SquireBev

Good to see this thread really challenging the negative stereotype and public perception of railway modellers...

Do you mean whole rakes of maroon, or odd maroon coaches in rakes of Blue & Grey?

Not a variation, no, but possibly similar enough to share a chassis at least?

And an N1!

Using quotes in searches to achieve better results is pretty basic stuff, and not in any way unique to the Hattons site...

What do you mean about ticking the box for every individual manufacturer? You can just tick "Pre-Owned", "Wagons" and "OO" to bring up all pre-owned OO wagons, and the numbers next to the tick boxes tell you how many results your filtered search will come back with. Having established a broad category this way, you can then search within it if you're after something specific. It seems very intuitive to me, and much more useful than the old website. The ability to filter by multiple fields across multiple categories, and indeed to search those categories for specific fields - in effect searching for search terms, is a godsend. Unless of course I've completely misunderstood your post, in which case I apologise.

Echoing the comments by Ruston and jrb - fantastic work. Absolutely captures the atmosphere of West Riding mill towns.

Ooh, very useful. Thanks!

Very nice use of space! I get what you mean about the sidings being under the bridge - I do need to develop the plan a bit. In the meantime, in lieu of any actual modelling, I've been trying to get a better grip of Sketchup, to come up with a rough approximation of the old station building at Halifax St Paul's.

Ahh, fair enough. Don't worry about it - I'm not in any position to be placing orders yet anyway! Enjoy the Halifax show - it always used to be a good one. I'll have to enjoy it vicariously through Youtube.

Apologies if you've already said it and I've just missed it - where did you order your laser-cut stuff from?

Hoping to make it this year - visited two years ago and loved it.

Not a bad idea - I'll have a fiddle around with the plan and see what I can come up with.

Very impressive stuff - I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one.

True enough, it could be a bit fiddly. I may just extend the sidings the full length of the off-scene section, and cheat. Not sure my modelling skills would stretch to a skewed bridge!

Having recently discovered the wide range of module MDF baseboards now available, I've been toying with the idea of a smallish N-gauge layout, and from messing around with AnyRail and Sketchup I've come up with what I hope to be a feasible plan. Taking inspiration from the stations at Halifax North Bridge and Halifax St Paul's, I've combined elements of both to create a small terminus station located below a rough approximation of the eponymous North Bridge. The intention is to set the scene sometime in the late 50s/early 60s with the station in a rather dilapidated state, served by elderly GNR and L&Y stock (availability permitting!) The track plan itself is based on Sheringham Yard from the Peco N-Gauge Setrack Planbook, but with the addition of an extra kickback siding in order to turn the front section of the layout into an Inglenook. The bridge forms the scenic break between on- and off-scene - the idea being that the station and the sidings both continue beyond the bridge. The real North Bridge was a through station and had an extensive goods yard and multiple sidings running below the bridge itself - this interpretation instead models a small terminus, with buildings loosely based on those at St Pauls, and the goods facilities largely off-scene, with just a bay for parcels traffic and the stubs of a few sidings. I'm hoping to use one of the layout in a box kits from Scale Model Scenery as the baseboard, and to design my own buildings for laser-cutting via Razor Lab. Any feedback or suggestions would be very welcome, as this is my first real foray into N Gauge.

Think I'm getting there. I've moved and shrunk the ends so they fit inside the square rather than capping the outside end of it, as it'll help to support the top/front. The next difficulty is actually cutting the boards, as I don't have the facility to do it myself anymore and so will have to rely on the in-store cutting service at my local B&Q. It should only need seven cuts though to get all six sides from a 4'x2' sheet. Hopefully they'd do it for free? I have toyed with the idea of getting it laser-cut so I could have proper joints at the corners and so reduce the need for battens, but it seemsm like unnecessary expense.

Good point, though I'm hoping to disguise the corners as much as possible with tall mill buildings. I think more SketchUp is needed.

So after a very quick play around in Sketchup (useful program, thanks for making me aware of it!), I've got plans for a closed box, and both options for opening: Still reckon the second option is favourable for the reasons mentioned above, and also because it's always nice to have an "off-scene" section to work in.

Ahh yes, I used to follow Small Layout Scrapbook years ago. I'd no idea it was still updated! Anyway, I've thought about it, and I've come up with two options for increasing the space available to me. The first one is to build the box in two sections - front/top/left and base/back/right. The one can be slid off the other, turned upside down, and placed end-to-end, creating a scenic section twice as long. The other is to have two sections base/back/sides and front/top, as in my original plan, but do away with hinges and have the front/top section placed end-to-end with the other, with the open side to the back, creating a fiddle yard and storage area. This option will be easier it'll avoid having to interlock the scenery in both halves, plus it'll keep with the Inglenook theme.

Interesting stuff. The idea of using the lid to extend the board is a very good one.

Now that's really got me thinking!

Ooh, righto. Plenty to think about. The points will be manual, so no need for anything under the baseboard. I'll have a think about how to hide battens in my scenery if you reckon that's the way to go. Thanks for the quick reply!

For the little N-gauge Inglenook I'm planning, the idea is for the whole thing to be built inside a wooden box rather than on a traditional baseboard, so it can be easily transported and put away when not in use. The track plan is designed to fill a space 2'x8", so assuming I use 9mm plywood, the finished box will be a little over 2'x8"x8", with a fixed base, back, and sides, and the top and front hinged in order to fold open and over the back to provide a working area for the controller etc. There'll be a batten along the "open" edge at the front/top. Hopefully it'll make a bit more sense from this diagram: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5MhNBRTd_ysanhhVi1OaHR0VTg Although I have built layouts before, they've always been on traditional baseboards, with an MDF surface on a framework of timber battens. I'm rather feeling around in the dark on this one, so I'm hoping the more experienced modellers here can offer help and advice. Firstly, is 9mm plywood the right thing to use? I'm hoping it'll be strong enough to hold its shape without requiring a supporting framework, while still being light enough to carry. I am a bit concerned about drilling into the ends of plywood, and finding suitable hinges and screws to fit them! Any advice you can offer will be gladly received!

I could even have their charabanc passing by...