At the moment I'm in the planning process of my first N gauge layout, the intent is to create a scenic but interesting backdrop to run my rolling stock, on an, as yet, un-named fictional layout.

As I said in my post in layout and track design ( http://www.rmweb.co....d-to-end-ideas/ ) I originally started out in 00 courtesy of my parents (as I'm sure many other people did) until wanting to build a prototype based railway and realising if I switched to N gauge I could build lakeside station, on windermere (chosen mainly for the quayside that makes one side of the platform) However this would take up 8ft x 3ft without fiddle yard, something I don't have space for.

Recently I got a job in a model shop, and after selling about 10 N gauge locos and chatting to the customers I'd decided my stock had sat in boxes for long enough, so I set about boring my wife about railways until she responded with "yeh, whatever"

So, I'm now building something along these lines:

The idea is that it's essentially a cheap to build display run for my locos and rolling stock but also interesting to run.

The back story of it is that it's a resort town, hence the large terminus station (giving me an excuse for my black five), the turntable acts as the crossing at the far end of the station, similar to Holmfirth, the blue area on the plan is a canal with wharf for loading coal from barges onto the railway, the reason behind this is the barges can meet the coal almost at the coalface, making it cheaper to bring it out this way than building pit sidings (being from barnsley, pit sidings and pit workings aren't anything special!)

so far I've got some lining paper and been slowly acquiring track from work (paid for of course) to start marking things down and a viaduct has been given to my wife to be returned gift wrapped for my birthday in early jan (although I've measured it so I can continue planning)

Planned track so far, figuring out how it will fit on the 8x1ft board

As you can see, it's not the biggest space living in a rented terrace house, you can just make out the doors leading left, to the stairs and lounge and right, out towards the kitchen.

It should fit between the two doorways yet give enough space to get past after coming home from the supermarket.

So, that's all for now, I'll update when I've got some more done and been shouted at for not doing the washing up