So now thoughts turn to scenery and track plan justification, so I've drawn up (roughly) what I've done so far.

This isn't totally accurate, but it has the right components in the right relationships. It's a bit more flowing in the flesh I think, although I may need to tweak the right hand side since it has too many board-edge parallels (they aren't completely parallel, but that's maybe not obvious enough).

Download XTC file

I have a reasonable idea of what I want to do, but I would really welcome any tips and suggestions to justify it, pick a prototype, and make tweaks if they aren't too destructive. Apologies for the following ramble, since it's quite long

Synopsis:

1) Inglenook for Dutch/Modern UK set in East Anglia on LH board.

2) Join to RH board to make a junction plus yard of some kind.

3) Yard could be permanent way depot and/or ultra-small fuelling/maintenance point.

4) Looking for prototypes, justification for interesting traffic, etc.

5) Interested in modern era (for which I have mainly EWS stock) plus possible backdating to blue diesels/Railfreight (for which I don't).

The idea is that the left hand board can be used standalone, or with a clip-on fiddle yard/headshunt on the right hand side to give an Inglenook micro. Scenery for this should be based on the Fens, and ideally I'd like it if UK distinctive elements could be kept to a minimum so I can use it for Dutch-outline stock as well - there are plenty of bits of the Netherlands which look moderately like the Fens around Ely where I grew up. If it comes down to hard choices, the UK is going to win though since I only have one Dutch engine.

The right hand board adds to this to make a simple junction (the two routes leaving on the left) and would be used with a fiddle yard on the left side. I suppose there's also the option of having a fiddle yard on the right (or even a complete oval) for through running but I don't have room to do this at home. The right hand board is intended to be UK only.

I thought for theme that the complete layout could represent a small permanent way yard, or the first part of a larger one. I know this is getting very close to TMD territory - and I like many of the TMD layouts I've seen - but still trying to make it a little different. I thought the two sidings on the right could be the usual fuelling point and inspection pit, or possibly just storage for ballast wagons? They're maybe too short for wagons, and the fuelling point would be maybe more interesting to operate.

One prototype which looks promising is Whitemoor Yard at March. This has (or had while under construction) a nice combination of the dereliction of the old Whitemoor yard contrasted with the clean ballast, new track and construction detritus from the new one. The yard itself is massive, but the throat could work and there's scope for the road bridge over the wye junction at the left end of the layout. Not many prototypes for road overbridges in the area, which is what led me to it in the first place

Old pictures of Whitemoor: http://www.flickr.co...ott/1817364611/

New pictures of Whitemoor: http://www.flickr.co...N03/1859049901/

Google map

(Thanks to the photographers!)

Scenery would be a bit different to Whitemoor though - I really want a small drain (ditch) on the left board bracketing a piece of arable land at the front with a beet clamp on it. Childhood memories, you see. The NIMBY banks/walls would fit behind the line though, and these are also very appropriate for modern housing developments near Dutch railway lines - you see them all the time.

One problem with Whitemoor is that since both sides of the junction lead back to the main line, you couldn't bring interesting 'through traffic' onto the layout that way. I did wonder about a staff halt as a DMU excuse, but they aren't exactly commonplace.

Sorry for the ramble, and many thanks if you made it this far Any criticism or suggestions would be very welcome.