Oulton Traction and Maintenance Depot came about from necessity and I thought it would be good idea if I actually finished something I started! I had built a large four track layout in my garage which had a loco depot in one corner. The track and electrics were finished but I had never managed to get round to completing the buildings and scenery, mainly because of its size. Then the decision was made to have some work done on the house that meant I would lose the use of the garage for a considerable time. The layout was dismantled, but I still needed something to keep myself occupied, so the corner depot was salvaged and built into a smaller independent layout.

Track Layout Considerations

The depot needed to fill several criteria:

1. Have a three or four road shed
2. Have a refuelling point
3. A run round facility
4. Storage for fuel tankers
5. Loco storage
6. A behind the scene fiddle yard
7. Portable

The layout design needed to be flexible enough in order that the train movements were interesting rather than monotonous. Many nights were spent scribbling little lines on bits of paper in various configurations until a rough plan was decided upon. During the track laying process various track configurations were tried out and rejected until I was happy with the end result.
The track layout of Oulton TMD incorporates two Y points near the centre; the first splits between a three road engine shed and the refuelling area. By the refuelling area there is a run round facility and two small sidings, one for storage of oil takers and one for general wagons. A three way point prior to the refuelling area splits the track formation again, feeding into a long head shunt at the front of the layout. This area was originally designed as a loco stabling point but I have now incorporated it in to the other side of the layout. The top road of the second Y point leads off to the fiddle yard, this originally had three roads but has now been extended to six to minimise removal of stock from the layout when exhibited. The bottom road from the Y leads over a short crossing and into a loco storage area and another head shut. From here locos can leave or enter the layout by yet another head shunt situated in the centre of yard.

Base Boards

Sundela on 2 x1 batons had previously been used as base boards on the main layout but I found it bowed at the board joints. The boards for the new layout needed to be more substantial so the base boards were built using 4" x 1" batons for the outer frame, with ½ inch ply on top and 2" x 1" batons for intermediate supports. These were fitted after the track was laid to miss point motors. The size of the boards was dictated by the track layout with the main joint being where there were least tracks to join together. The two boards that make up the layout were 6ft long; width being appropriate for the track plan- 2' 4" at one end and 1' 8" at the other. The two ends and front of the base boards are covered with 3mm ply which was varnished, so as to give a neat appearance to the viewing side of the layout. The unusual shapes of the boards are for future extensions to the layout. Once the main layout is fully completed, and when time permits, further parts will be constructed and joined on.

Track

The track is Peco code 100 except for a code 75 short crossing. Medium radius points are used throughout along with two small Y points, two double slips and a three-way point. The short crossing had originally been a code 100 unit but loco and wagon wheels would short out the electrics as they crossed it. To solve this problem, I changed it to a code 75 electro frog crossing which is totally isolated and is fed from switches connected to the points leading into it. These change the polarity of the crossing to suit the direction of trains travelling over it. With hind sight I would have used code 75 track throughout and any further extensions will use this track

The entire track was laid on 1/8th cork sheet which had previous been painted grey. The track was then pinned down using fine Peco track pins but because of the hardness of the plywood sheet the pins needed to be shortened by about 3mm, making them easier to fix into the wood. Once happy with the position of the track the cork was trimmed at a 45 degree angle, just wide of the track to create a suitable track profile. These cut edges and any exposed board were then painted grey, ready to accept ballast chipping.

Electrics / DCC

The layout was originally wired for normal 12v dc operation using a Gaugemaster feedback controller with an additional hand held controller. There were some twenty seven isolated sections, 16 point and three light signals which all needed independent wiring taking to them. There were over 80 wires that needed connecting to the panel and several weeks were spent wiring up the layout and a suitable control panel!

Then the decision was made to change the layout to DCC operation. I had, many years ago, tried the Hornby Zero one system. I really liked the principle of the system but it was let down by poor running issues. I had the opportunity to try out a Lenz compact system but my initial view was not very favourable. I was though, encouraged by positive reports on the internet, so took the plunge and bought the top of the range Lenz Set 100. This set contains the LZV100 Command Station and the LH100 Manual control. Also purchased at the same time were a TR100 transformer and a collection of differing decoders.

