Mogga

Thanks for the input guys. Very informative

I’m struggling to get my head round cvs. What is the difference between a function and a cv and how do they interact?

So I recently bought the Farish 40 with the next 18 pin socket. I installed the Bachman decoder that I purchased at the same time. The loco runs well and I really like the model. I do however have a problem with the lights. The front/forward lights only work at one end. I see there is a bit of content related to this issue on here but as someone relatively new to DCC I can’t understand a lot of it. Is anyone able to explain what is going on in very basic terms?

I should have mentioned that the era that is going to be modelled has changed. I’ve decided to go for the mid eighties. I was a young lad at the time and some of my earliest and best memories of the railways are from that time. I remember standing in awe on station platforms as BR blue locos thundered past. And who can forget the sound of a hst starting up? The layout will still be a double track loop for continuous running. I’m a big fan of just watching trains go by. I still plan not to bother with a fiddle yard or sidings in order to maximise the scenic area. I know this will result in what many perceive as a train set like appearance but it doesn’t bother me at all. The way I envisage it the layout will be a series of dioramas linked by the track with trains moving through. It’s a cliche but I’ve decided I want a tmd. Other than that I’m unsure what will be included. I’m thinking some kind of colliery scene. My primary interest is freight. As many people have said, there is no law that says a layout must include a station so I may forgo one. The preserved branch idea has been discarded due to lack of space. At the edges of the two 3ft wide boards (the two short sides of the rectangle) space is tight between the top of the board and the sloping ceiling. However as the roof rises the space opens up quickly so it is only the very edges of the board where height clearance will be an issue. I envisage the lines running near the middle of these boards with infrastructure towards the inside edge The area between the track and the ceiling will be given scenic treatment as the height allows. The track bed will be on risers to allow for the land to both rise and fall below track level.

The plan was always n gauge but in the last few weeks I have started to think maybe 00. Will probably now spend another year trying to make my mind up...

After more than a year of planning, evaluating, ripping up all the plans and starting again the baseboards for the layout are in place. In the end the layout had to be reduced in size as I wanted to keep one end of the loft free as my workspace for my modelling projects. Also the space down the two long sides of the loft is just too limited for it be practical for track runs. What I have is a rectangular set up with a central operating well accessed by a duck under. The two long sides are 10’ x 2’ and the short sides are 7’ x 3’. I got a joiner friend of mine to make them to an open frame design.

The layout will be loosely based here in my native North East England. Having read people’s suggestions I’m going to take my inspiration from the Durham coastal line. This features several of the ideas that people have kindly suggested in the above responses to my post. There is the (sadly now defunct) steel works at Redcar, a siding leading to goods handling facilities at Seaham docks and a nuclear flask transfer facility at Hartlepool nuclear power station. The plan at the moment is to model one or two of these features. Who knows though. Perhaps I will do all three. As suggested by TonyMay, Im leaning towards featuring a preservation centre/ preserved branch element on the layout. This will allow me to run more unusual stock. I’m thinking of a station where the main line and preserved branch meet - something like Grosmont where the preserved North York Moors Railway meets the network rail Esk Valley line.

Thanks for the input everyone. There is some great food for thought. A few more details re the room... I don’t have the exact measurements to hand but if you imagine a typical 50s semi the loft covers the entire footprint. There are some issues though. The stairs emerge in the centre of the room which means the spaces down the long sides of the room are quite narrow. Secondly the the pitch of the roof of in these parts is quite low so the baseboards will have to be quite low to the floor. I’ll just have to accept that as there is nothing I can do about it. Ive decided on n because I would like to run full length (or as near as full length as possible) trains.

Two years ago we moved into a house that has a loft conversion. My wife kindly agreed that I could have the loft as my hobby space. As a lifelong model railway fan it was always my intention to put a layout up there. I’ve just started the planning and researching stage of said layout. I’ve decided on n gauge modern image. I plan to have the layout go round the full perimeter of the room. The stairs up to the loft and the door emerge in the centre of the floor space so I don’t need to worry about making arrangements for the door to open. The layout will have two reasonably large scenic areas at the party wall and gable end of the loft. These will be connected by two long thin sections that will traverse the long sides of the room. I’ve always been a fan of just letting trains run whilst I watch them or crack on with one of my other hobbies. The layout will therefore be a continuous run with no hidden sections or fiddle yard. The nature of the room means that you won’t be able to see the whole layout at once anyway which should hopefully help to give a sense of the trains departing and returning. To add add a bit of operating interest I plan on adding a couple of features to what will essentially be a big two track loop. My limited imagination means I can only think of the obvious (motive power depot, goods yard etc...). Has anyone got any ideas for more unusual features I could add that would provide some scope for shunting and also provide some visual interest?