Sorry Robert I cannot comment with any O gauge experience but having built a couple of switching layouts in HO (albeit I never fully completed them) I learnt the ol' "less is more" adage and your track plan covers that perfectly! All the elements are there: runaround, stock siding, pass platform! What more do you need? I look forward to seeing more as it develops

Regards, John

 

Hi Robert,

I guess that the answer to your question as to whether it works, comes down to your expectations of what you are trying to create.

At the start I am a great fan of prototypical station design. The difference between modellers and real railwaymen is that for us a point/turnout is relatively inexpensive, but they are expensive things in the 1:1 world. Real stations are functional, verses modellers ones that are often viewed through rose tinted glasses shall we say!!!!

Anyway, for me step one should not be so much about what the track plan looks like but what is the purpose of the station that you want? You have a goods shed and a cattle dock, which is a good start, but have these things been added after the plan was designed, or added after the track plan was decided upon?

I note that you have a bay platform. My question would be what is it to be used for, working on the basis that this is a relatively small branch line terminus station.

I believe that the two corners are underutilised. Since you have a cattle dock, they it is not such a huge leap of faith to maybe change the cows into diary cows and in the bottom left corner, you could have a point and a diary factory. Wagons are shunted into and out of the diary before the train arrives at the station (I think Bear passed comment about this sort of thing in a previous thread?).

Depending on the era you wish to model, and the location will have a large bearing on the types of industry that you could have that are rail served. A coal merchant springs to mind as an almost compulsory type of thing.

Where your interest lies and how far you are willing to think outside the box is also important. O scale is big in Germany and the USA although there are subtle differences in the scale. While the stock may not be any good on a british outline layout, the cars trucks buses and people within reason are all good. Just remember that a 1:45 adult does look oversized next to a 1:50 car, but a 1:50 person looks ok next to a 1:45 car, its all a question of perspective.

 

QUOTE (john woodall @ 24 Jun 2014, 22:22) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>.... Just remember that a 1:45 adult does look oversized next to a 1:50 car, but a 1:50 person looks ok next to a 1:45 car, its all a question of perspective.

Not sure about Europe, but 1:45 and 1:50 are not really O gauge (scale) in the US or UK. US is 1:48, UK is 1:43. 1:48 figures, bldgs, vehicles, etc.., will work, with UK outline, in a forced perspective type view. wuth the smaller 1:48 items to the background. And musc to US O scale modelers dismay, there are far more vehicles and figures available in 1:43 that in 1:48 scale.

Jim F

 

Sorry to disappoint you, John Ball, but I've almost definitely decided not to change to O gauge. This is partly to do with how heavily I am financially involved in 00 gauge. I estimate that I would lose about £2000 if I sell my 00 gauge stuff. It is also to do with the fact that I think I've identified why I'm dissatisfied with my present layout so I'm going to do something about that, which involves a complete rebuild.

Robert