Deciding on a scale for this layout was particularly tricky. Originally I wanted to model it in 2mm Finescale, as championed by the 2mm Scale Association. The much finer quality of the scale, particularly of the track, definitely appeals to me.

I wanted the layout to be quite compact, the overall footprint being approximately 950 by 3000mm, for transport as well as storage purposes. I also wanted to include a full loop rather than just model an end-to-end layout. Unfortunately the 2mm scale requires larger radii than can be accomplished in the space available. The finer wheels in 2mm scale locomotives cannot really run on curves tighter than 600mm, but larger radiuses are generally recommended.

I have decided a compromise. I plan to use 2mm scale components to build the track, but built it instead to N Gauge standards. Hopefully this will result in the best of both worlds: the compact size of N Gauge and the better appearance of 2mm.

A further advantage is that there is a lot of ready-to-run stock available for N Gauge, so things will be able to get moving on the tracks pretty quickly.

The final reason I choose to go with a smaller scale is because I am not that interested in locomotives. In larger scales like OO Gauge you can recreate highly detailed locomotives, but I am much more interested in the layout as a whole. With the smaller scales you have a lot more room available for scenery, and with more scenery there are more opportunities to hide clues to Agatha Christie titles! Hopefully the layout will reference every Poirot and Marple book in some way… We will have to see if this is indeed possible!

Read the post complete with pictures