Ch4lkst3r

Next little update on how the layout has been progressing since 2016.   Firstly, we can gloss over the rest of 2016 and 2017 as not much happened on the layout due to getting married and the related time consuming stuff etc.

So we'll move on to 2018 and the first main area of scenery to tackle was to be the right hand back corner being the area requiring the longest reach and therefore I thought it best to start there first and work from the back of the layout forwards to save leaning over "completed" areas ("completed" as is a layout ever finished?)  This area was to be covered in a tunnel but would require the top to be able to be removed for access.  Using a piece of 6mm MDF as a base for the top and some cardboard forming covered in plaster bandages the tunnel top and surrounding areas was created and the corner ended up looking like this back in Feb 2018.

In this picture you can clearly see the outline of the removable top as only the first application of scenery was in place.  I created an tunnel air vent using of all things a toothpaste lid for the cylinder which was lined with brick paper and this is secured to the MDF top to act as something to grab on to so as to remove the top if required.  Scalescenes tunnel mouths and retaining walls were installed as was a kit bashed Scalescenes canal bridge into a tunnel portal for the start of the canal towards the canal wharf.

As I said in the opening post progress has been slow but come August the corner had progressed some more and was now up to this stage.

The top of the tunnel was starting to be blended in better as to lose the noticeable join and more retaining walls had been added alongside the other tracks to the right.  The remnants of the old track for the now singled line (that will answer the question for those who wondered what the strange piece of track was in the plan!) had been rusted up and an old signal post added.

Further to the right along the canal the Scalescenes lock had been created along with a Scalescenes bridge and plans for the start of the wharf area were in development.  The bridge acting as the scenic break to the fiddle yard.

Further on into 2018 and come November the lock has been placed and the railway embankment created.  The Scalescenes lock keeper's cottage has been added although his/her garden is still to be finished.  The wharf water is in place and the retaining wall along the road is mostly completed (just missing the top wall - I wouldn't fancy driving that road in the pictured state!)

So that's roughly how the layout was at the end of 2018.  Come back tomorrow for the next instalment when I'll cover 2019 and if I have time may even bring it right up to it's present state!

Hi everyone.

Having seen some impressive layouts I thought I'd share my attempt with you.  I've had N gauge since I was younger and my dad got me into model railways as well as the 12" to the foot scale.  Having had most of it in storage for a long while (that's what parents houses are for right?) I finally had somewhere to put it a few years ago so my first layout in a long time was planned and started back in 2016.  Now it's not progressed much in that time but recently (especially as there's not much else to do!) it's starting to get somewhere.

General ideas for the layout consisted of:

Fictional location somewhere in the Midlands under BR Western Region (with some running rights for Midland Region trains)

1960s era to allow running of steam and diesels

Continuous loop to leave some trains running whilst other things go on

Station with platforms long enough for 5/6 carriage trains

Fiddle yard to store trains not in use

MPD area

Some industrial sidings/canal wharf

The area to build the layout was an L shape (two walls of a room).  After several iterations this is the plan I came up with (the tracks in the bottom right leading to the fiddle yard on the 2nd wall located above my desk).

Baseboards were constructed in normal fashion of timber frame with 9mm plywood top.  3 separate baseboards were created (one for the fiddle yard, 1 for the corner (L shaped) and 1 for the rest in case of the need for deconstruction at a later date).  Most of the track was laid and the wiring complete and all tested by June 2016 leaving the layout looking like this:

I'll come back tomorrow with more posts showing the progress from then until now.

Hi,

I'm renumbering an 08 to it's original 13XXX number but I'm struggling to confirm what height the numbers should be.  Would they have been 8", 9" or 10" numbers in 12 inches to the foot scale?

Hope someone can help.

Iain

Looking forward to seeing the 2mm signals

Hi,

At the moment my point decoders are all running off the track bus but this does cause the occasional issue when I forget to change points and polarity is then wrong.  I'm also about to start signalling the layout and want to separate signals/points to another accessory bus.  I have a NCE Procab but as this only has one output I assume I need to connect 2 sets of wires to the track output but put some kind of breaker into my existing track bus so that it will trip before the Procab.  If my thinking is correct can someone recommend what I should be buying.

Thanks

Iain

Thanks for the feedback again folks.

I think I'll go back to a yellow disc as it was only someone elses comments (elsewhere) that made me change it.

I'm now thinking of replacing D with a single red disc. Only moves from here would be locos from coaling stage, turntable or TMD sidings and as we're in the 1960s I'm going with them having put one disc in to control all moves.

Good or bad decisions?

Mike, I'm not sure what you mean about Q either.  There is only one route from there under the road bridge and to the fiddle yard.

Stephen, I think 3ft arms are fine.  I know miniature arm shunting signals were replaced or covered up by discs.

There is definitely a yellow/black ground disc at Worcester Shrub Hill as shown here (https://signalbox.org/signals/gw.htm) although I only drew it that way so that the fact it had a yellow band showed up on the diagram.

