scanman Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Well, having failed to get 'Corporation Yard' off the grounf (so to speak) let's have another go! I have always liked the possibiliries of an 'Urban' style layout, so decided to have a go at one. The photographs below show the 'mock-up' constructed over the last couple of weeks. Trackwork is courtesy of 'Templot' scaled down to 1mm-ft. No prizes for guessing that 'South Hall' is a play on words - the station building (elvated above its station!) is based on Southall on the GWR. The intention is to be able to run 'urban' services on a shuttle system between the two fiddleyards on the upper section - with some 'light engine' movements on the pretext that the site is between a terminus and it's servicing depot. Okay - not very original, but I think it'll work... The lower level will provide 'shunting' activity based round servicing a local parcels depot, the canal basin and various coal merchants. The period depicted can be varied by changing both the rolling stock and the road vehicle - and perhaps even by changing the 'Odeon' to a 'Bingo Hall'! Scale will be 4mm-ft (EM gauge) and the setting GWR/Western Region ( such a faility (if it ever existed) would have been 'flogged off' under privatisation! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 Ahh - missed out the piccys! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Hilton Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Oooh this looks very promising Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Russ (mines a pint) Posted January 5, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2010 Looks promising, like multi-level layouts! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Worsdell forever Posted January 7, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 7, 2010 It's a shame the lovely round building is too big to fit, but this plan looks great all the same. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Well, you never stop learning when model-making... I'm going 21st-century and creating a 'blog' about the layout's progress. If you're interested, you can follw it on http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/455/entry-2360-south-hall-yard-the-saga-begins/ Where there are currently two entries! My thanks to all who have posted encouraging replies! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Hilton Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Good stuff - I love the blog format! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickL2008 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 This Layout looks good, Nice to see someone modelling the GWML, will you be doing Steam or Modern Era? obviously with the latter before GWML got ruined with all this Catenary! Looking forward to progress! NL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Hi, Looks good but I thought it is worth noting that if you replace the two yard points with a 3-way (tandem) you will get a much better "flow" of the yard and more siding capacity. Cheers Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 That looks very interesting indeed! My only comment would be on the street bit on the right hand side - that's a mighty big wall down to the lower level, not sure if that's going to look quite right (what's the little tunnel in it?). The pointwork may just be placeholders for now, but that left hand one needs to be a left hander I think (so the straight bit goes into the sidings on the right, and the curved section bends round for the line going under the bridge). Looks excellent overall though, and I'm liking the cardboard mockup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 14, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 14, 2010 If the left hand point is changed for a left hand point..... then it will bring the headshunt closer to the other line, reducing the road access inbetween them. I'd leave it as you have it. Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Talking millimeters there I think, it's not going to encroach into the between-sidings space massively if it's switched round. As it is there's an S bend from the headshunt into the sidings - just doesn't seem to flow right. Edit: now I come to look at it again this morning I can see what you're saying. The curve would come round sooner so the headshunt would move 'up' the baseboard towards the other siding. Fair point. Could the overall radius of the curve be lessened to alleviate this problem? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Agree that it doesn't flow/look quite right, what about using two "Y" points instead? [Edit] Added a quick design with Xtkcad below Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nortonian Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 If this is to be built to EM standards, I am assuming that you will be building your own track. If so, why are we just talking of standard left and right hand points ?. Build them to fit like the real railway did. My 2010 Challenge layout is based on those principles. Kindest Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smyles1 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I like the concept, just the sort of layout I have been thinking off. What are the overall dimensions and what size is represented by each square on the plan? Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkmouse Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 If this is to be built to EM standards, I am assuming that you will be building your own track. If so, why are we just talking of standard left and right hand points ?. Build them to fit like the real railway did. I have to agree with Ian here, I love the multi-level nature of your plan, but the trackwork just looks "lumpy". Spending time getting it right now before you start building would be well worth it. Personally, I'd just lay out the big curves first, then insert points once they flow properly. But then again I'm new to Templot too, so may be completely wrong! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 All- thanks for the suggestions. Regarding the track, it should all flow fairly well when laid. I am considering (when I've learned how!) to make the headshunt point a three-way interlaced... This would allow a siding to access the other side of the canal basin (the grey rectangle) *but* this may be affected by the propsed 'history' - see below! With regard to one of the postings, overall size is 7' x 2' eachh major square is 1'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 The "history".... With the expansion of North London in the late 1700's a source of suitable brickearth was found at South Hall (the seat of a somewhat impoverished lord of th realm!) Seeing the opportunity he constructed a canal basin (linked by tunnel to the Grand Union Canal and initially excavated the clay for transport to brickworks. He soon realised that the excavations provided him with space for his own brickworks so had one constructed, using the canal toimport coal from the Midlands. Unfortunately the clays gave out leaving his successor with a rather large hole in the ground... The last clays were used to build a 'garden suburb'- which needed a supply of (the new-fangled) gas. Out with brickworks and in with the gasworks! The remainder of the hole lay derelict for a few years until the coming of the railway (in the form of IKB and a certain 'Wonderful Railway' earned His Lordship another 'nice little earner' and a station named after the ancestral seat.... Fast forward to the 1930's. The last Lord having fallen at the Somme is now just an entry on the local war memorial. The 'Garden Village' is now just a suburb of London. The canal basin is all but defunct, it's trade having been taken over by said Railway which imports coal for the gasworks and the local factors as well as a thriving parcels depot. The canal survives by importing timber - some of which is transported to 'foreign climes' (like Birmingham!) by it's arch rival! Whilst the station is served by mainly suburban services, a local engine shed to the west of the station provides a variety of Light Engine movements on the Main Line. To retun to reality.... The scenario (which is not *too* implausible!) does answer the question about the b****y great hole in the ground! It should also provide a little more traffic - the Gasworks (only partially represented) will be to the front of the layout - hence the comment about the 'three-way' in the earlier post. Your comments - as always - appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 Update three is now on the 'blog'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 Well, its been a few days since the last update, so here goes. First, thanks for all the helpful comments above -and I've actiually taken note of some of them! Design modifications at the 'east' (station) end now include dropping the road from just in front of the parcels depot down in a sweeping curve to exit the layout via a rail/canal bridge at the front righthand corner. This will overcome to some extent the impact of the big retaining wall! Doing this means that the canal basin and feed branch move to the front of the layout. The 'canal siding' is extended to 'exit' under the same bridge (and allow opportunities of expansion at a later (post competition) date. This siding will laso provide a headshunt facility for the 'Town Gas Works' - a limited scene from which will be emplaced centre-front of the boards. Again this might be scenically expanded at a later date. Practically, all the points have now been built (and one extra, by accident - built the original on the wrong side of the transparency....)(I print the 'Templot' drawing on OHP transparencies - ideal for lining up with track centrelines!). Most of the plain track is also complete, just the link to the 'Parcles Depot' and the two 'runround loops' to complete. Next step will be to cut all the insulation gaps in PCB (I make double cuts, adjacent to the running rails), and fit all the permanent wiring. I'm then going to experiment with coating the copper with a resin mix including colouring pigments. Using an old horsehair brush, I'm hoping this will impart a 'grain' effect (although practically sites like this were 'polyfilla'd with a mix of coaldust, oil, ash & water...) Watch this space of a progress report! The 'main line' running across the back of the layout will beeither 'C&L' components or the old 'EM' Ratio sleeper bases. I'm hoping that way to emphasis the 'workaday' look of the yard. What else? Oh yes - the '08' is now (after some headscratching - see the blog) 'EM'd. Eventuallty the layout will be fully DCC with sound so I suspect she'll be going off to somewhere for the relevant chip - when I've got the 'readies'... Having a few days off this week I might even start building some rollign