Minories Themed Layout

[TheDoctor]

Hi all,

 

I have recently started planning a medium L-shaped layout to go in the corner of the spare room. It is in 00 gauge (1:76) and will depict the crossover from steam to diesel in the mid 60s. The size of the space is 11ft x 8ft with the scenic board 1.5ft wide and the non-scenic board width yet to be determined. The aim is to create a busy, bustling 1960s inner city terminus with capacity for 5 coach express/semi fast services (4-6-0/4-6-2) and 2/3 coach suburban/local services (2-6-0, 2-6-2T, 2-6-4T, DMU).

 

I have made a plan incorporating what I really want:

• Suburban/Urban setting
• Minories style compact throat
• 3 platform faces (capable of taking a 4-6-2 + 5Mk1s, 5ft 6ins) and centre road (for temporary storage)
• Pilot siding
• Parcels platform
• Runaround loop for locals and parcels/vital freight (e.g. a milk tank)
• Cassette fiddle yard (4ft cassettes with 5 Mk1s on and 1ft cassettes for the locomotives)

 

In the plan there are the 3 platform faces (red), a centre road (pink), a parcels platform (orange), a runaround loop of platform 3 (yellow), the station throat with pilot siding (green), running lines (white) and cassette area (blue). I would like to build an overall roof and walls up round the station to make it feel even more urban and the trains will exit under a road bridge before the bend (minimum radius 2nd radius - 238mm).

 

The biggest thing I'm trying to do is make the plan as operationally interesting and flexible as possible whilst also trying to use as few points as possible as money is quite tight. The issue I have currently is there is a space at the front right of the scenic section next to the signal box which I don't know how to utilise properly as it's quite short and wide, however as it is an urban area I feel that this should really be filled in to create a more cramped feel. I would like to make sure that the scenic section does not go round the bend as I plan on making a break in the boards and for them to be portable.

 

Any thoughts on the original plan and any ideas for what to fill the space with would be much appreciated!

[Ray Von]

My current N gauge layout build bears some similarities to your plan, minus the pilot sidings - the operating position has the viewpoint from "top left" of your diagram with the parcels line at the back.

The layout is fed by a traverser, so the rearmost track and the "red / pink" lines can be thought to merge "off layout" as it were.

You could extend your lines to run parallel around the signal box and meeting out of view on your curved track section?

 

 

 

[Foulounoux]

Hertford East had the middle line and a very gradual sort of minories approach

So prototype exists

[Nile]

Plenty of Minories related discussion in the Layout & Track Design section, such as:

That should keep you going for a while.

[wirey33]

My thoughts....

 

Drop it down to 4 or even 3 coach train length, reduce the length of the platforms and let the station throat "breathe" a bit more. You have an awful lot of platform (the dull bit) and not much "railway" (the interesting bit).

 

Take a look at this Minories layout - I think it's the best one I've seen. Notice how the station throat is almost as long as the platforms? Lots of inspiration here.....

 

https://thrumlington.blogspot.com/search/label/LMS

 

Parcels platform? That type of traffic wouldn't be competing with rush-hour passenger services, why have a dedicated platform? Overnight/newspaper/parcels services used the main platforms at Waterloo for example. Make it a short platform for a branch -line service with a 2 car DMU or EMU?

 

Area behind the signal box - Car park? Engineers depot? Stabling point for a loco?

 

Try and angle the lines across the baseboard (or make an irregular shape baseboard)- straight edges and straight lines aren't pleasing to the eye. Make the shorter platform at a slight angle to the others. Put a gentle "curve" in the length of the platform. Anything to break up the monotony of the long straight edge. 

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

[Pacific231G]

On 30/01/2021 at 12:14, TheDoctor said:

Hi all,

 

I have recently started planning a medium L-shaped layout to go in the corner of the spare room. It is in 00 gauge (1:76) and will depict the crossover from steam to diesel in the mid 60s. The size of the space is 11ft x 8ft with the scenic board 1.5ft wide and the non-scenic board width yet to be determined. The aim is to create a busy, bustling 1960s inner city terminus with capacity for 5 coach express/semi fast services (4-6-0/4-6-2) and 2/3 coach suburban/local services (2-6-0, 2-6-2T, 2-6-4T, DMU).

