south_tyne

Cheers that's really useful. As mentioned above, I'm thinking of something a little different as the industrial purpose of small haunting layout, hence the question! Industrial locos exchanging from a small limestone facility with BR sounds like a potential idea!

Thanks Porcy. I am sorry if if that came across as a naive and stupid question! I'll see if I can find some further info about those quarries, something a bit different to the normal coal traffic. I am looking for a theme for a small layout but wanted an industry that was a bit different to the norm, hence looking at limestone. A North Pennines theme could be a good idea - an industrial shunter and a handful of 16t steel and wooden bodied minerals to shuffle round. Stretching to my preferred '60s timeframe may be optimistic but hey it's my trainset I suppose....!

Limestone is an interest in one - anywhere in the wider North East that this traffic was handled? Immediately makes me think of the Peak District (to be stereotypical)

Thanks Mark that is really interesting! I didn't know about Tynemouth!

Thanks, I thought as much. As always colours are seen by each of us differently in any case! Thanks for the info regarding NER stations. Another sticking in my mind is always Sleights on the Whitby branch which seemed to receive coal in 16tonners until the 1980s. So this wasn't exclusively 21t hopper country!

As a simplistic question on 16t minerals... is there a difference in the time period for different liveries of greys? For instance Dapol seem to utilise two shades here: https://www.Dapol.co.uk/shop/o-gauge/O-Gauge-Wagons-and-Freight/16t-steel-mineral-wagons?limit=50 Granted it is probably a silly question because they wouldn't have stayed that colour for very long at all!! As a supplementary, these were not the most common on coal traffic in the North East due to the use of 21t hoppers and coal drops, but presumably 16t minerals were to be seen throughout the area on a wide variety of other traffic flows?

Thanks Chris I will do. I think I may squeeze the inglenook into around 2m (or 7 feet) with the setrack points as the are only 40cm long. It would suit the industrial feel much better too! As with your approach on Bakewell St I could then knock up a fiddle yard for use as and when space allowed Cheers for your interest and taking the time to reply, it is very much appreciated. David

I can see the attraction and the interesting twist of using the longer siding as the fiddle yard is something I had not thought of previously. I have seen Chris Krupa's narrow gauge layout before (in a previous life I was a 009-er) but had forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder. The French layout looks lovely, I will have a closer look. In O gauge, the Peco setrack points will be the anchor for length. They are 40cm long, so two back to back will take up around 90cm with an absolute minimum of clearance. 60cm each side for sidings and headshunt means around 200-210cm overall. Again maybe 'do-able' as a folding arrangement. I am really liking the idea of the exchange siding scenario - the Hudswell Clarke and a NER loco 'passing the parcel' sounds right up my street! I am thinking maybe a small quarry/wharf/transhipment area for loading stone before transfer back to BR metals. Gives me an excuse to utilise my motley collection of open wagons for the industrial set up. Maybe some BR 16t minerals too. I only have the one loco and a couple of wagons and I am quite enjoying planning from total scratch, in a new scale, with a clean slate. It's very refreshing!

Very true. Having played around with some real life 1:1 planning on the dining room table, I reckon this would be possible in 150cm by around 40cm wide. A folding lightweight baseboard, with low backscenes to minimise the storage space needed. I've always had an idea of a 7mm scale layout which would be transportable on the train! Maybe this could be that idea.

Inspirational Chris! The colours, weathering and overall picture are just fantastic. Everything blends so well and just looks 'right'. Shows what can be done in such a small space. Thanks for drawing my attention to the layout as it a slipped below my radar! David

Thanks Chris that is great. I love Bakewell Street as I mentioned... it is 8' at its most basic? I had never seen Dock Street Sidings before but that could well work if upscaled to 7mm scale given my severe constraints. It looks fantastic! I will have a closer look now, might work in about 7 feet in O gauge?

