15. 12 May 2026 The Turntables

I built a turntable on the end of "Ringbalin Yard" and Branyan Yard" they are at the extreme ends of the line.

They are used to turn locos around so that they can head back the way they have come without running in reverse.  There is very little room at the end of the shelves so a Turntable was really the only option when compared to using either using a Balloon Loop or a Wye.

The turntable at Ringbalin has a short line that allows me to run the locos onto "cassettes" which I can lift out and store underneath it.  This lets me drive on & drive off locos onto or off the layout with ease and saves me having to line up wheels etc  

As the base I used a 300mm "Lazy Susan Bearing Plate" from a local hardware store rated at 225Kg for the Pivot.

Lazy Susan Bearing Plate

 

 

 

 

Lazy Susan Bearing Plate

 

 

 

 

I cut the pit base and the sides from a 1200x1200mm sheet of 12mm plywood.

The turning part of the turntable is 970mm long which is long enough for my longest loco; a 1:20.3 Three Truck Shay.

There are 4 tracks leading to each turntable with alignment being done by sliding bolts with aligning sockets on the ends of each entry rail, these will keep the track in place both laterally and vertically to eliminate any bumps caused by uneven track.

Below are pictures of each turntable with my 1:20.3 Bachmann Consolidation (Connie); one of my larger locos.

Entry to Turntable

Being Turned

After Being Turned

Exit from Turntable

Branyan Turntable

Return to Re-Configuration Construction Logs

14 12 May 2026 Branyan Yard is now Complete

Branyan Yard is now finished this marks the end of track laying for the point to point line of the Uppen Down Railway.

The benchwork are made from racking that I had and some I salvaged from a workshop that was being remodeled.

On one side is a wharf complex with coal, gravel, timber loading facilities to handle the raw materials and some manufactured goods produced in the Kepnock Valley.  These are loaded onto river barges for transport down river to the port at the mouth and loading onto ships.  This all happens out of sight at another assumed part of the Kepnock Valley. 

On the other side there is a Good Shed complex for the temporary storage for the manufactured goods prior to their being loaded onto the barges.  

At one end there is a turntable used to turn locos around so that they can head back the way they have come without running in reverse.  A run around track down the side behind the goods shed allows locos to move from the turntable back to the yard throat after they have been turned A turntable was decided upon because it was really the only option when compared to using either using a Balloon Loop or a Wye.

The "Wharf" lines are treated as a separate district for operational purposes with an Ethanol loading facility forcing closure during loading mostly due to a fire hazard with steam locos. 

The yard "Throat" consists of 3 sets of points that are 3D printed, at the ends of the "Wharf" lines there are 3D printed buffers, it is here that the Ethanol storage tank will be located.

 

Branyan Yard from the Throat end

  

  

Branyan Yard from Turntable end. Run around on the right 

Yard Throat

 

Wharf 3 Way Point

Wharf end Buffers

 

Return to Re-Configuration Construction Logs 

 

 

13. 25 July 2025 Ringbalin Trackwork is now Complete

 .

What I used to refer to as the "Upper Yard" has now been named "Ringbalin".

This area has a coal loading facility that loads coal from a coal mine (which is all that is left of the old HO division) that is transported to a wharf on the "Lower Shelves" for loading onto a river barge that will take it to the mouth of the "Branyan River" for transfer to ships.

 

Coal Loading facility

Coal Mine Train

Loading Coal

 This where is the turntable is located it consists of  4 tracks 3 that run to the turntable and one that divides and ends in stub sidings.

  The track comes through the Right hand side roller door splits almost immediately with the divergence  forming a line that goes through the coal loading siding then on to the two (2) stub end sidings near the turntable.

The straight continues on through another set of points to form an entrance to the turntable while its divergence line goes to yet another  set of points that split it to form two (2) more lines to the turntable.

The point after this set divergence goes to a stub end siding while its straight form a line which goes to an entrance to the turntable.

 Further down these 3 line there is a network of points and a crossing that allow trains to move between them. (see pictures below)

 This is inside the shed and marks the start of a "point to point" line from the top shelf down to the lower shelves via another loop through the shed or directly depending on the setting of a crossover network out in the backyard. 

Entrance to Shed

1st Point

2nd Point

3rd point with 4th in Left background

Point Network

Point Network

Tracks to Turntable and stub End Sidings

I have made use of my 3D printer to make my points and so far they have worked well (Grey ones in pictures).

