Going large - building large layouts

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Hi Barry,

Interesting. Thanks. Same problem with old Tyco steam locos.

Nigel

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Hi all from sunny & windy Nice
Took the opportunity yesterday to pop down to Monaco on the train - a double-deck job with air conditioned comfort and a rapid transit time all for €8 return!!  Take note SouthWesternTrains please.  Out of interest, noticed how light the rail looked on the route notwithstanding the (presumed) heavy axle loadings of the train.

I have been living with my latest plan for some time now (see post 43) and have spent many a happy hour planning electrics, operation, track lengths etc to ensure that the layout can perform exactly as I want it to.

Imagine my absolute horror then to realise that the lay-bye siding at Yarslow is a complete shambles.  If you look at post 43 you will appreciate that a train on the (clockwise) up line cannot either access the siding or depart from it!!

I must have looked at this plan a thousand times and had not noticed this before.  I can only think that I had designed the lay-bye in whilst the junction still used a single slip in place of the proper double junction and when I changed the layout of the junction, completely overlooked the need to redesign the siding.

Needless to say I have now amended the plan and the lay-bye is accessed via a trailing single slip in place of the diamond crossing.  Up trains can now reverse into it from the up platform and then exit back onto the main line.  There is still a trap point at the end of the siding for safety.

It has also spurned a rash of thorough checking to see what else I’ve made a hash of!!!

Barry

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Hi Barry,

Your comment about the train to nowhere prompted me to go back to post 43. One thing that struck me is the radius of the tracks around the turntable and on the opposite side. They look to be around 22"-24"' if the grid is 12" . 


Nigel

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Hi Nigel
The radius at this section is about 24 inches but these are the approach tracks for the terminus storage roads - short trains and tank engines mostly.  All of these trains currently work well on the existing Yarslow layout where the tracks running around the storage area are Peco 2nd radius - 18 inches or so - so I am not concerned at the tight radius.

On the main line I rarely get down under 30 inches and all of the main circuit point work is large radius except the small radius stuff in the storage area (24 inch radius)

Barry

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Hi All

As the Large Layout Project rolls ever (slowly) forward, thoughts have turned to the actual building in which the layout is to be located.  Plan A was a site within the house but finding houses with 400sqft spare space is a nigh impossible task - at least where we are looking in the UK.

Plan B was an outbuilding and these are readily available but more often than not, they are old cow sheds or similar or a "games room" that includes a bar and a snooker table, adding a nice sum to the price of the house.  Cow sheds are vast and I don't fancy the prospect of converting such a behemoth into a livable railway room. 

Plan C was to build something.  That requires a suitably large garden plot, sufficient for said building, chickens, veg plot and a place for the BBQ/some flowering stuff.  This was/is the preferred route having discounted….

Plan D which was a loft space.  I have never build a layout in a loft for all the reasons that I have read about, written by people who have built layouts in lofts.  Too hot/cold, costly to insulate, water tanks, flooring, roof supports, etc etc.  There was a series of adverts in the Railway Modeller a few years ago showng the work of a loft-room company who produced useable (non-habitable) space clearly aimed at modellers etc.  This could still be a possibility IF the house we find offers a suitable space.  Not surprisingly, no estate agents give you loft dimensions so it might be something we just rock and roll with based on what we think the loft might be like based on the pictures of the house.  Hmmm.

Plan C is winning at present.  A brick built structure is about £30K plus the electrics etc although I can do these myself of course.  Add another few grand for insulation, ventilation, path etc and my piggy bank is empty.  The cost of building the basic layout is estimated at £8-10K - mostly timber, track, wire and scenics etc although the extra rolling stock guestimate is an additional £4-5K at this stage.  (I have discovered that wanting 50 trains is a great idea but the rolling stock requirements are not insignificant.  I have over 500 wagons already but would still need another 500+).

Whilst packing up Yarslow, I have redicovered an article in an old mag about Tony Wright's Little Bytham.  It covers the erection of his 30ft x 12ft(?) shed that now houses the layout.

So why don't I look at sheds?



This 26ft x 14ft beauty is made by an English company and offers a wide range of doors and window combinations plus the option of a more substantioal roof (I am not a lover of corragated plastic).  Its tongue-and-groove (referred to as "shiplap") and comes with 5"x4" floor bearers supporting an 18mm floor capable of withstanding a car being parked on it.  I can do gutters/rainwater gear and the whole thing is looking like £3000!!!

Even after insulation, the piggy bank would still rattle and timber innards are going to be easier to fix to than blockwork so building the baseboards is actually easier too.  The layout project is not really tied to a budget but I would have to be mad not to consider going down this route!!

We have 5 sheds/outbuildings on our property at present, some of which are 15 years old and get a proper treatment every couple of years.  The occasional new roof is no issue as this is the sort of thing we do for our clients anyway!!

