Planning and Starting a layout

I see many requests on the forums for help at the planning stage for new beginners and from the comments many see a lot to learn. There is quite a lot of free software available on the internet to help with the planning process which is very good, but before you reach for your mouse and plan away I think it would be a good idea to consider the way I planned my layout, which was built before all this wonderful software became available. I'm not suggesting you should not use the software, on the contrary, I am suggesting using my method and the software.

There seem to lots of requests for opinions of a particular layout plans and this is a very difficult area for others to comment on because unless you are modelling an exact replica of some real place then your plan is very personal to you. Others have different agendas and preferences which may conflict with what you are trying to achieve, and these opinions can only confuse your own aims. If you take notice of all the opinions, there is a danger you can end up with a layout designed by committee. 
No committee has ever designed anything of any use to anybody.

Most layout designs are as a result of daydreams, the ideal layout you see in you mind, usually concentrating on a particular point or points you wish to model. It may be a particular place or track configuration you focus upon. To change this beginning into an operating layout is a big step, but can be made easier if you break down the big step into smaller ones. 

A major mistake most people make is trying to fit a quart into a pint pot. You see Kings Cross station in your mind and yet the space for this monster is no longer than and ironing board and all in OO!

The next two steps will take you from the minds eye to some reality.

First, there are a couple of publications which I would recommend you read, both by Peco. '60 Plans' and 'Track Plans' written by Cyril Freezer. Don't just look and the plans, read the notes. As you will know, I do bang on a bit about the need for the operation of the railway to be considered as one of the first thoughts rather than the last. (read 'boredom and monotony' in Origins section of this blog). If you a planning a larger layout you can use the plans in the smaller layouts for part of the larger. Although these publications are now out of print, I found lots for sale on ebay by searching for the names in quotes above. They cost a few pounds each. The publications are for OO, there is also one called 'N gauge track plans'.       

The next step I would recommend is to download the Peco Turnout Plans
http://www.peco-uk.com/page.asp?id=pointplans
These plans can be printed out and laid out so you can get a really good idea of how much space the junctions and your plan really takes up. Fitting the junctions into the space is a key part of the planning process.
For example consider a steam operated branch line terminus with a run round loop to release the locomotive and run round the train. You need to decide what size locomotives you are going to use in order to work out the length of the track between the end point and the buffers, how many coaches you plan to send up the branch, can they fit in the station length whilst the locomotive is running round, etc. Make an estimate of the locomotive length and the coaches.
A double track crossover (using long components) is 30" (760mm) long and a simple crossover (using medium components) is 14" (360mm). 
Once you have laid out your paper layout consider the operational moves you can make and ask yourself if there are sufficient to entertain you when finished. If all you can do is to pull a train into the station, run round it and pull out again, then you'll be bored with it pretty quickly. 
This exercise (with virtually no outlay) will do more in moving forward any plans than any software will do on its own and once completed, the results can be transferred to the planning software with the confidence knowing it will fit the space.  

To view the channel, follow the link below

www.youtube.com/user/dougattrenholmebar

     

     

North East Model Railway - Reflections

In the first post of this blog entitled 'Origins' I set out a list of specifications I wanted achieve in the building of Trenholme Junction and now after the build is complete I think its a good time to look back at the list of requirements and see if they have fulfilled my dream of building the ultimate layout.

The overall answer to the question is yes, but not quite.

One thing everybody should understand, whether you are building your first layout or your twentieth you will still be learning. It's quite amazing how you are always thinking about the next layout before you have even finished the one you're working on. I'm no exception.

One major thing I achieved when building this layout was to be able to view the railway from the same perspective as I saw it as a child, at station and rail level. The original idea was to have mini cameras in the trains and allow users to log on via the internet to drive the trains in real time. A great dream, but impractical. The things you would have to set up to do this are enormous, like you would need to be there to re-rail derailed trains, the layout would have to be live all the time, idiots would deliberately crash the trains, the locomotives would wear out, you would have to switch the lights on when it got dark, etc., etc.. 

