Shunting layouts with a harbour as theme
Rail-Water interfaces guarantee interesting options for shunting a wide variety of wagons and therefore form a thankful modelling subject.
sketches
These designs are thought as small layouts (cameo's) for public shows and home use. They are also suited for Fremo use, where they would be perfect for generating traffic on the main layout but some would need an additional connection module as they are designed as stand alone units. They are not based on a single specific location but are more a collection of scenes from various places brought together to make an interesting layout. Backgrounds can be built up from a series of suitable buildings lend from various locations with an additional sky board. Point operation from the front with for instance a RPI with touchscreen driving adapted Tortoises over a single output and the usual Fremo DCC cab controllers (Fredi's).
The length varies between 1.1 and 2 m, width between 24 and 45 cm. Suited for short trains with 5-7 continental (bogie) wagons, making up trains of ~60 cm and still have enough space left to run-around. Thus you can enter the scene and run around your train without having to sneak back over a cassette fiddleyard. All designs are based on UIC pointwork with 1:9 angle or 1:7 with a curved crossing, thus suited for all long wheelbase stock with MFK couplings.
The industry connections can be grain, concrete, oil, metals etc. subject only to your creativity. Artitec has some suited river/canal ships in 1:160 to populate the waterfront. For ocean going ships you probably need to stretch the designs a bit but at least supply additional water surface. A WW2 Liberty ship already has dimensions of 80 cm long x 12 cm wide. The first and fourth plan look most suited for such an operation. Tip: In straight waterfront designs you can add the water as a hinged flap to save space in transport.
My version of a continental counter pole to Federal Street, of course with rationalised trackwork. Size indication 1.8 x 0.4 m based on the drawn building plot but the track work along the docks would profit from a 2 m approach but this needs some further thought about the ends. Alternatively front and back could be changed as it is probably easier to produce a good harbour background from photographic evidence.
Here we see a reversed version, opened up at the right hand side to allow low level viewing. The left hand center part with the red/pink roof can do with a different industry allowing low level views.
Based on the Mose river side like in Boxmeer/Gennip, also shop along the canal in Roeselare for additional building inspiration, size indication 1.5 x 0.4 m.
A more compact variation of the above plan with complex trackwork, size indication 1.2 x 0.32 m
A compact version of Bassin Cerveau. size indication 1.4 x 0.40 m
Fremo inspired, size indication 2.0 x 0.40 m
City dock, shunting on 2 levels, low at front, high at the back and you have to zig-zag to get to the dock side. size indication 1.8 x 0.45 m. Some buildings could be based on Braine le Comte.
a combination of plans some 4 m ending up in (a not drawn) full fiddle yard at one end.
The compact version from plan 9 on 40 cm derived from the later H0 versions connecting to a fiddle yard on the right hand.
As diversion a plan in H0 P87 about 2.5 m.
The above with mirrored trackplan which is probably better for expo's and shows.
copyright: Henk Oversloot
date: 16 Dec 2018
