Where / best way to start in 7mm?

[doilum]

HM duette will be fine for now. If you can find an old ECM compspeed or a Kentroller feedback controllers it is even better. Not as good as DCC but much simpler to install and troubleshoot. 

[Nearholmer]

I’m not into DCC at all, but I think sound adds a significant extra dimension to small 0 layouts and would certainly go DCC for that reason alone if I was into fine-scale.

 

I’m not convinced by all the sound files though. Steam locos seem generally hard to capture convincingly, and I’ve heard both stunningly good, and pretty terrible diesels. What surprised me at one exhibition was a really convincing sound from an N-gauge Class 24, and on the next layout a really unconvincing 0-gauge Class 08; I’d expected things to get better by scale.

[Clan Mcadder]

yes i should say i am purely dc , i find dcc a faff , just something about using banks of switches and sections , plus direct control of the line i like . 

[doilum]

17 minutes ago, Clan Mcadder said:

yes i should say i am purely dc , i find dcc a faff , just something about using banks of switches and sections , plus direct control of the line i like . 

Amen! A dead DC loco is a simple challenge. A dead DCC locho is an eternal mystery that requires a member of the magic circle. That said, I was recently reacquainted with a Lima powered Sentinal I sold 30 years ago. Now DCC, the improvement in slow running was amazing.

[37114]

11 hours ago, Clan Mcadder said:

Hi Guys , 

 

yes to be honest that's the sort of thing i am after , small and delightfully grotty ,  or the whole other way and rural and rundown haha. how long is the center headshunt ? as ive come up with a plan very close to this on anyrail using the bull head wye points , also daft question is it the standard code 100 fish plates to join the code 124 bull head? 

 

Ok so eye update after a lovely 6 and half hour wait in the hospital , ive found out that i need two ops on my eye to stop the progression of decline and then one on the right eye to stop it early . but the main point is its not going to get much better ,so it does mean that ive decide to make the switch now i will go through my 00 collection and anything thats not sentimental or useful to my dad is going up for sale .

 

now a layout is a few months off but i am tempted to buy some stock now and have it in stock as so to speak so when the time comes i can have a play . i am drawn to the sentinel for both its short size and price but i am not sure in the long run that's what i really like as its a shed on wheels , the 08 or terrier/pannier would be better ?

 

also would i need a new controller to run just a single loco , ive got model D, and hm duettes would these be ok ? 

 

many thanks every one  

 

Hi, The headhunt is circa 45 cm, it is just long enough for the class 37 to fit in. Rail joiners are standard code 100 for the code 124 track.

 

I did buy a Gaugemaster 100MO but missed the feedback from my HH so now use that, I had to remove a motor from the class 37 to get the current draw below 1 amp as most standard controllers are max 1amp whereas some O gauge locos will draw 3 to 4.

 

Good luck with your project!

[Clan Mcadder]

hi Guys ,

 

so i have come up with a basic layout plan to dip my toe with to get a feel for the scale and its differences from OO . 

 

Now its simple and small but i hope for a few wagons and a sentinel atm it will be a ideal thing ,as my dads had a good idea of putting a long shelf on the shed wall 14ft long that can fold down to enable a larger layout to be built and then in the nice weather i can step it up on that . 

 

so for the moment ive drawn a small plan up using what ive ordered . its 8X2 on two 4x2 boards for ease of use etc . the  red box is a hut and a lever frame and the black will be a coal yard area , the large grey blob at the end by the signal will be a salt works siding . 

 

please let me know your thoughts 

[Nearholmer]

TBH, I think you are under-doing the potential of the space, that you could make things more interesting in that area.

 

A lot depends upon whether you are wedded to “full radius” points, or whether you are prepared to use set-track ones. For small locos and short wagons, the latter are fine, and you will find several satisfied users on RMWeb. The trick is to cut the curved, part down, so that instead of being a 22.5 degree arc it is 18 degrees or similar, which changes the entire way the points can be used, and what they look like.

 

Now, this is my part-finished “study plank”. Try to ignore the fact that it is coarse-scale, which in this context is irrelavent. It is 88” x 16”, and the turnouts have almost exactly the same geometry as the Peco set-track finescale ones, but 18 degrees arc.

 

If this, or a similar plan was allowed to breath-out a bit to use your larger space, it could be made to look very convincing. For a purely shunty plan, it would make sense to shorten the loop a bit; mine allows running round a train of four wagons and a brake-van, which is possibly more than you’d need. Do make sure that you can get a loco and at least one wagon in the tails either side of the loop.

 

 

Things change if you want to go bigger than 0-6-0T locos, and they change radically in fine-scale if you want to run long bogie vehicles, because such tight point radii start to cause trouble, but if you stick with the small things a great deal is possible in a small space. You can even run a passenger service if either you stick to a 4W rail-bus or make sure that the track used by passenger trains doesn’t include any of the tightly-curved routes.

