James Street
‘N’ – GUEST
James Street is an N gauge exhibition layout on a grand scale, and is supposedly located somewhere in the Midlands, mainly served by Midland and Eastern trains but with Western and Southern Region specials at times, it’s is set in early BR period It consists of a large terminus and dockyard, coupled to a mid-level two track main line and a high level four track main line, and a single track branch line ( which is used to reverse trains ) all these are continuous , between which are large yards for freight and passenger stock. There is no hidden fiddle yard, so all trains can be seen at all times . The layout can be best viewed on all four sides and could be compared to having four separate layouts ! There can be 8 to 12 trains running at any one time providing lots of entertainment for the viewing public.
All of this has been done with a ruling gradient of around 1:100, resulting in most currently available proprietary locos to be able to pull the 8-9 coaches or 30-40 wagons. Stock represents all that is best in N Gauge today, with a wide selection of RTR and kit built stock. B & B delayed action couplings are used to ensure fairly reliable uncoupling ‘ coupling on goods and passenger stock in all yards and terminus.
James Street terminus has six passenger platforms capable of taking 8 or 9 coach trains, plus three carriage sidings, and, on the opposite side of the platforms, a large coal and general traffic goods yard. A brewery which has two private sidings behind a brick boundary wall. Crossing the station throat is an impressive single span girder bridge which effectively separates the two sides of James Street. On the opposite side of the bridge from the platforms there is a large loco depot capable of holding 30 locos with a working turntable, and another large goods yard with four arrival and departure sidings, a bonded elevated warehouse, a large goods warehouse with multiple tracks and platforms for van traffic, and a paved area for container traffic. As the lines curve to the right there is a large dockyard and industrial area, featuring four more arrival and departure sidings, warehouses for various traffic, an oil terminal and a dock where materials are transhipped. On the inside of the main line curve is a dairy, served by two private sidings from the end of the goods yard.
The main lines pass under Lynford Junction's main platforms and arrive at Low Level station, which also has a single line which is from the dockyard. The lines then join the mid-level two track main line and then disappears from view, continuing round behind the backscene before emerging to run parallel to the four track upper main line on the approach to Lynford Junction. This Y station has two main platforms looped off of the main lines, with two running lines between the loops. The outside platform has a triangular junction with the reversing loops and is a handover point between the middle level and four track main line operators.
The reversing loop and marshalling yards are on the outside of the middle level running lines. There are 7 goods roads and 10 carriage sidings; four of which pass through a large carriage shed. Trains on the reversing loop continue up to the highest level of the layout to a small branch station, passing the upper loco depot (which has a four road diesel depot and a 20 road steam roundhouse), over the four track upper main line. The reversing loop now descend to join the connecting lines on the other side of the bridge to the marshalling yards.
The four track main line is 20 metres around (almost two scale miles), and is arranged with two parallel tracks in each direction, with the slow lines on the outside and fast lines on the inside. The main station on these lines is built partly on a viaduct across the end of the layout at 90 degrees to the James Street terminus and has six platforms, with the inner roads in both directions capable of access from both fast and slow lines, which can be used for storing trains if required. There is also a road that goes round the entire layout and on this can be seen working buses To see pictures of this layout please use this link
http://sanengauge.wixsite.com/classic-layout
and click on James St