Rewiring of the layout was then undertaken with all isolated sections removed and new feeds taken to any section of track isolated by points. The downside to this was the need to build a totally new control panel as I did not need all the isolating switches that had previously been needed for normal DC. So, back to the drawing board and another two weeks rewiring another panel! I still operate the points from the panel rather than through the DCC system but any new sections added will have the points controlled by the DCC unit. All points are motorised and use a mixture of Peco and Seep point motors. These are operated by single pole momentary on toggle switches with power supplied through a capacitor discharge unit fitted in the panel. Two set of points are wired to work together - the two that lead onto the short crossing and the pair for the crossover by the refuelling depot. There is a track diagram on the control panel and point switches are fitted in the panel and correspond to the point they operate. The switches that operate the two coloured light signals and the ground signal are also fitted in the panel and these have red and green LEDs that light to coincide with the signals on the layout.

The USB computer Interface has now been purchased and this allows me to programme the decoders via the computer. As Lenz developed new items these were also purchased and I now only use the Gold and Silver decoders. I think it is a great system to use which works particularly well with modern flywheel drive locos and now feel there is no turning back.

Sound

I first heard a class 37 run with a sound chip fitted on the excellent Dyserth Road layout, and this was the main reason for the changeover to DCC. Soon after changing the layout over to DCC, and as soon as funds permitted, the first sound chip was purchased from South West Digital that of the class 37. The first job is to fit it into the loco. Not an easy job but made easier by the very good accompanying instructions and the excellent advice from Caroline and Steve at South West Digital. Two speakers were fitted, one in the fuel tank and one under the fan. This arrangement provided the best possible sound reproduction from the model. The next sound chip obtained was the class twenty. Here things had to be done a little differently, as my twentys run in pairs. I wanted sound in both locos but I did not want to go to the cost of purchasing two sound chips. The solution was to alter one loco to a non-powered unit by taking out the motor drive shafts and gear boxes to allow the wheels to rotate freely and removing the electrical pick ups. One speaker was then fitted into the loco just below the fan vent and the speaker leads were taken to the powered loco that had the sound chip and second speaker fitted in it. Again, very good sound reproduction was achieved. The class 47 was upgraded next. There is plenty of room inside the Heljan 47, so again two speakers were fitted. This time the speakers were fitted pointing downwards over the wheel gearboxes. A very quick and effortless job to do made easier by the Heljan body being so easy to remove. The Bachmann bodies can be difficult to remove as they have quite a few small screws to undo and they don't always grip when re-fixed. Two more sound chips have been purchased that of the class 08 (Not looking forward to fitting this one!) and the class 31 and these will be fitted in time for the next outing of the layout.

Lights

With DCC operation the loco lights operate all the time so I decided to add lights to the layout to improve its appearance. The lights are a mixture of ready built and scratch built units. Constant Red tail lamps from Express Models were used to act as buffer stops lamps. These lamps are left on at all the times with all other lights being turned on or off from a switch fitted in the control panel. The depot lamps used for road side lighting. The small depot wall lamps and the excellent tower light also came from Express Models whose exceptional range of modern image lighting certainly brings the layout to life. Additional spotlights were scratch built using dummy halogen lights from the Heljan kit. A small hole was drilled through these and a 3mm ultra bright white LED fitted into them, short lengths of wire were added and the completed units were then painted black. They were then fitted to both the engine shed outer wall and the buildings that made up the back scene. The LEDs were purchased from EBAY, a good source of cheap electrical items. The lights in the engine shed are yellow pendant lamps by Patronics. Six of these were hung from the roof trusses with the wires being taken back to a plug and socket witch allows the roof to be removed. The wires were painted white to hide them - the only problem being if a bulb fails a mini rewiring is needed! Two Eckon 2 aspect signals are fitted to control train movements out of the yard and there is an Eckon ground signal to control train movement through the cross over. Lights will continue to be fitted to the porta-cabins and in various other locations as time permits.

