My Settle & Carlisle style viaduct - OO Gauge Layout

[Jaz avalley]

We too are now electrified, but I love the tea wagons such scope for weathering,although my family who had a number of coal miners, even my dad for a short time holds more sway.

those rounded wagons lend them selves to dribbling dirt and rust.I just checked I have not done one myself yet,I did buy the water wagons but cannot bring myself to weather them lol, but they are on my to do list.
Your layout , your rules, but don’t your fingers just itch to rust them lovely babies
before you consign them to the e-bay / post, would you not consider having a play at weathering, unless you already did of course, a little distressing can do wonders, and you could consign them to a siding, abandoned as a by gone age.

 

[Peter C]

As promised

First is my western extension from the main station: -

Top 2 are head shunt sidings for suburban
3rd track is up relief
Next pair are up main
Bottom right is down main with a class 52 awaiting track to depart

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The route ahead

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The gap

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The end of the up main

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The route ahead and end of down line to the viaduct

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The viaduct crossed

The completed track up to the passing loop for the intermediate station

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The station area with 2m of track under the wooden weight

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The route ahead

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to the current limit

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I have a 10m gap to complete the loop and 8m of track

Looks like you've done a lot of work @reddragon! Makes me want to get something done on my layout. I like how you're laying the track as you lay the baseboards too; something I've not seen that much, if at all, on such a layout. I expect it's good fun to do and nice to see it come together?

I have gone through a load of how not to....mistake I made and learned from are littered through my 1s of thousands photo library, so I can offer picture backup on any advice I offer, and am quite willing to address areas people ask about, helping them target searches for others advice, as my way is not the only way. ?I have still lads to lear, my husband does the DCC and track control and modelling as he has time, As for the track, our layout is almost 44 foot long, areas are in different levels of production, so I tend to move from area to area, trial different idea, modify options as ones become more successful.....I have several stations on the go,several more spaces for other planned layouts with a bunch of scenic items ready to go as time allows,plus we are not beyond ripping out and restarting,plus I am now blowing YOUR layout with my pictures, so I will remove them after you answer, so as to not ruin your thread, I tend to move about chatting to new people getting new ideas, because people who are not in the same areas can have clever fresh ideas, many of which I have successfully implemented, I go on warhammer, war, history, scenic forums to find useful ideas and incorporate them, I did have my own Facebook group but left it in the safe hands of a fellow modeller who has improved enormously and now sells his superb scratch built buildings, producing For people one off real station buildings that are not yet manufactured by the big boys.I do several eras, do them vanilla and have optional tongue in cheek add ones,having gone through a lon learning curve I find much in others work to admire,and readily show my own work and how I did them as people often offer useful tweaks all stations are designed to run trains or have roads through the whole and I keep intending to have the cars that can be run like small scaletrix once I stop tearing the roads up lol.

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That layout looks brilliant @Jaz avalley - the kind of thing I'd love to build at some point in the future. I really like the big station and the tiny details like the road signs you've included. How did you do those platforms on that big station, and how long have you been working on it (the station/the whole layout)?

-Peter

 

[Jaz avalley]

Feel free to leave the pics, they are brilliant! Now to persuade my wife to take up scenery modelling . . . no hope! youngest? He wants to but his ideas a a bit bonkers!

PS my layout is / will be bigger than yours so there! A full loop is around 45-50m

Well bonkers is my middle name, expand on his ideas and lets see if I have seen others using any of them

Looks like you've done a lot of work @reddragon! Makes me want to get something done on my layout. I like how you're laying the track as you lay the baseboards too; something I've not seen that much, if at all, on such a layout. I expect it's good fun to do and nice to see it come together?

That layout looks brilliant @Jaz avalley - the kind of thing I'd love to build at some point in the future. I really like the big station and the tiny details like the road signs you've included. How did you do those platforms on that big station, and how long have you been working on it (the station/the whole layout)?

