Pilot Running

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. -- Thomas Edison


How much track/sidings do I personally need to have fun?  This is the question I asked myself and was quite surprised  when I reduced my main yard from seven tracks to just three and I still have main-line running as well as shunting opportunities.

The staging yard currently has three tracks (active West Staging) and East Staging currently has two tracks.  


Objective:


The goal is on short pilot workings.  I enjoy seeing short trains and the engagement factor is quite high since I am at the controls from West Staging (active staging) to the industrial locations and then back again.  I like the idea of actually "driving" for some length of time.  Some of the industries could be an Oil depot, Engineering company (steel in), and a Flour Mill (wheat in), and maybe a food processing company (thanks to Darren for the article on the Wahgunyah branch and Intercity foods!) which receives VLXs and Bs (I love seeing VLXs !)

The concept:

Pilot working only

The pilot leaves active West Staging and works the three or four industries, does a run-around and returns to West Staging.  Time Required - about 20 to 30 mins which is just enough to enjoy myself and to leave me with a feeling of "wanting more" for another time.  I can easily achieve this on a weeknight after work.

I can also extend this concept:

MainLine + Pilot working

If I want to have a longer session, I can extend the run time by having a freighter come from East Staging into West Staging.  Here the motive power comes off and the yard pilot takes over.  The pilot brakes up the consist and makes up a consist for the two/three/four industries which are to be shunted.  The pilot then works the industries and returns.
Once the pilot returns to West Staging, the evening consist is made up which includes the vehicles brought in, returning empty or loaded to Melbourne.

The motive power for this run is added and the train leaves.  This concludes this session and this particular day.  Time required - about 60 mins I think as I haven't run with this as yet.   I can continue this to the "next day" by bringing in another freighter with a different consist and motive power.  The same scenario takes place.  Because the consist maybe different, the industries shunted may also be different.
I will need to add another track here for the loco to run around and thinking about it further, I could utilise the space I have inside the return loop to have a few tracks for loco stabling.  If I want to take it further I could place a small station here as well...but let's not get too carried away.

So, there you have it.  On a weekday after a day at work, I can utilise concept 1 and on a weekend and/or during a formal running session I can utilise concept 2.  And when I just want to see trains run, I just let them roll!

Anyway some food for thought.........

Visit to Greg's place

A couple of weekends back we were invited to Greg's place to see his layout and to enjoy a snag or two.
I was quite impressed with what Greg has done schematically with the available space.  He has found room for a sizable engine depot with turntable and servicing shed as well as a very good main line run.  There is also a small yard to do some shunting.  It was really nice to see two Victorian Railways C Classes running back-to-back - that really brought back some very pleasant memories from my train spotting days!

Here are some photos and a  video of some of the action.

Click for larger view

Border District Visit and Going Up A Level.

Yesterday we were invited to Anthony's Border District layout which features some fine SAR and VR rolling-stock and modelling.  This was his April Running session and it was a pleasure and delight to once again take control of a few varied movements and operate on his layout.  I did some videography which tries to capture some of the movements. Everything operated very smoothly and the best part - there were no frustrations encountered like on some other layouts I have operated on (like my own).

Click on youtube link to view larger resolution

Talking about my own layout, I am now by and large happy with the overall design, however not completely happy with where I would like to put the loco depot and possible turntable.  Initially I had it situated in between one of the return balloon loops however I didn't like the idea of trains going away on one line of the loop and then returning on the other line - there has to be a solution.

First I moved the return leg of the loop further inside towards the other leg and thought of having the loco depot on the outside.  This allows easier access to the turntable should I get one.  However I still wasn't completely happy with this set up as it was near impossible to hide this return leg which really is staging track and there wasn't really enough room to do some proper modelling.

After a break and a bit of a think I decided to go aerial!  Now this is really going to throw a spanner in the works as the grade could be a problem, especially for steam engines should I get any someday.  However, since this road is going to the loco provisioning, most movements will be Light Engine with the occasional shunt of an Oil tank and or I wagon so loading should be quite light.  I did a quick run of a T Class and had no problems.  Had to race in before the heavens opened up so will fine tune and look further at this prospect of having the loco depot and turntable on a higher level.

Initial concept

Limited space for turntable and loco tacks

Previous concept of trying to isolate the lead track to staging

In the above photo you can see the incline to the loco roads

This photo shows the lead to staging disappearing under the loco roads

Some Footage

It's been a while since I took some video of the layout so yesterday I got out the P&S and took some footage of some movements.

Last few months

As i was saying in my previous post, I had to reset the thinking process of what I wanted to achive with a layout.  Over the last few months I have come up with a track plan which gives me some main line running and when I feel like it the possibility of
doing some shunting in the form of adding or removing wagons from a consist.  Basically the trackplan consists of a balloon loop in either side of which the main station is at the centre.  This gives me quite a nice main line run where I can enjoy watching trains roll by.
Wagons are added and removed when required at the "next" station and at times I have the ability to add and remove motive power as well.
I am not sure where I should put the loco depot or should I even have one at all and use some of the sidings to layover the locos.

This scene shows the two reverse balloon loops

Possible location for a Loco Depot - this comes off road 2 which was more prototypical

Another location for a loco depot, this comes off one of the stub ended sidings, less prototypical

Yard with stub ended sidings - not very VR

Possibility of a Dock Road

Angles, Degrees and View Points

Over the last few days as I began dismantling one side of the layout (the un-ballasted side), this give me the opportunity to move the other side about 70cms away from the wall.  I always wanted to view the layout from both a concave and convex perspective and at one point or another I had attempted to do this but then pushed the layout back to the wall as it was too difficult a task.
I then moved the other side away from the wall and now both sides of the layout are closer together joined by a nice radius curve with the viewing area in the middle retained.  I think the best thing I have done is move the layout away from the walls!  The different angles and view-points are extremely pleasing.  Not only has this given me these additional viewpoints, it has also allowed me access to the side-door, and both windows.  Having all three open and the shed is cooler than the garden!

As I was doing this, Darren came over last weekend to talk about lining the shed.  We also talked about what I was doing.  He made some very valuable remarks, such as the wasted space near the station area, and about how the shed is mainly used for playing trains with the workbench activities a secondary activity. This actually confirmed that having the layout run round the walls was actually wasting more space than having it in the centre of the room!  Another idea Darren threw my way was to have the curve continue on until it meets up with the other (ballasted) benchwork doing away with the centre viewing, however I enjoy seeing the layout from this area so did not implement this, but this did however spark the idea on having a gently S curve which again moves be further away from the rigid and too symmetric track layout I have had and been frustrated with.

Here is a rough diagram of how I set up the bench work - you can see I put them closer together away from the walls:

Now the challenge is to create a track plan which has the following:

1. Continuous run,
2  The option of shunting which usually entails a town of some sort
3. Sticking to a VR track schematic
4. Country scenery somewhere on the layout
5. Staging
6. Industries
7. Loco tracks?

 - all in 6 x 4.7m!  Is it possible?

Dismantling Layout

I am in the process of dismantling the layout.  There were a few fundamental things I didn't like, for example I find the layout height too high for my liking.  Also, I am considering lining the shed.  Furthermore, this gives me a chance to restart and reset the thinking process.

Thanks for your interest

That'a all for now...