Titanius Anglesmith Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Greetings all, This is my first post here and I come seeking your sage wisdom. I have a little experience with my father's layout but otherwise I'm a complete beginner (having said that I do have a background in signalling on a "real" railway........ ) Sadly my dad passed away late last year and left his (eye-wateringly vast ) OO layout and collection to my brother and I. Dad was unashamedly interested in anything from pre-grouping steam to BR diesels, and had no qualms about buying and running a loco just because he liked it. However my childhood memories are rooted in a mainly Midland Railway / LMS layout, so that is where my main interest lies. I would like to build a layout of my own so that Dad's railway can live on in some small way. To begin with I can allocate 6' x 18"-24" for the scenic area; I may be able to extend that later. I appreciate that it's not a huge space. Originally I was thinking about a simple shunting layout (e.g. inglenook), but I wonder if I can fit a small BLT into that space? My ideal would have been a simple two-track through station with goods siding(s) (which certainly seems fore Midland-ish), but beggars can't be choosers. One potential idea was to just model the end of a through station and operate it like a terminus. In case I haven't described that very clearly I intend to upload a few sketches of what I mean. So what say you expert railway builders; shunting-only, BLT or "through-station" terminus? Any advice on what to start with would be appreciated. To summarise, 6' x 18-24" scenic area Must be OO gauge so that I can use Dad's stock. I know that N would offer more opportunities in the space but buying more stock would defeat the object. Doesn't have to be modelled on a particular prototype (Dad's certainly wasn't), but I'd at least like something plausible. As I see this as a continuation of what Dad started, I'm calling this Rule 1A: Dad's railway! I intend to run Midland Railway / LMS stock. I can live with branch-sized trains of a coach or two pulled by a tank, but I would like to use an 0-6-0 tender loco on the goods so the run-around has to take that into account (I guess the Beyer Garrett's out of the question.........) I am confident with woodwork, metalwork and electrickery so I'm not too fazed by that side of things. I'll need some guidance on the scenery when the time comes. Thank you in advance! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhOh Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Quote Might be worth taking a look at 'piano line' type layouts discussed here. That'd give you something on which to run some short trains using tank engines, but probably not big enough for tender loco's. 18-24inches is a bit wider than you need for the piano set-up, so you could maybe use the extra space for some sort of MPD to accommodate your larger loco's. Hope that helps a little. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted February 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 18, 2019 (edited) For quality layouts in a small area, you could take a look at Rob Gunstone's collection of small layouts (all Sheep orientated... don't ask...) As an example : Mutton and Bleat Wharf Edited February 18, 2019 by Stubby47 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Does it need to be a through-station and can you squeeze in an extra foot? Cyril Freezer's classic "Minories" is about 7-feet long for the scenic section in 00 gauge I think. The basic layout is passenger-only but the Mk2 version includes a goods shed. Several versions have appeared in model form over the years but Minories GN is a particularly good one (although it lacks the goods shed). They have modelled it in the diesel era but the plan was actually designed with steam operation in mind. http://www.themodelrailwayclub.org/layouts/minories 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 14 hours ago, OhOh said: Might be worth taking a look at 'piano line' type layouts discussed here. That'd give you something on which to run some short trains using tank engines, but probably not big enough for tender loco's. 18-24inches is a bit wider than you need for the piano set-up, so you could maybe use the extra space for some sort of MPD to accommodate your larger loco's. Hope that helps a little. Another vote for the piano line concept. Originally I think it was designed for a length of around 150cm but the extra space you have will suit the plan better and allow for longer points and sidings/headshunts. Definitely worth a look. David 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titanius Anglesmith Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 On 18/02/2019 at 10:50, OhOh said: Might be worth taking a look at 'piano line' type layouts discussed here. That'd give you something on which to run some short trains using tank engines, but probably not big enough for tender loco's. 18-24inches is a bit wider than you need for the piano set-up, so you could maybe use the extra space for some sort of MPD to accommodate your larger loco's. Hope that helps a little. 