Track Plan Suggestions ?

Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
Hi :)

After a visit to last weekends Leeds show, my son has actually expressed an interest in building a layout :eek::D, so we have measured up the loft & have a space approximately 16'x 14' to play with.............

Loft Space.jpg
We did discuss various scales, but with plenty of 7mm stuff at our disposal we decided to stick with O gauge. I suggested that in the given space perhaps a loco shed, small urban scene or a small country station & Robert has decided that the country station is the one for him. My initial thought were for an end to end layout of a through station down one side, but even with a 3' fiddle yard at either end that 16' space would shrink down to a 10' scenic section :(.......so I'm now toying with the idea of a roundy roundy on a continuous curve might fit within the space ?

Spookily enough, when catching up with Neils thread I came across this........

Neil said:
Funny you should mention that. The weird way in which coincidence works had me reading one of Mr Futers articles in a recent Railway Modeller a few days ago. I set me thinking about some of his mid-seventies P4 circular layouts set in the border country. They were magnificently minimal, but even though my spotty teenage self was into complex track and operation they have stuck in my memory far better than most of their contemporaries. I wonder if these were the starting point of the 'less is more' strand to our hobby?
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......& armed with this thought about wide scenic baseboards & a simple track plan & came up with this rather pathetic plan :rolleyes:

Track Plan.JPG
So any other suggestions as to what we can do in 7mm within the limited space available ?.........any shape or plan would be of interest within the space available ;)

Cheers Phill :)
 
ceejaydee

ceejaydee

Western Thunderer
I think that the roundy concept could be made to work well in your space if you are sticking to 7mm for the project and if your lad loses interest you end up with a very useful test track for those cold and or wet days.
I can't remember the name of the layout but there was a rather fine WR based terminus to fiddle yard layout 'over there' but several versions ago.
I seem to remember that it belonged to the (now late)father of one of the regular posters but it impressed me that although there was only around 16' long it was based around a gentle curve to glean more length and the fiddle yard was a larger rotary type.
Not really much help if I can't find a link though is it :oops:
 
iploffy

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
Not so pathetic but it will be tedious. Phill the idea is great the concept good the play value minimal, as you are going for the single line idea (which is fine) could you not extend the loops to give the impression of 2 track railway so you can have trains passing and then stopping to gain the main line. adding more features such as Level Xings and bridges and sidings and loops in the middle of no-where also adds to the play value. plant the platform in between the running lines and have a barrow crossing to a track to a road, just a few pointers no criticism intended
 
S

SteveO

Guest
Phill, is the littleman a diesel or steam man? (What's his favourite loco?) Will he have a selection of trains to run or just one or two? Has he any interest in freight?

This is my effort. Min 4ft radius, extending to 6ft+. Plenty of trackwork to keep a young mind occupied, and with a possible two trains running, will keep him alert too.
Screen shot 2012-11-01 at 23.35.37.png
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
SteveO said:
Phill, is the littleman a diesel or steam man? (What's his favourite loco?) Will he have a selection of trains to run or just one or two? Has he any interest in freight?
Click to expand...
He already has a Lima 4F :), but it's up to him what else he would like to run on it of course, but all the my stuff will be available ;)

Still very much at the planning stage, but I thinking ex-GWR cross country route if we go ahead with this plan as we could run it as a train set with a complete mix of loco's & stock, then in another session run it as an authentic BR(WR) line with my stock.
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
iploffy said:
Not so pathetic but it will be tedious. Phill the idea is great the concept good the play value minimal, as you are going for the single line idea (which is fine) could you not extend the loops to give the impression of 2 track railway so you can have trains passing and then stopping to gain the main line. adding more features such as Level Xings and bridges and sidings and loops in the middle of no-where also adds to the play value. plant the platform in between the running lines and have a barrow crossing to a track to a road, just a few pointers no criticism intended
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No offence taken at all Ian :)........very much at the early planning stage at the moment & all your ideas can be incorperated.........especially like the level crossing (with working gates for us both to play with!):):thumbs:
 
tomstaf

tomstaf

Western Thunderer
Phil,

Based roughly on your first roundy diagram how about Rhosneigr on the North Wales Coast. It's double track main line so allows you to run what you want but the station is a tiny rural halt. There is also marsh land to the West of the station so some interesting bridge structures could be built. Here are some links to photos

Station - http://www.flickr.com/photos/markyh/5002283426/
Looking West with station in background -http://www.flickr.com/photos/32865578@N02/6783522167/
Looking East with station behind you -http://www.flickr.com/photos/72996689@N02/7167220952/

Cheers

Tom
 
Dikitriki

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi Phill

That's sound advice from Cynric.

I think that you need to build someting you will be happy with, as your son will probably lose interest in a relatively short space of time (normally when they find out how long things take and how much patience is required) as girls, booze, life etc, intrude.