 

I have made a plan incorporating what I really want:

• Suburban/Urban setting
• Minories style compact throat
• 3 platform faces (capable of taking a 4-6-2 + 5Mk1s, 5ft 6ins) and centre road (for temporary storage)
• Pilot siding
• Parcels platform
• Runaround loop for locals and parcels/vital freight (e.g. a milk tank)
• Cassette fiddle yard (4ft cassettes with 5 Mk1s on and 1ft cassettes for the locomotives)

 

In the plan there are the 3 platform faces (red), a centre road (pink), a parcels platform (orange), a runaround loop of platform 3 (yellow), the station throat with pilot siding (green), running lines (white) and cassette area (blue). I would like to build an overall roof and walls up round the station to make it feel even more urban and the trains will exit under a road bridge before the bend (minimum radius 2nd radius - 238mm).

 

The biggest thing I'm trying to do is make the plan as operationally interesting and flexible as possible whilst also trying to use as few points as possible as money is quite tight. The issue I have currently is there is a space at the front right of the scenic section next to the signal box which I don't know how to utilise properly as it's quite short and wide, however as it is an urban area I feel that this should really be filled in to create a more cramped feel. I would like to make sure that the scenic section does not go round the bend as I plan on making a break in the boards and for them to be portable.

 

Any thoughts on the original plan and any ideas for what to fill the space with would be much appreciated!

With the classic Cyril Freezer Minories throat a key question is what sort of points are you intending to use?

I wouldn't dream of using Peco small radus points (I don't know if those on your plan are) as the throwover between full length carriages like Mk1s will be enormous and look decidedly toylike. With medium (nominal three ft radius) it's OK except for anything arriving into the upper platform as that route has the only unseparated reverse curve (the clever bit of Cyril Freezer's plan was to avoid such S bends on all but one of the six routes). The empty space at lower right is a perennial problem usually solved with a kick back facility like a milk depot that also gives rather more shunting.

I suggest having a good, and I mean a really good go through it at length, look at Danstercivicman's long thread on his Birmingham Hope Street layout a few years ago. I thought it an excellent version of Minories though Dan regretted using even medium radius points in the main throat.  It's the two toe to toe points in the centre of the main throat pointwork that are critical .

I wouldn't drop to three coach trains but four is probably acceptable though a bt short for an express.  The danger of trying to cram in a longer train than you have space for is that the platforms do  overdominate  the overall station area. I know a couple of real stations that do or did do that and they were quite oppressive. 

Edited February 3, 2021 by Pacific231G

[DCB]

I would lose the centre road, lengthen the throat by using 3ft not 2ft points and do away with the platform beyond the buffer stops  to compensate length wise.   I would use the space in front of the signal box for a turntable, and make one rather than pay silly money for an all singing all dancing German one.

Operationally I would assume that the carriage sidings are some way down the line so all main line trains are either brought in empty (ECS) or taken away ECS by a pilot loco followed by the train loco headed to/ for the MPD.  An occasional off peak short train could terminate, loco turn and depart again (like the daily MSWJR train at Cheltenham St James 1957/61)

Otherwise suburban trains could change locos and go straight out again or the pilot pull the stock from one platform to release the loco and push it into another platform for the original loco to take out.  Generally I would use 4 or 5 coach suburban sets for peak services but the main line trains may only be a small portion of a long distance service so again 4 coaches would be reasonable.   The 4ft Cassette won't take 5 Mk1s, 5X 57ft maybe but not 64ft.

I would probably go for 4ft 2" and 10" cassettes which would allow most 4-6-0s, WC/Bobs, V2s and Britannias but not A1/2/3/4/10 or Princess/ Duchess/ MN  4-6-4 and 2-8-2s  and maybe 4-6-0s with bogie tenders.  Every GW loco except the Great Bear.

Parcels would use the top platform off peak.  That's what happened at Paddington.  Likewise milk was handled at some passenger stations off peak.  It really needs two (3?) operators and DCC but should be a lot of fun. I actually prefer ECS moves to actual trains.

Edited February 3, 2021 by DavidCBroad