Recycling an old layout? - NOW FREE to a good home

[marc smith]

There was a time when I’d built 4 layouts in two years. Yes four layouts! Two of those four were sold on, to make way for further projects. However, what with my tendency to “collect” anything that takes my rail-related fancy, there has been no more room for me to work on new projects – even the half finished ones I already have.

Add to this a real squeeze on modelling time, and I’ve ended up doing virtually no modelling at all - and I now realise just how much I’ve missed this wonderful, (usually) relaxing, creative hobby. Also, as I’d built several layouts, I kept getting asked to exhibit. Now this is of course, quite flattering and I was always pleased when a show organiser asked me to exhibit. However, with a full-time job and family commitments, finding the time to exhibit can be tricky.

For example, in one month I had 3 exhibitions booked, with 3 different layouts and family matters to attend to, whilst busy in my job. I usually booked either the Monday following a show as annual leave, and sometimes the Friday afternoon before. This was because I started to find shows very tiring – it can be exhausting, standing there operating and chatting to the public for two days – then you have to drive home, unload the car and it’s time for bed…. Then work early next morning!

Following a weekend of helping operate at the Small Cardiff show, and a visit to the Bristol O gauge show, I found myself fired-up and really wanting a new project. Despite already having a couple of half started projects which I’ve not touched in ages, I’ve been thinking of a new layout design. Yes, I know I should really finish one of the others first – but I currently feel like these are for another day, and want to build this new idea I have. My fear is that if I return to one of those already started, my enthusiasm may wane once again, or more likely, I’ll continue to daydream distractedly about my current plan.

The only way I could make space, was to sacrifice something else. I will be hopefully selling two more layouts (“Wales, Rails, Rain & Steel” – OO gauge and “Poynton Sneer” O). To make room in the meantime, I opted to scrap another project – “Carsmoores” EM gauge scrapyard layout, based loosely on Cashmores in Newport. Of all the layouts I’d completed, this was the one that was perhaps least popular, and if I’m honest, least satisfying to operate. I had perhaps underestimated rail-fans appetite for railway scrapyards.

So as the photos below depict – I have lifted the rails, and removed anything that may be of further use. Oddly enough, this layout was itself made from items that were donated, even the foam base board (thanks Brian R). I don’t normally like re-using baseboards – I always think the tearing up of track & scenery may leave slight unevenness or lumps & bumps. And I usually think the shape and size of an old baseboard ends up dictating what you do next. But I opted to re-cycle, in the spirit of scrapyards, besides, I had already been sketching plans, which as it happens fit the old baseboard quite nicely.

This layout will also reuse one or two other items I rescued from earlier projects, possibly including items from my “Ogmore Road” EM Gauge layout of many years ago. And the intention was, to have somewhere to run my EM stock – one loco being a Hornby 08 shunter, chipped with stay alive decoder, it’s the best running 4mm scale 08 I’ve seen, so I wanted to make use of it.

Enough preamble - Here are some pics of the baseboard, with tracks torn up. The area is around 4 x 1'. And my first thoughts are the name "Remnant St. Yard" - though that may change (Suggestions welcome)

Edited January 2, 2020 by marc smith

[marc smith]

Since I took the above photos, I have now also removed the rear wall. I was always pleased with this feature, and thought it turned out quite well.
Another feature I was pleased with, were the large puddles. At exhibition, I was always asked how I made these - it was a technique I borrowed from one of my favourite modellers Gordon Gravett, who continues to be an inspiration to myself and many other railway modellers.

I just thought I'd include a few pics from the layout before I tore it all up

Edited February 7, 2019 by marc smith

[marc smith]

Just thought I add - I want to include an old water tower on this new layout. I had built one from an old Airfix / Dapol kit, years ago
I was going to include it on "Hendre Lane" which was the first layout I had completed in years. The Airfix Water Tower was too big for Hendre Lane (so at the time, I used a small one which was part of the Thomas The Tank Engine series). I was pleased with it at the time - it was a nice model, considering it had been intended as a childs toy, rather than a scale model

In the spirit of this layout though - I didn't want to go out and buy another Water Tower, so I set about hacking the Airfix kit-built one about, to produce a smaller tower.
So I used my Dremmel and Carborundum cutting disc, and took a couple of the middle panels out from each side. I then glued the two smaller outer "halves" together, and decided I would also like to remodel the roof. So I sanded the top down to form a curve, rather than the peaked original, and I will build a new one from 4mm corrugated iron Plastic Card. I'll first cut this into 4mm scale "panels". I can picture this as being quite rusty and unkempt.....

