MichaelW

Following the trials and tribulations with the first sector plate, I was pleased to see the second one hadn't reshaped itself after gluing on the cork. I fitted it (having first worked out which way round took best advantage of the warp for a level joint), and with the aid of a folded piece of card, it seems to sit fairly level. Having already prepared the track, all I had to do was glue it down this morning. It wasn't as easy as last time, mainly due to the curves in the branch line, not helped by one of the pieces of track that runs across the baseboard joint coming loose. Still, it all went down, and until I decide what to do storage wise at the back, and fit the other sector plate tracks, I'm done with track laying. Having laid the main line, I could cut the final piece of backscene to hide the entrance to the sector plate. As it needs to fit between the other two bits of backscene, a bit of careful shaping was needed, as was novel clamping arrangement to hold everything in place as the glue dried...

Tonight I managed to find time to attack the backscene again. I cut out the slots for the framing from the bottom of the left board's backscene, and glued it in place with the aid of several wedges to hold it against the back of the front top. Whilst that was setting, I started painting the right board backscenes. I picked up a tester pot of sky blue paint last time I was in Homebase, and used this as a base coat. By painting one end to the the other, I managed to get two coats on most of the backscene tonight - the second coat did a much better job of hiding the variations in the wood. It is starting to look like a proper layout now.

I was playing with some stock to check sizing issues, and to figure out where to put section breaks, and decided to start taking photos... First up, a view of the station - with parcels vans sat by the parcels depot, and two 158s in platforms 2 and 3. I've always liked the Northern Spirit transpennine livery. Next up, a 150 trundles out the station for a trip up the branch, whilst a Northern Spirit 4 car 156 arrives into platform 4. The right hand end of the layout next, with a collection of freight vehicles on the sidings. The rear line will be a large steel fabrication factory, with regular deliveries of steel strip, and frequent van movements to take away finished articles. The nearer siding serves two businesses, the far end allows for rail borne deliveries to a building yard - mostly bricks/blocks and aggregates in open or hopper wagons. The near end serves and old style factory, with a hodge-podge of buildings built as needed - served mostly by vans. Finally a view down the layout towards the station - though the sky seems to be falling in...

Started the morning by fitting the two sector plates and cutting the track on the right board. Everything was going so well that I decided to do a trial fit of the backscenes to see what it would look like in the end. The two right hand bits have been cut to fit round the framing, the left hand piece hasn't (so sits a lot higher, and needs the drill to keep it upright. Having disappeared for a couple of hours, and with the heating combating the weather, I came back, and decided to have a play with some stock to see how well things fit (and to get an idea of where to put the section breaks). I'll put all those photo's in another post, but only when I put them on the computer did I notice this: That's a lot of edge of cork showing on the sector plate. A bit more investigation revealed that both the sector plates were beginning to look like bananas. The little one for the branch wasn't too bad - and was bent down at the ends so matched the main board quite well (albeit with a noticeable initial incline). The main plate was high at the ends - and having removed it to look at, was far too warped to be able to fix. I had a search through the bits of wood I had left, and all were distorted to some extent - either I haven't been storing them very well, or they came mishapen. Lesson of the day - check the wood you're buying, and don't accept anything with a little bend "that will come out if left flat". I picked the flattest bit that was left, and cut that down to size. Of course, flattest doesn't mean flat, so it instantly sprang into a banana like shape - but this time I thought about it and glued the cork on the raised side - hopefully come fitting it will allow the track to match up properly. As I couldn't do anything with the sector plates, I decided to fit the backscenes - a fun job when you decide to do it upside down so they'll fall out easily. Cue much clamping and fitting of blocks to hold things in place while the glue set...

