Plan advice 3m x3m OO gauge or 009?

[RobinofLoxley]

I think you have to work within the limits that you have;  for example your track plans show track beyond the baseboards going off who knows where.

 

The only possibility to work beyond the boards would be a cassette on the end of the shorter side. Bearing that in mind I've concocted a track plan to live within what you have, a quarry type scene on the long side and access plus a TMD for those 66's on the short. Bearing in mind what was said about the 66's I have used fourth radius curves and avoided the temptation of a double slip where the turnouts are back to back.

 

In order to shunt and for locos arriving at the head of a train coming from off-scene there needs to be a runaround loop which shortens train length. The line to the TMD acts as a headshunt for shunting.

 

Of course its right that the trains would be short in OO. Otherwise its change down to N, where roundy style layouts are possible

[EMA747]

Thanks for the work you have put in to draw up that plan. I like the ideas you have come up with for the given space. Are those sections the length of about 4 wagons max? A Revolution HOA is about 7 7/8 inch long I think I read. 

 

The main issue in my mind rather than with the plan is coming up with something convincing where 4 wagon trains would be plausible in the modern era. It seems it would be much more plausible for an earlier era with say banana vans or 21T mineral wagons.

 

Also if I was running 4 wagon trains plus a loco around would there be enough space at the bottom left for a off-scene cassette? The reason I had tracks leading off the edge of the boards in my plan was to go to a fiddle yard of some sort but I'm not sure if this is possible given the space.

 

....Or would anyone advise that the space is just not right and to go down the N gauge route?

 

 

Edited June 29 by EMA747
Convert to inches!

[RobinofLoxley]

On 27/06/2024 at 13:30, F-UnitMad said:

 

I have the end of the curve on the rhs as the cassette connection, bottom left is just a buffer stop. 

 

Its possible to make the loop tracks longer than shown but in my opinion that makes the whole area look oversized in the space available. You would lengthen the other sidings to make them long enough to take the longest train as well. 

 

You have to get creative as to why short trains are turning up. Repair facility?

Edited June 29 by RobinofLoxley
Software glitch

[EMA747]

Converted wagon length to inches if that's what you mean. 🤔

Edited June 29 by EMA747

[Flying Pig]

39 minutes ago, EMA747 said:

The main issue in my mind rather than with the plan is coming up with something convincing where 4 wagon trains would be plausible in the modern era. It seems it would be much more plausible for an earlier era with say banana vans or 21T mineral wagons.

 

I'm not sure why you need to have full trains if you are basing your layout on a TMD and wagon repairs.  Surely you can work with light engines and short cuts of wagons being tripped between the yard and the wagon repair sidings, even in the modern era.

[F-UnitMad]

This Thread is reminding me of this picture, from page 77 of the "When the real thing looks like a model" Thread....

No idea where it is, but...

Class 66s? Check.

Stabling point? Check.

Sharp curves? Check.

Single wagons/short trains? Check......

 

...you get the idea..... 🤔👍👍😉

[Flying Pig]

It's reminding me of this plan I drew for an N gauge layout inspired by Arpley Junction.  I think you could redraw it for 00 in your space with a small loco servicing point added top left (in reality there were sidings behind the box in the past) but you would probably need to truncate the route to Widnes (perhaps it could disappear under a dummy Bank Quay station.  If it isn't obvious, Arpley Sidings form the main fiddle yard and the Manchester line is cut short irl a few yards offscene to the right.

 

[Josie]

14 hours ago, RobinofLoxley said:

You have to get creative as to why short trains are turning up. Repair facility?

 

To add my 2p; A Signalbox I used to work in outer Manchester in recent times had a regular Crewe Yard-Guide Bridge wagon repair train which could be anything from L/E, to a single container flat to 5/6 assorted vehicles (4H67 or 0H67 on the way to Guide Bridge from memory dependent on the loading). Add this with the loco stabling and engineers train shunting/loading going on at Guide Bridge/Ashburys and you've potentially got a good setting for a layout with lots of locos, short sets of wagons and variety or traffic?

 

J

Edited June 30 by Josie
Edit to clarify suggestion for setting location