I am waiting for some more info from the shed company and will keep you posted.

If, in the meantime, other shed dwellers have horror stories about timber buildings and layouts, PLEASE do tell………..

Barry



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Hi Barry. Excellent  idea, I don’t know anything about garden sheds and I haven’t got any horror stories to relate to you. All I can say is Bravo and good luck with your plans. Best wishes Kevin 

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Ensure the shed is fitted with good quality vapour barrier breathable.

Use Celotex or similar to fill all gaps between joists and aluminium tape them all.

The ply line the entire roof and walls

dependant on floor quality whether you want to insulate that .

Install from Day one heating that ensures the temperature never drops below a certain level.

Brian

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If you can get that shed for 3 grand Barry - send half a dozen of them over here !!!

That looks stunningly cheap compared to here.

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Hi Barry,
Go for a garden workshop, not shed. Higher specifications, and meant to be worked in, rather than just storage. Expect to pay 50% more,  but for that you usually get  better timbers, insulation, roof shingles, double insulation on windows.

Humidity and temperature in an airtight room is an issue. Consider active ventilation, or even a small heat pump. Solves heating and cooling with one system. Small ductless mini split would work for a 1000-1500 cubic feet space. 

NIgel




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Thanks guys - all good information to take forward on th search.

Barry

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Hi Barry.  Keep up the good work. By coincidence I found an photo of “ Hoo Junction Staff Halt “ which will fit into my plans, it is not dissimilar to your halt but not quite so posh. And this has given me an idea for the “ Background “ ? That is if I can find one, stretching into the distance a Depot full of “Locos “ or a sidings with “ Carriages “. Have you got any ideas? Of course, preferably my own layout, I had the space. Best wishes Kevin 

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Hi Kevin

Sometimes inspiration comes from a "Google" session.  Try googling things like "urban railway" or "railways in towns"

Barry

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Hi Barry . Thank you for your reply. I will do that. By the way you had better have good security on the shed.Best wishes Kevin 

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Hi Kevin

My current shed security is based on strong locks, reinforced doors, motion-detection flood lighting and a sign pointing out that two large dogs patrol the grounds.

In reality, the dogs are a just a big lazy tabby cat but I have had no trouble over the last 10 years.  We have open ground behind us but Mrs M has been very creative with her planting in this part of the garden - anything spikey, prickly, nasty and thick!!!

Barry

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Hi Barry.  Thank you for your reply. My overgrown garden features “ Blackthorn “ & “ Hawthorne “. I had intended to create a hedge, but, they are completely out of control, with gaps at ground level and no good for the purpose.Therefore Mrs M has a job on her hands, stout gloves being the order of the day. Best wishes Kevin 

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Fill the gaps with Berberis purpura, As I was hedge timming at the weeked the scratches show the effectiveness..

Now I've finally started a model railway…I've inherited another…
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Hi the Q.  Thank you for your reply. I did have berberis in the previous garden , but when the local wildlife garden had some native shrubs/ trees I went and got some with the intention of letting them grow for a couple of years until I could layer them into a hedge, but, the plan went “ awry “. Now the job looks further away? If I could only get someone to cut off the top fifteen feet? the job would be simple.  Best wishes Kevin 

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Thanks Q, I will let Mrs M know.

I was also considering wiring the door knob for 240 volts but that does rather fly in the face of Health & Safety!!

B

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As part of my programme of packing away Yarslow Mkk II I have started to give all of the locos a proper service before they are boxed.  Wheels are being cleaned, oily parts oiled and any of those horrid Bachmann/Mainline plastic wheel inserts sorted out.

I am also adding front end details where the couplings have been removed for engines that will only be running in one direction.

When cleaning the wheels, I have just come across this;



This is the tender of one of my V2's.  The black stuff on the wheel bottom right is track sh*t!!!  The tender is not involved with the pick-up process so in the past, I have probably glossed over it.  However, this deposit is, no doubt, then finding its way onto the track with inevitable consequences.  The centre right wheel has been scraped prior to cleaning with white spirit and the left hand set have been fully cleaned.

What concerns me now is the state of the wheels on the wagons and coaches.  I read somewhere that plastic wheels are dreadful at picking up crud and although most of the rolling stock runs on metal wheels, there are still some older plastic wheel-sets in use.  These tender wheels are metal and they are bad so I dread to think what the plastic ones are like!!

Barry

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The beauty of plastic wheels Barry, is that you can't see the gunk !!!

I'd ditch the plastic wheels ASAP.  I note you use white spirit for cleaning - doesn't that leave a residue ?  I use IPA and it's fantastic !!  (that's Isopropyl Alcohol - not India Pale Ale - which is also fantastic …………………. :lol: :lol:)

'Petermac
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