wigancg

Another productive weekend has just passed with the new layout.

Peco streamline track has been laid along with electrofrog points and has sat nicely on top of the cork underlay. Full wiring has been installed in order to get locos up and running on the layout which has been a great success!

Peco point motors have been installed under each point which will be further wired for operation next weekend alongside the switches within the main control panel. However, the new Gaugemaster Walkabout controller works a treat. Perfect for shunting manoeuvres within the yard.

Here are a few recent photos after track laying, wiring and point motor installation.

Hello Stu and Ray H,

Thanks for your comments.

Whilst I understand where you're coming from, we have spent many hours exploring the plan (which has been altered from the Hornby Mag one) and looking into the shunting arrangements. Bearing in mind that the space available is limited to 6ft and therefore, pick up goods services will consist of around 5-6 wagons plus brake van, generally hauled by GWR tank engines along with a couple of tender locos.

It is understandable that the shunting arrangements are not of prototypical practice, however, they could be found in certain places where space was limited on small branch termini, for example. I feel that shunting is an important part of our hobby and this arrangement suits my requirements as I really enjoy (as strange as it seems) tying myself up in knots with shunting and spending time solving a shunting puzzle. In time, I will upload some info and photos about how the layout is operated.

Many thanks,

Chris

Had a productive day today with the new project. With some superb assistance from a fellow RM Web member (NunneyCastle5029) the back scene boards have been fitted, the track plan was finalised with some minor alterations from the Operation Build It plan and the cork underlay for the track bed was laid out, trimmed and glued in place leaving to set overnight.

Here are a few photos from today's progress:

Many thanks for the kind comments, Jules.

As for the goods shed, it is an absoultely superb resin model from the Bachmann Scenecraft range. Excellently detailed and just what I was after really. Not sure whether to repaint the sliding doors from green to brown. Although, the doors on the loco shed are green also, so they may actually match.

Keep you updated on developments over the coming weeks.

If anyone would be so kind as to provide me with some helpful advice here then I would be much appreciated.

Signals...where to place them appropriately on this layout.

A platform starter is an obvious one. However, what about the platform loop? Does this require a semaphore or merely a ground signal for shunting purposes?

I would like to use the loop occasionally for freight departures after a passenger service has arrived.

Plus I intend to use the splendid Dapol GWR lower quadrant signals.

Splendid little inventions and work a treat on the previous layout!

Thanks Stu,

Good point. I have planned to have an extra point on the goods shed siding. I thought the layout needed a head shunt of some kind in the yard for shunting arrangements.

I am planning to have the cattle dock up in the loop head shunt out of the way and drop the toad in there when shunting. It will be ready to just pick up and attach later just before departure from the loop down the branch again.

Chris

"There's nothing worse than boredom" - or so someone said to me not that long ago. How right they are!

So here I found myself staring at a recently revealed space of 9ft by 2ft in the spare bedroom. With one recently completed novice layout on the opposite wall, I needed something to get me going with my next project. No way was anything else going in that space apart from my next layout.

"Oh no, not another GWR terminus" I hear the cry...but is there anything wrong with that? In my opinion, it seems over the past few years as if the magazines have been flooded with East Coast layouts, or, train sets where the trains just thunder past with little shunting action at a station. If the layout has a station that is. However, each to their own. As for me, a sleepy GWR branch line terminus, the right locos and stock and plenty of shunting and operational interest to keep me happy then all is good in the world.

Now, I have chosen to base this new layout within the South West of England around the old S&D region. I happened to spring upon an copy of Hornby Magazine under the coffee table from last year containing the plans for their Operation Build It. Next thought - "Why not?"

So, plenty of planning and a layout name selecting session later, the decision was made to name the layout 'Berry Pomeroy' (as it is a lovely place without ever having a rail connection near Totnes and also because the name oozes GWR atmosphere) and to build the layout matching very closely with the Operation Build It plans.

Total length of layout = 9ft x 2ft.

Scenic section = 6ft x 2ft

Fiddle = 3ft x 2ft

Superb handiwork with the baseboard construction with a fellow RM Web member resulted in the baseboards ready to go and just requiring the back scene boards to be fitted in due course before track laying can begin.

I am looking forward to using the superb Hornby Skaledale GWR station!