Big jim's (now dismantled) 12 x 6 shed layout

[vulcan product fan]

The 58 looks very smart pal and a great price too the Hornby HST power car are very good but to much yellow for me .

[class"66"]

Very nice class 58!!

[big jim]

and the bottom boards are out...

 

 

gonna pop to B&Q in a bit to get some fresh ones cut then i can crack on with rebuilding it

 

i have had a think about the removable section too, i may well redesign that, i could potentially reduce the curve where the track joins on the fixed section (not that im having any problems but i got a nice lazer cut girder bridge from hobby goblin which would look good on there)

[big jim]

a blank canvas

 

started to think of a few ideas, if i start the curves futher back on the opposite side of the layout i can get the curves where i want them, the wooden sleeper curves are a pair of 3rd radius Hornby set track i use as a template

 

 

the pencil line to the right is 1/2 way round the curve

 

placed the old town baseboard on top to see how it looked, also on the rear i placed the 140mm wide offcut where the "unhidden" section will run

 

on the lower level i placed the scissor crossover and a set of points, the left hand line that runs to them is the line from the p-way yard

 

then i put a bit more track down and the shed to see how it fitted, the line to the left of it will be a small terminus station 

 

looking the other way i had a look at the removable section, im going to do away with the river cutting and place the lower level track on terra firma, this time there will be 3 tracks, the nearest one being from the other end of the p-way yard, it currently joins the mainline on the removable section, the curve is far less severe now

 

that will then come round and join the mainline at the opposite side of the scissor crossing, an extra set of points can head off into the shed area

 

you will have to imagine this track is on the high level bit of the removable section, again it should reduce the curve 

 

 

going back to the "shelf" along the back this is the 14cm wide offcut from the wood i had cut at B&Q

 

now i did plan on having the station on the bottom level but i recon i can get it on the top again, it wont be as long as before but i recon it will work, i switched the offcut for the original high level board to see how it looked with the extra width, again, imagine it narrowed down at the far end of the bridge but flaring out this side of it

 

couple of platforms in each direction hopefully

 

 

adding an extra set of points means i will be able to run in both directions through all platforms if i do the same both ends, also if i run a unit from the low level small terminal station to the main station i can cross over to the right line and run back 

 

with any luck i can really start to crack on with it over the next few weeks and get it all back up and running

[Marcus 37]

" The train now arriving ON Patform 2....." sorry could resist seeing the track on the platform. I thought you were trying to even out your gradients. Bit steep up that platform ramp. Hahaha.

Seriously though,it's always hard to destruct a layout when you've but so much time and effort in but hopefully this will be the right way forward and make the layout enjoyable again.

Take it easy mate.

[big jim]

Luckily that side of the layout hasn't had much done to it so taking it apart wasn't too much of a bind!

Anyway, was talking about you today, stopping work every time a class 37 went past while you were building walls in stetchford!

Edited November 17, 2016 by big jim

[Marcus 37]

Luckily that side of the layout hasn't had much done to it so taking it apart wasn't too much of a bind!

Anyway, was talking about you today, stopping work every time a class 37 went past while you were building walls in stetchford!

Timmy Clifford per chance? Can't think of anyone else off the top of my head I built a wall for in Stechford.

[big jim]

Timmy Clifford per chance? Can't think of anyone else off the top of my head I built a wall for in Stechford.

thats him

[Marcus 37]

Where did you bump into Tim. Haven't seen him in ages. Quite a character he is.

[big jim]

ive been road learning the north warwick, he was one of the drivers i rode with

[Marcus 37]

Nice route down there mate. Although when I signed it was all semaphores with boxes at Shirley and Henley. Haven't been over it since its been resignalled.

[big jim]

Managed a good few hours in the shed earlier

 

New boards fixed down

 

Top boards loosely fitted and cut back

 

3rd and 4th radius curves on the top

 

And on the bottom

 

Then more track placed roughly where I'm hoping it will go

 

Then the high level station was put in place, I thinkn going to struggle to get more than a 2 track station on there in reality

 

I'm trying to use as much wood from the old layout as I can, the high level curved piece of wood was one corner of the old lower base boards, fits nice but limits the width of the station throat on that end of the station, none of this is fixed so it can be chopped and changed around before I think of a final set up

 

The station building is placed in a board that reaches to the edge of the baseboard which I can make look like the access road is off scene

 

Looking below it the 3 lines from the removable section disappear under which I think looks quite effective

 

However adding a curved point will give me an extra hidden siding

 

Which can join the yard exit under the bridge

 

Lots to Think about before I start to fix down boards!

[fishytrains]

I agree it gives you plenty to think about, but I do like what you have shown so far. Mind you, only you will know if it works to the extent you were hoping for.

 

Mike.

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Fantastic work Jim!

 

I have just put my layout back together. There are still a few more sidings to add but I have added another section of board to create another three sidings which has also created an additional six sidings in other areas of the layout. I have got a lot more space now.

