Inglenook layout

[Stephen Rainsbury]

Are Inglenook railways as much fun to play with as they look?
I have some second hand track and points (dirt cheap don't ask) and was thinking of making one on a piece of old shelf, but they say make the sidings long enough for 3 or 5 wagons, but mine are all different sizes.
Do I just count them and be honest or is the spirit of the game to go and buy another half dozen tippers from Dundas? :)

JFI http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/sw-inglenook.html

[Tom Haythornthwaite]

I'm incorporating an Inglenook into my layout.  I plan to use a set of equal-length wagons. 

Note the track between the points can be any length - in order to try to fit a realistic concept mine won't be particularly short.

[Retiarius]

I am building a twin level double inglenook layout so that two people can compete at exhibitions on the same layout as to who can solve the puzzle fastest.The layout will use a Raspberry Pi to enable wireless control using DCC.

[Stephen Rainsbury]

I am building a twin level double inglenook layout so that two people can compete at exhibitions on the same layout as to who can solve the puzzle fastest.The layout will use a Raspberry Pi to enable wireless control using DCC.

That's a nice idea.  What extra hardware are you using with the Pi to drive the DCC?
Stephen

[Retiarius]

I am building a twin level double inglenook layout so that two people can compete at exhibitions on the same layout as to who can solve the puzzle fastest.The layout will use a Raspberry Pi to enable wireless control using DCC.

That's a nice idea.  What extra hardware are you using with the Pi to drive the DCC?
Stephen

I use a SPROG 3 and JMRI software on the PI. The remote throttles/controllers are two second hand Samsung S4 mobile phones.

[Stephen Rainsbury]

Thanks. DCC is definitely on my to-do list and I would much rather build my own to my spec than buy a total solution.

There was series of articles in Railway Modeler in the late 60s about automating points and signals etc from train movements, using relays, micro-switches and those huge circular sequence controllers that used to be in washing machines. It really captured my imagination, I would love to read them again and replicate some of those digitally. Including model rabbits by the track that would come out of their hole when there were no trains but go back in when one approached.

I remember that most relied on having a section of track where the same rail was cut twice, giving a short length of track, about 1/4" long that was isolated. When a loco came over it the fact the wheels were all connected down one side would meant that as the leading wheel went into the isolated section it would become temporarily live enough to trigger a relay, points motor, signals etc..

Stephen

[Retiarius]

If you are wanting cheap automation have a look at the Arduino based DCC decoders, actuators etc.

[Stephen Rainsbury]

If you are wanting cheap automation have a look at the Arduino based DCC decoders, actuators etc.

I totally agree, this is exactly the sort of job they were designed for.  I have several which I have recovered from old music projects that will be ideal.

Stephen

[Julian Evison]

Are Inglenook railways as much fun to play with as they look?

Do I just count them and be honest or is the spirit of the game to go and buy another half dozen tippers from Dundas? :)

Are they fun? Yes they are provided you like shunting and your uncoupling arrangements work, whether it be automatic or by hand.

I think it is best if the wagons are all close to the same size, e.g. not a mix of four wheelers and bogie vehicles, but they don't need to be identical. Do remember to ensure that you can easily identify each wagon so you know what you are trying to do!

Julian

[Retiarius]

There are at least two inglenook setups you can use.

   
• There is the classic where you have to make up a train of 5 wagons from a choice of 8 in a specified order.
• There is the quick version where you make up a train of 3 wagons from a pool of 5 in a specified order.

It is the second that I will use on my "competition" inglenook layout. I have built an Arduino powered unit that generates and displays the 2 randomised final train formations required. I thought the 5 wagon trains would take too long at an exhibitions, and besides, I would have to buy some more wagons!

My Arduino box can also provide me with a single randomised train of 5 wagons for when I want a solo play

[Stephen Rainsbury]

It is the second that I will use on my "competition" inglenook layout. I have built an Arduino powered unit that generates and displays the 2 randomised final train formations required. I thought the 5 wagon trains would take too long at an exhibitions, and besides, I would have to buy some more wagons!

