Hello all
This is my first post here, so I'm glad to 'meet' you all. I've been a model railway fan for years, but have not had a layout to use since childhood and one that my father built around 1999/2000. It was set in the 1970's on the Western Region and was a tail-chaser, so catered more for his tastes than mine. That being said, I can't stop the bug itching any longer and have decided to move ahead with my own modest layout, which will be my first attempt. I had originally amassed a collection of locos from EWS, Mainline, Loadhaul etc that comprised mostly Lima and Hornby products made in the 1990's, but I realised converting all these to DCC and DCC Sound would be impractical so sold them off (except for a couple of treasured models of sentimental value) and began from scratch with modern, RTR products capable of fitting with sound.
To the layout; I intend to use a baseboard approx 6x2 ft, wired for DCC, hosting a modest TMD based in South Yorkshire in the 1998-2004 period - what I remember from my younger years when I was most interested in the real railways. The premise is that after the closure of my local colliery (Markham Main), the area where the colliery sidings once stood was bought by EWS and a small TMD set up to compliment Doncaster Carr depot and provide additional capacity for the area after the closure of Tinsley. (In reality it was partly turned into a wooded and grassed area, part into modern housing). Whether this is feasible or not I will leave to the experts to decide, but it's what I intend to go with! The depot is named Barton Lane, after a local public bridleway that runs the length of the opposite side of the slag heap from the colliery.
The trackplan is something I have yet to finalise and would appreciate any feedback from more experienced modellers than I.