Saddletank Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 We've been here before...A few weeks ago I started on this forum with grand plans for a door-sized n layout set in Aberdeenshire. Much waffle and decision change later I settled for the Dufftown branch as it was still in operation in the 80s serving distilleries in the area. I thought I would reintroduce almost so much rail traffic to the area it would look like clapham jct. at rush hour, but of course it was unsustainable - not least as I was determined to house the fiddle yard within the footprint of the door size, and because I'm starting from scratch with no stock. Also, radiuses would be unworkable tight and it would probably be an arse to build.While at home (I work away from home a lot including right now - no Christmas for me ) I worked up a layout on RailModeller to the spec I'd designed and found it to be as underestimated as various contributors had suggested. I worked out a far simpler solution, using a far smaller 3 track fiddle yard (originally 9tracks!) accessed via a double slip which allowed a loop of track to be formed, in addition to the normal station - fiddle yard operation. The other leg of the double slip accesses a small single track, which can still store a DMU for variety.The original plan called for the whole fiddle yard assembly to be formed under a hill which formed a scenic break while allowing the visible track work to use 3 sides of the board (I would feel cheated to lose one long side to a conventional fiddle yard, it makes everything more difficult though!) but following advice from members, that's changed to the small yard, which cuts diagonally across the board, being screened by backdrops. It actually frees me get more creative with the scenery on each side of the board, as I don't have to think about bending the track work around one large hill, as before.With all this in mind, I have scribbled a few ideas in a notebook while on breaks and come up with something I like. It doesn't follow a prototype, but it should look better than before and the track work should be a little simpler than previous too. Same rules as last time apply: I haven't got access to track planning software until I get home, next weekend at the earliest. So no bashing my bizarre curves or unintelligible scrawls!I know, it's not pretty but it's functional. Just needs a little explanation!Starting bottom right, track exits from under a tunnel/road bridge, through a short cutting and over a girder bridge, built over the river at the bottom of an otherwise tree-filled valley. It continues along a cutting in the side of a hill until it rounds a rocky outcrop above the cutting. By this time it's passed the large distillery in the middle of nowhere, also built on flattened ground up from the valley bottom - it's an area prone to flooding! Its also accessed by a small road, which forms the exit to the fiddle yard. There's at least 2 and possibly 3 sidings in this medium sized complex, one beside the coal fired boiler building (closest to the branch line) and the other (s) for unloading grain hoppers and loading bottled whisky into freight vans. All this freight is brought in via the station freight sidings where wagons for the 2 distilleries are shunted out.Speaking of the station, it's a 2 platform through affair with runaround loop to turn loco hauled services from aberdeen. Not sure how I justify terminating a 3-4 coach train in a tiny village but there we are, perhaps a bus replacement is operating down to the large town further down the line following a washout of the track? That story may change if I bring in a DMU to go further, or it may be an old rail tour special hauling American tourists to the heart of whisky country! I might also model the runaround loop platform as unused, almost hidden in weeds etc.The 2 or more freight sidings are accessed off the runaround loop, as is the second distillery via a single slip - using up a corner of the board. I might put a siding at the other end of the runaround loop to stable a shunter for the distillery operations, just using a 27 or similar to haul the freight in from the bigger town the other way along the line. The valley distillery will probably be quite well kept and prestigious, whereas the one opposite the station will be pretty run down and tatty. The road from the station will pass over the track beyond the station, forming the second fiddle yard exit.The layout will be housed on a board around 8x4ft, but there might be room to relax this dependant on my skills as a rubbish joiner / trainee modeller to disguise the baseboard joint. I want it to be portable and to be able to clear it into a cupboard in the spare room when needed. It gives me a chance to model a good bit of scenery on the valley side, but I don't know what to do with the station side yet, maybe lay all the track and do one side first. I do think its important to get the contours of the land correct and like the look of using insulation foam or polystyrene blocks to achieve this, rather than strips of card and plaster bandages. I'm also thinking about trying to model a wet day, as I'm getting tired of seeing perfect summers days in all the magazines! It's certainly