RikkiGTR

All track has now arrived (even those I purchased from eBay), so as soon as the electrician adds two banks of sockets and a light I can get stuck in for real. I realise I have a code 80 medium point there, but I'll see how it fits and go from there. I'll change it if needs be. The rest is code 55 streamlined.

Work continues getting the shed up to spec; cables have all been installed for plugs and lighting. Dehumidifier beavering away to dry things out a bit before I re-felt the roof. The track is all in transit and should arrive this week, when the shed *should* be powered, dry and warm. I am very anxious about building the base boards, truth be told. But I'm going to put a 2x4 beam right around the inside at exactly 4ft off the ground, and use that as a basis on which to lay said boards. I originally planned to do open-frame baseboards, but the track plan I've chosen only calls for an open section along the right hand wall where I'll create an embankment - it shouldn't be too taxing. And it is all part of the fun.

Had a good read through the thread, great layout and was nice to see it develop. One of the perks of being "late to the party" I guess 🙂

just realised I already said that. Sorry.

Noted! The branch tunnel is really just a scenic break, so branch trains don't just blatantly go around the corner to the next station. There is ample scope for a lengthened head shunt there. EDIT: all track pieces (finescale) now purchased, so let the fun begin...

Further development. Headshunt has been added at the branch terminus (if it is wrong please correct me), the entrance to the station top right has been "smoothed" to get rid of the sharp direction changes. The main station roads have been smoothed further as well. I've added where I would imagine control panels would be, but I didn't bother drawing the buildings this time as there's no need. EDIT: I have settled on this design now, I can't see how I would want any more from a layout any time soon. It is complex enough to keep me at it for years but will still allow me to sit and watch trains go by. I've added all the needed track pieces into my basket on Rails of Sheffield, I'm just waiting to see if I win 2 Ebay auctions for a couple of SL-E396F points - I can't seem to find them new. As long as I win those bids I can check out everything else 🤞

I have rotated the plan slightly clockwise to make the lift-up/hinged section very simple, and also to lengthen the fiddle yard considerably. Still quite a bit of refinement before I'm completely happy but the overall look is almost exactly what I will go with when it comes to laying track. It is giving me the best of all worlds.

Good points @stivesnick, and will definitely look into the things the raised. I think I would keep the middle lane at the through station, I like the idea of passenger trains sitting idle at both platforms as a freight thunders through the middle of them on it's way "wherever"... TT at the branch terminus could be heavily weathered and made to look dormant. There is still so much scope to create a believable layout. The branch terminus could be served by one or two 'Pacers' or similar DMUs, bringing passengers to the main station to change trains for elsewhere; larger class 55 deltic-hauled passenger trains and the occasional IC125. Meanwhile the same branch could be serving a small fictional town where the main export/place of work is (as you suggested) China clay. The through station could have a creamery close by (replacing the goods shed), and a railway-served factory/warehouse (replacing the engine shed). I wouldn't need to have a coal mine or power station on the layout, but there's certainly no reason why a reasonably long train of coal hoppers and/or fuel tankers can't occasionally bypass the through station, the destination of such traffic defined as off-scene by the fiddle yard. My main disadvantage is living in Northern Ireland, where our railways are dreadful - only a single line on most routes, entirely passenger-based and no freight of any kind that I know of. Seeing the blue "works" loco here is like seeing a Unicorn, I'm not even sure they exist anymore. So sadly I have no real life experience of railways beyond a 3 or 5-car passenger DMU trundling by occasionally, I'll have to research everything. I do want a layout full of activity to keep me and any potential viewers interested, but I don't want it to be a complete farce, a dog's breakfast of nonsensical locos and rolling stock ambling around meaninglessly.

Another potential layout, a plan which I take no credit for - I found it on Google, which lead me to a thread on rmweb and a member named @gormo, I'm not sure if it is his or was just posted on his topic (I couldn't find the actual post when clicking the link from Google images) so whomever created the original I hope they don't mind my purloining their skills. It looks like the original plan was made for a bigger scale as it is 13ft x 10ft, so I had to redraw it from scratch in n-gauge and fit it into 9ft 7in x 7ft 6in... This plan would work perfectly, and would allow me to have a lift-out section across the doorway, it would also satiate my need for twin-track mainline, a terminus, a fiddle yard, even a railway along the ocean scene and lots of operational potential overall. I would have to compromise on the length of HSTs due to a slightly smaller fiddle yard, and admittedly the branch terminus (and even the main station) trackwork is probably too complex for more modern workings, but I am not too concerned about that. I still want lots of shunting opportunity - the goods shed can become a creamery for example.

@Davexoc - yep, creamery is a good idea! Chemicals was genuinely an arbitrary choice, just to write *something* there. I had space for another industry of some sort after the redesign.

Further updated the plan with the station curving the opposite way for better viewing inside. Also increased the scenic sections to break up the symmetry, and added a raised town section on the right. I am aware the inner platform is too thin but using flexible track I can improve that when I build it. The platform roads themselves will now comfortably handle full length HSTs. I have no idea if a chemical storage facility would be anywhere near a station, but I wanted to add something else there, open to suggestions - anything that would give reason for extra (interesting/special) rolling stock.

@scottystitch indeed, very good ideas. I’m not averse to redesigning, certainly if it improves the end product. The image you posted at Paddington - Penzance is a perfect example of what I have in mind as well. Making the station concave from the operating well would also give me a little extra length as well as looking better, especially the longer passenger trains. Good post, good ideas. Thank you.

That weathering work is absolutely first class. Stunning.

