Austwick

[swinden dalesman]

Well my first proper post so here goes,

It's going to be a slow process this layout because i have limited time & it's taken a long time to get to the point i am at now with the planning etc.

After a very long period of time deciding what to build i am 99% certain on the trackplan & design of the layout i intend to build. Planning a layout properly & giving each siding etc a purpose is something that needs thought & preparation. The problem i am faced with is space, the kid's both now have a bedroom & my girlfriends collection of clothes is ever growing so i needed to make something portable & something that would also be interesting to operate. Depot's etc are not really my thing i prefer to see a train with something behind it as opposed to moving a loco around.

Anyway the first thing i did once i had a plan in my head was to make sure everything fit, Peco do templates that you can download from there website which is a great help i have found whilst planning a layout. The kitchen lino was brushed & hoovered to make sure no foreign object got caught on my new locos wheels & with a few tape measures the scene was set.

I've gone with a 6'' x 2'' scenic section & a 3'' fiddle which will be built for a cassette system. One thing i have done is to draw a 8 inch x 4 inch box on a piece of paper & draw in each part of the layout that will be plywood so i can make sure everything is cut in the builders merchants. Having the build centre cut the wood will mean that everything is perfectly straight & should mean a hassle free build. Pointwork is peco code 75 with SMP flexi track for a more realistic look.

Up to now i am set on the track & era but i am torn between 2 very different locations to model. My collection of models is mainly ex LMS types & one of my main influences is the Settle & Carlisle which is close to my home. I have the Hornby Dent Station & Signal box tucked away safely here ready for action & they would sit nicely in the space i have. The problem is i also have some western region models, the Somerset & Dorset 7F is here along with a pannier tank & i really do want to give them a home, don't you just hate choice & decisions

Anyway when i fathom out how to upload some photos & scans i will show the trackplan & the board design plan.

Ciao for now

Simon

[swinden dalesman]

Had a nice little run out today on my bike to get some modeling inspiration. Living right on the Yorkshire Dales doorstep i regularly go up to Devils Bridge for a brew & a burger so i am always close to the S&C. With a head full of more ideas i have mocked up the layout again for photos & decided on a bit of a change.

Firstly i have gone with a smaller layout idea that can be kept up permanently in the room my girlfriend has her sunbed.
Some time ago i picked up a book called '' Finescale layouts in small spaces'' By Iain Rice. There is a very nice little plan called Elan which is going to be the basis of my layout. The layout plan is for a small Cambrian layout although i am moving my layout firmly into the Yorkshire Dales. After a ride around today i decided that the layout is to be called Austwick which is a real village between Settle & Clapham. The idea is that a branch came off the S&C at Helwith Bridge & served the village for cattle & stone traffic from the quarry giving the layout a bit more scope for running.

Firstly the plan ( not drawn to scale etc )



Next up we have some photos of the mock up on my kitchen floor.



The siding on the left of the above photo will either be a siding for quarry wagons or it'll serve a cattle dock although i've not decided on it yet.

This photo shows the station area from the fiddle yard & small goods yard.



I'm going to put the buildings on the work bench soon & get the roofs of the station buildings to the correct colors because there is no way a building in the Yorkshire Dales were the color & although the buildings are spot on the color could have been improved.

Anyway thats all for now,

Simon