-Peter

i bought a train set early 2000, but in 2009 we boarded the loft and my husband got the set and said it was not good on the floor so we got in wood for the first table, then he got the bug,he trialed some ideas,then asked if I would do him a little cottage,with a garden,my dream cottage he said the cunning fox,then I got pulled in too, it is lovely sharing a hobby, we both have our strengths our skills and sone overlap, occasionally we have a go at the same thing but as I paint better he normally concedes defeat and tells me how he would like me to do his idea....again cunning fox LOL. He has good electronics and electrics skills but his job means that and running our home at the moment means he has almost no time for the layout,though he does want to get back into it,so 10 years the layout has developed in fits and spasms are we model or play Warcraft or eve or a n other plus our allotment and keeping animals, and often those other things and watching tv inspire models. Goathland is set in the 6os because of Heartbeat, Kalborough has a flavour of Peterborough, with the number of lines although not an Art Deco station, but with the Nene Valley nearby it has any number of preservation locos rumble by and we use that excuse for the older trains, so with Kalborough almost present day we can get away with blue murder

 

[reddragon]

Well bonkers is my middle name, expand on his ideas and lets see if I have seen others using any of them

i bought a train set early 2000, but in 2009 we boarded the loft and my husband got the set and said it was not good on the floor so we got in wood for the first table, then he got the bug,he trialed some ideas,then asked if I would do him a little cottage,with a garden,my dream cottage he said the cunning fox,then I got pulled in too, it is lovely sharing a hobby, we both have our strengths our skills and sone overlap, occasionally we have a go at the same thing but as I paint better he normally concedes defeat and tells me how he would like me to do his idea....again cunning fox LOL. He has good electronics and electrics skills but his job means that and running our home at the moment means he has almost no time for the layout,though he does want to get back into it,so 10 years the layout has developed in fits and spasms are we model or play Warcraft or eve or a n other plus our allotment and keeping animals, and often those other things and watching tv inspire models. Goathland is set in the 6os because of Heartbeat, Kalborough has a flavour of Peterborough, with the number of lines although not an Art Deco station, but with the Nene Valley nearby it has any number of preservation locos rumble by and we use that excuse for the older trains, so with Kalborough almost present day we can get away with blue murder

Glad to have a bonkers wife amidst the usual male dominated interest!

 

[Jaz avalley]

I'm not old enough to give up and have no plans to move!


Thursday

So today, got to it tracklaying due to collaborative working with the track laying contractor and tea suppliers!

I extended my outer loop (up relief) 1 length further west. This required insulator joints. Grr, pain to do! This makes the up relief 1.8m west of the station point work.

The 2nd track the up main is still a pair as part of the long loop for freight. I added power connectors to the farthest track and laid a track on the nearer track of the pair putting them both 0.9m west of the station points.

The picture below shows where I am at. The top 2 tracks are the siding beyond the end of the local suburban line.

View attachment 89457
JAZ added,”I had a thought looking at this, before you progress too far you might want to consider just painting that back wall a pale blue it will photograph better, doing it now will be far less heartache than doing it later,although you may plan a back scene in which case no good reason to both.”


Friday

I was also able to lay a further 7 lengths towards the S&C fArten Gill viaduct, including a pair of power connectors making 7.25m of new track in total.

This is as far as I have got!

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Yes, the up relief has now crossed onto the viaduct but not quite across it yet.

I am going to stick to the outer up relief track in the hope that I can get my first full loop completed!


Saturday

Lots of tidying & clearance today.

This enabled me to extend the base board by 2.4m and critically reduce the gap for the structure to 5m, then end curve (very tricky location) and the western link from the main station

 

[reddragon]

So, a big day today

Track base completed !!!!!!

Lets start with the viaduct loop. The down relief runs from the left around to the site of my 3rd station on the right. The BG is at the end of the laid track. The platforms will be on the outside of the 4 tracks and will be in a cutting with bridges over.



The base board completed to the corner. Tracks in the distance



Around the corner to the next loop - the tricky bit. The reverse curves on the left will be a big challenge!



The return to the end of the track west of the main station is top right.




My next task is to mark out the track alignments, reverse curves & paint the track bed

 

[Cowley]

Pretty good going with the woodworking there @reddragon. I bet you’re feeling quite relieved to have got all that finished?