I started this morning by removing the weights from the cork (a wide selection of old Railway Modellers does come in handy at times), and started marking out the track plan. Had to move the point for the rear platforms a bit to clear the baseboard framing (One thing I hadn't considered when planning - these boards have 1 3/4" thick frames, compared to the usual 1" softwood). I then started cutting the track to loose lay to check for look and fit. This is my first foray into using finescale track - up till now I've always used code 80 - definitely an experiment. Already I like it. It's much harder to work with than the code 80 I've used before: cutting the sleeper webbing is not a simple cut to the base of the rail; getting a bend into the track is an art, as is getting unintentional ones back out; the rail isn't as accessible for soldering droppers to. On the other hand, once the curve is in the track, it can hold itself in place, and it looks a lot better than the normal stuff. Oh, and listening to the concert performance of War of the Worlds on the radio certainly made things better! Having finished the station end, I got some stock out and decided to see what things looked like (and whether I'd got the sizes right). 'Tis a busy time at the station - with 4 of the 5 types of DMU represented, and a colourful range of liveries as well. (Yes, I know they are a little mismatched, but they were what was easy to grab off the big layout). As everything looked right, nothing tried to fall off as I pushed things around, and it was getting late, I decided to glue it all down to finish the day. Cue the discovery of another thing about finescale track - fitting the extra sleepers is interesting - not a problem with normal joints - but the extra sleepers supplied with track and points don't seem to be sized for insulated fishplates. Having tried to force them for about 10 minutes, I finally decided just to cut the sleepers up around them, and lay sleeper bits - very fiddly, but looks to be much better. Ended up having to weigh bits down to get them to stick in place (with the help of a couple of track pins to hold things steady). In the gloom at the right end of the layout is the pit for the sector plates - the pair of them are sat under the pile of magazines having cork applied. Hopefully will get a chance to work on them tomorrow.

Having got back after my christmas road trip I needed a project to fill up the rest of the holidays. Last year I replaced the lounge and kitchen floors*, but this year I decided to do something less drastic. I took advantage of a fine (if a little chilly) day to cut some wood leftover from the big layout into suitable sized strips, and started making the baseboards. This is my first foray into plywood baseboards, and must say it is a bit different. Not having to cut all the mortise joints saves a lot of time, but I soon discovered that getting everything straight and level wasn't as easy as it first appeared. First lesson - make sure you are cutting straight lines (one of the sides looks like a mountainous skyline), I think in future I'll get the local timber merchant to cut them for me. Assembling the beams was very quick and easy - a spot or two of glue, a bit of careful positioning and application of a clamp - just had to wait long enough for it to set before removing the clamps. Second lesson - don't test a newly released beam for rigidity by seeing how far you can bend it, you soon discover that the glue hasn't quite set. Having completed the first board, I was impressed by how light it was (compared to my normal softwood framing), and how rigid it appeared to be. Whilst I made the beams for the second board, I added the top to the first, and laid cork all over the front ready for track laying. The second board has a complicated top, two pieces of different thickness ply, 9mm for the front, and 5mm as the support for both sector plates. After a bit of interesting sawing, I managed to get the two pieces to fit nicely together, and glued them down. Only after the glue had set did I realise I hadn't left a gap to put the backscene through at the back of the front bit of ply. A bit more interesting sawing (and some colourful language) left a nice gap ready for the backscene. This only left the problem of support for the boards. Rather than build another set of layout legs (I only have 3 different sets around the house), I went for a simpler support structure. Using a couple of pieces of 4"x1" I made a little frame for the boards to sit on, which can be clamped to the top of a workbench. Despite picking the straightest bits I had, the layout boards don't sit flat on this (that's my excuse - I think the boards aren't quite flat owing to the surface I built them on), but a couple of ply offcuts sorted that quite nicely. A quick drill through the frames and tapping in of alignment dowels later, I have the basis for the layout. * Yes, the middle of winter was a sensible time to open the house to the cold air drifting through under the floor - at least, after the insulation had gone in, it felt much warmer!

I seem to have got rather busy since I decided I liked the last set of plans I posted. Having managed to get a day off work and not too much else to do with it, I tried to make a start. Went to the local model shop for some track, got enough to get going (and some Metcalfe warehouse kits), got it all home and promptly fell asleep. By the time I'd woken up again, it was getting a bit dark to go outside and cut wood (better outside lighting is one of those things I keep meaning to sort), so I contented myself with a bit of playing with the kits, and a bit of wiring on the big layout. Have started marking out the wood for when I finally get a chance to cut it though...

An interesting idea. I like the thought of City termini for the same reasons, I'll keep an eye out for how this progresses.

