Koncová Lhota

[JBr]

Since I mentioned my first micro layout in CloggyDog's thread a while ago, I decided to provide more information about it in its own separate thread.

 

Back in 2010 I started working on a layout that eventually turned out to be too big a bite to chew (especially after my daughters were born). When we moved from our former flat to the current house, the layout remained packed in the garage until last July, when I finally took it and tore it apart, salvaging all the usable parts (it was actually meant to be temporary, so most of the tracks, points, signals or DCC electronic modules were placed in a way to be easily removed).

 

I was not out of contact with the model railroading world entirely, as I live just about 1,5 km by air from the guys from SDV Model (who produce TT scale kits of the Czechoslovak/Czech rolling stock and H0 scale car and armour kits) and I do cooperate with them from time to time thanks to my other hobby (I am also designing and selling decals for plane model kits). Occasionally I had an urge to build something train related, but I pretty much resisted until last summer, because I didn't want to start some other unfinishable big project and I couldn't find any inspiration for something smaller. By a coincidence I came across this video from the Budget Model Railways YouTube channel just after I dismantled my former layout -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDqQxj4zPUc. Track scheme of the switching layout from the video was finally something that was close to our locale (British/American stations usually used in most micro layouts are very far from what we are used to in CZ). Everything went wild at that moment Over the period of 5 days (mostly using some free moments kids gave me during the day and in the evening/early night) I made my own version of the micro switching layout from the video. Of course, I changed the scale to TT and made it look "local".

The final size of the layout is 100 x 20 centimeters and it portrays a small branch line terminus somewhere in the Czech Republic. Given the size I had to make some compromises, but I tried to get it as close to the real life as possible. Including creating a backstory for all the layout features...

 

Welcome to Koncová Lhota (I guess English name "Endville" could have a similar meaning). A long time ago, there was a small loco shed housing a little steam engine in the station, but it was eventually torn down, leaving just a siding with an ash pit. The siding was disconnected from the station and partially removed some time later, leaving just the point forever locked in one direction. The point was finally removed not long ago and replaced by a regular piece of track (that's why part of the main track is ballasted with fresh grey stone -- the point used to be there). The old disconnected siding is still there but it is now rusty and slowly disappearing in the vegetation. The water crane next to the station's headshunt is now the only remainder of the steam era, used only when a pleasure steam train comes to the station from time to time. The old manual departure semaphore was replaced by the light signal at the same time as the loco shed point was removed. Its remains are patiently waiting for some railway museum to take good care of them.

 

Passenger trains are serviced by class 810 railbuses, with the exception of weekends when some of the trains are serviced by a loco with a double-decker coach. Loading track at the station is used to load freight cars with wood. The cars are then taken by the freight train to the main station at the other end of the branch line. Occasionally the freight train brings in a loaded coal car.

 

I intentionally made the layout epoch universal, so it can be used with multiple epoch rolling stock (basically any time between late 1980s and today). So, with the rolling stock I own, I can create multiple fleets for various time frames. Late 1990s/early 2000s fleet with the red Czech Railways (ČD) class 810 railbus(es) and (in my case) any of the Goggles 750/754 or Grumpy 749 for both freight and passenger trains. 2010s fleet can use both red and corporate scheme 810 railbuses, ČD Goggles or Grumpy for passenger trains and ČD Cargo Goggles/class 742 for freight trains. And If I had some ČSD cars/locos I could even make a 1980s fleet.

 

The minimalistic version of the rolling stock fleet just needs a ČSD/ČD railbus and two freight cars. In such case some of the trains are run as mixed passenger/freight trains (which was a regular practise at some branch lines in the Czech Republic even in early 2000s).

 

For operation purposes I attach approx. 60 cm long two track fiddle yard, which allows me to keep both railbus and freight train on tracks at the same time and also switching operations when the trains needs to drive outside the station.

 

Construction of the station module itself is very simple, points are operated manually using rods under the base and the only wiring is from the connector to the tracks and from a 9V battery hidden inside the module to the station lights, LEDs in the station building and the light signal. I only had to buy the tunnel portal and the electric switches, all the other material comes from my old reserves (I was quite a hoarder when I was single, but it changed since I got married :D) or was salvaged from my old layout.

 

In retrospect, I would gladly shorten the headshunt by few cm in exchange for a bit longer station tracks, but well... 

 

[Vecchio]

Nice feature with the new signal already working and the old semaphore type still there, waiting to be carried to the scrap yard (or preservation railway).

Edited February 4, 2019 by Vecchio