My objective for Martindale Creek is to create an impression of a heavy duty mainline railway in HO scale in a moderate amount of space. The setting is a real location. The railway is fictional. The trains operated are models of the protoypes rolling stock in the era they operated.
Only one part of the main line is visible from any part of the operating area. There is a scenic break between stations. The scenery is uncluttered. Major industries such as coal mines are "off the baseboard". The crossing loops, the action areas of the layout are prominent. The train lenght is long enough for multi unit diesel hauled trains to be credible (to me at least)
Modern Perth houses do not have basements to house layouts. Until my children leave home the only place left for a model railway is the car port. The layout is located in one half of a locked up two car car port. The car port is open to the weather on two sides, this provides cross ventilation in summer but it is a little draughty in winter.
My one attempt at a garden railway resulted in the sun regauging a set of Peco HO gauge points to about 12 mm gauge.
Martindale Creek is 3760 mm ( 12 feet 4 inches) by 2750 mm (9 feet). The track level is 760 mm (30 inches) above floor level.
Martindale Creek has a two cab, comon return wired cab control system. The cab control panels are located at each station. Train control is by hand held plug in throttles. All points within reach are hand operated.
All track is code 100 rail. Plain track is nickel silver Hornby third radius curved sections or Peco flexible track. Point work is Peco meduim radius or long radius curved Insulfrog points on the main line. The points in the yard at Simonton are brass Life-Like sectional track points.
Maximum gradient, 0.0%
Minimum mainline and branchline curve radii is 504 mm (19.875 inches)
The crossing loops and staging tracks allow 2100 mm (82 inch )long trains to be operated.
The out door location of Martindale Creek requires me to store the trains inside the house. This allows me to vary the era modelled, by only operating models of a specific period at any one operating session.
The eras operated are 1975 to 1985 and 1995 to the present day.