noctilux2

Having used five of these SMS baseboards as the basis for micros, I look forward to your progress images. PS.... I like the water too.

Great idea, thanks for sharing.

Thanks, appreciated. This is one of about five I’ve now completed in these boxes on SMS baseboard kits.

Further images .....

Been a bit on the back burner this one but think its as good as completed now. Images attached ......

Must confess I didn’t make them. Acquired from an eBay seller. Trust this helps ..... search OO gauge bushes & they should pop up.

Having survived The Bug, I've actually now been able to plant my favourite "gorse" bushes. Now they are in place, I can crack on & complete this build. Once done, I'll post images of the finished layout.

Good to see a micro HO layout here, makes a very pleasant change. The road (surface) is very good & looks typical USA. Thanks for sharing.

Now completed the corrugated fence & the wasteland between it & the layout backboard. The converted, & raised, Wills chapel is now in place and groundwork to that end of the layout is underway, Next steps will be to finish the scenic work throughout & add the necessary odds and sods from the junk box, and, once lockdown is over .... acquire a wrapping paper box to store it in !

Now that the earth paint has fully dried out, I've been able to progress the waste ground that lies behind the corrugated fence. The foliage is a mixture of all sorts found in the scenic bits box; the trees have had their trunks shortened given the limited headroom once the wrapping paper box is closed. The fence itself is actually metal. Its been given a coat of £ Shop primer & then shaded down with powders made from pastel paint blocks. Next stage will be to cover the remaining groundwork (see brown areas above) with suitable grasses & bushes. Will definitely be adding some of my favourite gorse bushes.

With time on my hands, virtually all the ground work now given a coat of "earth" acrylic paint. Once this is done I can press on with a variety of ground cover. This procedure may be deferred however to allow preparation of foliage behind the proposed rear corrugated fence which should form a double depth backdrop. I have tried this on larger micro layouts but never one as shallow as this, eight inches. See how it goes ....

I see you’ve kept your yellow crane well hidden !

Thank you for your suggestions. Why 009 ? Because of “been there got the T shirt” in other scales, including a micro O gauge in less than five square feet. Perhaps if you take a look at my web site, you will see my numerous attempts at micros; some of which have even been successful (my opinion). The asking for suggestions of a track plan in this context is simple ..... two heads etc !

Now the ballast has dried out, & am pleased to say no problem with foamboard absorbency, have started on the groundwork. The polystyrene along the back wall will not need shaping or covering in plaster bandage. It will be hidden by a fence & in its non coated state it will be easier to plant foliage although it will get a coat of brown earth paint. The banks at the front right have been coated in plaster & these two will be painted prior to receiving ground cover. Note the view block on the RHS hiding access to the quarry; drawn in red on image above.

Well that's the mucky bit done & just have to wait for it to dry out now. Bit worried re the absorbency of the foamboard as I don't remember ever having used it as a top layer to a baseboard before; at present, it does however seem to be coping with the ballast / PVA / water / fairy liquid mix !

Thank you for your kind comments. I think I’ve done about thirty layouts now, probably about two thirds of these have been sold off once I’m tired of them .... or they’ve reached the end of their exhibition life. I seem to be standardising now though on Scale Model Scenery baseboards that fit into wrapping paper boxes. This gives a layout size of just 28 x 8” which truly fits into the “Micro” category. Two of these in OO gauge actually fit together, see “Kidmore Boxed”. More images of course on progression, oddly seem to have a lot of spare time at present !

Discharge site from rail to road fashioned from parts from a Wills occupational bridge kit. The rear wall being one of the kit sides. All that needs to be achieved now is to blend in the immediate area.

Like everyone else, filling time during this unpleasant period, I had a check of what 009 rolling stock I possess & did I need another Really Useful Box (RUB) layout ? Of course I did! So here we go with Kidmore Gravel, although on completion it'll probably be christened something else. Essentially a small gravel or ballast yard is off-stage at the layout rear. Loco & load will enter & shunt load at the tipper drop into a waiting lorry / van before reversing out to be refilled. A small loco shed, from a Wills corrugated chapel (needed to raise by 4mm to accommodate loco height) will service the spare loco with oil from a small storage tank. Perhaps I'll also add a coal pile. The image shows the built SMS baseboard, don't have a spare RUB box yet, with track in position & a selection of buildings primed for painting .... not in their likely finished positions. Straight forward electrical feeds, just two, with non motorised electrofrog points. The latter a safer bet with four wheel locos (Kato 103 / 109 chassis).

Have just acquired a recycled 30 x 20” baseboard. Any ideas for a suitable 009 track plan more than welcome !

Have only just found this inspirational 009 layout. Would it be possible for you to post a track plan ?

Thank you for your kind comments, appreciated. Have you also seen “Kidmore Valley Railroad” which I also built with a dual nationality purpose ? It’s surprising what you can do with just one point for a layout. Plenty of “Fork” examples on RMWeb.

Given that the layout ran for 6.5 hours I was more than happy as to both the comments received and to its overall operation. One thing that did prove enlightens was by having the loco shed at the very front, it proved an effective viewblock for locos to be hidden behind & then miraculously appear. As to the number of locos in situ, four was no problem at all ..... particularly with DCC.

Could you possibly share a track plan ?

As the layout is due to be exhibited next weekend (Feb 22) in Reading in aid of the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway Preservation Society, thought I'd add a few more detail images. Scenic section is just 22 x 11". Shots of stock in situ will follow at a later date.

I find these mini dioramas very inspiring. Have gradually been reducing my last four layouts to RUB wrapping paper box size & now feel I need to try my hand at something even smaller. Your “China Clay” diorama is a prime example so will be following this latest production avidly.