LMS14B

Good evening ITG. Thank you for your post. That is a good idea to flip over the boards, so simply. I was contemplating using hinges so each section could be lifted and worked on. Both yours and Robin ideas regarding point motors, I have taken on board. So, I will order a couple that way I will understand how they work but more importantly how they fit. Peco 100 seems the way to go, but first I need to sort the track plan. Regards Dougie

Good evening Robin. Thank you for your post. You hit the nail on the head, I am fascinated by steam locomotives and not so much the infrastructure. I have taken your advice and purchased Anyrail 6, I’ve only had quick look, but it seems good value for money. No doubt it is going to be challenging and it is a bit daunting but hopefully I can do a fair representation of Hornsey shed. The information regarding the tie bar on the point motors was a good tip. You will see that ITG recommends that I buy one just to see the size. Regards Dougie

I have had a few days to reflect on the post regarding my layout. The result has been to make me focus on what I would like to achieve. I know I can not travel back in time. But I am hoping, that modelling an area that I spent some time at in my teens, will transport me back If only mentally. So, I am going to try and model Hornsey shed of the late 1950. I realised that this is a personal journey so have no intension of exhibiting. Now, I will keep you posted with my updates going forward. The timber as been ordered for the framing and this will give me a base board of 12x4 feet. I would be grateful for some advice before I start please, firstly when I make the framework do I have to make allowance for point motors? Secondly, I was going to use Peco 100 track but I was wondering should I wait for the new bullhead rail? Look forward to any advice. Regards Dougie

Good morning David. Thank you for your post, you raise some interesting points. Should my model be of an actual place that I knew but with limited running opportunities or a fictitious layout with plenty of running opportunities? So, I need to understand what I want to achieve with this model. I found that I was captivated by steam sheds, the smell, sounds, train crews talking and joking but most of all the size of the locomotives. Taking my love of sheds into consideration, I tend to lean towards building a steam shed which I hoped would remined me of my youth. Your point is valid in so much that after a while I could become bored with the lack of opportunities to move the locomotives and I might as well leave them on the wall in a showcase which is where they are at the moment. I know that watching a train go round on a continuous loop is not that inspiring to me. Over the years I have enjoyed looking at end to end layouts and I have thought this may work for me, but You are quite right, Hornsey would only be an end. I have included a drawing of the space available for this project. Number 1 on the plan could be a station area. I like the design that Harlequin has done with C J Freezers Minories design. Number 2 on the plan would be the shed area. This area is big enough for sheds, turntable and coaling towers as well as giving me enough space to store my collection of locomotives. Now, in my head I would see this work like this. A locomotive having been prepared would leave the shed and go to the station. The station pilot would have placed the coaches in the right position ready for the assigned locomotive. The train would leave the station and disappear through the tunnel to the fiddle yard number 3 on plan. Thank you for your input and please keep your thoughts coming. If you have any ideas for a track plan for the space I have available, please let me know. Regards Dougie size of shed.pdf

Hi Lain thank you for your response. I did try to bunk Camden shed a couple of times. My father was a fireman at Kentish Town 14B and I would have liked to model that shed. but I know I do not have the space to do it justice or the skill level. Its possible to save a bit of space with Hornsey shed by reducing the shed down to six lines. I will watch your progress with interest and no doubt it will give me inspiration. regards Dougie

Hello Nick thank you so much for your help with the sizing. sorry for not stating I wanted to use OO. I now have some idea what space is left which may enable me to have some running lines and a fiddle yard. I have to be realistic about my modeling skills so I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. thank you again. Regards Dougie

Hello Robin thank you for your response. I have been collecting rolling stock for the last 20 years when funds allowed. Most of the locomotives are in display cases the rest are boxed and in a cupboard. my first plan was to use a shed setting were they could be displayed to best advantage all be it with limited movement. once I know the size I need for the shed, this will help me see if there is room for running lines or a fiddle yard were locomotives can be taken off shed. Its one step at a time at the moment but at some point I will need to decide what I want to archive once I know the options. Yes you are right there is a large amount of sidings in and around the shed. just past the shed there was a large gas works which had its own tracks once this closed the track was used to store carriages. regards Dougie

Good evening This is my first post, and I am hoping that you can give some help and advice. So, I will start with some background information. I have a garage with a divided section measuring 17-foot x 8 foot. This is insulated and heated. The entrance is at one end of the 8-foot-wide section. As a young boy I spent many happy hours in and around Hornsey Steam shed B34, so I would like to try and recreate some of my memories from those happy days. From reading many of your articles I believe it is best to use Pico oo track and run the whole thing on DCC. I need to be realistic on the size, so this is where I am hoping you can help me. Please see a map of the shed and track layout in the late 1950’s. Obviously, I would like to recreate a track layout that is shown, but I do not know how to scale off the drawing, so I have no idea if this will fit the space, I have available. It may need to be trimmed. Any advice would be warmly welcomed. Track layout for hornsey.pdf

Hello, my name is Dougie. I spent my youth in London with the family back yard backing onto the LNER main line at Hornsey. My father spent his entire working life on the railways and started at Kentish town as a cleaner and working up to become a driver. I am now retired and live in Shropshire (handy for the SVR) My aim is to have a go at constructing a model railway. Things have changed so much since Father Christmas gave me my first Tri-ang box set in the late 50’s. No doubt, I will be asking for advice and help with this new venture.