stock. The 'Wundy Box' ('One Day I'll get around to building that lot...') is fairly overflowing with worthwhile causes! So that's it for now - if I can get an image uploaded of the current 'state of play' (had a problem a while ago) you'll see what I mean about the changes! Regards Ian B Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 Oh yes - one further design consideration... All stock entry & exit points will be via cassettes. This should add operational interest as (for instance) a local 'pick-up goods' enters stage right (the 'West End'), runs into the station on the high-level & exits stage left.. A short time later re-appears in the yard, having come off the main 'further up the line'. Another scenario - 'pannier tank travels 'down' the main whilst a parcels train travels 'up' & detaches a couple of vans in the station. Pannier re-appears on the 'up main' (having notionally crossed over beyond the western bridge), picks up the parcels, moves off 'east' to reappear..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 In keeping with an air of 'grunginess' certain areas will be accessible to road traffic withoutr the benefit of regular 'level crossings'. However those areas will have to be protected by the use of 'tramway' style sections of trackbed. But how to create them (without using commercially available products)? One answer (I felt) was to use a system I have been considering for my 'other' 4mm layout based on the Burton brewery system (and which has taken a back seat for the duration of the challenge). As originally designed it would be in RTR Peco code 75, nd the track was fully-laid. Most would be buried (as South Hall Yard) - and therin rose a problem... Having 'buried it' it wnet dead... Or at least, the running was very badly affected... In any case I wasn't happy withe the performance of Peco pintwork *bfore* it was buried, let alone after, so I decided to rip it all up and relay it - this time to 'EM' gauge, laid on copepr- clad sleeper strip (it would be quicker than conventional rivetted ply strip, cheaper than 'C&L' and in any case would be buried! So waht to do with all that redundant Peco code '75' FLATBOTTOM rail....? Read on... As stated above, South Hall Yard will require several vehicle crossing points/road-rail access aresa (ie along the canal wharf). One possible answer occurred to me - lay the Peco rail *on it's side* abutting the running rais, with the 'flat bottom' now on the inside (ie forming a 'wall' for the material used to bury the sleepers. NOTE this system will ONLY work on areas where copper clad sleepers are used. (Image 1) The only problem really is in areas of curved track, where the Peco track effectively has to be curved 'against the grain' so to speak. The attached images show that this can be overcome. Effectively, where the track has to be curved on the (original) 'running face', this is not too much of a problem for radii above about 24" - it can be 'tweaked' gently through the fingers. (image 2) Then retained in position by ???Dinky??™ Clips??¦. (image 3) To bend the other way, I found it necessary to cut relief slits with a 'Dremel' in the rail base. Keeping the cuts close together result in a relatively smooth 'curve' - which in effect are a series of very short straight lines!(Image 4) You can also see that it is not neccessary to fully 'timber the proerted arera - I operated on a principle of 'one in three' sleepers. The bridge rail is laid BEFORE cutting any insulation gaps - the'Dremel' is then run up both sides adjacent to the rail. (image 5) The final scenicking (absent in these images') will be applied only after the track is laid in it's final configuration and thoroughly electrically tested. The finish will obviously be defined by the location - for example the canal wharf will be infilled with a stiff modelling powder mix (the old Jack Kine powder if anyone remembers it - I think it's now marketed by 'SetScenes'. I was fortunate enough to know Jack well and have enough to last me several layouts - but I desgress...) and scribed to represent granite setts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted February 12, 2010 Author Share Posted February 12, 2010 A few days ago I posted about an 'experiment' to 'paint' the PCB sleepers with a pigmented epoxy resin. Okay - you win some-you lose some! Not a raging success - and heavy on paint brushes 'cos you cannot clean them (I did realise that before I started and used a very old life-expired one for the experiment). One of the problems is the curing time - at this time of year, it's quite slow. This means two things. a) It would take a few days to get down to tracklaying and B) the 'grain effect' (which was there when I started - honest) tends to deteriorate as the resin fails to set. However, the batch of resin that I made up didn't go to waste. Anyone want to buy some coalsacks?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Worsdell forever Posted February 14, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 14, 2010 Shame the experiment didn't go to plan and I just bought some coal sacks from Langley yesterday! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanman Posted February 14, 2010 Author Share Posted February 14, 2010 Shame the experiment didn't go to plan and I just bought some coal sacks from Langley yesterday! Story of my life - late as usual! Regs Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.