Model Railway Forum

I posted a few weeks ago in the messroom about my SATURDAY MORNING TREAT when I saw the scale model of our local station. I have not been to any exhibitions of model trains since I was a young lad so the following may be common practice for exhibits so forgive me if this is something that has been used for years.
I was very impressed with the way the trains and rolling stock were set up ready to roll sitting in trays.
The layout was an end to end and several of the trays were at each end. Each tray was made of two lengths of angle iron (aluminium) screwed to a wooden plank at the same distance apart and height of the track. The end of the layout track had a small section of angle fixed to it. The operators at each end simply lined up the trays with the angle on the end of the track and slipped a copper clip on to the top of the angle to each side, the train was then exactly lined up and live with power waiting for the operators to send it on its way.



Puddles

One of several well proven ways to set up the ends of an end to end layout. Some use clips to line up and supply power and some brass slide bolts. The ones you show look very well made.

They certainly look well made.

I could be wrong (according to her indoors I am most of the time)) but I believe the correct terminology for these trays is cassettes. A very clever way to keep trains complete when there are not enough sidings in the fiddle yard.