The topic concerning the current issue of Hornby Mag has split along several lines[?].....one of which concerns the article on scottish railways...and in particular, an interest in the Highland Railway's Kyle of Lochalsh line.
Kyle station itself is well worthy of modelling....whether in HR form, LMS, BR, or even present-day.
Now...I have absolutely no idea what has been written in HM's article, as I haven't got a copy....[and nobody has offered to send me one...even a dog-eared one!!]...so if I have trod in someone's toes, er.....well....
Kyle station itself is a rather individual edifice....stuck as it is out on a pier..or part of it, anyways.
It is very conducive to being divided up into smaller portions, for those starved of space....what with it's isolated locomotive facilities...which I have already mentioned......and the fact that it also has some very useful divisions...or ''view blocks''...
The key factor in what I am suggesting is the platform layout of Kyle station.
This is a single, ISLAND-type platform...each face being served by its own run-round tracks to release an engine...[or could be..the westside did not always have such a thing]......now...the notable thing is, the island platform is publicly-accessed from the road overbridge which spans the station throat area.
This access takes the form a a long, SOLID, road ramp.
Combined with the long station buildings, effectively this ramp divides the station and platform into two separate halves, lengthwise.
So..whichever side one views Kyle station from, that ramp, and the buildings create a VIEWBLOCK.
Thus, one could model just HALF of the station area itself, with the backscene/ground being the ramp, a bit of 'open' platform, and the station buildings.
There were sidings/yards serving the quayside,on BOTH sides of the station area.......and the overbridge would provide the end divider....
so..the job COULD be done in stages...each stage being viable operationally in itself.....or just model half of the station.....little if anything would be sacrificed operationally.......or visually.
Beyond the main road overbridge, to the north of the station proper, is the throat area, where both ''sides'' of the station tracks came together.
like the station [to a degree] this second section is boundaried by rock faces...and is a good place to play track builder....it too is divided from the loco servicing area by another overbridge....[beyond which the tracks merge into a single line, with the loco area swinging off behind another rock face to the west.]
All this stems from the ''finescale'' idea of modelling only PART of a station...rather than the full amount...retaining the operational characteristics without having to model yards of plain platform, etc etc....
waddyafinkfolks??
Kyle station itself is well worthy of modelling....whether in HR form, LMS, BR, or even present-day.
Now...I have absolutely no idea what has been written in HM's article, as I haven't got a copy....[and nobody has offered to send me one...even a dog-eared one!!]...so if I have trod in someone's toes, er.....well....
Kyle station itself is a rather individual edifice....stuck as it is out on a pier..or part of it, anyways.
It is very conducive to being divided up into smaller portions, for those starved of space....what with it's isolated locomotive facilities...which I have already mentioned......and the fact that it also has some very useful divisions...or ''view blocks''...
The key factor in what I am suggesting is the platform layout of Kyle station.
This is a single, ISLAND-type platform...each face being served by its own run-round tracks to release an engine...[or could be..the westside did not always have such a thing]......now...the notable thing is, the island platform is publicly-accessed from the road overbridge which spans the station throat area.
This access takes the form a a long, SOLID, road ramp.
Combined with the long station buildings, effectively this ramp divides the station and platform into two separate halves, lengthwise.
So..whichever side one views Kyle station from, that ramp, and the buildings create a VIEWBLOCK.
Thus, one could model just HALF of the station area itself, with the backscene/ground being the ramp, a bit of 'open' platform, and the station buildings.
There were sidings/yards serving the quayside,on BOTH sides of the station area.......and the overbridge would provide the end divider....
so..the job COULD be done in stages...each stage being viable operationally in itself.....or just model half of the station.....little if anything would be sacrificed operationally.......or visually.
Beyond the main road overbridge, to the north of the station proper, is the throat area, where both ''sides'' of the station tracks came together.
like the station [to a degree] this second section is boundaried by rock faces...and is a good place to play track builder....it too is divided from the loco servicing area by another overbridge....[beyond which the tracks merge into a single line, with the loco area swinging off behind another rock face to the west.]
All this stems from the ''finescale'' idea of modelling only PART of a station...rather than the full amount...retaining the operational characteristics without having to model yards of plain platform, etc etc....
waddyafinkfolks??