Planning a new RhB layout

[bantam61668]

After building a couple of micro-layouts over the last few months I've decided its time to move onto something bigger and its time to get that box of Bemo stock out the attic and finally give it somewhere to run.

Planning a fictional RhB terminus, started a few plans, this is the one I'm preferring at the moment. Although fictional it is inspired largely by Scuol-Tarasp with a few bits of Disentis/Mustér in there. It will be set around 2010-2015, I have enough stock to run a service similar to Scuol with longer terminating trains which will run round in the island platform and pendelzug with steuerwagon which will use the bay platform. I also have quite a bit of freight stock so want to include some facilities to run a few different wagon types.

Anyway here the plan I have in mind, any thoughts, suggestions most welcome. The curve will be hidden under a town/village scene and the layout will be L shaped with a fiddle yard to be added. I had considered putting the turntable/small depot at the other end inside the curve to have the station approach looking like the West end of Disentis before the layout was updated in the 90s but think I prefer it as is here, similar to Scuol.

[Nutbrook]

Looks good to me with plenty of operating potential. 

 

[Frutigen]

I like the fan of tracks on a curve at front left, it has a nice RhB feel to it, and you’ve captured the goods run around loop at Scuol, which I thought was crying out to be modelled when I saw it. From what I’ve seen in recent photos it’s no longer with us, I think. 
 

How far will you have to reach over to get at the sidings at the back? The dimension on the plan is obscured by other detail on my screen. 

 

 

[bantam61668]

On 15/03/2021 at 07:46, Frutigen said:

How far will you have to reach over to get at the sidings at the back? The dimension on the plan is obscured by other detail on my screen. 

 

 

It’s 90cm wide on this plan. Originally I had it narrower but it felt too cramped. I guess removing the front siding would allow it to be narrower without compressing the rest. My current layout is 60cm wide and reaching the back is comfortable, not sure if 90cm is too wide

Edited March 16, 2021 by bantam61668
Spelling

[bantam61668]

I'm still not sure about the terminating line in the nearest platform, maybe it would be better to remove the loop around the island platform and just have the one terminating line between the platforms as at Scuol-Tarasp post modernisation. The flipside is that the extra loop gives a bit more operating potential and allows 3 trains in the station at a time. I also feel that maybe its all a bit too straight, parallel lines etc but both Scuol and Disnetis which have inspired it are pretty much straight stations. Of courser the headshunt at the far right is much longer and curved at Scuol and the platform lines are a bit more curved too at this end, maybe I can slightly modify the plan to catch this better.

[bantam61668]

Here's modified version, I've taken out a platform road and brought the bottom siding in a little to narrow the layout by 10 cm. I've also slightly tweaked the RHS to try to capture the curved feel of Scuol although in the compressed space I still don't think this bit looks quite right.

[JimFin]

Something to factor in to your dimensioning - do you plan to have full overhead catenary or masts and spans without the actual power cables?

 

Reason I raise this is the overhead cables really do impinge on your ability to get at things.

 

If you are planning to have the overhead wires, a narrower board may be more comfortable, just masts and spans then wider would not have the same limitations.

[Gordonwis]

6 hours ago, bantam61668 said:

Here's modified version, I've taken out a platform road and brought the bottom siding in a little to narrow the layout by 10 cm. I've also slightly tweaked the RHS to try to capture the curved feel of Scuol although in the compressed space I still don't think this bit looks quite right.

 

That plan looks pretty good to me. I do like Scuol, and have been there pre (including on the mixed with a Croc...with a cab ride on the return leg...) and post modernisation.

 

Here is 406 from aforementioned GmP - shunting at Scuol, 1984

 

 

Edited March 17, 2021 by Gordonwis

[bantam61668]

7 hours ago, JimFin said:

Something to factor in to your dimensioning - do you plan to have full overhead catenary or masts and spans without the actual power cables?

