locotracteur351 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Ever since I came across the LMS layout "Striven", I have fancied a large circular continuous run layout with long sweeping track formations. I first drew out this plan four or even five years ago, but I never discarded it as I have always had a certain affection towards it. The basic idea is that it can be set in either the town or country but there are three basic areas; the station, the run in from the tunnels and the goods yard (or possible loco holding point in a town setting). Due to the fairly large collection of locos and stock I have it has to be OO gauge though I would prefer EM (one can dream) set in the mid sixties, so the end of steam. the one thing I'm unhappy with is the 'bay platforms' but the junction before them could be modified to allow a three or even four track station with the fiddle yard entrance hidden by a road bridge (country) or Manchester Victoria style station roof (town) and at th other end a tunnel (country) or cast iron road bridge (town). Realistically the octagon can be no more than 3000mm (about ten feet, sorry civil engineers work in millimetres) but that gives plenty of room for gentle (ish) curves. Do let me know what you think, I want to make the most of the space but as this is not an imminent build (I have a 1969 Triumph Herald to restore first) I have a fair while to modify the design and plan it to perfection! Thanks in advance, Jagger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chimer Posted November 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2014 Mmmmm ... I like the thought ... I think you might find the empty fourth quadrant the most difficult - a fiddle yard on a 90 degree bend is not going to be easy to design, ladders of curved points and no opportunity to use anything like cassettes. But given the curved slips, I'm guessing you're intending to build all your own pointwork, so maybe ...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locotracteur351 Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Curved cassettes was one of my original ideas, have the double track 'main line' as a continuous run and then have pointwork and the other entrance to the fiddle yard to allow for cassette space. either that or make the fourth part into a square (with the inside corner cut off) this will allow for longer cassettes but they will interfere with each other from opposite directions. the best way, I feel, will probably be to have a larger station entrance (hidden by an overall roof) and only one main set of pointwork in the fiddleyard, as well as point to allow for cassettes on the inside and outside of the through lines, allowing stock changes. Either way, the fiddle yard is restricted! The plan, as you suggest, is to build all my own track to improve the look of OO gauge and because there's no better way to learn than do a lot of something! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locotracteur351 Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Another potential development...its starting to look like the run into a busy city station with all the pointwork, I don't think there are any duplicated crossovers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted November 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2014 The only way i could see the fiddle yard working is a vertical traverser, or a vertical rack of cassettes all in the appropriate curve so you can choose as required. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted November 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 4, 2014 Why not build the layout on a rising curve, so one FY sits partly over the other ? The main loop lines could still be on the level. Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted November 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2014 My opinion would be that you have too much track on there and you should perhaps as BR put it rationalise it. Reduce the loco facilities and carriage sidings and give yourself more space for the fiddle yard. I do like the idea of an octagon though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted November 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2014 Sorry for asking a question that seems dumb, but what dimension is 3 Metres? I assume the overall side to side & top to bottom. You have to be perfect with your baseboard construction, if a section is not exactly 90 degrees, then you may have trouble getting it to bolt together. My club did something similar (but with some straight modules too). One module for years had 12mm bolts to tighten up & take out the 2mm gap. After about 5 years the boards distorted enough to just need normal bolts! The modules will also be bulky to transport, but will look good with the larger radius, compared to normal ovals. Overall I like the idea, but how long do the various loops calculate out at? Are they long enough to be useful? Otherwise you'll end up with the problem as described by Skipepsi, a crowded baseboard with no where to run the trains to. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locotracteur351 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 The three metre dimension is the measurements across opposite points of the octagon, not opposite sides. Each board could contain a length of track approximately 2m long (give or take) if it goes from one joint to another. this would result in a scenic run approximately 6m long. I have thought about it overnight and done some sketches of a reduced plan, three track to the FY one end (main and branch) and four at the other end (two pairs of two for the station) with no sidings etc, just junction pointwork. As suggested, building the baseboard open frame and the track on a gradient is a real option, getting rid of the continuous run (or possibly putting in an 'underpass' descending under the station) and having two traversers, one over the other at 90 degrees, arranged on a non-uniform piece of baseboard. This would result in a plan in the style of the run down Miles Platting Bank into Manchester Victoria, the favourite part of my commute! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted November 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2014 Another potential development...its starting to look like the run into a busy city station with all the pointwork, I don't think there are any duplicated crossovers! But there is a facing single slip (top left), both plans. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locotracteur351 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Todays musings have come up with this, I am unsure about the underpass, I am quite willing to sacrifice the continuous running though, it makes more sense to have a two metre long traverser serving each end, that's a loco and five mk ones by my reckoning, so adequate for me. Do let me know what you think (be brutal) Thanks, Jagger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted November 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2014 I think one of the reasons for having an oval, octagon or circle is to get a continuous run in a smaller space so I wouldn't sacrifice that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locotracteur351 Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 You do have a point, what's the point in building a round layout if its not a loop!! I could potentially join up the 'branch' and 'avoiding lines' to make a circuit and still (somehow) keep the two traversers? If all of the station pointwork scan be on one board, all the branch and avoiding junction on another board and just the crossover on the middle board, then it there will be sections of busy pointwork and just plain track between, rather than constant points. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted November 5, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 5, 2014 You do have a point, what's the point in building a round layout if its not a loop!! I could potentially join up the 'branch' and 'avoiding lines' to make a circuit and still (somehow) keep the two traversers? If all of the station pointwork scan be on one board, all the branch and avoiding junction on another board and just the crossover on the middle board, then it there will be sections of busy pointwork and just plain track between, rather than constant points. That sounds better to me but at the end of the day it is your layout, personally I think my circle when I get to build it will probably look very similar to Porthchullin in track plan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted November 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 5, 2014 How about this ? The branch rises up to the higher traverser, the station drops to the lower traverser and the grey main loops stay on the level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted November 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 5, 2014 Is this layout just for your own (home) use or for exhibiting? Given wide enough boards and a gradient, the hidden sidings can be on the inside of the octagon and visible track on the outside (or vice versa for home use). See the Hooley thread on here as an example. Edit to correct: Star Lane, Hooley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locotracteur351 Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 Wow, what a thoroughly good idea!! Thanks for the Star Lane, Hooley thread, it's just right !! longer fiddle yards too!! I'll have to do some serious thinking now! it would mean I don't require the use of traversers either and I get a continuous run twice as long, thanks for that! Serious pondering required...... Jagger *EDIT* I have put some thought into it, I think I can fit a four track mainline junction (and station if I so wish) and using a figure of eight folded on itself I can have storage sidings beneath the scenic section too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Hello, good choice of board shape! I made up an octagon a few years ago (destroyed by flooding ), the boards were 18in wide (450mm) with a 3ft (900mm) inner edge and a roughly 4ft2in (1250mm) outer edge. This made it 10ft across with a 7ft operating well. Folded figure 8 plans with the storage yard on the inside work perfectly, I saw an American layout recently that did this all on 1 level with a crossover hidden in a tunnel and visible continuous run on the outside. The plan I had for mine was a 2 track continuous run around the outside with 2 junctions to access the inner storage. If you search 'adventures in octagons' on here you should be able to find it, I wish I'd managed to get further with it, long trains did look good posed on a big continuous curve. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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