What are you modelling?

Pete Mc · May 21, 2012, 01:24:18 AM

My layout started off as Moss Eisley,this being due to a massive influence of the Star Wars theme.Problem is,there is no amount of 1:148 scale models of Star Wars characters so I decided to rename my layout Chatsworth.
The reason for this is I wanted to recreate a time when urban life was starting to decline which incidentally was what was going on with BR.All my stock is BR corporate blue going onto large logo and railfreight red stripe with a smattering of later stuff such as pacer and sprinter dmu's.There will be no more later stuff than this due to my preferred period being when deltics and hst's were what ran on the east coast mainline when I was a kid.
Late stuff can and is a good age but as a cliche,I do like blue stuff more due to there being a large contingent of loco hauled services.Today the only loco hauled stock is mainly freight.
So as a home layout,my choice is an urban setting with BR blue stock serving a fictional east coast mainline route that has a degree of deprivation due to budgetery cuts but runs efficiently as a mainline would,oh, and it is going to be sound equipped.I currently have a sound equipped hst and dmu and this will expand to others as and when decoders and speaker technology begins to filter down to us home modellers.
As an aside,I am planning an exhibition layout.This layout was to be a layout consisting of a TMD and mainline passing by.Trouble is,there are loads of the same tpes whereby a loco is left ticking over in a stabling area and the odd loco movement is made,these are mainly in oo gauge so I decided that an n gauge version would be something quite unique.Only it isn't.So I have decided that,living in Doncaster,I am going to do a layout in n gauge,based loosely on Doncaster Plant Works.
This layout will feature all my blue stock.It,as I say is only loosely based on Donny Plan,due to it being such a large area to model,so will not feature Doncaster railway station.It will feature the East Coast mainline so as to exhibit my deltics and hst's flying through.
Only.thing.now is to do some extensive research so as to determine what aspects to feature on this layout.
It s dimensions are to have a 9foot by 2 foot scenic area,with a two foot either end to allow traffic to return to.the staging roads.This means it'll be a roundy of around 12-13 foot by 3 foot.

Pete

Bealman · May 21, 2012, 01:44:04 AM

Sounds cool. The exhibition layout should be a corker.

I am firmly stuck in the BR green period, but I must admit as time passes I do feel some nostalgia for the blue period you are so fond of, and I am nowhere near as venomous to the era as I have been in the past. It reminds me of when I made the move to Australia. I was actually hauled from Durham to London by a blue Deltic on the first leg of the journey to my new life.

As I say, your plans sound great!

Newportnobby · May 21, 2012, 08:09:11 AM

Sounds a great idea Pete

Look forward to seeing the plan

Pete Mc · May 21, 2012, 05:51:14 PM

Thanks for the replies gents,it is only in the embryonic stages as I only had the idea come to me in the latter half of last week.
The idea sprang up from the fact that one of our club members decided to mothball his layout of Holmfirth in n,due to his dalliance with 2mmfs.This means there is space to accomodate another effort,whether its from me remains to be seen.Our club secretary is an ex Doncaster Plant workerone of his favourite periods was when BR ordered the class 56.Doncaster Plant works had the job of ensuring the Romanian built loco's were fit for mainline running.They were far from suitable due to things like conduits welded up with wiring inside them,which consequently melted the insulation.Another one of his tales is the one about the cabl ends.The early ones upto 56064 had aluminium cabs.Tons and tons of material was shipped to Romania,only for it to go missing once it had arrived at the factory where the cab shells were being formed.It turned out that the workers were nicking aluminium,not for scrap,but to make pans out of it.There are quite a few more of stories but I won't bore anyone.
Anyhow,with his insight into the site,and google maps as well as a family friend who also worked at the plant and has loads of information on the works,I should be able to get what I need to get going,hopefully.

Pete

Sandvika · May 22, 2012, 07:14:00 PM

My last layout was Settle to Carlisle, loosely modeled on Garsdale, except with double track branch to Hawes. It was all about very long runs with scale length trains on proper gradients ("The Long Drag") and curves, all LMS, so 1930s/40s. This was inspired by chasing steamer excursions over the moors with my father in law and falling in love with the bleakness (Blea Moor etc). My most memorable chase was an 8F, which ran late due to loads of wheel slip on a very cold autumn morning, so steam vapour galore to go with it.

