Jump to content
 

Venator

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    142

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Venator

  1. Venator
    Hello and welcome to my blog.
     
    My Model railway combines my love of steam, industry, sectorisation and my local area (Kent). The model is split into two levels, each is different.
     
    The lower level is the passenger, modern side of things. I am modelling a fictional station called Singleton Central which is set around the late 1980s / early 1990s. This is "through station" although you can only leave one side! It has undergone a major rebuilding since the early days and I will complete it when time and other commitments allow.
     
    The second level is a marshalling yard and depot, with various industrial buildings and sidings. This is where my large collection of Hunslet Austerities (x15) shunt wagons and order trains to be taken away. Again this is a work in progress and pictures will be posted as I progress.
     
    I am very constrained by space (it's in two corners of my bedroom) so this is why I went for two levels and they are linked by a very steep incline. I understand it's not realistic but it's the only feasible way to provide a link between the two levels and eras!
     
    I hope you find this interesting and will watch this space as I slowly progress. Suggestions and comments are very welcome! Attached are some photos of the layout under construction, I must apologise for the debris scattered around.
     
    Venator
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  2. Venator

    Progress and Changes

    By Venator,

    Hello and welcome once again to my blog,
     
    There has been much progress and some changes since my last entry in June.
     
    Since the last blog I have completed the following:
    Industrial building scenes (Metcalfe Brewery, Warehouse, Factory, Gatehouse, Boilerhouse)

    ​
     
     

    Track Works on the lower level


    Siding Arrangement and layout on the 2nd level


    Wiring up of Gaugemaster Model Q controller
    Tunnel Portals


    Main Station Building


     
     
     
     
    The following is in progress:
    Platform buildings and ramps


    Tie in between 2nd and lower level


    Scenery and backdrops


    Extension of Carriage Shed


     
     
     
     
    My main change has been to switch the name of my station to Ashford International. I discovered that there were three or four rejected proposals for the rebuilding in the early 1990s, my station layout looked similar to one of those so I decided to model my local station instead of a false one. However for continuity I will continue on with the same blog.
     
    Hopefully I can update this blog more regularly in future, however progress tends to come in bursts rather than slow steady progress.
     
    I've posted some "scenic photos" beneath. Comments and thoughts are welcome on all of this blog.
     
    Venator
     




  3. Venator

    Marshalling times!

    By Venator,

    Hello and welcome to my third blog posting.
     
    I have been making steady, if slow, progress with my layout. My efforts since Christmas have mainly been focused on the marshalling yard element of my model railway.
     
    The original layout (showed below) had plenty of sidings but I thought it was rather unimaginative and restrictive to operate. I had a major redesign and came up with a new track layout. This would allow more flexibility and be a bit more interesting to operate.
     
    Old Layout

     
    New Layout - overall view

     
    The new layout is connected to the lower level via my ramp which still needs properly connecting up. There's the island platform still to be built. The idea being that passenger trains "the branch shuttle" will use the road closest to the wall and trains for the yard will use the other line. Stock accesses the yard via a small reversing section with points. This makes shunting a large train into the yard more fun because it has to be broken into sections and then re marshalled once in the yard. Inefficient but fun!

     
    The Bulk sidings are shown here. This is where the longer trains are assembled and stored for distribution. The second photo shows the need for a backscene along the wall. Its on my list of things to do!

     

     
    The sidings then extend into the industrial complex. This is where shorter trains are shunted to collect products from the factory. The view here is from the ramp which connects the two levels of my layout.

     
    View of the Industrial buildings - made from Metcalfe Industrial Kits. Leading on from the industrial complex is another siding which connects to the Loco Shed, Carriage Shed and a couple of smaller storage sidings.

     
    Austerities waiting for duty

     
    A TPO being shunted into the carriage shed for repairs

     
    One of the smaller sidings next to the industrial site, shunting into this siding involves much reversing and point changing!

     
    There are still things to complete, a few low relief buildings are to be added, the island platform, and some scenery along the backwall. I also need to add a power feed to another couple of places allowing more than one loco to work at a time. In the next update I hope to have some progress on the lower level
     
    Thank you for reading and any comments are gratefully received.
     
    Venator
×
×
  • Create New...