Layout you always wanted to make but can't?

[Gloster]

Isnt there a Liverpool overhead layout somewhere?

There seems to be, or was recently, one of Herculaneum Dock.

I have looked for a Mersey Railway layout, but can find nothing: it might have a fictitious name. I think that there is or was one of Birkenhead Woodside.

 

[d9009alycidon]

There seems to be, or was recently, one of Herculaneum Dock.

I have looked for a Mersey Railway layout, but can find nothing: it might have a fictitious name. I think that there is or was one of Birkenhead Woodside.

I remember seeing Birkenhead done as part of a massive layout called Chester Joint, it appeared in Railway Modeller back in the 1960s.

Video of herculaneum Dock.

 

[Ken H]

I remember seeing Birkenhead done as part of a massive layout called Chester Joint, it appeared in Railway Modeller back in the 1960s.

Video of herculaneum Dock.

Nice.

 

[Gloster]

I remember seeing Birkenhead done as part of a massive layout called Chester Joint, it appeared in Railway Modeller back in the 1960s.

It was 1963. It does seem to be a ‘very loosely based on’ type of layout.

 

[Purple Train]

A to-scale depiction of Birmingham New Street, including all the roads above the railway. Either that or St Pancras. I wonder how much of it I'd be able to get done in T scale...

 

[sprinterguy]

A to-scale depiction of Birmingham New Street, including all the roads above the railway. Either that or St Pancras. I wonder how much of it I'd be able to get done in T scale...

I'd imagine you'd be interested to see P4 New Street then, if you're not already aware of it:

Plans

Visit the post for more.

p4newstreet.com

There was also an older OO scale model of New Street station, and a condensed representation of the surrounding West Midlands rail network, in the garden of a house in Sutton Coldfield in the seventies and eighties, that was operated according to the contemporary BR timetable:

ATV Today: 05.08.1980: Model Trains

Model Trains -Tony Maycock at Sutton Coldfield to see the model railway built by Don Jones in the garden of his semi, which runs each day to the New Street Station timetable.

www.macearchive.org

 

[william.martin]

A to-scale depiction of Birmingham New Street, including all the roads above the railway. Either that or St Pancras. I wonder how much of it I'd be able to get done in T scale...

I wouldn't fancy new street as it's mostly underground.
St Pancras wouldn't be so bad though.

 

[Cowley]

I'd imagine you'd be interested to see P4 New Street then, if you're not already aware of it:

Plans

Visit the post for more.

p4newstreet.com

There was also an older OO scale model of New Street station, and a condensed representation of the surrounding West Midlands rail network, in the garden of a house in Sutton Coldfield in the seventies and eighties, that was operated according to the contemporary BR timetable:

ATV Today: 05.08.1980: Model Trains

Model Trains -Tony Maycock at Sutton Coldfield to see the model railway built by Don Jones in the garden of his semi, which runs each day to the New Street Station timetable.

www.macearchive.org

That second one was in the Railway Modeller in the 1980s and I remember being blown away by the scale of it.

 

[Class142sbad]

Always fancied making a layout that is exactly like Morpeth, Heppscot and Pegswood. Down to realistic houses and buses. Space and money mean I can't. But if I have both I would love to do that. Like modern day set layout.

 

[sprinterguy]

That second one was in the Railway Modeller in the 1980s and I remember being blown away by the scale of it.

It was certainly impressive in its scope, and, having looked into it some more, a lot longer-lived than I previously realised.

 

[GatwickDepress]

My dream layout would be an interpretation of Bexhill West had it survived the Beeching Axe and been electrified with third rail, with the route condensed down to include an approximation of the Crowhurst (or Combe Haven or Sidley or whatever other name it has) viaduct. Alas, a lack of time, money, and space means it will forever remain a twinkle in my eye. It would be set in the era just after Rail Blue was introduced but before the majority of stock had been repainted, allowing for a greater aesthetic variety. The goods yard would have become a British Rail permanent way depot, giving an excuse to have Slim Jims around all the time as well as some of the more unusual departmental rolling stock.

Instead, I'm looking at continental N gauge modelling. Potentially 90s Germany or France.

 

[Obispike01]

I've had an idea recently of a basic layout, something long and straight, featuring as little infrastructure as possible. Open fields either side, two track line and trains just passing through, something rarely modelled but is actually the reality of most railways

 

[GusB]

I've had an idea recently of a basic layout, something long and straight, featuring as little infrastructure as possible. Open fields either side, two track line and trains just passing through, something rarely modelled but is actually the reality of most railways

I've dreamed about having something similar but for most people lack of space is going to be an issue.

I don't know if it's still on the go, but I read about a system (or standard, rather) called NTRAK, which allowed different modules to be joined together. Modules had to be built to a particular length, or a multiple thereof, and the track always connected at the same spot on the baseboard.