Motive power

The railway era I liked most was the period from the late eighties to the mid nineties so I decided that the locos and stock used on Oulton TMD would be from that period. Most of the locos are in Railfreight grey or Railfreight triple grey livery. There are also some RES and large logo blue as well as special liveried locos and a pair of plain blue twentys to add variation. To suit the location, the locos are generally freight orientated with the odd passenger loco arriving on site to refuel.

All locos have had buffer beam details added and a brass wire loop fitted for the wagon couplings to attach to. Details such as axel boxes and fuel gauges are highlighted with paint; the locos are then weathered with acrylic paints to various degrees to give them a more realistic appearance.

All locos are ready to run items. Starting with Bachmann there two class 08s, BR blue 08748, which is heavily weathered and 08645 with an Express Models 08 lighting unit fitted and both of these have had extra pickups fitted to them. The two pairs of twenties both have sound fitted and will soon have lighting units fitted as well. Two of the five 37s have both sound onboard as well as additional lighting units. Completing the Bachmann ensemble is Ixion in Technical Services livery. The Hornby locos are Dutch liveried 31110 and renumbered 31544 along with 31130 "Calder Hall" in Railfreight Coal with sound added to this shortly. Next there is NSE liveried 50045 again with sound on board and to complete the Hornby line-up the eagerly awaited class 60 in triple grey when it becomes available. From Heljan there are two class 33s one in Dutch, one in NSE livery and making up the bulk of the locos on the depot, several class 47s. Two of these have sound fitted namely 47361 "Wilton Endeavour" in Railfreight Distribution livery and 47340 in Railfreight red stripe livery. Two RES 47s are based at the depot, one being prepared for a rail tour, the other being use on parcel stock.

Rolling stock

To match the theme of the TMD the rolling stock is all freight orientated. There are two engineer train sets of Dutch liveried wagons made up with seacows from Hornby and Heljan dogfish. A set of 3 Railfreight distribution VDA wagons plus a Dutch liveried 20 ton ferry van and a Procor curtain sided wagon. Three tank wagons regularly appear on the layout being shunted into the bay by the storage facility. Occasionally a set of Railfreight open wagons, a set of four full brakes in RES livery and a set of four full brakes in various liveries are also incorporated into traffic movements. Again, all items are ready to run stock that has been weathered with loads integrated into many of the wagons.

Buildings

The two main buildings are the engine shed and the BSS factory. The engine shed was made from two Heljan HO Car Repair Shops No.1887 these were fitted together to make a three road engine shed capable of holding six locos. The floor of the kit had grooves built into it to easily allow length of track to be glued accurately into position. Two Peco inspection pits were then fitted into floor of the building with the floor then finished off with red oxide paint. Once the construction of the outer shell and base were finished it was sprayed both inside and out with white primer. The roof and outer walls were then painted suitable colours with the internal walls and ceiling detail left white. The roof is totally separate from the main building which allows it to be lifted off so that work can be easily carried out to the interior of the depot. Detailed parts like the doors and lighting and power trunking were painted prior to being glued into position, with additional fixtures being added to create a more realistic environment. The glass roof panels were left out to give a better view of the internal detail. Although the kit is slightly under scale the finished building works well as a light maintenance depot.

Because of the position of the fiddle yard a large industrial building was necessary to hide this area and leave enough room to gain access to the track and stock. I had already been given two promotional vehicles from my local BSS depot so decided to create an industrial unit to suit them. The building was built out of 4mm MDF cover with corrugated plastic sheet from Southeast Finecast. Again, the roof is detachable to allow easy access for maintenance. Various details were added like drain pipes and large industrial type chimneys at one end. Both the BSS sign and the Oulton TMD sign were added to their respective buildings, both of these being created on the computer with MS Word.
The low relief building was scratch built using leftovers from the Heljan kits, with additional Evergreen plastic section being added as necessary. Ratio kits were used for the fuel storage tanks and the crane by the BSS Building. Knightwing kits were used for the refuelling depot, the portacabins and fencing. Track side detail has also been add in the form of dummy point motors, cable trunking, power boxes and trackside clutter.

