Regularity

William, Dr. Gerbil Fritters frequently changes his mind about what he wants, but yes, I think the overall scheme is good (and I can thoroughly recommend return loops as a way of getting trains back, especially for the solo operator) but it falls down on the details: not much in the way of goods traffic, and other than a fast train overtaking a train stopped at East Croydon, it is mostly a long run with not much else to do. Anyway, I don’t know if it would fit - probably not, although a small plug-in section might work - but you could put a turntable where you have marked the cobbled area, and have a carriage siding below the runaround loop:

Just to be picky (who? Me?), but we are on the east side of the Atlantic Ocean, and that should be alternative. Alternate means switching between, as in alternating current. And it’s alternate, not alternat, as they say it… ;)

Many railways turned tank engines, particularly in Victorian days, as it was more comfortable for the driver and aided his visibility - and he quite possibly got the fireman to push the turntable, too! (Think of the small 6-wheeled tank loco turntables at places like Ashburton (later replaced) and Cardigan (at 23’6”, too small for prairies). In the case of the IWR, the best reason for having the locos facing south was the climb up to Ventnor, and the need to keep the firebox crown covered with water. Probably not such an issue going downhill, but bunker-first running probably was safer. On the EWJR, they always ran the 2-4-0Ts forwards when in use on trains, as they had a habit of coming off the rails if going in reverse at much above walking pace….

Sodomus non sapiens!

It originally had a short turntable there, but like the one at Bembridge, it was essentially a centre-pivoted sector plate in use. (No point using it as a turntable, as there wasn’t one at the other end.) Which isn’t to say that you couldn’t have a turntable on your layout set somewhere else, of course. Seaham, as originally built, isn’t bad, but for one from a neighbouring company, what about the SER station at Bromley, used by Geoff Stenner for his sublime S7 layout, “Oakhurst” (http://www.uckfieldmrc.co.uk/exhib06/oakhurst.html)? It didn’t have a loco shed, but there was a road off the table for storing a loco between turns. At such a station, it is important to have the main station building on the up (departure) platform, otherwise most trains can/will arrive and depart from the same platform, as per many of the LYR terminals such as Holmfirth and Rishton. If you took Holmfirth as a starting point, and changed the piece she’d siding into a bay platform signalled for departures only, retaining the single slip so cut down on facing points, you would have an interesting “extra” in the operating pattern.

Hence, I surmise, the “York Road” platform for the widened lines?

Seahampton? The obvious thought is LE Carroll’s layout based on the LBSC line from Victoria via Clapham and East Croydon, with a branch to Reigate. MRC Annual, 1979, if you want a good overview. This may be more than you want, initially, but it started with a 3-platform terminus and was later expanded. Personally, I felt it was rather short on goods services and it’s a shame he used linked section control (pulling off the stop signal connects the controller to the next section), rather than reversed link section control (same connection, put power comes from the destination section, and signals can be returned after the train has passed) but it is a good scheme overall, and careful design could allow for hidden loops underneath the terminus later on. You would probably need more length, though: it really needs twice the width for its length, but sections can be fold down. There have been references to it often on RMWeb, although the associated uploads may have disappeared.

But not, be it noted, Mornington Crescent…

If you ever look at a map of Kings Cross, the station throat isn’t surprisingly short, partly because prototype trains tend to be longer than on model railways. Then there is the fact that some of the sorting out of arrivals and departures is dealt with before Gasworks tunnels, and this is typical of many main line approaches: at Euston, the “suburban lines” are still in the middle of the station, with main line platforms either side. This is largely sorted out at Chalk Farm, of course, but also further out - sometimes quite a bit further out, with “semi-fast” passenger trains running south of say Milton Keynes being moved over to the up mainline as soon as possible, so long as there is a suitable path.

Thanks. I can see the mixture in there. Ousewell St. Jude

Looks like a Wis&Up themed layout. Can you provide a bit more information on the layout?

That’s good: faced with the path to EM-SF, you have realised that it’s a longer journey than you want to take. It’s all about getting the balance right between your desires and your resources. Me? I enjoy the journey as much as the destination, but then again I have had the pleasure of several hundred hours of operating East Lynn, so have sated that hunger somewhat. I don’t mind following an erratic and wandering journey…

I knew something was amiss…

I heard of many euphemisms for “‘er indoors”, but those are new ones on me!

Impressive structure, both from a prototype and model perspective! What brand/form or superglue did you use? A gel type, or runny?

Probably built that way in anticipation of traffic which never came.

Did you hear that noise? That’s the sound of a penny hitting the floor… ;)

The liver is, given time, able to regenerate itself, so as long as the there is enough of it which is not infected, and as long as the tumour hasn’t metastasised, then the prognosis is good, but not hanging about is the order of the day!

I have nearly finished my log cabin build, 9 months after I started it. And we are probably putting the house on the market in a couple of weeks…!

Also, they were keener to avoid too many reverses of curvature, and at the same time to allow for simulataneous moves. There are very few arrangements where, given the space, only ordinary turnouts cannot be used to substitute for complicated pieces of track, and with modern locos and rolling stock being largely built on two four-wheel bogies, this is not providing as much stress on plate frames as used to occur. Nowadays, if you have (say) down fast, up fast, down slow, up slow and wish to have crossovers between the fast and slow lines, it will not be done with two turnouts and a diamond, but a pair of crossovers. Either way, you occupy a line for opposing track, but it is a smoother transition. You can see this on the WCML, at places like Hanslope Junction, and on first sight there might appear to be too many crossovers, but on a very busy main line route, there needs to be the capability for trains to pass each other without a conflicting movement (aka crashing!) In early days, maximum flexibility in the shortest space (because they didn’t have point motors and the rodding is only effective over a relatively short distance) was the order of the day. I must admit to finding this whole discussion to be a fascinating distraction! The other thing to note is that we always think of having say 3 times as many platforms as there are approach tracks, but if you look at Blackfriars Bridge, Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street (GER with the LTSR exercising running powers, all into four platforms!), that ain’t necessarily so!

The lower slip road there is superfluous, surely?

Depends on two things, I think: Available space (on the prototype); Desire to create an image of the station being more important/busier than it is (from the perspective of the modeller). Approaching Ludgate Hill from Holborn Viaduct: Or there’s Blackfriars…

I thought that, too, after posting it, but had to do what I am paid to do! This is better:

Used on Tanat Valley Light Railway by GWR, but I think you have confused it with: Which the GWR turned into: (Both images are embedded links.)

Almost the definition of a hobby! That’s a really nice building, Rob. Personally, I’d leave the sign on the door wonky, but have a tool box nearby, as if it was being fixed but the guy doing it is in the station offices, having a cuppa…