'Hola' from the sunny Pyrenees

[Simon_100]

Thanks one and all. I've been wating with baited breath for my order from Hattons to get through Spanish customs unscathed at the second atempt - resulat yesterday - a success, no charges or customs duties. I've just got to find some time to rig up a test track and see if it all works, post soeme feedback to Hattons and on a toipc here - spoiler alert, a degree of 'playing trains' will be thinly disguised as rigourous testing!

[Mountain Goat]

60cm.... My little layout is about 60cm wide and around 200cm long. I have an oval of track, two passing loops and a siding. It is a tight squeeze but it can be done though I am using narrow gauge to do it, but whatever size we have we can at least build something that fits, and that we can have fun with.
Welcome.

[Simon_100]

60cm.... My little layout is about 60cm wide and around 200cm long. I have an oval of track, two passing loops and a siding. It is a tight squeeze but it can be done though I am using narrow gauge to do it, but whatever size we have we can at least build something that fits, and that we can have fun with.
Welcome.

That was Plan A based on the Snailbeach District Railway. But I still hankered for a main line model and when a big box of OO gauge track turned up Plan B won out!

[Simon_100]

60cm.... My little layout is about 60cm wide and around 200cm long. I have an oval of track, two passing loops and a siding. It is a tight squeeze but it can be done though I am using narrow gauge to do it, but whatever size we have we can at least build something that fits, and that we can have fun with.
Welcome.

That was Plan A based on the Snailbeach District Railway. But I still hankered for a main line model and when a big box of OO gauge track turned up Plan B won out!

... albeit a branch line. I have also decided to build a U shape with temporary boards over my office desk to make a larger layout...

[Mountain Goat]

Even 00 gauge sectional track can be rebuilt via PCB sleepers so the curves can be sharper, though it is much easier to start with a piece of flexible track for a sharp curve, and hold the curve in a more rigid position by soldering one or two PCB sleepers here and there. One does not have to do this, but it helps to prevent the ends of the rails from sprining outwards if the few PCB sleepers are positioned near the ends with the occasional extra soldered sleeper here and there to help hold the curve. If one can solder, then it is only a little bit extra effort to solder sleepers though my advice to make it easier is to use flux, and not to forget to isolate one side of the sleeper from the other by curring a small slit in the copper surface somewhere in the centre of the sleeper so one does not get an electrical short circuit.

Though using ordinary track on a wider board is another option, or just make it a small end to end layout.

[Simon_100]

Thanks for this. Yes, end to end it is but as I said during the thread I've decided to take the option of a 'U' shape by putting temporary boards for the fiddle yard when I want to play trains - not ideal I know but beggars ... At least wity this set-up I have space for quite a substancial branch line stsion with a bay platform, separate goods yard to work off of a headshunt, engine shed and even a dedicated goods arrival road with its own run around as I've a lot of points to use up including four curved pionts and six three-way points - although tow of those look to be duds - I've laid out a mock up of the layout and it doesn't looks too 'crowded' but at the same time gives me lots of lots of train movements, signals, etc. even the possibility of three trains/locos in the station at the same time!





Sorry for the very poor images. The baseboard are trunkated somewhat, being 2.25 m rather than three. In the forground is a long siding over the goods yard with the boxes representing the shed - two Metcalfe models kt knocked together - beyonf those is the bat platform with the Prarie tank in it, the mainline platform with the Ivatt Mogul, a central line for the runaroud using a three-way points and the goods line by the wall. The four curved points wend away in the disatance in front of the speakers and the sceic area contunies over the desk where th engine shed will be located. The fiddle yard will lie atop of the wall overlooking a stairwell - yes, it's have protective barriers to protect the stock from getting knocke doff into teh abyss!

Looking forward a few years there might be a possibility of a permanent home in my store room down in town, i.e. ten kms from here, which would give me a continuos look layout of roughly 3 by 2.10 metres, i.e. the same dimentions as the 'U', so I'd build a low level continuous track with a simple passing station and the fiddle yard, while plonking the terminus on the high level. But that time woud be years away and by then I'd have loads of stock in the stud and be hankering for another layout back up here in the house, maybe then would be a good time either for a narrow gauge foray or a smaller end-to-end terminus as you describe.

[Bandit Mick]

Lots of lovely space in which to model.

[Simon_100]

Lots of lovely space in which to model.

Apart from the fact that it's ina corner of the living room - multi-use issues with the family

[Simon_100]

Lots of lovely space in which to model.

Apart from the fact that it's ina corner of the living room - multi-use issues with the family

Well I was summoned for interrogation by The Central Committee the other day after I'd let slip to her my plans for Phase 2, namely to remove the railway to our undergrou d oarking place in an apartment block down in town, which also has a store room of 5.5 x 2.2 metres. This move would be dependent on getting rd if a whle oad of junk - long overdue - and a lot of motorbike stuff which would in part be dependent of my seeing the day coming when I'd be hanging up my goggles for good ...

The interview was polite but formal as required by protocol but the outcome totally unexpected, permission to go ahead with Phase 2 without a Phase 1 plus the decision to hang on to both motorbikes after all, even though The Central Commitee no longer rides herself - Result!!!

So, as it turns out the 3 metre layout would have been too long as of the 5.5 metres I have to allow for a workbench and for the door to open into the room - can't be re-hung as it's a 'community ' space - so all I have is 2.4 metres length. I've also had to redeploy the straight points, some of which are like hen's teeth to find, buy three curved points, which are easy to find, and ten yards of PECO Flexi-track.

So I will now have a more modest terminus station, which is a bit more in keeping with the 'prototype*' I have in mind, a passing station on a single track line, and the fiddle yard under the terminus. The low level section will also have a spur making a continuous run possible for running in, or simply playing trains

The new space with before and after shots. On the left the motorbike gear is now stored in bixs on teh fittes shelves on the right amd the workbench moved nearer to the door, where I'm standing to take the photos. As you can see the void where the twerminus and fille yard board will be located are still largely full of junk, that's going soon, and the passing station with be in two 'bays' of the shelf units on the right:





* the 'ptrotoptype' is a fictuitious railway to a real place, namely an extension of the Bishop's Castle Railway and GWR/LMS branch to Minsterly - which connected to the Shrewsbury - Welspool line that forms the Cambrain line today - to Motgomery via Chirbury.

[Bandit Mick]

Both motorcycle and railway retained - and not even a kick in the nu*s. Result!