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Fiddletown & Copperopolis RR in HOn30


PaulRhB
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Carl Fallberg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Fallberg created a series of cartoons in the 60's based on a 3ft gauge Railroad and these were collected into a book in the 80's. Back in 2014 Minitrains released HOn30 models lettered for the F&C and having bought a few I decided to make a layout using them based on a few ideas.

 

post-6968-0-31575500-1462450762.jpg

 

Like my OO layout I decided to use RTR and RTP products as much as possible so it would form a sort of easy project for anyone who saw it and liked the idea.

The basic kit therefore is:-

Minitrains stock.

Peco 009 Setrack (still waiting on the points at present)

A variety of Woodland Scenics Built Up buildings and a few simple laser cut kits too.

 

The baseboard will be Craftfoam that can be carved with various hotwires, saws and knives to represent Californian scenery.

 

So we start with a plan I doodled a few years ago before the setrack was an option.

post-6968-0-15034600-1462441679.jpg

 

I printed this out full size to see how the setrack would fit

post-6968-0-37461500-1462441648_thumb.jpg

 

post-6968-0-60515400-1462441650.jpg

 

post-6968-0-85024900-1462441652.jpg

 

And tidied up as a final guide

post-6968-0-62814800-1462441649_thumb.jpg

Edited by PaulRhB
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I laid the track out on 100m thick sheets of Craftfoam (600x1200 sheets from Panel Systems)

There's a 4x2 wood frame to protect the base and give it strength so I don't rely totally on the foam.

post-6968-0-05066200-1462441877.jpg

 

Marked out the rough scenery cut out for the first layer

post-6968-0-07770600-1462441878_thumb.jpg

 

and started cutting with a hotwire, with plenty of ventilation.

post-6968-0-31079700-1462441879_thumb.jpg

 

Then I started carving rough shapes into it, there will be another layer on top and I need to cut out the canyon in the base sheet too.

post-6968-0-36389200-1462441881_thumb.jpg

 

post-6968-0-21825900-1462441883_thumb.jpg

Edited by PaulRhB
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This I am really liking!

 

Having been a long-time subscriber to NG&SLG, now all sold due to space constraints, I'm rather partial to these caricatures of American NG. The more vertiginous the scenery, and the more perilous the drops from track level to creek-bed,the better.

 

K

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This I am really liking!

 

Having been a long-time subscriber to NG&SLG, now all sold due to space constraints, I'm rather partial to these caricatures of American NG. The more vertiginous the scenery, and the more perilous the drops from track level to creek-bed,the better.

 

K

It's gloriously roadrunner-ish. And I mean that in a good way. Needs some Acme crates...
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  • 10 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

Can you chop any foam away to get scenery dropping below the track at the front?

 

That would really add to the affect, with the track confined to a tight shelf, with slopes above and below.

 

K

Oops sorry missed this as it went on hold waiting for the electrofrog points. Yes the scenery will drop below, the red lines in the last photo denote the canyon that will be carved out. The winter isn't a good time to use a hot wire inside so it needs some nice days so I can have the big windows open and get rid of the fumes ;)

Hopefully the points will arrive later this year or I will have to go with the insulfrog versions instead as I want the scenic work to be this winters project.

Edited by PaulRhB
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  • 6 months later...
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  • RMweb Gold

Two recent additions to the fleet. These are the 1980's Tomix Disneyland locos that usually go for daft prices but these has been slightly modified meaning the Disney collectors ignored them so I picked them up for prices similar to the Minitrains locos. Both are nice runners and I've always liked the look.

The connection to the F&C is that Carl Falberg worked on the big Disney animations and comics from the 30's to 50's and as a freelancer right up to the 80's.

post-6968-0-83962100-1514633419_thumb.jpg

Edited by PaulRhB
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Paul:

I just noticed this thread. I bought the F&C book at the last railway show I went to. I tried to pay a reasonable price, but the lady at the stand insisted on almost giving it away.

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  • 4 months later...
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This has been stuffed on the shelf while I built the Harz so it's now moved up to the top of the list, well once a show in a couple of weeks is done ;)

 

I'd been searching for a Wile E Coyote figure for a while and found this pewter badge on eBay. Eventually I found one at a price I could justify modifying!

 

A bit of filing and shaping to the roadrunner as he was only single sided unlike Wile E. then painted.

 

Trying out a location :)

42228455532_17a7f4059d_h.jpgF&C details by -salisburyASC-​​​​​​​

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  • 4 weeks later...

I found this, more or accidentally, this afternoon - I have ti say that, as a lover of Road Runner cartoons from Whaaayyy back this is close to being a 3D version - absolutely wonderful!   I look forward to more - one of the things I always loved was the amazingly simple suggestion of the background scenery

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  • 8 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

Not yet although I’ve been collecting ‘stuff’ for it ;) I’ve had a lot going on and all the layout time has been spent on the HOm and 009 but it’s in the queue to get it out after Rotarail in April. Bit of a summer project hopefully. 

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  • 1 year later...
  • RMweb Gold

This project was in the 009 box so it’s been sat on the bench tempting me a couple of weeks. It’s the body off a Minitrains F&C loco and an Atlas N gauge 4-4-0 chassis. 
The idea is to graft the Minitrains body around the basic Atlas chassis and move the pilot forward. 
Here are the bits,
F2971504-4091-4A71-BC59-1D2B6163FDDB.jpeg.15269bc6af6a0333dc6a4f2082139250.jpeg


and a rough idea of the aim

72CC09D5-88C5-4A5A-AEA4-4A52DE13BBE4.jpeg.0dc40e3c8b047d3f84b4319fdb2aab2c.jpeg

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