Whilst there's been problems with the forum, I've been doing even more planning and thinking, and have come up with yet another plan. The entry into the fiddle-yard for the mainline never looked quite right - it was too far forward, leaving the scenic area in front of the fiddle-yard very narrow. So with a little twist, the plan now bends the other way, with the centre of the layout towards the back, and the edges further forward. I've also worked on the branch and sidings, and am happier with the result, but I think I need to do a little more playing with real track to get them right. Scenic planning has also been advancing, the orange boxes on the plan represent structures, the right hand side being dominated by 2 rail-served industrial sheds, potentially with a yard in the front right (will have to see things in the flesh to be sure). The left side shows the intent on having dilapidated platforms behind the part still in use (and saves me having to build to many buildings), I think that will work well, with a mixture of old ballast and encroaching scrub between the platforms. I've also been watching the new Dapol announcements with great interest - I think there'll be a good selection of DMUs available by the time I get round to starting the build (work has been increasing of late, and I've not had a chance to cut any wood yet). Hopefully I'll find a spare day soon when I can get going with the baseboards. Not sure whether to try a ply-wood frame, or stick with softwood. Never done the former, but the latter are getting heavy to move around...

Looks good so far - I like the raised trackbed at the front. 10 feet is a good length for getting reasonable sized trains in. Looking forward to seeing it progress.

Hi Kenton, Thanks for your comment! I hadn't considered priority of traffic - just that parcels would need a run round, and branch passenger would be a DMU of some sort - not needing a run-round. If the branch had been operated by DMUs (or I suppose a push-pull set) only for a while by the time the station was minimised, would a run-round still be provided? The other platform at that time had a run round, so could be used for loco hauled passenger trains. Definitely something to ponder on, thank you! The two short sidings are supposed to be industrial sidings - to allow for a some shunting interest. I agree they appear odd, even on the new plan they look artificial. I'm torn between operational potential of 2, and teh difficulty of making 2 fit and look right. I think it might be a case of less is more to look at, but not to operate. Again, more pondering required...

Have done some more playing with the track plan. First I tried with medium radius points, but that needed almost 8 feet to get the platforms, station throat and fiddle yard in. I don't want to lose any of this - though I guess I could cope with a single track access to the fiddle yard, but it reduces the operational scope (the fiddle yard needs moving after every move, whereas I'd prefer to be able to do an out and in (at least) before fiddling. I remeasured the space available, and, though it won't stretch to 8ft, it will allow a 6ft6 layout, and I reckon another 3" in width is possible - makes a sector plate more appealing as I can use the extra room at the back to put a couple of lengths of track in to store stock on. Having reset the size, I tried again, but used the smallest finescale points. This extends the plan a little, but still just about keeps it within the length. I've removed the second track from the station throat - it only allowed trains to depart the rear line, so has disappeared in a rationalisation of the track plan. As I like this plan more, I've added a hint about construction - blue line is backscene, green is sector plate, red is baseboard join. Had to shorten the loop on the rear line to move the point off the joint. Couldn't do the same with the near pair without reducing the loop length too much, so ended up swapping the double point with a double slip, which clears the joint nicely. Also has the advantage of lengthening the branch, and bringing it further forward. Not sure if this is suitable for a minimal layout. I think this looks much better than the last one, but now not convinced by the branch and sidings. Kenton has commented the parcels line should be laid out differently (the crossover should favour the passenger line, and there should be somewhere to hide parcels vans when the run-round is being used) - something else to ponder

Are we allowed to know what the kit is of? I'm guessing 03 or 04 diesel shunter? As you say, it does look a well laid out kit. Good luck with it.

Following the thinking on the background, I've done a bit more playing with the plan. First up, an extension to the original one: This adds in the branch line with sidings infront of the fiddle yard. The back siding would be hidden, allowing a branch passenger train to head off stage. The front pair of platforms has had a crossover added - to allow freight and parcels trains to be run round - the intention being that the nearside road is used for parcels traffic, the far for branch passenger traffic. The single line on the far side first gained a run-round loop, then this was extended into a full platform length road, and out towards the fiddle yard. The fiddle yard area is blank - I'm thinking a traverser or sector plate as there isn't enough length for a workable number of sidings. I like the arrangement and operational potential of the plan, but not convinced by the set-track look to it (particularly the large spacings between adjacent tracks, and the sharp points). Time for more playing I think.

