A small O gauge layout

[Halton Boy]

Hello everyone

I have another project underway which is not going so well.

Therefore I have brought back a plan that I had some time ago.

This is the end of the line at Fairford station on the Fairford branch in O gauge.

Scenic boards are 2400mm x 675mm. Fiddle yard 1000 x 375.

The red line is a baseboard join. 

There is a lot of very good information and photos online about the station.

I have read that all the engines were turned before the return journey.

I have not seen a photo which shows an ash pit outside the engine shed.

There is an inspection pit in the engine shed.

There is a photo which shows two pannier tanks near the shed.

So two engines in steam on the line.

Ken

[Halton Boy]

Hello everyone

As usual I have extended the layout and made it more complex which is a mistake I keep making.

Ken 

[Schooner]

Sorry Ken, haven't be able to answer 'cos I can't find the question!

 

Why's it not going so well? What makes the coal stage road a mistake? What do you want to achieve, and what are the constraints?

[Halton Boy]

Hello everyone

I am sorry I did not make the problem clear.

I start off trying to make a compact O gauge shunting layout.

But then I start adding to it and it gets too big.

The original plan was 3300mm x 675mm.

Now it is 3600mm x 675mm.

Here is most of Fairford station in O gauge. It is 7metres long.

The red line indicates the space I have allowed for the scenic section, which is 2700mm (9').

I thought if I could just model the engine shed end I would have some interesting operation in a small space.

Well I have made the layout longer by increasing the length of the fiddle yard to 1200mm.

I have done this because I think that coaches would be placed in one of the two long sidings.

I have reduced the width of the scenic boards to 600mm.

I am not concerned about the cassette fiddle yard board as it is plain and not too big to move around.

The engine shed board is 1500 x 600mm which is large to move about. 

I can remove the engine shed  when I move the board.

 

Here are image's of the turntable and yard. I not sure where the image's came from.

The engine on the left is on the turntable track. The other is on the points.

As you can see from the the original plan there was not a coaling stage.

Do I need one? How did they coal the engines?

I cannot see an ash pit. Did they use the engine shed?

It is up to me as I can model it, as like Fairford.

 

Does the coaling stage add much to the operation of the model?

Does it just make the model look cluttered?

Is 13' x 2' compact in O gauge?

The scenic section is 9' x 2'.

Ken

 

[Halton Boy]

Hello everyone

I have found a time table for the branch which shows mostly passenger workings with two freight workings per day.

The engines were mostly pannier tanks and sometimes 14xx engines.

The 14xx would have needed to take on water.

All engines were turned before travelling back up the branch.

I need to come up with a schedule of interesting operation.

[Harlequin]

Fairford is possibly the longest BLT you could attempt to model and even in OO trying to fit it, or even a meaningful part of it, into 9ft of scenic length would be a squeeze.

 

 

[Halton Boy]

Hello Phil

I understand what you are saying, its just that I like the idea of just modelling the engine shed area.

I have revised the plan to put the coal stage on the end of the turntable road.

At 13' long I can put the layout on trestles on my patio.

I have thought through the running and I think it would work.

The green engine (14xx) runs from the cassette onto track B, having dropped the two coaches off at the station (which is not modelled).

It fills its water tanks, from the water tower, on the cross over.

The engine runs forward into the engine shed.

The engine reverses across the turntable to the coaling stage to take on coal.

The engine runs forward onto the turntable and is turned.

The engine reverses into the engine shed.

The engine runs down onto track B across the crossover on to track A and into the cassette.

 

The fact that this is part of a real station is what appeals to me.

Would they have parked the coaches for the early morning train on siding A or B overnight?

They normally have a carriage shed.

Each coach is about 475mm long. Two coaches could sit on track A opposite the engine shed.

Ken

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

There is a picture of coaches parked up on 'Siding A' which appear here:

 

http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/index.htm

 

I've lifted the Paul Stong picture to here as an illustration

 

 

Another photo shows what looks like a large pile of coal on the floor on the opposite side of the track to where you have your coal stage.

 

Coaling facilities as branch termini  were generally a simple timber coal stage level with the bottom of a coal or mineral wagon to allow coal to be shovelled out quite quickly.

 

Alternatively, a wagon of loco coal strategically parked near the shed, and cross loaded directly into the loco could also have been used

[Ray H]

You have identified one scenario above. That's hardly likely to keep your enthusiasm alive for very long.

 

You need to add other scenarios into the mix before you start going too mad on purchasing/making any track.

 

Sorry if I sound too negative.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Ray H

[Halton Boy]

Hello everyone

Thank you Richard for the picture.

I am not sure what to do now, I feel like giving up as I have tried lots of plans in Anyrail, but they get too big and do not offer much operating interest.

I have the O gauge books and other books as well.

The problem is that Peco track does not fit the plans in the books as people make their own track.

I am not that skilled.

I only know that I do not want a shunting puzzle type layout.

I will take a break from it for a while as work is very busy at the moment.

Thank you everyone.

Ken

[DCB]

On 06/02/2023 at 22:42, Harlequin said:

Fairford is possibly the longest BLT you could attempt to model and even in OO trying to fit it, or even a meaningful part of it, into 9ft of scenic length would be a squeeze.

Fairford was not the intended terminus, The extension of the Oxford to Witney branch through Fairford  was intended to join the MSWJR North of Cirencester. Hence it was designed as a through station and It was very like Lechlade, the next station East.

Mathematically you don't have enough room for an 0 gauge BLT   My small 00 gauge BLT is almost 8 feet long and its trains 4ft long so with a minimum length Fiddle Yard its 12 feet long,  In 00 in 0 I would need 21 feet.. and Fairford has its yard beyond the platform for you should be looking at over 30 feet. That's probably why Hornby has re invented TT.    Lack of space.

Edited February 7, 2023 by DCB