stivesnick

Colin

Welcome back, the layout looks great.

With regard to the area in front of the station, do you have a specific location such as a market town, rural village or suburb in mind? Once you have the basic location sorted, I would suggest looking on the old maps web-site for similar situations for inspiration.

Regards

Nick

Hi

One of the things to think about when creating a depot based layout is why is the depot there in the first place. The modern railway actually has very few depots and they are generally located close to a major freight yard or source of traffic. In planning the layout, it is worth deciding where this yard is as this is the direction that most of the locos would enter or leave the scenic section.

If the yard is close by, there was often a separate track that connected the depot to the yard, this allows for frequent loco movements with out affecting the traffic on the main line. If access to the depot is off a loop, then it would be worth considering extending that loop back to the fiddle yard area where they could be a few extra sidings to store locos in the fiddle yard.

Another suggestion is to use the Peco setrack curved points in the fiddle yard, this would give you much longer tracks in the fiddle yard, either to have longer trains or to store two shorter trains on each track.

Hope this is useful and makes sense.

Chris

Many LED downlights have a very narrow light spread so are not the best option for layout lighting and you could end up with multiple shadows on the layout. 

The 600mm square panels would give a better illumination over the entire garage and two of them would be enough. Screwfix do them for around £40.

Hope this helps

Nick

The ballast and electrification teams have been at work over the weekend. The masts are from Kato with many of the bits removed and the gantry length adjusted to suit the layout.

Also had a number of running sessions, the typical day's sequence takes about an hour to complete. If I remember what I did it might write it down!

3 weeks to go until the layout makes it's first appearance at the Kettering Model Railway Club Show on Saturday 15th September.

I have a list of extra details to add, some of which will be done before the show, but hopefully the layout is now presentable.

General progress photos enclosed.

Nick

Hi WD0-6-0

The Middleton Press book Branch lines to Falmouth, Helston and St Ives has got track plans of the dockyard down the ages plus a number of photos if you are seeking inspiration for the layout.

Regards

Nick

The main areas between the tracks now have some ground cover.

Not sure if the railway company would have allowed some of the plant growth or would they have had it cleared? Mind you times are hard for the company with falling passenger revenues.

Progress photos enclosed.

A few more running sessions needed to ensure all is well before the track is ballasted.

Regards

Nick

My perception (thanks to an evening with books by Messers W. Wing and W. Middleton) is on some systems each train had a number code in the timetable (with odd for inbound and even for outbound, for example), and this was displayed on the front. There were also destination boards on the front of cars and a station announcer who would call what each service was.

 

I've found what must be timetable boards at stops, but nothing like a large departure board of even a post with finger boards as used in the UK.

Thanks 298 for having a look

Nick

In Post 42 I mentioned a typical station departure board for forgot to enclose the photo - here it is. I was thinking of putting something similar as part of the fiddle yard display.

I also mentioned the possibility of having some sort on next train departure for each platform - any thoughts on this, is this something that happened in real life.

Regards

Nick

You could also have a senaruo where there us a State Fair or Ball game at an outlying station, and extra trains run for it.

 

A timetable might be fine at home, but I doubt many exhibition punters would notice one in use. They just stand there with an empty tick box in their head and an expectation of seeing a train move within ten seconds.

Thanks 298

I had thought about including a special train - will need to sort out some additional cars first.

As for exhibitions, the timetable is as much for any operators as for the public. I was thinking about having a train departure board - most stations would appear to have a simple fixed board as enclosed photo. Not sure this would have worked on a busy system like the pacific electric so has anyone got any photos showing a simple departure board that would go on a platform to identify the next departure. I remember seeing them on the UK Southern Region when I was growing up, did they do something similar in the USA.

Nick

Here's what I'd do (largely keeping your durations):

- Green train spends the night at 7th St. Starts the day at 5am with a run to Burrows, with a quick turn round it can then get back to 7th Street around 9am. Does a repeat at 10, arriving back at 3pm (this is slower because it takes the freight car on this run if there is one today). It does a part line run to Larch at 3.30, arriving back at 5.30 (this trip is sometimes cancelled if dealing with the freight car caused delays on the previous one), ready for the evening commuter round trip at 6pm, getting the car and crew back for 10pm.

- The other line I'd leave the same for the morning, and I'd put the 3pm red departure back to 5.30pm, with the subsequent parlor car leaving at 6, keeping the rest of the evening as close as possible to what you've got. The evening red train might be at 8 rather than 7.

 

That has a couple of definite rushes to fill your platforms in the morning and early evening and a mid afternoon lull. I'm not entirely convinced that the green line is right though, I think it needs a morning arrival for people coming into the city to do their shopping. Could get one by swapping the part line run with the freight one, and if anyone from the far end wants to go shopping then they'll just have to get up early and come in with the commuters.

Thanks for this. I will take a fresh look at the timetable over the next few days

Nick

I think it's a great idea, but I'd consider what the purpose of your station is - if it's serving an employment centre and your passengers are commuting then you want arrivals on both routes around 8.30 and departures around 5.30 (or whatever suits the working day in your city/era). As it is the timetable (green especially) seems to be designed for operational convenience more than to serve a particular demand.

 

I also note that it takes 3 hours to get to Greendale - how far actually is it, and what traffic is being served?