12 hours ago, south_tyne said: Another vote for the piano line concept. Originally I think it was designed for a length of around 150cm but the extra space you have will suit the plan better and allow for longer points and sidings/headshunts. Definitely worth a look. David Thank you for the suggestions. I've not come across a piano line before, so I'm not sure I understand the concept? I will have a read of that thread, hopefully it will shed some light.... On 18/02/2019 at 10:59, Stubby47 said: For quality layouts in a small area, you could take a look at Rob Gunstone's collection of small layouts (all Sheep orientated... don't ask...) As an example : Mutton and Bleat Wharf I've been keeping an eye on Bleat Wharf for some time, Rob's scenic work is nothing short of amazing. I wasn't aware of Mutton until now though. I've just read through that thread and I'm very impressed by what has been done with the space; quite inspiring. On a side note, I'm developing quite a soft spot for that Adams Radial. Dad has / had one in LSWR green but I think I prefer it in BR black. On 18/02/2019 at 11:05, Karhedron said: Does it need to be a through-station and can you squeeze in an extra foot? Cyril Freezer's classic "Minories" is about 7-feet long for the scenic section in 00 gauge I think. The basic layout is passenger-only but the Mk2 version includes a goods shed. It never occurred to me to do a Minories. I'm not sure it's the kind of operation that I want (i.e. loco A arrives with train, loco B takes the train back out, and so on), but it does demonstrate how platforms of a half-decent length can still be modelled in a small space. I think that's my biggest concern; a two-track station with two 12" platforms would look silly. Thank you for the replies so far, you've got me thinking! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I think the appeal of Minories is that it's hard to keep on top of things with the intensive peak hour loco hauled operation. No good if you want to shuffle wagons around quietly though. Nice to see another Futurama avatar too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titanius Anglesmith Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 All hail the Hypnotoad! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poggy1165 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 The first question to ask is whether you are mainly interested in passenger trains or goods trains. If passenger, the Minories concept is hard to beat. If goods, then maybe some simple (relatively) goods yard where you can shunt wagons in and out of assorted sidings. If you want a mixture of both, then a branch terminus takes some beating. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold imt Posted February 19, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Titanius Anglesmith said: Thank you for the suggestions. I've not come across a piano line before, so I'm not sure I understand the concept? I will have a read of that thread, hopefully it will shed some light.... It's not "a piano line" it's THE Piano Line - invented by the Revd. gentleman to fit on the top of his upright piano. Hence it's about getting the max out of the min space. An early minimum space layout for both passenger (short coaches and tank loco) and goods. Would work for "Bubble Cars" (121s) and smaller diesels too. Not much space for a 40 or 47! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 6'x2' is not necessarily that restrictive, depending on what you want from it. You can model quite a convincing urban cutting, maybe with road bridges as scenic breaks. You may need a fairly generous fiddle yard though. This is great if you like making buildings & structures, but not if you want any type of yard or goods facilities. Minories always gets a mention as a small layout. It is nice & compact but the generally accepted standard design for this has a reverse curve in the station throat which I think looks weird. I have just tried straightening it out in AnyRail & I think this looks way better. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poggy1165 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Another option in the space would be an engine shed. Like this one for example. 7mm scale, but in a very modest space. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Harlequin Posted February 19, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 19, 2019 (edited) Here's my version of classic Minories using Peco Streamline OO in the original 7ft by 1ft area : And here's my design for a matching fiddle yard: (Don't ask me why the forum has chosen to use those preview images - they are not the ones attached to the blog post entries...) Edited February 19, 2019 by Harlequin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, Titanius Anglesmith said: Thank you for the suggestions. I've not come across a piano line before, so I'm not sure I understand the concept? I will have a read of that thread, hopefully it will shed some light.... I've been keeping an eye on Bleat Wharf for some time, Rob's scenic work is nothing short of amazing. I wasn't aware of Mutton until now though. I've just read through that