Fixed down

At the weekend i raised the temporary layout then painted the board dark grey so there is a better base for any future scenery. Then i began laying the track down in a more permanent manner (with glue instead of double sided sellotape!) While the main loop is fine (though maybe a bit close to the edge in parts) i am not 100% happy with the MPD. I have ordered a couple of extra pieces of track.

Good progress

Today i made a lot of progress on Mausstadt. I wired up the head shunt siding and taped down the station/depot area - using double sided sellotape as used on the loop. This is only a temporary fix of course but i want to get the layout right before i commit to anything permanent. I've also made a start on the back scene with the 2 tunnel mouths. The mouth with the 2 tracks is a bit low to be honest, i think the authorities would want a word! A new loco has also been ordered, more news TBA...

A test of track

I've bought some Roco HOe track, the first time i've bought none PECO track since i restarted railway modelling. The aim is to use the track on the main curves of the forthcoming new layout. As the video shows below the track works fine mixed with a couple of PECO N gauge straights. Now i need to lock-down the design and buy the remaining track i need for it. I'm thinking of having the main straight use PECO 009 track plus much of the station area will use PECO N. The mix of track types will bring an interesting dynamic.

Its a right old fix

In the past i've always nailed track down with little pins, this goes back to my old OO days which is simply how it was done (apparently). Nailing track down is a lot harder with N gauge though not impossible. The issue is always getting the track back up at a later stage without damaging it, which quite frankly i suck at.

With New Knell Lane i'm trying something different. I'm using PVA glue to fix the track down. A trial a few weeks ago seemed to work pretty well so hopefully this will work on the new layout. But if it doesn't work and i'll can just go back to nailing it down... but fingers crossed.

The best laid plans

Its funny no matter how many simulations and plans you might dream up using railway modelling software when you get your blank canvas for real (a.k.a. a new board) and start laying down the track things change. To be honest the new layout isn't going to be dual gauge anymore, it just seems too small for HOe. I have decided therefore to create the new layout for N gauge only - though the main loop will retain sufficient clearance to allow for running by the HOe fleet.

The smaller new board does mean there is now a fair bit more space in the room the layout is situated in, in fact i think a separate HOe end-to-end layout is now completely viable and we may look into that in 2017.

Until then we will concentrate on the new N gauge layout, New Knell Lane. Holes have been drilled for the electrics which have also been done (very simple anyway). We might start fixing the track down pretty soon. There will be some changes there as to how i've done things in the past - well maybe - but that's a story for another day.

A day for destroying things

So the old layout is gone, destroyed forever. Well all the stock, buildings, track, even the trees have survived of course and now the building of New Eskalon/Knell Lane has begun! Its noticeable how much smoother the new layout runs even with the track unfixed, which just shows you what a bad job i made of the board the first time around!

The new layout is shallower but wider as i said though it will again have a loop with various sidings in the middle, maybe planned out a bit better this time. See an early test run below (the station sidings have changed since this was made). I am concentrating on HOe at the moment as that is harder to get the clearances right though the CEP has also had a test run and ran really nicely.

Siding realignment

One of the sidings in (what will become the freight depot) has been lifted and relaid along a more sensible parallel alignment rather than as a spur. The new siding is a bit shorter but looks more sensible (and is still long enough for the push-pull passenger train). The space released will allow me to have a road behind the station. Its interesting how the ballast mat has "weathered" as shown by the line under the old track alignment.

Phase 3

Phase 3 of Project Eskalon is to turn the intended back-scene into a normal part of the layout and add an extra siding on this part of the board. Today i took up the track here, relaid it on top of a ballast mat with some extra track to provide the new siding and then nailed it all down again! It still looks quite rough but i'll be extending the scenery to cover as many gaps and joins as possible!

New track supplies

Today i received the remaining track i needed for the layout and my first wagon. As can be seen from the photos below i now have my fiddleyard siding and the full 3 siding station complex. There arn't likely to be many changes to the track layout for the foreseeable future (no space for a start!) Though there could be a few tweaks before i nail it down.