Battledown flyover / Worting Junction

[Doolish]

Sorry that I have not posted for some time but the main reason is that I decided to scrap Eastbrook as from an operational point of view it was just not working. I have long thought that Battledown Flyover would be a good subject for a model and I am aware that several such layouts have been built. The lessons learnt from Eastbrook led me to realise that what I really wanted was a layout that I could just sit back and enjoy running the trains. From this criteria I started to formulate some ideas. First it would be a tail chaser which meant considerable change to the room it was in but realised that I could make it in two halves so to speak. The trackwork from Eastbrook was lifted and these four boards gave me the space to start making up what would be the fiddle yard. This is to be an eight lane yard with a twist. 

The layout of Worting Junction around the flyover is basically four tracks two up two down. There is an up and down serving Southampton to Basingstoke and the other tracks serving the West country via Salisbury. After a lot of thought I realised that I could, unprototypically run a down train that would start in the fiddle yard and complete the Southampton route and then pass through the yard and complete the Salisbury route - apologies to the purists out there but its MY railway.

Then came another major point of interest to me as I started to look at the potential of automation . At first my plans were mainly for route planning etc but then I came across various online posts about iTrain and I became hooked so planning was now directed to achieve various degrees of automation so that the layout can be run fully manually and all steps up to fully automated.

Building started with the fiddle yard and it soon became clear that full automation is not something achieved without a considerable amount of planning and work especially the wiring - who said DCC was simple! At this point it became clear that whilst my NCE equipment could be made to run iTrain it would be complex and so took the decision to change to Digikeijs. Basically the main unit will run most formats of DCC encoding as well as simple links to a computer. Digikeijs also make a full range of other boxes to run the tortoise motors and deal with the very important issue of track occupancy. Interesting I was concerned that in its basic form running of trains had to be through the computer which was not ideal but then I discovered that a Digitrax hand controller not only ran the trains but also allows full CV programming etc. In this format I think the system is an absolute bargain even if you don't use the computer links.

For thos that may be interested the following is the iTrain screen for my layout:

 

Will update with photos soon

 

[Doolish]

As I mentioned track started with the fiddle yard using PECO code 75 track and pointwork.

 

Having laid most of the track I started the massive task of learning iTrain and putting the work to reality on the fiddleyard. After many attempts I had a yard system where I could simple drag and drop a loco from one siding to another and it would complete the moves changing all pointwork etc - wonderful to watch. However my confidence in thinking that I now knew it all would come back to haunt me later.

After this I had to undertake considerable rearrangement of furniture etc to get the planned scenic boards in. This included a removable section by the door. These boards are all open plan as I needed to accomplish several changes in running height to accomplish the flyover. I first made up the boards and then after putting them in place used track etc to work out the best way of achieving the flyover.

 

 

 

Several weeks later the levels were sorted and a track base laid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More to follow!

Edited February 4, 2022 by Doolish

[30368]

19 hours ago, Doolish said:

I have long thought that Battledown Flyover would be a good subject for a model

 

Really great idea, good luck with your plan. I am modelling Basingstoke Engine shed a small part of the station.

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B