Muddy's dithering "journey" into O Gauge - help please GWR vs Southern decision

[muddys-blues]

Hello Simon, the coupling and uncoupling is in the forefront of my mind, that is why I plan to plumb for curved boards at that end of the layout, they will be around 2' wide allowing for easy'ish fiddling with the couplings, with my plan of using 2' wide boards because of this being a branch line i am trying eliminate the restriction of leaning across wide boards, and whilst I have a good wealth of space allowed for the layout I don't want to "just" fill it and fill it with track just to perform intricate manoeuvres to keep me interested by worrying some wagons, 

 

This space gives me a great opportunity of modelling a decenti'sh stretch of branch line that I would like to fill with  depth of detail and atmosphere, and because my planned stock stud is of shorter rakes of freight stock and passenger traffic movements will be handled by  DMU / Railcar stock. have no need to be watching thundering expresses roaring by. hence why I have stuck with the single line plan.

 

Craig.

[81A Oldoak]

Take a look at Pont Llanio and its milk depot  on the Aberystwyth-Carmarthan line. The line had a loop to serve the milk factory siding, but was outside the station, which I've always thought to be an attractive feature. Here are some views.

 

https://singingthelineintoexistence.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/old-pic-of-llanio.jpg

 

http://www.rcahmw.gov.uk/howaENG.php?img=728

 

http://www.rcts.org.uk/cache/photographs/mystery/Y-50-37.780.jpg

[Jintyman]

Good Evening Craig,

 

Well I do like the plan, both version 1 & 2.

May I draw your attention to the fact that maybe the river/stream should be the other side of the halt. bringing the halt more towards the sidings/loops, keeping the complex and the halt together. This could give the opportunity to maybe show some rationalized track work (or lack of it!!!), maybe the road bridge wide enough for 3 tracks (one lifted), and maybe the bridge over the stream being two track width.

 

Only a thought..........

 

I also think that to have gentle enough curves (especially with the point work) you would need to have the center of each curve a little more than 2' from the corner. But this wouldn't matter so much as the uncoupling, etc would be nearer the front of the boards anyway, and not right at the back.

 

I do like the idea though, and the operational possibilities are very good.  

 

Jinty

[muddys-blues]

Mr Klein .... I think you may have found my 7mm Utopia there, thank you very much for those picture links, I have a class 120 to build in my kits

 

Craig

[muddys-blues]

Good evening Jints, thanks for your approval, and I like the idea of some redundant or evidence of lifted trackbeds, when the boards are up you and your good lady are invited down so we can pontificate over the track plan with a paned and a bechdan.

 

Craig

 

Edited because the bloody iPhone chooses stupid words instead of the correct word.

Edited April 16, 2016 by muddys-blues

[muddys-blues]

Good morning, okay I have been mulling over the plan, this because of the posts & pictures by Simond, 81A & Jintyman, later today I am going to have a doodle at combining the Creamery and halt on the top long side of the layout, this also gives me chance to weigh up the ergonomics of coupling and uncoupling the milk tankers, so I will scribble a few various plans down an upload them later for discussion .......... But firstly I have a list of chores to complete for the Chief Mechanical Engineer

 

Craig

[muddys-blues]

Good afternoon, okay I have been having some email chats with Mr Jintyman, and  have definitely decided I am going down the hand built pointwork and C&L flexitrack route, and I have had a re-jig on the plan, taking in SimonD's comments and Jintyman's comments, I have moved the bridge scene to the far side of the layout, taking off the 10' for the traverser board area, this then leaves me some 26 plus feet to get in the Creamery & halt scene, and then allowing 8' for the arc of the board to have a nice flowing 7' curve for what is the single line branch carrying on round and away over the bridge, 

 

I have imagined that when the Milk traffic was at it's height the Creamery was a busy hub for milk traffic, so this will be shown by what was a double line leading to the station and Creamery, but as this line will be is that last throes of it's business life, one track of the double line has been lifted to save on maintenance costs, the line is in the process of being rationalised, probably even has the threat of the axe hanging over it, one stub off the branchline after the bridge has already been lifted, and this is just a weed strewn track bed, some of the sidings at the creamery have been lifted, there will be weeds and the decaying dereliction a plenty, old rails and chairs lying around awaiting pick up for scrap.

