aardvark

Where's the "that's totally awesome" button? I thought the loco number looked like 80x4, but wasn't thinking about a 5-digit number. Makes sense now. This is quite exciting for me as I have been wondering which loco I might start with. I know that a D40/41 would be the prototypical smart choice, and that these are available as kits, but being an absolute beginner I really would like to start with RTR and work up to kits, especially loco kits. I'm pretty excited to see that this seems to match the announced Bachmann 32-360A Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T, meaning that there is at least one RTR loco that was actually in Banff, despite it probably not quite being my era and that the Bachmann loco isn't actually available. Close, but no cigar - but most definitely exciting! cheers!

Just seen two pics here of locos leaving Banff that I haven't seen elsewhere. The pics are copyright, so here's a link to the page so you can see for yourself. http://tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/old-photographs-railway-station-banff.html The first pic looks like a D40/41 to my beginners eye, but the second one I'm even less sure of. Anyone?

Thanks John! There's always the danger of a little knowledge being dangerous, so I am really grateful to get your feedback. cheers!

Another question as I (slowly) work my way to something that might be worth taking a photo of ... I have read that it is A Really Bad Idea to put points over joins in baseboards. Further, I believe that a common approach is to use copper-clad sleepers, as used by people that hand-built their own points, to anchor the track at board boundaries. I'm guessing that the idea is that copper-clad sleepers are wider than Peco code-75 plastic sleepers, and hence afford the track a better grip on the baseboard. So, I've had a look at my layout. The red-shaded zones are no-go zones for baseboard breaks because of the placement of points. This would suggest that the joins should be where the heavy black vertical lines are drawn. There would also be a join at the left of the layout, where it meets the non-scenic bit (storage sidings), and probably another in the middle of the 2-metre-plus storage sidings. Laying out something that is meant to be a real place gives me little flexibility to move the points around, so it seems I have to move the joins around to avoid them. I'm grateful that there turned out to be a small area left of centre where I can position a join: dunno what I would have done without this narrowest of margins, Can someone tell we whether all this is correct, or have I missed something. cheers!

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Here's a storage siding I could add to the end of the Futers layout, which adds about 2.2m to make an overall 5.2m. Edit: as before, this allows for the loco to be restored to the other end of the train on return from the station.

Thanks Steve: I think I did see this a while ago, but then forgot about it, as one does. I guess I do have the choice of putting the storage yard next to or behind the scenic bit. The referenced layout doesn't have provision for restoring the loco to the correct end of the train after returning from the station, but that would be easy enough to fix. Thanks Richard: I suspect I should get this printed out so I can pin it to my wall. Hmmm ... the J50 wasn't previously on my radar as it wasn't Scottish, or at least not GNoSR region. Definitely a good suggestion for the timesaver: maybe there's life in plan A after all!

Much obliged - didn't realise you could do this. I've tried searching before, but I think I have been mislead as the default looks like "this topic" but is actually "Google site search", which yields a bazillion hits when you search for something like underlay. But now I understand how to make it work - click where it says "this topic" and actually select "this topic" from the list before searching. Works a treat! Brilliant! Certainly beats trawling 106 pages!

Thanks for your suggestion, Alan. You're right: a model of Macduff station could be made to fit into 3m x 3m. Working with 36" radius curves, that would leave 2m or about a scale 500' to compress the station into, which I suspect could be done. However, I think I will stick with Banff for a couple of not particularly good reasons. First is that Ian Futers must have chosen Banff over Macduff for a reason. Second: the Macduff model in my allocated room would be viewed from the back (non-water) side, which strikes me as a bit odd. Third, if I start changing my mind I may never get anywhere (read a few layout threads like that, including the Macduff one you pointed out). Lastly, and probably most importantly, is that my wife's family came from Banff. As you may know, the Doune Church at Macduff has a clock tower with only three faces: the story goes that the side facing Banff is blank because the people of Macduff wouldn't give the people of Banff the time of day. I suspect my wife might not be impressed if I modeled Macduff, at least not without modeling Banff first Nevertheless,thanks for pointing out the Macduff thread, which I wasn't aware of and enjoyed reading. Post #4 by Graham R provides an interesting bit of Macduff railway history that most likely applies to Banff as well. cheers!

Gordon, there is much in your thread that I find educational and encouraging. Your inclination to provide detail on your techniques certainly helps this beginner. An an engineer, I am particularly taken with your process beginning with printing out the track plan full-scale, then using it to cut ply and lay track. It just makes sense. I think that there is much to be gained by following your example, even though I'm using AnyRail and Peco Streamline, No need to spend valuable time on an index: I would rather see you put track down, rolling stock rolling, and some scenics ... um ... scenic-ing! If I can't find what I am imagining, I might attempt a description myself. Then you need only correct my errors. cheers!

As I recall, somewhere in the last 100 pages, Gordon did a wonderful job of writing a "this is what I do" tutorial. Not just turnout construction or ballasting, but everything from cutting ply, cork underlay, and so forth. As someone that is slowly edging towards their first layout, I'd really appreciate locating this resource again, assuming it is other than in my imagination. I've just skimmed 30-odd pages without result. I'm happy to start from page 1, but I was hoping that there might be someone out there that might have it bookmarked. Anyone?

