Adarsh Narayan - Marklin HO Layout

Adarsh Narayan's model railway layout. Marklin HO layout, theme of India in the 1960s. No specific location or railway segment is depicted by this layout, which was assembled in stages as and when components could be obtained. The layout is currently 4'x16' and a 4'x6' extension is just being made. Some lower quadrant semaphores are being added too. The tracks, control and the rolling stock are almost all Marklin Digital (AC, K-Track), while the semaphores and other items are assembled or improvised, or from other suppliers. The layout is not fully digital even though the system is capable of supporting this, as there is no locomotive positioning assistance by electronic devices such as decoders (the locos all have Motorola digital decoders but not in the latest MFX format). Instead, contact track or reed switches are used to activate or deactivate other devices. Some locos have smoke; none currently have sound decoders but an independent whistle has been installed which sounds when the loco is ready to leave 'MughalSerai' station. Trains travel at the speed which was common in the 1960s. There are four locos in all (two steam, two diesel) with another on stand-by to be used when the extension is completed. The layout is designed to operate automatically, allowing trains to pass each other securely and waiting by being blocked if a section is occupied. They slow down as they approach the station and then stop, all without using an electronic braking module. The semaphores are modified Hornby to be as close to the original design as possible. They are activated by a Viessmann motion drive motor.