RMweb Premium Ray H Posted June 10, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 10, 2012 I had hoped (and am still slightly hopeful) that I'd be able to negotiate an area around 10'3" by 7' for my next layout. I've even gone as far as roughing out the layout with Templot. Alas, it now looks as though I'm likely to be limited to an area of approx. 7' square. The Templot layout plan allowed me to sit and watch trains go round if I wished although it was primarily a single line passing station with a small yard and a branch platform. There was also provision to recess a slower train for faster ones to pass using the yard headshunt which rejoined the single line at the distant end. Sand drags/over-runs were provided to permit simultaneous arrivals from opposite directions. The fiddle yard had two through sidings and 4/5 dead end sidings with a minimum length of 4' facing in opposite directions. The branch had its own 3 sidings long enough for two coaches and a tank engine in the fiddle yard. The minimum radius curves were 36" in the visible area and there was ample room to cross 3-4 coach trains and the platforms weren't all on the curve. My earlier layout ideas envisaged the use of much tighter radius curves (albeit off scene) on a long thin layout. However, the pictures of Cornard in June's issue of BRM made me think that I could have some tighter radius curves on view until I learned that the tightest Cornard uses in the visible area is 36"! I definitely want to have the ability to operate 3 coach trains with tender locos (late steam/early diesel scenario). I'd like to be able to tail chase if the mood takes me (or I have something that I want to run in) and I want to have a fair bit of operational interest without the layout being too scenically challenging. I'm not too fussed about the minimum radius although I'd prefer not to have to use recorderded "Mind the gap" announcements at the station! Am I on a hiding to nothing - I'm sure some people would welcome a 7' by 7' space for a layout - or can someone give me some suggestions for me to try and work up? Your ideas/suggestions would be appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katier Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 something along these lines? http://www.3mmsociety.org.uk/MemberLayouts/Ballyconnell%20Road/BallyconnellRoad.htm This ones 3mm/ft and widegauge to boot, but in your space it would be nicely doable in anything from 2mm to OO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Ballyconnel Road is a brilliant layout, but is in 3mm scale which allows more scope. In your case ( I am assuming 00 gauge) I would be inclined to go for the largest possible radii, which in your 7ft square gives a circle of just over 3ft radius. If you go for older, shorter coaching stock and build the platforms carefully it shouldn't look too bad. I love little roundy's! Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted June 12, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 12, 2012 I am currently working up an idea in Templot. The biggest problem I'm having is getting a reasonable number of sidings in the fiddle yard - that is after learning how to use Templot efficiently. I'm hoping to post the first version later in the week. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katier Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Ballyconnel Road is a brilliant layout, but is in 3mm scale which allows more scope. In your case ( I am assuming 00 gauge) I would be inclined to go for the largest possible radii, which in your 7ft square gives a circle of just over 3ft radius. If you go for older, shorter coaching stock and build the platforms carefully it shouldn't look too bad. I love little roundy's! Ed Oh granted but 3ft radius is not exactly tight in 4mm/ft so there would actually be nothing wrong with copying that track plan, the radii would be scale tighter, but not trainset tight ( you can squeeze OO into 3ft DIAMETER just about ). Pretty sure the RMWeb Stafford show had a 4mm roundy that I doubt was over 7ft too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewlisle Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 My exhibition 00 gauge layout 'Crewlisle' is 2.5M x 2.25M and is designed for entertainment and watching the trains go by. Many of you will probably have seen it at the NEC 2009, Alexandra Palace 2011 or Taunton 2011. It always provokes comments as to how much you can get in this area without looking out of place. There is always a minimum of two trains running simultaneously and sometimes as many as four. Although it is larger than your 7ft x 7ft, it should give you some ideas. If you would like a track plan and description, let me know on this forum and I will add one. Alternatively, enter 'Crewlisle' in Google and you will find plenty of photos/short videos on a number of pages. 'Crewlisle' will also pull up an American cleaning company! It is representative of a section of the WCML in NW England on three interconnected levels with the mid level a continuous double track mainline with 25 KV OHL equipment, high level has a four platform terminus for 6 coach expresses + steam/diesel sheds + goods yard and the lower level is a reversing loop which goes right under the layout. No space is wasted on a fiddle yard but is replaced by a 14 cartridge exchange system holding complete trains on the reversing loop inside the operating well. Layout is Lenz DCC, track Peco Code 100 + 32 unmodified electro frog points fitted with Peco point motors. Decoders are Hornby, Bachmann, ZTC and 10 ESU sound decoders. At exhibitions the reliability of the track, points and my 'cheap and cheerful' decoders has never been a problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted June 12, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 12, 2012 Here's what I've produced so far if I've produced it correctly. There's a bay platform leading to three dedicated branch fiddle yard sidings - the scenic area is the bottom half of the plan/layout. I've yet to convert the diamond at the end of the outer rail platform to a double slip. The siding on the outside on the (bottom) right hand side is currently planned to be somewhere to recess trains or for the branch train to run to if the bay is occupied by e.g. parcels vehicles. However, it could be converted into a private siding (or two) serving a factory. I need to move the pointwork at bottom centre slightly to the left to avoid a baseboard join. All running line curves on the scenic section are a minimum of 36" and those in the fiddle yard no less than 23.5". The inner platform is about 4' in length, the outer platform about a foot shorter. Comments would be appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 If it's of any help/inspiration, I'm also limited to a similar size in 00 however I'm having to go with an "L" shape layout because of access to other things in the garage. The layout is slightly larger @ 8'x8', however most of that could be condensed down to 7'x7' if required. The track plan currently looks like this: And the thread is at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/57099-blockwall-junction/ Obviously if you're going for a "roundy-roundy" then that's awesome - I would have done (complete with LU terminus if I could find modern 00 rolling stock!) but apparently access to the freezer is mandatory... Cheers, MattWallace Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted June 13, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 13, 2012 I've done a bit more tinkering with the track plan. All points (which will be handbuilt) are now clear of the baseboard joins. The (incomplete) double slip mentioned above has been replaced by a plain pointwork in a re-arrangement of the pointwork that allows the bay to be lengthened. I have yet to add the trap point at the end of the bay. I've eased the radius of many of the curves in the fiddle yard and the pointwork for the (recess) siding at bottom right has been moved the other side of the sibngle line crossover in order to increase the length of the outer platform and move the associated point from the baseboard join. As a result the siding has been extended backwards (and partially off scene). I'm still undecided whether to leave this as a siding or try to incorporate a small factory, the downside of which is that the wagons thereto would either have to use the pick-up freight or (very) short complete trains because there's a lack of capacity in the goods yard to hold an excess of wagons for the factory. I am minded to increase the radius of both goods yard sidings slightly so that I can have a curved backscene rather than square corners. The scenic area remains confined to the lower three baseboards as this would leave the other three boards flat, therby taking up the minimum of room if I wanted to transport the layout around in a car. The fiddle yard sidings are over 5ft long and the two through platforms about a foot shorter allowing me to run at least 4/5 coach stopping trains and slightly longer non-stop trains. The layout is OO gauge and (yet another) end of steam scheme. Comments would be welcomed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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