Oncomin5torm

oh no, is it salvageable? or is this a start from scratch kind of jobby?

Morning all I have a 54 inch by 20 inch baseboard which has had two iterations of designs on it this year, I had an inglenook with added passenger workings which never got used so I altered it a week ago to remove the passenger platforms and lines, this has then gone on to what I have now which I am not happy with so I did a fair bit more research and discovered the timesaver shunting puzzle. The space I have is a little too large I find for a standard inglenook so I have decided to design the plan I have attached to the thread. I have annotated it in paint to show places for things such as buildings and roads, I am still unsure of final positions but it is all ideas at the moment. The travelling crane on the lower right might be too big for such a small scene and block too much of the view. After some discussions on facebook the engine shed might change slightly or the position. I would not be running this as per the original timesaver rules as I do not like the idea of running against the clock, I would probably go for the modified rules and shunt to places based on card picks or possibly dice roll. where the track goes beyond the baseboard boundary would be connected onto a fiddle stick for stock changing, with the possibility of moving the engine shed so allow it to have locos move off scene when in the shed, and then another comes onto the layout instead. This is intended for my personal use at home but I would also like to try and get into exhibiting so I am thinking about operating it from front or rear or both, the fiddle yard access to the left is actually up against a wall at home but would be accessible when used away from home. I run a DCC system with the NCE power cab, currently points are controlled by a DCCConcepts ADSF8X unit but I find it a bit of a chore to change the points digitally, I use solenoid motors for point control but with this redesign I am wanting to change how I control them to something more manual, not even CDU powered solenoids, I have been thinking of using wooden dowel, with a metal rod going up to the point bar and this controls the point, a more home spun version of wire in tube, it may not work but I'd like to try first. I would control the frog polarity using microswitches which I have a bunch of leftover from a previous layout. When designing this layout I have utilised all the pointwork I have currently on the layout which I will remove from the baseboard and save so I can reuse, this will be a cost effective rebuild, I run with code 75 track. The layout will be run loosely in the late 70's as that is an era I have fallen in love with despite it being 10 years before I was born, but that being said I have a thing for steam shunters such as the peckett and andrew barclay so I may run this as an independant dock at times and I would also like to be able to change eras and run big 4 and BR stock also. Hope you like and I will try and update this as best as I can as the build progresses.

I saw this fantastic layout in Manchester earlier this year at the transport museum, had a lovely chat to two different operators but I never got any names. Hope to see this again, I love seeing layouts I've seen before.

Stunning, I agree with you on heading to the smaller layouts. I love seeing stuff running round but I the detail that people can get into these small spaces, LIKE YOURS, is incredible. Dont worry about the traverser it will come when it is ready.

Thank you, I have been tempted since last year when I read an article on it, at the time I was modelling in N gauge so it was not something I could really do. I've used brass screws on my main layout but they wouldn't work with how thin the base of the box file is so I bought a small slither off eBay of copper clad PCB.

Started the Scalescenes box file layout today. 20190808_141942 by Alex Hill, on Flickr Instead of just one box file I have connected a second, this will act as a fiddle yard/traverser. I have used copper clad PCB where the tracks will connect to the fiddle yard, first time using this so we shall see what happens. I was on a roll with getting loads of it done today and then blam, ran out of track, haha. I only had a lonely 1 yard piece of flexi left to hand and that has done the bottom two tracks and not enough left for the top one sadly. Hopefully I can drop into a model shop at the weekend and buy some more flexi, or maybe I will find some on sale at the Ellesemere exhibiton saturday. 20190808_141948 by Alex Hill, on Flickr As you can see I have decided to go for a point-less layout, I liked the idea of an area fully done in hardstanding and not ballasted, so I opted for no point.

I have built this idea as my main layout. 48 inches long by 20 inches wide. It incorporates 2 hidden sidings for passenger stock, single car dmu as it's only that long. The main inglenook and a scenic section in front of the hidden sidings. That is an overbridge which carries an un-powered twin traxk railway which can be either heritage or mainline and the inglenook can be heritage, allows me to run steam as I am a BR blue era guy.

Thank you. That does help. How do you connect it to the board or will it support itself against the tabletop?

Hi It looks great. How are you going to connect the 'stick' for shunting on and off? I am in the process of forming plans for a micro layout and this is something I have struggled with.

I have come over here to see what you guys can offer in the way of advice towards my future layout. It will be going inside a shed, 6ft by 8ft, with a lift out/folding bridge at the door so I do not have to crawl under it, not so much an issue now as I'm only 31, but thinking long term here. It will be 00 gauge and probably made with peco code 100 track. I have limited it to one express line outer loop with passing point at the station, I have also added a siding just before the tunnel, because I like the idea of a siding there for some reason. I have made the express line higher than the rest of the layout, I like the idea of it being more than just a 2D layout with hills added for effect, I'd rather it be a proper 3D layout with the hills for a reason. This loop is made up of R4 curves, flexi and streamline points. The inside loop is R3 curves and set track points as it would be mostly if not fully smaller wheelbase locos, 0-6-0 and so on possibly 2-6-2 at a push. It would primarily be for shunting and goods to be run round this, maybe with smaller coaches as its more of a branch line than main, but it is still a loop. I am just struggling with how to make my shunting section a little more exciting, not necessarily more packed full of track but more to do. any advice would be welcomed. I have attached a picture of what I have designed in SCARM.

Hi. My apologies if this is in the wrong section of the forum, please move it if you need to. What I am trying to find out is if these switches are appropriate for use with the gaugemaster pm-2 seep point motor. These from maplin They will only be for 7 points two of witch will be moved at the same time so would I need a cdu despite its small size of layout. 00 gauge 5ft by 2ft shunting/run round passenger platform.