Gronk's Over Hulton Mk2

[gronk the shunter]

Some of you may well remember my first layout - Over Hulton from old RMWeb, set in the late 70's in the Bolton area. Well I was getting increasingly frustrated with it, and thinking of a rebuild next year, so the added impetus of the 2010 challenge should either spur things on or drive me to insanity.

 

SO it's either EM or P4 this time, still 1970's North West and still DCC. Since the original was well over 2010" and I thought it too small, some serious head scratching is going to be in order.

 

I'm concentrating on the planning stage till Christmas (want to get it right first time, not spend years constantly replanning like I did with OH mk.1) and then frantic/frenetic/desparate activity thereafter.

[ajdown]

There's a lot to be said for decent planning ... but sometimes you just have to get on with it! I know I'm a heavy duty procrastinator when it comes to layout building which is why I have worked more on the visuals in my head rather than on paper, a quick check to make sure it fits the boards (and far too much time due to lack of maths skills making sure I'm within the 2010 sq in) and then I'm just gonna get on and lay the track, working backwards from the headshunt so I know I have enough space for a 50 to run round (the longest loco I plan to run, although its only 7ft longer than a 37 s it's minimally longer than originally planned) then start fitting scenery in the background to fit.

 

I always work on the principle that if you're having to work to the millimetre for spacing and clearances, then you're probably building too crowded in the first place.

 

*ducks*

[gronk the shunter]

Well, I'm still busy doodling wiggly lines on scraps of paper and the more I do it the less sure I am of what to do for the challenge. Even been thinking of going N gauge and basing OH mk2 on Salford Crescent, tempted by the lovely 156 and 150's recently released. But looking at the cost of a fleet of N gauge Sprinters made me think "i could buy a Heljan O gauge loco for that price" so even a 7mm micro layout is being considered, a 47, some 16tonners and a couple of coal sidings, plus some very nice 7mm 1970's cars from vanguard.

 

Tomorrow I'm off on a photo expedition around manchester, armed with a bus and train daysaver, some bacon and egg butties and a digital camera. Hopefully I'll get some more inspiration. I'll post up some photos tomorrow night, and with a bit of luck, I might even have a firm plan of what I'm building.

[gronk the shunter]

Been on a bit of a tour for inspiration, including walking down part of the trackbed of the Woodhead route, which was kind of a strange experience, it doesn't seem THAT long ago 76's trundled along there, but it's nearly 30 years!

Stopped off at Dinting and thought "what a great place"

Train set curves!

 

Disused platforms and buildings

 

 

Only two points to build!

and a signal box

 

Motive power might be a problem though if I kept the OHLE.

[gronk the shunter]

Well the planning stage is almost over, not long till the deadline though so I need to get a move on. The baseboards will be 7' x 22" which comes out at 1848" leaving enough for a couple of fiddle roads to be connected. The track plan which I'll upload a sketch of later is similar to over hulton mk1, but with an island platform, and most notably will be pointless, moving the station and yard throats off stage, ie in the fiddle yard/traverser. This then leads me to the question of gauge. I'd always been put of a more "scale" gauge due to worying about building pointwork or the high cost of getting someone else to build it. But without any points to build or buy ( or any point motors for that matter) I'm freed up to move out of OO. I'm thinking C&L track, but which gauge will be easiest and quickest for me.

 

Stock is already bought. two Bachmann 108's, two Heljan 47's and a 33, five Bachmann 24, 25, 25/3's and a 37 plus two 20's, and an Hornby 08. Rolling stock is 16 tonners, VAA/VBA/VDA's, OBA/OCA's, sealions/ seacows, MCO's and VVV's, coaches are all bachy mk1's.

 

I don't want to go anywhere near compensation just yet, though I know many p4-ers, notably jim SW are adamant it isn't needed. Track curve radius will be no tighter than four feet by the way.

 

I need advice from you learned people. I intend to order the track at weekend.

[skipepsi]

Well the planning stage is almost over, not long till the deadline though so I need to get a move on. The baseboards will be 7' x 22" which comes out at 1848" leaving enough for a couple of fiddle roads to be connected. The track plan which I'll upload a sketch of later is similar to over hulton mk1, but with an island platform, and most notably will be pointless, moving the station and yard throats off stage, ie in the fiddle yard/traverser. This then leads me to the question of gauge. I'd always been put of a more "scale" gauge due to worying about building pointwork or the high cost of getting someone else to build it. But without any points to build or buy ( or any point motors for that matter) I'm freed up to move out of OO. I'm thinking C&L track, but which gauge will be easiest and quickest for me.

 

Stock is already bought. two Bachmann 108's, two Heljan 47's and a 33, five Bachmann 24, 25, 25/3's and a 37 plus two 20's, and an Hornby 08. Rolling stock is 16 tonners, VAA/VBA/VDA's, OBA/OCA's, sealions/ seacows, MCO's and VVV's, coaches are all bachy mk1's.

 

I don't want to go anywhere near compensation just yet, though I know many p4-ers, notably jim SW are adamant it isn't needed. Track curve radius will be no tighter than four feet by the way.

 

I need advice from you learned people. I intend to order the track at weekend.

Go P4 it can be done with much less fiddling than some people make out,I have spent longer worrying about which couplings to use than it took to convert a class 20 and an 08 to P4 wheels. There are plenty of more experienced modellers than me on this forum who can help you with any difficulties. Flymo is very helpful to beginners for example.

[gronk the shunter]

I did think that there can't be much more difficulty going the whole hog for that last 0.6mm, but then I always believed size wasn't that important (though my ex-wife disagreed!)

 

Anyway here's the track plan, not to scale as I don't have any software and did it in paint instead. The thin lines are platforms, buildings and overbridges.

[skipepsi]

I think that would look great, long sweeping curves look good in any gauge,setting out the sector plate might be difficult though.

[marsa69]

hello,

 

loved the original Over Hulton layout being a Bolton boy meself. Probably too late now but did you never consider the old 'Metal Box' site at Westhoughton? I think it had something like a couple of sidings, a headshunt and the Bolton - Wigan mainline next to it. Might be an idea for an extension after the 2010 challenge or your next layout maybe?

 

regards,