Advice please

[Harlequin]

3 hours ago, Flying Pig said:

I'm not convinced that the lines needs to exit at the very front of the board (how many traverser roads do you actually need?) so here's another take on this theme.  I have placed both siding points outside the crossover and moved the bay turnout outwards a little; this appears to be closer to the prototype layout and IMO results in a more spacious and flowing throat.

 

As regards the headshunt, it could be visually differentiated from the running line by the colour and condition of the track and ballast; you might also find room to plant the home signal between the two.  The separation of the two lines as they enter the fiddle yard can easily be adjusted by tweaking the curve on the running line and the position of the Y point.

 

Yes, that's great. I had a very similar idea  - the large radius Y leading to the coal siding is the key.

If you combine the crossover and goods shed points using a 3-way then the run round can be lengthened a bit more.

 

Edit: This was my version of the same thing:

 

The station is aligned at 8 degrees and so after the large Y there are still 2 degrees of turn to be made. That final 2 degrees is used to splay to mainline and the headshunt apart before they leave the scene so that the traverser roads have a spacing of 65mm between centres.

 

1 large radius left, 4 medium right, 1 asymmetric 3-way, 1 large Y.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Harlequin

[JohnR]

Yes, that works really well. Just have to think about what to do in those top right area scenically. 

[Harlequin]

Er, that looks identical to your previous plan...

 

?

 

[JohnR]

Oops, sorry - so many versions saved!

[DCB]

The layout seems to have morphed from something quite quirky, a small BLT with twin track approach, to something quite impractical. The traverser either does not reach the back wall by about  8 inches or travels a foot or so into the room.

Seems to me there are two easy solutions though neither is ideal.   One use a cassette yard with only the headshunt haveing a fixed track.

Or two, slew the tracks to enter the traverser towards the middle of the board.  However both hide the headshunt, where an alternative design would keep it visible. Three would be storage on a lower level with a lift between them instead of the Traverser, I think Rev Peter Denny? designed  and built one for Buckingham but never used it as the house move never materialised.

The standard BLT has evolved because it makes the best use of restricted length, typically one coach longer trains than the Budmouth plan from similar length if he loop point is the one nearest the FY.  Our typical bog standard Faringdon (oxon) themed 00 BLT handles 4 coach trains in a 7 foot length.

[Harlequin]

6 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

The layout seems to have morphed from something quite quirky, a small BLT with twin track approach, to something quite impractical. The traverser either does not reach the back wall by about  8 inches or travels a foot or so into the room.

Seems to me there are two easy solutions though neither is ideal.   One use a cassette yard with only the headshunt haveing a fixed track.

Or two, slew the tracks to enter the traverser towards the middle of the board.  However both hide the headshunt, where an alternative design would keep it visible. Three would be storage on a lower level with a lift between them instead of the Traverser, I think Rev Peter Denny? designed  and built one for Buckingham but never used it as the house move never materialised.

The standard BLT has evolved because it makes the best use of restricted length, typically one coach longer trains than the Budmouth plan from similar length if he loop point is the one nearest the FY.  Our typical bog standard Faringdon (oxon) themed 00 BLT handles 4 coach trains in a 7 foot length.

 

 

The traverser was intended to extend out into the room on full extension drawer runners with the connecting lines near the front of the layout. That maximises the number of traverser roads and temporarily grab a bit of extra space in the room when operating.

 

[JohnR]

1 hour ago, Harlequin said:

 

The traverser was intended to extend out into the room on full extension drawer runners with the connecting lines near the front of the layout. That maximises the number of traverser roads and temporarily grab a bit of extra space in the room when operating.

 

 

Yes, although I havnt told the wife about that bit! I've also thought that there could be some kickback storage sidings underneath a hillside (roughly where the "Budmouth BR (S)" label is. 

 

The layout was skewed like this to maximise the run round loop (4 coaches to represent either a portion of a through train, or a strengthened branch set). Ideally the headshunt would be visible along more of its length, and at one point I had considered cassettes, which I agree would allow the headshunt to be visible. 

 

However, the operating position would make it tricky to work in this fashion, as there is a wall behind, it would need to be operated from the front. If I were to exhibit the layout, and operate from "behind" that wouldnt be an issue, especially as extending the traverser into the front might be a problem....