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indent Starting from the left-hand
end we have an engine servicing area consisting of a pit and a water tower. Below
that is a short siding with a grounded coach body used by the local feed merchant.
Then comes the station and platform while opposite that is a hut for the local inspection
trolley. ( This has no practical purpose as a location to unload a wagon but
adds to the scenic features and was a common, if rarely modelled building.)
indent In the goods yard itself we have a cattle dock, goods
shed and coal staithes accessed from the rear siding, while the front siding has a crane,
hard standing and side and end loading docks. Placing the last of these at the end
can give rise to the odd shunting problem but it all adds to the fun!
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indent For some people shunting wagons is not their idea of fun but, by giving each wagon a specific place to unload and by limiting the amount of room available as a headshunt, such a layout becomes one of the "shunting puzzle" variety and as such can give hours of endless fun! True, the 3 foot long traverser can only hold a tank engine, brakevan and 7 wagons (make that 8 if you use suitable kits or a shorter tank engine), but if the wagons are given a marked playing card each and the deck dealt and shuffled, there are an enormous variety of possibilities even with the same 7 wagons; once you have 15-20 to choose from - and remembering that you need to make up your train from the wagons in the yard while shunting the incoming wagons into their correct location - then do not be surprised if it takes up to an hour to swap one set of 7 wagons for another! Of course, once you get really good you can not only attempt to solve each new puzzle but try and do it in the least number of shunting moves as well - and that's nothing like as easy as it may seem, even with only two sidings in the yard...