Thanks Zomboid

The station is meant to be in a city so yes there would be commuter traffic as well a general traffic for people wanting a day out either for business or leisure. Speeds on interurban lines were not fast so a 3 hour journey would take you perhaps 80-100 miles. In their heyday, many routes would have had an hourly or two hourly service over all or part of the route. The tabletable was meant to be a "times are hard" affair prior to the end of passenger service, when schedules were cut back to try to save costs.

The other reason for producing the timetable was to help develop an operating sequence for the layout especially when taken to shows. Passenger cars coming and going would, I suspect, not be too interesting to exhibition goers, so it was also a way of identifying which services could have parlour cars or freight cars added.

Once I am happy with the schedule, the intent is to produce a station departure board as part of the layout display.

Thanks again for the comments

Nick

I have been playing around with a possible timetable for the route. The 7th Street Terminal (in a city now called Manning) is assumed to be the middle of the line and the divide between it's northern and southern operating divisions. Passenger services on the two divisions are kept separate.

On the northern division, two trains each make two round trips between Manning and Greendale, whilst a third unit does a number of shorter workings between Manning and Edmonds. On the southern division, a single train makes 3 round trips between Manning and Burrows.

Badly drawn train plan enclosed. The dashed lines are trains with a parlour car added.

Does this look possible or is the timetable totally bonkers. Comments welcome.

Nick

sub div TT.pdf

_{Molinnis will be at the N gauge society AGM this Saturday in Horsham.}

_{Could be the layout's last public appearance unless some new invites arrive.}

_{If anyone would like to take over the layout, please send me a PM.}

_Regards

_Nick

Peter North's latest layout in Continental Modeller is very much in the style of his previous layouts, but none the worse for it.

The level of detail is fantastic. The layout is due to appear at the Uckfield show in 2019 and Warley in 2020.

Would love to see some prototype photos and maps just to get a better feel of how the real railway actually worked - there is a part of me that thinks the running down the street is right, although there are other threads on this forum to show it does happen.  

Nick

I have started to detail the builders yard at the front of the layout.

The main workshop/office building has some large windows at the front and I have left one of the workshop loading doors open. As the inside of the building is visible I have created some very basic interiors from bits of plastic section. They are not intended to win any modelling prizes, just to create the impression that there is something going on inside the building.

Outside in the yard, I have built a gantry crane for the unloading of materials. Many interurban electric locomotives also had some batteries to enable shunting to take place in non-electrified areas, so this will be the case here. If operation of the layout gets a bit dull, I could always assume that not all the locomotives had batteries to add interest, but not sure that anyone would notice.

Photos enclosed. The gantry photo also shows how the workshop interior looks from the outside.

Nick

The first class 717s have arrived in the UK.

717 007 and 717 008 are in the sidings on the other side of the tracks from Hornsey depot. A bit surprised they were not dropped off in the new depot for a check up. 

Regards

Nick

With the larger buildings now nearly complete, here are a few general shots of the layout showing how the buildings fit together. Nothing is stuck down yet so things may move a little. The final few structures are being reused from previous layouts with some appearing on their 3rd layout.

Regards

Nick

The print works now has it's third side plus the loading dock and roof.

Next step is to try our various items of rolling stock to ensure they clear the loading dock and outside columns.

Once it is all stuck together, I can touch up the paint work and add signs, exterior lights etc.

That will be the last major building to complete, the other structures on the layout will be those salvaged from previous layouts.  

Nick

Hi

Looking forward to seeing this develop.

As someone who has been looking at possible sites on the WCML for a N Gauge layout, I recognised the site from the image on your other thread straight away. you can't beat that!

Nick

Some progress with the print works, the first wall has been finished along with the second wall. Windows are from Smart Models and Gold Metal Models brass etch used for the handrails on the escape stair. I also dug out some previously used buildings from layouts which will complete the scene.

Photos enclosed.

Nick

Hi Sandpiper

I really like the idea, the station looks far more realistic than many other Scottish terminal stations that you see. If I had the time and space I would be tempted to do something similar in N.

Look forward to seeing how this develops.

If you don't go down the full "arch" at the front, I would have a return section of the backscene along the front of the layout, to help disguise the end of the scenic section.

Nick

The last major building to be constructed is the print works - this is a scratchbuilt concrete frame building with brick infill panels and large windows. The building will go over the siding on the right hand side of the layout.

The wall facing the front of the layout has been cut out and the "concrete" strips added and painted. Next step is the brick panels.

Progress photos enclosed.

Nick

_{The first bit of scenery carried out today. The apartment blocks fixed to a sub-base and concrete path and earth/grass added.}

_{My previous layout had 100s of trees, not so many on 7th Street Terminal and will be generally hidden behind the platform canopy.}

_{Need to add a little bit of clutter and some street lights but the first bit of the layout looking complete.}

_{Pictures below:}

Steve

Saw the layout at Burton on Trent today - it looked great and some interesting stock as well

Regards

Nick.

Some useful progress over the last few days. The office block / station building has been painted. Having started to paint the window frames and realising tat it would take ages, I ended up spay painting the whole building the colour of the windows and then went back to paint the stone work. It still took ages, but only one lot of ages rather than two!.

Have now built the second platform canopy and painted the platforms. Canopy frame still to be painted. Not sure if natural wood or a painted finish would be best, any thoughts on this.

Finally I picked up some street lights to use on the platforms at 4D models in London. They are made by the German firm of Schulcz who make a range of architectural model components. These are 1:200 scale but look OK, although I might reduce the height a bit.

Photos enclosed.