Idea for a small terminus station

[crehld]

Hello!

 

It's my first time posting here. The missus has insisted that I get a hobby and given my interest in railway related things, building a model railway seemed like the logical thing to do! So here we are! 

 

I've made a few key decisions already:

 

• Scale is OO.
• It should be a small terminus station based in an urban / suburban location.
• Period wise set anywhere between the 1950s and 1970s.
• Should provide for both loco-hauled passenger trains (which I admit will be short given the space I have) and DMUs. Parcels traffic would add further interest.

 

After a bit of reading and research I was rather taken with the classic 'Minories' plan. This allows for the terminus of a double track mainline to modelled in the relatively small space I have. However as I've got a bit of spare space (in depth terms) I've decided to tweak it a little by also adding in a single track branchline - I'm toying with whether I should make this branchline electrified via third rail which would add a bit of variety. I'm also playing around with the idea of including a separate parcels depot, which would provide for a little more operational interest beyond just running passenger trains.

 

So, this is what I've managed to come up with - I'd appreciate any wise words for how it can be improved:

 

 

Just a few additional points before you all chip in:

 

• The total baseboard size is 8' x 2'. It is composed of two 4' x 2' baseboards which can be separated for ease of portability if required. This obviously has implications for the location of pointwork.
• Space is at a premium where I live meaning I do not have any additional space beyond the 8' x 2' footprint. There is no scope for having larger baseboards. This also means there is no space for an off scene fiddle yard. That's not to say things won't change in the future and we're by no means in the current house long term, but present reality means 8' x 2' is all there is.
• The track I intend to use is Peco code 75 with electrofrog points. I've stuck with medium radius points.
• Trying to be prototypical in the design of the trackwork etc. would be nice (hence asking for advice here), but if I'm completely honest it's really not my number one concern. Ultimately it has to be fun to model and fun to operate.

[Compound2632]

Have a look at the Minories thread! Looks like you've independently arrived at CJ Freezer's classic. For authenticity, the loco spur should have a trap point to protect the main line. Operationally, the carriage siding is in an awkward location for disposing of arrivals from the main line - but no worse than The Laird's classic Bradfield Gloucester Square. The rather short length of the 'disused platform' line may be a problem for access to the carriage sidings. I suspect that parcels traffic would be dealt with at the passenger station?

 

If you're limited to 8' x 2', where do the trains go to / come from?

[Zomboid]

If you've no off scene FY, then you won't actually be able to run trains on that.

If an 8x2 diorama is what you'd like then great, but you'd have to understand that going on.

In that space i would build a shunting layout, you've got loads of space there in that context.

[DCB]

It needs a fiddle yard on the right hand end and everything shoved to the right as far as possible.   As drawn you can't get trains into the carriage sidings or parcels depot as the head shunt is too short.

 

Making the loco spur a platform and putting a couple of carriage sidings between it and the baseboard edge would be good as would a loco release crossover between the platforms

[Karhedron]

If you are looking for a source of freight that could be handled near a passenger terminus then a milk bottling plant might be a good option. The IMS plant at Marylebone was a good example and fits nicely with your period.

 

The plant is on the left of this shot with its platform occupied by NPCCS. Marylebone itself is just behind the bridge.

[crehld]

Hi all,

 

Thanks for the comments and feedback. Yes, I can see the need for a fiddle yard now. There maybe some space to do this (maybe an extra 3'), but it will require some jiggery-pokery with the furniture, which in turn will require careful negotiation with the missus. I'll look into it.

[crehld]

Right - thanks again for the feedback. The tape measure has been out and shows I've got just short of 3' for a fiddle yard - as I said in my original post I am not where I am at the moment long term, and so there's a very good chance more space will become available in the not too distant future.

 

Anyway I've made a few alterations as suggested. Now there is space for a fiddle yard everything has been shifted right, giving more space for the platforms. The disused platform has been brought back into use, but will mainly be used for parcels traffic. This frees up space for carriage sidings or perhaps some sort of freight/goods as suggested. Thanks to Karhedron for the suggestion of a milk bottling plant - it's good to know I can include some freight for added interest and not be completely unrealistic! A catch point for the loco spur has been included, as has a crossover for the two longest platforms (using short radius points to save space). I've not made the loco spur into another platform. Main reason for this is that there would be no way for arriving trains to access that platform if I did. I don't want it to overwhelm the area with track either, so I've decided against extra carriage sidings along the top of the baseboard.

 

Anyway, this is how it is looking now:

 

[JDW]

Looks like an interesting design now.  Just beware that with any points, especially short radius ones, the ends of the loco will swing out, and might catch the edge of the platform.  You might need a bit of extra clearance, or a bit of a cutout along the platform edge.  I think you're right to keep the loco spur as that, rather than trying to cram in too much track.  The sidings only being accessible via the parcels platform could create some interesting manoeuvres, especially for trains departing which will need the station pilot loco to pull the stock out of the sidings in to the platform for the train loco to couple on.

 

It's probably unintentional but I like the way the three sections are separate, the yard can be shunted using the parcels platform as a headshunt, the branch train can arrive and leave, and trains on the main lines can arrive, run around or swap locos, and leave again, without interfering with each other, handy of more than one person wants to play!