Lacathedrale

I know we've spoken about this before, but that's precisely why I think HV 1874 is an excellent pre-modern railway terminus - one inbound-only and one outbound only platform on the outside and two bidirectional platforms on the inside - one of which has a carriage dock and are the only roads with a runaround. It is of course lacking freight facilities but in Modular Minories-fashion I imagine them being a bolt-on module between the throat and the FY akin to Grand Vitesse depot over the bridge past Blackfriars. A city Minories plan could easily justify a large amount of parcels and newspaper traffic - again taking HV for inspiration with the proximity of the mail and the printing presses of the capital. If you were going for suburban rather than urban per se, then Central Croydon (another of my pet faves) had a stone yard (and then engineers depot) which was a headshunt off the station, accessed through the same tunnel that the station throat projected from. Though the whole lot was gone very early on, you could draw inspiration from Purley's modern(ish) aggregate depot (and how they used the Caterham branchline platforms for running around the train until it was rebuilt in the 80's) you've got a little bit of shunting, at least. Assuming MSO/MSV wagons rather than PGA hoppers you'd also need a brake van. In later eras it was PGA, but if you moved forward enough for Speedlink then it was a hub for that also. That said, the SR being my local baby is very tough to imagine without a full profileration of multiple units - which is anathema to a strong-operation Minories. A case of being penny-wise and pound-foolish, in terms of focus?

@Joseph_Pestell I am not really interested in scale modelling for this particular experiment. I also went down the route of joining the 3mm Society a while back but found it rather barren. Looking through there catalogue there are no conversion parts for existing chassis, only kits for the H1, Mogul, etc. which I'm sure are great, but the main thrust of this is no/very simple modelling. Thank you for the clarification on the Series 3 track - I guess in that case that's what I'm after, with the wider sleeper spacings. The layout isn't an expo - it's in theory the kernel of a modular minories to be operated primarily at home.

Good afternoon all, I'm fishing around for potential candidates for track and locomotives for a low cost, stylised retro layout. I had considered HD but I feel that the stock I particularly would like (i.e. SR) is a little out of my reach. I'm considering Triang TT if I can establish the running characteristics and some potentially suitable locomotives for suburban workings - but also have considered Triang 00 and that is the subject of this post. Locomotive and stock wise, I think I'm sorted - with even the individual sections of the SR and BR(S) fully represented - and so I'm considering track. I'm mostly looking at earlier Triang track, with wider sleeper spacings and seems that Super 4 is the best choice. The basic form of the layout requires half a dozen turnouts, and I would like them to be actuated from a central lever frame. It seems that Series 3 and Super 4 turnouts are available by the bushel on eBay, but motorised versions are more rare, and expensive. I see there are multiple versions of each, is the following correct: R 101 & 2 - Manual, Series 2 R 291 & 2 - Manual, Series 3 R 490 & 1 - Manual, Super 4 R663 - Motor for Super 4 and Series 6? X156/157 - Motor for Series 3? I don't mind manually actuating the turnouts initially and retro-fitting the motors later, but want to ensure what I buy ends up being compatible with each other in the long run. I would also like to know if other point motors are compatible? Should I be able to run Hornby Dublo on Super 4 track (I'm assuming yes)? Should I expect to be able to run trains slowly (not at a crawl, neccesarily) over Super 4 turnouts without stalling frequently? I'm not 100% clear on the difference between Series 3 and Super 4 Thank you!

This is going to sound like a strange question - but I'm trying to figure out a holistic suite of retro equipment to build a layout. The criteria are that it's (relatively) affordable, can represent a point in time on a given railway, and can run slowly (not neccesarily at a crawl). The latter is a key area for concern for me - I don't need it to run at a snails pace, but one of the things I would like to ensure is that I can shunt carriages around the layout. Is the 08 or Jinty up to this? As a supplementary question - one of the locos I would definitely like to include is the MN, but in doing so I would lack a suburban locomotive to complement the mainline and shunter (i.e. the 08). Are there any off-the-shelf or 3d-printed body replacements for any existing chassis which might work for a BR(S) setting?

Lovely stuff! Ignorant of DE practise, what are the three separate headshunts for?

I think I like the IDEA of operating the railway. Certainly this is something that earlier layout builders expected from their creations - maybe because they were closer to the prototype, typically had the space (dedicating the spare billiards room) - but I am drawn back again and again to the author of the Paddington-Seagood line's construction, paraphrasing "A shorter train doing more, would be preferable to a longer train doing less" i.e. he would prefer to have a three or five coach passenger train and be able to fit in within reason an extra station or junction - as opposed to a 10-coach train which would circambulate interminably on a simpler layout. This is VERY DIFFERENT to the approach we've seen in layouts like Copenhagen Fields, Stoke Summit, Heaton Lodge, Chee Tor, etc. I'm sure this is related to the fact that the vast majority of modellers that actually saw steam traction in the flesh would have been unable to meaningfully participate in the operation, but would no doubt have been amazed as a Duchess or A1 roared through a station, or glimpsed from the back of a garden. The modellers of the pre-boom era (i.e. when trainspotting was cool) would have likely been intimiately familiar with the workings of the railway, as well as its looks - and sought to emulate that. We see a single axis of visual realism (including track formations) with less and more realistic as the two opposing points - but modellers of that era would have seen the other axis, that of operational realism as equally relevant - and I believe it would have factored into their design choices. Long story short - that's my excuse if I build a HD Minories and run four shorty coaches as my intercity express.