It would be a good way to have a small layout to operate in a room at home, but have additional scenic boards stored that could be put together for exhibitions etc., perhaps in different combinations.

Edit: here's a link to the NTrak standards page with a diagram of a typical module

NRail - NTRAK Standards

 

[Class142sbad]

I've had an idea recently of a basic layout, something long and straight, featuring as little infrastructure as possible. Open fields either side, two track line and trains just passing through, something rarely modelled but is actually the reality of most railways

I have always wondered at the lack of layouts like this. It is simple and very realistic. I always have a soft spot for large extravagant layouts but this is what most railways are in reality.

 

[Trainlog]

Would quite like to make some o16.5 or gn15 scale layouts if there was more in the way of ready to run locos and rolling stock as its mainly finding the time to sit down and build the kits for these scales if i chose either of them. I can see O gauge narrow (o16.5) is just starting to take off as a gauge so I might be in luck on that front.

If the stuff existed in RTR form i would love to make a gn15 layout based on a 15inch gauge railway with RHDR or Ravenglass and Eskdale locos.

 

[sprinterguy]

I've had an idea recently of a basic layout, something long and straight, featuring as little infrastructure as possible. Open fields either side, two track line and trains just passing through, something rarely modelled but is actually the reality of most railways

I have always wondered at the lack of layouts like this. It is simple and very realistic. I always have a soft spot for large extravagant layouts but this is what most railways are in reality.

Stoke Summit and the Shap section of Hills of the North are the best 4mm scale exhibition layouts I can think of that come close to portraying this approach.

Pete Waterman's mammoth "Making Tracks" project or the similarly impressive Heaton Lodge Junction in O gauge follow a similar concept of railway in open country, though in four track format.

It's worth noting that all of these feature some additional interest such as a junction, goods loops or banking activities, though, as a straightforward section of twin track mainline lacks operational, and potentially modelling, interest beyond watching trains pass by.

 

[315801]

A layout I would certainly like to have would be the entire east coast main line in steam days ( built in O gauge ) so that I could give my O gauge A3 a good run

 

[sprinterguy]

A layout I would certainly like to have would be the entire east coast main line in steam days ( built in O gauge ) so that I could give my O gauge A3 a good run

That'd certainly be ambitious, with a London to Edinburgh run modelled perfectly to scale at just over 9 miles in length.

Puts it in a similar league to James May's 4mm efforts to reconnect Barnstaple and Bideford, albeit those were at almost half the size.

 

[william.martin]

Puts it in a similar league to James May's 4mm efforts to reconnect Barnstaple and Bideford, albeit those were at almost half the size.

And that was 10 miles long.

 

[DJ_K666]

Do you have a layout you dream of but is impossible to make for some reason? Be it costs, space, lack of time, or lack of the right models. I'd love to make an end to end layout, NSE era on the Southern region, focusing on when the Eurostars ran on third rail. Sadly, they don't even make Eurostar models anymore, let alone enough SR stock.

KR Models are doing a RTR 4DD. Might sign up for one myself

 

[RichJF]

KR Models are doing a RTR 4DD. Might sign up for one myself

Hornby are re-issuing the Vep. I think it's in SWT & South Central liveries. You can do late 90s/early 00s Eurostar on that timeframe.

 

[DJ_K666]

Hornby are re-issuing the Vep. I think it's in SWT & South Central liveries. You can do late 90s/early 00s Eurostar on that timeframe.

I've seen the engineering samples and they look fantastic. I'm just waiting for some BR era ones to come out in Blue/grey.

 

[fourtytwo]

I think it's going to have to be in the garden as I like the idea of a single track branchline with several through stations in a loop with trains running in both directions under automatic control enabling train spotting outings!! I cannot imagine finding enough space in the house especially as I have now moved "up" from N to OO. The garden might solve another problem, I am scenically inept
The only problem I foresee is seasonal, most modelling is done in winter due to other demands whereas a garden railway would be best operated in summer!
Will it ever happen ?? it depends how long I stay in this house as the infrastructure is certainly not portable unlike my present boring portable terminus to fiddle L shape.

 

[Peter C]

I think it's going to have to be in the garden as I like the idea of a single track branchline with several through stations in a loop with trains running in both directions under automatic control enabling train spotting outings!! I cannot imagine finding enough space in the house especially as I have now moved "up" from N to OO. The garden might solve another problem, I am scenically inept
The only problem I foresee is seasonal, most modelling is done in winter due to other demands whereas a garden railway would be best operated in summer!
Will it ever happen ?? it depends how long I stay in this house as the infrastructure is certainly not portable unlike my present boring portable terminus to fiddle L shape.

I'd love to have a garden railway. If I had a big enough space, I'd probably have a mainline and a little branchline to go with it! Scenics would be great fun for a garden railway if you enjoy gardening - just make sure not to plant an oak tree too close to the down fast...

-Peter