 

Reason I raise this is the overhead cables really do impinge on your ability to get at things.

 

If you are planning to have the overhead wires, a narrower board may be more comfortable, just masts and spans then wider would not have the same limitations.

Good point, my current thinking is masts and wires on the main lines (platform roads, rear loop and the 2 sidings on the right) and the rest unwired. This seems to be how Scuol is set up since the rebuilding.

 

I’m finding this Swisstopo maps fascinating for seeing how the layout has changed with time and of course the Google maps streetview which gives an excellent view of the station  layout in more recent times. 
Hopefully I’ll be able to get out there this year for a bit more research...

[PaulRhB]

On 14/03/2021 at 11:27, bantam61668 said:

The curve will be hidden under a town/village scene

I like the plan but why hide the curve fully? You could have it sweeping around the buildings and then disappear say 6 inches before the end. It just looks good to have some plain track and see the train run a bit more on scene

Climbing out of Bergün 

 

and these two just outside the station at Bergün 

 

[bantam61668]

I quite like the suggestion of keeping the curve in view, hadn't really thought about doing so previously. Originally I was thinking of having this end based more on Disentis and putting the turntable and small depot inside the curve, I guess the idea of straight into a tunnel was a hangover from this idea. I guess having the curve in view might let me use a curved point too and spread out the track plan on the station approach a little maybe a bit more like Bergün in the last picture. I'm still not that happy with how this bit looks, its all a bit cramped at this end of the plan.

[Gordonwis]

8 hours ago, bantam61668 said:

I quite like the suggestion of keeping the curve in view, 

 

 

No question for me that that is the best solution. Model railway layouts are much better visually if there is at least some plain track , and if any railways have sharp curves, its narrow gauge mountains lines like the RhB!

Edited April 2, 2021 by Gordonwis

[MichaelE]

I too may be planning a separate RhB layout away from my HO/HOm current layout. I'm only in the 'what if' stage right now with no serious plans yet and haven't even picked out a spot in the house to build it yet.

 

I found station diagrams with measurements for many major and minor stations along the RhB if you are interested. There are many different complexities with this variety of stations. You may want to look at these.

 

Track Plans in Switzerland

[bantam61668]

After 2 years of inactivity and yet more stock purchases I have finally decided to get on with building a RhB layout so resurrecting this thread rather than creating a new one. I have decided on a continouis loop rather than the previously planned terminus and a simpler trackplan. I have started building baseboards for a layout planned to run along one wall of my garage and have already built a frame/support with shelving below along the length of the garage on top of which the layout will sit. After far too many changes to my plans, below is the trackplan I have finally settled on, well for now....

The left hand board will be a mountain section with some tunnels/bridges and a river where track will climb from the low level fiddle yard to the station, the line will climb around 15 cm over 5 m with the tightest curves being 36 cm radius.  There will be two hidden sidings at a higher level along the left hand edge (not shown) to allow a pendelzug service on the branch. The left hand edge of the station takes influence from Filisur, although somewhat simplified, whilst the yard is very loosely  inspired by Zernez. The right hand board will feature a 36 cm radius helix returning to the lower level fiddle yard and be hidden below a village scene.

Any thoughts, suggestions most welcome before I start laying track hopefully in the next the next week or so.

[PaulRhB]

All looking good, for the helix you might find the idea I used for a tunnel easy if you haven’t already thought of it. I made ‘croquet hoops’ out of thick wire or rail and soldered rail upside down as the contact wire. It doesn’t move around like thin wire and it’s more robust too. To transition I just drilled a small hole in the side and soldered the end of catenary wire into it and made the rail bend up gently so you got a smooth changeover. 

[JimFin]

Having fought with the helixes on Obervaz, albeit 9mm gauge rather than 12mm - you might want to consider set track rather than flexi track for the helix.

 

The difficulty is keeping the exact curvature over the rail joints with flexi track which is not an issue with set track. The new Hornby TT range includes R3 at 353mm radius which would be a close fit to your plan. 