 

[reddragon]

Pretty good going with the woodworking there @reddragon. I bet you’re feeling quite relieved to have got all that finished?

Its back to too cold to work again. Really looking forwards to completing the outer loop!

Once I finish the insulation, I can go up in colder weather too.

 

[Cowley]

Its back to too cold to work again. Really looking forwards to completing the outer loop!

Once I finish the insulation, I can go up in colder weather too.

It makes a big difference being able to work on it when the weather’s bad because those are the days you’re most likely to be kicking around at home.
I still have plans to build a cabin in the garden for mine but I won’t move it out of the spare room I’ve got somewhere dry and warm for it to go, not least because constantly expanding and contracting with changing temperatures doesn’t do track work any good at all.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Quitter
out door trousers,outdoor jacket,fingerless gloves,a woolie hat,thick,thermal underwear.....go on....get modelling......grins
...looks sideways checks in case needs to duck because of incoming missiles



.....ooops forgot to say congrats always a biggie, and the fact it joins and is at the right height, bonus !

 

[reddragon]

Quitter
out door trousers,outdoor jacket,fingerless gloves,a woolie hat,thick,thermal underwear.....go on....get modelling......grins
...looks sideways checks in case needs to duck because of incoming missiles



.....ooops forgot to say congrats always a biggie, and the fact it joins and is at the right height, bonus !

Having things in my life other than model railways, and only 8m of track left I choose to do what I enjoy when its best to enjoy it.

And as a very good Engineer, none of my roads, bridges, tunnels or structures have not met at the right height

 

[hexagon789]

So, a big day today

Track base completed !!!!!!

Lets start with the viaduct loop. The down relief runs from the left around to the site of my 3rd station on the right. The BG is at the end of the laid track. The platforms will be on the outside of the 4 tracks and will be in a cutting with bridges over.

View attachment 90106

The base board completed to the corner. Tracks in the distance

View attachment 90107

Around the corner to the next loop - the tricky bit. The reverse curves on the left will be a big challenge!

View attachment 90108

The return to the end of the track west of the main station is top right.

View attachment 90109


My next task is to mark out the track alignments, reverse curves & paint the track bed

Coming on leaps and bounds, the photos give a real visual sense of the scale of your endeavours.

Its back to too cold to work again. Really looking forwards to completing the outer loop!

Once I finish the insulation, I can go up in colder weather too.

Nothing a wee dram can't cure

Having things in my life other than model railways, and only 8m of track left I choose to do what I enjoy when its best to enjoy it.

And as a very good Engineer, none of my roads, bridges, tunnels or structures have not met at the right height

Perhaps Network Rail could take a few pointers?

 

[reddragon]

Coming on leaps and bounds, the photos give a real visual sense of the scale of your endeavours.


Nothing a wee dram can't cure


Perhaps Network Rail could take a few pointers?

I often despair when working with some Network Rail Contractors. I had a video sent to me of a track team last week and we were in fits of laughter and despair on what we were viewing. I do sometimes really wonder!!

NR have many really good Engineers and people in general, but the game of catch up they need to make from the years of neglect and privatisation beggars belief.

My last bridge won an ICE award, excellent imagination against the odds by the team and my current bridge jobs will need a very big rabbit to be pulled out of a very small hat. The design team is outstanding but they still have no idea on how they are going to do it yet! Brainstorming is ongoing . . . .

 

[Peter C]

So, a big day today

Track base completed !!!!!!

Lets start with the viaduct loop. The down relief runs from the left around to the site of my 3rd station on the right. The BG is at the end of the laid track. The platforms will be on the outside of the 4 tracks and will be in a cutting with bridges over.

View attachment 90106

The base board completed to the corner. Tracks in the distance

View attachment 90107

Around the corner to the next loop - the tricky bit. The reverse curves on the left will be a big challenge!

View attachment 90108

The return to the end of the track west of the main station is top right.

View attachment 90109


My next task is to mark out the track alignments, reverse curves & paint the track bed

You've got quite a bit done then @reddragon! I'm loving watching this come together, but it is making me somewhat envious of all that space you have...

