Parkie82

Progress has been slow with a couple of hours a week allocated (made worse by the lockdown) but the layout is now functional with the terrier 'Ashtead' generally happy running up and down. I need to add the 'up' main line (running low on track), build a switch panel to isolate sections of track (wiring in place for this), and debug a small issue with 'Ashtead' stalling on the diamond crossing when accessing the siding but it works fine for the run around loop. I've used Code 80 track as LBSCR in this period laid the ballast over the sleepers and wanted the extra clearance.

Thanks @Nearholmer I hadn't come across the colour photo and it's a really useful reference for colours. It's my intention for it to be viewed from the North as I also think the buildings will look good, and they are what drew to me thinking about how to model a subset of the station. For some reason I'm more drawn to modelling industrial buildings and housing over a country setting. I hadn't looked at any records but from photographic evidence I hadn't seen any track layout changes before the 1930's. Thanks for mentioning this as I hadn't consider operating rolling stock from the Marsh and early Southern periods.

With two young train mad children I thought now would be a good time to build my first layout as an adult. Having been told by "The boss" that wasn't space for my ideal layout, our Twoligan liking to dismantle anything, and having never built a layout from scratch before, I have settled on building something that can be stored on a high shelf as a learning exercise. Spending £5 on offcuts from the DIY store has given me a base board of 1000mm x 330mm (Not sure if this counts as Micro). To maximise space I was considering going down the N Gauge route. Having grown up with regular visits to see Stepney at the Blue Railway I've always had a soft spot for terriers' and when a boxed N Gauge terrier named after where I grew up came up for sale on eBay it seemed fate sent me down the N gauge route. I'm setting my layout in 1890's so the Stroudley livery was still in use but I have a wider choice of wagons and carriages to build. Now I need somewhere for my Terrier to run. I had considered modelling some of the LBSCR's coastal terminus, in particular Hayling Island, but the single track entry and fan out to various sidings and platform with it's run around seem to leave areas of the board bare and uninteresting. So I've decided to go the other end of the branch line and model a subset of Havant station, the branch lines bay and sidings where it meets the mainline, as this give two entry points to the layout and offers some additional operating scenarios. 1890's OS map of the station I'm just finalising my track plan but I have some extra space due to the large width of my baseboard. The backboard/scene is located on the south side of the layout. Trains will enter from cassettes docking at two locations both on the east side of the layout; The downline line and the Hayling branch line. The up and down main lines won't be powered (I will add dropper wires in case I change my mind) as these are for show but also give the option to expand this layout in the future with extra modular base boards. To use some of the extra width I've added the "up" platform on the north side and intend this to be the viewers viewpoint into the model. These does leave a small amount of space and I don't know if my intended low relief models for the back scene will fill it. Any suggestions of what todo with the extra space? I could switch from low to full relief models, or bring the back scene forward and use the space behind the scenes (Not sure for what purpose apart from a control panel for the points)? I could model the bay for the "Up" platform and a single siding but these will be operational limited as the they would require a third cassette docking point and don't connect with the rest of the layout Any other issues with my plans? Thanks in advance