Work well underway insulating and panelling the shed. New carpet being fitted on my stairs and landing as I type, so the old carpet is being reclaimed for the shed floor. It's this kind of thing that has often held me back from starting - I'm the kind of person who just pays someone to do these things for me, but I have to do it myself. I'm enjoying it.

This is what I have so far. It is very rough because I'm still trying to get to grips with using flexitrack and streamlined points in scarm, but the idea is taking shape. A through station with a fully visible and scenic continuous run, with a hidden 6-road fiddle yard (3 each for up and down lines). I like the idea of having the railway run along a cliff side (with the ocean and beach lower down at the front of it), and since I live right next to one such line (Coleraine to Londonderry line in is one of the most spectacular railway routes in the world), I have plenty of source material to look at in person. The through station is probably too simple for my liking as I'd like more activity around it, but perhaps I have ambitions above my station as it is. None of the current plan would be inaccessible by hand, which is certainly a plus. I could increase the length and number of sidings at the station (which I have now done), so whilst a couple of trains are circulating the entire scenic layout, I could be shunting and creating trains in the yard... I have updated the plan once more... This is the inspiration for my idea... Although I'm going with twin track for operational interest.

Taking inspiration from @Davexoc's superb layout, I'm going back to the drawing board. I have a lot of ideas and just need to translate them to scarm (easier said than done).

Had a good look through the thread after you commented on mine. This is a stunning layout (I particularly like the night shots), built to a level I aspire to reach myself. And I'm gonna take inspiration from it for my current (re)design - if I could get close to "this kind of thing" I'll be overjoyed.

@The Johnster a fantastic reply, thank you so much. I very much appreciate the lesson about the name Avon as well - a not unpleasant digression. Regarding the shed... the door opens outwards, so that is half the battle. I'm not remotely against starting the plan again with a clean slate, and would happily have a continuous run around the walls. I know myself that the plan I've posted (my 2nd effort on scarm) is almost certainly nothing like what I will eventually settle on. I'm just trying to get used to the program and - as said in the OP - cannot for the life of me get streamlined track to work. When I place down two facing points of setrack, they join perfectly, and any track proceeding from them remains at the perfect distance apart for "twin tracks", but when I try the same with streamlined track, they seem to need a small straight section in between, I can't figure out which one it is, the distance between both tracks seem way off, and the overall geometry of the rest of the track is... all up the whazoo. I just cannot get the track to look nice and flowing. As for having a central terminus on a peninsula, I do like that idea, and if done right it would give me a "natural" out and back running for all trains. I'll have a go at that in scarm and see what I can come up with, although I might have to purloin the track plan I used for my original layout, but attempt to make some alterations as that was entirely from setrack, and the reason I've abandoned it is because it was far too square looking. This is the track plan I used originally: And these are the only pics I have of my old layout. The only thing I changed at the time was the terminus - I made it more straight because I wanted the base boards to be easier, as if it didn't look enough like a train set.

Having scanned through much of the thread to see what changes have been made (as advised in post #1), I can only say this layout is a work of art. Amazing work.

I've just realised this was my first ever post on rmweb. I joined 11 years ago whilst constructing my first layout, but never got around to posting anything so it probably seems rude to just appear with a layout topic without even introducing myself. My apologies if I have broken forum etiquette or an unwritten rule of some sort. My name is Rikki, I'm 43 years old from Northern Ireland. Life long model railway lover who has never quite got around to building a "proper" one. Need help and advice with this one 😬

(Name changed now I have one for it) Hi everyone, This is my first second genuine attempt at creating a model railway. I started one 11 years ago and never got beyond laying the track on bare boards and adding a power bus. A few house moves, children, a divorce, lots of life in general happening and so the railway has been safely stored away for quite some time. I have a mountain of n gauge track, a prodigy advanced DCC controller, umpteen point motors and a bunch of locos and rolling stock. So I've finally bitten the bullet and commandeered the garden shed before any more life gets in my way. The shed is 9ft 7in by 7ft 6in, which is ample space for an interesting layout in n gauge. I had a simple list of "wants" for the layout: minimum twin-track continuous run, because I like to sit and watch them go by sometimes. either a large through station with fiddle yard, or a terminus station off the main layout goods, factory, or some kind of works (or combination of them all) long enough to run long HSTs without looking cramped (my favourite train is the Inter City 125) And using SCARM I've come up with the following track plan: I'm still not entirely happy with a lot of it, for example the rather crass turnout just off the outer loop to the left of the factory/warehouse - I'd like that to be a lot smoother but for the life of me I cannot get it to work, as soon as I try to use curved turnouts or streamlined track, the geometry is all over the place. I have used set track for almost all of it because not only can I not get streamlined (or Peco code 55) track to work in scarm, I already have a mountain of set track here and would be a shame to waste it (I have 17 of each right and left hand standard points, for example). Although truth be told if I could get it to work I'd probably just buy the code 55 track and be done with it. As far as the shed is concerned - I've begun prepping it for the layout. I've bought insulation, panels, expanding foam and whatever else was needed to create my train room. I've been beavering away panelling and insulating, whilst the electrician will be with me this week to add power, sockets, and lights. So this is happening, I just need to finalise the track plan. Would love to hear any feedback and advice. I appreciate the plan is probably more suited to steam age working (or the transition of eras), and I've mentioned running HSTs, but I want to have the ability to run both diesel and steam. The layout will not really be run prototypically. EDIT: the name Avon is used (perhaps), after something I read in a CJ Freezer plan book. He named a layout Avon because "there are several of those rivers, and so the exact geographical location is delightfully vague..."