thread and I'm very impressed by what has been done with the space; quite inspiring. On a side note, I'm developing quite a soft spot for that Adams Radial. Dad has / had one in LSWR green but I think I prefer it in BR black. It never occurred to me to do a Minories. I'm not sure it's the kind of operation that I want (i.e. loco A arrives with train, loco B takes the train back out, and so on), but it does demonstrate how platforms of a half-decent length can still be modelled in a small space. I think that's my biggest concern; a two-track station with two 12" platforms would look silly. Thank you for the replies so far, you've got me thinking! The good old small layout scrapbook website is always a good port of call. Sadly the website is now no longer updated - after Carl Arendt's passing it has never really been the same - but it still provides a wonderful resource for micro layouts. This issue includes descriptions of the inglenook, minories and piano line (amongst others): http://www.carendt.com/small-layout-scrapbook/page-61a-may-2007/ Should help to explain the concept of each. Hopefully useful ! Cheers, David Edited February 19, 2019 by south_tyne Spelling 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold NHY 581 Posted February 20, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 20, 2019 11 hours ago, Titanius Anglesmith said: I've been keeping an eye on Bleat Wharf for some time, Rob's scenic work is nothing short of amazing. I wasn't aware of Mutton until now though. I've just read through that thread and I'm very impressed by what has been done with the space; quite inspiring. On a side note, I'm developing quite a soft spot for that Adams Radial. Dad has / had one in LSWR green but I think I prefer it in BR black. Very kind of you, T. A layout doesn't have to be large to entertain. All the layouts use items freely available, RTR stock and locos, PECO track, RTP buildings. All plonked on IKEA shelves. The precursor to Mutton and Bleat was Sheep Lane. This was built on two narrow shelves, made to simply get something built. This set things in motion. It was designed (?! ) to be a layout that could be put up on the dining table in a few minutes and played with. So far, none of the scenic sections exceed 120cm, 4ft in old money. Despite still building Bleat Wharf, I am planning the next layout which will be Lamb Regis, the terminus of the line on which Mutton is the intermediate station. This will be a bit bigger with a scenic section of some 6 or 7ft and a 4ft fiddle yard. I will use the same IKEA table tops as for Mutton and Bleat which are 120cm long by 40cm wide. They are cheap at £25 each, light and sturdy. Keep an eye out for Iain Rice 's books on small layouts. Lots of good stuff therein. Creating Cameo layouts is a good start. Here are a couple of views of the three layouts of mine in use and under construction. (Including an initial idea of a terminus in 4ft) The last image is of Bleat which is on it's Mk2 version. Just have a go. Rob 5 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tractionman Posted February 20, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 20, 2019 On 19/02/2019 at 16:42, Pete the Elaner said: 6'x2' is not necessarily that restrictive, depending on what you want from it. You can model quite a convincing urban cutting, maybe with road bridges as scenic breaks. You may need a fairly generous fiddle yard though. This is great if you like making buildings & structures, but not if you want any type of yard or goods facilities. Minories always gets a mention as a small layout. It is nice & compact but the generally accepted standard design for this has a reverse curve in the station throat which I think looks weird. I have just tried straightening it out in AnyRail & I think this looks way better. I've something similar in mind, Barnoldswick as an LMS BLT--I have a 6' by 2' board which will accommodate the goods yard and station, with a handy overbridge at one end for the scenic break. cheers, Keith 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendell1976 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 On 19/02/2019 at 19:59, NHY 581 said: Creating Cameo layouts is a good start. Iain Rice created a good article about cameo layouts in the 2019 Model Railroad Planning magazine(from Model Railroader). Wendell Idaho, USA 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titanius Anglesmith Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 On 19/02/2019 at 16:27, Poggy1165 said: The first question to ask is whether you are mainly interested in passenger trains or goods trains. If passenger, the Minories concept is hard to beat. If goods, then maybe some simple (relatively) goods yard where you can shunt wagons in and out of assorted sidings. If you want a mixture of both, then a branch terminus takes some beating. On 19/02/2019 at 16:43, Poggy1165 said: Another option in the space would be an engine shed. Like this one for example. 