A Layout in Three Eras - 4.5v, 9v and 12v - 12 modules together pic update

[Andy Glascott]

So, after nearly 2 months, I'm back from a trip home to Ireland and have the first module of the 1st 12v loop ready. This loop is primarily for my 2 non-passenger trains. Both are headed by British Rail locos, one hauls mixed freight and one hauls an engineers/maintenance consist. If I can find photos I'll edit this post later. 

This is the section I'm working on at the moment, and when complete will sit next to the 4.5v section already completed.

Freight Loop by andyglascott, on Flickr

The "C" of track on the right is part of the bigger passenger loop that will be next. 

Here's the full module, like the rest it's 5x3 baseplates, and is one end of the loop, with siding inside it, hence the two sets of track here. The tiled grey and yellow area is the beginning of a loading area that allows access to the train in the siding, and, if that is empty, a train parked on the main line. It will continue onto the next module. 

DSC01860 Edited by andyglascott, on Flickr

The small building in the center acts as both a site access office and control center for the loop.

DSC01863 by andyglascott, on Flickr

As part of this loop will be focused on maintenance of way I thought I'd include an old, broken rail that's been abandoned...

DSC01864 by andyglascott, on Flickr

Lastly, a few town houses that back onto the line that will (eventually) be part of the city section of the layout.

DSC01861 by andyglascott, on Flickr

AS always, comments, thoughts, suggestions always welcome. 

[Reker1000000]

This is very well constructed and I look forward to seeing the development of the 12v section in the layout!

[bogieman]

Looks great, my only comment is that the loop at the crossing track will limit the length of train you can pull around the layout. I ran into a similar limitation on my home layout so added switches to bypass the short loop.

[Andy Glascott]

8 hours ago, bogieman said:

Looks great, my only comment is that the loop at the crossing track will limit the length of train you can pull around the layout. I ran into a similar limitation on my home layout so added switches to bypass the short loop.

I agree, but in this case it's intentional. My longest train is just short enough to catch it's tail on that size of loop, and is also about the limit for a train with a single 12v motor.

BR 37 on loop (DSC09745) by andyglascott, on Flickr

[ThePhatController]

On 6/29/2022 at 4:30 PM, bogieman said:

Looks great, my only comment is that the loop at the crossing track will limit the length of train you can pull around the layout. I ran into a similar limitation on my home layout so added switches to bypass the short loop.

Oh.. . I am just setting up my layout and I have made this mistake. I had better fix it before I go any further.

 

Andy,  it's looking great 👍  looking forward to seeing it all together!

[zephyr1934]

On 6/29/2022 at 8:25 PM, Andy Glascott said:

I agree, but in this case it's intentional. My longest train is just short enough to catch it's tail on that size of loop, and is also about the limit for a train with a single 12v motor.

That's a fun thing to do at a train show too. I've done it a few times and even though I just measured the train to make sure it clears, it still gets me that the train goes through the loop it looks like it is about to hit itself. I must not be good at estimating speed in orthogonal directions.

[Andy Glascott]

It feels like this module has taken a while, but I'm pleased with the way it has turned out, and I have a deadline for the 3rd and final module as well  Anyway, on to the pics.

Here's a view of the module overall. Like the rest it's 3x5 baseplates, which is large enough to get a decent amount on but small enough to be transportable. With 12v track the fewer connections to get together at a show the better!

DSC02040 

It's part of the section focusing on freight and rail maintenance, so naturally there is a depot/workshop as part of it (no details inside). 

Depot 

With a couple of maintenance vehicles ready to go when needed! The truck in the foreground is a MOC, the hand cart in the background was inspired by a few I found online.

Road Rail truck 

The main focus of the loop is the loading area. So far I've decided against an overhead gantry crane, I might at add one later. I've got two trains for this loop, a mixed freight and an engineers train, so figured there weren't enough cars to make a crane necessary, so I tiled the siding to give access for a fork lift, crane or whatever is needed to load a train/particular car. 

Loading area 

I'm trying to include a few classic gems from my childhood as I go along (I'm fairly sure I have the second printed popsicle brick for the snack bar somewhere in my box of white... If I find it it'll get added in) and this seemed like a great spot for it. 

A classic snack bar! 

So there we are. Time to get cracking on the third and final module for this loop, I'm planning to bring it to the Richmond (VA) Railroad Museum event on September 24th... 

[mark6399]

Looking good! I like the "mini-modular" feel to your buildings on the edge. The train shop looks fun!

[zephyr1934]

15 hours ago, Andy Glascott said:

This picture reminds me of a few hours I spent watching trains in Carlisle on the NW coast of England maybe 5 years ago. At the time they were getting at least one steam engine per weekend coming up the secondary west coast line. It's a blur of two trains that past, a local train with a Class 37 on the point, and a nuclear waste train that had one or two cars on it that looked very much like set 4591 that you are pulling here. I had no idea what the waste train was until all of the local transpotters went to the other side of the station as it passed through and I asked what was up.

 

But getting back on topic for everyone else, the build looks great, I like how you are bringing in modern accents (curved slopes, masonry brick wall) while keeping the spirit of the 80's town sets alive

[XG BC]

looks just as great as the last ones.

[Paperinik77pk]

Great work, I particularly like the workshop with its "80's fire station" feeling!!! But also the cargo bay is a nice place to see in the whole landscape.

Go ahead, you're creating an amazing layout!!! 

Ciao!

Davide

[GoHabsGo]

I cannot wait to see the new updates !

