N Gauge Layout Plans

[DuncanF]

Guys,

 

Your help please. I've returned to the hobby after (too?) many years and, belying my declining eyesight, have decided to make an N Gauge layout. I've had a couple of goes, but having twice laid track and jerry rigged the power, I've never been quite satisfied. I want to make this third time lucky so I can actually make some progress beyond baseboard construction and track laying!

 

Space constraints also lead me to an end-to-end design based on two baseboards already constructed each measuring 140 x 45 cm. In one of my previous plans I used the baseboard join as the scenic endpoint; this would of course make the join easy to hide, but restricts the business end somewhat to the benefit of a huge fiddle yard.

 

I'm looking to set this in the Western Region, and given the rolling stock I have, any time between the early fifties and early sixties. I'd like to run in steam, steam/diesel or just diesel as the mood takes me. Why Western Region? I've always had a thing about the Diesel Hydraulics, especially the Westerns since the first train book my father gave me, but I live nowhere near and haven't any particular prototype in mind.

 

Operationally it is a terminus, possibly once a through station, but now the end of the line. A longish platform remains to service Western/Castle etc. hauled express services, and a smaller platform for DMUs/local steam services. Add a few goods sidings as befits its once proud status and a turntable and that completes the effect … I hope.

 

Anyway enough of the preamble, here's my latest effort. Any and all feedback gratefully received, but please be gentle with me!

 

Thanks,

 

Duncan

 

[Steven B]

Hi.

 

Interesting looking layout.

 

I'd be tempted to combine the point that combines the double track into the single line of the fiddle yard, and the first point in the fiddle yard with a double slip. This should give you a point's length of extra space in the yard.

 

I'd also have a look at putting a point branching off from the first fiddle yard siding - this would reduce it's length a bit but would give you an extra siding roughly the same length as the second one.

 

Also, what are the tracks at the front of the turn-table for? If you're going to be putting a loco shed on them then I'd be half tempted to swap the location of the shed and turn table. The shed will help hid the entrance to the fiddle yard and if you extend the tracks through it into the fiddle yard area you'll have the option to change locos without having to drive them off scene via the main line.

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[Kris]

There are some very nice features you have here. It is reminiscent of Penzance I would suggest that you look at a couple of changes.

 

1. The fiddle yard. The point that singles the line change this for a LH point this will cause the whole fiddle yard to angle towards the corner. If you do this make the next point a Y point. After this add in a pair of points on each arm. This will give you the same number of sidings, but the overall amount of storage will be greater.

 

2. Change the location of the TT. If you run a point off the siding closest to the front of the board on the LH side, you will be able to run lines to the large empty space that is in the middle and put the loco servicing facilities here and possibly a shed. This is no more operationally awkward to run and increases the space you have for the goods yard.

[DuncanF]

Steven,

 

Thanks for that feedback. Your thoughts on having a double slip at the fiddle yard entrance made me realise I could put one at the goods yard entrance too, and tidy up the approach curves somewhat. And an extra siding in the fiddle yard never goes amiss.

 

 

And then I got to thinking if it did used to be a through station what about the central line for through trains with a loco spur by the signal box? This allows for a longer main platform to accomodate a Western plus four carriages.

 

 

The tracks in front of the turntable are for lurking locos, coal and water. I need to have the turntable back there because of the baseboard join at dead centre, the yellow bar That join also drives the position of the facing crossover.

 

Duncan

[DuncanF]

Kris,

 

I like your idea of moving the TT. Engines have to come up the headshunt to access now, so as you say it will be no different if the facilities are directly attached. Let me play around ...

 

Duncan

[DuncanF]

This forum is excellent. Just two response so far but they've both provided winners IMHO!

 

Kris, I've incorporated your ideas into a new goods yard/engine shed area and I'm really pleased with that portion of the layout. It has bought some focus and "bustle" to the front and middle of the board and feels right. Still torn between the two station layouts at the moment although I like the option of the longer trains with the "through road" version.

 

 

Duncan

[Flying Pig]

A couple of thoughts. First, I don't see what's gained by not just making the layout a terminus. Although some routes were truncated in this way (Stratford on Avon springs to mind) to me it looks rather awkward and you're losing valuable inches of platform.

 

Second, if you could move the exit nearer to the centreline of the layout, you could use a traverser or sector plate in the fiddle yard which would increase the number of longer trains you could accommodate.

 

My sketch of Penzance below (copied from the 1989 Quail plan) in case it's of use.

 

[Kris]

Kris, I've incorporated your ideas into a new goods yard/engine shed area and I'm really pleased with that portion of the layout. It has bought some focus and "bustle" to the front and middle of the board and feels right. Still torn between the two station layouts at the moment although I like the option of the longer trains with the "through road" version.

 

 

 

 

Just looking at the modification that you have done on the plan and I like it. I would suggest a single minor change. It is unlikely that the coal and water would be in the position that you have put them. To access this, all locos need to use the TT twice. This is very time consuming and would put these important facilities out of use if there were a problem with the TT. Looking at the plan I would suggest that the water and coal would be found at the end of the head shunt which is used to access the loco yard area.

 

 

[DuncanF]

Thanks all. I've taken your comments on board and made this a terminus which also makes the left end scenic components easier to work with.

 

This is (hopefully?) the final plan so now I just need to get down to it. I may even be tempted to start a layout topic although given some of the extraordinary skills I see on display here, that may prove embarrassing.

 

For those of you with an eagle eyed disposition, you will notice that I've elided some of turnouts into a 3-way turnout which has enabled me to add a run around for the local trains. Mr. Peco tells me that this turnout will be available in March next year, so I guess I'll start on the fiddle/goods/engine areas for now. Maybe that will be the theme of the layout until next year; a good yard/engine shed with a station under construction!