 

 

[Mol_PMB]

That's a nice plan, very simple and you could get it up and running in no time. Dead simple tracklaying and wiring, and then you can take the scenics as far as you want.

I agree with Nearholmer that you could get more operational interest into the space, a key issue is that you have sidings facing both ways but no run-round facility. Two more points would allow a short loop which would give much more flexibility.

On the other hand, it increases complexity and would take longer to get running.

A second loco could be another way to resolve that, but in DC that itself adds complexity with a need for more complex wiring and switching.

 

Looking to the future with a potential 14' long layout, that would give many more options. We'll not consider that in detail at present, but it's useful context: think about the following questions:

1. Do you want the first layout to be a quickly-built and fairly short-lived thing just to get used to O gauge before developing a more elaborate layout in the larger space? (in which case the current plan is fine)

2. Or do you want the first layout to have more enduring operational appeal? (In which case I'd say add a loop to it)

3. Do you envisage that the first layout could form part of a future larger layout? (that means more thinking ahead to ensure that it would be a coherent part of a more complex plan)

 

Another thing to consider is the width. Your plan is wide open with plenty of space for scenics, which is great, it's uncluttered, looks very natural.

We all like different aspects of the hobby, do you enjoy scenics? If so, brilliant. If you are a bit more focused on operation, then I'd consider a narrower board so the trains are a bit easier to reach.

 

A quick search on Flickr found this, which I thought was rather nice and might provide some inspiration. Note that there are salt, coal and merchandise wagons.

Also there is a fan of sidings in each direction which is actually rather like your plan (but with more sidings).

The GWR got pretty close to the Cheshire salt industry...

 

Hope that sparks some useful thoughts.

Mol

[Clan Mcadder]

Hi Mol ,

 

That's a perfect picture thanks for finding it , as far as the layout is yes its only going to be a test bed really , but might open up for par of the larger layout . scenic's are my thing really so i can see it being a section of a light rly or industrial concern connecting to the mainline further up , also id like to have a go a building a wagon kit as that's another of m favorite things to do in OO gauge . 

 

i am happy to potter around with a loco and a couple of wagons so it should be ok for now . 

 

thanks everyone 

[doilum]

Talking of my old Sentinel, I thought of the layout I sold it with. Kirkby Riverside was 12' in length but essentially only needed 8' plus fiddle yard. The points were second hand home made ( big mistake) but we're about the size of a ,Peco point (16"). Coaches were a pair of six wheelers. There are five points but one could be !post if the run round loop fed directly on to a sector plate or traverser.rs.

Edited March 10, 2022 by doilum

[Clan Mcadder]

well hopefully my parcel should arrive today with my new toys in , tho i have also just brought a Minerva GW ‘Modernised’ Iron Mink, to try out another brand of stock and a decent price too . 

 

ive also printed out some peco templates ,, wow they are large i hadn't seen them in the flesh as to speak but now i can see why 8ft gets eaten up ! i will be having a play with some plans etc on some thick card to see if i can make it a little more action packed . as i think i would like one of the Minerva pecketts.  ive also joined the o gauge guild so lets see what that's like .

[doilum]

Just check that they have printed full size. Peco provide a scale. From memory, the standard point is around 16". Y points can provide a useful extra inch and a bit as they are shorter. Enjoy!

[Mol_PMB]

As mentioned, the Setrack points are quite suitable for short shunting layouts especially if you shorten the diverging route to reduce the angle. 

On my layout, I used some old Marcway 48” radius points which were a nice half-way house between the Setrack and Streamline geometry. 

 

[Clan Mcadder]

Hi Guys yes i checked the scale on the side with a two foot rule and they were correct and the rail gap was 32mm so all printed ok ,  its just a shock when youve used peco  small radius wyes and electrofrogs before to suddenly be amazed at the size . ive built layouts only a little longer than the standard points before .  ive got a wye and a lh medium coming so ive printed a selection of the smaller points to have a play with before i buy any more .  

[Clan Mcadder]

well no parcel today , seems to have been lost between hattons and dpd  

[PJ10]

Evening,

 

Sorry your parcel hasn't arrived. Where did you download the point templates from? Trying to download them from the peco website, I'm taken to a page not found on Shopify. Thanks

 

PJ10

[ossygobbin]

8x2 peco setrack points

[Clan Mcadder]

1 hour ago, PJ10 said:

Evening,

 

Sorry your parcel hasn't arrived. Where did you download the point templates from? Trying to download them from the peco website, I'm taken to a page not found on Shopify. Thanks

 

PJ10

 Ah so it wasn’t just me then , I found them on tower models site