MY NEXT POSSIBLE PROJECT (8' x 2' PORTABLE GOODS DEPOT LAYOUT)

[RailwayRobbo]

Hi guys.
Now that PETERSDALE is nearly finished I'm looking forward to a possible project for the two 4' x 2' boards I use for my running in track. I'll be using them end to end making it 8' x 2' finished dimensions.
I've looked through all possibilities and think a small goods depot with a couple of platforms, low relief warehouses and associated buildings will be the most interesting to operate .
I've been searching the web to find examples but am not having much luck.
I hoping you guys can point me in the direction of any sites or layouts that would give me an idea of the track plan and construction of a small goods depot.

Thanks in advance RailwayRobbo (Pete)

[glencairn]

Silvertown on the North Woolwich Line may work. Railway Modeller did a Plan of the Month (a while back).

Glencairn

[RailwayRobbo]

Thanks Glencairn, I will investigate further.

Silvertown on the North Woolwich Line may work. Railway Modeller did a Plan of the Month (a while back).

Glencairn

[luckymucklebackit]

Depends if you want to go for a prototype location or a freelance plan, for the freelance plan the "timesaver" concept gives plenty of operating potential (pencilled in as part of my future plans), the concept is described here, http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/ ... saver.html and it can be done as part of a convinicing urban or rural layout, there are quie a few examples on line.

Jim

[RailwayRobbo]

Depends if you want to go for a prototype location or a freelance plan, for the freelance plan the "timesaver" concept gives plenty of operating potential (pencilled in as part of my future plans), the concept is described here, http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/ ... saver.html and it can be done as part of a convinicing urban or rural layout, there are quie a few examples on line.

Jim

Thanks for that Jim.
That'll give me a good idea for the track plan.
I'll just have to adapt it to the space I have available.

Thanks again.

Pete

[RailwayRobbo]

Sat having a quiet moment or two in the layout shed earlier this week I decided after months of 'thinking' about it I needed to make some positive progress with this little project.
The main stumbling block was where to store the Goods Depot layout when not in use. So after a bit of a think I decided that I'd see if building some kind of support structure above the fiddle yard to support the layout would work. I'd need to have it at a height where I could place locos and rolling stock in and out of the fiddle yard comfortably.
I got rid of a set of ladders that hung on the wall close above the fiddle yard on the wall and that gave me extra width up to the wall.
From rough estimates I calculated that the underside of the Goods Depot layout would be roughly where the top of the backscene at the entrance to the fiddle yard would be. This is about chest height when I'm standing up. This would not only give me a place to store the layout but I could work on it and operate it to at that height as well.
Using the 2 boards I already have would give me a baseboard of 2400mm x 600mm. This would be too big to place on top off the fiddle yard as the length is too long and the width overhangs the side. A baseboard of 2100mm x 550mm would be a more ideal size with no overhang into the open space at the side of the layout. This means I'll be making a new baseboard. The existing ones would have to be modified and have MDF tops which would need replacing so I may as well make new ones.
Anyway I'm only at the planning stage at the moment and any progress is dependent on the support structures doing their job.
As you can see from the pictures the fiddle yard has currently got a cover consisting of 4 clear perspex sheets. These may have to be sacrificed if they can't be removed and put back on with the support structure in place. We shall see.

Fiddle yard

Fiddle yard showing perspex covers and the surviving baseboard from PETERSDALE Mark2 stored behind.

[RailwayRobbo]

We have lift off Houston lol.
After months of lockdown lethargy and thinking about it I've finally struck the first blow and started constructing my small Goods Depot layout.
I'll start a new thread in the 'Layouts under construction' thread.
Not suprisingly the layout will be called 'Robinson Road Goods Depot. It's got a nice ring to it I think lol.

Pete (Robinson) RailwayRobbo