Richard
 
Neil

Neil

Western Thunderer
iploffy said:
Not so pathetic but it will be tedious. ....
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure. Some may find it tedious but others may not, it's one of those horses/courses things. I've taken the two point wonder that is Shell Island to three day shows and not been bored though I was always glad of help to give me a break. Some of that help would be youngsters who wandered up and showed an interest and were handed the controls. Most found it absorbing for a good while.

If I was to be faced with the space, I'd do something like this:

junction for phill.jpg
I like junctions but find passing loops overrated, so what we have here is a station/halt on the main circuit with a branch leading off to some unspecified freight facility behind. I see that in my haste to rough out the concept I've forgotten to add tunnel/stand of trees/big building to hide its exit of scene.
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
Chagford is very inspirational & I like the idea of a line leading off to the industrial building, I think I would like to add this, but as Neil has suggested.....leading off to some sort of industrial area beyond the fiddle yard.

The point Ceejaydee makes about having the added bonus of an indoor test track available is a very good one too (I wish I had it available now for milk tank testing :D) , so sticking with the roundy roundy makes even more sense for us:thumbs:

I don't really think there is going to be room for double track as Ian & Steve have suggested, but I am thinking about modeling the main line as a singled double line & in keeping with this idea I could add a two faced V shaped platform to Neils plan, with the platform face on the industrial line modeled as derelict for the now freight only line ?

Any more thoughts are much appreciated :):thumbs:

Cheers Phill (who is thinking more carefully about what timber goes on the bonfire this weekend ;);):)))
 
Dan Randall

Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
Phill Dyson said:
I am thinking about modeling the main line as a singled double line
Click to expand...

Phill - I can't remember if the line to Paignton was single or double track, but Churston station with its two platforms and bay, for the Brixham branch, has always appealed to me.

Cynric sent me a cracking photo a couple of years back of a blue Warship on a down working, with a sizeable rake of blue/grey Mk1s in tow. The train was running through (I think), the up platform, as the down road had been lifted. Desite the missing track, the footbridge was still in place.

Obviously, the Brixham bay road had been lifted too, but in your world, the station at the end of your branch would still justify a frequent single car DMU service!


Regards

Dan
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
Jordan said:
Sorry I'm late to this thread...:oops: but I'd stick with the 'round & simple' approach too*, based on my own Loft/Child experience. If I'd had the width I'd have gone O Scale too, but 8ft wide wasn't really enough even for Dark Side O, so I went for HO, and roundy-roundy because sometimes it's nice to just open up the throttle and play run trains... my lad enjoys shunting, but enjoys "highballing" even more...:D
I would forget about 'traditional' hidden sidings/fiddleyard, too; you can only face one way at a time, so make both sides of the layout scenic - maybe the Station one side, and a simple Goods Yard (maybe on a branch from the station) the other - which can act as staging for the Station anyway.

* Let's admit it - your garden line is basically "round & simple" too, Phill, but we all love it, and I for one consider it to be one of the "Signature" layouts of this Forum....
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Thanks for the comments about my garden bodgings :D;)

It has occurred to me that actually having some of it hidden could be an advantage as one curve could then go under the eaves & leave a longer run for the station area:) .
I think I may need some staging area for changing stock too, as there is a lot of it now from Withercombe :).......I have been unsure how to achieve this on a continuous curve without using points, as points will shorten the storage lines & add to the limited budget for the line. My brain hurts when I think about traverser's or sector plates on a continuous curve :confused::)) .......is it do-able? :confused: . But having muled over the problem this week at work, I think cassettes could be a solution ?........ but I'm open to ideas?:)

Cheers Phill :)
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
Dan Randall said:
Phill - I can't remember if the line to Paignton was single or double track, but Churston station with its two platforms and bay, for the Brixham branch, has always appealed to me.

Cynric sent me a cracking photo a couple of years back of a blue Warship on a down working, with a sizeable rake of blue/grey Mk1s in tow. The train was running through (I think), the up platform, as the down road had been lifted. Desite the missing track, the footbridge was still in place.

Obviously, the Brixham bay road had been lifted too, but in your world, the station at the end of your branch would still justify a frequent single car DMU service!


Regards

Dan
Click to expand...
Hi Dan :)

I have been thinking along the lines of Mid Wales or what is now the Gloucester & Warwickshire Railway or indeed in the heart of the West Country, so I'm not fixed to any one area yet, so I'm open to ideas within the ex-GWR network :);)

Churston is an excellent example:cool: & along the lines I was thinking, but one that hadn't even occurred to me :):thumbs: .....the Westdale Bubblecar would look very much at home there.........probably a lot more at home than it would at Withercombe, although for Withercombe I have been thinking of getting a 117 center car & dummy power car to go with the 121 as I believe 121's were used as substitute driving cars on 117 sets .......although I'm wondering off my own topic here :oops::)

Phill :)
 
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