The Layout Part Three – Hintock Track Plan

WEBhtkplan

The Hintock track plan is simple and prototypical and developed so as to be attractively scenic and practical. [Continue Reading…]

Construction Part Two – Baseboard Superstructure

SYd 081Base Board Superstructure Early days in building adding Sheepcroft Yard, the curve laid in (two Peco curved points), three sidings and loading bank. The back scene and retaining wall with its building was put in first.

SYd 081 Early days in adding Sheepcroft Yard.

With a firm foundation established, it is time to work on the baseboard superstructure, the broad outlines of Hintock. My techniques are best illustrated in in the building of Sheepcroft Yard in Phase 2, and its extension to enable the addition of the HFTS warehouse. At the same time I improved the Staging Yard. These works and images illustrate my methods. What they amounted to was a widening, the laying of track, altering the back scene and new scenery. [Continue Reading…]

Operating Part One – The Staging Yard for the Operation of the Hintock Branch

3200 Hintock's Staging Yard, a traditional ladder system for seven trains

3200 Hintock’s Staging Yard, a traditional ladder system for seven trains

Hintock’s Staging Yard is an essential components in the operation of the Branch. There are several variations in its form and  either a traverser or cassettes could have been used. I have had experience of both, but adopted for Hintock the traditional ladder format. With it and within a length of about 54” and a width of 18” I have seven roads of varying length. And, with a road allocated to each, can operate seven individual trains. [Continue Reading…]

Operating Part Three – Random and Systematic Train Make Up and Shunting

JF 171 Shunting a model railway, John Hampton's coal siding

JF-171 Shunting John Hampton’s coal siding

Operating or shunting a model railway is the best part of building and owning one. My shunting is random and systematic, not as you please.

For it I use order and method applied in a random and systematic manner. No, it’s not a contradiction in terms. (My methods are featured in a comprehensive article in RM 9/2013.)

The number of wagons in a train is random and whilst the Staging Yard roads will accommodate more than Loco+8 wagons and brake van I restrict them to that. Anymore seem out of keeping with the general theme of the layout. [Continue Reading…]