south_tyne

Hope you enjoyed your trip to the frozen north! The Tanfield Railway is great isn't it!? Perfect for an afternoon out and the atmosphere is spot on. Something of a mecca for small industrial locos.

I can see the problem In the words of Father Ted.... OK, one last time. These are small… but the ones out there are far away. Small… far away…

Things are coming on nicely Howard. Excellent but of scenic modelling at the level crossing, it's all bedding in really well. David

Chris - love that weathered Pannier, what a cracking bit of work. Minerva should offer them for sale in such condition! On the GOG matters - it's tiresome issues such as that which really put me off....

Thanks again Pete - that's a clever idea. I had thought of maybe covering with a layer of 5mm foamboard so that slots for point control and wiring could be accomodated but raising the shelf as you suggest is probably a better idea. It's amazing what you can squeeze into 2200mm in O Gauge and I really like the plan you're developing.

Thanks Pete that's great and really helpful. That width seems to just about allow you to squeeze in three parallel tracks which is very useful! The ability to nearly stack/store away must be such a bonus. Wiring and point control must need to be carefully considered at the outset but obviously can be accommodated without a problem

It's a cracking little plan, maximising the scenic length of the layout and allowing all moves to be carried out 'on scene' before then disappearing off to the fiddle yard. I utilised it for a small 009 layout and it kept me entertained over a two day show. I think it works better for freight only layouts but it can be utilised for passenger stations too. The layout I have referenced before - Little Norton - did this superbly by using the piano line concept for an out and back terminus station. This meant it was effectively a junction station so there were two exits to the fiddle yard, one as in the plan above and the other from the right lead track (again as seen above). Gives extra scope to operation. This was N gauge, and I think 180cm in length, so had a lot more room to breath as a plan. David

Great! I look forward to seeing this come to light in due course...... I've been a massive fan of your projects since first reading about the wonderful Engine Wood in the RM as a teenager

Looking forward to the return of MOTD et al tomorrow Whilst I support a non league club I still like following top level football and enjoy the chance to catch up with what is happening in the Premier League and Championship.... exciting start tonight, with a cracking first game, so roll on the new season! I think new boys Fulham and Wolves could ruffle a few established feathers......

Hi Stuart, Great introduction to your layout and modelling. I am also a fan I light and minor railways so enjoyed your photographs and cannot wait to read more of your projects. It would be good to see more of your layout... perhaps it needs its own topic here on RM Web! What is he basis of your KESR coach - is it out built? Love the Hudswell Clarke by the way, I am also ha proud owner of one of these little beauties!

As I understand, at the height of the season Wissington (and no doubt other locations) would scrounge wagons from far and wide to carry the sugar beat. There's some lovely pictures of the site in the '60s with trains made up of a motley collection of open wagons, from 16t minerals through to wooden bodies opens, with the odd 12t van also thrown into the mix! Always been a fascinating operation and location for me.

That looks so smart Pete. The quality and 'neatness' of your work never fails to impress and, as ever, your use of the Ikea shelving is fantastic. If you don't mind me asking, what size shelf units have you used for this project? Cheers, David

Chris, Wow, that class 59 is certainly an impressive beast! Very handsome loco that looks right at home on Moonan Flats... although it must not have much room to stretch it's legs!! David

Interesting to read of your progress Captain, I am sure this is going to develop into a great little layout. I agree that your bottom is incredibly neat and tidy... impressive skills on show PS - cheeky question and somewhat off topic but, if I may be so bold to ask, do you have any plans for a 7mm scale layout in the pipeline? Or is one layout project enough to have on the go at any one time!

I don't envy anyone who tried to make a living from this hobby. It's like those who invest in a football club, looking at it from the outside it seems like financial madness and must be for the love of it rather than the desire to make a fortune, especially given the public kicking individuals and companies get in arenas such as this.......

Dave, I do feel for you and it seems like you have had to deal with some rotten luck and a number of challenging issues over recent months. However I'm pleased that it sounds like you have manage to resolve the website issues as a starting point. Rest assured you have the support of many and I hope that you will get your just rewards as and when your various projects do advance and eventually reach the market. All the best, David

That looks fantastic! I must admit I am not a GWR fan but I think a Pannier in LT colours looks so smart I expect they are going to prove very popular with punters!

I hope you feel better for the appointment and at least the ball is rolling and things are hopefully moving forward. Getting enough sleep and rest is a huge thing, it's been called a natural healer hasn't it. We all need downtime and need to get off the relentless treadmill that is life sometimes, take a step back and relax. It can be hugely beneficial. I hope your next appointment, when it does arrive, proves to be a stepping stone in moving forward. It's sometimes about little victories and that shot of your layout looks great! Have you got a topic here on RM Web, as I would love to see more of it? Take care, David

It is but also much cooler! I suppose rain is only to be expected in the West Country mind.

Actually I think that is an excellent idea. Most of us end up compressing designs/plans to fit available space but if the opposite is possible then that is a much better approach. I am a fan of Freezer plans and whilst somewhat dated they still provide an excellent resource for layout ideas. Stretching some of his plans, giving them extra room to breath, would be a good option. To the OP, the booklet I provided a link to earlier in the thread has some good designs for the kind of 'garden shed' space referenced above, which could be adapted accordingly.

Ditto Horses for courses mind and I am sure it pulls in the crowds but is just isn't what I would do with the space. To be fair, if operation is the goal then it probably is a good bet. I would go for a less is more approach, an intermediate passing station on a secondary route. A loop and a small goods yard of 3/4 sidings would be my approach. Lots of scope mind and many of us would kill for this kind of space!

If I was in your position I would lay a big oval around the perimeter of the room as a first step, just to get some trains running then you could develop your ideas from there but, as Barry Ten shows above, there is scope for a great layout. Personally I would be careful of trying to cram too much in, less is more. The plan provided by ejstubbs above would be far too busy for my liking but shows what you could do if density of operation is your goal. PS - Barry, it'd be great to see more of King's Hintock. It looks superb definitely deserves a topic of its own!

Just in case you were willing to look at other scale/gauge combinations then there do seem to be a lot of relatively affordable options out there. I've just asked a question in a separate thread which gives an example: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/136345-grs-battery-diesel-set-sm32/&do=findComment&comment=3258201

All roads (or rails) lead to Ambridge. For all conundrums in life there is a parallel to be found in Borsetshire; just change at Hollerton Junction.....

I would suggest the answer to the initial question is an awful lot! It's a great sized space for a roundy roundy layout although the trick I suspect will be not trying to cram too much in. They are a little old fashioned but you could do worse than checking out Cyril Freezer's trackplan books. I am sure there will be a variety of examples for that kind of space. See this as an example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Railway-Modeller-Plans-Small-Locations/dp/0900586257/ref=mp_s_a_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1533705577&sr=1-23&refinements=p_27%3AC.J.+Freezer&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&dpPl=1&dpID=51eK993tTVL&ref=plSrch. It will give a flavour of what you will be able to accommodate. Of course if you go N-gauge then you can have a small empire....!