What is Inglenook

[Simon.]

Hello,

What exactly is 'Inglenook Sidings'  I've been looking up small shunting layouts and this term comes up a lot.

[NeMo]

I'm sure someone else will know the specifics, but several decades ago someone came up with the idea of a small layout with three sidings that required the operator to shunt wagons to arrange them in a particular order. Like a puzzle. You'd make cards for each wagon, shuffle them, and whatever order they ended up in was the train you'd make. I think the first such layout was called Inglenook Sidings, and so the term has stuck for layouts of this sort. Small, simple, built around three or four sidings, and designed for shunting.

Cheers, NeMo

[Zunnan]

The basics of a true Inglenook is limited length sidings with a set number of items of easily identifiable rolling stock and a locomotive. You produce a set of cards each of which identifies with one of the wagons, and use the cards (shuffled for each train) to select the specific order in which a 'departing train' must be shunted together from the provided rolling stock.

The typical setup is for 8 wagons and uses two sidings which will each hold 3 wagons, and one siding which will hold 5. The headshunt that connects them will take the locomotive plus 3 wagons.

This website very well sums up INGLENOOK puzzles.

[Malc]

I always assumed that it was called Inglenook because the layout was based in a fireplace alcove.

[jrb]

Simon,

I'm just building one at the moment. If you haven't seen them already, have a look at my planning thread and build thread.

Operating it is fun, challenging, and at times very frustrating! I downloaded the Peco pictures of all 8 wagons, printed & laminated them, and cut them up into cards. Shuffle the cards, pick 5 at random & lay them out in line, and then shunt the train into that formation. Simple (but not always!).

[alibuchan]

They can be good fun but I find only for limited time. When shunting for 2 or 3 attempts by the end of the 3rd I was bored, but that probably tell you more about me.

Good to have it next to your layout whilst being built, and you can have a play on the inglenook when waiting for stuff to dry/go off. Plus it keeps the stock off the main layout so your not tempted to play instead of work.

In N you can build it in 2.5foot X 6inches so doesn't take up a huge amount of space.

The one I had lived in a really useful box for wrapping paper. Would have been good for keeping the dust off the scenery, if I had of gotten further than just putting working track work down before playing with it.

Alistair

[Komata]

FWIW: The Inglenook concept will appeal to those who like shunting / switching operations, rather than the more-usual  'clockwork mouse' type layouts (or combinations of both).  Those who are so-inclined (towards 'Inglenooks') are usually very enthusiastic about the concept, while those who don't can, at times, have trouble understanding the fact that it is possible to spend (literally) hours 'shuffling' trains backwards and forwards.   Curiously, observation suggests that the Inglenook concept seems to be very popular amongst Narrow Gauge modellers (especially those modelling British NG).  The reasons for this are not known.

Ultimately, personal preference is key, and although  I 'dabbled' in the concept (and found it boring), others will find it is exactly what they want.

Different strokes, for different folks, I guess.

Hope this helps; thanks for asking.