Tales from The Room of Doom. Dipping a toe in various bucolic backwaters.

[NHY 581]

It really does look larger than 59cm - perhaps because the shed is a narrow gauge structure, yet it looks completely natural.

From my perspective, the key difference between the shelf layout you build last year and this one is simplicity. From what I recall that layout had quite a complex track plan on a fairly small shelf. When I built something similar earlier this year, the sheer amount of trackwork meant that the composition always felt 'off', and the layout only fit the specific buildings and plans I had originally intended, so it was really a bit too rigid to keep up with my rapidly changing interests!

Rye Sands was really a response to that, and minimising the amount of track gave a sort of blank canvas which meant I could change my mind as I went along without feeling disillusioned or losing interest.

Will

Hi Will,

Great to see you in here and thank you for your thoughts.

You MUST get a thread going. There will be a lot of interest in your builds. Rye Sands is really, really very good indeed.

Rob.

 

[NHY 581]

Rob,

Your attempts to get people to "just build something" have worked. Were it not for showing that someone who can build layouts like you, can enjoy just throwing down some track and having a shunt, I wouldn't have built my shunting-plank-cum-blt, and would have continued drawing track plans, building wagon kits, and agonising over getting it right.

It is a shame that your thread on "the other place" became so frequently derailed, as it made following the modelling harder than necessary, but it is one of the reasons why I have chosen not to post a layout thread over there.

Best of luck with the new layout
Joseph

Hi Joseph. Thank you for those kind words. I'm so glad that you took the plunge and do hope we'll see a thread emerge on which you can let us know what you've up to.

Rob

 

[Willl]

Hi Will,

Great to see you in here and thank you for your thoughts.

You MUST get a thread going. There will be a lot of interest in your builds. Rye Sands is really, really very good indeed.

Rob.

Thanks Rob, I'm very flattered. I have been meaning to start up a thread over here although I struggle enough to keep the thread on the other side up to date. Look forward to seeing how this latest project develops as your modelling is always a source of inspiration

Will

 

[NHY 581]

Hi Rob,
This is a very neat idea (whatever the measurements are ) . My only concern is the space between the end of the front siding and the shed doors; there doesn't seem much room for manoeuvre. Would it be practical to shorten the siding a tad?

Cheers

Jan

Hi Jan,

I gave the track a tweak this morning as below.



I think it looks a bit more balanced now. I accept that it does run a bit close to the left hand door but I'm keen to preserve the view of a loco with the shed as a backdrop.

From the front, I think it looks quite pleasing.



I am going to try a small Y point in place of the medium radius Bullhead point but I'd prefer to use Bullhead as opposed to the Code 75 Streamline. The deciding factor will be any additional space using the smaller point brings and any improvement to the flow of the trackwork it produces. Every cm is important here !

Rob

 

[Tim Birch]

I accept that it does run a bit close to the left hand door but I'm keen to preserve the view of a loco with the shed as a backdrop.

Could the doors on the side of the building be replaced with a sliding one? Then the front siding could remain closer to the wall.

 

[NHY 581]

Could the doors on the side of the building be replaced with a sliding one? Then the front siding could remain closer to the wall.

Hi Tim,

Good point and the suggestion of a 'field modification' is really appealing but I do like the look of the arched doorway.

Looking again at how close the siding is, I'm happy with it.



This layout is after all a caricature of anything prototypical .





The ground level will be raised up to the top of the sleepers.



I'm thinking that the area in front of the two side doors could be scribed as blocks and the track inlaid.




Rob.

 

[Osgood]

What is the focal point (or the starting point) of your scheming?
Am I right in thinking your day job allows you close-up unsupervised access to such buildings as the shed above?
Is that the start of it?
If so, and given a whole raft of particular line interests (e.g. Col. S, Middy, Ind., West Coun....), I could just imagine inspecting one of those sheds / buildings and dreaming up all manner of scenarios around how it could be incorporated!
In the same way you might perhaps have woven an entire Peckett playground around that slate N.G. shed?

 

[NHY 581]

What is the focal point (or the starting point) of your scheming?
Am I right in thinking your day job allows you close-up unsupervised access to such buildings as the shed above?
Is that the start of it?
If so, and given a whole raft of particular line interests (e.g. Col. S, Middy, Ind., West Coun....), I could just imagine inspecting one of those sheds / buildings and dreaming up all manner of scenarios around how it could be incorporated!
In the same way you might perhaps have woven an entire Peckett playground around that slate N.G. shed?

That's pretty much how it works, Tony. Two things trigger an idea, a building or a loco.

