Horsley Bank - Member Layout
by Steve Howe
When I started this layout nearly 14 years ago, the objective was to experiment with various components new (then) to the market. Progress has continued in fits and starts but scenically has only developed in the last two years proving that small layouts do not necessarily equate to quick layouts! At the time I started building I had very little room for model railways and the challenge was to design a working P4 model in a very small space. The original plan was to be able to set the model up on the kitchen table to play with, but as it has developed it has expanded into a self-contained diorama.
Operationally the track layout allows for complex shuffling of wagons, and there is further scope to develop a logical sequence of moves which would maximise the space and relieve some of the head scratching experienced towards the end of a long show! Three short sidings serve a textile mill; an engineering works and a longer siding which is modelled to suggest a truncated route going off-stage. The access to the loop is via a sector plate which also connects to a 'kick-back' line which runs along the street (from Huddersfield) at the rear to a concealed cassette. The length of the loop and sidings was actually quite carefully thought out; the sector plate holds a 0-4-0 and three wagons, the loop and upper siding in the mill yard can hold a loco and four wagons. The lower headshunt can only hold a loco and two wagons. Thus to shunt the long front siding means wagons have to be moved singly or in pairs. because the 'slip' (actually two A5 turnouts overlaid on each other) is only one sided, wagons destined for the Leethams engineering factory siding have to be taken into the headshunt, then drawn into the long siding and propelled back, (always assuming the headshunt is empty and the long siding has sufficient room..!) in short, its a shunting puzzle and as such can absorb many hours of totally mindless playing trains, or, some very complicated shunting moves depending on your point of view!
Track construction is entirely traditional with ply sleepers and rivets, steel rail and cosmetic chairs from C + L. All laid on cork supported by a 12mm MDF track base. Point operation, which is still an on-going experiment, uses 1.5v motors with an integral 1:200 gearbox. These units are proving very versatile and can be had very cheaply from www.robotiks.com Point power is entirely separate from the main control using heavy duty batteries. In 10 years I have only changed the batteries once. Buildings are mainly embossed styrene heavily weathered, with windows made from finely cut self-adhesive address labels.
The many examples of signwriting, typical of pre-War industrial areas, were mainly done on the PC mostly in ordinary Word packages, or Photoshop. In some cases they were printed onto waterslide decal paper.
Control is via an ECM Compspeed feedback controller, which is fine, but I am interested in experimenting with more recent feedback versions, and a hand-held controller would make operation more versatile. Couplings are still 3 link which, since the layout has become more ‘built up’ are not really practical, and I intend to persevere with Alex Jackson couplings although one or two tight curves on the layout limit their effectiveness. I am continuing to experiment and develop new ideas, currently the backscene is being extended to give a sense of depth and the whole arrangement of buildings and structures is conceived as a ‘stage set’ which is why the viewing angles are deliberately restricted.
Contact
Steve Howe
Willow Ford Cottage
Lower Rose
Truro
TR4 9PL
01872 571925
stephenjhowe@btinternet.com