General
Rochwood is a "00" gauge layout which was
originally started as a "Garage" layout by one of the club
members who has now moved to the South Coast. He left the project to
the club and it has since been greatly extended to become 20 ft. by
10.5 ft. in size, with the option of reducing it to 17ft. by 8 ft.
if exhibition space is tight.
The layout depicts late steam and early diesel at a fictitious
location somewhere in the Midlands.
Track Plan
The layout is a double track round and round with both the
inner and outer tracks having 7 storage tracks at the rear.
Each of the storage tracks can hold 2 trains which would allow a
total of 28 trains to be held ready for running.
At the front of the layout is the mainline station which as well as
the through lines has 2 loop platforms with tracks leading to Engine
Shed and Goods Yards
Electric's And Control
Track selection for the storage sidings is done by a single press
of a push to make switch sending current from a large capacitor
through a diode matrix to the correct point combination for the
required siding.
Home made electric uncouplers are used in the goods yards and will
work with any brand of tension lock coupling but they were
specifically built to operate with the Bachmann ones.
3 home made control units are employed (simple power transistor and
potentiometer), one for each of the main lines and another for the
loops and goods yards. Control of the station loop platforms depends
on the position of the points so that if the route is such that a
train is to run into or be driven out of a loop then control of that
track is passed from the goods controller to the main line.
This is done with auxiliary switches under the points leading to
the loop platforms.
Future Plans
Much work has been done over the last couple
of months with the conversion of the bay platforms into full
runround and passing loops. This has reached the stage where all the
track has been laid and the electrics have been part installed to
allow testing of the changes.
So far it looks as though the changes will
allow much more operating potential with the dropping of and
collection of goods trains on the inner circuit and loco changes to
take place on the outer one. The scenics to compliment these changes
are now under way along with an additional connecting cable from the
control panel to the boards affected by the changes.
Thought are also turning to perhaps
installing a turntable on the layout but that will mean a massive
alteration to the track plan at the left of the front section. If
this is done it will probable be after our next exhibition. |
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