Operating Part One – The Staging Yard for the Operation of the Hintock Branch

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3200 Hintock's Staging Yard, a traditional ladder system for seven trains

3200 Hintock’s Staging Yard, a traditional ladder system for seven trains

Hintock’s Staging Yard is an essential components in the operation of the Branch. There are several variations in its form and  either a traverser or cassettes could have been used. I have had experience of both, but adopted for Hintock the traditional ladder format. With it and within a length of about 54” and a width of 18” I have seven roads of varying length. And, with a road allocated to each, can operate seven individual trains. [Continue Reading…]

Filed Under: Chapter 9 - Hintock Branch's Staging Yard, Operating Tagged With: , , , , ,

Operating Part Two – Operating a Model Railway, Actions & Events

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Syd 125. Operating a model railway. Prairie with horse box behind passes inner home signal and brings a local passenger train past Sheepcroft Yard into Hintock Redux. The horse box is destined for the Bay

Syd 125. Prairie with horse box behind passes inner home signal and brings a local passenger train past Sheepcroft Yard into Hintock Redux. The horse box is destined for the Bay

Operating a model railway is what I most enjoy. That is the actions that take place and the events leading to them. Most are straightforward and prototypical, nonetheless they still need to be done, as in the real world of railways, effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner. And there is quite an art in achieving that.  It is also most importantly fun. [Continue Reading…]

Filed Under: Chapter 10 - Actions & Events, Operating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Operating Part Three – Random and Systematic Train Make Up and Shunting

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JF 171 Shunting a model railway, John Hampton's coal siding

JF-171 Shunting John Hampton’s coal siding

Operating or shunting a model railway is the best part of building and owning one. My shunting is random and systematic, not as you please.

For it I use order and method applied in a random and systematic manner. No, it’s not a contradiction in terms. (My methods are featured in a comprehensive article in RM 9/2013.)

The number of wagons in a train is random and whilst the Staging Yard roads will accommodate more than Loco+8 wagons and brake van I restrict them to that. Anymore seem out of keeping with the general theme of the layout. [Continue Reading…]

Filed Under: Chapter 11 - Random & Systematic Train Makeup & Shunting, Operating Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Operating Part Four – Model Railway Tips and Tricks

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Everyone who owns a layout has particular technique that they think work well, here are my model railway tips and tricks. To all my goods stock I have added extra weight. They run readily enough as bought, but UK r-t-r stock as excellent as it is, I find far too light. It needs more ‘heft’. For this I add ¼ oz or 7 gm weights. These I can get readily from a hobby shop in Montana. [Continue Reading…]

Filed Under: Chapter 12 - Tips & Tricks, Operating Tagged With: , , , ,