simon b

I think keep track 6 but git rid of track 4, otherwise it looks like a mirror of track 5. Turn your fiddle yard track into another industry, the fiddle yard can connect on your larger moveable section with the yard itself under the main layout boards. A minor thing but the 2 points that are in front of the radio in your pic create an s bend for trains, consider using a left and a right to smooth that out.

Back when EMU's had character.

I watched the same video, certainly something I'd not heard of before but in use for some time apparently. There are a few places that have diamond crossings built in a similar way.

I believe so, although they are moving the unloading point.

Back to the original tropic for a moment, a good example of the view blocker/bigger station idea was "kilmister" by Class 74 of this forum. Although american outline the concept is the same.

Thanks for link, that does clear things up a little. We are indeed taking about the same bridge, but the western side is what I wasnt sure of. Looking at those plans it looks like the boundary is just before main street to the west, so the entire embankment is to be built by HS2. This is the bridge you were standing on, with main street in the distance. I'm sure there is a good reason, but why raise the EWR trackbed rather than lower HS2?

I'm not an expert by any means, but they still have the Gawcott underpass and it's embankments to build before they can lay any track out from Bicester. What I dont know is how much of that work is to be carried out by EWR, I know the bridge over HS2 itself is built by HS2 but where the boundary between the 2 works are isnt clear.

The center car on that Networker looks great, I always wanted to that but was scared I wouldn't be able to make it look good.

I've been thinking more about this, like you say putting a station at the left side of the layout is a better idea. If we were to make Ninth street an over bridge to create a scenic break, we can then have the platform disappear under it to disguise it's short length. Hunterspoint avenue on the Long Island railroad seems to be the perfect prototype.

Great to see this layout again, I still have the Model rail feature on it somewhere. The aircraft blue of Mainline freight has to be one of the best looking liveries around at that time.

I was reading through some old model railroader magazines and found this urban plan which looks interesting. The mid-Atlantic and Western, scenic section is 10' x 2'. I think I'd swap the coal depot for a station so I can run some commuter trains.

Thanks for that, those units seem harder to find photos of. It's a shame they didn't hang around a little longer.

Which unit type would this be? 6PAN?

I'd quite happily pay for a twin pack of 20001 and 20002, one in green and the other rail blue.

Just put my suggestion in.

Hi all, does anyone know of a UK supplier of PRR tuscan red spray paint? Or have any pointers to a Halfords color that would be close enough? Thanks in advance.

Just found this excellent presentation on youtube about the Bletchley flyover, goes into some detail about the old flyover and the reasons they have rebuilt it the way they have.

That disused section of the layout is looking very good, it reminds me a little of the closed platform 3 at Liverpool street Met station:

Thanks for the replies so far, there is certainly some stunning craftsmanship on show here. Gives me some ideas of what is possible. If I were to have a go at this it would be in 00 scale, O is impressive but would take up more room than I have available. I also want this to be a working diorama, perhaps automated so trains arrive and then depart after a wait on scene. A little rough working out I think the scenic area could be done inside a 2ft x 3ft baseboard, with the same size again for off scene storage. The other use for this project would be as a backdrop for photo's, so I could make certain parts removable to get different camera angles. I think I've got some more thinking to do.

Hi all, bit of an odd thread title but please bear with me... I've been looking at some pics of the old Blackfriars station from the late 60's, back then the place was certainly a relic of another time. Wooden platforms, wrought ironwork everywhere, hydraulic buffer stops, it had a very interesting run down atmosphere about it. Of particular interest to me was the large gable roof that covered the station concourse area, it was nearly fully enclosed with a couple of small gaps to let the trains pass through framing the scene perfectly. And so it got me thinking why not model the station from the viewpoint of someone standing on the platform inside the station roof? Effectively that would mean that the layout is set at eye level, looking across the platforms with the roof above you. Viewed from a fixed point trains would enter and exit the scene like actors on a stage. Has anyone built such a layout/diorama? Does this sound like a good idea for a small layout or am a I daydreaming again?

If we're talking about 2-3 mile long freights then I agree the variety is a little limited but scale things down and there are still interesting things around. I'm more interested in the huge variety of commuter operations rather than freight roads, but a few that come to mind are: The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a good one, lot's of old Alco's on multi unit mixed freight trains. The New York and Atlantic Railway has some fast moving mixed freights, deliveries of subway cars, and a car float operation. CSX and Norfolk southern still operate a few old units, NS even has rare "high hood" units, gp38 and sd40 iirc. Pan-am railways has a few unusual units on some fairly long mixed freights. New York, Susquehanna & Western is another line worth a look.

Manors station, 1974. And again in 1971.

Not quite got enough clearance on your platform edges? It'll be fine....

Looking at the angle of that scissors crossing it reminds me of smallbrook junction on the isle of white, 2 separate single lines which were worked as up and down in busy periods. Not my pic.

I can see how that would work, but cant help thinking that 3 return loops with a few loco sidings in the middle would be more flexible.