21” diameter Micro 00

[RailwayLacky]

So I gave up on my last attempt on a shunting puzzle with magnetic uncoupling and automation using Hornby elink,  I possibly took on too much and forgot why I was doing it in the 1st place, lost the enjoyment and it all got boxed up and put in the loft. the main annoyance being the kadees and the lack of any non magnetic wheels if i remember right.

 

So almost 8 years later I have retrieved collection from loft,  taken the old layout apart and retained all the bits and pieces, i have removed all the kadees and gone back to stock nem  and original Hornby couplings on all rolling stock and locos, my old thread is void of any pictures now so i thought i would start again, this time with a roundy micro layout so I can watch trains go round in the small space I have available.

 

I got inspired by budget model railways on youtube "Market Town" i want to do something along those lines and keep it nice and simple, i am still very much a beginner with Model railways.

 

The below image is some of what was retained from the old layout, a modded Hornby viaduct wall and Ratio retaining walls which i need to extend, if only i could remember how i weathered up the previous wall!

 

 

 

 

Here is the layout thus far, still working out whether to have the siding (circled) this area will be a platform and station, the siding makes for a straight platform but means i would have to reverse the passenger train in, which is only going to be 2 4 wheeled carriages at most! 

 

i may remove it and curve the platform instead..?

 

the layout is currently full DCC with electrofrog points, code 100 track as i still had 4 x lengths of flexi track from before!

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by RailwayLacky

[RailwayLacky]

Although I am pretty much limited to 0-4-0's I was happy to find this class 03 goes round just fine, also the nem couplers do not need any mods due to the tight curve, the Hornby ones however need just one coupling hook per end rather than 2

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by RailwayLacky

[cp409067]

*

Please forgive the question.

 

What is the radius of the curves and the depth of the baseboard?

 

I find myself confused by the heading reference to "21inch radius" and what I see in the photograph.

 

 

CP

[Nile]

If it's the same baseboard as before, 4' x 18" , then it looks like 21cm (8.25") rather than 21 inches. Tight indeed.

A curved platform at one end might be the answer, if the coaches are short.

[Ben B]

I like this, the tight curves should give it a nice industrial atmosphere, and should work well with things like Ruston 48 (and 88, if they ever turn up).

 

Did you have any trouble bending the track? What technique did you use, to get such consistent curves?

[RailwayLacky]

59 minutes ago, cp409067 said:

*

Please forgive the question.

 

What is the radius of the curves and the depth of the baseboard?

 

I find myself confused by the heading reference to "21inch radius" and what I see in the photograph.

 

 

CP

Hi, the baseboard is 24 inches x 57 inches and the radius of each curve is 21 inches

Edited December 19, 2022 by RailwayLacky

[RailwayLacky]

56 minutes ago, Nile said:

If it's the same baseboard as before, 4' x 18" , then it looks like 21cm (8.25") rather than 21 inches. Tight indeed.

A curved platform at one end might be the answer, if the coaches are short.

no I enlarged the old baseboard, sorry forgot to mention that! yes i'm not sure i know of any stations where you would need to reverse in for the passengers, think ill remove that point and curve the platform to suit.

Edited December 19, 2022 by RailwayLacky

[RailwayLacky]

19 minutes ago, Ben B said:

I like this, the tight curves should give it a nice industrial atmosphere, and should work well with things like Ruston 48 (and 88, if they ever turn up).

 

Did you have any trouble bending the track? What technique did you use, to get such consistent curves?

no trouble bending the track, started by pinning in middle and bent it round each side, the video on youtube managed to get it at 18" so i've been quite generous with mine :)

[Darius43]

4 minutes ago, RailwayLacky said:

Hi, the baseboard is 24 inches x 57 inches and the radius of each curve is 21 inches

Looks more like a tad under 21 inch diameter to me.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

 

 

[RailwayLacky]

3 minutes ago, Darius43 said:

Looks more like a tad under 21 inch diameter to me.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

 

 

sleeper to sleeper there is not a lot in it.

[Darius43]

Convention is to measure curve radii to the track centreline.  Plus there is a difference between the meaning of the words radius and diameter.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[melmerby]

17 hours ago, RailwayLacky said:

the main annoyance being the kadees and the lack of any non magnetic wheels if i remember right.

Never had any trouble shunting with Kadee fitted vehicles.

What magnets were you using?

I just use the on sleeper fixed ones and they seem to work well.

[Matloughe]

9 minutes ago, RailwayLacky said:

sleeper to sleeper there is not a lot in it.

 

Radius is the measurement of a circule from the outer edge to the centremost point, the 'pivot' point as it were. Diameter which is what we are looking at here is the quoted size of a circle from one side to another, i.e. double the distance measured in radius.
So you actually have a ten & half inch radius, or twenty-one inch diameter.

