Andrew D

Hattons, what are you doing to us? More open wallet surgery required. I'm ordering another Barclay to go with the P Class on order to support the dealer who is releasing top-quality locos at affordable prices. Top job! 👍

Very much so @OliverRowley - i have come to the same conclusion. This is why 'Phase 2' and future projects will be much simpler. Cheers!

Here we are, a new mock-up with grateful thanks to all those who offered feedback. As you can see, we have a Streamline large curved turnout bottom left suggested by @PMPand inspired by @Teabagand @Harlequin.This is about the only place I can get it and still have a half-decent length of runaround. The downside is that it brings the track perilously close to the front edge of the baseboard. The only alternative to that would be to use the new short curved streamline turnout when it becomes available, but that would then make the inside curve a little too tight I think. Top left in the fiddle yard we have a small curved turnout. I’ll start with Setrack and change to streamline Unifrog when available. This gives me a much longer runaround here to alternate the two main line trains. Top right in the fiddle yard we have a new siding (inspired by @ejstubbs fiddle yard plan) which gives me a proper home for branch line trains. Down in the yard I’ve reduced the number of sidings as per @PMP ‘s suggestion as I can use the platform bay if I want to do an Inglenook Shunting Puzzle. I think the next stage is to order the track and go for it. Lightly lay it and see how I get on with the curved points etc during a rigorous extended testing regime (i.e. lots of playing). Further feedback is of course still very welcome. I’m delighted at how it’s evolving.

Brilliant little layout! I really like it. Right up my street. I love the bridge and the area around it, top job!

A chat with the nice chap from Peco at the York Show revealed that the new Streamline Unifrog Small Curved Turnouts are indeed a ‘thing’, and yes they are exactly the same footprint as the Setrack version. I was told that they should be available by the end of 2023. It is my guess that this won’t be the last release of Peco trackwork that can span both Setrack and Streamline ranges. My dilemma now is: Do I hang fire and wait for the new releases, and build the N gauge shunting layout I have planned in the meantime, or do I press on with Berdon Road using Setrack curved points with the aim of replacing them eventually? Hmmm…..

Many thanks for taking the trouble John, fingers crossed. As long as we don't get a repeat of Wednesday's deluge and it stays dry we would hopefully be OK as regards parking on grass.

I'd love to attend on Monday but I'll have my mobile shed in tow (aka touring caravan). Could any kind soul tell me if the parking area would be able to accommodate a towed outfit on the Monday please? Thanks in advance. BTW - the caravan is easily detached and fits in single parking space if need be. Cheers!

That’s very interesting thanks @ejstubbs I’ve done a bit of rabbit-holing and a lot of folks agree with your theory about Peco re-working the unreliable Setrack curved points and replacing them with this new version which, while matching the Setrack geometry, is marketed as Streamline because of the Unifrog. I’ve also found out that these were announced three years ago in 2020, yet there is still no sign of them appearing any time soon. So maybe I’ll do as you say and use Setrack in the short term. We’ll see when it comes to Build Time. Your track plan of Bredon is very interesting and useful, thank you.

GAME CHANGER ALERT! While browsing the Hattons website I came across this entry: https://www.hattons.co.uk/522046/peco_products_sl_u77_left_hand_curved_small_radius_turnout_unifrog/stockdetail SMALL RADIUS curved streamline points - and at 505mm outer radius that is just perfect. There’s no release date though. Does anyone have any idea when these might be brought to market? This really does change everything.

@Keith Addenbrooke Hi Keith, I’m hoping to run 3 coaches plus small tender loco/small bo-bo diesel on the main line and 2 coaches plus tank loco on the branch. However, I know I won’t get three coaches in the platform and still be able to use the loop, so I think it might be curved points plus transition curves as suggested, which will probably take up that spare space at the front of the layout. Cheers.

@Harlequin Very interesting and useful, thanks Phil!

Cheers @Teabag The transition curves on your layout are - to quote a young person - a ‘game-changer’. When I’m home mid-April I’ll be having another play with the templates etc

Cheers @PMP. I can't run Anyrail as I'm an Apple 'Merchant Banker'. Good to know you've had no issues with the Streamline curved points. I think I may have to invest in one set of curved points and just see how it is in real life. It it's terrible and I sell them on, I've lost a tenner...

