7mm The Derby Line: Basford North

[dibateg]

I finally got around to drawing out the storage yard in preparation for the control panel. Its rather over complicated, but I've built in flexibility for more changes of mind!


I exploited the good weather yesterday to lash up a control panel. One day I might put in a lever frame. It will do for the moment. I've skewed the Brooklyn Road bridge a bit more and tested moving the Park Lane bridge further East, I think that will work better, although I really wanted to avoid a skew bridge there. My other half needs to start using that trampet - otherwise it will be evicted!

 

[dibateg]

I've been preparing drawings for some of the buildings starting with the signal box and the buildings on the up platform. All estimated from photos, as I have no actual drawings for them.



The rail joiner situation for the storage yard is resolved a speculative purchase proved fruitful, they fit the C&L bullhead rail perfectly.


Work on the backscene continues as well as the design for the control panel for the storage yard.

 

[daifly]

Top tip, Tony. Thanks.
Available from here so I've taken a punt too.
Dave

 

[dibateg]

Now that the good weather has finished, I can duck out of jobs outside that 'er indoors has found for me. Now I have the rail joiners, I've had a push today to get the storage sidings laid.
On the right is a headshunt for trains backing out of the dead end Down Victoria sidings with a loco spur alongside. We'll see how that works in practice. Minimum radius throughout is 6 feet.


Down Victoria sidings on the left, with the down line from Bagthorpe Junction curving round. Bulwell common line in the background. Main lines will be in the centre.


Now to wire it up...

 

[dibateg]

I've had another go at the backscene to give it a bit more contrast. It doesn't show well here, but it's a bit bluer at the top.


It was a nice afternoon yesterday so I knocked up the control panel for the storage yard. I prefer to cut the wood outside if I can, it minimises the dust in the railway room. So its just a paper printout on hardboard as a temporary arrangement.

 

[7mmMick]

Really impressive Tony, looks superb

 

[dibateg]

I haven't posted for a while, but work continues in the background. Mostly power wiring, connecting droppers and fitting point motors. There were plenty of them to prepare. I bulk bought Tortoises a good few years ago, they seem a little difficult to get hold of new at the moment.


DLOS kindly machined me some more point blades, and on their delivery, I've been able to proceed with the last of the running line turnouts, namely the long GN crossover, which due to the disposition of the layout has ended up on the curve at the end. Jim Guthrie kindly designed me a single slip with switched diamond, which although not prototypical for the location is necessary for reliable running. It's long - at 1.1m...


There is one more long turnout to make and then all of the main running lines can be completed.

 

[paulc]

Corrrr thats a bignnn , i do like a bit of trackwork , very nice .
Cheers Paul

 

[dibateg]

Thanks Paul -
I've at last laid the main line copper clad turnouts in the storage yard which represent the lines going in the direction of Nottingham Victoria and Bulwell common. That spare bit of sky is just stored back there at the moment to stop it getting marked. Droppers and wiring next...

 

[Dave Holt]

Nice to see further progress with the layout. You must be close to having a full circuit, now?
Dave.
PS. Like the loco builds too!

 

[adrian]

I've at last laid the main line copper clad turnouts in the storage yard which represent the lines going in the direction of Nottingham Victoria and Bulwell common.

Nice to see the progress - I almost feel like it should be ballasted and made an open feature - rather than just a storage yard.

 

[mickoo]

Nice to see the progress - I almost feel like it should be ballasted and made an open feature - rather than just a storage yard.

To be honest, I think that is (in general) a missed opportunity with a great many roundy roundy layouts, as you note, with suitable yard lights and clutter it would easily pass for carriage sidings or goods holding yards.

 

[oldravendale]

Interesting comment. In fact our club layout has that bit right, at least. (There's lots that could be improved, starting with the track, but the basic layout predates me so I've had very little input except for various extensions). The fiddle yard comprises what looks to be carriage sidings between three running lines (two "main" lines and one "branch" line, although even that has a loop at this point). Additionally there's another half dozen long scenic sidings. It can be quite entertaining but not what you might call prototypical.

It's a good place to run my locos and stock, though, with a great bunch of chaps. I'd put a picture up if I could, but as I've not visited since March that's a bit difficult.

Brian

 

[mickoo]

Interesting comment. In fact our club layout has that bit right, at least. (There's lots that could be improved, starting with the track, but the basic layout predates me so I've had very little input except for various extensions). The fiddle yard comprises what looks to be carriage sidings between three running lines (two "main" lines and one "branch" line, although even that has a loop at this point). Additionally there's another half dozen long scenic sidings. It can be quite entertaining but not what you might call prototypical.

It's a good place to run my locos and stock, though, with a great bunch of chaps. I'd put a picture up if I could, but as I've not visited since March that's a bit difficult.

Brian

Have you only started taking pictures since April then

 

[oldravendale]

No, Mick. I just never thought of taking photos of something that's a bit of a curate's egg previously. Not up to the standards we expect on this site!

B

 

[dibateg]

Yes - it's tempting to scenic the storage yard, but I'd better concentrate on the main layout first!

There was some progress at the beginning of the month and the long crossing was laid in, so now there is a full circuit on the main line. Wiring is in progress, but I rather ran out of steam and other events have taken precedent. I'll get back to it soon I hope.


In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to mock up the station building to check that the dimensions I've worked out will allow it to fit reasonably in the space I have made for it.


Hopefully it will look like this but not so derelict! Picture from Hayden Reed's excellent book.

 

[dibateg]

Its a little cold in the railway room, so I'm on a push to complete the remaining turnouts for the goods yard - just half a dozen or so to go, starting with this tandem point.. About the only benefit of lockdown...

 

[dibateg]

I'm now on to laying out the final parts of trackwork for the bay platform and goods yard. The 16 tonner is in the bay platform and the road to the left will pass through the goods shed. It's not fixed in place yet. At last the end of tracklaying is in sight.. Even with four feet of width, I think I might miss out the middle siding in the goods yard as it just doesn't fit and my original configuration just doesn't look right.


Ragstone produce some nice GNR buffer stops, so I have been preparing those.

 

[Mike Sheardown]

Beautiful flowing lines Tony !!

 

[dibateg]

Thanks Mike!

I did end up slewing the bay platform track out from the station building by about 15mm and I did start wiring it, but it was one of those days where I kept making mistakes and ending up with shorts even with a buzzer connected across the tracks - it helps if the section of track with the buzzer does have droppers attached.... I gave up at beer o'clock.