The Farthing layouts

Only just got around to reading this blog,
despite having spotted it a short while ago....
.... appologies for that

I do like your concept, I must say
I built my night-time / winter steelworks with some removable lanscape, drop-in "units"
but alas, I still haven't got around to building alternative modules.....

It isn't difficult, but as others have said,
the joins are one problem

However, with a bit of careful planning, I'm sure you would be able to achieve a great result
I think it's a question of view-blockers, or structures that take your eye away from any joins

Barry Ten has built his American N gauge layout "Gulf, Atlanta & Eastern" with removable
jigsaw-type pieces, so he can get at hidden tracks, for cleaning etc

I think both Iain Rice & Barry Norman have written about removable sections
mainly to hide baseboard joints. I did this on my EM layout "Ogmore Rd"

many years back. I made the end of the platform removable

The resulting "staggered" joint worked well in taking the eye off what would otherwise have been
one big straight line and obvious join.......

It's certainly do-able, especially by a talented modeller such as yourself,
and you've got me doodling again! - no, I must focus


Let us know how you get on Mikkel

Cheers

Marc 

Hi Marc, no need to apologise - the web is voluntary after all :-)

 

Many thanks for these tips. I'll have a look at yours and BarryTen's layouts, I didn't realize they had removeable parts.

 

I'm gathering various materials for a trial module to see how joins could be hidden with a cobbled surface, including some flexible foam. Will post on how it works out in due course.

 

As for your doodling: Go on, you know you want to! :-)

I hope you realize you have convinced me not to use you concept of changing the buildings on my Urban Scene diorama.

After showing my at home "critical" partner ( in many ways) my layout design for Northall Dock and telling her how easy it would be to put this one back in time, she became enthusiastic.

How about a GWR Ale wagon with a horse and leader for shunting on the quay. Or will I also leave this one in the late 1950's.

Hi Job, anything GWR sounds good to me. When you combine it with ale and horse shunting it sounds even better! :-)  What a great scene it would make.

I'll keep that in mind. Could also set Urban Scene (Nice Street) back to the 1930's ( GWR ) in the far future.

Just love that advertising around shops in that time.

Just been re-reading this Mikkel - I believe Iain Rice calls this principle the 'Jigsaw' layout.

 

It's something I'm keen to embrace on my Cuckmere Valley project - mostly for the practical reasons that it will be easier to store, and eventually transport, seperate modules rather than one long 8' x 2' lump, but also because the gaping chasms of baseboard joints tend to stick out like a sore thumb to me on so many excellent layouts - when I read the pages in question, it got me thinking 'there must be a better way'

 

I'm not quite sure where to begin, myself - but perhaps a mockup (quarter-size) might be the way forward, to see if it 'works' (Using, perhaps, Card and straws instead of wood and dowels)

The flexible layout as described above is not a jigsaw.

By a jigsaw the whole design/layout is cut in pieces.

The most natural way to do that is follow the natural lines in your design, in your case for example the river in the front.

Other lines to cut along the layout is to use the border of the roads, yard edges, hedges etc.

Think the idea of a mockup is very useful.

There was one I have seen on an exhibition and read articles in Dutch Railway magazines: http://www.scalefour.org/layouts/exhibflintfield.html

This layout is build by Vincent Bode a Dutch modeler.

The flexible layout as described above is not a jigsaw.

By a jigsaw the whole design/layout is cut in pieces.

The most natural way to do that is follow the natural lines in your design, in your case for example the river in the front.

Other lines to cut along the layout is to use the border of the roads, yard edges, hedges etc.

Think the idea of a mockup is very useful.

There was one I have seen on an exhibition and read articles in Dutch Railway magazines: http://www.scalefour.org/layouts/exhibflintfield.html

This layout is build by Vincent Bode a Dutch modeler.

 

True Job, but it is a similar concept - I suppose the Jigsaw theory just takes it a step further from Mikkel's excellent idea. 

Hi dseagull and Job.

 

I think the challenge for the jigsaw approach is the same as for the interchangeable dioramas: Finding those natural lines that will hide those cursed joins. Since the above entry I've experimented with three ways of doing that:

 

(i) Using cobble sheets which include natural lines. It seems like the Wills sheets are best for this as the lines in these are quite deep.

(ii) Making the join just by a wall or a loading dock, which seems to works fairly well for small diorama sizes, but may not be enough for a jigsaw style layout?

(iii) Using a flexible foam material, where the edges can be pressed close together to avoid a visible join. Didn't work!

 

That's how far I've got with it. It would be interesting to hear about you progress with it, dseagull!

Seems something has reared its head again ?

 

I did wonder after reading a certain post elsewhere whether this would come to the fore ( thank you ) .

 

I would utter to suggest if using this method it is best done at the initial planning stages. Trying to adapt an existing layout can be quite challenging, that said, if you were to consider going down that cobbled street I think if anyone could put their innovative mind to it you would be the ideal person to try, I do genuinely mean that.

 

G

Thanks Grahame.  The post re-emerged because I wanted to lift an image off it for use in your thread, but found that Chrome was blocking my access to it (seems it didn't like some of the image links), so I edited it.

 

That said, the discussion on your thread about Iain Rice's jigsaw approach has certainly got me thinking!

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Mikkel