Beyond Bydemill

Posted byTrevorPosted inBenchwork, Great Western Railway in 7mm scale, GWR Bydemill (Highworth), Layouts I have designed or built, Lighting and Presentation, Operations
Two GWR trains await their turn on my 7mm Bydemill layout. This new, removable staging area makes a huge difference.

I had a break last week as my American clients disappeared for their Thanksgiving holiday and I took advantage of the downtime to expand my 7mm Great Western Railway layout beyond Bydemill by building a two track, removable staging area. This doubles the number of trains I can run in a session without reorganizing consists, and allows trains to enter and exit the scene to give one a sense of going somewhere.

I started by cutting a seven-inch wide strip out of an eight-foot-long shelf. This provided enough width for two tracks, and enough length for good-sized trains (In fact, longer than I’m likely to run.)

I framed this with 1×3 lumber, laid the track (PECO flex, plus a PECO wye turnout), and then wrapped the shelf in 0.060″ thick styrene sheet screwed into the framing. (This is quite high on purpose, to keep trains from going over the side if they’re derailed or the staging shelf is bumped. Since it gets in the way of coupling up equipment, I am building trains on the layout then backing them into staging before a session begins.)

To support the far end, I built an A-shaped leg assembly. It’s secured to the shelf with a furniture bolt and T-nut, and has screw-type levelling feet.

The A shape provides more stability for this very narrow extension.

Where the staging shelf meets the layout, I built a pocket to accept the shelf – which is secured to the layout via two more furniture bolts. I cut a tunnel in the end of the layout and then designed a portcullis to close off the hole when the staging area is not in place.

The tunnel, seen from the layout side. At this point. I’ve simply cut a minimum clearance rectangle. I’ll determine the final size and shape once I build the classic layout device – a road overpass – to disguise the main track’s exit from the scene.
The tunnel from the staging side. A hinged strip of wood, attached to the staging area, supports a sliding hardboard door above the tunnel opening. The recessed toggle switch on the fascia controls the switch motor.
Here, the hinged support is folded down (and resting on my camera’s lens cap) – allowing the portcullis to fall into place. Since the support is attached to the staging area – not the layout – it’s automatically removed when the staging is not in place. “Fail to safe” is a common railway practice, which I’ve duplicated here.

Track and switch motor power is passed to the staging extension via a home-made, four-wire cable fitted with Anderson Power Poles.

When I’m not hosting an operating session, the staging extension can sit on the low bookcases under the layout, with the A-shaped leg leaning out of the way against the layout end.

I’m pleased that with the room lights off and the layout lights on, the staging area all but disappears from view.

With room lights on, the staging extension is easy to see and work on.
With room lights off, the staging extension effectively disappears.

I’ve already run a few trains and having a place for them to come from and go to makes all the difference. I look forward to hosting more operating sessions now that the line from Bydemill to Swindon is complete!

Published by Trevor

Lifelong model railway enthusiast and retired amateur shepherd who trained a border collie to work sheep. Professional writer and editor, with some podcasting and Internet TV presenting work thrown in for good measure.