Track Plan Help Needed

[Sir Madog]

I am currently planning my new layout, but I have run out of ideas. I have searched the web and also this forum - to no avail. Here is what I have in my mind:

• Modern image (Bs Blue Diesel phase)
• "dramatic" urban scenery
• if possible, elevated track

I have only a limited space available. Total layout size cannot exceed 2´ by 6´, with cassette staging possible at both ends, left 2´ and right 4´. The scale is OO scale.

 

As I am new to British outline railway modelling, I appreciate any help!

[zabdiel]

Here's a few links to threads, pictures or posts about layouts that are that sort of size and could probably be adapted to your requirements.

 

Chris Nevard's Cement Quay - 6'6" long, I like the track plan and it could be reused with an elevated line along the back and urban scenery.

Nigel Burkin's Dudley Heath Yard (probably a bit more than 6' long, but has elevated track).

eldavo's Cramdin Yard (original configuration about 6' by 2').

[DavidB-AU]

For something simple but efftive, have a look at Newcastle Haymarket originally built by Ian Futers or a variation on the late Cyril Freezer's classic Minories like Minories GN.

 

Cheers

David

[Dave777]

http://scalescenes.com/southoakroad/?PHPSESSID=397cae8e951830e19549b2591c50fcb1

 

Something else to consider (scroll down that page for the full info).

 

 

[Del]

How about Glasgow Emerald?

(3 mins in), this has been in Railway Modeller.

And there was the Liverpool Overhead-inspired 'Herculaneum Dock' project featured in Model Rail.

[Flying Pig]

I am currently planning my new layout, but I have run out of ideas. I have searched the web and also this forum - to no avail.

The old forum yields a couple: Saffron Street (also here) and Thameside (a modernised Minories). EDIT - I've just found South Oak Road on there too. Another urban gem, Sidney Street, appeared in even earlier versions of RMweb, but the only pictures I can find now are in

.

 

South Oak Road is going to be a beauty and is quite similar to a plan I've been playing with in N. Here's my idea translated to 00 and fitted into the space you describe:

 

 

Essentially, it's one end of a through station, though most of the traffic we see originates from the right hand fiddle yard and terminates. The smaller left hand fiddle yard allows short trip freights to run through for a bit of variety and also provides for running round loco hauled arrivals. Points are Peco large radius and large Y and to maintain the flowing look, none of the curves is tighter than 60" radius (most are 72" or more).

 

With your space, a Class 47 and 3 Mk1s are possible (note how two short cassettes allow the train to overlap into the fiddle yard while the loco runs round, so as not to fill up the platforms too badly), but smaller locos, or two- and three-coach MUs would probably be more appropriate and I'd make these the staple, with a short parcels to spice things up (BG and GUV behind Class 25/31/33 according to region and preference). Fortunately there is now a growing selection of rtr first generation DMUs (or you could go Southern electric with the forthcoming Bachmann 2 EPB and 3H). For further variety, you could imagine the station to be on a cross-city line of some sort (see Saffron Street) and run light engines through to taste.

 

Note how there's only one arrival platform, so every terminating train will need to shunt pretty promptly for departure, or to the middle road to stable. This is deliberate as it increase the number of movements on the layout (though similar situations in real life were just a nuisance!). The middle road can also be used as a through road for locos running round or trip freights if the upper platform is occupied.

 

I imagine the bay to be in use for parcels with BRUTEs clustering on the platform. With an elevated station, the shaft of the parcels lift could make a striking architectural feature - they were often very ornate. An overall roof survives (probably in a semi-derelict condition by the BR blue 1970s) and makes some attempt to disguise the left hand edge of the scenic area (tall foreground buildings will probably be needed too!). For the rest of the station, you can indulge in street-level offices, underpasses and subways to your heart's content. Ian Holmes did some nice work with the Scalescenes one on the old board here (see also here).

 

Enough rambling!

[David Rickard]

I'm watching this with intrigue - I've re-started my layout, as it had spiralled out of control, had horribly poor planning, and was turning into more of a chore than a fun activity. Track was all ripped up, and I've started again! I've built two boards, 700x300mm, which bolt together end-to-end, making a reasonable long shelf-type layout. I'm working in N, so the sizing is probably a little longer than the OP in my case.

 

Played around with XtrkCad a bit, spat the result into Photoshop and prettied it up a bit, and so far have this:

Inspiration was taken from Pallet Lane (Railway Modeller, Jan 2010). I suppose there's shades of Minories in there too, albeit flipped. I like the idea of the split to make a small fiddle-yard behind the scenery (shaded blue). On that side I intend doing some sort of cassette storage too. The right side is to be a false ending (saw that on Cramdin Yard, among others), the idea being that the platform supposedly disappears under the bridge; given time and more space, it could get extended either way. There's a viaduct/bridge in the middle to help with the split for the fiddle yard, and another on the right side to cover the false end.

 

I'm looking at some sort of loco facility top right, a fuelling area bottom left, and a small through station with an island platform. I may make a bay platform out of the short line. My Class 121 (when Dapol release it) could make use of that. Hmmmmmm...

 

 

One requirement was that I made use of the right-handed points I've now got spare (eight of those). I've got three left-handed. They're all Peco Code 55, small. All the track will be, except the fiddleyard, which will be Code 80 small points, as you can fit so much more in!

 

I'm sitting on the idea right now, with the view that I may suddenly see something else that makes me go 'of course!' and I rejig it again. Granted, the layout isn't particularly prototypical, and I'll be 'fouling the main' to get a unit down from the sheds to the fuelling sidings. So comments and suggestions gratefully received.

 

 

[Sir Madog]

Thanks for all your replies - great food for thought!

 

It is back to the drawing board now - turning all these ideas into a workable track plan.

[Sir Madog]

After a not so long period of considering and reconsidering this and that, I have now come up with a layout design, that I quite like. As the track plan is fairly simple, I needed to prepare a side view to get a feeling on what the layout will look like.

 

The result seems promising:

 

 

Have a captured the flavour of a northern city?

[Sir Madog]

Just a quick update.

 

I incorporated some changes to the track plan and also the scenic layout. The key change is the addition of a big train hall to the right side of the layout.

 

Here is the now final plan:

 

[David Rickard]

I rather like that!