Braybridge - 5' x 1' - Now up for sale

[jamest]

Hi all,

Winter is here and the car wants to get back into the garage so I will soon need to dismantle some of my garage layout, Barnstaple Junction.

I had intended to perhaps have the Barnstaple end in the house over the winter so I could make some progress - but my head has been turned again and I have another project in mind this winter! I'm beginning to think I have commitment issues!

A trip to the show at Taunton provided me with an increased interest in an end to end layout and my mind wandered to a 5' x 1' piece of board I had kicking around. I had two spare peco medium radius points and an idea based on a simple track-plan I saw at Taunton.

Here is the track-plan I have come up with:

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It has a 5' x 1' scenic section and a 3' fiddle yard at each end. The double track entry on the right assumes the beginning of the loop is off-scene. The plan included a wills occupational bridge - but I fell in love with the new skaledale GWR girder bridge in my local shop and had to shoe-horn it in! The plan is to make the era as non-specific as possible so I can run my BR blue stuff while keeping an eye on two tone green stuff and more modern traction. To that end I plan a simple hard standing next to the siding with an 'overgrown feel' to the track.

So the odd DMU, two coach train, through goods, etc.

And just to prove that it is more than a figment of my imagination:

I've added some sides and ends to the board and created the elevated section so I can lay out some track:





The wills paving sheets denote the platform and the bridge is in place:







Some further info on the layout:
The track will be code 100.
The points will be 'wire in the tube'.
I hope to build my first traverser fiddle yards.
It will be designed with the possibility of exhibiting in mind.
I hope father Christmas will bring me a static grass applicator (after seeing the green scene one demonstrated at Taunton) - so I hope to experiment with that later.

Cheers,
James

[matt1471]

Hi James,

I love that GWR Girder Bridge to!! I just can't find anywhere to put it, short of building ANOTHER layout just to include it!!

I look forward to watching this thread.....your layouts are always an inspiration. Shame you've had to move away from Barnstaple Junction, but based on your 6x4 Starter, I'm sure it will impress.

I'm still waiting for you to sell your Bauxite Railfreight Vans and I might have to earmark this new layout when you've had enough!!

[jamest]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the comment. I'd like to keep going with Barnstaple junction in the winter but the car needs to be kept out of the cold!

I also feel having a few things on the go helps keep the enthusiasm going. I feel really good about this one and hope to make some real good progress over the winter. After a break from the garage I'm sure I will return to it with more energy in the spring.

Speaking of the 6x4 - the misses was happy to see it go as she thought it was the end of layouts in the conservatory over winter - I haven't been brave enough to discuss this one yet!!! But it is thin!

My alignment dowels and toggle clamps are on the way in the post. I was going to concentrate on the scenic board first and leave the fiddle yards, but I think I need to get trains up and running early!!! I'm going off the idea of a traverser and I think sector plates are a better option with the bits I have around me.

I'm not selling stock, I need more!!!

Cheers,
James

[kennyGWSR]

This looks like a nice little layout, keep up the good work!

[jamest]

Hi all,

Thanks for the comment Kenny.

I've had a good weekend on the construction front and I'm much nearer fixing down some track to play with scenery options. I've laid some cork tiles on the whole scenic section. I've also cut out some slots at the back breaking through under the station - this will enable me to hook out the track wire and join them along the back of the board:



You can also see the first fiddle yard frame latched in place. I'm very happy with how it when as I made it 'open' out of ply and mdf with bracing in the corners - much lighter than normal. I've also made the 'end plate' for the opposite end with the alignment dowels in place. I find it much easier to screw the fiddle yard end plate to the scenic board first, drill through, take off and fit the dowels (brass bullet type) and then build the fiddle yard around the end plate.

Here are some more pictures of the track laid back down on the cork with my 108 for scale:









I plan to spray the track before I pin it down because spraying the platform side of the track would be difficult as it is too close to the back board.

Cheers,
James

[jamest]

Hi all,

Been a while since I updated this project - but I have done some work over Christmas.