Nearholmer, I have indeed seen that one. I think I'd probably backdate even further with 3-rail track, etc. - I guess the problem is now that Dublo has crossed the rainbow bridge into 'very collectable' it's not really the straight-forward affair it might have been 20 years ago. I think I'd be tempted go with the original Minories in TT gauge if there were just a few more locomotives out there - there just doesn't seem enough for one each of a mainline, shunter and suburban passenger loco for any one company...

Investigating a 1950's style Minories with Dublo 3-rail seem surprisingly compact: The platform roads are only around 3' long each - way under-sized for realistic operation, but channelling this advert, maybe suitable? I see this layout distilled down to the old 'varnished wood and polished brass' style with brightly coloured tinplate- interest would be almost entirely on signalling and train movements, to simulate a real railway's operation, rather than the visual aspects.

Very interesting thoughts. I used the through station plan as printed in a green 'BR Signalling' book - with a level crossing between the end of the platforms and the r/h crossover there was in excess of 15 levers used! I like the idea of having a double-sided layout instead of a FY to imitate those pre-war 0-gauge system layouts like Paddington-Seagood as well as to take some of the serious po-faced solemnity of "railway modelling" out of the equation. I think if i could get away with the plan in 00 I would do that, leaning towards Dublo and Triang and go straight for the heart! EDIT: That video was good, shame it's letterboxed and zoomed in. I see he's leveraged some really very right curves in the hidden sections and he's spread the terminus into the middle of the board rather than my plan which left the middle mostly empty.

Did you get any further on this? In some perverse way I'm back full circle being interested in the L's again - this time in 5" Gauge as I'm looking to build a Maid of Kent, which seeks to emulate an L1. Thankfully the unimaginative way in which the L1 sprouted from the L's design makes it very easy to backdate. For my sins and despite the wonderous research in this thread, I think I'm going to try and give it the full Wainwright, as per the E-class. The SECR Society have suggested that this is likely to muddy the waters, but it's tough enough to argue simplified over full wainwright, but when it comes to 'plain green with yellow bands' it's not even a real contest IMO. That said, I imagine that painting is a fair few years into the future and nothing at all to worry about at this point!

One thing I've been wrestling with is how to get a Minories terminus and a balloon loop into 2x1m (I'm not a metric person but that's quite neat, really) - here's my attempt in Kato Unitrack in N: There's a little fudging required, but it seems to work. I've deliberately left more of the return curves visible than would otherwise be the case to increase the % of visible versus 'fiddle'. I would imagine a diagonal backscene starting at the back of the rear platform broadly following the line of the return loops. Curving the throat even more around the corner removes all reverse curves completely. There are obviously other terminus designs which fit more naturally with Unitrack (given that it has both double-scissors and crossovers as standard offerings) but I thought the balloon loop return was interesting to consider. With four blocks (two on the long straight, one in each siding) it provides a magazine of four trains that can arrive and depart before any repetition. If we assume that there is a post office depot and/or a carriage siding in the headshunt, it could provide fertile ground for two operators. The idea of fitting into a 2x1m area is that it could be set up permanently (in theory), but I wonder if a FREMO/N-track/T-trak style modular system might be more suited for this, with Minories as a terminus: I have been having a conversation with @justin1985 with regard to the neccesity of fiddle-yards for layouts which are primarily home-based. I had prototyped a version of this plan with Minories in the centre as a terminus off the mainline (like HV on the LCDR mainline) with a double junction and an oval with a passing station instead of a FY. It's using XtrkCAD and Peco turnouts instead of Unitrack and RailModeller Pro - but the concept looked like this: This is a fully double-sided layout, much like a Hornby trackmat!

I've a few questions re: a potential 3-rail layout build, if that's OK? What kind of gradient can 3-rail dublo deal with? Let's say for the sake of argument with three tinplate coaches behind the 'average' locomotive? Is there a track planning set of stencils I can use?

I've managed to get a couple of train's worth of Lone Star push-along 000 bits over the last year or so, but the paint has been chipped so badly it's essentially more bare mazak than anything - so I want to repaint them. LNER A4 in silver with four red coaches of moderate length and open windows 2-6-2T in black with four shorty coaches with solid windows. My goal is to strip them (using powerstrip), then prime and paint in smooth, high gloss. I do have an airbrush, but the only paints I've got are acrylic. I will need to buy paints for this purpose either way, so hopeful on finding out what's the best to use. I'm not attached to their original schemes, so if these are better painted as other prototypes I'm all ears!

Precisely that, thank you both! I'm sure I saw it operating at Swindon a couple of years ago during and exhibition there - but I may be mistaken.

I know this is a bit out of context - but does anyone remember the name of that layout that was used to train signallers? I've got a right old itch to see it again after I saw it at Swindon in 2018. It's got a deliberately-old-fashioned look about it - varnished wooden boards, big brass lever frames, etc.

I had a layout germinate, be designed, half built and track laid, stock purchased and then mothballed, the layout them dismantled and sold on. All in the time between when Peco said the double slip would become available until it became clear it was not going to be available ... last year.

Though I doubt it would stop ALL damage, maybe rare earth magnets to locate the signal box and poles maybe?

Working my way through this after ripping through the prequel (of sorts), "Before Rocket: Steam Engines before the Rainhill Trials" and I'm absolutely loving it. I can highly recommend for a thorough and interesting look at the railway.

I've been fascinated by eastern bloc railways because they're just so brutish - but the challenge of finding equipment in N or TT has always put me off. I do enjoy German railways but there's always something that stops me pulling the trigger...

Mostly done, although it needs the push rod removed, cranked out over the axlebox and then reinserted. I have added the door bangers, label hooks, etc. since I took this photo: I'd love to model it in this livery:

Another option for the same space but with a more steam-era feel is as follows: Operaionally, the layout is a Minories variant with a small goods and parcels facility hanging off the down line. Each platform can take four coaches and a tender loco, the bay reserved for push-pull shuttles or DMU's. There is no runaround in the platforms, but one could easily be provided for if required. There is direct access to all relevant sidings and platforms from botht he down and up line, the only S-curve occurs from the arrivals line into the bay, which has a carriage-length straight inserted and is specifically used for short trains anyway. There is a small goods facility with a carriage dock, goods shed and road for loading coal into drays/lorries. The goods loop has its own headshunt and runaround, so goods operation (apart from an initial runaround of the loco to get on the right side of the train for shunting) is entirely independent of passenger ops and can be operated as an inglenook. I must admit, I'm really quite pleased with this one! The scenic section is designed to fit atop a large, glass fronted cabinet in my office - and the drop leaf fiddle yard is the correct length to lay down the side of the cabinet without touching the floor, to be hinged up as a cantilever and diagonal brace when in use.

Really lovely stuff, I've taken the liberty of converting this to a rather orthagonal xtrkcad plan in N/2mm - it works quite well in a shade over 8': All the best,

Obviously for us, it's there only to provide some interest to run around trains - Selsdon had a facing connection with a tiny oil depot, Caterham had the same with both a gas works and a factory - so I'm happy to fudge that a little .

Good afternoon all, I've been mulling over a space I've got in my house for a small layout, and thought I'd sketch some ideas. This is what I've come up with - an ex- double track branch terminus (channelling Bromley North and Caterham as is my wont) that has been rationalised to a single track. It is shown using Finetrax B6 (dock) and B8 (rest of the layout) turnouts. In my mind this plan is early NSE era worked by multiple units, with an occasional parcels/newspaper van or loco hauled diversion (now that's stretching it!). To properly set up a double track throat, one would need to build a double scissors with a slip on one corner - which is quite a bit of work! Sutton St. Annes which was a direct inspiration for this idea simply added half of a crossover on-scene, the other half presumed off-scene. This cheat visually works great and the layout looks authentic, but would involve wrong way running on anything leaving the bottom platform - fine for exhibiting where the visual subterfuge is sufficient, but a bit tougher to allow at home. The bottom of the layout takes a leaf from Caterham, with the loop crossovers pulled and an old goods line running up against the original station platforms, then used as a loading dock - a turntable pit and wide signal gantry and some suitably overgrown trackbed may help the illusion of a station on the down-and-out. The main part of the layout lives ontop of a cabinet, the fiddle yard is a drop leaf connection, the middle road of which is reserved for shunting. I can't really see much use for additional length - it would be useful to increase the platform length, but then stock requirements become more onerous. Anyway, I thought this was worth sharing, and I hope you like it.

1/2" to the foot is Imperial: (2mmFS wagon for scale) This is a very fine LBSC D8 covered wagon by William Models. Individually sprung axleboxes, laser cut steel W-Irons, sprung buffers and coupling hooks. These wagons could have been built with a single wooden brake, but the kit comes with a iron shod double-brake, double-sided configuration in keeping with their layout in a latter period. it also has a square builder's plate (adjacent the left hand crown plate) which means it is a post 1911 build. The original livery would have been lavender (red oxide added to light grey) with an illiterate mark only - then LBSCRY, then LBSCR and a darker shade (around 1904) and finally the dark 'lead' colour of GWR from 1911 onwards with plain 'LBSC'. I've still got all the brakes, horse hook, label clip/etc. to put on before I think about colour schemes!