Charobyn Model Railway

[Adrian]

Hey all,

This is it, the big one that'll do me to retirement! After modelling Depot #8 for the last 18 months to test feasibility, I took the plunge and bought an insulated outdoor cabin to house the new model railway. I'll still keep Depot #8 alive as the test bed for new skills and also to have something to run during the long construction phases of the new railway. 

The cabin is fully insulated top and bottom, double glazing and rubber seals, up off the ground with damp breaks between block and wood and is 6m x 4m, plenty of space First job is to stain and weather-protect it, hopefully this weekend if it's fine. Then run some electrics to it, with lighting and electric radiators to follow. Plenty to do - here's some pics:

Gotta move the dog and cat sheds...

 

Ready for stone

 

Ground work and levelling complete

 

Cabin built

 

Interior shots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rough planning begins (with wool and masking tape )

 

I've so many ideas of what to do - obviously it will be 80s Ireland (that's a given), I've always wanted to do a terminus station, with long meandering country sections, a viaduct, two levels, a depot and a quarry. Probably include a variation on Carlow as a small station on the way since that's where I'm from originally. 

And it's named after my two daughters if you were curious

Watch this space!

 

[DJ Dangerous]

I hope it's gonna be very secure!

[flange lubricator]

Looks fantastic a fabulous space for a model railway. 

[Adrian]

32 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

I hope it's gonna be very secure!

Locks on everything and it's in the middle of nowhere

 

17 minutes ago, flange lubricator said:

Looks fantastic a fabulous space for a model railway. 

Thanks a lot!

[WRENNEIRE]

53 minutes ago, Adrian said:

 

And it's named after my two daughters if you were curious

Watch this space!

 

Model & Railway are strange names for your Daughters?

[Adrian]

All done - 3 coats of stain on the #railwaycabin

[leslie10646]

Looks good .......

but where's The Boss going to put her whirlygig clothes line now?

Maybe you bought her a tumbler dryer as an early Mother's Day present.

[Adrian]

2 hours ago, leslie10646 said:

Looks good .......

but where's The Boss going to put her whirlygig clothes line now?

Maybe you bought her a tumbler dryer as an early Mother's Day present.

Lol, the Boss and myself have a deal, I get this Railway Cabin and she gets stables built later this year, so she doesn’t really care about the loss of a clothes line

[Adrian]

Quick update - nothing has happened on the Railway cabin since last March! Basically I need to run electricity out to the cabin in order to have lighting and heat. And for that I need my brother-in-law's help (he's an electrician). However we both have small kids, both were super busy during the year and had other priorities and it got put on the long finger. Also, since the cabin was bought, the stables then took priority (!) and they got built over the summer. 

Also had planned to do it at Christmas, but then we all got COVID in our house so that put the cibosh on that. Hopefully we will get it done on the upcoming bank holiday Monday and then we're off

In the meantime I can share a few pics from when I was planning out the layout. The main feature will be a full length (loco plus 8 carriages - approx 2.8 metres) ) terminus station, something I've always wanted. As you can see below, technically it would fit at the end of the cabin (4 metres) but it would be a tight fit with station buildings / scenery etc and might look a little staged when the train is pulling out of the station and immediately into a curve (although I'm sure there's an example in real life - there usually is!). Nevertheless, looking at the next photo where the train is along the long edge of the cabin (6 metres) I think it looks much better and am gonna go with that. It gives the train room to straighten up before entering the station and a lot more space for pointwork and busy lineside detaling etc. which is something I love doing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with plans for an 80 cm wide baseboard, with two hidden tracks at the wall for the express line loops, it should give enough space for a 6 platform terminus station, which is plenty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And sure while we're at it, here's the new stables that did all the delaying of the railway cabin...but far be it from me to complain

 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Adrian

[Flying Snail]

9 hours ago, Adrian said:

The main feature will be a full length (loco plus 8 carriages - approx 2.8 metres) ) terminus station, something I've always wanted. As you can see below, technically it would fit at the end of the cabin (4 metres) but it would be a tight fit with station buildings / scenery etc and might look a little staged when the train is pulling out of the station and immediately into a curve (although I'm sure there's an example in real life - there usually is!). 

Caaark, boy!

Kent station might be what you're looking for (bend goes immediately into a tunnel mouth though)

For inspiration look no further than @scahalane's excellent thread here: 

And there's soon going to be an N scale version too from @Kevin Sweeney: 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Flying Snail

[Adrian]

Sweet, thanks for sharing, will take a look!