 

I really like the two levels, the station area and all of the work that you have done so far.

 

Looking forward to seeing more developments.

[LongRail]

Jim what about having a roundly round layout on the bottom level and make the station a terminus where you could fan e tracks out create several platforms. That is assuming it connects to the lower level somewhere else. Not sure if I explained that very clearly

[shanks522]

Looking good Jim, 

 

 I like the fact the depot connects to the engineers yard, plenty of scope for operation.

 

Graham.

[big jim]

called in hobby goblin again earlier hoping to get a couple of single track versions of the bridge i got last week but unfortunatly he only had one so i took it anyway as i have a plan for the removable section

 

 

i was thinking of having a pir of the side by side but slightly skew to allow me to get the 3 lines below to curve underneath

 

i can also do it with the double bridge but the tracks will be a lot tighter/closer both top and bottom

 

as ive just been planning the top level using the old wood i can now see where it would benefit it to be wider etc so i may well go and buy the proper wood later in the week ready for that

[big jim]

Got another piece of wood from B&Q this afternoon to replace the various offcuts I've used to plan the top level however first job was to remove the existing board from the removable section and replace it with a blank board

 

Planning boards

 

Removable section stripped down

 

 

rebuilt and in situ

 

I then placed the lower level track on what will be the high level boards to get an idea of where I need to be cutting to maximise the space on the top of the layout, I've worked out that by adding a 15cm wide fillet of ply to the narrower board on the right I can bring the lower curves futher across and gain 15-20 cm width to the top board, especially useful on the curve coming off the removable section as I can now bring the station back up to a decent width, possibly even the same size as before

 

In addition to that I can fit 4 or 5 hidden storage sidings below the station, I wanted to avoid hidden sections but if I add these I can park up my full takes of wagons such as the freightliner hoppers or megaboxes and full length passenger trains like the WAG, NMT etc, I'll make sure the walls in front are fixed with magnetic tape to retrieve any derailments etc

 

Going back to the high level but again but looking the other way I recon I can gain more station space and make the area more interesting by smoothing out the curves so the line comes in at an angle rather than along the back wall as it did on the positioning board, again as much as I want to avoid hidden areas by adding a board similar to this one I can sweep the curve round and use curved points before the bridge to allow trains to cross over to various platforms before the station meaning I can have longer platforms

 

If I can I may get a level crossing in there so I can reuse my town buildings?

[Zomboid]

I would put a false cutting behind the girder bridge, so the tracks actually curve under, but it looks like they go straight on.

[big jim]

Cut the top piece this evening, cut it down the middle to maximise the use, I will add extra bits like the station forecourt area using offcuts from the old boards but this is how it looks so far

 

 

This is where i will have to add the 15cm wide fillet between the removable section and normal board to allow the goods line to sweep round towards the scissor crossing

 

At the ofher end the girder bridge looks quite smart over the lower lines, I will trim the edge of the top board back a bit where it curves this side of the bridge and cut an angle into it where the goods line will come out

 

Station wise if I add 2 sets of curved crossovers either side of the station on the approach I should be able to fit 3 platforms and a bay, as you look at it in the pic the left track traffic will go away from the camera, next track across is bi directional but normal working would be traffic coming towards the camera, 3rd track can be a loop with normal traffic flow towards the camera and the 4th line can be a bay, trains can depart that platform and go to the small station on the low level via the station crossovers and scissor

 

The only thing non prototypical but I will have to live with is the curved points will be pretty much slap bang in the middle of the level crossing I want to add!

 

So really the next job will be to secure the hidden low level tracks in place (and of course lay a cork base and sort the new curves in the already sceniced bit) before i can fix the top boards down, and then there is the removable section!

Edited December 1, 2016 by big jim

[LongRail]

Jim, looking good I don't think however that a set of points would work through a crossing you may have to move the crosssing

[Swifty11]

Looking good

[5BarVT]

The only thing non prototypical but I will have to live with is the curved points will be pretty much slap bang in the middle of the level crossing I want to add!

Sez who it's non prototypical? Google (other search engines are available) Red Cow Crossing Exeter and look for photos before the resignalling (Exeter Middle box) and you will see a level crossing with points in it. OK just the crossing nose, not the switch rails, but you're not as unprototypical as you might think.

 

Paul.

[big jim]

Sez who it's non prototypical? Google (other search engines are available) Red Cow Crossing Exeter and look for photos before the resignalling (Exeter Middle box) and you will see a level crossing with points in it. OK just the crossing nose, not the switch rails, but you're not as unprototypical as you might think.

Paul.

thats good enough for me and how it would be on the layout with the actual toe of the 2 points outside the crossing area so it wouldnt look too odd, besides the corner its in if i place the buildings strategically on the viewing side you wouldnt notice too much Edited December 2, 2016 by big jim

[Zomboid]

Have you considered having the centre road as a through, non-platform line? (E.g Ipswich) Those always look good to me.