Chufferlands Holiday park. Time to rip it up and start again

[sp4rky]

Hi Al,


I must say I really do like this layout - it's the sort of thing I was headed for a few months ago.

Loving the new hill and the holiday camp

[Big Al]

Hi Sp4rky

Thanks for the comments. We are enjoying building it although its getting hard to find time with the nice weather starting to show but I will persevere. I wish I had of made it less distance from front to back as it is hard to reach all the way back there. The camp site people help it along and once the main scenics are done we can concentrate on more building detail.

Cheers Alan

[Big Al]

Hi All. Things have got a bit stagnant re the layout. I realized a few things.

1. There where no stations, as such, so there was no operational value. This subject had been remarked upon by a few forum members.

2. There was no room on the layout to have any shunting. I like to use uncouplers as supplied by Hornby or Peco. I know a lot of people have moved on from them but it's where I,m at at the moment. The track that I have used does not easily allow for these to be fitted I.e. semi flexi track on the straight runs and set track radius bends. This sounds strange but using semi flexi allowed a lot less fish plates and as a result greater electrical continuity.

3. The back of the layout is hard to get to and a lot less fun to add scenics.

More room was needed.

[Big Al]

So I've added an extension to the outer loop.

What I've done is to reduce the fiddle yard to three track roads and used the reclaimed space to run a loop around to the other side of the loft. The sofa had to go and although there is not an awful lot of space up there I now have used an area of 6 x 8. Now when we go into the loft there is a gap of 16 inches do walk through into a small operation area. Eventually I will get hope fully two swivel style office chairs to sit on.

Within the loop there has been added a two road terminus and a siding for a small goods yard. I still have not enough space as the longest siding I have is around 40 inches. I have now accepted that two coach passenger trains is all I can run. this size train is also determined by the station size which will also just about allow two coach trains.

When it is sorted I should have a terminus, two small stations, two goods siding equidistant from each other and a three train storage area (the original fiddle yard).

I have used screws between the sleepers for now to allow changes during operations and don't intend any permanent scenics or fixtures to be started until i am happy with the operational interest. the first road of the original fiddle yard has been added to the loop further round so now acts as a large passing loop.

As for the area at the back of the layout which is hard to reach. I am considering a scenic break or a big mountain that will be built on a seperate fram then I can lift it out when we want to work on it.

Cheers for now Alan

[santene]

sounds like an adventurous new plan whats going on about the micro shunting layout?

[Big Al]

Hi Santene.

The shunting layout is still at the just about to lay track stage but it has not been ignored. The plan was to have a continuous circuit around the loft that ran around 10 inches above the main layout. The loco's that are to be on this layout are mostly British Rail blue. As well as have the shunting area the is also to be two sidings that will hold trains, class 37 and class 40 with blue / gray coach stock.

I was not happy with the main layout and decided that when I felt better about it then I could carry on with the shunting layout.

I will draw up some track plans later and scan them in and you all can let me know what you think.

Cheers Alan

[Big Al]

Hi all. Here is a track plan I have drawn up A is a swivel chair and this will be where the main operations are from. The passenger stations are marked in red and the green platforms are for freight. the controls will be around the chair but I'm not sure where exactly.

All the stations are the right size to take two coaches, except for the inner loop where the passenger platform will take five four wheeled coaches. On the main circuit the smallest radius is 2nd rad. The inner loop is as it was and has 1st rad curves. All the points are reachable from this location except one ant that will be operated remotely some how later



When the scenic work is done a large area of the new section will be under a mountain and this may even reach up to meet the circuit from the shunting layout. This will link the two layouts together scenically at least.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

Cheers Alan

[leopard]

All I'd be tempted to add is another crossover, on the bottom next to the chair, this will create a return loop, which will work nicely with the terminus. not strictly required but it would be easy to add, and just requires a length of track you can reverse to polarity on, including the crossover. drop a signal down here and thats the excuse for a train to stop. when you don't want it, ignore it, when you do you have the ability to turn a whole train.

I'm assuming you're using mostly tank engines due to the small size so a turn table isn't needed. but operationally this look very good

[Big Al]

Cheers Leopard.

I quite like the sound of that. The area at the bottom is quite squeezed for space but I hadn't considered adding a crossover. It would be handy to have the ability to turn a train as it could add more interest to running.

I'm not sure what yo mean by having a section of track that can have it's polarity reversed. I think it means that I can, by flicking a suitable switch on that section, have a train run continuously into the terminus head first. Whereas if id did not have the switch it would cause a short circuit. If you could add a few details a to the correct type of switch that would be great.

cheers Alan

[leopard]

the rail closest to the chair, and the one adjacent to it get a cross over, such that the trains can run from the main station, out, round and back again directly, thus turning the train.

as you note this will lead to a short circuit somewhere, so the length of track adjacent to the chair, upto the crossover and going back a few feet gets its own power feed. rigged via a double pole, double throw switch, but connected to the section of outer track adjacent, and the track the cross over leads to. thus electrically it is either part of the outer track, or the inner track.

now you normally set it to be part of the outer track, so you have a continuous loop to run on. when you want to turn a train you stop the train in front of the cross over (within the section controlled via the switch). turn the controller off so the loco is 'dead', now throw the switch and the points of the crossover. at this point the controller direction is reversed and the train can be driven onto the other track and left running. once its clear of the crossover you throw the switch back ready for the next train and reset the points.

its a basic 'reverse loop' really, but very useful.

[Big Al]

Cheers leopard I have been studying your post and I think I've got it. The thing now is to decide how the crossover is laid. I have been looking at the plan and I cant find a way to make the turning process quicker. As you say once the train leaves the main terminus it has to go all the way round the loop on the right hand section of the layout or it can cut out a bit by going past the train storage area, at the bottom of the layout, hence cutting out some of the loop.

Cheers Alan

[Big Al]

Hi All

Here's a couple of photo's to show the new extension.



You will notice the silver screws used to hold the track down. These will be removed when the project has been ballasted



Hope you like it. Cheers Alan

[MrT]

Looks good Alan - the track plan looks like good fun to operate.

[Infrontcat]

Hi Alan

Bloody hell mate, you have been busy! Looks as though things are coming along apace and the operational interest has increased no end! Have you done anymore with that lovely rockface area you were developing on the original board?

Cheers

Tim

[Big Al]

I have been making trees for the layout and they have been quite successful. But I have one problem, The layout was created on a flat board and as a result some of it looks well, flat. So I need to make the road surfaces and This is where it must be done right to tie it all together.

I have decided that the road will be built up from the field level to allow for drainage from the road camber. But as it is a country ish location I don't know whether to go for a tarmac type finish or a gravel type.

Please feel free to comment as it has been bugging me for quite a while. The area is a camp site and farm and will have had a reasonable amount of time spent on it by the owner who has staff on site to make things look nice for the campers.

The trees have turned out well and when I get some photo's sorted I'll give a step by step account of how they were done. Cheers Alan