[Adrian]

Finally got electricity to the cabin, so that means Google Home Wi-Fi extender and electric heaters. Also got a Wiz Smart LED strip up last night, so now…1 busy year later…am finally in a position to start proper modelling work

[Patrick Davey]

Enjoying this!!! Why not run a double track loop through the stables and it could be the mane line?

[Broithe]

10 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

Enjoying this!!! Why not run a double track loop through the stables and it could be the mane line?

Or just run saddle tanks..?

[Galteemore]

Wouldn’t have to be a loop - just a spur.

[Tullygrainey]

Enough!! Will yez quit horsin' around.

[Broithe]

18 minutes ago, Tullygrainey said:

Enough!! Will yez quit horsin' around.

Agreed!

Time to rein it in, lads.

[Patrick Davey]

Apologies @Adrian I didn't mean to whip up all those horse puns.  Wishing you every success with the build - once you get started things will surely gallop along......

 

[Patrick Davey]

2 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Wouldn’t have to be a loop - just a spur.

This is the best one!

5 hours ago, Adrian said:

Finally got electricity to the cabin, so that means Google Home Wi-Fi extender and electric heaters. Also got a Wiz Smart LED strip up last night, so now…1 busy year later…am finally in a position to start proper modelling work

This is an amazing space Adrian - am very jealous  your possibilities are endless, keep the updates coming!

[DJ Dangerous]

Enough horseplay, you bunch of cowboys.

Savage space, @Adrian!

[Adrian]

On 5/3/2023 at 10:24 PM, Patrick Davey said:

Apologies @Adrian I didn't mean to whip up all those horse puns.  Wishing you every success with the build - once you get started things will surely gallop along......

 

No worries Patrick, very funny everyone

 

On 5/3/2023 at 10:44 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

Enough horseplay, you bunch of cowboys.

Savage space, @Adrian!

Thank you, gonna take a while I think...

[Adrian]

Finally, finally completed the layout plan. Gonna call this Riverbank Railway, I've been going over the plan in my head for months, trying to get the balance of track versus scenery versus what I want Have been working on it / revising / tweaking for months - orange is upper level () for mainline running, purple is mid level with the terminus station and green is the lower level with branch station, fiddle yard and loops for switching train direction - I've always wanted the train to be able to leave the terminus and then arrive back in without reversing or manually turning it around. It'll take some electrical work on the loops but that has become easier with modern digital and shouldn't be too hard. 

There's a depot area off the main line out of the terminus, similar to how Inchicore is down the line from Heuston, and plenty of space and natural curves for full length 8 carriage trains to stretch out - the platforms are also long enough to take 8 carriages and a loco and the sharpest curves are only 3rd radius so should be no problem

Lots of track and wood to buy now to get started...

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Wow, the different levels and the incline look very interesting. I hope to build an incline at one end of a shelf-type layout some day, but nothing that adventurous.

[leslie10646]

Hhmmm. As you're modelling 1980-ish, why the TURNTABLE?

Yep, I know that you want to be able to turn the 121s, but I suspect they ran in twos then? (JB?) Or were on push pull?

If it's for the odd steam special, the steam loco could run out to your triangle?

Final wind-up. A single track from the terminus to the Main Line?

I don't blame you if the idea was to avoid diamond crossings - nasty things - I did the same to the Armagh Line on my layout to take away a troublesome diamond - and I'm trying to get rid of the other one at Portadown Jct itself!

Good luck with it Adrian. I presume that you're 30/40 with the time to get it done by the time that you retire - good strategy and better than leaving it until you're in your seventies and can't get under the boards!

[Adrian]

Thanks Leslie, rule #1 applies to a lot of these points 

 

1. Hhmmm. As you're modelling 1980-ish, why the TURNTABLE? I've always, always wanted a turntable but never had the space, and then modelling the 80s I was wondering how to include it. However I then found this video from 1992 of a 121 being turned around https://youtu.be/IPtPbkXB4No and so I'm going to model an old, rarely used turntable which still functions
2. Final wind-up. A single track from the terminus to the Main Line? Yep, I originally had two but wanted to reduce the amount of track and double lines running everywhere, as well as diamond crossings as you mentioned. Plus it gives me an excuse to add some operator interest with a control light and leaving a train waiting for another to pass. Maybe not 100% how it would be in real life, but again, rule #1 
3. I presume that you're 30/40 Yep, I'm 42 so plenty of time and flexibility to get under the boards (for now). And if it becomes a problem, it's an excuse to rebuild (bigger)

Thanks for your comments!