[Andy Glascott]

So,,this update has taken a while cos I’ve been busy with other things, but here it is. My LUG participated in the Train Day event at Richmond Model Railroad Museum a couple of weeks ago and the 6 completed modules made their debut after a slightly hairy trip in a U-Haul! Here are the pics. 

The final module, from the front

Untitled 

And from the back.

Untitled by andyglascott, on Flickr
 

And the overall layout with the 6 completed modules all together for the first time.

Untitled by andyglascott, on Flickr
 

Lastly, a couple of videos, first a general overview and then a drivers eye view on both loops, which includes a run around the rest of the LUG setup for the day as well.
 

Untitled by andyglascott, on Flickr
 

RVA Train Day 2022 by andyglascott, on Flickr
 

Hope you all enjoy.

[Murdoch17]

...Now that I found my lower jaw: Wow, that's very impressive! (You must've cornered the market on green bricks as well!)

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, Andy Glascott said:

The final module, from the front

Wow! Incredible - that is one gigantic build. Fantastic!!!

Just an absolutely small thing: I would build - maybe even inverting the bricked slopes - "irregularities" into the slopes. Just here and there. As if there were bushes and other green stuff trying to catch some sunlight. Maybe even gray rock protrudes here and there - this is what I did on a much, much smaller - compared to what you have accomplished - a tiny tunnel. To me, it added the nature thing. 

Wow. Really nice. Must be fun to touring with you!

All the best,
Thorsten 

[Andy Glascott]

5 hours ago, Murdoch17 said:

...Now that I found my lower jaw: Wow, that's very impressive! (You must've cornered the market on green bricks as well!)

Thank you. Like a lot of folks I guess at show I do get asked “how many bricks…?”, which is, of course, almost impossible to answer… Based on Bricklink orders over the last 15 years or so I reckon I have between 20k and 25k green 2x2s….

3 hours ago, Toastie said:

Wow! Incredible - that is one gigantic build. Fantastic!!!

Just an absolutely small thing: I would build - maybe even inverting the bricked slopes - "irregularities" into the slopes. Just here and there. As if there were bushes and other green stuff trying to catch some sunlight. Maybe even gray rock protrudes here and there - this is what I did on a much, much smaller - compared to what you have accomplished - a tiny tunnel. To me, it added the nature thing. 

Thank you. I had to do some repairs earlier this evening, transport challenges caused a chunk of that main hill to crack, so while repairing it I added some light and dark bley 2x2 and cheese slopes to break up the green a bit. I do have some plant elements on it as well to break things up but they are the same shade of green (makes note to order in different shades in future…)

Untitled by andyglascott, on Flickr
 

Untitled by andyglascott, on Flickr

 

[GoHabsGo]

That's sooo beautiful! Well done !

[zephyr1934]

Amazing work, the 1980's never looked so good!

[Andy Glascott]

Well, that took longer than expected! I finally got started on the next module about a month ago after a 6 month or so break for other stuff (more on that later), but am back online with a couple of pics to update anyone following this thread. This loop will be the centerpiece so to speak of the whole project, a 12v loop with three trains featured though only one running at a time. Here's the plan for the loop, which when it's finished will have 2 other lops one the left and 1 more on the right (see previous posts).

City Loop 

The first complete module is for the bottom left of that, and includes a simple single platform station.

DSC02301 

Also included is my first ever modular, which will connect the two blocks of modulars that will be the main part of the city. 

It's been good to get back to building Lego again, after a couple of shows last year I realized I had to revamp my transportation system for getting the layout to events and so spent the winter building storage crates for each of the first 6 modules which double as the base for setup at shows. The next few modules shouldn't take too long to build so hopefully there'll be some more updates over the next few months.

[Reker1000000]

Looks nice, I like the layout design! Which trains will you run?

[GoHabsGo]

So great ! Plenty of ideas. If only I have enough room for such a layout

[Andy Glascott]

In terms of 12v sets/trains @Reker1000000 I have a 7740 and 7745 as well as 5 MOC locos/trains. 
 

@GoHabsGo I haven’t got the space for this either, it only gets set up in full at events. 

[Andy Glascott]

So, module 8 is complete. Not a huge amount of track on this one as it's in the middle of the city section of the project but it was challenging working out how to do the curved section of raised track. As well as crossing the lower level track it's also a point where the curve goes to another module so in the end I decided to build a 4-track section that drops in when the 2 modules are next to each other rather than try and fix it in pace and line the two sections up that way. 

DSC03225 

The full module.

DSC03228 

The classic 7740 poses under the viaduct with my MOC Duchess of Sutherland loco (which is on the list for a full rebuild) on the viaduct.

DSC03231 

My Irish Rail G Class shunter has a static display space on the module and will probably run on the full layout occasionally. 

[GoHabsGo]

Very nice builds !

[Andy Glascott]

So, 2 years in and I'm officially half way, module 9 of 18 is complete, pics below. It's very satisfying to get this far, there were times I wondered if I had taken on too much... To be honest, I still think that occasionally! I've had to rebuild the storage and transport crates over this past winter too, which slowed progress somewhat. Next week I'll actually get to see all 9 modules together fore the first time at our LUG's annual show in Richmond, VA. 

This one probably gives the best overall view of the module, the two ends of the upper track will eventually connect to make a loop, the lower section is a siding off the main city loop that will have a small station near a beach are on module 12... 

From the other end showing some of the internal supports and old baseplates used! It has been a challenge to make sure the profile of this hill section matches the module it will be up against. 

Lastly, who can resist a few Minions getting up to a bit of mischief?

 

Edited January 26, 2024 by Andy Glascott
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