7mm Layout planning - Finding a home for growing collection!

[jhockuk]

As I seem to be developing a growing collection of 7mm wagons and now a a loco I thought I best come up with an idea for giving them a home.

So here is what I have so far:

PRMRP OBA
Parkside Dundas Grampus (under going a vac brake conversion)
MMP Dogfish awaiting construction
GJH Plant MTA

Judith Edge Sentinal 0-6-0dh (next on the construction list)

So the question is how to make use of this little collection, first couple of ideas I had where:

Engineers sidings
Wagon repair works

To further complicate matters I only have 7ft by 1ft in which to build a layout (plus fiddle yard).

A few elements I want to include:

Post 1994
Some sort of industry (hence dismissing engineers sidings)
Simple less is more track plan (not much choice given the space)
Happy to build track but if it is industrial the I could use Peco as the track could be concreted in so points could be disguised
No mainline loco's, the Sentinal and and a Dapol 08 (if they ever get released) are about it

My thinking was maybe a scrap yard in the late 90's, the Dogfish and and the Grampus could be awaiting the cutters torch at the end of siding? I could get myself a few POA wagons from PRMRP and have a excavator with grapple loading them with processed scrap metal (a use for the brass fret left over from the wagons!).

I am open to ideas,

Cheers

 

[marsa69]

Scrapyard with some PWay sidings adjacent?

 

[jhockuk]

Scrapyard with some PWay sidings adjacent?

I was worried about space, but the scrap yard could be a single siding with the PW siding acting as a receiving/holding siding?

 

[marsa69]

Yup my thoughts exactly. Maybe add an extra PWay siding or small runround?

I remember on one my trips to Manchester Victoria from Bolton when I were a lad, just before the site of Salford Crescent was a loop and head shunt with a solitary siding for the scrappies. The backscene was a wall of scraop metal and sky,

Cheers,

Mark

 

[iploffy]

Jordan is the master of the micro around here, he's the one

 

[jhockuk]

I think I am going to put a 7mm scale layout on hold for the moment, whilst it can be done in 7' by 1' I am going to struggle to achieve what I want.

The length is not an issue but the depth of the layout is, trying to get a modern truck or excavator (for the scrap yard loading) next to even just 2 tracks is not easy and the mock up I did does not look convincing enough for me. I am still going to carry on building stock, I am enjoying that side of things a lot.

With any luck by the start of next year we should be moving from the 1 bed flat we own at present to 3 bed house, which means a layout room or even a loft conversion!

In the mean time I will carry on with another layout project which does fit in the flat, but that will be in Area 51, it could be called Western modelling, a long, long way west!

 

[iploffy]

Tell me to mind my buisness , do you have a family or are you planning to start one as these will have a bearing on where I would build my layout. I would forget the railway room idea as these tend to cause a little bit of friction, get it in a mess or it is needed for someone to stay bang goes your fun. Go for the loft but be cunning, those non believers (normally the better half) love nothing more than to loose you if it suits them but beware also of the trap door mentality, in other words open it and throw it up there it dont matter what it looks like co's I can't see it. then you bereak your bloody neck

 

[mickoo]

Yeah I'm with the loft, sadly I have a modern house with W truss which makes it a pig to work with, space in the Vs allows a 30" wide board 22' long but between the Vs is only about 12' IIRC, fine for a depot or shunting or industrial, so it can be either oval, U or even two long plank layouts?

I could run down the centre but that's were the best access is and you have to consider getting it out if a: you move, b: wish to share at maybe a meet or exhibition c: bring sections downstair to warmer climes to work on them. At the moment my loft is 'naturally' vented which means it basically mimicks outside temperature and humidity, which with wood is a real problem, hopefuly I'll get round to adding insulated false walls at some point, floor is already done.

Anyway, point is, don't discount what could be your largest (wife/kids) free space, with a little effort you could probably double your layout size comfortably.