Version 2 below with changes:

Ground disc B replaced by 3ft arm on new bracket on C.

Bracket F removed and platform 2 now single direction.

New signal T on curve with distant and stop arms.

Signals L & M now single stop arms and new bracket S outside box for moves to platform 2/platform 1(bay).

I've left O and Q on.  I agree with Mike as per running stop signals as I'm used to seeing these around Worcester.  I put O on as this is similar to Malvern Wells where the line singles for the tunnel and the last signal in the down direction is before the single line.  So should O stay or go?

Signal construction of tubular posts with silver/aluminium painted posts?

Thanks for the advice Mike.

Changes so far to the plan:

Change ground signal B to 3ft arm on bracket C.

Remove signal F and make platform 2 single direction.

Remove signals O and Q.

Unfortunately it's not possible to place a signal by the double junction but although as you say it may look overdone I could place a stop signal parallel to L on the curve with a distant arm.  It would also act as the section signal (for box A) which for moves from the shed via signal D there isn't one and the next signal is signal N (home for box B).  The distant arms on C, E & G could then be removed (bracket F being no more).

I'm thinking of changing L & M to plain stop signals and then having a new bracket outside the box for platform 2/bay platform 1.  Any comments or am I overdoing it?  Would the arm for the bay platform be a shorter arm than the main in any case?

I agree about O and Q.  I had removed them on the last version with colour lights and shouldn't have been on semaphore version.

I was wondering today if ground disc B could be replaced by a small arm on bracket C but not sure as this only leads into the headshunt.  Any comments?

Well as that lines in the bottom right go off to the fiddle yard I don't want them going round there too quick or they'll be crashing into the bufferstops   We'll say it's less than 40mph.

Hi folks,

Slight change of plan on signalling.  The S & T modernisation hasn't reached Northbridge yet (or in reality I've found Stephen Freeman at borg-rail.com and I think I'll be utilising his signal building skills!).  Therefore, I'm planning on having the whole layout using semaphore signals and my first attempt is below so I'm looking for comments (still WR).  I've lettered the signals for easier comments on specific ones.

Signal R is only theoretical as it's behind the backscene so won't exist.  Distant arms on C, E, F, G and R are all fixed due to the distance between the two signalboxes.  Signal D is a ringed arm on the exit from the TMD but this could be a ground disc?  Ground disc I is a yellow disc.

Hi folks,

Thanks for the responses.  I've modified the plan as per the suggestions so it now looks something like this.

I've left the GPL coming from the yard onto the headshunt but am happy to remove.  I thought that there would be one to stop a conflicting move from the yard onto the headshunt at the same time as one from the platform.  The signal on the headshunt is now a yellow GPL so would be cleared for moves towards the platform.

I haven't put any stencils on the GPL's as I was following my understanding of some WR semaphore signalling where one ground disc has multiple moves and it's up to the driver/shunter to know where they are going.

I've added a new GPL on the through line so that locos off shed can access any platform.  I've only put the one in and not added any to the main aspects as suggested by TheSignalEngineer's plan as I'm keeping the shunt moves simple.

I've removed the two semaphores as per TheSignalEngineer's plan but does this now mean that I should have one as shown on the single line as the section signal for the box in the bottom right or would the arm on the bracket serve as that?

A couple of additional questions.  Firstly, did theatre boxes in the 60s work as they do know, ie. do the always show a letter to indicate route or would they ever be blank with the main aspect?

Secondly, what differences would there be if the station was LM region instead of WR?

Thanks for your advice

Iain

PS. Shame Snow Hill doesn't look like that anymore!

Thanks for the feedback Mike.

I plan to fabricate a dummy trap point on the outlet nearest the platform.  I don't believe it needs one on the headshunt as the points would always be set away from the platform line unless the signal was cleared - is this correct?

I should have put that this is N gauge so obtaining things like working stencil indicators would be difficult (impossible?).  I was looking at using CR Signals for the colour lights with Dapol semaphores.  As I'm still in design stage if I was to swap the layout to LM region would this alter the use of feathers/theatre boxes?

​Hi,

I'm slowly building my layout.  It is set in the 1960s towards the end of steam somewhere Western Region on the boundary with LM region to allow crossover of motive power.

I've attached the full plan of the layout plus my initial thoughts on the signalling.  I plan to have the signals working so have opted for 3 aspect colour lights on the main lines through the station controlled by a box at the station.  The junction at the bottom of the plan is lesser used so this box is still using semaphores (although this box is theoretical as it is off the layout as is the bracket signal).

Platform 2 is bi-directional to the end of the platform to allow reversal of trains.  Platforms 3/4 are single direction.  My understanding is that the signals at the right hand end of the platforms would display a yellow with number 4 route indicator if the semaphores at the junction weren't off (ie. these signals would be the distant for the semaphores).

The signal from Platform 4 has position lights to allow access to the headshunt.  Would these have been included on the signal in the 60s or would a separate GPL be on the ground?

Any comments and suggestions welcome.

Iain