Scenery

The first areas to be worked on were the road and the concrete sections in front of the engine shed and low relief buildings, this is made of 40 thou plastic card shaped to fit up to the edge of the track. The card was mounted on 1/8 cork sheet to bring it up to just under the level of the track. Green Scene textured paints were then used to create the tarmac road surface and "concrete" area. Track was ballasted in the time honoured fashion using Woodland Scenics medium grey ballast. This is carefully spread onto the track using a tea spoon and brush until a suitable profile is achieved. A spray bottle containing water mixed with a few drops of washing up liquid is then used to soak the ballasted area. I then use a syringe to add diluted PVA glue, again mixed with a drop of washing up liquid, over the recently soaked area, making sure to keep glue away from the movable part of the points. Once fully dried out, which takes about three or four days, the rail side are painted brown to simulate rust, the whole track and ballasted area is then spray painted with thinned down brown paint to give the track a well used appearance. Black paint is then brushed on to the centre of the track to give the appearance of oil from the locos. Heavier deposits of black paint are used to highlight areas where locos would stand for longer times. The embankments were made using polystyrene covered with plaster. These were first coated with PVA then covered with sand and left to dry. Once the excess sand was removed they were painted with a green wash. Finally PVA was painted on to certain areas ready to accept various types of Woodland Scenics materials. Track areas with low usage also had "weeds" and vegetation strategically placed along their length.

Operation

Locos arrive on site from the hidden fiddle yard and wait in the tunnel entrance until given permission to enter the complex. From here the locos are either directed to the refuelling point or to the head shunt at the front of the layout. Once the locos have been refuelled they are sent forward to the head-shunt by the fuel tanks, and from here travel back to the other side of the refuelling point and across to the storage siding by the BSS building, or are shunted back into the engine shed for maintenance or storage.

Any freight trains entering the yard are guided to the front head shunt. From here the wagons are either shunted across to the storage area or uncoupled from their loco and shunted into the middle siding, fuel storage siding or engine shed by the yard 08 or any other available loco. Once free of its wagons the first loco can then precede to the refuelling point and from there is stored ready to take its next tour of duty. Freight trains leaving the depot work in the reverse order. Wagons are first shunted into the long head shunt , a loco is then draw from the loco pool coupled up to its wagon , then draws up to the signal to await permission to run forward to the 'main line' ( fiddle yard). Wagons are in set formation with the two wagons at either end of the set having a specially adapted coupling fitted to them. This device allows unassisted uncoupling of wagons from the loco by means of strategically placed permanent magnets.

Another hand held controller has been purchased and this allows two trains to be controlled by their respective operators with a third person acting as signal/ point operator. Consequently, three operators are used control a relatively small layout. The result being an entertaining layout with the sights and sounds of locos running in the same or opposing directions in close proximity, creating an exciting visual and audio experience - well, hopefully!

The Future

As previously stated Oulton TMD is designed to develop, and hopefully over the next twelve months, a small station and goods yard will be added. Eventually instead of being an end to end layout it will become a round layout with through trains. But because of the built in flexibility of the layout, differing configurations can be exhibited depending on the space available and the requirement of the show organizers.

Thanks

Many thanks to Derek and Richard Barnet of Footplate in Kidderminster for fixing me up with the all the Peco track work, Lenz DCC equipment, along with many of the locos and items of rolling stock. Thanks to Rob and Jeanette of express models without whose items modern image modelling would still be in the dark ages (sorry!) and to Caroline and Steve at South West Digital for producing their wonderful sound decoder. And special thanks go to Liz (my special friend) for putting up with me!