7mm scale, but in a very modest space. On 20/02/2019 at 16:52, tractionman said: I've something similar in mind, Barnoldswick as an LMS BLT--I have a 6' by 2' board which will accommodate the goods yard and station, with a handy overbridge at one end for the scenic break. cheers, Keith Afternoon All, Sorry for my late response. I've been waiting for a chance to reply from a real computer, as I struggle to post from my phone. Alas, the wait continues.... Anyhow, thank you for the replies. With regards to operation, I prefer shunting but would like a limited passenger operation too. I find Minories is visually very impressive but I don't think I'd enjoy the operation. I dislike push-pulls (too much like running the EMUs I see all day long!) so that means having a run-around. Im intrigued by the piano line, but to my untrained eye it looks very unprototypical. Can anyone cite a real world example? It's piqued my interest nonetheless. Ive been following the Barnoldswick thread; it's an interesting track plan but I wouldn't be able to model the coal yard, which for me is fundamental to the character. I look forward to seeing your interpretation. I have got a simple track track plan in mind; I've sketched it in Microsoft Paint (about the limit of my CAD skills. I've tried Anyrail without much joy). Next time I'm on a PC I'll try to upload it. Thanks! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted February 27, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 27, 2019 4 hours ago, Titanius Anglesmith said: Im intrigued by the piano line, but to my untrained eye it looks very unprototypical. Can anyone cite a real world example? It's piqued my interest nonetheless. I have the same feeling, though it works well in a freight-only, particularly industrial, context. For the kind of mixed operation you describe, the classic loop and two or three sidings (per 'Mutton') would seem to fit the bill admirably. If you want a busier feel, the same sort of thing in an urban context might justify engines up to Crab or 2-6-4t size if you have these and want to run them - Ilkeston Town would be a Midland example. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 (edited) On 19/02/2019 at 14:30, Titanius Anglesmith said: Thank you for the suggestions. I've not come across a piano line before, so I'm not sure I understand the concept? I will have a read of that thread, hopefully it will shed some light.... It never occurred to me to do a Minories. I'm not sure it's the kind of operation that I want (i.e. loco A arrives with train, loco B takes the train back out, and so on), but it does demonstrate how platforms of a half-decent length can still be modelled in a small space. I think that's my biggest concern; a two-track station with two 12" platforms would look silly. Thank you for the replies so far, you've got me thinking! You wont get Minories into a length of six feet anyway (though Geoff Ashdown's EM gauge Tower Pier is only two metres long with a third metre for the cassette based fiddle yard) The original Piano Line was a "Junior Modeller - Holiday Project" in Railway Modeller in July 1965. It was built by the Rev. P.H.Heath who, with his Llanfair layout, was one of the pioneers of 00n3 soon after TT-3 was introduced providing mechanisms, track and wheelsets. The Piano Line was built on a five by one basebord board using off the shelf Tri-ang 00 track and was built "to be played about with by small boys who are carefuilly prevented from handling my narrow gauge line" or so he claimed. The great advantage of this concept is that it doesn't need any extra length for a fiddle yard but, by having the main line entering within the run round loop, trains can be longer than if the fiddle yard is conventionally beyond the end of the loop. Outside of factories and docks I'd always assumed the Piano Line principle to be unprototypical but I've since discovered several places where a metre gauge light railway used the same principle to cram itself into the forecourt of a main line station . Not having to add a fiddle yard makes it useful for an exhibition stand layout where complete trains, albeit rather short ones, can arrive, do their station work and shunting, and then leave rather than wagons just being shuffled around in a shunting puzzle. For a portable layout its main weakness is that the set of points where the main line leaves the loop lies exactly where you'd split the board. Even five feet by one is a bit of a lump and in reality the plan tends to expand to about six feet. The original plan with just one siding is a bit limited but it's very easy to add a second siding which increases the operatonal challenges considerably. This is the plan for La Planche Port, built by Tim Hills based loosely on a plan of mine and representing a small port with a passenger platform for railcars. The result is very attractive and it provides enough challenges to keep you busy. If six feet is your total maximum length then something like a Piano Line based layout could be very useful but if you can add a fiddle yard, even just plugged in for operating sessions, you can do plenty with six feet in a more conventional terminus to fiddle yard format. This is a birds eye view of one my own layouts. It's only 5ft 2ins long and folds horizontally to form an open rectangular box (which there is a lid