Thanks Teabag. Are those Peco Streamline curved points? They do look good.

Various dabblings and building a few layouts (both real and imagined) have, over the past few years, allowed me to pinpoint exactly what kind of layout I would like - and what is realistically achievable. I chuckle now at my grand plans for a loft layout four years ago when it’s taken me two years to build a simple Boxfile Layout. In a nutshell, I like to do a bit of shunting but also the simple pleasure of watching trains go by. I want to enjoy my old 1980s Hornby trains. I strive for an impression of realism rather than a true prototypical appearance (it’s WAY cheaper!) but smooth and reliable running is hugely important. I am indebted to @PMP who kindly told me about Bredon in a thread a couple of years ago here on RMWeb. A Homage to Bredon is exactly what I was after. It is three layouts in one compact space: roundy-roundy to watch trains go by branch line terminus Inglenook shunting puzzle (ish) I took the original track plan and not the ‘new’ one, mainly as I do not want Setrack Curved points with their huge gaps (smooth running is paramount). I have also changed all the turnouts to Streamline short radius electrofrog for the smooth slow running. My experience of Setrack points once they are ballasted and weathered has not been positive. The baseboard arrived just before I had to leave home for a few weeks to work but I had the time for a quick play, and here’s the rough track plan I am considering: There are a few more differences between ‘Berdon Road’ and Bredon. The Mainline on mine is radius 3, not radius 2 as Bredon, so the branch line is radius 2 not radius 1. I’ve also ditched the second loop in the station area, and moved the spur siding to the right side where it’s nearer the yard. In the fiddle yard at the back I’ve changed the crossover to allow for a loop, meaning I can alternate two short trains on the mainline and the branch line train can be stored/hidden in the tunnel covering most of the curve on the right hand side. Where the coaches are is the branch line terminus at the island platform. Track will be code 100: Setrack curves, streamline electrofrog points, and flexible track elsewhere. I think to use streamline curved points at the end of the R3 curves to spur off to the front loop would look a bit odd. Setrack curved points are a hard ‘no’. I’m not sure about the use of the one curved point at the entrance to the yard. I’ve rejigged the plan to use all matching points, which will probably be more aesthetically pleasing. One of Bredon’s attractions is the attractive track arrangement here, just before the tunnel mouth. The board splits in two as you can see for when I need to use the spare room for guests, so aligning the siding tracks at this point will be a challenge. I’m also considering a second platform at the very front of the layout to serve the passing loop, but wondering if this will make the layout look too cluttered. So that is where we are right now. Thanks for reading, and any feedback is welcome. Cheers, Andrew

I’ve never heard of this Ratio system you are using - very interesting. Kudos for having the patience and skill to build the signal - I’ve already decided that on the next layout it will be mechanised Dapol all the way!

Good grief, you’re making a far better job of it than I ever could. It’s certainly up there with BCR as far as workmanship goes 👍

Fun was indeed poked. It was jolly to meet you and to admire your window fittings.

Love it! Small, simple, and looks like a lot of fun. Nice one. 👍

It doesn't look like the lost images are coming back any time soon. I'm doing a spot of Digital Decluttering and came across some snaps of the layout, so here they are. First off, just one of the layout Under Construction: And then a fair few of the finished result: Thanks for looking.

What a pity, it's been such a lovely build. But as I too have found out with a boxfile, there is no point investing time/energy/money into something that's not on a solid and lasting foundation. I hope that you manage to find some inspiration once all the pieces have been saved and we see a new project. In the meantime, gin definitely sounds like the answer.

Great stuff! The lighting makes all the difference. How are you enjoying the seamless running on the electrofrog points? I’m obsessed with the one I have in Phase 2 and will certainly never go back.Looking forward to more updates.

Thank you! Although had I seen your roundy-roundy before starting this it might have been a very different story ;)

That looks terrific! You must be very pleased. Looking forward to the next creation.

As usual for me I skipped to the last couple of pages and loved the pic of the layout. I was then puzzled when I read that OO gauge stock wouldn’t be suitable - so I thought it must be EM or something. Impressed, I headed back to the beginning and… N Gauge???!!! Utterly brilliant! You’ve done an amazing job. I look forward to seeing it in real life at Glasgow - CalMac Ferries willing. 🤞