-Peter

 

[Jaz avalley]

Having things in my life other than model railways, and only 8m of track left I choose to do what I enjoy when its best to enjoy it.

And as a very good Engineer, none of my roads, bridges, tunnels or structures have not met at the right height

Other things in your life, tell me about it,chief cook,chief bottle washer,goats,chickens,duck all want mummy to come make their life better and feed/water then, cats,and until recently 2 dogs,I lost both sisters to old age,the present price of puppies and puppy thieves does not encourage me to replace them,and anyway the husband is far more scary than 2 Doberman’s , and other hobbies,in fact at the moment this is not even close to our main hobby,one of which is self sufficiency and all that entails,amazingly you can be tied down looking after plants 12 months of the year,we have an arboretum but that has been done for some years now, we just let it grow surrounded by farmers who think we are nuts, best double cropping and we grew trees, we have a good sized solar array,water collection,compost making,the other half threatens to do biogas, and at present we only watch computer games on YouTube as when we play we get totally ott and highly competitive,and I used to say to people don’t play cards with my dad he’ll fleece you, bridge being our favourite, although watch yourself playing snap in our house...laughs...and I read a lot inc romance to my husbands utter disgust,he only reads non fiction or a bit of science fiction never fantasy, we never have enough hours in the day,and are always slacking,he is an ex radio tech so electronics and electrics are where his main interests lie,plus he has qualifications a plenty for computer hardware and software,if I so much as breath near the train control system he breaks out in a cold sweat lol,not that I can’t do it, I just never manage to beat him to it lol,and should I lift a programmed loco,train and move it for photographic purposes and not return it to its correctly programmed place...it might be safer to runnnnnnn......or at least offer to make him a tea while he gets it all back in order, and wear earplugs while he grumbles. To be fair I mostly put them back and when he is going to play I do know what I have ‘misplaced’.

 

[hexagon789]

I often despair when working with some Network Rail Contractors. I had a video sent to me of a track team last week and we were in fits of laughter and despair on what we were viewing. I do sometimes really wonder!!

NR have many really good Engineers and people in general, but the game of catch up they need to make from the years of neglect and privatisation beggars belief.

A legacy of Railtrack no doubt

You've got quite a bit done then @reddragon! I'm loving watching this come together, but it is making me somewhat envious of all that space you have...

-Peter

Not just you

 

[reddragon]

## Breaking news ##

Just had notification that another box of pre-ordered track is being dispatched today !!! Rails of Sheffield this time.

This will allow me to complete the up relief loop and start on the up main loop, initially allowing 4 platforms to access the first loop.

Work starts Sunday and update will follow

 

[Cowley]

That’s good that they’re still able to send your order out after the fire in the premises next door.

 

[reddragon]

That’s good that they’re still able to send your order out after the fire in the premises next door.

No mention of fire damaged stock sale yet?

I have orders out with 2 other suppliers too, I spread my bets!

Friday update.

1 box of 25 tracks has arrived
Serious track laying can resume, until I need more power connectors, insulators and points!!

Sunday

Not that warm, but warm enough to get started!

Today I painted the route of the track between the ends, added 3 power connectors, and 1 track length down west from the station.

This is the track west to the end loop



One more length then the crossing up relief to the up main, then the curve

The end loop with access under



The transition curves and pairs on tracks splitting



The tracks re-joining after the joist obstruction




And the return to the track from the viaduct with a BG work coach for the track gang.



The next track and loop end point is ready and fish-plated to lay on the right

 

[Cowley]

It looks like you’re using nice gentle points there which is going to look very nice. Does anyone do points with concrete sleepers? I assume not but it seems like a bit of a gap in the market?
Man you’re going to need a lot of ballast!

 

[Iskra]

I was also secretly hoping Rails might have had some damaged stock to shift, but apparently it was the second hand stuff.

You’re making good progress there!

