Welcome Peter K

Thanks. Interestingly, my current layout project isn't a million miles away from Dundee...

 

It's a layout (with potential for expansion) of the 'system layout' ilk based on the Fife Loop (as in via St Andrews and Anstruther) as it might have been had it been either kept open or re-opened. This also depends on a political point happening (Scottish Independence) and part-nationalisation of the railways afterwards. The current layout is a terminus (originally intended to be Glenrothes) but is being arranged so that it could be turned into a through station (Anstruther?).

 

It's spread over 2 OSB 'mini boards' (810mmx405mm) with a small plank as a fiddle yard.

 

Welcome aboard Peter hope you enjoy your stay with us, as we are a friendly bunch of people.
Gloria.

 

I've only got two photos for the moment, I'm hoping to go up to Kettering to buy an N gauge modern station building.

 

It's not a Clayton but is BR... German BR. My home internet's currently down so I've gone to a local café to use the internet, I will go home and take some photos once I'm done here.

 

Here is the supposed story of the Fife Railway:

Scotrail...[Political backstory removed] ...is formed by the Scottish Transport Act 2017: ‘An act to replace the present transport system’.


Scotrail owns the majority of rail infrastructure in the country, but several private lines which were previously only considered eligible for ‘light railway’ status are given funding and the opportunity to be considered ‘heavy rail’. One such enterprise is the Fife Railway, with its shares distributed as follows... [Share distribution removed]


...The Fife Railway is a privately-operated railway operating the ‘Fife Loop’ from Guardbridge to Thornton via St Andrew’s and Anstruther. FR also operates trains from Dundee to Glenrothes via St Andrew’s. Being partially electrified, various mainline services use part of the line, whilst the Leven-Glenrothes section is shared with regular steam traction.


The line is cleared for 160 km/h for most sections, whilst the Leven - Anstruther ‘racing track’ permits 220 km/h. A daily London-Aberdeen service travels via the Fife Loop, whilst regular Scotrail services to Glenrothes are offered with a 30 minute timing.


In 2018, the FR bought the Fife section of the ECML from Thornton Junction to the Tay, as well as the Rosyth to Thornton via Inverkeithing line, bringing it all up to 220km/h electrified standard. Despite FR ownership, the majority of services on the line are run by Scotrail and Scotrail pays the entirety of the operating and maintenance costs.


The FR is run to ATOE A [a fictional driverless system] signalling principles, which dispenses with the need for a driver or fixed signal, but both are often in use anyway. The passenger services which use the Fife Loop are as follows:

• 1tph Dundee-Glenrothes (stopper)
• 1tp2h Dundee-Kirkcaldy via St Andrew’s
• 1tp2h Glenrothes - St Andrew’s
• 1tp2h alt Dundee-Glasgow via St Andrew’s and Edinburgh (semi-fast)
• 1tp2h alt Aberdeen-Edinburgh via St Andrew’s (semi-fast)
• 4tpd Aberdeen-Edinburgh extended to Inverness
• 1tpd Aberdeen-Paris with no stops in England
• 1tpd Inverness-Paris via Aberdeen without English stops
• 1tpd Aberdeen-Amsterdam with no stops in England
• 1tpd London-Aberdeen via St Andrew’s

The services in italics are operated by FR, whilst the remainder are Scotrail services. FifeFreight and Scotrail both operate freight services along the Fife loop, vacating the mainline for faster passenger services up to 4 tph. There is a twice-daily ‘Gordon Arrow’ (a play on the train ‘Golden Arrow’) Freight service to Aberdeenshire. The morning service is a ‘traditional’ freight service of marshalled private owner and hired wagons, whilst the evening service consists of solely shipping containers and Scotrail-owned wagons, space on which is sold by the pallet. A further service to Europort runs on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays.