6x4 Starter layout - For sale?

[jamest]

Hi all,

I'd like to share the construction of my first 'proper' layout with you all. My son (age and I caught the bug last Easter after visiting a local exhibition - we bought a hornby Pendolino DCC set and I set about laying track around my Garage (trying to avoid the car).
But I went a bit big too soon (a common mistake I understand) and my son was a little fustrated with the amount of mess and lack of actual 'play' with the trains!

I (we) decided to reduce our focus to a smaller 6x4 layout with a half scenic section and half storage. So here it is, it looks like I've made a fantastic amount of progress in a short amount of time but this has actually happened over a few months.
Its a fairly simple track plan and has evolved a bit from the first idea, but it should provide enough interest when using the bay platform area and main passing loop.
I want to use this project to practice ballasting, scenic work and woodwork and I'm pretty pleased with the results so far. I've planned the platforms, used insulation board to baulk out the scenics, used plaster bandage to cover, sprayed the track (railmatch sleeper grime) and then ballasted most of the track.
I've made use of several of the excellent scalescenes (no personal connection) downloads - for example the brickwork and concrete bridge.
Ok less talk more pictures! 5 is the maximum I understand, so here goes - a potted history so far:

Early set-up

overall 2.jpg (50.54 KiB) Viewed 5803 times

Adding higher level - Cutting

13-08-09 03.jpg (56.83 KiB) Viewed 5796 times

Adding higher level - experimenting with bay area format

13-08-09 01.jpg (64.44 KiB) Viewed 5799 times

Adding the wall and finalising the track layout

transfer 23-09-09 004.jpg (65.05 KiB) Viewed 5802 times

Starting with the plaster bandage


I'll try to add more soon.

Cheers,
James

[SouthernBoy]

Nice start James: curved platforms (handmade by the look of it), gentle hills, uncrowded track plan, curved back boards are nice - and - "...I (we) decided to reduce our focus to a smaller 6x4 layout..." small but (potentially) beautiful

I'm guessing this is 00 ?

Welcome to the NRM

Mark

[craw607]

Hi.
Welcome nice layout and plenty to keep young minds busy to start with I did same started with
trackmat but you soon get carried away. Lot of potential to expand as I'm sure you will over the years.

John

[jamest]

Hi Mark/john

Yes it is OO, sorry, I explain the things I want to say and assume you all know the rest!! The layout is DCC.

I'm mostly into BR blue and I have a class 20, 25, 31 & 37 from this era. I have a older green chipped Warship and I also have the pendolino we started with and a DRS class 37 and DRS class66 (when I thought about going more modern).
The idea is not to 'date' the layout too much and be able to run a variety of stock - but my son is keen to run anything and I don't want to dent his enthusiasm! - and if I'm honest it's not just him!

The platforms will be kind of handmade. The edging is concrete style peco edging and the wood is there to support a card surface which I intend to cover with downloaded paving slabs. My curves have to be a little tight, due to the size of the layout, and the edging is great for testing the clearance against stock. You can pin with track pins and and try, and move and try....

I'm planning to switch the scenic points (5 of them) manually from the fiddle yard area. That will mean a reasonable distance for the straight ones (4' ish)and two will need a 90 degree 'L' shaped bracket as they are too far around the curves. I'll try to post some piccys of my progress with this in the future.

Anyway here's a few more pics:

station view 23-09-09 008.jpg (64.13 KiB) Viewed 5785 times

signal box 23-09-09 009.jpg (61.54 KiB) Viewed 5783 times

transfer 29-09-09 002.jpg (83.72 KiB) Viewed 5777 times

I've started to paint the plaster and track

transfer 29-09-09 003.jpg (74.25 KiB) Viewed 5759 times

And I've ballasted the track:

transfer 29-09-09 004.jpg (107.29 KiB) Viewed 5775 times

Thanks for looking,
James

[craw607]

Hi james

Looking good just one thought your last picture showing ballasting
not to sound cheeky but the rails look abit dirty which will not help the
running of DCC or it might be my screen.

John

[jamest]

Hi John,

Yeah - that was pretty soon after ballasting, and before I got round to running my track rubber over it again.

You're right, I don't think I'd have got a lot of movement from the trains on that!

Cheers,
James

[SouthernBoy]

It seems you're doing all the right things, and quite successfully judging by the pictures - Ballasting and landscaping all look pretty decent to me

I'm curious about ' ... I'm planning to switch the scenic points (5 of them) manually from the fiddle yard area. ...' does that mean some wire in tube method or something?

Thanks

Mark

[jamest]

It seems you're doing all the right things, and quite successfully judging by the pictures - Ballasting and landscaping all look pretty decent to me

I'm curious about ' ... I'm planning to switch the scenic points (5 of them) manually from the fiddle yard area. ...' does that mean some wire in tube method or something?

Thanks

Mark

Hi Mark,

I did consider the wire in a tube method but I decided to have a go with what I had around me. I also thought about stud and probe point motors but my placement of points and joists underneath followed 'sods law' and two would have been very difficult to fit motors to.

I've put some 6mm dia dowel through holes in the baseboard timber. I was pretty successful in getting it in line with the point draw bar (is that the right term?). I then dilled a hole through a 'block of wood' and glued it over the dowel under the point. I drilled through the point draw bar hole into the wood below (as opposed to my finger - luckily) and fed a drill through the point and into the dowel (bit fiddley finding the hole in the wood from above) . Pretty simple but effective - but I need to prevent it twisting to make sure it stands up to the test of time! Two of the points are at right angle to the back of the board (on the platform straight) so are straight forward.

The bay splitting point is at a slight angle but the dowel will take a gentle bend over the 3' or so to the point from the back and still work ok.

The other two points require a crank type effort to get the 'movement' through 70/80 degrees, and 90 degrees respectively. It seems to be working ok.

I'll try and post some piccys in the near future.

[SouthernBoy]

Very inventive - I'm impressed

[Steve with the Hat]

As usual james, looking good. Your point control method sounds interesting! all that 'drilling through the point' is v.brave m8 I did read elsewhere about folks using the action of a small DPDT toggle switch to move the point when using rods etc, may help

looking forward to more pics, big fan of this plan - don't mess it up! ;P (jk)

steve

[jamest]

Hi all,

As promised here are some more snaps of my progress with the point operation:

Here is the effort to transfer the motion through 90 degrees:

transfer 24-10-09 008.jpg (49.1 KiB) Viewed 5742 times

And here are the more straight forward points at the end of the platforms. Notice the block into which I drilled for the pin. These three at the front go into the front joist to support them fully and to minimise the potential 'bounce' of the dowel:

transfer 24-10-09 009.jpg (53.58 KiB) Viewed 5731 times

I've also made a start covering the platform surface with card. I'm using 'tarmac' sheet and plain card - basically all I had! It looks a bit patchwork quilt but will be covered. You can see the downloaded scalescenes paving on the left hand platform has been partially laid:

transfer 24-10-09 006.jpg (71.09 KiB) Viewed 5722 times

up close - I'm not 100% sure about the glued strip against the white edging?:

transfer 24-10-09 007.jpg (74.22 KiB) Viewed 5721 times

Cheers,
James

[Steve with the Hat]

I'm not sure about that extra strip of edging either James but then what do I know my platforms are tarmac!

I am sure that your point mechanism looks bang on though, are you going to make a lever frame of some sort or just operate them from the board edge ?

cheers

Steve

[SouthernBoy]

I think the patchwork quilt / strip against the edging work quite well. Many platforms are constructed from a variety of non-matching materials as over the years extensions were added and temporary repairs (which ended up permanent) were made. Once you've got buildings, benches, people and trains in your station the platforms will just blend in nicely

[joshv8]

The use of dowel for point switching, mate, that's a very clever idea! so cheap and no wiring. I think if you had an area with multiple points and didn't want to wire it that piano wire would be a better option due to the flexibility but what you have done works well. I think for a 6x4 its coming along really nicely!

[jamest]

Hi all - Happy new year.

Time for a little update on my 6x4 roundy roundy.

I've finished the platforms and done a bit of scattering of some green but I have spent most of my time thinking about what to do with the upper level. I was going to have a town scene of some sort but I really fancied having a second small layout that I could play with!
I've kept an eye on other motive power depots on this forum and in reference material and I decided to try to fit in a two road shed and a refueling point. I built a scalescenes diesel shed a little while ago and decided to use that as it has a small footprint. I have a knightwing fuelling point and a scalescenes tank set as well and set about playing with track. After several attempts I reached a point i'm happy with:

14jan10- 077.jpg (72.26 KiB) Viewed 5702 times

This shows the overall plan - I haven't trimmed the sidings to the correct lengths yet but the points are positioned as I want. The trains enter through the backscene to the left of the shed (with the shed helping to obscure the entry point). I've tried to keep the headshut access for the shed and two train refuelling access seperate along with a long siding to the left for various storage.

14jan10- 084.jpg (54.78 KiB) Viewed 5695 times

Here is the view from the other side - I plan to have a pit on one lane inside the shed and have road access over the concrete bridge to some sort of office block this end. I plan to have a hardstanding/car park to the left of the shed in this piccy.

14jan10- 078.jpg (73.58 KiB) Viewed 5687 times

Here is another angle - apologies for the picture quality but the layout is in the conservatory for the winter and the lighting isn't meant for photography!


Cheers,
James