I wanted to get away from the traditional operating of the railway every time I wanted to see my trains run. Filming the activity fulfilled this requirement. It's a difficult thing to explain but it's almost impossible to imagine the amount of different viewpoints you can get from even a small model when you can get really close up. The use of the high definition mini cameras is by far the most fascinating aspect of modelling I have discovered in the building of the layout. The cameras fit into the smallest places where normally its impossible to get your eye into, and best of all, you can record the results for all time. I consider the traditional 'helicopter' view of the layout the least attractive angle to view the layout from and only use it when filming now. 

Control

The traditional layout has a control panel of some sorts where the operator sits and operates the railway from a position that in reality, is in a helicopter. This position means that you never see your railway other than from a totally unnatural perspective. 
The first control system I bought for this layout was ZTC. I loved the the main and slave controllers and even had a hand held slave, but, all they did was give me three helicopter positions to operate from, as in the traditional model. It seemed if I wanted another place to operate from, I had to buy another helicopter. The ZTC also proved to be a nightmare on such a large layout. I had six power boosters and three controllers and there was faults galore. I often went into the train shed to run some trains and spent the whole time resetting chips and wondering why trains took off and smashed into each other for no apparent reason.

The ZTC syatem was swept away and replaced with the brilliant ESU Ecos controller and Radio Control Slave. In an instant these two pieces of kit replaced all the ZTC bits and pieces and worked perfectly first time and have since. The radio controller allows me to operate every part of the layout and as close as I wish. It's so good it will operate the trains when standing in the field outside!

This is the first layout I built using DCC control and a I have to admit being nervous as most people are when taking this step. There is an expense and choosing the right system may seem a daunting task, but I would urge anybody considering building a new layout to take the time to at least make preparations for DCC even if you don't intend to take the step straight away. As I already mentioned in my first article any other control and wiring systems mean that as your layout grows, you will spend more time wiring, fault finding and fixing it than you will operating your railway. 

Locomotives

During the time the layout was under construction, locomotives with sound appeared on the scene and there are several on the layout. I have mixed feelings about these. The sound can be rather irritating when left on for a period of time. I think that maybe the painting 'The Scream' was probably based on the result of a two hour running session with a Bachmann Class 20 with the sound on. If you put more than one locomotive's sound on at the same time it can degenerate into the white noise you get when your FM radio station is out of tune. The sound only really works well when the track and the wheels of the locomotive are kept meticulously clean. On saying that, I have made several films with sound and they do work very well and certainly won't put me off buying more.  

Buildings and Trackside

As somebody who doesn't have a great deal of patience when it comes to constructing buildings I am very happy with the 'ready to plant' structures around the layout. The variety of buildings and line side features available gives the components to build endless and unique combinations. The signalling remains an outstanding omission to the finished article which is covered elsewhere in this blog.

Operation

Operating the layout is a joy. The time spent bonding all the rails to the DCC bus was time very well spent. The combination of this and the ESU controller are a real success. To give an idea of how DCC is the real winner, I recently filmed a DMU cab ride (see below) which crosses 33 points and crossings and the entire journey was controlled by only two wires and not a single switch, quite amazing really......

   

The  layout was designed to recreate the operations on 1960's British Railways. Crucial to the success of every layout is to hold interest and the more operations the more the interest, avoiding the boredom and monotony trap. This is a vital component in the planning process. 

Filming the layout gives some really unexpected bonuses. When its cold outside and I'm next to the fire, or I need a fix when I'm waiting for an appointment, when I am a doddering old fool who can't run the layout any more, I can still enjoy my railway by logging onto the internet. So can anybody else.

The Next Layout

Planning the next layout is already at an advanced stage. Trenholme Junction was built in the traditional manner with a view to filming. Both helicopter views and filming can be accommodated. The next layout will not be a traditional layout but a series of sets which can be assembled in different orders and only exist for films to be made, making a continuous output of films capturing inexhaustible aspects of operations which are not possible on a traditional fixed layout.    

To view the channel, follow the link below

www.youtube.com/user/dougattrenholmebar