turtlebah

My B&Q trestles have been great so far. Perfect for a model railway like mine that needs to put away from time to time and avoids the need to any more complicated joinery!

You'll all be pleased to know that i got to the bottom of the problem. After replacing the point motor and the single slip the problem still persisted with the yellow zone being totally dead. Turns out that although the point was being thrown by the first point motor, the solinoid bar wasn't going all the way across to make contact on the other side, thus not switching the polarity of the opposite frog. I think Suzie above nailed it. What a waste of 4hrs. On the upside i do now own a multimeter and a very useful 12v buzzer (that was a godsend whilst testing).

That's exactly it Graeme. I can't for the life of me work out what I have done wrong. It doesn't short so there's no wires the wrong way round, or anything like it, just no power.

Hi All, Having some problems with some point work wiring and i can't understand why. I've attached a picture below which shows how i have wired up a Peco Code75 single slip with seep point motors using the readily attached dropper wires for DCC use, but something bizarre has resulted. As you can see from the picture below, the slip is totally isolated as it's connected to other point work at either end. The seep point motors have a built in polarity switch and it's DCC controlled. When i run trains along the top exit from the slip the trains run fine, indciating that the polarity switch works fine, but when i run it down the left fork, as soon as the driving wheels move over the small insulating strip within the frog on the bottom route there is no power. I've tried testing all the connections etc, but it seems very strange that power is fed into one side of the frog, but not the other and that the the polarity switch within the point motor works in one direction, but not the other. Short of trying a different point or changing the point motor i'm not sure what else to do. Any suggestions?

I've made some solid progress over the bank holiday weekend. Having never wired a layout in my life I now have 7 working points and point motors making up the station throat. By some miracle i managed to get all the track wiring spot on first time so as to avoid shorts. I must say that i'm so pleased i took the rather daunting plunge and went for electrofrog with DCC control - it might have taken a bit of time to get my head around wiring up the double and single slip, but it's totally worth it. I couldn't believe how slowly i managed to run my DJ Models 14xx over the station throat with no problems whatsoever. The only bit I'm struggling with is how to get rid of those dastardly seep point motor pins. I've already ruined 1 pair of wire cutters. I've got a dremel tool, but i'm worried about overheating. Any ideas? In hindsight i should really have removed them and cut the pins, but they're already fixed in place and wired up now. Looking to get the rest of the track down this week and then on to ballasting next weekend.

Hi Doug, I'm sure these are pretty similar, if not the same, as the Screwfix variety, but mine came from B&Q. They're absolutely brillo and given my carpentry skills i found them more than adequate once i'd put a few slithers of wood etc to level out the boards (unfortunately my Victorian floor is very flat). http://www.diy.com/departments/foldable-trestle/1362662_BQ.prd Kind regards, Nick

So, after an intense weekend of baseboard building (in between seeing some friends get married) i'm almost ready to start laying some track. As per the final track plan above I've build the 2 scenic baseboards, but haven't yet put any cross supports on. I'll wait until i know for sure where all the point motors are going to end up before adding some more structure to the underside. Instead of making legs I simply bought some sturdy, adjustable trestles from B&Q which I'm actually really pleased with. Once I've got all the scenic track in place i'll work on the fiddle yard board. As you can see, I'm pretty tight for space (including all the moving boxes yet to be unpacked). Very excited to be laying track this week. I may even have an operational layout after next weekend!!!

I'm very excited... Friday booked off work? CHECK! Baseboard tops ready from timber merchants? CHECK! Track delivered? CHECK Cabling and point motors delivered? CHECK Looking forward to my first day of modelling in over 17 years. Just need a name for the project...

Hi Nick, I've has the pleasure of seeing Much Murkle in the flesh at two recent events, firstly at Ally Pally and more recently at Fareham. It's a wonderful layout and the attention to detail is something I will certainly aspire to. I'm particularly interested in your platforms though. I too am using the scalescenes red brick platform walls, but what did you use for the platform tops? Kind regards, Nick

And what a wonderful madhouse it is. Frank Dyer sounds like a wise chap. I've just watched his video on Hardwick Grange - a very nice layout.

It's a wonderful depiction of a busy terminus - if only i had the space for something similar, although i do like the way space has been maximized with the relief station building.

Hi - What did you use for the platform sides - they look great and I'm struggling to find any good material. Super layout by the way - It's proved for very unsightly reading, especially for someone starting on their first layout too.

Very interesting photo and yet more food for thought. Lovely shot of a very dirty Castle.