 

Comments welcome gents, the 3 storage lines on the bottom left hand corner of the plan are the return fiddle yard ...

 

Edited April 16, 2016 by muddys-blues

[Jintyman]

Hi Craig,

 

Nice plan, bringing the halt and creamery together adds operational perspective, if you wanted you could put a road bridge between if you wanted to create two separate areas, but still together if you know what I mean!!!

 

One alteration I would make is the provision of an extra point as shown below to facilitate running round.

 

 

 

Jinty

[muddys-blues]

Hi Jinty, thanks for the ideas, with the road bridge, you mean access down to the creamery splitting the branch line and creamery area ? Thanks for pointing out the point, but the track plan isn't set in stone yet, the plan was to set out what buildings are going where, and as pointed out by SimonD about leaning over the boards for coupling and un-coupling milk tanks the siting of the creamery where it is overcomes this obsticle.

 

I think it is getting there slowly now .... as the old engineers proverb says, measure and mark a thousand times, cut once.

 

Craig

[Dmudriver]

Hi Craig.

 

Just catching up with your last couple of days' posts.  I like what you're thinking of, but one thing did catch my attention which may cause you some annoyance when you're finally set up and operating.  I assume you'll be using DCC sound?  If not, ignore what follows!!

 

You say you want the DMUs/Railcars coming slowly out of the traverser section, ready to stop at the halt. I've found - certainly with earlier sound files - that once you accelerate a DMU the engine revs keep going for a while and I often ended up with a unit's engine still revving as it came to a halt.   In my experience, it should be coasting as it slows down to stop - I'd only have been revving up at that point when I was driving the real thing if I was desperately short of air or vacuum.

 

I've got the latest, updated SWD sound files in most of my DMUs and I'll play with them and see if it's possible to coast in after just a short run.  Certainly with the 115, which has a Paul Chetter sound file, I've managed to stop with the engines revving but that's because I've applied power near the end of the platform because I was otherwise stopping short.

 

Could be Monday as tomorrow's a bit busy.

 

Rod

[muddys-blues]

Hi Craig.

 

Just catching up with your last couple of days' posts.  I like what you're thinking of, but one thing did catch my attention which may cause you some annoyance when you're finally set up and operating.  I assume you'll be using DCC sound?  If not, ignore what follows!!

 

You say you want the DMUs/Railcars coming slowly out of the traverser section, ready to stop at the halt. I've found - certainly with earlier sound files - that once you accelerate a DMU the engine revs keep going for a while and I often ended up with a unit's engine still revving as it came to a halt.   In my experience, it should be coasting as it slows down to stop - I'd only have been revving up at that point when I was driving the real thing if I was desperately short of air or vacuum.

 

I've got the latest, updated SWD sound files in most of my DMUs and I'll play with them and see if it's possible to coast in after just a short run.  Certainly with the 115, which has a Paul Chetter sound file, I've managed to stop with the engines revving but that's because I've applied power near the end of the platform because I was otherwise stopping short.

 

Could be Monday as tomorrow's a bit busy.

 

Rod

 

Hi rod, thanks for that, but as the plans have changed since I made that quote, the halt will now be about 10' or so out of the traverser, so this may change on the sound coming out of the sound files "hopefully".

 

Craig.

[muddys-blues]

Good evening, I have just received a nice Blue SYWP Hymek this week off another RMWeb member, and as I my Western stock stud starts to grow, it is with a heavy heart it is time to let this beautiful baby below go off to "correct" pastures new, so if anybody fancy's a lovely banger Blue Heljan 40 give me a pm to discuss, best regards Craig,

 

 

Edited April 19, 2016 by muddys-blues

[Dmudriver]

Hi rod, thanks for that, but as the plans have changed since I made that quote, the halt will now be about 10' or so out of the traverser, so this may change on the sound coming out of the sound files "hopefully".

 

Craig.

H Craig.

 

I've had a bit of a play with a couple of DMUs fitted with SWD's latest 108 DMU U-Drive and, yes, you should be OK with that length of track from FY to halt.  I've moved them along the headshunt from the stabling point on my layout and they stop with the engines idling.