But as said before normally measurements are taken from the track centre line. 🙂
Looks great, I have also had some Budget Model Railways inspiration so keep it up!

 

[marc smith]

In Paul Lunn's excellent "Micro Layouts" book, there's a lovely photo of a "Pizza type" layout built to EM gauge, by the very talented Neil Rushby.
That layout has even tighter radius curves still. Sadly, I have forgotten the exact radius - Neil did tell me sometime back. 

Anyhow, it is indeed possible to run very tight curves, but you have to watch out for things like buffer lock, especially when propelling wagons. You can obviously only run short wheelbase stock. And I'm sure Neil told me he had to use 4 link couplings, as 3 link couplings weren't long enough. All things to try out when you're at an early stage. 

 

I like the look of this, I must say. I recall being at a few shows where the layout next to me was roundy-roundy.... and I sometimes envied the operators - as they could wander off and leave trains running around, while I was amid some complex shunting manoeuvre.

[Darius43]

Are you going to have a fiddle yard on the half of the layout that is behind the retaining wall with a scenic part in front?

 

As others have said it has great potential as an industrial layout.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[cp409067]

38 minutes ago, RailwayLacky said:

Hi, the baseboard is 24 inches x 57 inches and the radius of each curve is 21 inches

 

*

 

Thank you for this photograph and the information as to the baseboard dimensions.

 

It thus being established that the radius of the curve is approximately 10.5ins, in order to avoid continuing confusion may I politely suggest the title of this thread be corrected to -

 

21” diameter Micro 00

 

 

 

CP

[RailwayLacky]

4 hours ago, melmerby said:

Never had any trouble shunting with Kadee fitted vehicles.

What magnets were you using?

I just use the on sleeper fixed ones and they seem to work well.

the problem wasn't really the magnet, i used the under track one, more my rolling stock having metal wheels and not being able to replace them. the rolling stock was getting pulled back by the force of the magnets etc, perhaps ill have another go at somepoint.

Edited December 19, 2022 by RailwayLacky

[RailwayLacky]

4 hours ago, Matloughe said:

 

Radius is the measurement of a circule from the outer edge to the centremost point, the 'pivot' point as it were. Diameter which is what we are looking at here is the quoted size of a circle from one side to another, i.e. double the distance measured in radius.
So you actually have a ten & half inch radius, or twenty-one inch diameter.

But as said before normally measurements are taken from the track centre line. 🙂
Looks great, I have also had some Budget Model Railways inspiration so keep it up!

 

yes got it now thanks, my bad ive updated the title :)

[RailwayLacky]

4 hours ago, Darius43 said:

Are you going to have a fiddle yard on the half of the layout that is behind the retaining wall with a scenic part in front?

 

As others have said it has great potential as an industrial layout.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

yes i may expand this area  with the point i am removing from the front station area

[OliverRowley]

Enjoying the read- taking notes for a future layout!

Olly

[RailwayLacky]

Currently my trying to match my method from 8 years ago for the ratio retaining walls i need to extend these a bit further across the middle of the layout...

 

 

Nearly!

 

Edited December 20, 2022 by RailwayLacky

[Ben B]

A thought with the station, you could have a Railbus Halt? Low (even ground level) platform, so it wouldn't risk being clipped by passing trains on the tight curves, and I reckon a Heljan (or even motorised Dapol) 4 wheel railbus wouldn't look out of place on the layout. That, or if going for the Industrial line, brake vans for a workers train, or even something like a tramcar- a Bachmann HO streetcar could probably cope with the curves, and would justify a low platform.

[Michael Hodgson]

On 19/12/2022 at 12:59, RailwayLacky said:

 i'm not sure i know of any stations where you would need to reverse in for the passengers

 

Should probably be listed under "Prototype for everything" thread!

 

Limerick Junction

Trains on the main Cork-Dublin route used to have to reverse into the platform (both directions) before 1967

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_Junction_railway_station

 

 

 

[happyChappy]

On 19/12/2022 at 17:41, RailwayLacky said:

the problem wasn't really the magnet, i used the under track one, more my rolling stock having metal wheels and not being able to replace them. the rolling stock was getting pulled back by the force of the magnets etc, perhaps ill have another go at somepoint.

Dapol replacement wheel-sets are non-magnetic and simple to fit to Hornby or Bachmann stock. They work a treat with Kadees but make sure there isn't a slab of magnetic steel weight in the floor of the rolling stock. 

[RailwayLacky]

Some gaugemaster foam wall arrived, I have cut this up and will weather it up to match the retaining wall, this will be the entrance and exit road tunnel to the goods yard

 

 

 

 

 

I Have also changed the track layout and moved the point from the front where the station will be, to the rear for a WIP fiddle yard.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by RailwayLacky