 

Now to see what advice the guys in "Signalling" can give me for this plan.

 

Duncan

 

[Kris]

That looks good. Peco have been saying that the 3 way turnout is on it's way for several years now, so don't be to shocked if it's not out in March.

[DuncanF]

You're right on that Kris. I received this in and e-mail from them last week but won't hold my breath ...

 

Work is progressing well on the code 55 3way point, and we hope to have it available in March 2011.

 

If not, the latest juggling has delivered more platform length, so I can revert to normal turnouts and not loose too much.

 

Duncan

[Dave777]

Two quick points - personally I'd include a runround loop for the goods yard as you might be limited with shunting options a bit (not too sure how you get wagons out and get the loco to the other end for example, unless you bring another loco in to do that of course). Secondly, perhaps the platforms could do with being angled a bit, like the fiddleyard...?

 

That's just two mods that I would make though.

[Anglian]

I'd be tempted to put the whole station on a curve…

[DuncanF]

It is ramrod straight at the moment and could benefit form some curves. I'll work on that.

 

I was planning to work the goods with two locos. Dave777 where would you put a run round in the goods?

 

Duncan

[Kris]

I had wondered about a run round loop, but at the moment I can't see a sensible location for one that will not loose to much space, or that will be to short to be of any use.

[DuncanF]

I had wondered about a run round loop, but at the moment I can't see a sensible location for one that will not loose to much space, or that will be to short to be of any use.

I tried a few places in XTrkCAD but all of them lost more in siding length than they gained in operational usability IMHO. And curving the platforms in any meaningful way is proving to be surprisingly difficult. Especially as Peco don't have a curved 3-way turnout!

 

I may try it in Templot but that leads to hand building turnouts and I'm just not sure I have the skills for that ...

[Kris]

In the interests of trying to put in a loop I've had a bash at your plan. it's come out rather differently. I hadn't quite appreciated how little space you had for the features that you wanted before doing this. By moving the loco facilities and by slanting the dividing backscene I have been able to put in a goods loop. Depending how you played it you could say that there are 2. I have shown a road in blue. I assumed that the backscene would be tight against this.

There are loads of compromises in this plan, and in many ways I feel that the idea that you had come up with is better. I assume that you have used medium radius points throughout. I have used a mix of medium and large. The goods yard in my plan would be a real pig to operate.

 

Having done this I can see how short your trains are likely to be. I think you will be limited to a loco and 3 maybe 4 coaches at most. Were you aware of this? Given the length of trains that can be run I wonder if it would be worth looking at a single track terminus rather than a duelled line?

[Dave777]

I was planning to work the goods with two locos. Dave777 where would you put a run round in the goods?

 

I had wondered about a run round loop, but at the moment I can't see a sensible location for one that will not loose to much space, or that will be to short to be of any use.

 

This is the only place I can see - would require the goods yard sidings to be shuffled along an inch and it's not that long, but might just provide some additional operating options.

 

 

If using two locos then it's not required, it's just with the loop you're not forced to - you have options

[locoworks]

That looks good. Peco have been saying that the 3 way turnout is on it's way for several years now, so don't be to shocked if it's not out in March.

 

 

naughty boy.

[Jellicoe]

The fiddle yard seems to be taking up an awful lot of space. Have you considered a two-road cassette system behind the backscene?This would free up all that space to the front allowing the goods yard to be pushed to the far right.

[Kris]

The fiddle yard seems to be taking up an awful lot of space. Have you considered a two-road cassette system behind the backscene?This would free up all that space to the front allowing the goods yard to be pushed to the far right.

 

 

I agree with this, however as the baseboards are already constructed I don't know how easy this would be to implement. It would solve the storage issues that currently seem to be present.

 

 

[Etched Pixels]

If the boards are already built then if you are keeping the sloping fiddle yard as it is now you could move the goods yard and some suitable scenic excuse in front of it, which would make the whole plan a good deal less cluttered and add room for the loop. In fact you'd have room for the loop and probably a couple of carriage sidings as well.

 

(If not you could still take the two sidings through the back of the board to an offscene loop/fiddle - always good for unloading/loading wagons)

[Dave777]

Yes, I did think of that myself as it's the obvious way to go, and exactly what Kris did in his version further up (with the blue road). The reason I didn't was that in the very first post there's a whacking great control panel sitting there - I'm not sure how set in stone that is because while I had assumed it was it seems later versions leave it off....?

 

If it doesn't need to be there, then definitely use that space for something.

[Etched Pixels]

Ah I missed that point - in which case I think I'd take the two sidings through the wall to join the fiddle yard tracks at the back (and thus form an offscene freight interest/loop etc) which ought to leave control space.

[DuncanF]

The control panel was just there to mark a clear area for me. I'm very much hoping whatever panel I end up with will not be to scale! I had thought of integrating it with the second board, but this is not set in stone.

 

I was mulling over a cassette fiddle yard over the weekend. The would allow for quite a bit more space to be used on the second board. Even more if the cassettes were allowed to overhang, as there is no lateral space constraint. Although the boards are constructed I could easily arrange a minor gradient leaving the station to accommodate the depth of the cassettes in the yard. A rise of only a few mms would be sufficient.

 

If I do remove the controls off board, then EP's layout to include carriage sidings and modified goods yard with a run around certainly leads to a more expansive (expensive?) layout.

 

As ever thanks for all the feedback; you have given me a lot to ponder over. I'm busy at work this week but I'll get down to trying some alterations over the weekend.

 

Duncan