not as dry up here as the majority of north Scottish layouts would have you believe!Oh, I'm thinking it would either be called Glendreich, or Auchtermechty - locals will understand the puns in relation to the above.So there it is. I'm not really begging for advice this time, just putting my thoughts out there.P.S. last weekend I made the rash and probably stupid spur-the-moment decision to buy a farish sprinter train set. While it is a fine model of an Arriva 150 DMU, and the controller is apparently really nice to use, it seems to be totally surplus to the requirements of this project! I want to use code 55, this is code 80. I want to have DCC, this is DC. And I doubt strongly that this kind of train would ever be seen in this neck of the woods in BR blue era! Plus the dog has been going nuts whenever the thing starts rolling, so I will have to bar her from the room where the layout will be built and used. Still, it's been nice having model trains back in the house after such a long absence.Thanks for reading, sorry to have wasted so much of your time!!!!Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian b Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Hello! Loving the setting and can't wait to see this develop! If I may offer a bit of advice- have a good think about blocking both sides of the fiddle yard in the middle. The reason I mention this is my layout (Jedburgh) has the fiddle yard behind the backscene and I have to lean over it to get access. The backscene is only 6" high but it drives me bonkers not being able to get easy access to the yard- every time I lean over to move something things get knocked over on the scenic side! A possible solution may be to use cassettes that you can slide into position from the end so you can marshall trains off the board. On the other hand I may be talking rubbish and you get it working brilliantly! Best wishes, Ian B Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 As someone who has over many years designed dozens of layouts (and built none of them) I was interested to read your thoughts of a Scottish themed layout. I made only a couple of visits but I would think a BR Blue 1980s theme would give plenty of variety. For inspiration I take the liberty of posting a photo I took of a railtour, not of Americans but rail enthusiasts. I took pictures at various photo stops, including Dufftown and Keith. 27002 and 27003 pose for the cameras at Dufftown while working "The Skirl o the Pipes II", 8/5/83 Good luck with whatever you decide, cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 19, 2012 Author Share Posted December 19, 2012 Hi Ian I thought about that, I want to have it working with DCC and magnetic uncouplers (can you get electromagnetic actuators?) to run train round remotely. It's very much pared down from what it was before, there's only enough roads for one train of 3-4 coaches and another for freight wagons (I don't think I can take too many in the yard so will prob use 2 sets of wagons and have another set of points half way along the yard. Plus a road for the DMU on the edge of the board. As I said, there's wiggle room so if I place all the track and have some leeway to put another road in, I'll use it. I can probably tack on another few inches width if need be too. The final part of this solution is to manufacture a method of slotting the backdrop on the station side into place so it can be lifted in and out quickly and easily. Of course I prob won't use them at home but if I ever got a chance to exhibit it then at least I have a chance of rescuing errant stock! Thanks for the advice, I will think about keeping the station side of the board reasonably flat and clear of tall objects to negate this. Thanks for the photo rivercider, It's quite similar to a few I've seen on railbrit etc, and where I got the idea (excuse!) from. I thought a rail tour might be a bit rare though but a regular train organised for tourism might permit more frequent running. Either way, it's a negligible point - there will be drunk characters tottering around the station! By the way, that gloomy light, yellowing vegetation off to the right and general 'cold' look is exactly what I'm pushing for - proper Scottish summers! Saddletank Edited: amalgamated 3 separate posts into 1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Hi again! I've thought more about the station side of the layout, and enclosed a photo of my notebook sketch of what I'm considering. It's pretty much as shown previously but with more detail and buildings. I've tried to keep it more simple on this side to avoid overwhelming the model and making it feel claustrophobic, and kept tall scenic items to a minimum for safer access to the fiddle yard (via an easily removable backdrop on this side. Idea is that after negotiating the tight bend round the rocky outcrop (itself existent as the railway had to be cut in to avoid the river just off the baseboard) it opens into a larger radius into the station which has a very gentle curve to it to help delineate the train set feel. The track work here is as shown and as previously described, although I've added a derelict goods shed and signal box at the end of the platform. The goods shed will either