A small 00 Branch Line

Well, I saw the Hornby announcement and there is lots of nice stuff in the pipeline.  However, there remains very little that is actually available for sale.  I just hope that production and release is a bit faster than in the past.

Some good news is that Heljan appears to be moving into the TT:120 market with some useful releases coming, such as a DMU and a Deltic.

Well, having waited around three years for the TT:120 stuff that I need, without any credible announcements from Hornby, I have decided to build a small 00 layout.  It will be a twin track branch line using what I have got lying around in the cupboard and probably some cheap card kits.  I have made a start laying down the track, although I am already considering a couple of tweaks, including a run around loop in the sidings/storage area.  I plan to mask the two end curves with a cutting and a tunnel.  As soon as I have carried out the small adjustments I will finish the wiring for DCC control and the points. The layout is 8 x 4 feet.

Bob

Hi Bob,

This is looking rather interesting and should keep you busy and a happy chappy for a while, but maybe not long enough for Hornby to deliver what many people thought they were promissing with their TT120 range introduction a few years ago.

Have fun and bon courage mon ami,

Bill
(in Model Railway Sabatical (MRS) during major house renovation, pending move)

Thanks Bill.  I am sure this will keep me going over the winter.  I only have a small amount of rolling stock and a couple of little tank engines, but there is much potential to develop the scenery.  I am toying with the idea of a high level line as a kind of scenic break.
Bob

The lack of TT120 progress is extremely disappointing Bob - it's such a versatile scale although they are battling the huge 'OO' Gauge market in UK.  Certainly, had I been starting out now, I'd have snapped up the TT stuff but alas, I have far too much invested in 4mm to change now.

You've certainly got an excellent layout there - and all on an 8 x 4 board !!   Plenty of operating potential and even more scenic work to enhance it.  Looking forward to progress although I'm pleased you still have the TT stuff waiting in the wings …………

Thanks Peter.  I cannot say how disappointed I have been with the release of the TT:120 stuff.  I hope the line continues as one day I will build a layout.  The 'cottage industry' is pushing out a lot of line side stuff and some other manufacturers are releasing TT:120 locos and stock, but I will wait until I know I can get what I need.

This little layout will be a nice diversion and I plan to take my time putting it together.  The big hurdle for me will be wiring up the DCC droppers and the point motors, both jobs I dislike and tend to put off, but I need to do it before I work on the scenic stuff.  As you say there is quite a bit of operating potential.  I plan to have a couple of industrial buildings and a variety of goods facilities.

It is good to be doing some modelling again to keep me busy over the winter.

Bob

I think that I have just about worked out the layout of the station area.  I had to make a couple of changes as I noticed that there were a couple of facing points, these have been altered to trailing.  I now have a station temporarily positioned, made from a Superquick kit.  There is also a goods shed and water tower.  There will likely be just two signals and a signal box.  I plan to include a level crossing too. This is what it looks like so far:


I mentioned my dislike of wiring up points, so to make things a little easier I bought three of these point/signal operating units.  They appear to be very much plug and play:


So far so good and I am enjoying the rather relaxed approach that I am taking.

I'm quite surprised by how much you've got on there and yet is still doesn't look crowded Bob.  Obviously my vision of 8 x 4 is smaller than the reality ………….

Those point controllers look interesting - I'll do some research although surely you still have to fit the motors themselves and that's just for the control ……  Which motors are you using - SEEPs, surface mounted, slow motion or something else ?

Yes, Peter, they are just switches but with simple choc block style wiring and a common wire to the power source. You still need the point motors as normal. I will be using mostly surface mounted points as I don't want to put too many holes in the baseboard.

Bob

Looking good 

The first train departs Blossom Hill, J83 8400 ahead of a three coach service.  I have wired up the main circuits just to test the track.  It was a bit ropey to start with but will improve as the DCC droppers go in.  The loco is by Hornby, converted to DCC and the coaches are old upgraded Hornby Clerestory coaches that have had seats added and a new paint job.  It's nice to have a train actually moving!

Here is the picture

Screenshot 2025-10-06 at 13.39.52.png

(Click to enlarge)

That's impressive Bob - I love those coaches although I admit the apple green colour scheme wasn't a favourite of mine …………..

It's a great feeling to have something running isn't it - even if it's just a small circuit - I certainly miss my layout …………..

Petermac said

That's impressive Bob - I love those coaches although I admit the apple green colour scheme wasn't a favourite of mine …………..

It's a great feeling to have something running isn't it - even if it's just a small circuit - I certainly miss my layout …………..

From “Post #292,646”, 12th October 2025, 10:20 am

Thanks Peter, it certainly is good to have something to work on.  My little J83s are all DCC fitted which makes life easy this time around.  I have another three tank engines which will need to have decoders fitted. i'll do a picture of the loco fleet in due course.

Bob

Doing the DCC Droppers

I have installed the DCC bus around the layout and I am slowly adding droppers to every section of track.  Not wishing to use solder, I have used pre wired rail joiners, with the wire going under the baseboard through two holes.

To connect the droppers to the bus, I am using little quick splice cable Joints, little clips that create an electrical connection by splicing the wires:

I'm confused again ……………………….

Why 2 wires in/out and only 1 wire at the other end Bob ?

Petermac said

I'm confused again ……………………….

Why 2 wires in/out and only 1 wire at the other end Bob ?

From “Post #292,688”, 17th October 2025, 11:15 am

Sorry Peter, I should have been more clear.  This is one dropper from one rail, there of course will be a pair, the other black from the opposite rail.  The wire going straight through is the bus wire.  The single wire coming in is spliced into the bus wire, forming an electrical connection, no soldering, just clipped together.  Hope that makes sense.

Bob

I'm with you now Bob - I had wondered why you had 2 into 1 assuming the single was the bus……………Heaven knows why I assumed that but I have little idea why I do most things nowadays …………..

Quick Update

I have been slowly wiring up the DCC droppers and am about half way through the process.  I am taking my time, doing a few each time I visit the layout.  

In the meantime I have been fitting DCC chips and stay alive units to the locos.  Again, this process is about half completed.  I now have quite a nice fleet of tank engines, mostly J83s.  I actually have more than I need, but it will be fun swapping them over when they end their duties.  Here is a sample of the fleet: