Layout Design in 0 Gauge

[NeilHB]

Hi everyone, as I posted over on my blog, I'm in the process of building a 7mm scale 0 gauge light railway. However, I'm struggling to find a trackplan that will a) fit the area that I have, b ) work satisfactorily, and c) include all the features that I want to have without appearing too crowded.

 

The layout at the moment is three 4'x2' boards in an L shape, 8'x6', with another 2'x1' board to tag onto the end of the 6' length and form approx 2/3 of the length of the fiddle yard.

This view shows how the boards are set up at the moment, the 2' fiddle yard extension will be located at the far right end of the rearmost board. 8ft length is along the left, with 6ft length to the rear.

 

The layout is going to be a light railway terminus, albeit a fairly small one, set in the country somewhere (haven't worked out where yet). I think I've worked out what I would like to include on the layout, and this is as follows:

 

Small station, platform capable of holding 2 four wheel coaches and a small tank engine.

Run round loop, this has to be capable of holding either 3 wagons and brake van or 4 wagons and brake van. Minimum loop length will need to be 24" or 610mm, as this is the length of 2 six wheel coaches and 12t vent van.

2/3 sidings, I like shunting so want to have enough siding capacity to carry this out.

Small engine shed - not a definite feature but I would really like to have one on the layout, just somewhere for my loco(s) to stand.

 

I have a few points at the moment, 1 of each Marcway 48" left and right hand points, 2 x Peco left hand points, 1 x Peco right hand, and 1x Peco Y point. In terms of curved points I'm looking at using Marcway, as they offer a greater range, and will probably end up using their 72"/48" Radius left hand curved point.

 

Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly recieved.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

TTFN!

[rob D2]

Hi there,

I can sympathise as I am trying to design an O gauge shunting set up in 8' by 2'.The only suggestion I can make is to look on google earth at trackplans for small termini and then bend it to your needs.Or get some of the quail track plan books and have alook at those.

 

I always think something that has been adapted from the real railway looks better.

 

Of course the problem with our sort of space in O gauge is always going to be passenger or freight or a compromise on both,

 

good luck

[Mod5]

You could always try the link kindly provided across on the old forum by Pint of Adnams for the O gauge guild.

 

http://www.gauge0guild.com/Small_layouts_1-02.pdf

 

Regards Mod5

[shortliner]

There are two books on small layouts done by the O Gauge Guild - The first is out of print - but you may be able to pick up a second hand copy from someone like Nick Tozer. The second is , I believe, still in print. Fortunately I have both.

[shortliner]

In two of Carl Arendts ScrapBooks http://www.carendt.us there appears a deceptively simple layout called Maldon Market Hill. The original is in 59a and the updated photo in 81. Rather than a rundound (turnouts take up valuable space) it uses two locos, and may be worth looking at to see if you can adapt it to your requirements. It would make an ideal fenland light railway branch terminus, perhaps with a sugar-beet processor/vegetable and fruit-packer/Jam Factory on the siding that hides the fiddleyard. The goods shed could go on the end of the bay platform, but you may have space for the extra sidings for a seperate yard.

[NeilHB]

Thanks for the suggestions all, I'll have a look at what you've suggested and see what I can come up with - watch this space!

[dymstocklr]

Have a look at www.carendt.us/index.html American but might find some ideas

[Pint of Adnams]

There are two books on small layouts done by the O Gauge Guild - The first is out of print - but you may be able to pick up a second hand copy from someone like Nick Tozer. The second is , I believe, still in print. Fortunately I have both.

The first is indeed out of print, although a few copies were on sale on the Guild's stand at Guildex. However, it's this one that's available as a PDF on the Guild website, as I posted (more than once) in the old place, and is found on the link kindly posted again here by Mod 5...

 

The second is still available from the Guild.

 

I also have copies of both.

[shortliner]

Yes - I saw your link about the PDF after I had posted on here

[Russ (mines a pint)]

There is a layout built by 'Crewe North' on here (or at least he was on the old forum)- called Alexandria Yard which I think has to be one of the most convincing small space O layouts I have seen- If John's still here and sees this I hope he might post some info, but you can see the layout on the Connosseur kits webpage, albeit a bit full of stock! about 6ft long if I remember right?

[grasshopper]

You might also want to have a look at the March 2008 Railway Modeller - Helford Creek a nice little terminus in 9'6 * 7? 

 

 

With the photo in the OP as a reference, keep the curve going the right edge(under the color photo of the Pacific)?  , but make it a sector plate pivoted around the middle (ie the track on the plate is curved) , that then allows to omit the turnout on the join of the baseboards as you can feed both tracks from it .

 

With that change your design actually solves a conundrum for me - trying to get a small colliery (45' * 60') and a small passenger station together in about the same space in O - colliery (located in a cutting)?  in the back right corner, and station in the front? 

 

? 

 

 

 

[NeilHB]

Thanks for the suggestions all, I've got a few ideas floating around in the brain at the moment so will post them up on my blog when I manage to translate them onto paper.