My Arduino box can also provide me with a single randomised train of 5 wagons for when I want a solo play

That's clever, I like it :)

As it happens I have just enough track and points left over from a couple of 009 "bundles" I brought at very low prices on eBay so I think I am going to go for that and use it as a chance to to practice track laying, ballasting etc. before starting on my layout next year.  Mind you that was the original plan with the circle of N Gauge track that I won for £6. Perhaps I will do both :)

[Nigel Matthews]

I have been fascinated by the idea of a shunting puzzle ingkenoook layout for quite while now. I have experimented on paper to try and make one as compact as possible. I finally took the plunge over Christmas and work has started. I allowed 50mm for each typical wagon which covers most 4 wheel versions and 75mm for my Baldwin. Therefore the 5 Wagon long road should be 250mm long. I hope to post details once some more progress is made.

[Simon Hargraves]

Are Inglenook railways as much fun to play with as they look?  Yes, definitely!

I have some second hand track and points (dirt cheap don't ask) and was thinking of making one on a piece of old shelf, I probably don't need to say this, but make sure all the second hand track and points work smoothly and the bit of shelf is flat to avoid disappointment.

...make the sidings long enough for 3 or 5 wagons, but mine are all different sizes. The 3-3-5 seems to be the accepted "Classic" Inglenook configuration, if you're building it for your own use perhaps a bigger version would take more time and as Andrew says a smaller version might be better for exhibition use. When you say "size" are we talking a small variation, or the difference between say a 4-wheeler and a bogie wagon? You don't necessarily have to make the sidings only just long enough for 3 wagons, it's probably better to only allow yourself to put 3 on each siding (if you see what I mean).

Do I just count them and be honest or is the spirit of the game to go and buy another half dozen tippers from Dundas? :) I'd be inclined to have each wagon looking different...say a flat, a coal wagon, van, tank, gunpowder,and also vary the colours of some of the more common wagons (eg: you could easily have a whole set of the Peco vans but in different colours straight out of the box if that's your thing).

I built a little Inglenook when the Peco Setrack points came on the market, partly to test whether the locos I had would run over the dead frogs satisfactorily and partly for its own sake, but it's also a very good way to check the functionality of couplings etc. It's also great fun...
Simon.

[Stephen Rainsbury]

I built a little Inglenook when the Peco Setrack points came on the market, partly to test whether the locos I had would run over the dead frogs satisfactorily and partly for its own sake, but it's also a very good way to check the functionality of couplings etc. It's also great fun...
Simon.

Thanks, I have done something similar since posting.
The points are fine, the plank has been cut down to fit into a Christmas wrapping paper "really useful box" and I have given it a 1" layer of polystyrene to give it a smooth surface, hide the magnets and allow me to experiment with a little stream.
The points seem to be fine and work nicely but I am going to wire it up as a single section to make the wiring simpler.
I have enough wagons now to stick to 4 wheel wagons, and enough variation for the puzzle.
I even have a back story for it. 
"There was a farmer during WW2 who was having problems getting to market as his workers had all gone off to fight and taking his goods to market meant too much time away from the land. Having been an engineer during WW1 he knew all about the little railways they used, but better still he knew where there was a stash of track and a suitable loco so he arranged for them to be "taken" to his farm. He laid a line from his farm to the nearest town  which he and the other local farmers used for transporting goods and occasionally passengers. This also meant that his dear old Dad (84 years old) who couldn't drive a van, could drive it, get drunk and still find his way back at without crashing."
This gives me the excuse to run almost any rolling stock which he "borrowed" or made out of old gates and bailing wire.

[Simon Hargraves]

That's brilliant, Stephen...I love the back story!

I designed my Inglenook to fit into an IKEA APA box and have built the baseboard into the box so it would acquire a backscene with buildings etc.
However I am considering removing it from the box and going "back to basics" with a few much smaller buildings as I find that I have nowhere to keep it so it's handy for testing stock and playing the shunting game with...it's currently languishing in an upstairs room at the railway station where I work.

All the best with yours,
Simon.