Barry and Penarth Model Railway Club

Members layouts - L: Rimenough Diesel Depot

Rimenough 2007

Rimenough depot is a fictional small Diesel depot based loosely in S.Wales in a time period of 2002-2006. The layout started life in late 2005 and has been re-built/ extended/ had major alterations three times so far, this usually takes place just before a show date!

EWS own the 10x 2 foot (plus either 5 or 7 foot of fiddle yard) of land that two sheds (4 roads) sit on and perform light service, re-fuelling and cleaning to the sheds main occupants which are class 37 locos.
The layout packs a number of "holding" roads into the depot area which will see visiting class 20, 31, 33, 37, 47, 50, 57, 66 from DRS, Freightliner or Fragonset, as well as EWS class 60, 67 and 66 that stop over between turns.

Towards the rear of the layout there is a main line that can either be used to run from one fiddle yard to another, or the more common practise of in and out from the same fiddle yard but via different tracks. Class 153 and 158 use this feature as they leave the nearby fictional main line station and use the "loop" to run onto fictional valley lines. The Valley line is the reason the depot is active, supplying Top 'n Tailed class 37 for 3 coach passenger trains, loosely based on the Rhymney service.

There is a small but varied amount of rolling stock that visits from time to time and is held in the holding road off the main line, the list is :

• Class 37 top 'n tailed 3 coach passenger Valley Line service is the layouts main revenue.
• The EWS Hospitality train is class 67 powered.
• A 4 coach Mail train is usually 67 powered.
• Fragonset 33 and/or 31 take an observation coach on its travels.
• Pairs of 37 or 66 top 'n tail a weed killing train.
• Short Ballast train for the valley line.
• DRs exchange class 20's with 47 & 37 locos on a Nuclear flask train
• A 3 coach Serco test train visits, this can be powered by anything!
• There may even be a visiting kettle!

The depot is supplied with fuel via a couple of TTA tanks, usually brought in by a 66 or 60. The depot's 08 then does a bit of shunting between the various light engine movements that make up the majority of the action on the depot.

All locos are DCC controlled with Lenz 100 and every loco is sound chipped. Most sound comes from South West Digital http://www.southwestdigital.co.uk/ .

There is no real strict running order, a card system is used so that everything gets a turn but at shows the schedule can easily be interrupted if a spectator want to hear and see a particular class run.

The layout is available for shows, normally at little or no cost to organisers (size = 15ft or 17ft x 2ft - operated from the front). Please contact Simon for information : simon.evans2@ntlworld.com

Photos of a former version of the layout courtesy of Simon Evans