The Beginning
Brunswick Junction only came into existence recently - the 'Mixed Freight' set started it all and that arrived from Amazon on 11th July for a bargain price of around £160 - for a DCC set!
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| The 'Mixed Freight' set |
After a short while of running downstairs on the 'TrakMat', IKEA delivered the two tables that have connected to the current one. They are 100 x 60 each, creating a total space of 1m x 1m 80cm for the railway. Barton Timber supplied us with sturdy, ready-cut sheet wood and timber (even to unusual sizes) for the baseboard and after a few hours with a drill, screwdriver, some screws and glue it was finished!
I used the free trial of 'Anyrail' to plan my layout, which has gone through many stages. Originally, I thought about having curved sidings in the middle of the loop - 2nd radius only due to space constraints - and realised later on that it wouldn't have been at all realistic. Although I decided not to have curved sidings, I still need sidings of some sort. I am also going to have multiple other sidings branching off at all sides of the layout. Another fairly recent development was getting a shelf, which has been mounted just above the radiator, so requires an incline; this also adds some more interest.
The Layout
Bringing you up to speed, the layout currently consists of a 2nd radius loop with a works to the front left. A station made of simple Hornby platform sections is situated along the front and will be long enough for 3 carriages when finished. In the middle, a left-hand point goes straight into a 'Y' point, forming two sidings - a right-hand point also branches from one of these to make 3 sidings at the moment - more may be added later. Another point at the rear of the loop is followed by some straight track, temporarily being raised by some second-hand Hornby 'Elevated Track Supports', bought cheaply from local model shop Roneo Models. This splits with the use of points into three tracks running along the shelf, currently in a 'fiddle yard' style, but this may have scenery and a platform added later on.
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| Your first glimpse of the layout! This is the view from the door, looking towards the window. |
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| This view is from the other side, by the window and looking towards the door. |
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| Nearing the end of the incline; it is not double-track for most of the way. |
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| The shelf, which is currently acting as a three-track 'fiddle yard'. |
The Controller
Brunswick Junction is currently controlled by a Hornby 'Select' DCC Controller.
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| The 'Select' unit controlling Brunswick Junction at the moment |
As I am not an expert at anything yet, there are only a few pre-assembled buildings on the layout. These are a newspaper stand, a small station building and an engine shed. A small viaduct is currently unused.
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| The engine shed, kindly donated by a family member |
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| The station building, only £5 from Roneo Models |
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| The newspaper stand, even cheaper at only £2! Much easier than making it yourself! |
Some people argue that this is the most important part of a layout, others argue that it is the least. Currently, I only have a small amount due to the amount of money these things cost. There are 3 locos, 2 rakes of wagons and 2 rakes (including 1 rather makeshift one!) of carriages.
Locos:
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| 92016, a class 92. My only loco not with the set - bought for £50 from Kernow Model Rail Centre, but unfortunately had some troubles with the decoder (It's working now!) |
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| D4174, a class 08. Came with the Mixed Freight set. |
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| 68478, a class J83. Came with the Mixed Freight set. |
Wagons:
Rake 1:
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| The rake that came with the set, hand-weathered with charcoal and chalk. Sellotape added to Iron Ore wagon to make it look covered over. |
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| Extra wagons bought from Hatton's in a set with GWR carriages. 2 packs bought for £14 each, creating this rake. Also hand-weathered using only charcoal. |
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| Brake van bought second-hand from Hatton's for £7. Can be added to either rake. |
Carriages:
Rake 1:
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| A simple rake of 2 GWR 4-wheel coaches. Came with wagons (rake 2). |
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| I have put inverted commas around 'rake' for a reason. It is a rake, but is made up of 2x Mk1 BSK (1x NSE - £10 second-hand, 1x BR Maroon - £8.50 second-hand), 1x Mk3 RSB? and 1x Mk3 FO (Both BR Intercity - from a family member). |
So that's Brunswick Junction so far. There will be many more posts to come, both updating you on layout progress, showing new trains and detailing running sessions etc.
Hope to see you soon,
Jezza
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