North Wall/ Port Thuaidh

[josefstadt]

Another quick suggestion: move the facing crossover to before the spur into the yard, e.g. on the curve or where the lines are going straight up towards the top. This will allow trains arrive into all three platforms and the yard directly without shunting.

 

[BosKonay]

Lovely improvements lads

 

What kind of space do you have? If you could extend the headshunt (in yellow) it would let you assemble trains in the yard too

[201bhoy]

Cheers lads - great suggestions Boskonay, I have 8 x 6 space, but it's like an L shape, I can't use it all. I'm going to alter the plan a little so I can have more space

[201bhoy]

Tweaked the station design a bit... it only has one platform now, which is a shame, but I'm sure we can squeeze other trains into the sidings when there's a busy day of specials

[BosKonay]

I would try put the headshunt beyond the yard points (to the left) (perhaps use a double slip in place of the first point?) This will allow all of the yard roads to shunt in to the headshunt if needed

[201bhoy]

Better?

[BosKonay]

Maximum flexibility

[201bhoy]

Yep has to be to fit it in! And btw, what sort of scenery does a port need? Other than Containers, and I think I'll probably have a background of the sea rather than actually having an area with water on it.

[Broithe]

Always remember that, even if you make a mess of a container, you can still just shove it in at one side and hope that nobody notices...

 

[Mayner]

Yep has to be to fit it in! And btw, what sort of scenery does a port need? Other than Containers, and I think I'll probably have a background of the sea rather than actually having an area with water on it.

 

I am not sure if you are operating from the passenger station side or the freight yard, but it might be worth while keeping the actual port area off stage and just model the sidings, Port Offices and parking areaa for reach stackers/straddle lifts.

 

Container stacking areas take up a considerable amount of space, with the railway lines set well back from the quays and trains unloaded by forklift.

 

Some photos from Lyttleton in April 2010.

 

 

 

Marshalling yard now used for unloading timber trains, the main line to the coal terminal and container area is on the far right.

 

 

 

 

General view of the log storage area and old port.

 

 

 

 

General view of the container port this area is served by a pair of sidings squeezed in between the container stacking area and the running line to the coal terminal.

 

John

[201bhoy]

I am not sure if you are operating from the passenger station side or the freight yard, but it might be worth while keeping the actual port area off stage and just model the sidings, Port Offices and parking areaa for reach stackers/straddle lifts.

 

Container stacking areas take up a considerable amount of space, with the railway lines set well back from the quays and trains unloaded by forklift.

 

Some photos from Lyttleton in April 2010.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1072[/ATTACH]

 

Marshalling yard now used for unloading timber trains, the main line to the coal terminal and container area is on the far right.

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1073[/ATTACH]

 

General view of the log storage area and old port.

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1074[/ATTACH]

 

General view of the container port this area is served by a pair of sidings squeezed in between the container stacking area and the running line to the coal terminal.

 

John

 

Thanks for the advice not sure if this is what you're saying but I plan to have a picture of a ship or a pier or something for the background scene, so i won't actually be modelling the pier and water

[josefstadt]

A post by Mayner on the Ballybeg Branch thread got me thinking about a possible option for your terminus. How about a single track line from the fiddle yard and a terminus based on somewhere like Killarney, which has a main platform and a shorter bay platform? Something along the lines of the attached diagram:

 

 

Having a single track main line would cut down on the number of turnouts needed for trains to access the passenger and freight parts of the station. A loop serving the main platform with a single turnout into the freight yard would suffice. The bay platform would suit railcars or push-pulls. Put the station building at the right-hand end of the platform to save a bit of space in the width of the layout.

 

There could be a long headshunt, as was found in many locations on the Midland, would allow shunting in the yard. I would suggest two tracks under the gantry rather than four. The other two tracks would be used for freight other than containers. If modelling a more recent era then the goods store and loading banks could be replaced by a cement store and concrete hard standing for a forklift to operate on and to store pallets of fertiliser. If a pilot loco was provided then the freight sidings could be dead ends, otherwise you would need to connect the lines at the right-hand end. If the pilot loco option was used then a small loco shed might also be needed or you could have the pilot loco run light engine from another station (the fiddle yard) at the start of the day to shunt the yard and then return there at operations end.

 

A siding from the headshunt could serve an industry in the empty area in the left-hand lower corner. I am using the free version of AnyRail and had used up my 50 pieces of track, so was unable to include this in the diagram.

