Popular Post martink Posted April 16, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted April 16, 2019 The Monbulk Creek trestle bridge is a popular viewing spot on "Puffing Billy", a 15 mile long 2'6" gauge tourist railway on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia. This 37"x15" micro-layout is designed to demonstrate typical holiday traffic for this busy little line. Construction is approaching completion, with the main scenic work now done. Remaining pieces needing effort are the trains, track surface, trees, backscene, fine detailing and still more trees. The trains are driven by a linear motor track and train-mounted magnets rather than conventional track and wheeled mechanisms, my own variation of a commercial product from IDL Motors. The control system is designed to handle three trains of typical length, cycling them through the scenic section one at a time. The primary goal of this layout is to serve as a test bed for using the system in more ambitious projects in the future. All stock and structures are 3D printed on a CreatorPro, although the trains in the picture are rough 1:400 scale experiments rather than the final 1:350 models, showing early carriage construction ideas that didn't quite work out. The original intent was to make this model in T (1:450), which changed to 1:400 and then finally to 1:350, due to a practical minimum carriage length of 24mm from magnet placing and spacing issues. Now I just have to wait 30 years for the trees to grow... or for slow Airmail from China, which just seems like 30 years. Video of some early running tests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ZlAIuZqGU Photo of the current state of construction: The Horseshoe Bridge, the main focus of the layout, showing an 8" long sub-scale test train (the carriages only 21mm long rather than 24), the track surface not yet attached, and a great dearth of trees. 24 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Wow! Fantastic depth to the scene. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor_harley Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Stunning work a lovely layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Martin, brilliant! Is all I can say. Other than it has been too long since I Caught up with you. I hope the trees don't take too long to grow or is that the slow boat from china! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted April 21, 2019 Author Share Posted April 21, 2019 (edited) The scenery is now complete except for the trees and the backscene, so further progress will be on hold until they arrive. The rolling stock has been built and tested, and is currently being painted. I will make a proper video when it is all properly forested, but here is a quick teaser for now... https://youtu.be/jsAcQBRm3oA The locos have all been painted, but please remember that in this small scale the photos are very, very cruel. Those tank engines are less than 1" long. Edited April 21, 2019 by martink Formatting 9 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted April 21, 2019 Author Share Posted April 21, 2019 Doug - yep, it really has been a while. Anyway, I cannot compete with you P4 types for exquisite detail, so I have to carve out my own niche. I probably achieve a similar amount of detail per square inch, but just apply it differently! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted April 21, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 21, 2019 This is amazing! The video link shows just what you've achieved, and a genuine prototype model to boot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 This puts my early work with IDL "teeny trains" to shame. Mind you back then there was only fixed ovals of track. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 I used two of IDL's oval tracks a few years back on an earlier layout (Sarum Bridge), and really liked the concept. I looked at various ways of extending or modifying them, but without success, so eventually bit the bullet and started designing my own. It took a lot of false starts, almost-but-not-quites, lessons learned and discarded test tracks to get to this state. IDL has since released a connectable and extendable version of their track, but the features it emphasizes aren't the ones I wanted, so... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Kevin Johnson Posted April 23, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 23, 2019 A fantastic little layout where the scenery has great depth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 Very interesting. I've watched all your videos on the development of your system. If this had been around when I'd first dabbled with the teeny trains I could have had a bit more fun with the concept. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry1975 Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 Very nice layout, and great detail. Jerry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 All the stock has now been painted, giving a full exhibition complement of two typical trains and a fire patrol trolley. Work on the layout will now be put on hold for a month or so, waiting for the trees to arrive. I'll do a full video then. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 I have to say, your work has re-awakened my interest in linear motor model trains Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 Thanks, Ian. It is the potential here that really interests me, since the technology has a totally different set of strengths and weaknesses than conventional model rail drive systems. Other than the philosophical issue that it isn't truly a railway, the biggest weakness is that since every vehicle contains powerful magnets, you cannot let them get too close or a major pileup ensues. That means 4-wheel wagons are problematic, and so are double track and complex stations. Partial workarounds are possible, such as treating double track as singled or Gantlet, having dummy tracks for spacing, etc. The main strengths are exactly what conventional drive systems cannot do well, especially in the ultra-small scales: very high reliability, low maintenance, realistic train lengths, ultra-low-speed running, the ability to model small (e.g. early 1800s) prototypes, and mixed road/rail. And as the crown jewel, easy automation that goes well beyond normal model rail limits (i.e. shunting). Now that I know the concept actually does work as a fully developed (if basic) model railway, I want to explore these paths and see where they lead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 I nostalgically took a look at my Nano model railways blog http://nanomodelrr.blogspot.com/ last night remembering what I did back then. I was, (and still probably am) too lazy to work out 3D printing at the time. I built my loco and freight stock using sections of appropriately sized evergreen styrene sections. But I expect that in the intervening six years things have become easier. I could certainly see the possibilities of a model of a section of the Aberglaslyn Pass on the Welsh Highland railway with trains hauled by double Fairlies and Garrats. Thanks for the inspiration. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted April 26, 2019 Author Share Posted April 26, 2019 Yes, I remember looking at your site when first starting to play with this stuff. 3D printing is really what makes this sort of modelling practicable now, since doing it all the hard way is just that - hard. Anyway, I hadn't planned to make another video until the layout was complete, but was talked into doing one showing the trains doing what trains are supposed to do: https://youtu.be/Nakn8x8a1qI 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Nice video. The layout really is “trains in the landscape” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted May 18, 2019 Author Share Posted May 18, 2019 The Ebay trees have arrived, so are being rebuilt into Gum trees and installed on the layout. About half of them are now in place, with another couple of dozen gums to go. Then it will be the tree ferns, Europeans and undergrowth. The trunks and branches are a bit over-thick, but this is more noticeable on the photos than in real life. While some of the trees seem huge, none of them are more than middling-tall for Eucalypts. Even in this scale, we still have to use sub-scale trees! 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Kevin Johnson Posted May 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 18, 2019 I love the video of the locomotives and carriages snaking through the creek. After modelling the trees you purchased they look fantastic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted May 23, 2019 Author Share Posted May 23, 2019 Construction of this layout is now complete. I'll make a proper video of it in the next few days. 12 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestTom Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Amazing. I wouldn't have believed it was to such a small scale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martink Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 And finally, here is a short video of the complete layout.... 10 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted July 5, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 5, 2019 (edited) On 23/05/2019 at 23:54, martink said: Construction of this layout is now complete. I'll make a proper video of it in the next few days. I was told that the 20c coin isn't just there to demonstrate the scale but also to prove that there are platypuses in Monbulk Creek. Martin, see my layout topic for more thoughts following our discussion on Wednesday evening: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94350-mid-cornwall-lines-1950s-western-region-in-00/&do=findComment&comment=3604113 Edited July 5, 2019 by St Enodoc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted July 5, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 5, 2019 Absolutely fascinating stuff. A question now completely from left field... Could this system work for a 4mm scale wagon, to move it along a piece of conventional track? I'm thinking of a short spur from a wagon turntable into a warehouse, with inlaid track. E.g. Does the magnet need to be very, very close to the linear track? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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