 

[reddragon]

I have 8 lengths of track and 2 points to complete the first loop, but may need to get a 9th from the new box. I have about 8.5m to go. I have enough fishplates too. I have all the required power connectors in place, so its a case of just track laying now. I hope to do this during the week. I also need to wire up the connectors and connect into the Z21 command that currently doesn't power anything. I only use long points on the mainline.

Once I have done this, testing will take place to confirm it runs OK.

Next is to extend the up main west to the crossover to the up relief and add the siding entry point at the west end. I can them use one transfer siding to connect the down main via the sidings to the up lines.

I do have plenty of points at the moment, but will need extra specific ones, insulated joiners and power connectors soon.

I will do plenty of updates this week!

It looks like you’re using nice gentle points there which is going to look very nice. Does anyone do points with concrete sleepers? I assume not but it seems like a bit of a gap in the market?
Man you’re going to need a lot of ballast!

Long points on the mains and medium in sidings.

Ballast!!! Just think, each loop is c50m, there are 4 of those then the sidings. I know!!!

I have decided to fully do scenery in an area, probably starting at the viaduct over many years . . . .

 

[Cowley]

One thing I’ve noticed recently is that trying to tie in new bits with stuff I did a while ago is quite difficult.
Maybe on a layout the size of yours it might be worth keeping good notes on what ballast/grass/trees etc you used to make reordering easy (I’m really struggling to match the ballast up at the moment because I bought it from the model shop in Exeter and I can’t remember what it was).

 

[reddragon]

One thing I’ve noticed recently is that trying to tie in new bits with stuff I did a while ago is quite difficult.
Maybe on a layout the size of yours it might be worth keeping good notes on what ballast/grass/trees etc you used to make reordering easy (I’m really struggling to match the ballast up at the moment because I bought it from the model shop in Exeter and I can’t remember what it was).

I am Mr Spreadsheet and have all sorts of details. Quite sad I know!

Maybe after lockdown, I can do a ballasting volunteers day? haha!

 

[Cowley]

I am Mr Spreadsheet and have all sorts of details. Quite sad I know!

Maybe after lockdown, I can do a ballasting volunteers day? haha!

Do you know what, I’d love to do that. I get really into it when I get going and it’s a lot easier doing it in 00 gauge than N...

 

[reddragon]

In a decidedly balmy 11C, the track gangs were happy today.

From the viaduct, the up relief was laid 1 length, before the LH point to re-join the loop, then another length into the split pair of tracks curve.

West from the station the up relief was extended by 1 length, before a pair of RH points were installed for the crossover to the up main and then another length into the end curve.

No pics today as the tracks are under wood to hold them in place.

I need to lay 5 more lengths to close the loop

 

[Cowley]

In a decidedly balmy 11C, the track gangs were happy today.

From the viaduct, the up relief was laid 1 length, before the LH point to re-join the loop, then another length into the split pair of tracks curve.

West from the station the up relief was extended by 1 length, before a pair of RH points were installed for the crossover to the up main and then another length into the end curve.

No pics today as the tracks are under wood to hold them in place.

I need to lay 5 more lengths to close the loop

So much warmer today! Well done for cracking on though.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Getting close, that first run a round the whole area will be a moment to cherish

Do you know what, I’d love to do that. I get really into it when I get going and it’s a lot easier doing it in 00 gauge than N...

We looked at n gauge you can of course get so much more in,but you are right much more fiddly,and harder to get realistic detail,O would give better photos but so much less layout, 00 was sort of the goldilocks for us not too small not too big,but I still like looking at the others.

 

[reddragon]

Today the track gangs were happy

Yesterdays work is now visible - the extension into the end curve inc cross over points




The other end



I laid 2 extra lengths each end (photos tomorrow) leaving a gap of 1 track length


The electrical gang was not so happy though. The DCC system would not start up saying there was a short, I traced to the existing up lines. Nothing has changed there and the new section is not yet connected so I don't understand!!

Until I resolve that by painstaking section by section checks, I'm stuck. A bit like getting Crossrail signals to work I guess?

 

[Jaz avalley]

Could you be touching a screw? I know it sounds silly,but I once hear someone complain that a screw had messed up the wiring...stranger things happen