scottystitch

Hi, Is the topic title tag line a reference to the song 5.15am...? Best Scott

well that’s awkward..........

Thanks Jim, I always forget about the Canmore site. Some great drawings on that link. Much appreciated. Best Scott

Whilst I agree the un-refurbished HST sets leave a lot to be desired, from a customer perspective, the refurbished examples are more than a step up from the 170s/158s that have gone before them, both in ride quality and noise.

And Version 12 in its entirety (Each grid is 1 foot):

Version 12 does as you suggest, but also includes a trailing crossover from the headshunt to allow direct departures in the UP direction from 8 & 9.

Version 11....... Two Parcels platforms - Lorries arriving directly onto platform 8/9 for loading/unloading. Platform 7 sees little use, perhaps a throwback to a time before services were cut, but still serviceable and available for trains/stabling. Motorail on it's own with no platform, end loading.

What a fantastic start to the line-up already!

Thank you for everyone's thoughts. Yes this needs more thought with regards parcels. With respect to Motorail, the real Perth trains, certainly in my period employed a nominal rake of 6 Newton Chambers TCVs. I do not recall seeing CCTs used on the Perth-Holloway train, but it may be possible. Regardless of period all Perth Motorail was end loading. The Motorail loading was adjacent Perth carriage sidings, and despite being end loading, the two sidings employed did have a platform between them. This was more by accident than by design, since one of the sidings was originally a loop off the main line. Each of the two Motorail sidings on the plan can comfortably fit 6 TCVs or 6 Carflats (I'm not sure when open Carflats began to be employed on the Perth trains but they definitely did, and certainly by 1980), so it's no hardship and probably better to lose one of them. Interestingly, Sutton Coldfield's Motorail siding was on a reverse curve, so dead straight for loading was not essential. As IMT says, the sleeper would arrive, timetabled for a 30 minute or so dwell, in which the car carriers are removed and shunted to the siding; passengers are awoken from their slumber and turfed out. The Passenger section would then depart ECS for the carriage sidings. The Motorail stock would stay in its siding all day following un-loading, in preparation for re-loading for the night's departure. Regarding parcels/newspapers, etc. I had considered a low relief parcels mail/parcels building facing into the layout, on Platform 10. I could lose Platform 8 and 9 which would leave one siding for loading/unloading (Platform 10) and the other, adjacent siding for stock storage/stabling. I had always assumed that parcels traffic was very much like the sleeper/motorail. Early morning arrivals and evening departures, but are we suggesting that that wasn't the case? Whilst Perth Caledonian will be reasonably busy with through traffic on platforms 1, 2, 5, 6 and back and forth traffic on platforms 3 and 4, the motorail and parcels sidings wouldn't be used for anything else, so it seems reasonable that these trains could dwell for quite a while in that case?

Outstanding modelling and photography.

Version 10

Indeed, and more to do with improving transportation, job opportunities and investment potential to one of Scotland's more deprived areas, which, collectively, has a rather large population. Best Scott

My apologies, I thought you meant the web link to the website. How embarrassing. Apologies again.

Fife Today is part of a group of newspapers/news outlets for the local Fife area of Scotland.

It's an interesting idea, I'm just not sure I can fit it in, without it looking like I've tried to fit it in...........

From the email talked about above: "In case you missed them, we have revealed initial CAD images for the N gauge Beyer Garratt locomotive. As with our other projects, we aim to produce the most accurate model as possible and we have worked hard to make sure these CAD images are up to the quality you would expect. In order for the Beyer Garratt to progress, we need you to pre-order your locomotive as soon as possible. If you are interested in the project and would like to have the locomotive on your layout - now is the time to act! We cannot move the project along until a satisfactory number of pre-orders have been reached. Please note - we do not require payment up-front, only when the models are released. You will also receive project updates once we are able to go ahead. By pre-ordering you will help to make this project a reality." Best Scott

This is great news. I saw Shap at Warley three(?) years ago, so it's much appreciated that you're bringing it to Glasgow this year! I shall look forward to admiring it again. Best Scott

Then why aren’t you following those online instructions??!!??!!