be shown with disused rusted track partly in place or with track completely removed. The goods shed would have been originally accessed using one of the freight sidings as a headshunt. The shunter gets a small shed for maintenance, as it would be on station for the long haul and maintained on the cheap rather than being sent away for repairs. The shed obviously won't be under a bridge, that's just bad scribbling! A hotel with obligatory bar has been drawn, I've looked at a few old maps and where a town is located away from the station, normally the only element of accommodation in the locality will be the hotel, up this way at least. It could be implied that the wider town is over the bridge out of shot. The area around the hotel, station and old shed will provisionally be car parking, perhaps a stationmasters house will make its way in somewhere. Beside the freight sidings and up to the outcrop will be a field for livestock, accessed from the end of the road by gates beside the hotel. I've thought about stock too, I'm researching more into the type of wagons used in whisky traffic in the 80s, the thread elsewhere on this site about whisky traffic has been invaluable! Turns out in addition to a grain hopper, fuel (which could apparently be coal, oil or LPG) and secure vans, some distilleries used whisky tanks to move product to bonded warehouses for ageing, or to other producers to go into blends. Then theres the new barrels being shipped inwards too. I foolishly thought it was grain and coal in, bottles out in a locked van! Also, malt would be delivered in some sort of wagon if a distillery didnt have it's own maltings. So lots to think about, and some wagons might have to be ommitted. I wondered if DBSOs were about in the area at this time, I like the look of a single coach and loco, and would use one in place of a DMU at the drop of a hat if viable, even though I would have to scratch build one. The loco hauled passenger train will probably operate regularly under the premise that its shipping in tourists to the heart of whisky country for a bussed tour round a few distilleries in the area. Expect there to be a few passengers tottering about the platforms at going home time! While the tours are of and about, the loco will turn and the train sit on the longer main platform with passing DMUs going through the runaround loop. This keeps the freight sidings and second distillery open for incoming traffic, and disguises the fact I don't have anywhere to stable it on scene! If the DMU is sat in station when it arrives, that can be backed into the freight sidings to permit the loco of the longer train to be turned. I won't be able to model one platform as abandoned, but I will be able to have a full station! That's all for now I think, thanks for reading through the waffle! Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulzer27jd Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Robbie good to see the GNSR getting more interest - this is the real GWR - the Great Whisky Railway. If you are looking for honest feedback, my thoughts would be that you are still trying to do too much. Oh and the single slip is not in the GNSR vocabulary! Have a look at Balindalloch, it suits your outside corner area. Where your rundown distillery is, you could have more space for sidings and try and do it all on one side of the running lines. The goods yard there served Cragganmore Distillery, which was about a quarter of a mile up a track. The station building is still there and is well photographed for reference. On your plan (by the page bindings) you could add in the viaduct if you were feeling brave. Try the OS 25 inch maps at the National Library http://maps.nls.uk - brilliant resource all the best John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Nice plans you have.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Hi John, Ah, that's a shame, I rather like that single slip! I was primarily interested in adding a bit of variety to the operations, but with little room in the fiddle yard for more separate trains I wasn't sure about stretching to another industry. I really don't mind doing too much, although I don't like a railway looking like a toy it doesn't interest me to have it sparse, even if that contravenes the prototype! One question: is there a certain book that provides explanations to certain track features, I've tried to keep clear of sidings being entered straight from the branch but is this overkill and usually only seen on main lines? I will have a look at Ballindalloch, I hadn't got that far out yet in my search. I had previously considered a viaduct as per the Dufftown one but, again, am trying to keep the station side reasonably clear to provide access to that fiddle yard. I've been using those 25" maps a while now, they are an invaluable resource but I wish there were more updated maps available in rural areas. Up that way it all seems to be 1900s and 1930s vintage mapping! Still it's a great tool that can't be matched outside of Scotland. Thanks again, I will look and get back to this post after a look at Ballindalloch. Right now though I'm off to work. HI HO, HI HO... Thanks too class 66! Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWales Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 As a fellow GNSR fan any plans to exhibit when finished? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Hi again all, I've looked at Ballindalloch, and each direction to Dufftown and Aviemore too, but nothing seems to fit quite what I want to achieve. As mentioned previously, I did have a thread on here a few weeks ago and got so wrapped up in trying to make a prototype station fit my board that I nearly gave up on it. Ballindalloch has a great shape to it and I think that may have been unintentional inspiration for the shape of mine, but I suspect I'd struggle to fit the range of sidings shown into a corner of the board let alone the station building and road, which would almost have to be modelled to allow the station to make sense. If I did, getting the large curve to meet up round the outcrop would be difficult on an 8x4 board. I'm not a fan of too tightly curved stations, which require a great leap from coach to platform*. Also, it needs a high structure in the middle to disguise the fiddle yard running down the middle of the board, unless I built that on a lower level. The eventual outcome of the previous thread was that I decided to abandon prototype and model something I liked instead. I use the Speyside line more as a guide for what I should look to achieve, and the fictional backstory of the layout will place it firmly somewhere on this line. Just found a 1968 photo of the Ballindalloch goods yard and think I might be able to adapt it to suit, it looks more simplified than the 1900 OS maps version. I should explain further that I'm a beginner in every respect, so this is essentially a project to cut my teeth on, make mistakes and get the modelling bug before going onto greater things! It has to be interesting to operate which is why I put in the second distillery and rail tours, rather than the Dufftown example which by the 80s maybe only saw 3 trains a week (I imagine). The intentional use of little rolling stock is because I don't yet have any, though I covet one of the CJM or Mercig weathered diesels with sound, and will definitely be saving the pennies to get at least one! (And no, that poxy Arriva 150 i mentioned previously doesn't count as owned stock, it's a bit chocolate teapot TBH!!! I can wholeheartedly take the note about single slips not being used, and will take a look at modifying track work in a spare moment today. Any other advice is always warmly welcomed. I promise if I do enjoy the hobby and stick with it, I will at some point create a proper prototypical Speyside line station with all the extras! Martin, if I'm invited once complete (or at least nearly complete) then I will certainly exhibit - if the organisers want me anyway! Thanks again for all advice offered, it is gladly accepted (and only occasionally ignored!!) Saddletank * this could be partly because my dog missed the step once while we were boarding the sleeper in Euston, and had to be rescued from underneath the train 5 mins before departure! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike Posted December 21, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 21, 2012 Hi Robbie I love the idea. My one piece of advice is don't try and cram too much in to the space available. With 8 x 4 you have plenty of room to make things spacious and realistic (you could even go narrower than 4ft if you wanted). I use the code 80 oval and basic Farish DC controller to run stock in before converting to DCC so it might be worth hanging on to them if you can. Looking forward to seeing how this develops. Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Hi mike, thanks for the tips, I was going to shift the 'train set' on but this is a good idea, I will hang on to it. The 150 on the other hand... I am well aware of the perils of overfilling a board but, as this is primarily for getting used to scenic techniques, it might stand as is but I could just as easily chop the hotel and goods shed - I was really just looking for an excuse to give the tourists one last stop off for a drink before boarding the train! One thing I've noticed on some layouts that make them look very 'train set' is the rich colours used everywhere. The railway modeller article on Invermoriston was a great example in my eye of how scenery should appear toned down rather than distracting you from the trains. I know it should be the other way round, train in landscape and all that, but the subtlety of his work made it look so convincing and not at all overpowering. So while the glen side will be a little wedged with tree lined hills, a distillery, a branch railway passing over a stream and whatever else makes its way on there, I intend to have it appear as natural as possible. I thought as well about playing with perspective on this side, making the road, valley, stream and trees decreased slightly in size to open up the area and give the railway a little more context. Once more thanks for the advice, always welcome! Saddletank P.S. look what I found - ok they didnt operate further north than aberdeen but I can let that slide surely? 