 

Rod

[muddys-blues]

Evening Rod, many thanks for that information, I shall keep that in mind, my DMU kits are going to be kept out of distractions way for now as I will be concentrating on the boards and track work, I am working on at changing the plan slightly, I am thinking of a double track from the traverser end feeding the creamery and station which will be further down the line, then a single line branch carrying on after the station.

 

Best regards

Craig

[pwr]

Craig 

 

That should work - better flexibility for you

 

Paul R

[muddys-blues]

Hello People, okay sorry for some more waffle without any real modelling substance at the moment, I have being doing some research for my main Station / Creamery section of the layout, and I have decided I will be loosely basing the plan on Torrington, this gives me many factors that I am after in the layout plan, a double line approach from the traverser end of the layout, this gives me the lines off into the creamery, and the double line into the station, the line then continues out of the station merges into a single branch, the milk traffic area will be trains into the creamery area, split into smaller portions of 3 or so tankers, shunted about a bit, loaded, made back up into the slightly longer rakes of 8 or 9 tankers.

 

This idea gives me my bit of tanker worrying, the through lines for DMU, Railcar and Railbus traffic "dependent upon the running era" and as the layout will be Welsh based I can run some through trains of short coal rakes heading up the valley to a destination "reason yet to be determined" and returning empty.

 

I have enclosed a picture of Torrington, this has been used before on RMweb and is taken form the disused station site ... I hope no copyright has been infringed, if so please notify me and I shall remove it straight away ...

 

[81A Oldoak]

If Torrington is to be your inspiration, I strongly recommend you invest in a copy of the B&R DVD Volume 173 "Along Southern Lines Part 5 - The Withered Arm". It contains extensive coverage of Class 25s and 31s on the Torrington line in the mid to late 1970s. There is detailed coverage of a Class 25 shunting milk tankers at Torrington and other freight at Fremington.  Instow signal box, which has been preserved, is featured including the signalman's Ford Capri. It's a great DVD that I never tire of watching.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[Andrew Young]

Further to Chris's comment. Can also recommend Lines to Torrington by Nicholas & Reeve published by Irwell Press.

 

Looking forward to seeing this progress, the lines of Mid Wales fascinate me. I see in an earlier post that you've got a kit of a 120 to build. I didn't realise one was available, whose kit is it? Some of my earliest railway memories are them passing through where I grew up on the Nottingham to Lincoln line.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[muddys-blues]

Hello Chris thanks for that pointer I will search it out, I just find the Torrington plan ideal for my needs.

 

Hello Andrew, there isn't a kit of the 120's in the market, mine is a hybrid, Shaŵn from Eadybuild cut me a 3 car Gloucester 119 set out of his DMU stock, this is the same layout as the 120's, the cab fronts for the 120's are Worsley Works etches that I have had cut by Allan Doherty.

 

Hope this helps

Craig

[Simond]

Probably easier to preserve the signal box than a '70's Capri...

[Andrew Young]

Hello Andrew, there isn't a kit of the 120's in the market, mine is a hybrid, Shaŵn from Eadybuild cut me a 3 car Gloucester 119 set out of his DMU stock, this is the same layout as the 120's, the cab fronts for the 120's are Worsley Works etches that I have had cut by Allan Doherty.

 

Hope this helps

Craig

Thanks Craig, quite ingenious, look forward to seeing how you get on with that. I did wonder whether the cab fronts could be a case for 3D printing, but etching sounds good.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[Jintyman]

Great to see you again last week, good catch up and if you need any track bits to have a play with, just let me know.

 

Torrington looks like it will certainly tick all the boxes for you.

 

DMU's and a Creamery, with Rats and 22's messing about with milk tankers, sounds idyllic to me. 

 

Jinty

[muddys-blues]

Evening Jinty, glad you approve, may be we could start a North Wales Club, I would even let you come and run a kettle or two on the line, but you must bring some of those sublimely weathered vans you have built.

 

Best regards

Craig

[P.C.M]

Hi Craig,

Just been catching up. Thats a nice room you have to make a model railway. I am not sure if you have settled on the plan yet but I would be tempted to put the station further away from the fiddleyard to give the DMUs a longer run.

 

Cheers Peter.

[muddys-blues]

Hi Peter, thanks for looking in, the definitive plan is being worked on, I am trying to get the station as near as possible to the curve towards the river.

 

Best regards

Craig.