The O gauge layout

This is still really a side project for the minute, but I have enough bits and bobs in my hands to do a some basic planning. With Mrs F out of the house I could take over the front room; this being the only clear space large enough to lay the plan out fully.

The overall size is 3m x 400mm, that is what you can see with the RH edge roughly where the paperweight is at the bottom. Not to put too fine a point on it, it's a shoehorn. I'd rejected the Setrack points and have used the standard medium radius type which are barely any longer - from bottom to top 2x LH, a RH and a Y which swings the exit road to the rear. This gives a long siding running the length of the top of the plan. The whole lot is angled slightly to the front (left) edge. The Gammon End track plan is obvious and I came down to this after a little playing with the print-outs. An industrial scene would allow more compression, but this has to be able to work a basic passenger service. The feel is a generic light railway with possible GWR overtones - timber corrugated iron, short stock, low impact scenics - the opposite to Hopwood. The main consideration is that it needs to be a simple to build and as less threatening as possible.

The headshunt will just take a Dapol pannier and the loop at least two 4w coaches or one bogie and a van. The major downside is the single road storage siding. Like I said, shoehorn. Although I'm fiddling now, I'm looking at a spring start point. I think Tiley Road has a ring to it...