[201bhoy]

A post by Mayner on the Ballybeg Branch thread got me thinking about a possible option for your terminus. How about a single track line from the fiddle yard and a terminus based on somewhere like Killarney, which has a main platform and a shorter bay platform? Something along the lines of the attached diagram:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1145[/ATTACH]

 

Having a single track main line would cut down on the number of turnouts needed for trains to access the passenger and freight parts of the station. A loop serving the main platform with a single turnout into the freight yard would suffice. The bay platform would suit railcars or push-pulls. Put the station building at the right-hand end of the platform to save a bit of space in the width of the layout.

 

There could be a long headshunt, as was found in many locations on the Midland, would allow shunting in the yard. I would suggest two tracks under the gantry rather than four. The other two tracks would be used for freight other than containers. If modelling a more recent era then the goods store and loading banks could be replaced by a cement store and concrete hard standing for a forklift to operate on and to store pallets of fertiliser. If a pilot loco was provided then the freight sidings could be dead ends, otherwise you would need to connect the lines at the right-hand end. If the pilot loco option was used then a small loco shed might also be needed or you could have the pilot loco run light engine from another station (the fiddle yard) at the start of the day to shunt the yard and then return there at operations end.

 

A siding from the headshunt could serve an industry in the empty area in the left-hand lower corner. I am using the free version of AnyRail and had used up my 50 pieces of track, so was unable to include this in the diagram.

 

Thanks very much for the advice! Unfortunately the local landowner (my mum) has said that 8 x 6 is too much space, so now I have to go by 8x4. I realised I'll have no room at all for the fiddle yard unless I curve it round and have it parallel to the station. So now the space for the station and yard is about 8 x 3. I like your thinking of a cement store and am going to incorporate that into it as well as the concrete hard standing. I think I will only have one track under the crane, so i can have lorries as well, and as you said the pilot loco could be used to shunt and arrange the trains

[201bhoy]

Right, here's the new and updated plan. The station is only single platform, despite what it may look. The track above it is for longest liner trains, so the platform will have a security fence on that side. The runaround loop and headshunt can also be used as a stabling point for locos. Usually the liner trains will depart from the bottom track, but they can also depart from the track above as well. The liner trains can be loaded in the headshunt before being shunted into place by the pilot loco, which will normally be a 141 or 121 The top two sidings will normally be used by cement trains, so I have an excuse to get some lovely cement bubbles eventually

[Retro Herbie]

Vincent, love the plan but we need to set up a meeting with the landowner and explain how important the space is! Can you squeeze a bit more space out so you can have a long fiddle yard??

[Retro Herbie]

ah just spotted the new plan, is the L shape not a runner?

[201bhoy]

lol Do you mean as in lengthways? Or do you mean the number of tracks in the fiddle yard?

[201bhoy]

lol we're all mixed up in our comments! Yep the L shape is a no-runner unfortunately... I couldn't get any more than that space and I just thought that the fiddle yard was way too small to be functional. So i came up with a new plan

[BosKonay]

You could try wall mount it, fold it up with the wall?

[Retro Herbie]

ahh back on track now was getting confused there! lol. That will work well, the layout in the pic is 8 x 4 too, the curves to the back sidings will need to be tight to get it to fit but its doable. Other thing you might need to do with the space to have smooth curves is drop the line to the fiddle yard to single track then fan out to 3/4 sidings when it gets round the back

[201bhoy]

Not really sure what you mean :L I was trying to get the line to single track but couldn't get them to meet Why should I have the two lines meet though? Is it so that I can have trains going from any part of the fiddle yard to any part of the station or yard?

[Glenderg]

Can you post up a quick sketch of the space you have available, back of a napkin thing, with the rough dimensions? I'd like to have a go at a fantasy container station design seriously!

[201bhoy]

My space is an 8 x 4 rectangle, and I'm having a terminus to fiddle yard design

[Glenderg]

k, gonna for a quick pint and a scribble on a sheet! Even to see if something is possible.... Grab a copy of Model Railroad[er] layout plans magazine, american publication. Has some fantastic dockside layout plans, lovely drawings and inspirational stuff.