Cutting the girders down to suit the size of the new tank was easy enough, but cutting the supporting legs and cross pieces down, so that they would fit, and remain looking square and convincing was quite tricky. I have constructed a roof former, to support the corrugated iron roof, and this was made from offcuts of a couple of pieces of plastic card. I glued them together using liquid Poly, and a few dabs of quick drying Superglue - so that it would dry in a curved shape (manipulated by hand, as the superglue set). 

Edited February 7, 2019 by marc smith

[46444]

Good to see you up and running again Mark.

 

Always great to see your layouts and by recycling a couple of older layouts gives you the chance progress quite quickly I'd imagine.  Especially with all those fabulous buildings and structures.

 

Like you I'm about to reappear once more with a layout after a couple of years away and false starts.

 

Look forwards to more updates.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

 

 

[marc smith]

Nice to hear from you Mark. I still really like Juniper Hill - fabulously modelled minimum space layout that
Good to hear that you're still modelling / exhibiting too. Sometimes, we all just need to take a bit of time out... even if it is somewhat "enforced"
But a break from modelling can mean you come back even more inspired and fired-up

At Bristol the other weekend, my pal Roger (Rouse 2037) reminded me that we were exhibiting together, along with Barry Ten - I took Hendre Lane out for the first time,
and that show was ten years ago!  Where has that time gone?

Hendre was the start of my resurgence in modelling back then - that was the first of the 4 layouts I'd built in 2 years....
I'm sure progress on this new one will be rather slower than that! ha ha. But I dug out some old plans I'd sketched years ago, and wondering whether any of those might also get built... one day

PS. Do you still have "Juniper Hill"?

[Lacathedrale]

So what IS the puddle technique? It looks really good! 

[marc smith]

It's really simple. You take a piece of clear plastic card (the sort used for glazing) Then spray it black, or dark brown
Then you turn it over, and place it into position with the shiny, unpainted side up
The tricky part, is inserting it into place, and hiding the edges, without a noticebale join

 

It's important not to use a plastic card that's too thin (it would be more likely to ripple, and not be flat) and not too thick either (as the gap between the clear surface and painted under-surface would be noticebale)
Obviously, your puddle needs to be level too! lol

[wenlock]

Good to see the “mojo” has returned!  I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned to the fold, as in the words of Lieutenant  Worf, “Resistance is futile”

 

As for a layout name how about Phoenix Yard, seems somewhat appropriate:-)

[Stubby47]

Hi Marc,

 

For the corrugated roof:

 

Use one piece of corrugated plastic for the whole roof, then cover that in strips of kitchen foil, pva'd on and pushing the foul into the grooves with a soft pencil or end of paintbrush.

 

These form the base / lowest level of tin sheets.

 

Then cut strips of foil for the next level of corrugated sheets, so they are shorter, then fit centrally over the apex.  Then add a third layer of strips, for the next row of sheets and repeat as required.

 

Using the foil in this way doesn't show any unwanted seams from the layer below, and is much thinner than using pieces of plastic sheet.

 

See here for my Nissen hut.

 

Stu

[Stu70]

Hi Marc nice pictures of the original layout. I will be watching with interest your next build.

[marc smith]

15 minutes ago, wenlock said:

Good to see the “mojo” has returned!  I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned to the fold, as in the words of Lieutenant  Worf, “Resistance is futile”

 

As for a layout name how about Phoenix Yard, seems somewhat appropriate:-)

 

Sadly though Wenlock, as you know all too well - my "mojo" has returned before.... and been all too brief
"Phoenix Yard" is a brilliant suggestion - I really like that one. Other suggestions welcome folks.... but Wenlock's suggestion has my vote so far

Thanks for your suggestion re the corrugated roof too Stubby47. That method is something I may well experiment with in future
But for now, I've already got some offcuts of Slaters Corrugations, and was intending to do my usual laminations of 3 layers of plastic card for buildings
When making scratch-built buildings, I usually build them up using 3 layers, glued together, as this makes for a stringer structure, and is less likely to warp than using one or two layers of plastic
Of course, the exception here would be when using Wills sheets - they start out very thick anyway. I have some offcuts of Wills corrugated sheets too - but that would be too thick for a roof in this instance - as the edge will be very visible

I'll definitely experiment with your technique in future though Stubby47

[Bad Rabbit]

Good to see you in Cardiff and delighted you have returned to the fold. Arguably with your levels of productivity you can afford to take some time out - four layouts in two years when I'm running at one and two "halves" in about ten years!

