Prototypes for an Inglenook Sidings Shunting Puzzle Layout

Prototypes for an INGLENOOK SIDINGS shunting puzzle layout

ITALY

ITALIAN STATE RAILWAYS
MONTEVARCHI (AR)

Montevarchi, a market town and regional center situated 35 km South of Florence in the province of Arezzo (AR), has a medium-sized railway station on the FS (Italian State Railway) mainline from Rome to Florence.

A Florence-Rome Express speeds through Montevarchi (AR), September 1993 (click for larger image)

A footbridge spanning the five mainline tracks providedsan excellent view of the small yard, which hosts a complete set of permanent way maintenance equipment.

The yard at Montevarchi (AR), host to track maintenance equipment in September 1993 (click for larger image)

This three-track yard is connected to the station tracks by means of a switchback headshunt track (just visible in the upper left hand corner of this picture) - a perfect prototype representation of the Inglenook Sidings track layout in terms of number of sidings, length of sidings, and general setting.

As for the purpose and use of such sidings, the shunting and stabling of permanent way equipment certainly is an interesting theme for railway modelling, no matter which prototype is chosen. In following (more or less) the scene pictured here, an ex-German Federal Railways V 100 would be a good choice as these locos (now designated Class 211 / 212) are a popular second-hand engine for private railway or track maintenance in several European countries, e.g. Germany, Italy, France (the locomotive stabled in the picture of the sidings at Montevarchi is not a V100, but there even is a company based in Montevarchi (Impresa Scala Virgilio e Figli) which actually owns one). Models for the V 100 are available in H0, N and even Z scale in many livery variations.

This Z scale Am 847 diesel locomotive is an ex-DB V100 now owned by the track construction & maintenance firm sersa in Zurich.
(more information on Swiss Z scale modelling can be found here)

To sum it all up, Montevarchi is a perfect example to illustrate the fact that you can have a layout which is both shunting puzzle and prototype modelling at the same time.

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Page created: 08/NOV/2001
Last revised: 02/FEB/2007