[alastairq]

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??

 

[neil_s_wood]

Some good ideas there Alastair.

I previously modelled the station at Kyle a few years ago. If you are to model this, from my perspective, the main reason you would want to do this is to get the spectacular view of the Cuillin hills on Skye. In the image below the station is just visible on the pier at the bottom of the photo. The backdrop to this is spectacular and would form a crucial part of any layout based on this station. The view from the other perspective, the town itself, is pretty uninspiring. I know, I spent many a morning here waiting on the train.

There have been various plans published, one was in Railway modeller.

1949 track plan

Map of Kyle including current rail track

 

[alastairq]

hi...I will try and scan/copy some illustrative maps.....and see if I still have some photos to further illustrate my point......the signalling diagram doesn't really demonstrate the issues I've hilited....namely the ability to slice the station in half, with a backscene actually running along the rearmost face of the platform, whichever side is wanted..[for your idea, with the Cuillins as a backdrop, your half would be the east side, looking west?]......with the road approach slope on your right?

the idea of simply modelling the loco shed, with teh running line passing through the background...would be an ideal evelpement of a basic trainset oval.....the loco shed/turntabe simp being off to one side, [front of layout] with teh oval [continuous run] providing that backdrop of passing trains coming in and out of view?

could be done on a 6 by 4 foot board??.[plus extra on the 4 foot side for the loco sheds?]

 

[alastairq]

http://www.lochalsh.com/steam_train_kyle/

just a sniff of the Kyle amosphere......hear those flanges squeal......just check out those clearances in the cutting?

talk about ''trainset curves?''

check out the track and balast colourings?

that rock cutting couldn't have been invented......ideal for those strapped for space?

 

[7113]

I seem to remember seeing an article on the Kyle line elsewhere quite recently - but can't remember where! I know it's always fascinated me perhaps in OO with lots of McRats?

Regards

 

[neil_s_wood]

Nice film clip Alastair. Thanks for showing that.

 

[alastairq]

I have rooted around both the net and my own snaps for images of Kyle of Lochalsh station.....to try and give folks an idea of how the station is neatly divided up.

the above is a recent piccy of the station approach ramp..looking down from the overbridge end.....showing how this ramp, and the long station buildings give an effective viewblock between both sides of the platform

This is really the only gap whereby one can look through from one side to the other

taken from the seaward end of the platform, looking up the east side of the station platform.....looks like a single platform station??

this was taken from the shoreline to the west of the station.....note how most of the station seems to be ''built on its own baseboard?
[most of the baseboard edge couldbe decorated as the jetty side?.......station area really does suit a rectangular board?]

copied from a site, this shot shows the opposite platform side to those above...taken from the station approach ramp

the only half decent photo I could garner, showing the seaward end of the station building, taken again from the west side

 

[alastairq]

early 1900's map showing track layout...note staion platform, long ramp....and note also the engine shed/turntable area????

 

[alastairq]

note from the above,station built on a sheet of plywood, framed by 2x1 softwood at 1 foot intervals....peco streamline code 70 track, on cork underlay, ballasted with granite chippings laid dry, with a 50/50 mix of PVA glue, water, and a couple of drops of washing-up liquid....rail sides painted with humbrol track colour....

for those interested in continuous runs, note the quay edge sidings, with wagon turntables, forming a continuous run round the edge.....?

 

[neil_s_wood]

In some ways it's so modelable that I am surprised that more people don't do it.