More as a way of taking my mind off the next bout of chemo theraphy which is happening tomorrow and which of course I am really looking forward to - NOT, I treated myself to a copy of the Anyrail layout design programme and have been playing around with different ideas for the next version of Lesspoint which will again be a fiddleyard to terminus.

Probable size will be about 6 ft x 1ft 6" plus a fiddle yard.

This is the preferred draft so far  . What do you think ?

 

That looks interesting Richard.  What about using a slip on the top 2 rails at the throat to give even more flexibility should the platform be occupied at any time :roll:

How did you find Anyrail to work with ?  I've been chewing the cud over purchasing it for too long now.  I must add at this point, that I'm not good at reading instructions :oops::oops::oops::oops::oops:  When I've played with the "trial" 50 piece one, I couldn't get the curves right.

I agree with Peter that looks a very interesting layout……lots of operating potential in a fairly narrow space……….but where does the canal go?

Good luck tomorrow…..will be thinking of you

 

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

That looks interesting Richard.  What about using a slip on the top 2 rails at the throat to give even more flexibility should the platform be occupied at any time :roll:

How did you find Anyrail to work with ?  I've been chewing the cud over purchasing it for too long now.  I must add at this point, that I'm not good at reading instructions :oops::oops::oops::oops::oops:  When I've played with the "trial" 50 piece one, I couldn't get the curves right.

 

Still getting the hang of it but I know what you mean about the curves . Designing to actual size isnt that important to me , more to get an idea of what it will look like . I am using the Peco Code 100 library and if I need a curve use the set track library . There is a facility on the full version to curve track but I havent got around to using it yet or for trimming 36 inch lengths to size.

Good point (no pun intended) about the slip - will give it some thought.

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

I agree with Peter that looks a very interesting layout……lots of operating potential in a fairly narrow space……….but where does the canal go?

Good luck tomorrow…..will be thinking of you

 

Thanks John .

Might pinch Mikes idea and have a canal aqueduct as the exit point to the fiddleyard but I have another plan for a canal/railway interchange basin in preparation based on Chillington Wharf in Wolverhampton . Cant have all  the canal construction only being done in Canada can we  ?:roll:

As I mentioned when replying to John I have also been working on a plan for a canal/railway interchange basin .

This is actually based on a real location . Over the years there were something like 130 canal/railway basins in the Birmingham/Wolverhampton area . Contrary to popular belief the railways didnt kill off the canals , rather many canal companies were bought out by the railways and used as feeder routes for rail traffic . Chillington on the edge of Wolverhampton was originally built for the Chillington Iron Company and was served by an extensive 2ft 6" gauge system . That company went bust in the 1880's and the site was bought by the LNWR and redeveloped for standard gauge traffic with the construction of its own branch line off the Stour Valley Railway . The basin has survived to this day and  the track has recently been in use as part of the Steel Terminal operated by EWS. Its the only surviving intact railway/canal basin and although in a poor state is a listed site.

Plenty of photos of the real place on the web if you Google Chillington Wharf.

 

Track plan looking good, though I don't have one (some use I am) your plan wold be similar to "High Peak Junction" Derbishire it might be worth investigation.

Good luck tomorrow I'm sure all our thoughts will be with you! :thumbs

HI all,

Good luck with the treatment Richard which is later on today our time for you.

Has anyone else here tried using Trainz as a testbed for what you imagine your layout to be. It would work quite well especially with a fiddle yard, although you would have to actually shunt your fiddle yard in operating rather than an 0-5-0. I did a version of my own layout as I imagine it to be in Trainz as well as the actual layout…. the layout has existed far longer than Trainz has but it was a useful exercise anyway… and there are backdrops in the program so you can limit yourselves to a shelf size. I also did some helicopter screen shots for an acquaintance of a layout he designed and ran trains over it for the same reason.

Another advantage is cost… I bought an early version for less than $10 which would be more than adequate to do this testing. OK you don't get a scale drawing out of it… or at least I don't think you do… but you can test a lot of the theories out by making subtle changes to the trackwork as well as testing scenery possibilities… I don't know what Anyrail costs but does it allow you to test and play… and put a canal in the background?

A version of this was also a H&T in mre some time ago in case this seems like deja vu, all over again to any of you,

Regards

Trevor

Looks interesting mate, should keep you out of mischief.

Good luck tomorrow.

Phill

[user=373]Wheeltapper[/user] wrote:

Thanks John .

Might pinch Mikes idea and have a canal aqueduct as the exit point to the fiddleyard but I have another plan for a canal/railway interchange basin in preparation based on Chillington Wharf in Wolverhampton . Cant have all  the canal construction only being done in Canada can we  ?:roll:

That sounds a really neat idea……..I look forward to reading about its development

I hope today went as well as we all hoped

Kind Regards