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.

The future begins here

The Eskalon/Knell Lane layout has come to the end, i have decided that its best to start afresh with a new board - hopefully learning from the mistakes i made 3 years ago! The new board is different to the old one, using MDF instead of chipboard. So it should be flatter. The frame is also a lot more extensive than the last one. Well its taking shape anyway, not finished yet!

The new layout will be wider than the old one but also shallower. So begins Project New Eskalon/Knell Lane!

Falcon's return

Falcon has made a return to the layout to do some running in. Over the next few weeks all of the HOe locos will get a bit of running as its been 8 months now since the switch to N. Now as you know i have been planning a new end-to-end HOe layout. I also have been thinking of a new loop layout with a new board next year.

But then i had an idea... why not get a new board now and build a new joint N/HOe layout. The track layout and clearances could be designed to be be fine for both and the scenery is easy to do so it suits both sizes. All that needs to change are the rolling stock of course and buildings (plus a few odds and ends) which wouldn't take long to change. Maybe we could share the new layout with the 2 fleets, with changeovers every 3 months? Well its an idea...

A cause for concern

The DMU picked up a bit of a flutter last night, running a bit jerkily and then making a bit of noise. I put a bit of oil on it and gave it an extended run and all seems fine now, maybe just a bit of dirt had got into the system. I hope that it is solved now, i did try and remove the body shell last night off the power car but had little joy.

In other news i think a new loco will come next month, its time! I've also begun some serious planning for the new HOe layout which will be an end-to-end layout with a fiddleyard. Current plans are for a board thats 130x32cm.

New arrivals

Some new arrivals at Knell Lane yesterday, principally a new coach (a BCK) which has now formed a loco-hauled coaching stock train with one of the CEP's coaches (it can have it back in a few months when we get another coach) and the CCV. The Class 25 now has a passenger train to haul... though to be honest we probably do need a new locomotive now. Also arriving a "gents" for the platform and a bus, as well as a couple of building kits.

Thunderbirds 1970s style

Knell Lane is a traditionally controlled layout not DCC so double heading a train is a little tricky but does work. Here we can see the Class 25 and the 101 DMU, maybe the DMU has failed and the 25 is doing a rescue job (what is called Thunderbirds rescue these days).