I had considered that, but it would mean a convoluted route to platforms 1 and 2. I'll do as you suggest and put a trap/turnout in to protect the main line. Best Scott

Hmm yes, the number of hours I must have spent on the Uncharted series, on the PS3......... Great series of games that I keep going back to. That said I've only played 4 once. Must remedy that.

Thank you Paul for continuing to consider this. Based on your option 3, I think I've managed to work that into Anyrail and the Finetrax geometry. I've also added a locomotive spur:

I remember buying my first Playstation. Was it really 25 years ago? Prior to that It was Sega Megadrive. My "bundle" came with Wipeout and Ridge Racer. I played both to death. Money was tight for a bit but I remember investing a lot of time in Crash Bandicoot (never completed it), I forget what other games I had. Medal of Honour was one. I did have a PS2 but was relatively late to the PS3 and then the PS4 party, at least a year after respective launches. I did have a brief flirt with WII, but it's lack of seriousness meant it would never be anything other than brief, and despite my brother being in the Xbox camp post PS2, I've never had any other consoles; but then I wouldn't class myself as a serious gamer like some here (that is a compliment by the way). 25 years..........

Hi Paul, Your first sketch looks good and much better than my efforts. Thanks for that. I will try and draw that up in Anyrail tomorrow. The purpose for the down up down up in respect of platforms 1 2 3 4, was purely aesthetic, as I wanted to watch Down trains snaking across the crossings, but your reasoning makes sense. The tracks (Left) North of the station all continue on to Perth Central without diverging. A goodly sized engine shed is beyond the bridge on the left hand side (North), serving this station and Perth Central. Perth Marshalling yard (new hump yard) is further north, beyond Perth Central. Most trains are through without splitting, dropping, etc., but one train a day splits on it's way South and combines on the return North (a section of the West Coast Postal) and are heading to Aberdeen/Glasgow and Dundee/Glasgow (by different routes North of Perth Central) and Perth Central/London (to terminate). Bay trains are from/to Edinburgh. One London train terminates/starts here, the motorail service. Best Scott Some Glasgow/Aberdeen trains will change engine here., but no more than two per day, plus random failures.

Thanks, very kind. It is intended to be British Finescale, but I need to see how I get on building turnout kits with my shaking hands..... The non-scenic portions and storage yards will be code 55 Yes that is intentional. Perth Motorail operated like that and Stirling was the same (to a point). I've reworked the plan again and removed the headshunt. I don't think it brings any value and I don't think it's justified for one two Motorail shunts a day and a parcels shunt a day. I've reworked the plan to remove the single lead, and reverted to a double junction for platforms 5 and 6. It looks better balanced and I think feels better too. There is no missing track adjacent the Platform 7 track. I am considering having an intentional gap between the Platform 7 track and the Motorail sidings hence the 'gap'. The services at platform 5 and 6 will all be DMU worked, but I have imagined that previous loco hauled services would have terminated either in platform 5 and then shunted to platform 6 for loco release, or terminated in one of the through platforms and shunted to a bay. The shunt would have been performed by the locomotive rostered to work the return, and supplied directly from the shed which is just beyond the road bridge out of scene, or waiting patiently in the bay for the arrival. The trackwork has been modified in line with the recent colour light signalling installation. I don't think there is space to include a genuine pilot stub in any case without further cluttering the space, and I question if one would have been required for what is predominantly a through station. In my fictional world, Perth Caledonian has a similar relationship with an off scene, and equally fictional, Perth Central as Haymarket does with Waverley in Edinburgh, albeit Perth Central is no Waverley and Haymarket has/had no Motorail (although at one point it did have a couple of bay platforms and has regained one recently).

Outstanding! Being an honorary Wellingtonian by birth and a bit of primary schooling in Johnsonville, and with a B***** busting passport, I shall be following this with great enthusiasm. I always try to get back as frequently as possible. I'm too young to have known steam in EnZed, but as a Kid I rode the Silver Fern and Silver and the old Johnsonville Line electrics. Best Scott