hartleymartin

Jim - when I advise people on how to make things, I do tell them exactly how I did it. I prefer to tell people that you can do it with basic and inexpensive hand-tools, rather than flashing my collection of expensive trade-level power tools. I don't want to put-off beginners that might join the hobby.

Now that I have a circular saw, straight edge and mitre saw it will be relatively easy to make that style of baseboard construction. Might I ask what thickness did you use for the top? I suspect that my lack of success with my baseboard was due to using the foam unsupported. I think if I had boxed in the sides with thin plywood or MDF then covered it with carpet it may have been more successful. Also, I think it may have been because it was sat upon a shelf at a strange angle and on top of a few boxes in a hot garage.

A lot has happened since I last posted on this. The Layout baseboard was not successful - it failed to remain flat whilst in storage. That said, all the locos, stock and track are safely in storage whilst I investigate other options. I now have a remarkably larger collection of woodworking tools so I intend to try something in timber. I am also eyeing off the Hornby W4, Hattons Barclay and a number of other little industrial shunters. Had these things been available 20 years ago I might never have made 7mm scale my primary area!

Maybe send of a letter to Hornby suggesting this as another model in their line up and you'll get a couple of freebies from them!

If you are willing to increase the depth of one of the long sides, you might get yourself a little shunting yard/scene inside the loop. Another option is to run a siding off the curve towards the corner for an engine shed, siding or goods shed scene. Think Hornby Track-Mat type design. If you want to maximise the length of the loop, you might consider re-hanging the door of the room so it swings outward or perhaps have a sliding door installation.

There is a British-outline layout to this track plan built in O gauge called "Dibley" here in Australia. I've met the builder of that layout and his son - both are into O scale model railways and I believe that one of them is sometimes found on this forum. As I recall, the layout is about the size shown in your diagram, though it has been at least 5 years since I saw the layout.

The difference is 0.006" or approximately 0.16mm. I don't think it is worth worrying about.

If you have not read David Jenkinson's "Carriage Modelling Made Easy" you may find it not to difficult to make replacement coach sides. I don't know if the Slaters' chassis would be the right dimensions. The only way to find out is to buy a kit, some plasticard and have a go.

You can get the big American O gauge around a 36" radius curve because you don't have buffers, and it is all on bogies. You can probably get 0-4-0s and 4-wheel stock around the same curve if you transition the curve at each end and have very loose 3-link couplings.

Slaters also do international delivery, which is handy for a guy living in Sydney, Australia.

Seems simple enough. Just cut down the bottoms of the sides. Doesn't even have to be particularly neat - you can hide a bad cut with some crates, barrels and other random yard junk that always seems to accumulate around industrial buildings.

The 3D artwork looks excellent! I'll be in contact again soon about placing a firm order.

After several months of absence, it is nice to come back and find that you've kept up your projects. All of mine are on indefinite hold whilst I set myself up as a local handyman. On the up-side, all my tools are now tax deductibles and I have a caddy van which can transport a layout to exhibitions in future! Keep making your models. It keeps me inspired to get back into it when things settle down again.

We don't have Tesco in Sydney, Australia. :-(

I've been eager to go back to England some time to have another pint of Spitfire and Flying Scotsman. I hear that Jaipur is a popular one too.

Eagerly anticipating these coaches. Lots of O gauge projects held up by some silly disease named after a beer...

*BUMP* Any word on these coaches? I would really love to get my hands on a few.

I really like that coffee-pot. Might have to dig up that project box of mine and get a crack on with building my own!

Graeme 1. Yes, i intend to build it as an exhibition layout, partly because I don't have a space where it can be permanently erected. 2. I would hand-build the track, but I already have a stock-pile of Peco Code 124. Then again, I also have a stock pile of plain track built on a balsa base. I have generally built my plain track to 31.5mm gauge to improve the running characteristics for several years now. 3. 1m is an unusual size. I decided upon it because they would be much easier to fit into my little Kia Rio hatchback. It also means that I will have lots of handy offcuts of the baseboard materials for various purposes.

The D wagon kits were designed to be able to represent most variations from about 1890 through to the 1950s - by which time most were in non-revenue service. I've been referring to prototype photos with known dates where possible, but the "D" wagon has over a dozen different diagrams and it is hard to pin down all the details exactly. The 2-plank type were a bit of an unexpected bonus as the main body was more-or-less the same as an existing wagon in the range. The main project is the 3-plank wagon, and there are plans to do a 4-plank version as well.

If you're going to junk the 4.75mm plywood top anyway, you can get the track off easily by pouring boiling water straight from the kettle onto the track. I've had no ill effects so far on Peco track from doing this.

Peco O gauge track is sturdy and works well. It looks great once ballasted, and given the surface rust treatment. If memory serves me, I used a Tamiya brown (Mission Brown?) for rust colour. You may also want to use some sort of grey paint for the sleepers. It isn't true bullhead rail, but unless you are very particular about your track and reproducing a certain company's perway practices, or want a very specific odd geometry (asymmetrical 3-way point for example) I wouldn't worry too much about it. 7mm Finescale standard is perfectly servicable, and for the most part you won't need to fit springing or compensation on your wagons. Anything with a wheelbase more than a scale 10ft would benefit from simple 3-point compensation. Locomotive choices are limited compared to 4mm scale, but you don't need a huge fleet. A lot of O gauge modellers have a handful of locomotives, a few coaches and perhaps 20-30 wagons which they slowly collect over time - mostly kit-built.

Whilst not close prototypically, I think you can do a fairly passable No. 1 "Thomas" based on the Dapol Jinty. I cite two precedents: 1. The Rev. W.V. Awdry himself used a Triang Jinty for one iteration of Thomas for his own layout and; 2. At least one Jinty has done a stint dressed up thus in preservation.

We want details. I've been wondering if it is possible for a long time.

Where did you get those stirrers? I've never been able to track them down. They happen to be about right for doing industrial railway tracks with code 100 rail in O gauge.