1984 onwards operating in the lovely scotrail livery... http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/page/DBSO+Push-Pull Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWales Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Robbie-your plan sound very much like 'Mitchellstown' by Jamie Mitchell, also in N, which has been exhibited in the North West, and based in the same general area as your proposed project. However the advice from Dave is sound-just don't try and cram too much in your space Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Gutted! I had a quick search for images and only found a small blurb describing the layout for a show: Mitchellstown Scale N Gauge Size 6ft 6in x 2ft 6in Moving north of the border to a fictitious town in North East Scotland on the Erstwhile Highland Railway route between Aberdeen to Invernexx. The era is 1980-94 and this layout features passenger trains operated by Scotrail with freight operations by Railfreight. See the malting house so important to the local whisky industry which likes all the older buildings have been meticulously scratch built from scaled drawings. I notice you appeared on that page, you didnt happen to take any photos of it did you? I'd love to see what it looked like. If its not too similar to what Ive got planned, I may forge ahead anyway with a little modification - doesnt look like the owner has given it much publicity and Id probably only bring this one out to exhibitions closer to home anyway. This is annoying though, I can understand loads of similar WHL line layouts: Fort William etc, but I thought I was onto something a little more unique. I backed out of modelling Craigellachie first because the Moray MRS had got there first, and had done a better job than I ever expect to be able to do in a restricted space. Inevitably, although we may model different time periods or features, or bend or even dismiss prototype, similar layouts will always be compared against each other. At least Im not trying to model something on the GWR, Id be ripped to shreds!!!! Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulzer27jd Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 One question: is there a certain book that provides explanations to certain track features, I've tried to keep clear of sidings being entered straight from the branch but is this overkill and usually only seen on main lines? The answer rather depends on which of the GNSR branches you are doing as they varied, in some locations they went to strange lengths to avoid facing points, yet on other lines they actually placed the yard in the facing direction on a loop. For the Dufftown area (except for Dufftown itself) the yards came directly off of the running lines and were trapped as protection. Hope that helps John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 That does help quite a bit, not sure what trapped points are though! I've tried to bring all sidings around the station off the loop, using it as a headshunt while allowing something to stand at the other platform. I thought about access to the second distillery (assuming it stays) and either it will have to be a point placed on the running line just past the loop point, or accessed from a point within the loop crossing the longer platforms line by a diamond. The downside of this is that it could restrict the platform length, and I won't really know which to go with until I get home next weekend. By the way, I intend to order necessary track the moment I've got a fully scaled drawing made up and printed out, so hopefully should be cracking on with laying track on a built pair of boards by the time I'm next away. Of course, having missed Christmas I'm obliged to visit every relative to dole out pressies, but once that's over I can get on with something interesting! Oh, 1 other thing, I previously mentioned the baseboards to be 8x4ft. Not sure where I pulled that from, but when I was last home I worked out on RailModeller the basic layout shape and fully laid out the fiddle yard within 1x2m. This is where the layout can slightly fatten out, but not as far as 8x4 unfortunately! It was only today when I checked to see that I would have space in the spare room to have the layout running and a desk/workbench put in, that I realised something was amiss. I had thought over the last day that I might have been over scaling my sketches for N gauge! Apologies for any confusion, I know this will make the layout seem a bit on the tight side but it can be done, and it's only a first try! There will be bigger better projects in time. Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWales Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Gutted! I had a quick search for images and only found a small blurb describing the layout for a show: Mitchellstown Scale N Gauge Size 6ft 6in x 2ft 6in Moving north of the border to a fictitious town in North East Scotland on the Erstwhile Highland Railway route between Aberdeen to Invernexx. The era is 1980-94 and this layout features passenger trains operated by Scotrail with freight operations by Railfreight. See the malting house so important to the local whisky industry which likes all the older buildings have been meticulously scratch built from scaled drawings. I notice you appeared on that page, you didnt happen to take any photos of it did you? I'd love to see what it looked like. If its not too similar to what Ive got planned, I may forge ahead anyway with a little modification - doesnt look like the owner has given it much publicity and Id probably only bring this one out to exhibitions closer to home anyway. This is annoying though, I can understand loads of similar WHL line layouts: Fort William etc, but I thought I was onto something a little more unique. Robbie-I happen to know Jamie Mitchell, and I know he has exhibited it within the last year on at least two occasions, and have seen the layout in an incomplete state some time ago, and the general standard of modelling was pretty good. However, I have no shots or plans of it, but if you give me time. I'm sure I can track something down! I too, went for the GNSR as everyone else was doing a West Highland or similar themed layout. However, rather than the large dooe concept, have you thought of a modular layout theme-as it should'nt be too taxing on wallet or patience, and can be quickly added too where possible. The Aberlour railhead has always appealed to me and even more so in it's twilight years, which is the subject of Kinmundy my EM GNSR layout set in early spring 1968 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 Hi again, Thanks for the offer, it would be a great help to see what it looks like. It does sound like he's set it on the Inverness-Aberdeen main line rather than down on the line toward aviemore, so his and mine may differ in name at least! Getting back to an explanation of why I've been so stubborn to model what I have, I hoped that avoiding any real stations would prevent stepping on the toes of others who may have already modelled somewhere. Again I don't know how they do it on more popular routes, but then again there is a lot wider interest in those lines so its maybe more acceptable. The above photos show the spare room I've got to work with, as it was before I moved in. It's about 2.9x2m, and has a single bed, and once I clear the last of the packing boxes into the loft there'll be a desk as well. The small wardrobe in the corner is about 0.9 wide across the door, and about 1.1 inside. I'll Prob have to fit a lockable door to it to store the model and any modelling paraphernalia when small family members come round. It's a bit of a rubbish shape really, especially if I want to be able to get access to all sides of the layout I've chosen, which is why it can't expand much from 2x1. The photos justify why I can't have anything too large, I may have slightly painted myself into a corner by specifying a roundy roundy, but I'm not yet sufficiently interested in the hobby to make do with an end-end, and there will need to be an element of play value in this first layout. There may also be an element of wanting to have the standard of train set I didn't have when I was younger, I had to make do with little more than a pair of Hornby loops and no scenery. I don't have any more up to date track plans of Aberlour than the 1930s or so, and it didnt seem like much more than a couple of sidings then. Did it expand in later years? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 Quick question: what looks more 'right' for a branch like this, code 80 or 55? I know the latter sits lower into the sleepers, making it look more realistic for main lines, but is there a difference between main lines and small branches that have probably not been upgraded much in decades? I'm willing to try electrofrog, and points will probably be either curved or medium sizes. With small points only in the distillery yards to get round tighter spaces, where locos probably won't venture very often (I could drop off / pick up wagons from straighter tracks last / first, so the wagons are being propelled into tighter bends rather than the locos...) Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 Hi again all, No takers on my last question so I'm probably just going to go with whichever code I can buy in one hit. I've been measuring out baseboard sizes on the workshop floor at work (trying not to get caught) and think I could probably just about push it up to 7x4 ft (about 2.15x1.2m?). Length is still very restricted, and it may not be necessary to increase that from 2m, but width isn't such an issue, and at this width it's more an issue of being able to store it. The main reason for the width increase was that when I created the barebones track plan in RailModeller, I had the 2 90deg turns at the fiddle yard end butted up pretty closely to the edges of the 'board' , and the radius into the fiddle storage tracks was quite close to the running line into the station. This meant I wouldn't have room to model the road and bridge leading away from the station(also creating the necessary scenic break), and the station would be too tight a fit being on a curve, with a loop, and with platforms on both sides - originally I was going to dispense with a platform on the outer edge of the board. Also on this barebones plan, the scenic track work was all straights and 2nd radii in the corners, to prove the viability of the fiddle yard design. The larger size(s) allows more room on the station side to provide the facilities