Hope Springs - the layout...
 

OK. I am no longer meurglysIII on here, I am now a more human "Pete C..."

As I mentioned on the "Makerfield" thread, I am about to start building a new layout. Back to bare baseboards.

It will still be nominally 1970s, North West, Wigan area, but not prototypical location-wise. I want to achieve the following:

1. Accommodate a massive diesel shed (built)
2. Have an "open" baseboard arrangement to enable embankments, bridges etc., I want to see trains crossing bridges and diving into tunnels
3. Large-ish fiddle yard for decent length trains
4. No station (I have got rid of my passenger stock as I realised I never ran it. I seem to be far more interested in goods traffic) I just have a class 108 dmu which can trundle through.
5. More operational interest

Track plan hopefully attached, with lower level and upper level shown. Please feel free to comment. I have kept most of the buildings from Makerfield and will re-home them on the new layout. I like to think my modelling skills have improved since 2008 so they will be upgraded with new windows, doors, details and better (led) lighting which should result hopefully in less wiring.

Here goes...

The "lower level" by the way is actually a raised level, the "height of a typical bridge". I reckon this to be about 90mm in 00, based on a scalescenes viaduct arch. Would that seem about right? I'm not sure if I will use kit arches or make my own, I think I prefer the latter.

Sorry Pete, can't get the plans to down load but will follow your project with interest.

John H-T.

Good luck with the new layout, keep us upto date with progress reports.

Baseboards underway.

Hi Pete. I look forward to following your progress and hope everything goes to plan with your new layout.
I have always been impressed with your modelling skills and eye for detail and if you continue to produce results like "Makerfield" then I think we are in for a real treat.

Thanks all. I appreciate the help you gave me with Makerfield and I may need help, in particular with signalling, on this one. But I need to crack on with the baseboards first.
I have bought a cobalt asdfx module for point switching, that should be interesting...

Some progress...
 

I have made and fitted the hinged board which will have the access roads for the depot. Now comes the hard part of laying track to match up across the boards and wiring to make it all work. I'm not bothering with motorised points on this board, there's too many of em!

I've removed the point from the stabling road on the depot board, as there is no room for the right hand exit from this point to go anywhere. So I've changed the track plan a bit to have a kickback to the fuelling road(s). I'll post pics when it's done.

I will also need to re-do the ends of the shed roads so they can meet up with the hinged board. I'm going to try copper strip sleepers at the end of each board with track & wires soldered to it then running to the backboard and round, with plenty of slack. I'll post pics if I am successful with it....

Best get on with it.

Ignore the scruffy front of the depot board by the way, this will be tidied up.

Hi Pete,
Very interesting layout plan. When I last did a layout where the tracks crossed a lifting section, I laid the track across the join, slipped copper clad sleepers under the tracks both sides of the join. Soldered the rails to the sleepers then used a Dremmel cutter to cut through each rail. Result; perfect joints which never gave any trouble. Hope that is of help or am I trying to tell Grandma how to suck eggs?
Regards, Tony

Hi Tony, thanks for the comment. That is my plan, just need to get the copper clad and the time to do it:-)