'OO' Guage Shed Layout

[Yertis]

spitfire-ian said:

No further progress on the layout yet and to be honest I'm a bit disillusioned what with lack of funds for track and a complete lack of ideas about what the track plan will actually be. Think I'll go back to just doing a double oval,stick a station on the longest edge and see how it goes from there.

At least I've got heat in the shed now

Why not look at some real track layouts and go from there? If it's any consolation I've been 'designing' my layout since I was about 16, so for about 35 years, and I've yet to lay a single section of track. The vicar who lives next door is in a similar position, but has at least taken the step of buying a large amount of rolling stock.

[spitfire-ian]

I think my problem is that I keep looking at videos of layouts online where they've taken up most of the loft therefore enabling the running of long trains and lots of areas where I just have a 12ft x 8ft shed with 2ft of boards around the edges.

I like the idea of a terminus station but then how do I get the trains to run around the tracks the correct way...

I think what got me down the most is the amount of space needed for pointwork to make the track 'interesting'. Whatever I tried I just couldn't get it to fit.

Edited by spitfire-ian on Thursday 1st December 12:48

[Yertis]

You don't want to look at what other people are doing – the model railway is your own little world. Also, big is rarely better, when it come to model railways. Some of the nicest are just little branch line terminuses.

[slipstream 1985]

spitfire-ian said:

I think my problem is that I keep looking at videos of layouts online where they've taken up most of the loft therefore enabling the running of long trains and lots of areas where I just have a 12ft x 8ft shed with 2ft of boards around the edges.

I like the idea of a terminus station but then how do I get the trains to run around the tracks the correct way...

I think what got me down the most is the amount of space needed for pointwork to make the track 'interesting'. Whatever I tried I just couldn't get it to fit.

Edited by spitfire-ian on Thursday 1st December 12:48

You have height in your shed have a steepish upwards curve doubling back onitself and do a second layer

[lufbramatt]

I think in a smaller space it looks better to just have smaller locos and wagons, don't try to fit in a huge pacific with a rake of 6 coaches. A little rural station with a branch line down to a quarry or harbour adds interest without taking up loads of space.

when I was down in Bristol recently I thought the steam railway they have down in the harbour would make a lovely model with low relief warehouses as a backdrop.

[RichB]

spitfire-ian said:

I think my problem is that I keep looking at videos of layouts online where they've taken up most of the loft therefore enabling the running of long trains and lots of areas where I just have a 12ft x 8ft shed with 2ft of boards around the edges.

I like the idea of a terminus station but then how do I get the trains to run around the tracks the correct way...

I think what got me down the most is the amount of space needed for pointwork to make the track 'interesting'. Whatever I tried I just couldn't get it to fit.

Is there any way you could run a loop out of the shed into the garden and back in again, thus allowing you to develop both sides of the shed. One side a terminus, the other perhaps a country station?

[spitfire-ian]

I'm thinking now that maybe having 2 terminusses termminises termini at apposing corners of the shed with pointwork to bring the trains off of the main tracks meaning I can run trains round continuously until such time I want them to stop at whatever terminus might be the way to do it

[lufbramatt]

spitfire-ian said:

I'm thinking now that maybe having 2 terminusses termminises termini at apposing corners of the shed with pointwork to bring the trains off of the main tracks meaning I can run trains round continuously until such time I want them to stop at whatever terminus might be the way to do it

yes you can have an "off stage" area with a loop that disappears off into a tunnel, then on the other side of the shed you can have a fiddle yard to store rolling stock that isn't in use.

[Yertis]

I think you're working in the wrong gauge actually, for the effect you sound like you want.

[spitfire-ian]

It's been a few months since my "oh what the hell do I do" meltdown and I decided to go back to basics and just lay a twin track oval and take things from there as I was definitely trying to make things far too complicated.

Progress has been slow but at the weekend I managed to run trains on both tracks.

I apologise for the screechy Western in the first video, it'll be getting a service shortly! I've also sorted out the slight jump in the tracks as the outside line crossed the lifting section.

https://youtu.be/Ljh_xeo6RxI

https://youtu.be/qYoTvUX9mWk

Shed still isn't any tidier though!

[cindychops]

What i did was get an 8x4 foot board and had 2 loops with crossover and points and spent weeks just watching it go round,Tried different radius's and elevations and was great just watching 2 dcc trains trundle along.
Have been to a few train exhibitions and when i mentioned my "future" layout its always "what era,where is it supposed to be based,you can't run a 1950's steam with a modern dmu on the same track" etc etc and my reply is "its my layout and i'm happy with it but hav'nt got to the stage of counting rivits yet".
imho i think the best layouts are eye candy as everywhere you look there should be something unique and interesting going on with tunnels bridges and not a square inch of board left untouched.its surprising how MUCH stuff you can cram into a small space.

Good luck with your project.

[spitfire-ian]

Thanks.

I joined a model rail forum for some inspiration and the first questions I was asked were "What era?" and "What region?" and while that's fine the stock I have from when I was younger pretty much rules out one region or era

Obviously it is still early days but I think my mind has changed from lots of track to lots of other stuff instead.

Whilst lots of points and crossovers look impressive I just don't really have the space to do it justice so will probably just have a through station with a little goods yard attached for some interest. Even thinking now about making a small fiddle-yard so I can just have a selection of trains ready to run.

Gave the Western a bit of a service at lunchtime and it now runs much much quieter

[cindychops]

spitfire-ian said:

Thanks.

I joined a model rail forum for some inspiration and the first questions I was asked were "What era?" and "What region?" and while that's fine the stock I have from when I was younger pretty much rules out one region or era

Obviously it is still early days but I think my mind has changed from lots of track to lots of other stuff instead.

Whilst lots of points and crossovers look impressive I just don't really have the space to do it justice so will probably just have a through station with a little goods yard attached for some interest. Even thinking now about making a small fiddle-yard so I can just have a selection of trains ready to run.

Gave the Western a bit of a service at lunchtime and it now runs much much quieter

I bought a job lot of hornby semi-flexible track and its great as it hold the gentle kinks in the track without springing straight again,as i mentioned earlier i can get 3 ovals on a 4 ft width of board and a 4-car emu still runs on the tightest bend (a lot of overhang but steady as a rock).

[RacingPete]

spitfire-ian said:

I apologise for the screechy Western in the first video, it'll be getting a service shortly!

Ha, mine makes exactly that noise too - doesn't happen to be a Western Centurion circa 1980s by Hornby is it? I did give it a mini-service and didn't do much for the noise so was going to buy a new motor - not sure which motor it is as not researched it at all. What did you do to service it?

[spitfire-ian]

RacingPete said:

Ha, mine makes exactly that noise too - doesn't happen to be a Western Centurion circa 1980s by Hornby is it? I did give it a mini-service and didn't do much for the noise so was going to buy a new motor - not sure which motor it is as not researched it at all. What did you do to service it?

Mine is also Hornby but Western Courier from the early 80's.

I took the brass plate off which keeps the gears on the motor and cleaned everything with alcohol wipes then lubricated all the shafts and the bits the gears sit on. I seem to recall reading somewhere that it was the motor bearing on the other side which caused the screech so made sure that was lubricated too (the other side of the motor to the metal gear).

Just to prove it worked https://youtu.be/ZCTC_kPt9AM

Edited by spitfire-ian on Tuesday 7th March 20:10

[Glasgowrob]

Really wish I could find time and space to get back into modelling. Had a right love for EM gauge in my teens after dabbling with OO N and running some O gauge round the parents garden