Horsley Lane Goods

[steve howe]

Horsley Lane Goods

Introduction
Many of us will be familiar with the Inglenook concept; a shunting puzzle relying on deliberately restricted sidings with the objective of making up a train of five wagons out of a possible eight in an order dictated by a random choice of cards. The concept has been around for a long time and those wishing to delve more into its history and numerous permutations are recommended to the 'official' Inglenook website: http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/sw-inglenook.html

My involvement in the Inglenook concept came about some years ago through being asked to 'knock up' a hands-on exhibit for our next Club exhibition in response to comments about not having enough 'interactive' exhibits for the young ones to play with... so we built a 'text book' Inglenook on a piece of 4' x 1' board using Peco track and a selection of suitably visually distinctive wagons with a well-behaved Bachmann pannier to push them around. I photographed the wagons and produced them onto laminated cards along with a suitably doctored controller to ensure that visitors only drove at a sedate pace. I have to admit to a certain amount of scepticism of the project but in fact it was remarkably popular, the biggest problem was keeping the grown-ups off it long enough to allow Junior to finish the puzzle! In a quiet moment I had a go myself and found it strangely addictive, sometimes the problem could be solved in a few minutes, other times it could take a head-scratching half hour or so. It was then the idea began to form that the scheme might translate into P4 with all the controllability and discreet coupling potential and overall realism that that standard could bring.

The original and 'true' Inglenook was a fan contained within 4 feet, with the longest siding holding 5 wagons and the shorter 3, leaving one empty siding and the headshunt for shunting and I wanted to try to stay as close to the original concept as possible. Playing around with some paper templates and wagons soon showed that the scale length of a reasonably realistic turnout (a B6) would not allow the optimum siding lengths to be achieved. By telescoping the points into a tandem, it became more feasible and with a little juggling, the scheme would fit. I wanted to create a worthwhile model as well as an interesting puzzle, so I continued the industrial theme of 'Horsley Bank' my previous minimum space opus set in the immediate pre-War 2 West Riding. Urban subjects lend themselves to compact layouts with the tracks hemmed in by retaining walls, tall buildings and bridges and by using the device of an overbridge at each end disguising the ends of the sidings, the illusion of a glimpse of what should really be a much larger scene can be maintained.

While the idea for the layout was crystalising, I happened to mention what I was doing to one Bendall, T who immediately booked it for Scaleforum as a 'work in progress'. At that time the thing was not even at bare baseboard stage. Work was painfully slow with numerous other non-modelling commitments impacting on progress, but I eventually, over one Christmas holiday, managed to get the tandem turnout completed, and with the plan drawn up full-scale the idea began to take form.

So with a little over three months to go, I thought I might record progress (or lack of it) and some trials and tribulations as the scheme fumbles forwards. The layout was, and is, always intended as an experiment, not just in minimal space modelling, but (for me) breaking new ground in DCC control, Alex Jackson couplings, glued trackwork, and better rolling stock. Although I've been playing around in P4 for over 30 years, taking a 'back to basics' approach can make for a refreshing change.

 

 

The basic scheme is an urban scene between two road bridges with a siding serving a general goods warehouse, another running to a cobbled yard, possibly for coal or building materials, with the middle road continuing 'off scene' under the bridge. All three sidings disappear beneath the road bridge suggesting they continue for some distance. The scene is framed by very ordinary buildings typical of the West Riding; a corner pub on the bridge, part of a mill with its boiler house, and a large three storey warehouse with a loading platform and entry at street level above. I have an interest in (though not much knowledge of) the old L&Y having lived in the Upper Calder valley for some years, and the construction of a large warehouse with the distinctive white on black lettering painted across its façade was one of the early design features of the scene.

Hopefully regular updates to follow!

 

[steve howe]

The Hard Stuff

I feel a bit of a fraud describing this project here because it is so basic, but, as the man said "I've started so I'll finish...." The overall dimensions of the layout finished up at 1220mm x 330mm (4' x 13" in real money) I decided to abandon the curved frontage as it made unnecessary complications and contributed nothing other than add a bit more landscape to the overall scene. The plan is to display the model on a set of bookshelves and the widest shelf that fits the average shelving system is about 14" so the scheme was pared down to suit.

 

 

 

Nothing new to say about the baseboard - 9mm ply on 25 x 50 softwood frame, took all of half an hour to construct. I added the refinement of adjustable feet to the frame with the idea of playing trains on the kitchen table. If the layout is ever exhibited seriously I will probably make a mini-subframe which will stand on a table and bring the scene up to nearer eye-level.

 

The tandem turnout ready for testing. It was built entirely traditionally with rivet and ply and steel rail which I still think gives superior electrical continuity despite the problems with stray flux causing rusting. Washing the finished piece is easy enough before its laid, but how do you wash flux off after everything's stuck in place?

 

The turnout set in position, the underlay is a dense foam sheet about 3mm thick which I came my way as packing, but I think it is virtually the same stuff that Exactoscale (and now C&L presumably) used to sell as underlay. As the layout is all about experiment I gave it a go as a change from the traditional cork and it seems to be working very nicely.

 

I think a simple jig makes plain track so much easier and less tedious, this is just card strips of the appropriate width stuck to a half-meter length of melamine and liberally shellacked to prolong its life.

 

Clamping the first few sleepers while the solvent sets helps stop things moving about when positioning the rest of the chairs.

 

Burning the midnight oil.....

 

In the cold light of day, the track fairy has been and laid a few sidings. These were all made by the glued-chairs-to-ply system which was new ground for me but I like very much - at least for plain track, if nothing else it alleviates the glorious job of sticking all those half chairs on afterwards...

Point control next....
You can't wait can you?

[themagicspanner]

Following this with interest as I'm just getting under way on a VERY similar project. I've gone with the classic Inglenook with 2 B8 turnouts sized for the usual 5-5-3 with POA/SSA scrap wagons. It's a little longer than yours at 6 feet.

 

Your track work looks great so far - the flow through the tandem is very nice.

 

Keep posting your progress. It'll inspire me to document my first efforts in P4.

 

 

Mike

[steve howe]

I've tried several times to update this post but I can't add images in the text -  (or emoticons for that matter, so I've given up, the post is continued on the Scalefour forum.  I can't even copy and paste the link here. I give up on RM Web!

 

 

[Redkiterail]

Have you tried using the attachment option to load the pictures I have just made a little guide to using that methord here:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87269-how-to-add-a-picture-or-photograph-to-a-topicpost/

 

Edit to add when editing a post are you using the full editor.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Redkiterail

[Andy Y]

I've tried several times to update this post but I can't add images in the text -  (or emoticons for that matter, so I've given up, the post is continued on the Scalefour forum.  I can't even copy and paste the link here. I give up on RM Web!

 

It could be an Internet Explorer issue Steve - see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/84511-rmweb-ie-11-and-rmweb-2014-theme/

[steve howe]

Have you tried using the attachment option to load the pictures I have just made a little guide to using that methord here:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87269-how-to-add-a-picture-or-photograph-to-a-topicpost/

 

Edit to add when editing a post are you using the full editor.

Thanks for that, its exactly what I've been doing but it won't play. I'll try again in a few days in case its some glitch, it has happened before and then mysteriously disappeared

[steve howe]

The rest of this thread is here:

 

https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3745