Preserved Line

[C&K]

This is my first post on RMweb  but I've been lurking about for a month or so taking a lot of inspiration from what I've seen of other users modelling efforts. So i've finally decided to join up and post, if anything just to give me the impetus to begin some serious planning towards a model railway of my own.

 

I say planning towards because it won't be for a few months before I can make a serious start on a model, at present I don't have the room in the house or spare time available to begin properly. Around about June I'll be moving house to start a year's work placement in Scotland and once that move is out of the way I'll finally be in a position to embark on a layout again for the first time in about six years. I say a layout again but past efforts have been either abortive or, on the one occasion, I had a 'complete' layout working and operating was a part finished effort I bought from an acquaintance and completed enough work on it to get it working.

 

I think over the intervening years I've matured enough and picked up enough different skills to really get a decent layout that will suit my needs and standards (almost) perfectly. 

 

The problem I always had when working on past efforts and still to this day struggle with is my wide ranging interest in railways, everything from the big four era too the modern railway and varying regions of operation and geographical area. Settling on one time span, area of operation and theme has always been one of the most difficult things to decide when planning. 

 

Which has lead me to always aim towards modelling a heritage railway, for obvious reasons and this is what I've settled on as the basis for this new layout. It also helps I spent most of my youth and until a few years ago volunteering at a few preservation centres so :I already have a lot of experience of their operations and feel I've got a good feeling for the atmosphere I want to create.

 

Work on the layout is about to start but obviously there are limitations to what I can do until I've moved house but I'm beginning to plan the layout or possible choices for layout track plan as I'm almost certain I'll have between 8' and 12' in length to play with and 2' in width. I've also pulled out my stored models from their boxes and will look to begin working on some projects to turn them into pre-restoration/under-overhaul locomotives and rolling stock (they're all rather dated and/or damaged models so will hopefully make a good basis for this part of the project). This is, I feel, an especially important angle for the layout as I want it to be an accurate representation of a preserved line rather than a 'normal' layout with an 'anything goes' feel.

 

i sat down today and made a list of things I'd like to include on the layout to get me started, these are:

• It'll be based on a former GWR branch/secondary line
• The line will be a single track branch but might be modeled as double track if I can get it to fit, representing an extended block section like at Kidderminster and Bewdley at the SVR
• I want to avoid cramming too much in, a firm believer in 'less is more' with at the very least... some attempt at scenery outside the boundary of the railway
• As mentioned above I want to really capture the atmosphere of a preserved line and not just have a branch line that seems to run everything, so I'll attempt to model locomotives and stock under overhaul and restoration as well as other little bits of detail to correctly date the layout
• It will be a terminus station, either as the line was built or as far as the preservation society has reopened the line, with a representation of the disused line carrying on. I thought about a through station but for now I doubt I'd have the room for fiddle yards either side of the scenic boards.
• The station will have between one and two main platforms with at least one bay for storing stock/posing a few carriages used for a cafe/shop as is seen on preserved railways.
• There'll be a locomotive/restoration shed, most likely built onto/out of the former goods yard and shed
• i'd like at least a couple of other sidings for stock storage/shunting opportunities depending on the available space
• I'd like DCC operation but that'll depend on the available finances nearer the time

That's it for now, although looking back over what I've just written it's a bigger post than I intended!

 

What next though?

 

Well I'm going to start working on various track plans/ideas for the layout, though obviously these'll just be ideas to settle onto something for now, I don't plan on finalising anything until I know exactly what space I'll have to play with. 

 

I will be making a start on some of those locomotives/items of rolling stock soon though, that is something I feel I can get on with before even turning to building of the layout proper and I hope to keep things up to date on here with progress. I've got an old knackered Bachmann Class 37 to turn into a stored/under overhaul example that I'm eyeing up as the first thing to have a bash at along with an old Mainline Manor body I'm going to butcher to experiment with getting a boiler removed from a loco on the go.

 

Thanks for reading, look forward to hearing any comments/suggestion if they're forthcoming! 

[C&K]

I've been working on the first idea for a track plan for the layout, it assumes the layout will be 12' x 2' without fiddle yards. It's effectively double track though the bottom line leading off the board to the left will probably lead to a C&W yard that will act as the scenic barrier/break to the fiddle yard. 

 

This is only the first plan, basically what was in my head put down on paper though as it is I have a bad feeling it's too much railway and hasn't left enough for scenery. I'll be working on changing the design and other designs so I have a few options when it comes to making a start on the layout.

 

From the plan you can see the two platforms with associated buildings and the shed/workshop area above that, the dark red being the old goods shed, pink(?) being a later extension, the blue a later still extension, more of an overhang for extra protection form the elements rather than a shed building proper, the yellow area behind is the boiler 'park' where restoration happens on an outdoors area of hard standing. The shed area is inspired by both Bridgnorth on the SVR and the workshop area of the former Birmingham Railway Museum, while the station will be a bit Bewdley-ish in some respects. 

 

It's all a bit vague at the moment but the general idea I've put down here is what's been in my head for a long while now and I wanted to get it down to make it feel a bit real and also get some input from others, especially with regards to the ration railway to scenery.

 

The next step is to locate the missing boxes of old model railway stock to start on the projects mentioned in the first post.... I believe a trip to dad's is in order to see if they'll turn up there!

[Steve O.]

Hi C&K,

Good luck with the layout, looks like a lot of interesting cameos could be in the works.

If I may, would recommend losing one of the sidings at the near edge (leave one bay platform) to allow more breathing room. Also, could squeeze in the right end crossover and allow more 'entry' distance to / from the fiddle yard. Making the platforms similar lengths would be more prototypical.

Good luck rediscovering the old stock.

Cheers, Steve O.