 

[Flying Snail]

Well, you've got the space for it, and you've shown you've got the skills for it - so go for it!

Looking forward to following this project - best of luck with it!

[Niles]

re: turntables, Rosslare was used as recently as the early 2000s on occasions when 121s worked the evening service from Waterford.

[exciecoachbuilder]

1 hour ago, Niles said:

re: turntables, Rosslare was used as recently as the early 2000s on occasions when 121s worked the evening service from Waterford.

That's interesting, I didn't know single 121s worked on the Rosslare to Waterford service.

[Sean]

Ive also seen in more than one video of the short 2-3 wagon liner trains that the thing is hauled by a single 121 in ir livery which would have had to have been turned around for the return leg of its journey.

[Adrian]

So I can have my turntable then and not feel guilty 

[Adrian]

Tracks arrived! 170 metres of flex track and 76 points, let’s turn this into a layout!

[DJ Dangerous]

What, no turntable???

[Adrian]

15 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

What, no turntable???

 haven't decided on it yet, I'd say I have some time to ponder before I get to it...

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, Adrian said:

 haven't decided on it yet, I'd say I have some time to ponder before I get to it...

You mean get "around" to it?

[Adrian]

Hey all, have been working all summer in the cabin (as usual with modelling, when I get the time ) and have the frame construction complete for the layout Very happy with the result, it's solid and sturdy and given I'm by no means a carpenter it turned out surprisingly straight and true. See what you think below...

Starting off with materials and technique, I'm using 2x2 pine for the frame, with 9mm MDF for the baseboard (this will be sealed). The baseboards will be open to make it easier to have multi level scenery and not lock everything into a flat surface.

To keep things level, I found very effective, cheap, small feet adjusters in Screwfix. These were really good and easy to install (drill an 8mm hole about 10cm into the leg and hammer in the bracket), most feet adjusters in the hardware shops are for kitchen cabinets etc. and were way too big. Here's the link if you're looking for them for your own layout: https://www.screwfix.ie/p/suki-levelling-foot-m8-x-60mm-2-pack/838gx

 

To strengthen the joints and keep them square, my brother (a cabinet maker by trade) suggested using 45 degree blocks, this worked very effectively (should note at this point that everything was cut by hand for accuracy, no small feat!).

 

First piece screwed in in early June...

 

Starting the back wall; the lower level will be a fiddle yard and the mid level above it will be the terminus station.

 

Back wall complete and I have my technique working well, now it's just a case of rinse and repeat for most of it. The diagonal space on the right will let me in behind the layout, since this is where the diagonal cross section will come in, I'll need this spot to be able to reach parts of the layout - as long as I don't put on too much weight over the years I should be fine

 

Continuing with the left side wall, this will be the main scenic area, likely with some sort of viaduct over a valley, which I'll cut out at some stage. Another diagonal access area at this point as well.

 

Coming forward along the windows, this will show the three levels and coming towards the camera will be the approach to the station throat.

 

About 60% there, now for the tricky bits, the access to the cabin door and the cross section in the middle. The right side in this photo will be the depot area and station throat.

 

This...tested my limited skills I opted for a swing out area rather than sliding or lift up. There will be multiple levels and scenery so a lift up would be awkward, squashing scenery on one side. And sliding might result in accidents. The swing gate has enough clearance to let me in and out and will not hit the cross sections when it swings in (after careful measurement!). If you look at the doors, it's a pain in the arse but the dimensions and swinging space required that I have to use the right door to get in and out, so both need to be open. It's a small price to pay. I did look at swapping out the door handle and lock system...but then quickly chose not to do that

 

The catches locking it in place and are nice and accurate so hopefully this will work out when it comes to laying track. If not, I'll figure something else out.

 

The final hurdle, lining up the diagonal cross section. This long straight area will serve as a secondary station and also a way to reverse the locos direction across the layout without having to manually intervene. This is important to me as I have always wanted a train to be able to leave the terminus and then drive back in to it as in real life, without me having to lift and turn it around.

 

Here you can now see why the diagonal access space at the back is important. Also, as I had hoped, the short cross braces / buttresses not only will allow more layout, but also made the diagonal section very strong and locked in place. There's no sway at all.

 

And here we are, the full frame is complete in October, almost 4 months to the day. As I have a second layout and office space in the main house, I opted to maximise the space for the railway rather than working area in the cabin. I also need to crawl under to get from space to space but sure that'll keep me nimble

 

Hope you enjoyed the update, next up is to figure out baseboards and supports for multiple levels

Edited October 23, 2023 by Adrian