Sheffield Midlands

Thanks Beast - very interesting!

And the baseboard alignment drilling/routing jig Tested and works a treat!!

Things are moving along with my build...all be it slowly! It seems that everyone takes an age to get quotes back to me for various things such as laser cutting etc. Anyway, I now have 8 of the 10 1800x600x100 sub baseboards built that will carry the mosaic pattern of jigsaw pieces that will hold the track etc. They are formed from tops of 12mm birch ply and all crossmembers are 18mm Eucalyptus ply. The undersides of the tops are routed out by 2mm to create a dado join with the sides and cross members. Once constructed they are surprisingly light and sturdy but further drilling and removal will reduce the weight further. I can shift 2 at a time around quite happily through a loft hatch etc. Rather than the traditional "lots of square/rectangular" baseboards, I have opted for the tougher option of lots of odd shaped pieces that stand 80mm off the sub-baseboard. My the platforms, bridges, retaining walls etc will all plugging on. That way I can hide joins as best as possible without a major fault line running across any part of the layout with joins hidden by cable trunking, platforms. You can see the arrangement below on the AutoCAD screenshot. I have a jig built now to deal with the 2 bolt holes and patternmakers alignment dowels and I am very pleased that the 25mm Forstner bit for recessing the dowels fits my router so I can ensure that all holes are drilled perfectly perpendicular. Eventually I will get the quotes back to laser cut the 12mm Green (moisture resistant) MDF and work will commence on building the individual jigsaw pieces. Next update soon!

That might prove useful beast - thank you very much

Sub baseboard 1 of 10 at 1800x600mm! 9 more to go and then the 3D jigsaw puzzle that is the track bed and Cobalt point motor housing to build. Really pleased that things are finally starting to get moving.

Hi Talltim, the layout will be summer 2014. Thanks for letting me know about the new track - I did wonder which track was about to get the new rails as there has been a big pile of flat bottom laying between the tracks on the up through sidings for quite a while.

Paid a visit to White Rose Model Works today for a consult about utilising a 3 dimensional jigsaw system for the baseboard tops to hide away joins as best as possible (a 25 piece puzzle measuring 1.2m x 9m when built). Very productive and what a fantastic, helpful company. Many firsts for railway modelling about to take shape for Sheffield I think......laser cut baseboards may be just one of them!

Plan completed and wood ordered. Hopefully the building will commence over Easter

2 each of Cross country class 221s and 220s getting full interior lighting and door open indicator lights. More dimming required but you get the idea

To avoid condensing the platform widths or chopping the station building in 2, the width has gone up to 1.5m now. Always handy being a tall chap though for reach etc

Errr....yes....hahaha....the south end.....(typed while I was looking at my plans north end - having a senile moment!)

I think it was renewed in 2012. The headshunt sidings still get used for dumping DMUs in from time to time between rush hours although most of them go to the carriage sidings at the north end

Firstly - thank you for the feedback folks - all very valid points and a great way for me to gather opinions on things that I may have missed! As Talltim has already mentioned the 2 through roads through each set of main platforms will allow a lot of viewing of trains in the station which is partly why I chose Sheffield. Platform 7 and 8 are fairly tucked away but I can live with that as the platforms are very wide. Also the entire section that I have posted is over 8m (24ft) long and the canopies themselves almost accommodate full length HSTs (the front ends of the power cars don't quite fit). With that in mind, from canopy to tunnel/bridge mouth at the South end being 2.5m (shortest distance) and 2m (shortest distance) at the North End, there will be plenty of viewing available for trains entering and leaving the station too. The fact that much of the station that isn't under canopy "curves" will also make viewing interesting too and the height of the layout legs will be considered very carefully to ensure the viewing angles are the best available (easy for me to say - I am 6ft 8" tall!)

Templot plan is coming along

Very pleased with Olivia's Trains! It would appear they have a tardis of a stockroom with tonnes of "obsolete" Hornby and Bachmann! I now have 4 full 8 coach rakes of Class 43 HSTs in Arriva Cross Country and East Midlands Trains ready to grace Sheffield. Spent a good few hours photographing (what feels like) every rail and sleeper in the station ready to build them in model scale - just need to finalise the design with Just Tracks in Templot and get cracking on the baseboards.

Of course it can be recreated with Peco products with adaptations This was all considered during the design permutations streamline to manipulated stream line etc. I just felt that it looked to square and angular to truly represent the real thing (not to mention Peco track is technically HO meaning that the sleepers are too small, short and closely spaced.). Each to there own of course though

Hi Joseph, I wasn't aware of that particular model - I will have to have a look for the article. The difference with mine is that it will be set as it is now, completely to scale with full size platforms/points etc. My only limitation at present is with rolling stock - the Cl185s of Transpennine and Cl222 of East Mids aren't very readily available!

Just in the process of planning out a baseboard arrangement for my new layout using the plywood crossmember/open frame format but I am using multiple boards bolted side by side as well as end on end. Has anyone experience of arranging baseboards in the fashion in the picture/scribble below? Normally I would keep them all level but arranging them in a sort of brick formation appeals for strength, alignment etc.

Great effort but wait until you see it in hand built finescale with lovely fluid, flowing curves and angles with correct sized and spaced weathered concrete sleepers with the correct chairs etc

Kernewek on ni, a-dar Sowsnek!

Thanks for the pics Will be having all the sidings on my layout. Is there a carriage washing plant there too?

I will have to find them and have a nosey - thanks Mickey

Great to see so much interest - and plenty from Sheffield too! Hoping to have the plans finished off in the next week or so and then building will commence

I will see what I can do Sheffield is also the crossroads it would seem of my life. Being a Cornishman that went to University in Reading, moved to Hull and now still in Yorkshire, I have traversed the Sheffield platforms and tracks on many an occasion.

It's going to be in OO gauge and as the plans near completion is building very fast. I haven't decided whether the tram line will be included but I'm hoping to include a fairly extensive car system on the layout too. Stock wise I have plenty of Northern DMUs (158s, 142s, 144), HSTs (full length) in XC and East Mids livery and a whole host of other relevant stock. Just in the process of filling the SLR up with as many pictures as possible of the trackwork, sleepers, signals and so on. With the size available to me, it won't be far off scale full size and fully transportable too