Well, my apologies for the break in transmission. A lot has been happening, although admitted very little directly related to the topic. The last post was from the transit lounge at Abu Dhabi on our way home to Australia. After 8 months wondering the UK and continental Europe, it seems it is time to return to normality, whatever that is. My wife and I have taken up residence in a new house (for us) in a place called Mullumbimby Creek (look it up), and have spent the last couple of weeks unpacking boxes and moving furniture. There are still many things requiring attention, like getting an aging ride-on mower running so I can cut an acre of grass (no exaggeration), and last years tax returns, but I have managed a little time to throw together a layout plan. This uses Peco streamline code 75 track, and is laid out over the diagram from Ian Futers most excellent book Modelling Scotland's Railways. I've tried to use the long turnouts wherever possible, although had to resort to the mediums in the line leading into the loco shed at the centre-bottom in order to follow Mr. Futers artwork, Newbie mistake #1: the room I have been allocated in the new house is roughly 3.1m x 3.3m. Brilliant! The layout will fit! Ah .... no it won't. I was forgetting about the need to have something for the trains to run off into - the rest of the world/branch line. I know about segment plates, transverers and storage yards/sidings, but all these require some amount of space! I am not entirely sure how much space, but I'm guessing as a rule of thumb I would need storage roughly equal to the length of the platforms, so we are talking another metre or so, which suggests that the layout will be banished to the garage. Sigh. I'm also guessing I probably need storage for 3 trains-worth: maybe one passenger train and two goods trains, Banff is a terminus without a turntable, where the loco has to run-around the train to prepare itself for exit from Banff. Pictures I have seen show the loco pointing forwards on exit, which suggest that they reversed into Banff. The storage will also require a run-around line so that the loco can be moved back to the other end of the train to re-configure the trains for re-use. I'm figuring a 4-track transverser would be the way to go, although I am tempted to invest the extra length and build a proper storage yard, which would better support a long-term idea of having the loco automatically execute the storage run-around. This would also remove the need to engineer a transverser, which perhaps, as complete beginner, is one difficulty (opportunity) I can avoid, Since the layout is already destined for the garage, then the extra metre or so allowance for storage sidings probably isn't going to make that much difference. I need to measure the garage, and negotiate how much of it I might be allowed.

I am very pleased to see that Ducky's earlier missive that this be a serious thread has not quite taken hold. I offer the following, found at a local store yesterday, which describes my love for this thread.

Who said 100 was the magic number? Maybe 200, or 1000

Yup, I will be heading in that direction. Just as soon as I figure which publication and through which on-line service. Thanks Martin - I think that that's a great idea. I probably should get some track to push it along while making "choo choo" noises.

(grumpy old man alert) While traveling on our grand tour, I picked up several copies of a leading UK model railway for £4.30 each. I missed the February issue at Heathrow because the airport WHSmiths didn't stock them. On return to home to Oz, I find the same magazine is $16.95, or about £8.50. Seriously, how many copies do they expect to sell at such prices?

I'm a beginner, but it seems to me that Gordon could power his Tortoises with a single DC supply through DPDT switches. I must be missing something. Perhaps the cost of the DPDT switches and the extra wire to each Tortoise outweighs the cost of the second supply?

Hello all! I'm an Australian, recently retired, and thinking about my first layout. At this stage, I have much to learn. My initial selection was a Timesaver, which has it's own thread here. This is on hold until Bachmann actually release their new J72. It was a definite newbie mistake to believe that it would be available when the manufacturer said. I now see that it hasn't even made CAD yet, so it would seem that there is considerable waiting to come. This thread is for my "Plan B": an attempt at creating the Banff trackplan from Ian Futers' most excellent book: Modeling Scotland's Railways. As my wife's family came from Banff, and she has cousins in the Aberdeen & Banchory areas, modelling Scotland might win a few brownie points. Besides, I like Scotland, having recently visited all these areas (and more) on a start-of-retirement-trip that is just ending. I would prefer to model pre-WWII, but comments on the other thread have shown that there disappointing little support for the GNoSR-area for this period in RTR. As a beginner, I would like to start with RTR before diving into kit-built locos and rolling stock. Start simple and build on that. The residents of these forums have already been most helpful on the Timesaver thread. Thanks in advance for your continued wisdom, support, advice and patience here. I'm really looking forward to the next year or so.

It's what we have for dinner when it's my turn to cook

O+. Donor over many years until I got an SCC. They got a bit squeamish about the possibility of giving the patients something extra in the transfusion

Gordon, your shared experiences have helped me overcome my fear of failure and deal with the inevitable disasters that will come when I climb down from the bench and take a swing at actually doing something myself. Like others, I have learnt much from your work.

I, too, would like to add my wishes to all Gordon's readers for this festive season, and express my thanks to Gordon for the entertainment contained herein!

A beginners Timesaver set in 1930's Scotland (possibly Kittybrewster) that I hope to get started in 2016 is here. Edit: Sorry, no pictures yet, not for the foreseeable future

After uncounted weeks catching up with 88 pages, I'm now amongst the followers of this literary masterpiece. As a rank beginner, I (try to) appreciate all that has been written by Gordon and his faithful band. Hopefully I can remember something when time comes to actually build something myself. Maybe next year.

Thanks andytrains, that's a great document. Jintys are a good option: don't suppose there's an equivalent document for them?, I have the impression that the Hornsby pugs are also wildly inaccurate: something about them being stretched to fit an existing chassis?