No.112 In the beginning – layout design

We had moved into the new house and there was a space. What to build?

  
In fact there would be a space of five years before the ‘room’ for the railway would be available. Five years might seem an over long time for planning and day dreaming. However I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of time spent looking at other people’s ideas and prototype station layouts. Only then are you in position to draw up some ideas for yourself.

In my case this was fifteen years ago and pre ‘layout design software’. I am a still a great believer in using paper, pencil and a rubber. I would probably still choose this option today. I like to be able to see the big picture rather than having to remember what is off screen. Using a scale of ½ inch to one foot it is easy to sketch up possibilities and more importantly borrow and trace ideas from other sources such as CJ Freezer’s layout plans in the Railway Modeller.
Courtesy of CJ Freezer Railway Modeller September 1971

I wanted both ‘mainline’ length trains and a branchline. Trains had to be able to ‘set off’ with the opportunity to disappear away to the rest of British Railways. The layout shown above caught my imagination. I would need to add storage sidings to hide trains from view. At the time I thought an out and back layout with a Main Terminus and a reversing loop ideal.

The layout as planned

My initial plan is shown above. ‘As built’ the ‘trailing’ crossover at the station throat was moved to the right of the diamond crossing which was later replaced with a single slip for improved running.

Time passes and new opportunities arise. More space became available and the Main Terminus became a through station with storage sidings and reversing loops available at both ends of the layout.
The Main Terminus now a through Station

I like the fact that the branchline entering from the right can be operated separately from the ‘up’ and ‘down’ mainlines. It is also important for me operationally that there is a passing loop available for branch trains entering and leaving the station. This has the dual function of allowing trains entering and leaving the station by the single line to pass each other and also provides a ’run round’ facility for a terminating train.
Branch train having been propelled back out of the station waiting for the engine to be uncoupled and run around its coaches

Coming from the north east of England I was familiar with stations like Middlesbrough, York and Newcastle, all of which had extra tracks through the station in addition to the lines adjacent to the platform faces. In a terminus situation the extra track provides useful storage for whole trains. When the Main Terminus was converted to a through station the storage siding readily converted to a relief line for through goods and parcels trains.
Bachmann WD 8Fwaiting in centre relief road

Goods facilities are along the ‘bottom’ of the layout. Goods trains entering the station from the right can be held in a loop parallel with the main line prior to entering the station.


Bachmann ex GWR ROD entering goods loop on station approach

Trains from the goods yard leave using the diamond crossing.
Bachmann Class 20s rejoining the mainline

This feature was maintained after conversion of the station from ‘terminus’ to ‘through’ station.

Bachmann ex LNWR 7F crossing mainline to enter goods relief

Goods trains from the left use a facing crossover to access a loop along the bottom of the station before exiting and rejoining the main line using the original diamond crossing arrangement at the north end.
Another view of the diamond crossing at the north end from the road overbridge

For completeness I have included a couple of views of the two Main Station Control Panels. When the railway was extended the original Main Terminus control panel was left untouched and a complete new panel was made up for the new south end of the station.

As described in a previous Post, there are separate controllers for each end of the station which can be switched using a form of ‘cab control’ to drive a train straight through the Main Station.
Main Terminus Control Panel – Shed Roads ‘A’ connect at ‘a’, Turntable Roads ‘B’ connect at ‘b’


The new panel for the extension

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