But the story of this particular layout really begins when I move into my new flat at the end of August 2016. I'd been incredibly lucky to find a place that not only ticked most of the boxes, but came with an amazing view which includes the Great Western Mainline, Portbury branch line and Bristol Freightliner Terminal (plus the Clifton Suspension Bridge)! There's also a small rail engineers depot too!
A daily dose of Freightliner 66s shunting intermodals and zooming HSTs has been interspliced with engineers trains of varying forms and sizes and seasonal coal traffic from Portbury. With my enthusiasm for rail rekindled thanks to being able to trainspot from my armchair with a cuppa, it made sense that my so far unrealised layout ambitions would morph and turn into reality in the spare room.
Space is still limited, so the modular layout/diorama idea I had originally was adapted to fit inside a wide Ikea Kallax shelving unit (after seeing inspiration from Kallax adaptions to house small pets). Based on a single mainline and branchline the 1'4" x 5'7" space would now be split between a depot and a yard with a raised track at the back to display "full length" trains. Apart from the track, most of the scenery wouldn't be permeant to allow the space to be used for different themes and some compromises had to be made. The front track would double up as mainline and siding at the yard end to allow two rakes to sit side by side. The yard is intended to represent the Freightliner terminal most of the time, but I'd still like to be able to use it to for other things, such as a coal or oil terminal in future. The branchline would usually represent the Portbury line while the depot is still mainly there to represent the Immingham TMD of my childhood and show off the locos. The high level track at the back will probably have OLE so I can display electric traction.
The fleet includes some basic 66s, 60s, 56s and a like from my childhood, while things have gotten more serious these days with super detailed DCC sound 37, 60, and several Freightliner themed 66s.
Some main principles are:
- Diorama. I won't be running trains round and round, I'll be limited to shunting. Most of the time it'll be static, and I'll be wanting to take close up photos which can be confused with photos of the prototype. Hence why I consider this more of a diorama than a layout.
- Detail. Not having to model metres and metres of layout means the focus will be on detail in the small space.
- Lighting. I love night photography and so getting the lighting right to recreate the mood at night is really important.
- Sound. DCC has certainly moved on from when I were a lad and sound has come on leaps and bounds. Which is just as well, because I now consider it essential to the layout. I don't have the excitement of running trains continuously, so creating the atmosphere through locos idling and revving up is going to be another important feature of the fleet. (There's something to be said about having a 66 idle on the layout while it's big brother is doing the same in the yard outside!)
- Flexibility. I'd want to use the track to represent the South West from 2016 onwards replicating what I'd see from my lounge window. But also the MGR, iron ore and other workings around 2000 in the North East. The basic yard is intended to be converted from intermodal, to coal, to oil and the whole layout may turn into a steelworks at some point. Hence the name, "Liberty Lane", because I'm not tied to one era, or area or theme. And the neat fact that the Bristol Freightliner Terminal is located on South Liberty Lane.
- Read more...
- 0 comments
- 297 views