SETTING THE SCENE

[chris58]

Hi
does anyone else find that if you set out a background for your layout be it fact or fiction or a mixture of both operating it becomes much more enjoyable.Because the operating scope of SALTFLEET is limeted i found it neccessary to indulge in a little imaginitive rambling.Just on the coast a short distance from Saltfleet the Royal Airforce had a live firing range which would pose an interesting sound effects challenge don,t you think.
Chris58

[randallb]

There was an interesting article in a recent (ish) MRJ from Dave Bradwell, concerned with more realistic operation of layouts, that dealt with the generation of loads to / from local businesses - a precis of which could be deemed to be that you need to entertain your creativity to provide a more realistic focus.

[martin goodall]

I agree with Chris.

My 'Burford Branch' layout is based on a real scheme, which in practice got nowhere but was well timed to fit in with my projected history (a line built in the mid-1860s) with a ready-made excuse for the line only going as far as Burford (when what had been intended was a through route from Oxford to Cheltenham). The cause of this was a banking crisis and resulting credit crunch, resulting from the collapse of Overend and Gurney in May 1866. This was due to one man, Thomas Savin, going belly-up in January of that year, and taking his principal creditor (O&G) with him. It brought the 'Second Railway Mania' to an abrupt halt, and led to a general economic downturn lasting several years.

This history, plus operating arrangements on the Fairford Branch has given me a great deal of background material on which to base the choice of rolling stock, operating patterns, etc. The research has given me a fascinating insight into railway history in the mid-nineteenth century, and has been an enjoyable project in itself, as well as informing the planning and construction of the layout.

[jjnewitt]

There was an interesting article in a recent (ish) MRJ from Dave Bradwell, concerned with more realistic operation of layouts.

Just to save people rummaging through back issues the MRJ in question was 195 and the article was entitled "Coal and steel at Derwenthaugh". It is indeed a very interesting read.

[Terry Bendall]

Not everyone who makes models of the railway wants to, or even has the circumstances to build a layout but for those that do, making the model believable is one of the skills required. Easy of course if you are modelling a real location, since you can research the type of traffic and plan the stock accordingly. If the layout is fictitious then a bit more work is involved to investigate the way in which the prototype of the period was run, the locos and stock that were appropriate to the location and period and the potential traffic flows. At times it may be necessary to be quite strict and not include that favourite loco that would never have been seen in the presumed location, but of course saying that it never happened can be open to debate.

On Pulborough, which is a through layout with fiddle yards at each end, we have freight trains that travel one way with full open wagons and the same train then returns later in the timetable with empty wagons and sometimes a different engine. My son and I did the same thing on Stverton. Not difficult to do but just makes things more interesting.

Personally I am not sure about the sound effects of a firing range that Chris suggests, but certainly a freight train carrying the ammunition and the restrictions that might apply to that would be a good idea.

Terry Bendall

[chris58]

Hi all
nice to that i,m not the only one off on flights of fancy.Operating Saltfleet at a pace to suit myself and indeed the sort of prototype and period portrayed is great fun.I do get around to doing some building and am looking forward installing the fuel discharge pipes using the Knightwing kits.Space contraints meen that it,s not possible to show the tanks themselves,however this is not a bad thing as i found that it looked crowded when i had a dummy run using toilet roll tubes.Keeping the uncluttered feel while adding to the detail is a challenge iv,e not had before.Adding the appropriate station furniture while maintaing the disused though not derelict look is just another interesting situation iv,e not come across before.Though not growing in size Saltfleet is gaining a pleasent feel when i have an operating session.I wonder does anyone else take tea breaks in real time like i do . When i,m not operating it is of course Sunday.
Chris58