Yes very good idea! The loss of scenic areafor such a small layout is my main concern but maybe he sector plate could be disguised somehow. It's worth some deliberation! A quick look at this might work in 5 to 6 feet in 7mm scale... hmmm

Experience noted! In terms of scale, O gauge and prototype vaguely industrial. At he moment I have a lovely Ixion Hudswell Clarke and a handful of second hand 4-wheel open wagons. Doing something in around 6 to 7 feet may be optimistic but I do like a challenge!

Thanks for your thoughts. Very true, although 2 sidings with '4 spots' and maybe 4 wagons to shunt may be quite interesting! I may be able to develop some kind of puzzle/game to make things interesting. Hmmm, I hadn't thought of the 'z' arrangement, very interesting and food for thought. With the layout being so short I would want to minimise the length lost to fiddle yard/storage and ideally would like to be fully scenic along the whole length. I Hence contemplating a 5' long fork layout, fully scenic with a single point. Minimal I know but better than nothing and maybe a flood testbed for getting back into my modelling! ST

Thanks Chris that is useful to know. Less moves possible than the standard 5-3-3 but I think that would need 8' in O gauge given the length of the points and that is really pushing to the maximum limit of my space so may not be possible

Thanks Chris. I love your O gauge inglenook, stunning modelling that I have admired a lot. So a 3-2-2 uses 5 wagons for the puzzle?

I am planning a very small shunting layout as a testbed for getting back into modelling. Debating whether an inglenook or a fork arrangement is better? I am very limited for space and wondered whether the flexibility of an extra siding is worth it? In terms of operational potential, are two longer sidings better than three very short ones? It certainly looks more realistic to say have two 5-wagon sidings than three 3-wagon sidings in my opinion... but would it hinder operation? I just want to see what other people thought or have learned from personal experience but I would just want a small portable layout for shuffling a few wagons at the end of the day before folding away again! Therapy after a heavy day at work!! Obviously if I ha lots of room then the more sidings the better but I am not in the luxury position so needs must and realism must rule! Cheers and any input appreciated. ST

A little unfair to classify as 'older' but Engine Wood by Captain Kernow of this here parish will remain an inspiration to me. Not just the outstanding modelling but the captivating backstory too! I must have read and re-read those RM articles from the mid-1990s over and over again as a teenager to the point where I could recall every word. For me to encapsulated eveything that a model railway could and should be at its finest. I still love seeingand reading anything about EW to this day. ST

Thanks all! No wonder I couldn't find them but that is great. Thanks for your help

Does anyone know whether the useful templates are available for the O gauge setrack points? couldn't spot them on the Peco website but maybe I was just being daft! Cheers, ST

I am looking for a number of O gauge second hand wooden bodied coal wagons for a small project. Liveries/types and cosmetic condition not so important as I will probably be repainting. Both private owner and/or mainline railways are fine. If anyone has some they are looking to dispose of them please let me know and I will be interested to take them off your hands. A bulk but would be considered if you had a collection you wanted to dispose of! Thanks for looking and please get in touch. ST

Looking (and sounding) great Steve! Cannot wait for the little beast to arrive!!

Just as an aside, I was back at Beamish at the weekend and the scale of the massive Bacyrus there never fails to impress!!

Thanks all for your replies. I thought I may have been stretching things somewhat. Obviously the NE was largely the domain of the 21t hopper on the main line and less so 16t minerals. If nothing else I have had an enjoyable few hours tonight looking at photos of NCB systems! Particularly like those of Whittle Colliery where some short trains of 21t hoppers and 16t minerals are apparent behind austerity tanks. Exception rather than the rule though. Maybe time for a rethink about my layout plans...

Hi all, I am hoping to start a little O gauge shunting layout based upon a very small colliery in the North East, set loosely 1950s to 1970s. In order to give me headstart I was going to get a few of the Dapol 16t steel mineral wagons and a couple of Dapol 13t 7/8 plank wooden wagons in BR grey (with the 'p' prefix for ex-private owner stock). Would these be suitable for such as setting? I know the NCB obviously mainly used their own wagons but would the 16t and 13t be suitable, as mainline stock, particularly if just servicing a small colliery? I am hoping to utilise them with a small industrial shunter. Many thanks in advance for any help or assistance. ST