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Minimum space O gauge layout


marc smith

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An O gauge micro layout ??“ a small run-down goods yard, in just over 3 feet 6 inches, plus scenic sector-plate

 

I??™ve dabbled with building O gauge stock for some time, but have never got around to building a layout - 7mm seems so space-hungry. While that may be true, there have been some stunning dioramas by the likes of Aidan Campbell, and several other modellers, who??™ve created a small scene, on which to ???pose??? their handiwork for photographic purposes.

 

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Indeed, it??™s nice to have somewhere to place that wagon kit you??™ve just completed, or somewhere to add a bit of context to that brand new shiny locomotive you??™ve just weathered. Such dioramas can be very quick to complete, and may be very satisfying and therapeutic to build.

 

Having amassed a fair amount of stock in O, I decided to bite the bullet and make something. In the 2010 challenge, it was alluded to, that a 7mm layout plus fiddle yard would be difficult to achieve in the given area. After reading an article on scenery for fiddle yards by Neil Rushby, I thought about a different approach for sector-plates. I reasoned that a short sector plate could be made in the fashion of those small display-dioramas, and it??™s movement between tracks could be disguised.

 

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The sector plate is a model of an embankment, this will slide back & forth between the 2 tracks on the main board. Movement will be disguised by some high level bushes and greenery directly in front of it.

 

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The layout is intended to be a small version of the inglenook challenge ??“ but to save space, I??™ve used just one turnout, instead of 2. The second turnout is replaced by the modelled sector-plate. The ???main??? part of the layout is just 44 inches, the sector-plate being a tad over 2 feet.

 

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I??™ve experimented with a noch static grass applicator, which was very kindly loaned to me by local model shop Lord & Butler. I have to say, I??™m really impressed with the results. I??™ve built-up the length of grass in some areas, by adding ???layers???. After each application is thoroughly dry, a second layer is added. Once happy with the result, I gave a liberal coating of cheap hairspray, and this has added a nice protective layer, and added to the bonding of the grass fibres.

 

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I??™m quite pleased with one of the trees at the back of the layout, it is a modified ???ready-to-plant??? model, made from a sort of brush material. When bought, these trees look far too neat and manicured (+ very un-realistic!) - I modified it by chopping it about a lot, with a pair of garden seccateurs (please don??™t tell SWMBO!) and re-gluing some of the removed branches back, to give a bit more un-evenness. Off-cuts from the tree also makes for a nice representation of gorse ??“ the material is quite sturdy, and the ???greenery??? is very well attached to it. A few tiny dabs of bright yellow paint, and hey presto!

 

The layout is not quite finished ??“ I have to make a stream in the front left hand corner, finish the overbridge, and make the base for the sector plate, so that it aligns with the main board. It doesn??™t have a name yet, I??™ve thought about setting it in West Wales ??“ my Hymek would certainly be at home there. Anyone coming across this little layout, let me know what you think so far??¦.

 

...Here's the whole of the (unfinished) main board - all 3 foot 8 inches of it!

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Beautiful!!!!

 

I award this the Five Humphries award :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2:

 

Been a long time since I bothered to post a reply to a thread on here. This has woken me up.

 

Particularly like the overhead of the overgrown track - also the end shot of the goods shed with all the detritus on the 3 plank wagon.

 

Please make it bigger!!! This deserves to be expanded - the techniques are superb.

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Beautiful!!!!

 

I award this the Five Humphries award :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2: :icon_thumbsup2:

 

Been a long time since I bothered to post a reply to a thread on here. This has woken me up.

 

Particularly like the overhead of the overgrown track - also the end shot of the goods shed with all the detritus on the 3 plank wagon.

 

Please make it bigger!!! This deserves to be expanded - the techniques are superb.

 

Thanks for the kind words......

...they make building layouts all the more worthwhile -

you're never quite sure how well they are going to go down....

 

When it's finished, I'm sure the sector-plate (being "scenicked") will make the layout look bigger...

...but it was really made as an excercise in making a very small O gauge layout, but also an attempt to give it a feeling of space.....

 

Cheers again

Marc :D

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  • RMweb Gold

Marc this is superb. What a great "look and feel" and I really like your idea of replacing one of the "Inglenook" points with a sector plate, and making it scenic. If I understand you correctly, this is an entry for the RMweb challenge right? If so, your are pretty well advanced already (gulp!) blink.gif icon_thumbsup2.gif

 

 

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Marc this is superb. What a great "look and feel" and I really like your idea of replacing one of the "Inglenook" points with a sector plate, and making it scenic. If I understand you correctly, this is an entry for the RMweb challenge right? If so, your are pretty well advanced already (gulp!) blink.gif icon_thumbsup2.gif

 

Thanks!

 

I'd thought of the idea of a scenic sector-plate sometime ago, but hadn't got around to doing anything....

It was when I was thinking about Neil Rushbys idea of making fiddle-yards into scenic sections in their own right....

...I just thought, that if you disguised the bottom edge of the sector plate, with greenery,

at eye-level, you wouldn't know it was actually a sector-plate, until the operator moves it....

movement is of course, disguised slightly.....