Links to STL files 

 45mm Turnout for Garden Railway Track System by arockStone 

Bachmann compatible G gauge turnout 

 Point Motor

3D Point with Servo Point Motor

The points here will be moved by servo point motors with their levers being used used as activating switches to a Picaxe controller with WiFi updating the GUI display to show point positions on a monitor, but more on that in a page of its own when I finish installing it.

 

12. 19 April 2025 The Loop through the Shed is Finished

The loop that runs through the shed is now complete; it is essentially a large passing siding but I plan to put some scenery that suggests a township behind it.
 I now have a function loop of track to run trains on as I work on the two point to point sections of the layout as well as getting the servo controlled points working..

My 1:20.3 Bachmann Consolidation (Connie) was used for a few test runs as it is the largest wheelbase with the biggest overhang of all my locos and all went well.

Track into LHS of Shed

Track Loop crossing Shed under Upper Shelf

Loop Curving toward RHS of shed

 

Track into RHS of Shed

 Included in the loop is a 3D printed G scale point (link below), this is the first time I have used 3D printed track work so I will watch it with interest.  As it is out of the sun it should last a fairly long time.

 G-scale switch - compatible with LGB R5 (18050/18150)

11. 16 April 2025 The Gravel Pit Siding

Next to the entry into the shed of the Lower Line a siding for a Gravel Pit industry has been constructed.  This is right next to the low bridges over the dry river bed which is where the gravel is being dug from.

This gives me a shunting opportunity for my Gravel Train and also gives another passing siding on the loop line coming out of the shed.

 

Gravel Pit siding looking toward shed door

Gravel Pit siding looking from shed door

Gravel Pit siding looking toward the dry river bed

Gravel Pit Siding from side of layout.
Dry river bed in background

 

 

10. The Ethanol and Sugar Sidings

 At the End of the Passing Siding on the lower level 2 sidings have been constructed.

At either end is a set of LGB 3 Way Points.

Each siding will have a separate loading facility, one being a bulk sugar loader and the other an ethanol loading facility.

The sugar and the Ethanol come from the Sugar Mill precinct via an underground conveyor for the sugar and an underground pipeline for the ethanol.

The original plan called for the construction of a bridge across the valley between the sugar mill and the main railway which would have allowed wagons to be shunted into the precinct.

When engineers did a feasibility study the found that the cost of building the bridge the cost far outweighed the benefit due to the small amount of traffic that would use it so a decision not to proceed was made.

This now puts the lower line into the shed through which it will run on a loop and exit out the other doors.

3Way at Shed End

3 Way at Passing Siding End

Sidings looking from the Shed

Sidings looking toward Shed

Looking along Passing Siding

 

9. 31 March 2025 Construction of the Lower Loop Baseboards through the Shed is finished

 

It has taken a bit of time but finally the baseboards for the loop through the shed are complete.

Originally they were going to be for a single line but as time went on a passing loop has been added to the plan.

Now they are finished it is planned for a small township scene to be built to give passing trains somewhere to stop and to add a bit of shunting to increase interest. 

 

Looking into the LHS side of the shed

Looking out of the LHS of the shed

Lengthwise of the bench work

Across the corner

Out of theRHS of the shed

Looking out of the RHS of the shed

Looking into the LHS of the shed

 

To get through the roller doors 4  lift up bridges (flaps) had to be built so that the doors can close.

 

Lower flap raised at RHS entry

Upper and lower level entry flaps

LHS entry flap Down

LHS entry flap UP

 

The baseboards are on one side of an aisle the other side is going to be a yard area

8. 10 January 2025 Construction of the Lower Loop through the Shed begins

 Work has begun on the construction of the loop inside the shed.

This loop can be either used as;

• a simple run around loop (around running round and round )
  
• or can be used to increase the length of the run from the Upper to Lower Yards by having a train switched onto it making the train to travel around it before being switched back onto the run between the yards.
• Switching it in can also allow a down train (or an up train) to pass an up train (or a down train)  by switching one or the other onto the loop thus performing a passing maneuver.  

It to will have lift up bridges at either end to allow roller door opening and closing.

At present the plan for it is to be hidden from view by curtains, but perhaps a back wall with scenery or low relief buildings could be added and the curtains removed.