In this particular case, it was the building, but originally, it was tried out on Seahorses, the nod to the North Sunderland. I had indeed been looking at it in the shop ( for ages) and wanted to use it. Seahorses seemed perfect but in the end, It was too big for that and looking at it at home, I remembered the little shelf, the 80cm one that wasn't. I plonked the shed down, wiggled it about a bit, and arrived at where we are now.

Seahorses arises from a desire to give Rapido's Y7s somewhere to play. I now have the engine shed for that and a excuse to finally use Bachmann's North Eastern station building.

But you're right, these buildings really get me thinking and contribute in no small way to my somewhat eclectic modelling interests.

Rob

 

[paulhb]

Hi Rob,

I like it

Looking at your photos I was thinking about the front siding being inlaid…and then you mentioned it! As a possibility rather than ending with a buffer stop the siding could disappear into undergrowth giving the impression it went further but that part now abandoned.

I like the position of the shed which provides a view block to the rear siding.

Cheers Paul

 

[Gilbert]

All looks good Rob. I also thought inlaid track would solve the door proximity issue....I plan to experiment with Das for some setts on Guinea Street...

 

[Tim Birch]

Good point and the suggestion of a 'field modification' is really appealing but I do like the look of the arched doorway.

Agreed, arched doorways are more interesting but, a field modification could be to board in the whole opening (keeping the arch shape) and then insert a small personnel door. It could be that the fitters became tired of having to open the big doors to get in and out when the cold winter wind and rain was blowing.

I think that it all shows how interesting a small layout like this can be!

 

[NHY 581]

Agreed, arched doorways are more interesting but, a field modification could be to board in the whole opening (keeping the arch shape) and then insert a small personnel door. It could be that the fitters became tired of having to open the big doors to get in and out when the cold winter wind and rain was blowing.

I think that it all shows how interesting a small layout like this can be!

Morning Tim.

I did consider infilling the doorway completely with brickwork of some description but I intend detailing and possibly illuminating ( albeit very poorly ) the interior. Leaving the doors open, especially the left hand one will also afford a view of any locos stabled just inside the shed, assuming of course there's not a whacking great Austerity in the way !

And I agree, for a project measuring just under 24ins x 10ins it's certainly generating a bit of interest.

Rob

 

[NHY 581]

I'm going to try a small Y point in place of the medium radius bullhead point this morning, just to satisfy myself that the med radius is the way forward.

PECO tell me that as of yesterday, the Bullhead Y point is a little way off but it's the same length as the medium left hand currently employed. It should also follow the large Y point in the code 75 FB range which means the angle of the Y will be quite shallow and therefore not really suitable given the length of the layout.

I'm also going into the garage to dig out something to provide backscene etc. Not looking forward to that as it's currently baltic hereabouts though not as cold as some are this morning.

So, progress is being maintained.

Rob

 

[NHY 581]

All looks good Rob. I also thought inlaid track would solve the door proximity issue....I plan to experiment with Das for some setts on Guinea Street...

Morning Chris,

Yes, I thought I'd got the scribing DAS thing out of my system with Bleat Wharf.





Can't wait to have another go...........

Rob

 

[Phil O]

Evening all,

Great stuff regarding the Bullhead points. I still have misgivings about them but I will be using them on Y Ddôl. I say 'them'...........but........before elaborating further, I noticed something last night.....

So, this view is of the smaller, original 80cm long shelf, except it's not 80cm....it's ahem.....cough.....59cm long.

View attachment 230778


How on earth I thought it was 80cm I have no idea. It was only when contemplating adding a 30cm x 26cm shelf to act as a 'fiddle stick ' that I thought that doesn't look like 110cm and upon comparing it, the penny dropped.

Far from being a disaster, I was enthused by the idea of producing a working layout in such a limited space. I mean, the actual measurements are irrelevant as I originally thought it was doable when I thought it was 80cm so why wouldn't it be once I knew it was only 59cm ?

Rob

Rob,

On a par with the Osney layouts on t'other channel, also by Rob!.

 

[John57sharp]

Yes, I thought I'd got the scribing DAS thing out of my system with Bleat Wharf.

Oo those pictures made me purr rather….

John

 

[NHY 581]

Oo those pictures made me purr rather….

John

Thanks, Tiddles.

 

[Captain Kernow]

I'm going to try a small Y point in place of the medium radius bullhead point this morning, just to satisfy myself that the med radius is the way forward.

PECO tell me that as of yesterday, the Bullhead Y point is a little way off but it's the same length as the medium left hand currently employed. It should also follow the large Y point in the code 75 FB range which means the angle of the Y will be quite shallow and therefore not really suitable given the length of the layout.

If you want to short-circuit the wait for the Peco bullhead short Y point, Rob, you could always use this:


Built as an experiment to the downloaded template of the Peco f/b equivalent last year and tested with various locos:


Sitting in a drawer with no immediate plans for it...