Trackplan!

I've finally had time to sit down and sketch out a rough track plan. At present it's not been drawn to exact scale, but just to give an idea of what i'm thinking of.


Here are the explanations corresponding to the numbered items on the plan:

1 - Hotel/Lodge - this building i already have, it was built for me by a friend, and will make an attractive addition to the moorland area of the layout.


2 - Tidal Inlet with steel trestle bridge spanning end. This is supposed to be reminiscent of this inlet at Plockton. The structure i will be using is based on a lower version of this Austrian bridge and is produced by a company called N Brass Locos.

3 - The Vital Spark sitting at the "old quay". I love the Para Handy stories and had to include a Clyde Puffer (The Vital Spark) on the layout. I plan to have an operating mineral chute on the layout which will allow trains to discharge their load into the hold of the Vital Spark. The Puffer is based on the Dean's Marine kit, and is currently being built for use on Dunbracken but will be removed when PnC is started.


4 - Goods shed. This will be based on a combination of Irish prototypes with a curved corrugated roof similar to the Ratio carriage shed.

5 - Signal box and cattle dock - these will sit at the end of the platform for the goods shed.

6 - Castle. This will be a ruin of a small castle based on Castle Moil from the Isle of Skye.


7 - Beach with culverted stream from hills at rear of layout. This area is based on Plockton.

8 - Boat yard workshops, this is another building built for me by a friend, it was used on a previous layout and will be reused on PnC.

9 - Water tower - for this i have a very quirky prototype from an Irish line to use which was a cylinder lying on it's side with two domed ends and then sitting on a stone base.

10 - Steamer - this represents a small ferry vessel which would probably be sailing to the Hebrides, Ireland or to another Highlands port. At present i'm not 100% settled on a prototype, but it will be propeller driven.

11 - Station building - to sit opposite the ends of the lines running into the platform, from this building a short glass canopy will protrude out to the ferry steps and part way down the platform. This building will also contain an office for the ferry terminal.

12 - Church - probably based on the White Washed church seen in many photos of the West Highland line.

I realise that this trackplan is quite complex, but i think it will allow for some interesting operation. I wanted to give the feeling of the line once having operated to the yard and the "old" quay, and then having been extended to the "new quay", however with limited space here the run round facilities at the yard were still used. It's taken me a long time to get this plan to the state where i'm 100% happy with it, and i think there will only be small revisions to it now.