...I've yet to link everything together, but we'll see how well this system works (or maybe not?)

 

Strictly speaking, I started the layout toward the end of last year, so I guess that rules it out for the 2010 challenge?

 

Cheers again

Marc :D

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Oh wow - Marc that really is a lovely bit of work icon_clap.gif

If I remember right, Hendre Lane is 3ft 6in - so you've managed an O guage layout in the same spaceicon_wow.gif and kept it quiet form us too!wink.gif

I'm not sure I understand the need to "scenify" sector plate as you've got the bridge as a scenic break - is this idea just to make the whole length usable for "posing"?

As for a name - having been impressed with the West Wales atmosphere of the EM layout Morfa Mawr, can I suggest Morfa Less (where's the tongue-in-cheek smiley....)

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Oh wow - Marc that really is a lovely bit of work icon_clap.gif

If I remember right, Hendre Lane is 3ft 6in - so you've managed an O guage layout in the same spaceicon_wow.gif and kept it quiet form us too!wink.gif

I'm not sure I understand the need to "scenify" sector plate as you've got the bridge as a scenic break - is this idea just to make the whole length usable for "posing"?

As for a name - having been impressed with the West Wales atmosphere of the EM layout Morfa Mawr, can I suggest Morfa Less (where's the tongue-in-cheek smiley....)

 

Thanks once again for your kind comments Rich!

I was initially a bit concerned that 3 and a half feet would be too small an area to run a Hymek, without it looking silly!

But the 08 and some wagons look fine, and I'm pretty happy with the Hymek not dominating the layout.....

 

...The scenicked sector plate is just an idea, Iain Rice once commented on the 4mm superb "LLanastr" that it was a shame to surrender 40% of the available are to an unseen fiddle-yard.

He has a point, and this is just one solution....

I think (hope) it's going to work well - perhaps if I ever get an invitiation to a show, we can all be the judge?

 

Cheers again

Marc :D

 

P.S. Have you finished your layout yet :rolleyes:

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Hi Marc,

 

Just to echo what's been said by others - this is superb ! From that last picture, this looks to be a serious contender to anything Chris Nevard has done !

 

Any chance you can bring it to the Captain's party in April ?

 

Stu (nned of Cornwall)

 

Edit - Just seen the Captain's post icon_thumbsup2.gif

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Marc,

 

This is something else! I was a big fan of Hendre Lane, and the layout you built in the container box (name escapes me right now sorry( but... WOW. Absolutely stunning scenic work. A huge inspiration to everyone who views it I'm sure.

 

Thanks for sharing. :)

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Strictly speaking, I started the layout toward the end of last year, so I guess that rules it out for the 2010 challenge?

 

 

 

Marc, this is copied from the 2010 challenge rules:

 

"Partially underway projects that fit within the rules are permissible providing the current progress is documented in this area"

 

So if you have any photos of the work in progress you could enter retrospectively?

 

Thanks once again for your kind comments Rich!

.....................

 

P.S. Have you finished your layout yet rolleyes.gif

 

What makes you think I've even started a layout.....?tongue.gif Still in the "planning" (daydreaming) stages, but hope to do something soon.... It's a bit like fusion power, always 10 years in the future

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hi marc, just stumbled on this and its fantastic, and it shows that O gauge doesent need to be a huge size and this is just ,making me want to have ago at O gauge even more, great scenics and a great idea well done?  :D :D :D

 

regards

 

neil

 

 

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Wow! This is great - I love it!

 

@marc smith - where did you get the 08 kit from?

 

Cheers,

Jon

 

Thanks Jon!

The 08 isn't a kit - it's the Bachmann brass 08, just painted + weathered.

I've been meaning to get a Modern Motive Power (MMP) kit actually....

...but I've got so much to do, I'll make do with the Bachmann for now.

The MMP looks a really good kit though - I've seen some stunning examples on other peoples layouts.

 

Since posting this earlier today, the kind words from everyone have convinced me that I need to get a DCC chip into the shunter - I'll order a SWD sound-chip this week.

The Hymek, however, is another matter - I'd love to get sound fitted, but only Howes do a chip for that, and it's rather expensive - having heared "Rouse's" O gauge Hymek though....I'm determined to get one at some point....

 

....Actually, this layout is a diversion from my other diversion -

a very small steelworks layout, set in Cardiff.....in 4mm! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

Cheers

Marc

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It's hard to believe how small it actually is. There's a great attention to detail, and a great use of the space to make it look bigger than it really is. Some stunning photos too.

 

Thanks Jenny Emily!

 

I always try not to simply fill a layout with track.

The photo-backscene helps give a feeling of more space - along with the curved background (no unsightly corners) and the use of lighter colours, where possible

(like the road surface).

 

It's a fair way off actually being finished, but if I concentrated on it,

I could finish it sooner....I'm just too easily distracted!

 

Thanks again!

Marc :D

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Marc,

This is super! The scenery and weathering of the stock is particularily fantastic. I like a few others, have greatly admired your Hendre Lane. I look forward to seeing this (and Hendre Lane, while I mention it) - let us know when and where. Are you by chance, showing at the next RMWeb get-together at Taunton?

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