for). Despite its size it will comfortably handle a train of five goods wagons or three four wheel passenger coaches hauled by a medium sized tender loco or a BB diesel and all shunting can be carried out on the main board (this was one of my design criteria to enable it to also be used as a shunting layout without its small fiddle yard) As a general rule (partly from operating other people's layouts) I've found that to sustain operating interest you need at least three places to or from which wagons can be shunted preferably with one of them facing in the opposite direction from the others. On this layout that's done with a two road goods yard (4 wagons each) and a wine warehouse siding (3 wagons) kicking back from the passenger platform. One thing I did learn with this layout, not quite quickly enough, was that even wih a length of only five feet you don't need to rely on small radius pointwork (let alone setrack) to fit enough trackwork in. Only the points between the two goods yard sidings and the private siding are small radius and I now regret those as I could have laid this station entirely with medium radius points. It's also worth noting that several very well known layouts have had scenic sections no longer than six feet. John Charman's original "Charford" had a station board just 5ft 10inches long and 15 inches wide (and a rather elaborate fiddle yard the same length) and that could handle Bulleid Pacifics and three coach plus parcels van sections of the Atlantic Coast Express. This is the original plan rendered with Peco points and I think the pointwork John Charman used was of similar geometry. I think the track plan was nicked from Fort William but with one platform replaced by a cattle dock and end loading bay and the addition of a loco spur and a kick back goods yard. It was operated to strict timetable I hope that lot gives you some ideas. Edited February 28, 2019 by Pacific231G 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 (edited) I would agree that the piano line design is really suited to a goods only scheme. However, as Pacific231G helpfully points out above, there are prototype examples to support such a track arrangement. Remember, Rule One always applies too.... It's your trainset. There was an excellent layout called Little Norton that feature in the September 1997 edition of Railway Modeller, which was based on the piano line format. It was an N gauge layout, based on S&D practice, and was published under the Student Modeller section. It made the plan more prototypical by extending the right hand headshunt as a through line, making to exits to the fiddle yard. The plan was therefore based around a junction station in an 'out and back' format. It really was an excellent little layout and well worth seeking out if you have access to RM magazines from this time period. I have drawn a lot of inspiration from it over the years. David Edited February 28, 2019 by south_tyne Clarification 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 8 hours ago, south_tyne said: I would agree that the piano line design is really suited to a goods only scheme. However, as Pacific231G helpfully points out above, there are prototype examples to support such a track arrangement. Remember, Rule One always applies too.... It's your trainset. There was an excellent layout called Little Norton that feature in the September 1997 edition of Railway Modeller, which was based on the piano line format. It was an N gauge layout, based on S&D practice, and was published under the Student Modeller section. It made the plan more prototypical by extending the right hand headshunt as a through line, making to exits to the fiddle yard. The plan was therefore based around a junction station in an 'out and back' format. It really was an excellent little layout and well worth seeking out if you have access to RM magazines from this time period. I have drawn a lot of inspiration from it over the years. David Looking at the signals he used, a bracket alongside the end of the platform, the fiction for Canon Heath's Piano Line may have been that it was some kind of junction where we only got to see the the short branch train. That's probably overthinking it though as his "terms of reference" were for it to be as small as possible, standard gauge with proprietary equipment, competely self-contained, and requiring a minimum of time, skill and money. A few years ago, at Wycrail 08, I saw the Goonhilly layout, which is 9ft 6ins x 20ins in O scale, (so within 5ft x 12ins in 4mm scale) built by a member of the Andover MRC. This is a very nice GWR BLT using the Piano Line principle http://www.andovermodelrailwayclub.co.uk/goonhilly.html Looking at my photos of it and the layout's not to scale schematic, this does get round the problem of the centre split without using excessively sharp points. I must have another look at working this plan for 00/H0. Goonhilly is fully signalled and I reckon that if you can signal a layout, it can be prototypical even if there isn't an actual prototype. There are plenty of prototype locations you'd find hard to believe if they only existed in a model; Holywell Town comes immediately to mind. 