Hinxworth Goods

[5944]

I'm finally getting round to sorting out a layout. I got given a couple of boards a few months ago, each just over 3' wide. One is 6' long, the other 5'. Together, the 11' length fits nicely between the rafters in the loft! However, the loft hatch is only 2' wide... I few hours with a jigsaw and some extra plywood, and I ended up with two 18"x5' and two 18"x6' boards. Fortunately, when bolted back together, the top is actually level! There's a bit of a gap between each board, but that'll be sorted with a bit of fettling and some scenery. The boards are currently set up in the dining room, at least it's warm down here at present. The layout will live in the loft most of the time, but fingers crossed it will be good enough to be exhibtional at some point.

 

Anyway, after a few attempts, here's a rough trackplan done using Anyrail. It's only a representation, and will almost certainly change during construction, but hopefully you'll get the idea. The line coming in at an angle will be a freight only branch going off scene. The layout should be awkward enough to keep shunting interesting! I had planned to model a colliery and exchange sidings, however when trying to work it all out, I realised I didn't have enough space. Oh well, I'll have to buy a bigger house!

 

 

The track for fiddle yard will be Peco code 55/80 (basically whatever I've got lying around spare) with Peco point motors. The rest of the layout will be using code 40 Finetrax, with DCC Concepts Cobalt point motors. Layout will be wired for DCC. At the moment I've got a Bachmann Dynamis, though will probably upgrade to something else at some point, and half a dozen locos have been chipped. Only another 20-25 to go!  :worried: Stock is slowly being fitted with DG couplings too. The location of the layout is deliberately vague to allow anything to run, though most of my stuff is Eastern or Midland region. However, I've got a few Dapol Western region locos, and the pannier looks lovely now that it's been weathered.

 

Anyway, hopefully I'll try and keep progress updated on here, if only to force myself to actually crack on with the layout! There's 4 or 5 of us from the local model railway club (East Beds MRS) who are constructing Aylesbury in N Gauge, also using Finetrax, DCC and DG couplings, so the stock will be used on both. I'll try and get some photos of the boards on here at some point too.