Ardree Quay

[derek]

5 minutes ago, LNERW1 said:

I had to run out and film it on my (not very good) phone, in about -1 or -2 degrees, at 9pm, in November, in my jim jams. I could see my own breath better than the garden room! And it's too dark now to get anything better. I'll be back with a picture in the morning, hopefully.

How 'bout you just tell us?

[DJ Dangerous]

37 minutes ago, JasonB said:

Not quite sure what's going on here. Is this a remake of The Blair Witch Project? 

It’s a garden hedge. He knows how much you love your nocturnal hedges.

 

7 minutes ago, LNERW1 said:

I had to run out and film it on my (not very good) phone, in about -1 or -2 degrees, at 9pm, in November, in my jim jams. I could see my own breath better than the garden room! And it's too dark now to get anything better. I'll be back with a picture in the morning, hopefully.

Is it a layout room?

[LNERW1]

19 minutes ago, derek said:

How 'bout you just tell us?

I did, 'tis a garden room

16 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Is it a layout room?

Half needs to be usable as a spare room, so I'm using the brilliant FREMO system and making it modular. Most of the time it will be a 100% railway room, but I can take down one corner in just a few minutes and it can be used as a guest room. It'll house a folded double track loop, made up of two C-shaped or L-shaped halves, connected by a helix at either end. The helixes are not portable, as the plan is to make it possible to exhibit the layout with the two halves connected on the flat. There'll also be a few junction modules (custom made with FREMO dimensions and endplates on the main line ends so as to be compatible with the rest of the layout) one to connect Ardree in to the main layout. However, there'll be one or two other small terminus layouts connected as well- but that's a story for another day!

[DJ Dangerous]

6 minutes ago, LNERW1 said:

I did, 'tis a garden room

Half needs to be usable as a spare room, so I'm using the brilliant FREMO system and making it modular. Most of the time it will be a 100% railway room, but I can take down one corner in just a few minutes and it can be used as a guest room. It'll house a folded double track loop, made up of two C-shaped or L-shaped halves, connected by a helix at either end. The helixes are not portable, as the plan is to make it possible to exhibit the layout with the two halves connected on the flat. There'll also be a few junction modules (custom made with FREMO dimensions and endplates on the main line ends so as to be compatible with the rest of the layout) one to connect Ardree in to the main layout. However, there'll be one or two other small terminus layouts connected as well- but that's a story for another day!

That sounds excellent!

What size is the room?

How much do the FREMO boards cost?

[LNERW1]

11 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

That sounds excellent!

What size is the room?

How much do the FREMO boards cost?

I believe the room is around 4mx8m and i have not gotten through to the baseboard guy yet (dont worry its not the MRB guy)

[DJ Dangerous]

3 minutes ago, LNERW1 said:

I believe the room is around 4mx8m and i have not gotten through to the baseboard guy yet (dont worry its not the MRB guy)

That’s a whopping area to run trains in!

Glad it’s not @Dave Lindfield, that could get messy.

[Mol_PMB]

Sounds like an amazing space!

Speaking as someone who has started a lot of overambitious layouts and finished few, I would recommend building a module at a time to start with, whilst keeping a grand plan in mind that they will eventually fit into. Don’t try and build 20 baseboards at the start. 

[DJ Dangerous]

11 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Sounds like an amazing space!

Speaking as someone who has started a lot of overambitious layouts and finished few, I would recommend building a module at a time to start with, whilst keeping a grand plan in mind that they will eventually fit into. Don’t try and build 20 baseboards at the start. 

Running a single loop of track on temporary boards made from free offcuts while building up the FREMO boards over time would stave off the frustration to some extent.

He’s going to be putting a grand or two into the “proper” boards, I’d say, plus the same again on the track. That kind of money may be difficult to get together at that age.

Hopefully today we’ll see some daylight pictures of the space.

[LNERW1]

 

1 hour ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Running a single loop of track on temporary boards made from free offcuts while building up the FREMO boards over time would stave off the frustration to some extent.

He’s going to be putting a grand or two into the “proper” boards, I’d say, plus the same again on the track. That kind of money may be difficult to get together at that age.

Hopefully today we’ll see some daylight pictures of the space.

The garden room was a significant investment, so the baseboards on top of that won’t be a huge cost comparatively. The room also needs to be available as a spare room from the start since we’re hosting family soon, so a semi permanent solution won’t work.

As for running out of enthusiasm or getting distracted, I’m not particularly concerned about that. I’m going to be putting a lot of very careful thought into the track plan so it doesn’t get boring, and as far as prototype goes, I don’t really have one in mind- not even a particular country, so changing interests shouldnt be an issue. Most of it will be open main line anyway so anything Irish and most things British will look fine on it. And keep in mind, it’s FREMO. I can swap modules out easily and quickly if I want to put in a new one.

I also need the space for filming something- before you say anything DJ, it’s NOT amateur porn, I have a long term film project I want to release around 2029 or 2030, but I don’t entirely trust myself to follow through and it’s not super relevant here so I’m saying nothing about it.

Anyway, here’s the garden room:

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

That’s an amazing amount of space for running trains!!!

And for filming whatever amateur projects you like!

The FREMO modules are about €40-ish each, I think.

@Jack_Dunboyne had negotiated a 10% discount for forum members at one stage, but I’m not sure if that still stands.

How many modules will you need? About 25?

[Horsetan]

2 hours ago, LNERW1 said:

...And keep in mind, it’s FREMO. I can swap modules out easily and quickly if I want to put in a new one.

 

The great pity is that FREMO hasn't really caught on in the UK. The tradition and culture of self-contained layouts is much too ingrained, together with the fact that the popular scales frequently have two or three different track gauges (2mm has two, 3mm has 3, and 4mm has 3) representing the same thing, so that banjaxes the idea of everyone sticking to a common standard.

FREMO's massive advantage is that your models actually get to work over an actual mileage on a proper network through varying scenery and not just round in an oval or short distance to and from a fiddle yard.

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, Horsetan said:

....FREMO's massive advantage is that your models actually get to work over an actual mileage on a proper network through varying scenery and not just round in an oval or short distance to and from a fiddle yard.

The Germans have got FREMO down to a fine art, and there's loads of YouTube videos showing some impressive network meetings.

There's at least one group that recreates routes with inclines during the Royal Prussian Railway era, so the trains actually have to be assisted by banking engines at the rear.

Imagine doing something similar with a triple-header struggling up the bank out of Cork.

[LNERW1]

If anyone is interested in an Irish modular, I'm using the FREMO Hauptbahn standard- PM me! I personally think it's a great solution to the difficulty of creating clubs in a country with a sparse enthusiast population. Apart from the Polish layout FREMO Ireland have, I believe the SDMRC also has the beginnings of a GWR Hauptbahn-standard layout, however I believe theirs has code 75 track whereas I plan on using code 100. @Jack_Dunboyne can correct me but I believe FREMO Ireland also use Peco code 100 on their layout.

[Horsetan]

53 minutes ago, LNERW1 said:

...., I believe the SDMRC also has the beginnings of a GWR Hauptbahn-standard layout, however I believe theirs has code 75 track whereas I plan on using code 100. @Jack_Dunboyne can correct me but I believe FREMO Ireland also use Peco code 100 on their layout.

Are people still using massive flanges on their stock, hence Code 100?