New plans for TT

I've been inspired to change my plans for my layout by the baseboard built on Sam's Trains YouTube channel for his TT layout.

Partly - as I was also testing the HM6000 controller in the week with a loop of track set up on the bed temporarily and realised pretty quickly that the track needs to be properly pinned down to get any decent running with these locomotives.

So, I'm about to order some cut to size timber to construct a double track loop on that can be left assembled, but put away as and when I want it. 

The layout then will have two modes of operation - round and round or end to end, using the ScaleModelScenery fiddle yards.

I'm still playing around with the track plan but it should be something like this:

 

 

With a cut out in the board for the scenic section to drop in and out of. This also provides scope to have plenty of sidings in the middle of the board for storage when I running the layout.

 

In other news - more preorders made this week for the locomotives below and I've decided to jump on the exciting HM7000 DCC train with a sound decoder for the Class A4 (as well as any other locos I get with a Next18 fitting). 

TT3011M BR Princess Coronation 'Duchess of Montrose'

TT3001M BR Class 08 08489

TT3014M BR Class 50 50040 'Leviathan'