Thanks for the advice. I was most certainly not thinking like a railway director and instead more like a modeller that wanted to cram too much in. I think I've settled on a plan for now - one that unashamedly draws most of it's inspiration from Sheffield Exchange. The only addition is that i've added in a goods shed road to serve the warehouses located nearby (which will now make up the back scene). I don't think it's a problem that the any shunting into the warehouse road will have to come from the down main as traffic to the siding will be minimal and when thinking about the local timetable would only happen during quite periods. The run round in platform 1 allows for this. Looking forward to your following your next modelling adventure and thanks again for the words of wisdom.

Sheffield Exchange track layout has proved very helpful - It's a shame the layout isn't going to be finished. To be honest I think i'm trying to over complicate the track plan rather than remembering why i wanted to build this layout in the first place. Back to the drawing board later with a simpler version in mind.

So, after reviewing all the incredibly helpful comments i've come up with 3 alternative track plans. Plan 1 - The Original (mk2) This is virtually my original plan, but i have now moved the trailing crossover to be just under the fiddle yard entrance thus giving more platform road space. This also means that goods trains can enter on the up line and leave on the down line without a complicated shunting manoeuvre. Plan 2 - Bradfield inspired Taking on board the comments above i've moved the goods shed to the bottom of the plan, which allows for a much longer platform 1. Inspiration is taken from Bradfield Gloucester Square on this one (a superb layout). The loco spur is more in keeping with the traditional Minories track plan. Goods trains can come and go as they please on either road. The loop in platform 3 doubling as a head shunt also means that shunting goods trains into formation may be a little easier. Plan 3 - Island Platform Here i've gone with an island platform as suggested above and similar to a couple of prototypes suggested. I think i've made a bit of a mess of the goods yard formation here. Unfortunately i don't have much space to play with so the headshunt looks a little odd. Thoughts on the above would be welcome - i think i'm even more confused then when i started, although i do still have a soft spot for plan #1.

Although i didn't reference it earlier, your layout has already provided some much needed inspiration. An excellent model. Unfortunately i don't quite have enough space for the traditional Minories configuration so i'm trying to be a bit cure about it.

Thanks TJ52 - that's really helpful.

Thanks for the feedback. I quite like the idea of having just 2 platforms (i.e. 1 island platform) which should allow me to add an extra loop in as a goods arrival service. This means that goods trains can then access all roads as well. I didn't want to loose the idea of a busy passenger service at the station, which is it's main purpose, but with the platform lengths being as long as they are it can not only handle 5 coach commuter trains, but also 2 DMUs or branch trains at once by having a 1A and 1B for example. Having an Island platform probably means I can extend the length a little. Updated track plan to follow...

Hi RM Web Community, I'm seeking some feedback on a couple of track plans that i'm currently toying with. I'm currently embarking on my very first model railway project. Having been an enthusiast for years, i've finally moved into a new house with space (albeit a small one) for a model railway. Inspired by Minories (GN) and Birmingham Moor Street my main aim was to try and maximise the space on offer and operate a busy layout - hence the decision to go for an inner city suburban terminus. The era is 1955 to 1961 on the Western Region. Located somewhere in or around Bristol the idea is that the terminus receives local branchline services as well as commuter trains from Bristol, Bath, Yeovil and the SW (i might even try and sneak the odd Southern engine on). I've come up with two track plans, that although very similar have 1 fundamental difference. Both plans, and the associated stations, cater mostly for passenger traffic although there is a large goods facility. Plan 1 - A small goods reception siding and a goods shed with a 3 platform terminus. Point work is designed so that any train for either platform 1, 2 or 3 can enter on the up line and exit on the down line. My main concern with this plan is that any shunting into the goods shed would have to come back onto the mainline, which doesn't seem very realistic. There is a loco spur for the station pilot or any light engine post bringing in a local passenger service. This is opposite the goods reception siding, but means that the bay platform can have a siding run off it that can be used as a factory or warehouse siding, which adds a bit of operational intrigue. Plan 2 - In plan 2 the station point work is essentially the same, but the loco spur is now a head shunt for the goods shed and goods reception siding. This in turn means the loco spur and water tower siding has to run off the bay platform, which again isn't ideal, but slightly more realistic. Once in the bay platform entrance it's fairly easy for any engine to reach any other platform or the goods yard in just a couple of moves. I feel like plan 2 is more realistic in terms of operation than plan 1. Unfortunately i'm very restricted for space and can't really go beyond the dimensions shown. I've just about squeezed it all in to allow for 4 and 5 coach trains in the platforms. Any advice would be very welcome. Kind regards, Nick