CoombeTown

Windows and doors for the station building have now arrived and have had a coat of primer. Really pleased with how these have turned out, some good motivation to get going with station building construction.

..Been a while since an update, but not totally devoid of productivity... Track laying is now complete ready for a coat of sleeper grime. I've built up a Wills road bridge for the scenic break, which now awaits painting after Christmas. there is also quite literally a light at the end of the tunnel, with the buffer stop at the end of the branch line which will provide a nice bit of detail at the end of the cutting. Next on the to-do list is painting the track, building the platform and station buildings with Windows and doors now made in CAD and ordered from Shapeways, and adding the pointing rodding to the layout. Being one engine in steam this rodding will go to at least a ground frame, however I'm leaning towards having two. One controlling the point and FPL at the bridge end. The other controlling the opposite end of the loop and the two points into the goods yard sidings. Thoughts on this would be much appreciated as I am really getting myself into quite a muddle over it!

Finally feel like enough progress has been made for an update! Track laying is mostly complete with some of the traverser and one goods yard siding to go. Currently giving this: The track has been layed on varying levels of cork to gain the ballast profile. I will probably raise the ground level in the cess as 6mm is a little excessive. Despite this from the side it creates a very nice terracing effect. I've also had an inspirational trip to GETS, Bournemouth West had some amazing detail and oozed atmosphere that I can only dream of achieving. A 2nd hand also got the better of my wallet so I have a new addition to the fleet. This 56xx will join the 64xx on freight duty with the aim of having two rakes available for variety and some exchanging with the goods yard. Hopefully I'll have a video of some action in the next week or so, when I work out how to share them on here.

As a first foray into exhibition layouts and being a regular house mover I was studying small layout track plans. During my musings, I stumbled a small Cambrian terminus, known as Holywell Town, at the end of a small branch from Holywell Junction. Having visited the West Somerset Railway numerous times in my childhood I have always been a fan of Western Region locomotives, there is just a charm about funny-looking Pannier tanks trundling through green valleys. Therefore Holywell Town was up-rooted from North Wales and moved to Somerset, renamed Coombe Town. The track plan is identical, with a goods yard accessed via the station headshunt. Trackwork will be Peco Code 100, as I had some around already and am working will limited funds. Variety will be provided using a 7-road Fiddle yard, with an Autotrain, small passenger/milk train, a couple of local freights and possibly some others in the future. So far, the baseboards are up and I'm waiting for a delivery of track for the scenic area. In the meantime, the focus is upon producing PCB sleepers for the baseboard joints and the ends of sidings, and getting the traverser roads laid.

Wow. Harlequin I think you really hit the nail on the head there, that looks far more flowing and the goods yard looks much more prototypical. Now just to do it just justice in model form!

Hi guys, the layout is 00 gauge, and will use Peco Code 75. The length of the scenic area is 3.9m overall, with a further 1.2m traverser on the lefthand end, which will only be used in an exhibition scenario. The length is limited as what will fit diagonal over a double bed plus a bit more. The width is 300-500mm with ~280mm of hidden sidings behind, although the exact operation for these is yet to be determined. I feel the rationalised part of the story limits the operation of the yard somewhat. Treating the layout as an end on junction at home and a through station at exhibitions, then including a means of direct access I think gives the operation I want. I think this makes sensible operation for the branch line goods trains as well using a double and a single-slip for access and crossing. Therefore, I think the only query I have is now about the goods loop onto the mainline, is it prototypical to extend this or should it just be a headshunt? Thanks for bearing with this thread guys, the input is really useful.

Dear all, Thanks for your really useful input. I'm reluctant to put the entire layout on a curve due to the impact it would have on the hidden sidings behind. However, I have attempted to make the track a bit more flowing and spacious. I've now ended up with 3 options which all involve moving the station upwards to create more space in the goods yard to try and give a less cramped feel. This is achieved returning to a layout closer to the Llandilo plan, where the mainline was single track, with two platforms present at the station to allow trains to cross and a goods loop for passing. The first option keeps the crossing at the left-hand end of the layout but as Harlequin says, looks a little unprototypical and simplifies operation a little too much. The second option simplifies the crossing end further, although I feel this is a bit too extreme and prevents multi-engine operation with the goods headshunt blocking passenger movements effectively. This last one is probably my favourite, using the junction rationalisation suggested by Flying Pig there are some interesting movements for goods trains, and also allows the passenger locos to run around whilst shunting is ongoing. Be interesting to get your thoughts. Thanks, Dom

Hi David, Thanks for that, I had mistakenly stated that it was an engine shed rather than goods shed, which would still be open. Your suggestion of removing the crossover from the goods loop is a good one that I will implement. Looking at the plans for Llandilo in Wales, which has a similar sort of layout, with the inclusion of a crossover to the rear of the goods shed in the up yard. I plan to keep to use the siding, formerly goods loop, as access to the coal staithes and as an area to marshall outgoing freight trains, in a similar way to what I assume the Down Goods Siding was used for. Shortening the two sidings in front of the goods shed below I think arrives at a nice flowing, functional yard below.

This is my first thread within this forum, hopefully, more will follow. For the last decade, I have been building a large layout in the spare bedroom of my parents' house. Now approaching graduation I need to start again, this time with a smaller, more portable layout this time aiming for more exhibitable standards. The current plan is set in the Midlands area of the GWR on the outskirts of Birmingham, with a junction station and small goods yards set into a walled cutting, aiming for photography opportunities a la Liverpool Lime Street. The secondary main line was an early casualty with the continuing line terminated and the station left to serve the local industry and the connecting branch further into the suburbs. With the double track mainline now singled into the tunnels the below track plan was devised. Although, advice on this would be much appreciated from those with more experience of providing some good operation at exhibitions. Trains would enter from either the traverser, left, or the turntable, top, the into the station or goods loop, where they will then leave the other way or the way they entered. The goods yard facilities are fairly basic with an end loading ramp on the lowest siding. I currently have an issue with engines running through the goods shed to access the coal wagons, although no idea of how to solve this in a prototypical manner. The general geography of the layout is shown in the CAD details below. I look forward to the input from others on this forum. Dom

Hi all, This is my first full attempt at scratchbuilding for my model railway it's a farmhouse constructed from mainly 40thou plasticard covered with SE Finecast brickwork, windows are microstrip but I have no idea what sizes as they were scraps. and one of construction apologies about the last picture but it was taken on an iPad and I'm unsure of how to turn it round without editing the original. DRoe96

Hi iL Dottore, You are correct it is 4mm scale. The track base is plywood with 1/8in cork on to which the track is laid. The columns hill side is cardboard supported with balsa strips. The viaduct columns are cardboard turned into boxes then covered with Slater's embossed plasticard and the arch insides are a single sheet of plasticard cut to the right length then curled up and glued into place. Timewise, taken 3 or 4 months on and off although the lefthand half was built in breaks from revision this week so 10 hours for that half I'd say. Hope that answers all your queries, DRoe96

Hi guys, I know this is more a structure than a building but I thought I'd give you guys an impression of what a teenager is capable when they're not on the computer! Let me know what you think, DRoe96