 

 

 

 

[bantam61668]

3 hours ago, JimFin said:

Having fought with the helixes on Obervaz, albeit 9mm gauge rather than 12mm - you might want to consider set track rather than flexi track for the helix.

 

The difficulty is keeping the exact curvature over the rail joints with flexi track which is not an issue with set track. The new Hornby TT range includes R3 at 353mm radius which would be a close fit to your plan. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice, I had wondered about this as I have recently been building a circular test track with flex track and it’s a nightmare. I hadn’t thought about the TT gauge range an excellent suggestion.

[Gordonwis]

5 hours ago, bantam61668 said:

Thanks for the advice, I had wondered about this as I have recently been building a circular test track with flex track and it’s a nightmare. I hadn’t thought about the TT gauge range an excellent suggestion.

 

 

For my collection of HOm mainly MGB stuff (the layout never got built as the 'much easier to fit in my small house' Kato stuff came along...) I bought a stack of Tillig 'TT' ready ballasted sectional track . It is nice and chunky and would work well for a helix.

Edited June 21, 2023 by Gordonwis

[bantam61668]

On 21/06/2023 at 15:53, JimFin said:

Having fought with the helixes on Obervaz, albeit 9mm gauge rather than 12mm - you might want to consider set track rather than flexi track for the helix.

 

The difficulty is keeping the exact curvature over the rail joints with flexi track which is not an issue with set track. The new Hornby TT range includes R3 at 353mm radius which would be a close fit to your plan. 

 

 

 

 

I have bought a dew pieces of Hornby TT gauge R3 track to try, it fits the Peco HOm track really well despite the slightly different track profile. The Peco rail joiners are a bit too long to fit but the Hornby ones fit it onto the Peco rail nicely so no problem. Obviously the sleeper spacing is completely different but as its a hidden section no problem at all.  I've tried a few pieces of Bemo stock on it and all seems to be fine so will definitely be going ahead with this suggestion. Thanks once again for the advice, this will certainly save me a lot of time and pain trying to lay smooth curves with Flexitrack.

 

[bantam61668]

Whilst work on the baseboards slowly progresses I have also made a start on a few other bits and pieces.  A couple of Kibri barns recently completed and today I had my first attempt at making tress. Reasonably happy with them as a first attempt, plenty more needed so hopefully they will improve with practice

[37201xoIM]

Those barns look particularly nice - suspect I could do with one or two on my layout!   Can you by any chance recall which Kibri model numbers those are?  Thanks!

[bantam61668]

1 hour ago, 37201xoIM said:

Those barns look particularly nice - suspect I could do with one or two on my layout!   Can you by any chance recall which Kibri model numbers those are?  Thanks!

38814 & 38035, both were nice kits to build as always with Kibri. They were both painted prior to assembly then lightly weathered which greatly improved the appearance.

[37201xoIM]

Great, thanks a lot - shall keep an eye out for those two.  

[bantam61668]

Had a busy weekend, building my helix kit an finally getting the first few bits of track down. I have followed JimFin's suggestion of using Hornby TTgauge 353mm radius track for the helix, definitely saved me a lot of time and effort. I have also followed Vecchio's example in the Kleine Albula thread of using 2mm brass tube for the overhead line on the spiral, I temporarily assembled the spiral then soldered brass rod to brass screws inserted into the roadbed round the half a turn that will be above the lower level. Taking the top half curve off and inverting has hopefully given me a quick and easy overhead for the helix. I used 2x2M brass tubes from a well known DIY store, this leaves me 20-30 cm overhand at each end which I will bend up and solder to a support brackets to make a smooth transition. The helix sits on an 80x80cm baseboard and will be hidden below a hillside village scene with the line entering a tunnel just prior to the helix.

[cornish trains jez]

That looks impressive and really nicely built.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy