00 gauge Micro layout ideas

[Celtic_transport]

Hey everyone,

looking for some help with what will be my first "proper" layout. Been struggling for a while to come up with an idea for a layout. I have a space of 6ft by 1.5-2ft including fiddle yard. Id like to be able to display various stock while also having some operational interest. Any help would be greatly appreciated:)

cheers

[Mol_PMB]

Do you already have the stock, and what sort of era/prototype is it?

I ask because what is achievable within the space and operationally interesting will depend on the length of the rolling stock you're using, and the type of facilities it would use.

The space you have isn't really long enough to do much interesting with passenger trains formed of bogie coaches, but there could be much more operational interest if it's a freight yard with 4-wheel wagons.

[Tractionman]

Yes a bit of Gort might work, lots of inspiration here, you'd need to somehow shorten by two foot:

 

But then depends what you're in to, a yard is probably the best bet, with an entry/exit via an underbridge as the scenic break.

[Celtic_transport]

I have various locomotives from different eras, so i would like it to be a "timeless" layout if you get me, where all eras would fit. Stock is mainly freight and short bogie/6 wheel coaches

[Mol_PMB]

Why not post a few pictures of the stock you have to give us some inspiration? 

At the moment the possibilities are so broad that it's hard to develop any suggestions.

[jhb171achill]

21 minutes ago, Celtic_transport said:

I have various locomotives from different eras, so i would like it to be a "timeless" layout if you get me, where all eras would fit. Stock is mainly freight and short bogie/6 wheel coaches

Steam or diesel? If both, maybe base it around 1960-2, and use rolling stock appropriate for that era.

[Celtic_transport]

I have british railways locos, irish locos and North eastern Railway locos, would like to keep it irish but isnt a necessity.

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks - that helps a lot! I was wondering if it was Irish or a mix. 

Smallish bogie locos then, which will be important in setting the length of any headshunts. 

Given that a loco and 2 carriages would fill about half the length of the space available, I don't think passenger operations are really feasible in the space available, unless a single or 2-car railcar.

With freight, a shunting layout is certainly possible, but if you want to run round a train and have a fiddle yard it will fit in, then the maximum train length would be quite short. A sector plate or traverser fiddle yard would be a major space-saver.

I looked at doing a shunting layout based on part of Limerick Wagon Works which was about the same footprint you have.

 

[Celtic_transport]

Which part of limerick were you looking at? I had considered it since its one of the smaller Irish rail depots

i grew up around the navan branch so i have a special place in my heart for the tara mines/gypsum traffic

[Celtic_transport]

20 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Steam or diesel? If both, maybe base it around 1960-2, and use rolling stock appropriate for that era.

Id like to be able to do steam/diesel era as well as the 90s/00s as i grew up with the railway around then:)

[jhb171achill]

3 minutes ago, Celtic_transport said:

Id like to be able to do steam/diesel era as well as the 90s/00s as i grew up with the railway around then:)

What locos and rolling stock do you have?

 

[Celtic_transport]

24 minutes ago, Celtic_transport said:

I have british railways locos, irish locos and North eastern Railway locos, would like to keep it irish but isnt a necessity.

Thats the current roster:)

[Mol_PMB]

12 minutes ago, Celtic_transport said:

Which part of limerick were you looking at? I had considered it since its one of the smaller Irish rail depots

i grew up around the navan branch so i have a special place in my heart for the tara mines/gypsum traffic

I was looking at the triangular area bounded by the old WLWR loco works, the slightly newer wagon works, and the fuelling point and main lines. 
 

The advantage of a works is you can justify all sorts of things turning up. Including the Taras! 
 

But the Navan branch sounds a good option too. I don’t know it so well. 

[jhb171achill]

If it's a loco shed or fuelling point, or works you want, anything can be there for repairs. Just have maybe three sets of stuff - when you want to be in Britain, use those two British locos and British wagons. When you want to use steam, use the sort of rolling stock that ran with steam. When you want 1990s Irish, use a 141, Taras and anything else from that era.

So, make your surroundings suitable for Irish or British backgrounds. Avoid British Rail or CIE logos on signs or sheds, so that any model loco shed could be anywhere. Avoid buses in the background which give the location away. Overall, all that should be very easy to do.

What you DO need to plan properly is your track plan if you have limited space.

 

[dropshort105]

Wow, that is not much space, but from reading magazines, well looking at pictures in them anyway, it can be done.

[dropshort105]

If you have  any interest in this PM me you address and I will pop it in the post.

[Celtic_transport]

Thanks everyone for your help, ive come up with a plan and era im happy with and i will keep yous up to date on its progress!

[west_clare_wanderer]

17 hours ago, Celtic_transport said:

Thanks everyone for your help, ive come up with a plan and era im happy with and i will keep yous up to date on its progress!

Please do! It will be great to see what you start to develop. 

[dropshort105]

On 3/6/2025 at 3:09 PM, Celtic_transport said:

Thanks everyone for your help, ive come up with a plan and era im happy with and i will keep yous up to date on its progress!

Yeah, looking forward to seeing your plan.

[Celtic_transport]

Hello everyone, Quick update on the layout plans.
Ive decided to do a small yard layout with a traverser at one end a removable cassette at the other. The scenic are is 4ft by 18 inches, total layout length is 6ft 3inches, minus the cassette. Its going to represent Moathill level crossing in Navan, County Meath, circa 1985-2003

its going to include a through line to kingscourt with passing loop and two sidings for loco refuelling and a permanent way yard. The bridge over Tara junction is my scenic break to the traverser. I have locos and stock ordered, then the layout building will commence.

[David Holman]

Some nice elements there, such as the view blockers at each end, plus a couple front/centre too, which will help break up the scene and make the layout look bigger.

 Worth making a small mock up of the whole scenic section from card to further test sight lines. For example, you may find that the large depot building dominates the scene, Perhaps have it covering the rear siding might be better, so the front one is open and stock stabled there isn't hidden.

[Celtic_transport]

My apologies i wasnt clear enough, no railway shed on the layout, just a locomotive refuelling point, like the one at drogheda station just smaller:)

[David Holman]

No need to apologise , I saw that big grey shed in the photo.

Should be good, will not need years to complete and has decent operational/play value.

[west_clare_wanderer]

I think this is a great little plan. 

Fundemantal to operation and enjoyment (play factor!!) will be a successful sector plate. Have you given much though to what it will be made of and how it will work? I have struggled with traversers/sector plates in the past. 

[Mol_PMB]

If possible, I'd recommend a multi-track sector plate, as it will give you more opportunities to exchange stock. It does require the tracks on the sector plate to be curved though. 

I'll see if I can get some photos of the one I made for my O gauge shunting layout.

[Mol_PMB]

Here are a few photos of the 2-track sector plate on my O gauge shunting layout, which is built into a bookcase. The sector plate was an afterthought, hence the rough edges! But hopefully these photos show how it works; either track on the sector plate can access either track on the scenic section.

 

 

 

[Celtic_transport]

7 hours ago, west_clare_wanderer said:

I think this is a great little plan. 

Fundemantal to operation and enjoyment (play factor!!) will be a successful sector plate. Have you given much though to what it will be made of and how it will work? I have struggled with traversers/sector plates in the past. 

Merely thinking of just having a single track on some mdf with a link wire from the track, im no expert modeller so i want to keep it simple. James hilton on youtube has one on a layout ill be copying it.

[Celtic_transport]

My newest purchase areived in the post today, Murphys models 121 class no.124 in IE livery. This and 181 class no.186 will be the motive power on the layout for the time being, looking at either a 071, an A class or a fictional private loco being the third addition.

this allows me to have one loco running gypsum/ per way trains up the kingscourt branch, while the other is stabled in the on scene yard refuelling.

next purchase, gypsum wagons!