 

I'm sure the new layout will be every bit as good as your others and look forward to seeing it progress

 

 

 

 

[wenlock]

26 minutes ago, marc smith said:

 

Sadly though Wenlock, as you know all too well - my "mojo" has returned before.... and been all too brief

 

Don't worry I'll keep nagging!:-)

 

27 minutes ago, marc smith said:

 

"Phoenix Yard" is a brilliant suggestion - I really like that one. Other suggestions welcome folks.... but Wenlock's suggestion has my vote so far

 

Glad you approve of Phoenix Yard 

[TonyA]

2 hours ago, wenlock said:

I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned to the fold, as in the words of Lieutenant  Worf, “Resistance is futile”

 

 

 It was the Borg, not Lieutenant Worf!

 

Tony

[RedgateModels]

7 minutes ago, TonyA said:

 

 It was the Borg, not Lieutenant Worf!

 

Tony

 

I thought it was the Vogon guard ....

[46444]

3 hours ago, marc smith said:

Nice to hear from you Mark. I still really like Juniper Hill - fabulously modelled minimum space layout that
Good to hear that you're still modelling / exhibiting too. Sometimes, we all just need to take a bit of time out... even if it is somewhat "enforced"
But a break from modelling can mean you come back even more inspired and fired-up

At Bristol the other weekend, my pal Roger (Rouse 2037) reminded me that we were exhibiting together, along with Barry Ten - I took Hendre Lane out for the first time,
and that show was ten years ago!  Where has that time gone?

Hendre was the start of my resurgence in modelling back then - that was the first of the 4 layouts I'd built in 2 years....
I'm sure progress on this new one will be rather slower than that! ha ha. But I dug out some old plans I'd sketched years ago, and wondering whether any of those might also get built... one day

PS. Do you still have "Juniper Hill"?

 

I think a lot of modellers will empathise with your story and have been through similar periods.  I know I do.

 

The main thing is you're back and the mojo is good. Phoenix Yard as Wenlock suggests nails it name wise...

 

Thanks for the kind comments re: JH. It is alive and well residing  in Cornwall and is in the care of Alex (Wiggoforgold) of this parish. We were due to exhibit JH joined with his Diddington masterpiece on the 2014 members day in Taunton but I had to pull out because of work commitments.  It may venture north again this year for repatriation.

 

 

 

[marc smith]

1 hour ago, RedgateModels said:

 

I thought it was the Vogon guard ....

As long as he doesn't recite some of his poetry
"Oh frettled grunt buggly......"

[marc smith]

One of the buildings I had envisaged re-using, was the "Glamorganshire Dairies" building, from my "Ogmore Road" layout of old....
I was quite pleased with this building, at the time. I had based the design of it, rather loosely, on an industrial building near where I lived (the Splott district of Cardiff)
My usual painting methods for buildings back then (Over 20 years ago!) was to use a brightish red enamel. Once that had well & truly dried - it took days to dry properly for the next stage

I then painted a thinned down enamel black paint onto the whole wall surface, didn't wait too long - then wiped away most of the paint, leaving black paint in the mortar courses. This could be a bit hit & miss, and if you didn't leave the original coat of red paint long enough, the thinners and the wiping action could remove some of the brick red base. Also, you had to start with a red which was too bright, as the black paint made for a darkened, dirty finish and really toned down the red base paint.

For the sign on the end of the Dairy wall, I painted a rectangular base / background using black acrylic paint, and applied Letraset letters of the Dairy name. Once dry, I lightly sanded the surface with fine wet & dry paper, and a fibre glass brush pen, mainly using downward strokes, to approximate weathering. This was quite effective IMO, as it removed some of the lettering, and some of the background paint - the black acrylic being less "durable" than the brick base colour.

I realise I haven't even ventured to show you a basic design as yet - this is because I'm toying with a few, quite different ideas and basic designs. One plan utilises the old Dairy building at one end - disguising an entry / exit point. However, I can't make up my mind as to whether the Dairy building itself is a bit too large and "dominant" given the small size of this layout?

Another design concept uses the old road over-bridge from Ogmore Road - this, as you will see from the photos, comprises a double track portal, and another separate single track portal at the back. I placed both on my baseboard, together with some track last night, and couldn't help feel that together, they dominated the overall balance of the scene too much. I'll toy around with some wagons, a point or two and some lengths of track over the weekend -  see what works best, and hopefully finalise my design. I am also re-using some of the rear wall from the scrapyard layout, and possibly the corrugated building from the far end (maybe a cut-down version of it)

Anyhow, for those who haven't seen my old Ogmore Road layout, here are a few pics. I won't be using the station building here - but I do have another plan for that and the goods shed. For this layout, it's mainly the Dairy and bridge I'm considering using.....

