure I've got some operating potential, and I can still have a continuous run of whatever bits I want to.

 

Thanks again!

 

Phil

[DCB]

So I had a wee bit of a play about and came up with this.  Thoughts?  

 

 

It basically (hopefully) gives me somewhere to bring a train in, loco retreats to be serviced, second loco shunts wagons into new order, old loco comes back and takes wagons away.  Alternatively, outer line is a quarry or mine type line.  Loco brings full wagons into exchange.  Mainline loco comes from spur and takes the full wagons away.  Meanwhile industrial shunts empties and prepares to take them round to the bottom where there's cassettes to swap things around. 

I figure I've got some operating potential, and I can still have a continuous run of whatever bits I want to.

 

Thanks again!

 

Phil

What happens after the old loco takes the wagons away?.   I think you need to think the operation through a bit more. 

I would use the whole 8ft 6" X 5ft 6" with a U shape with a lifting flap across the door.  One side scenic and one as a fiddle yard works for DCC operation, maybe use some cassettes as part of the main lines, about 4ft long is managable and you could keep quite a few on shelves with different locos and trains on.See pic as a concept.

 A flap can work well if engineered properly with car bonnet hinges you can lift it one handed, step through and replace it in about 15 seconds. we can with ours across a shed doorway and it has about 9 tracks across the two ends.  

[FraserClarke]

How about running the main line round the back, having the exchange sidings/loop inside, and then running a tighter 'industrial' line round to some industry. You could have the shunting/inglenook aspect on the industry side..   Attached image is a rather inelegant version which would benefit from considerable refinement!

I hid some storage roads behind the industry site, but access might be too tough there... depends on the height of the layout probably...

Deepest board is 2ft..

 

[Gremlin99]

Thanks guys. These are exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. I’ll keep playing. Thanks for your help.

What happens after the old loco takes the wagons away?.   I think you need to think the operation through a bit more. 

I would use the whole 8ft 6" X 5ft 6" with a U shape with a lifting flap across the door.  One side scenic and one as a fiddle yard works for DCC operation, maybe use some cassettes as part of the main lines, about 4ft long is managable and you could keep quite a few on shelves with different locos and trains on.See pic as a concept.

 A flap can work well if engineered properly with car bonnet hinges you can lift it one handed, step through and replace it in about 15 seconds. we can with ours across a shed doorway and it has about 9 tracks across the two ends.

 

  

How about running the main line round the back, having the exchange sidings/loop inside, and then running a tighter 'industrial' line round to some industry. You could have the shunting/inglenook aspect on the industry side..   Attached image is a rather inelegant version which would benefit from considerable refinement!

I hid some storage roads behind the industry site, but access might be too tough there... depends on the height of the layout probably...

Deepest board is 2ft..