Latest plan

Things have moved on significantly since I last wrote.  Firstly the new Orenstein and Koppel loco has landed and after the cleaning of the pickups I can report that it runs well.

I also received the main buildings for the scene and immediately removed the handrails which betray their 4mm scale heritage.  I will also add the chemical silo that sits alongside the tall tower (more about this below).  So, you will have noticed that I am set (pun intended) on a concrete works.

The idea of the layout (as shown above) is that aggregate trains arrive with the Ruston, which detaches and runs into one of the short sidings.  The O&K comes out from its shed - an O gauge slaters LMS container in the bottom right on the long siding - and then pushes the tippers up a short ramp to the hopper, where they will dispense their load.  There is then some shunting, where other wagon types are involved (a random order could be used and the three sidings plus fourth loco shed siding are an inglenook style problem).  See here for info on inglenooks : http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/Inglenook/inglenook-layouts.html

The very tightly curved extra siding into the back of the concrete mixing tower is an option that I may or may not include. If not, there is room for a level crossing where lorries would enter to load.

The aggregate is conveyed to the weighing station from the hopper and then again into the concrete mixing tower.  I have assumed that it arrives already washed and screened.  The silo (yet to be purchased) alongside adds the chemicals (cement etc.) and the finished product is available through the crinkly tin opening at the rear of the tower.  For info the silo can be seen in the below link:

http://railsofsheffield.com/chemical-silo-44-054-JJJA12983.aspx

Here’s another view of the layout from the other side.

Long-term I plan to utilise the other 2 foot square piece of sundeala by cutting that in half and extending the layout by 4 feet away from this site to a loop and sidings at the sand/gravel loading point.  But that’s for later, for now this is just a table-top shunting layout!