Yeah, ever increasing stock is a real pain. My latest creation has required a two layer approach - the bottom layer is storage, 14 loops and 10 sidings, the top layer will be the scenic part. Don't forget to sub-divide the loops so you can store different length trains - nothing more annoying than knowing there is room, but you can't use it because the wiring won't let you. Not such an issue for DCC admittedly...

Have been thinking about the scenic potential, and the background to the layout - and wonder how this would look: A once large and grand urban terminus station, that used to receive everything from top-link expresses to the humblest branch-line stopping train. The station served both as a terminus for main line trains, and for an urban branch line that served surburban commuter stations as well as a number of sidings for various industries. With no other connections to the network, all freight traffic had to be reversed at the station to allow it to access the branch. Post-war, the express services were slowly moved away from the station, until only local services and the freight traffic remained. By the time of the Beeching cuts, the station seemed ripe for the cull, but the level of freight traffic, and the lack of alternative route prevented total closure. Nothing could stop the closure of the express platforms, leaving only the local platforms to serve the branch and the few remaining passenger services from elsewhere. The end of steam, green diesels and the corporate-blue era came and went without affecting the now dilapidated and run-down remains. As the urban re-generation of the 80's started, traffic levels began picking up thanks to new offices and shops being built on ex-industrial land nearby. This led to the reinstatement of another platform to allow for more services during peak hours. As the new generation sprinters started appearing, traffic through the station consisted of frequent passenger services into the mainline platforms, a regular passenger service from the branch, occasional freight workings reversing through the station onto the branch, and daily parcels and post workings for the sorting office attached to the station. What we can see are the local platforms, with branch line curving away from the nearest pair, and the mainline leaving from the further. Beyond are the remnants of the main-line platforms, with scrub growing in the remains of the trackbed. All that remains of the original station are the walls of the original trainshed, and it's rusty support columns. In it's place is a non-descript modern building housing the ticket office and staff rooms, the waiting rooms resembling bus-shelters in their glass and steel starkness. In the distance the industrial heart of the city is disappearing with cranes standing proud over growing tower-blocks. In front of the station are the car-parks and the loading bay of the sorting office.

It looks like you've got track, scenery and movement! Now't wrong with that! What are you doing to re-work the fiddle yard? More tracks, or more sections for greater storage?

Damn these N-Gauge manufacturers! I start getting interested in running long trains and a mainline layout, and suddenly the shops are filled with the best looking set of modern image DMUs I've ever seen! Unfortunately I'm weak-willed when it comes to good looking, Yorkshire area suitable, releases. So I now have a number of these lovely DMUs, and will have a few more when Dapol gets round to releasing their latest set of liveries, and I've not got a layout to run them on (well, not without them looking all lost amongst HSTs, 225s, and 8ft long freight trains). So, with trains starting to run on the mainline layout, my thoughts have turned to the next project, and a layout suitable for running these DMUs on. I've also started getting the bug for exhibiting again, so it'll need to cope with the stresses and strains of exhibition life. Unfortunately the only space I have available to put a layout is a shelf on one side of the railway room (once I clear a few magazines off it). It's not too bad for size (about 6ft long by 1ft wide), so there is scope for an interesting layout. I think platform length has to be around 2ft - which is a 4-car 158 or 156, or with a slight stretch, 2 2-car units. A quick play with xtrkcad gives the following plan (setrack only - I'm still trying to figure out how to use it to produce flexible track):

I think I need a tin hat too... I have to agree with you that a model railway with a purpose, and a series of stations or industries to serve is much more interesting to operate and watch than a railway in a landscape. (Not that a railway in a landscape is bad, it's just different - a well executed layout in a landscape can be examined for ages). The best layout (to operate) I ever operated was a fictional Welsh narrow gauge one - slate quarry at one end, transhipment sidings 30-odd feet away down the other. I am currently planning a home layout that will hopefully provide this interest - but am hampered by the size problem. Americans tend to have much larger homes than we do, so can build these large layouts, we seem to build ever smaller houses, making the big layout option very difficult.