Junctions

[Netty]

Having looked through Dan's (a98087) thread about his railway it set me off thinking about junctions on our railways. On the whole we are mostly narrow gauge which don't as a rule have any complicated junction set ups and, in my experience at least it's best to avoid anything too fiddly in the garden. My last railway was very much part of the garden and was just a big loop with one passing place and one bigger station set away from the shrubbery, slightly raised to help but even this was really just a collection of sidings.

Now that I live elsewhere in rented accomodation the new railway took on a whole new angle. It's very much a train set in the yard. I can play or just sit with a beer, listen too the water running and a train trundling round. I took the opportunity to build a bigger junction yet all very practical. I have to own up to blatently pinching ideas from Mike and DT Steam. However after all that pre amble I just want too see pictures of anyones interesting junctions. Pictures please, I know of at least five layouts with interesting junctions.

 

[Cyclone]

My worst nightmare. I get so many derailments on the one point I have, Im considering taking it out.
Looks very good though and well laid.

 

[Gizzy]

Now you've got me going Netty?

I'm a real junction junkie....

 

[alecescolme]

I like interesting trackwork...
All handmade

Not really a Junction, but it is where Narrow Gauge joins the Std Gauge

Alec

 

[stockers]

I like interesting trackwork. I find all the various options facinating at a large mainline junction. The Harz has three junction stations.

 

[beavercreek]

My layout junctions are certainly not as complex as Netty's, Gizzy's or Mikes or but the Beavercreek yard area does give the option for 'spotting' cars and making consists.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I like the idea of junctions

I think they need to be laid out in a manner that smacks of the real thing - in that it needs to be a workable soltuion and have natural alignments.


I don't have any

 

[beavercreek]

I like the idea of junctions

I think they need to be laid out in a manner that smacks of the real thing - in that it needs to be a workable soltuion and have natural alignments.


I don't have any

Yes I have to say that my ones are also.....not natural or well formed...............the junctions that is..........

 

[Richie]

Heres my Junctions on the Rockery Ridge Rail Road

 

[mike]

only bit off track thats correctly positioned/layeied is the main juntion.. the idea that 2 trains both going in the same
direction, folowing each other , can pass each other ,going in opersit directions, by changeing 1 point..
southwood curve

 

[pghewett]

Aesthetics apart (Lakeland track 5*), the other issue is the operational one: what do you want your junction for (apart from the bleeding obvious...)? Connecting services? Exchange of stock between trains? Purely from an ops point of view, max flexibility is the goal - enter and leave by any road - but then you have to have compromises as to loop length and you end up with some expensive pieces of kit such double slips. How have others approached this?

My own system is based on RhB practice - a real "operator's railway" - and is essentially a double figure of 8, with Scuol as the 5 way central junction for the loops to maximise portion working/loco exchange. In the first of the attached, for example, the 6 car train in the centre road, which has just arrived from Mustair, forms a connexion with the four car to Zernez, when that leaves, it will leave the diner behind and the ex-Mustair will be split, with half taking the diner o rake onto Landeck behind the Ge 4/4 waiting in road 1, and the other half going forward to Ischgl. Are we all mad or have we just been reading the WTT for the Kent outers?

In the second example, the ex-Mustair set (railcar, trailer and open wagon) has arrived in road 1 to connect the train from Zernez behind 108. That will drop the loco, diner and first coach and go forward to Landeck behind 11 which is waiting in the centre road. Simples!

On the other hand, sometimes we just watch them roll round the circuits for an hour or two...

GH

 

[steve parberry]

We like junctions

Not to say i think they have to be there but i now have over 50 switches on my layout..

 

[pghewett]

That's a very dangerous statistic - the household authorities could easily do the maths on the capital sunk in points alone.

GH

 

[Gizzy]

Not to say i think they have to be there but i now have over 50 switches on my layout..

This bloke is definitely dafter than me?

I only have 29 points....

 

[Rhinochugger]

I think the Trainline (or is it Piko) curved points are going to eb a big help.

They'll help in cramped spaces, and help with the natural flow of things. You can often get away with having a bit of a radius shange in a curve, it doesn't shout the same way that a straight length does.

I must say though, that Grumpy Junction certainly looks the part

 

[KentKeith]

Despite the length of the EG&SNNR there are not that many junctions - it's a big roundy roundy really

The biggest junction (if you can call it that) is where it all started many years ago - what was a loop at the end of the garden has turned into a terminus, a through station and a junction for the rack line...

As this it where it all started there are even some R1 points retained for sentimental reasons

Just behind the station area is another junction where all lines running down the side of the garden merge into one and climb round the back of the terminus station as well as another line running into the through station shown above:

Turning around 180degrees it's possible to see the other end of the junction with the track running up and around the terminus:

 

[stockers]

Brill pictures Keith. Have you got the power on yet. we could be over soon!

 

[pghewett]

Curved points? If only, but I have been warned off TrainLine 45 points as they short out on the LGB collector shoes.

GH

 

[Neil Robinson]

Anyone fancy modelling this?
BTW there's a fair bit more to it out of the picture!

http://www.picturesofgateshead.co.uk/postcards_newcastle1/opcn70w.jpg < Link To http://www.picturesofgate...newcastle1/opcn70w.jpg

 

[alecescolme]

Look at this on YouTube, done in HO?
http://youtu.be/iYulPNjQOhc Alec