I'm sticking with LMS era as I'm loving it. However, my life is very packed - far too many interests - so I'm planning my new layout on the premise that I'll be retiring during its lifetime. Thus, I'll make it modular to specification, so that I can take modules to exhibitions rather than have the whole layout permanently fixed in the loft. This is also influenced by my heartbreak over my previous layout being dismantled for a house move and never reassembled due to a radically differently shaped loft. A modular layout should be able to survive a move!

I would like to figure out how to incorporate gradients into a modular layout. "The long drag" was about 20 feet long at 1 in 100, so over half a scale mile, rising 30 scale feet - and down again over the same distance - and that would amount to 10 modules long!

longbridge · May 22, 2012, 09:25:55 PM

I am modelling a freelance American layout with mountainous scenery that is a bit of this and a bit of that, I am running trains in the 1968 to 1976 era on the Penn Central Railroad which ran in Nth East USA but have a love for the scenery in the Nth West USA, I also intend to have features found in other parts of the USA on the layout, I enjoy modelling the freelance way as I love to use my imagination and create something that is entirely mine.

Crackerbill · July 08, 2012, 04:50:37 PM

Following my thread in regard to a coal tower in February, I thought a few of you might be interested in seeing the thing " a view at dusk" in situ on my loco service depot which is under construction. Also this thread is a test for me to see if I can get an image into a thread using the media button.

Cheers
Bil

l

Newportnobby · July 08, 2012, 05:25:00 PM

That'll be a 'yes' then, Bill

Crackerbill · July 08, 2012, 05:29:12 PM

An absulute YES Nobby with a little help from John.

Cheers
Bill

scotsoft · July 08, 2012, 05:37:13 PM

Well done Bill, I am pleased my ramblings made some sense

cheers John.

Crackerbill · July 09, 2012, 12:41:53 AM

Quote from: scotsoft on July 08, 2012, 05:37:13 PM
Well done Bill, I am pleased my ramblings made some sense

cheers John.

Seems I've been having a time of it John, as I sent you a message immediately after my success and this doesn't seem to have gone out to you. Must be me pressing the wrong button again - not unusual at my advanced years!!
Anyway I thank you for your patience and advice and must advise that the problem appears to be that when I right clicked the BBC code after highlighting it the copy option on the drop down menu was greyed out. Right clicking the actual image gave me the correct option and it was plain sailing from there. Strange!!! Maybe it will be useful for you to hold this gem in your advice bucket for future old codgers like me who get lost opening the door.
Seriously thank you once again
Regards
Bill

Bealman · July 09, 2012, 12:54:46 AM

Well done, Crackerbill! An absolute CRACKER of a model! The cityscape in the background looks pretty cool, too.

scottishlocos · November 04, 2012, 12:53:47 PM

Hi all

My first n gauge layout is going to be based on Thornton Yard in Fife from about 1996 onwards this was in my view a golden era with Transrail, Loadhaul, Mainline and EWS class 37, 47, 56 and 60's appearing on freight trains in the area.
As well as coal trains which made up the majority of the trains there was stratch for local paper mills CO2/carbon dioxide gas for a local distillery flyash from Longannet as well as coal slurry for Methil power station.
As space is tight i am only modelling a small corner of the yard but i hope to include most of the freight trains mentioned.

kind regards

ave

westie7 · November 04, 2012, 01:09:02 PM

Quote from: scottishlocos on November 04, 2012, 12:53:47 PM
Hi all

My first n gauge layout is going to be based on Thornton Yard in Fife from about 1996 onwards this was in my view a golden era with Transrail, Loadhaul, Mainline and EWS class 37, 47, 56 and 60's appearing on freight trains in the area.
As well as coal trains which made up the majority of the trains there was stratch for local paper mills CO2/carbon dioxide gas for a local distillery flyash from Longannet as well as coal slurry for Methil power station.
As space is tight i am only modelling a small corner of the yard but i hope to include most of the freight trains mentioned.

kind regards

ave

Sounds right up my street.
Do you have a copy of Branchlines and Byways - Scotland, Michael Rhodes? Had me drooling.

I'm still looking for inspiration for something Speedlink that includes a small yard off an electrified mainline

Rgds
Mark

scottishlocos · November 04, 2012, 01:44:48 PM

Hi Mark

Your profile says you stay in Aberdeenshire you dont have to look far for a speedlink yard try Elgin on thr Aberdeen to Inverness line! In speedlink days there was grain, containers carrying whiskey and MOD strores for the local airbases and timber traffic the yard used to have a small gantry crane!

regards

Dave