Edited February 7, 2019 by marc smith

[NHY 581]

Good to see, Marc. 

 

 

I am looking forward to watching this take shape. 

 

Enjoy!!

[south_tyne]

Marc, 

 

Please to see that you have got a new lease of enthusiasm and are planning a new project. Your modelling has been an inspiration to a number of folk around here, particularly myself, so I really look forward to seeing a new layout develop. I have learned an awful lot from what you have shared here over the years and will follow again with interest. 

 

That dairy building looks like a smashing focus for the new layout  I wouldn't worry overduly about it dominating the scene - as a fan of industrial architecture I think large buildings can be used very effectively on relatively small layouts. Obviously it is all about balance and the overall picture though  

 

Hope that modelling mojo continues to grow!! 

 

David

Edited February 8, 2019 by south_tyne
Poor spelling...... obviously time for bed!

[valleymodeller]

Hi Marc, good to see you at the Cardiff show. What a shame you've scrapped Carsmore's Yard, but it isn't it ironic to scrap the scrapyard? This following Brian Ts ripping up of his home layout Cog Road too.

 

I do like the creamery building in the above photos and I'm sure you'll find a space for it on a new venture. I'm on the verge of joining the EM gauge society but with my eyesight I can barely see the difference between OO and EM these days!

 

Good luck

 

Tony

[Philou]

@ valleymodeller,

 

Curiosity is getting the better of me, and I have no intention of starting any debate regarding 00/EM/P-S4, or hijacking this thread, but why do modellers go for 18mm rather go the extra bit and just do 18.83mm gauge? It's not as if EM is any more 'accurate' than 00 - or is it?

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[marc smith]

A little bit of progress over the weekend. Having had a play about with some wagons, checking siding lengths and how several different designs look with structures & buildings in different positions - one of my basic design concepts has won the day.... although it is still, at this stage, subject to a few tweaks, or even a complete re-think. I know what I want the layout to look like, in an overall sense - it's this stage where I definitely don't want to "over-cook" the basic concept, by cramming too much into the scene....

Anyhow, after ripping up the trackwork & scenery, the surface of the insulation board appeared very "patchy". However, in truth it probably looked worse than it actually was. It was still quite level and more even than the photos might suggest. As I'd mentioned, I'm not normally keen on re-using baseboards due to the possibility of ending up with an uneven base. So I clad the surface in some photo mounting board, which is around 4 or 5mm thick. I've cut an "arc" on the left hand side, where my sector plate will sit. I know I've got a suitable offcut of ply somewhere.... but am having trouble finding it atm

I've loosely positioned some structures and a point on the layout, and drawn roughly where the rails will sit. Having chopped about the old wall at the back of the scrapyard layout, I've placed these in front of some offcut odds & ends of foam board too - I'll carve these about, to shape the contours of the land at the back of the layout..... I have also reduced the depth of the old scrapyard corrugated large building - it won't look like this in the final design - it's just sitting there to represent a view-blocker at the right hand edge of the scene. I may still use the Dairy building for this, but it did look a bit too large, and dominated the scene for my liking at this stage. I'm loathe to cut it down any more, as it looks pretty good as it is, and I may well find another use for it in future

Great to see you too valleymodeller and NHY581, and other pals at the small Cardiff show. and thanks south-tyne for your kind words

[Gordon A]

Looking good.

Your chimney in the corner draws the eye to the corner.

Could you insert a curved piece of card in the backscene behind the chimney.

Also what building is the chimney serving?

Keep going. 

 

Gordon A

[marc smith]

Hi Gordon,

The chimney was there from the previous incarnation of the layout (And it worked really well, I think). I have since removed it, but it did hide the join in the backscene. It would be difficult to cover this again, with a curved piece of card, as colour matching the card would be a bit tricky, and I may well end up with two more edges to hide.

In it's old context - you couldn't see what building/s were in that position, and bear in mind, there will be other structures and trees, bushes and greenery at the back. I used a cardboard, low-relief chimney on several past layouts (inc Hendre Lane) and by the time the scenery was in position, and they were toned down - you didn't really notice them, but they can hide awkward backscene corners quite nicely.... trust me!  lol
I would normally advocate curving the backscene, wherever possible - but without totally destroying this baseboard, and major changes to the deisgn, that isn't possible here

EDIT: Also, I earlier spotted, there is already another layout called "Phoenix Yard" on this forum, and in the Micro Layouts section too - so I had probably better change the name..... any further suggestions anyone? Wenlock?

Edited February 11, 2019 by marc smith