shown above. Still offshore, when I get home I will knock up a plan and order the requisite track and some stock, buy a sheet of ply and some other bracing etc and prove the plan with all track laid out. Then, I'll remove track, build the baseboards (2 boards to be joined and aligned with patternmakers dowels or similar) and stick on top about 2-3" of polystyrene sheeting, which will form the track height all the way round. Then carve into it to create the glen and other low elevation features. Remaining sheets of polystyrene in the pack will go towards hills and other high elevation features. I don't know if I need to prepare the surface of the polystyrene somehow before commencing scenic painting etc, but thought about plaster bandage to smooth off the hacked down styrene. Track glued down, necessary cabling installed, including point motors, and I'm thinking I might wire up each piece of track individually, everyone else seems to end up doing it sooner of later. Then crack on with the fiddly messy stuff, but at least then Ill have a clearer idea of how the layout will look, and with track work installed I will be able to play, thus maintaining interest through what I might find to be a boring bit! In the fiddle yard, where I've specified a DMU storage track, I might be able to fit a point in there allowing access for a cassette system. From here trains could either be led onto the track loco first and appear from the station end, or leave the cassette loco trailing and use the runaround centre track in the fiddle loops as a headshunt before heading through to the glen. The photo below explains. If the track plan permits it, I might have room for another storage track too, though I wouldn't want to turn a small quiet branch into something absurdly busy with traffic. I have thought of building a plywood box to slide over each half of the layout, protecting it form dust, dirt, transportation damage, and allowing them to be stored in a cupboard more easily. That's about it for now, it's handy being able to use this forum as a kind of electronic notepad to record ideas and thoughts - even if nobody else is interested in what I'm rambling on about! It will hopefully become a lot more interesting to visit this page when I actually start building something. I probably won't post again until I have a proper electronic plan created next weekend, so merry Christmas, and enjoy your presents and time spent with families and booze! Over and out, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulzer27jd Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Robbie I would go for the lightest track you can, so code 55. Even at the point of closure the trackwork on this line was like something out of a text book, with very well maintained right of way. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 Aha, perfect! That's what I was after, I assumed that it would be quite rundown by closure being a lightly used line. I had read somewhere that some people reckon code 80 looks more correct for certain branches, presumably at one time there were variations in rail cross section across the network, hence the question. I did think 55 looked a little less toy-like! Thanks again, Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
66C Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Hi Robbie Bear in mind that the turnout geometry is different for code 55 and code 80 Peco track. Drawings of both types can be downloaded from Peco's website so it may well be worth doing this and trying out paper versions to refine your track design before parting with your cash. The drawings can be found here: http://www.peco-uk.com/page.asp?id=pointplans Regards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddletank Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 Hi Bill, thanks for the tip! I won't put an order in until I've worked it up on the computer, the software has all the specs for each piece so hopefully I shouldn't go too far wrong. I will have a go at printing these off though and laying them out, if nothing else then to get a feel for the layout. I did the fiddle yard on the computer using code 55 so at least this crucial bit should be fine. The bigger problem will be figuring out when a curve or points will cause problems, I can't know that without experience and may have to make subtle changes once I've received and laid out track and stock. I listed in the first post the stock I intend to use, as far as I've read it should all be fine as long as I keep above 2nd radius. I'll use a tracksetta 2nd radius for this purpose. Thanks again, Saddletank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulzer27jd Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Robbie I am not sure what is available in N, but some of this track was replaced with concrete relatively early on, so it would not be out of keeping to have some of the running lines done in this way, if it is made in code 55. Re an earlier answer, trapped sidings, enter directly from running lines, but have a catch point fitted to prevent rolling wagons from making it onto the main line. All the best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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