The Layout
After a very brief affair with 009, I saw 0-16.5 in the flesh and fell in love. It was the locomotives. They looked chunky and had some weight. Present layout scrapped — start again! My family thought it was time to have me sectioned. How could I call 18 months work “Part of the learning curve” and just scrap it in a day?
Still most of the 9 mm track was saved and the new layout has both 0-16.5 and 0-9 gauges. The 0-16.5 gauge is the ‘main’ line, representing the Dimwych Valley Railway, while 0-9 will be used on the two railways on the Bannister Hall Estate. The DVR is to be controlled in the usual way, with station and yard — shunting, etc. The line exits via a tunnel to storage sidings and a return loop. The estate lines will be fully automated — infrared detection, reed switches, etc. This gives me the best of both worlds. I can either ‘play’ or just watch the trains.
The baseboards for the estate railways fit on top of the reverse loops. To maintain easy access they slide into runners, like drawers. The quarry railway runs round the outside edge of the board. There is not a lot of track to see but under the Hall building, their are three automated storage sidings. The simple timetable is - Loaded train out - delay - Empty train back. Occasionally and at random times, a works train will run round.
The garden railway is for visitors to Bannister Hall. This is loosely based on such railways as Peco’s Beer Heights in Seaton, Devon. A simple loop round the grounds, disappearing through a tunnel on one side of the house and reappearing the other side. There is a passing loop at the platform and as one train arrives, the other pulls away after a short delay.
With both of these circuits, I am intending to build in animations triggered by the trains. Such things as crossing gates, movement on the crazy golf course, sound effects etc. As you can see, I'm no purist. The Main DVR line will be much more conventional and although this is all one layout, it is not easy to see both The DVR and the Estate railways at the same time. This means that both visitors (and myself) can choose (and play) with whatever they choose.
After a very brief affair with 009, I saw 0-
Still most of the 9 mm track was saved and the new layout has both 0-
The baseboards for the estate railways fit on top of the reverse loops. To maintain easy access they slide into runners, like drawers. The quarry railway runs round the outside edge of the board. There is not a lot of track to see but under the Hall building, their are three automated storage sidings. The simple timetable is -
The garden railway is for visitors to Bannister Hall. This is loosely based on such railways as Peco’s Beer Heights in Seaton, Devon. A simple loop round the grounds, disappearing through a tunnel on one side of the house and reappearing the other side. There is a passing loop at the platform and as one train arrives, the other pulls away after a short delay.
With both of these circuits, I am intending to build in animations triggered by the trains. Such things as crossing gates, movement on the crazy golf course, sound effects etc. As you can see, I'm no purist. The Main DVR line will be much more conventional and although this is all one layout, it is not easy to see both The DVR and the Estate railways at the same time. This means that both visitors (and myself) can choose (and play) with whatever they choose.
Reverse loop & storage sidings going in. Bannister Hall Estate
Quarry Line on top of reverse loop. The lower