[201bhoy]

A list of the stock that will appear on the layout

 

I have:

Murphy Models 220

Bachmann 177

Lima enterprise 206

3 Lima mk2 coaches Galway livery

 

I need:

A rake of mk3s, hopefully 5 or 6, with 1 1st class, a restaurant car, 2 or 3 second class and generator van

A mk2 generator van and mk2 restaurant coach

Another 201, not sure about intercity or orange full yellow ends yet though!

10 dapol pocket talgo wagons that the model shop are selling

7 or so cement bubbles

Another 141 or 181

A 121

1 or 2 071s

3 or 4 RPSI green mk2s

 

Anything else?

[BosKonay]

Anything else he asks?? :)

 

http://www.irishrailmodels.com

 

A dozen of everything please

[201bhoy]

Yeah but I won't have room for it all! I'm going to only have one or two of everything

[Mayner]

201bhoy

 

Although your basic trackplan is excellent, I think its going to be difficult to fit it into an 8X4.

 

It might be better to try one of the worked plans from http://www.freetrackplans.com/802-Trafford-Park.php or the Peco Setrack Manual.

 

Another point to consider is forming an operating well in the middle, otherwise you will have to place the baseboard in the middle of the room.

 

You are likely to be restricted to 1st radius curves and you would be better with locos like 141s and 4w wagons rather than 201s MK3 Coaches and bogie wagons.

 

Its probably best to treat your 8X4 as a stepping stone to a larger layout.

 

John

[201bhoy]

201bhoy

 

Although your basic trackplan is excellent, I think its going to be difficult to fit it into an 8X4.

 

It might be better to try one of the worked plans from http://www.freetrackplans.com/802-Trafford-Park.php or the Peco Setrack Manual.

 

Another point to consider is forming an operating well in the middle, otherwise you will have to place the baseboard in the middle of the room.

 

You are likely to be restricted to 1st radius curves and you would be better with locos like 141s and 4w wagons rather than 201s MK3 Coaches and bogie wagons.

 

Its probably best to treat your 8X4 as a stepping stone to a larger layout.

 

John

 

John,

 

Have you seen my track plan? It just about fits into an 8 x 4 rectangle And I will probably have one controller, which will be a powercab as Anto advised me The minimum curve is 2nd radius, which are OK with the 201s, but I'll mainly be using the 141s and (when they come out!) 121s in the freight yard, where space is tight, as you're right, they would look better. The 201s and 071s will be used for the long platform and the liner trains' main siding. Thanks for the advice!

 

Vincent

[Retro Herbie]

Great if the min is 2nd radius was worried looking at it the inner one was 1st. Ill get a few additional pics of the other layout with the yard etc for you

[201bhoy]

Thanks very much that's great! Is that for a costumer or is it yours, cause it looks really familiar... is that the one you had at the back of the shop a wee while ago? Maybe slightly different, I think you had an engine shed?

[Retro Herbie]

Yep that's the one, was built about 6 years ago just because I fancied a bit of a shunting yard and station, its designed so a fiddle yard could be put onto either the single branch or the double track mainline.

 

When the shop was bought 4 years ago it was put in there to give people ideas for layout building and the response to it was one of the reasons for starting buildmyrailway. Took it out a while ago as we needed for space for stock.

 

People still ask reguarly about it so we currently have plans completed for a 12 x 1 end to end station to countryside working layout for the shop. Hopefully if time allows it will be finished and running by the autumn

[201bhoy]

Yep that's the one, was built about 6 years ago just because I fancied a bit of a shunting yard and station, its designed so a fiddle yard could be put onto either the single branch or the double track mainline.

 

When the shop was bought 4 years ago it was put in there to give people ideas for layout building and the response to it was one of the reasons for starting buildmyrailway. Took it out a while ago as we needed for space for stock.

 

People still ask reguarly about it so we currently have plans completed for a 12 x 1 end to end station to countryside working layout for the shop. Hopefully if time allows it will be finished and running by the autumn

 

Sounds great! I take it with all the new Murphy Models stock around it'll be modern era?

[Retro Herbie]

Yeah, it'll be fully automated so the trains will be able to trundle back and forth. It will be mainly the Bachmann DMU with the GMs making a few appearances

[201bhoy]

Yeah, it'll be fully automated so the trains will be able to trundle back and forth. It will be mainly the Bachmann DMU with the GMs making a few appearances

 

Sounds brilliant! I don't know how much space you have, but maybe you could have a bay platform or stabling point, and you could operate the 201s and 071s as well as the 141s, and advertise your sound decoders?