Apologies for the picture quality but I only had the ipod touch working the other day.

I mentioned painting the track before laying above - which is fine until you bend the flex, or move the sleepers, and expose the rail you didn't paint!! So some touching up with a paint brush was required after laying. The track is pinned and the 'wire-in-the-tube' laid to control the points. I decided to run the tube on the surface of the board and cover it with ballast.

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I have completed the traverser end fiddle yard - but at the moment it runs free and not on drawer runners, which might be needed later I think as the movement is a little jerky at the moment.

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I am currently working on the 3 road sector plate fiddle yard - while discussing the layout in the model shop recently I took the very good advice of considering running a line behind the backscene between fiddle yards to move stock out of sight. This is way the fiddle yard is wider than the layout below. It would also give me more storage space on the layout. I hope to incorporate this further when I update the traverser to incorporate runners.

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Hope to update further on friday - maybe even with two working fiddle yards!

Cheers,
James

[jamest]

Hi all,

Friday afternoons are great - I'm lucky enough to finish work at noon, and after I have done my husbandly duty of cutting up some firewood, I can play trains for a few hours.

As planned I spent the afternoon finishing off the sector plate fiddle yard and I'm very pleased with the results:

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New loco section - I picked up this Railfreight class 37 second hand last week for 40 quid at my local shop. The previous owner lightly weathered it and fitted the detail parts - bargain!

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Now I can turn to the scenic section. I want to add some relay boxes, cable trunking and point motors before I ballast - but the Hatton's order will have to wait until the end of the month.

Regards,
James

[matt1471]

Hi James,

Nice work there!! Good wood working skills. I'm looking forward to seeing the scenic section develop. Love that GWR girder bridge.....think I've said it before.

Need to do some work on my plank layout to!! Want to add a nice long single track section cutting through the countyside.

I'll watch yours with avid interest!

[jamest]

Hi again,

Thanks for the comment Matt - I'm keeping an eye on your plank too!

I have been pondering over for the station building, I have two scalescenes 'freebies' from the Hornby mag that I really like and planned to use on my 6x4 layout. I'm not sure which one is more suitable (maybe both?). I may need a bit of advice for the most suitable for a intermediate station on the way to a distant outpost, serving a small town or a large village.

Option one, small waiting room and shelter:

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Option two, larger building (needs a bit of TLC on the canopy):

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Option three - any other suggestions, or possibly both buildings together.

I'd welcome an 'unbiased' opinion.

Cheers,
James

[nickbrad]

I personally like option 1

[thebritfarmer]

Both are nice but I prefer option 1.

[StevieDay]

I'd go for option 3 & put both buildings together. This could be seen as evolution of the station.

Either option 1 or 2 buildings as the original station building. With the additional building as a later add on, as the demand for the station grew/changed.

[jamest]

Hi all,

Thanks for the feedback on the station buildings.

Made some good progress this week - I've negotiated having the scenic board in the conservatory so that I can tinker for half an hour here and there instead of planning time in the garage. We have two small(ish) kids and if the wife is out for an hour I can't disappear into the garage out of earshot.

Dummy point motors and trunking installed this week - Because I've used the point actuation wire on the baseboard surface the dummy point motors had to be cut away a little to allow for the tie bar movement. I have some relay boxes too, they will go by the signal box.:
I've started to ballast so the area looks a bit messy.

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I've placed the trunking down and fed a wire under the track. Then I ballasted using woodland scenics fine grey ballast. I've bought a GWR signal box and lock up hut that I plan to tone done and give a 'dis-used' feel to:

Urgh - unsightly track pin needs attention!

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Cheers,
James

[whynot]

That track work looks really good - especially the lack of tell tale gaps between rail/point joins! Neatly filled.

I'm hoping to construct a platform using Peco edging, how do you plan making the tops? I read somewhere I THINK that 1.5mm styrene sheet is just the right thickness to "sit" in the interior tabs - does that sound right?

[craw607]

Made some really nice progress and things are looking good well done.
John