As some of you will know I've made a start on my new 00 gauge layout and thought I'd share what I've been upto. This isn't intended as a blow by blow account of constructing the layout, just some occasional updates and a few pictures of progress. The layout is housed in my spare room and measures aprox 8' x 11'. It is a double track main line running round the room with a large non-scenic fiddle yard. It is based on the Caledonian Main Line around Crawford and will include the station and a representation of the viaduct. I wanted a layout where I could just sit back and watch trains running through the scenery hence the simple track plan for the scenic section. The time period for the layout isn't too specific, anywhere from around 1900 until the grouping. I tend to run set trains from a set period and the layout is intended more for 'playing trains' than prototypical operation, indeed many of the trains I have wouldn't have been see on that part of the line.
- img_0318.jpg (50.03 KiB) Viewed 14000 times
Two of the baseboards, pretty standard construction. There are 9 in total. The layout isn't intended to ever leave home but I wanted the boards to be small enough to be manageable single handed and it means the layout can be pulled apart if it ever needs to be moved.
- IMG_6670.jpg (91.36 KiB) Viewed 14000 times
A general overview of the room. Quite a bit of progress since then!
- img_0317.jpg (54.57 KiB) Viewed 14000 times
Mapping out roughly where the track will go. The signal box is just a place holder and will be replaced with a scratch built example in due course.
Currently most of the track in the fiddle yard is laid but not yet fully wired up. The mainline through the scenic section is just loosely laid and clipped together for now. I wanted to test a few trains round the curves before committing to fixing them down, a major rethink would have been required if my 12-wheel stock would go round them! I've uploaded a few short videos to YouTube showing trains running, links below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBn9DvvRzfo
An old DJH Class 439 with a local passenger set. The carriages are mix of kits, scratch built and modifies RTR. This is about the limit of what it can pull without slipping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPkydh7eXcE
A part finished River Class (DJH on a Hornby Black 5 chassis) on perhaps an excursion train. I would normally run these as two separate trains but the engine copes easily with them. The 'suburban set' at the front was made from some old Tri-ang non-corridor clerestory coaches suitably modified
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EGhtPkrkiY
And finally for now a Jumbo (DJH again) on a mineral train.
Ross
