Make cassette fiddleyards

George Dent, Chris Nevard and Chris Leigh offer advice on building simple fiddleyards that save space – and money.

George Dent, Chris Nevard and Chris Leigh build space and cost-saving fiddleyards.

Unless you’re modelling a static diorama, the purpose of model railways is to recreate the movement of trains within a landscape. Therefore, the locomotives and rolling stock need to shift from one place to another. This may involve remaining within a scenic setting but, in most instances, we prefer to move our trains ‘off stage’ where they can be re-marshalled, turned or exchanged for a different set of ‘performers’. The fiddleyard is the conventional means of sorting and storing trains away from the visible scenic area. Most conventional fiddleyards contain a fan of sidings or loops, but this demands a considerable amount of space and they may even turn out to be bigger than the layout itself. For end-to-end layouts, locomotives or entire trains may require turning so that they can run back ‘on stage’, but excessive handling of delicate models is seldom a good idea. Cassette-type fiddleyards remove much of the need for handling the trains directly, as well as offering savings on the cost of points. They’re also ideal for maximising the available space. Cassettes can be made in various lengths to suit your own operating needs, although there are limits in terms of length and weight that can be easily handled. They can take the form of a simple tray crafted from plywood, MDF, or even foamboard, with protective sides and removable ends (to stop trains rolling out while in transit).

SAFER OPTION

Using several cassettes on the same layout keeps handling of models to a minimum, although rotating a cassette of more than 3ft in length can be tricky, especially in a confined space, or an exhibition hall where other people are milling about. Once a train has rolled into a cassette, it can be slid to one side, or lifted away and stored safely elsewhere in the fiddleyard or on adjacent shelves. Indeed, creating stackable cassettes, with removable tops and ends, is a fairly straightforward task. If there’s no need to turn the entire train, be sure to allow room for locomotives and brake vans to be uncoupled on each tray and repositioned at opposite ends. Space for fingers to reach around models is a good idea anyway, as it helps when correcting derailments.

FLAT-BOTTOMED

The fiddleyard baseboard simply requires a purpose-built flat-topped surface set to the correct height to match the rest of the layout. Allowing for the depth of the cassette tray, the board may need to be set a little lower, to ensure consistent rail height across the transition from scene to storage. Track alignment with the main baseboard is also simple, especially when compared to traversers or sector plates. Regular rail joiners (fishplates) soldered to the ends of the rails in the cassette are a popular option and power transfer to the rails may be either through joiners or, for greater reliability, via separate leads and crocodile clips. While audio cassettes may have been rendered obsolete, the humble cassette fiddleyard remains a relevant device for space-starved modellers. Offering many practical and economic advantages, it’s a system that’s surely here to stay!