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 13 hours ago, Pacific231G said: Looking at the signals he used, a bracket alongside the end of the platform, the fiction for Canon Heath's Piano Line may have been that it was some kind of junction where we only got to see the the short branch train. That's probably overthinking it though as his "terms of reference" were for it to be as small as possible, standard gauge with proprietary equipment, competely self-contained, and requiring a minimum of time, skill and money. A few years ago, at Wycrail 08, I saw the Goonhilly layout, which is 9ft 6ins x 20ins in O scale, (so within 5ft x 12ins in 4mm scale) built by a member of the Andover MRC. This is a very nice GWR BLT using the Piano Line principle http://www.andovermodelrailwayclub.co.uk/goonhilly.html Looking at my photos of it and the layout's not to scale schematic, this does get round the problem of the centre split without using excessively sharp points. I must have another look at working this plan for 00/H0. Goonhilly is fully signalled and I reckon that if you can signal a layout, it can be prototypical even if there isn't an actual prototype. There are plenty of prototype locations you'd find hard to believe if they only existed in a model; Holywell Town comes immediately to mind. Thanks for sharing the photos of that 7mm scale layout, it's not one I had come across before. I have always wanted to give the piano line concept a go in O gauge but have always dismissed as taking up too much room; notably because of the length of the points and the issue you raised regarding the awkward position of any baseboard joints. However, that gives good for thought and potential for a rethink of the concept. I haven't even looked at it (so this could be a ridiculous statement and a non-starter from a practical point of view) but a design based around three baseboards, rather than two, may be better in 7mm scale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, south_tyne said: Thanks for sharing the photos of that 7mm scale layout, it's not one I had come across before. I have always wanted to give the piano line concept a go in O gauge but have always dismissed as taking up too much room; notably because of the length of the points and the issue you raised regarding the awkward position of any baseboard joints. However, that gives good for thought and potential for a rethink of the concept. I haven't even looked at it (so this could be a ridiculous statement and a non-starter from a practical point of view) but a design based around three baseboards, rather than two, may be better in 7mm scale. Goonhilly is one of the plans in Gauge O Guild's Small Layouts volume 2 but I couldn't lay hands on my copy last night I don't model in O but these books are a very good source of ideas for compact layouts in any scale and usually available on the GOG stand at exhibitions. The plan is though for Tony Collins' original version which was only 12 inches wide so I'll have a go at redrawing it to include the side extension with the goods yard. Track is Peco so it should be easy enough to reproduce. It's always a balance between having extra baseboard joints and boards that are too large. I'd see almost 5ft by 20 ins as a bit unwieldy. I know one O gauge modeller who sold on his Minories based layout in part because the main board with all the pointwork was 6ft x 2ft and he found that increasingly difficult. It depends a bit on where you do you modelling, whether your layout is permanent or portable and if the latter what sort of vehicle you use. Edited March 1, 2019 by Pacific231G updated information 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Yes I completely agree with that. It's a compromise between the number of baseboards, the corresponding number of joints and the arrangement of the points. Personally I think 100cm is a comfortable maximum for a baseboard, beyond that it becomes unwieldy. That does present something of a problem when modelling in 7mm scale! However the Peco setrack points are only around 40cm long and the regular Y-point is not too much longer, so it does mean you can get two back-to-back in my chosen 100cm. I am planning and tinkering around point templates at the moment, trying to come to a solution. I have an absolute maximum of around 300cm for my layout (ideally a little less though) and have been trying to test whether the piano line concept can be for into that kind of space. I'll have to dig out my GOG small layout books then. It's definitely not in the first one so it must be in the second. I will have to see if I can lay my hands on it. The first one includes the excellent Wild Swan Yard - I have often thought this could be amended and adapted into a piano line scheme with the additon of an extra point and siding to the fiddle yard. Incidently, just in case you didn't know, the Guild are currently preparing a third volume of plans and layouts; that's something to look forward to in the course. Enjoying this discussion but sorry if it has strayed a little from the original question. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now