Pre-Grouping Portable N Scale Layout

[LNWR18901910]

As you guessed from the title, this is the project I have been meaning and wanting to do since the start of the 2010s and I have planned it, but unfortunately, that never came to be. The layout was intended to be a 1950s BR London Midland Region layout inspired by Coventry Station at the time.

 

However, seeing as my interest in the Pre-Grouping Era has widened my interests, I decided to work on something freelance as this. The idea of a portable layout where I can run trains anywhere I want (provided it was indoors). So, the layout I decided to christen was Crowmoor with mostly RTR N-Gauge locos and rolling stock along with some customized/adapted/scratchbuilt stock like certain wagons and such. With the recent acquistions of an LSWR M7 0-4-4T, an SE&CR C Class 0-6-0, a 4-wheel luggage van repainted into SECR Wellington Brown and an LMS brake van that I am making into the SECR Dance Hall brake van while waiting for the Birdcage coaches and the SECR Open Wagons (available from Bachmann as a Collectors Club exclusive only).

 

Of course, for this layout, I am including some small scenes which are references from classic literature from the early 1900s such as The Railway Children and The Wind in the Willows as well as a reference to the 1970s Hovis 'Boy on the Bike' advert and reminiscent nods to Merchant Ivory film adaptations of novels as well as the hilarious and saucy spoof Stiff Upper Lips. This layout will have such charm and delight for those young and old. There would be very few early motor cars and mostly horse-drawn wagons.

 

In order to operate the layout, the points would still be manually-operated and the track would be operated by two controllers. If I wanted to safely transport the layout without any damage, then I would either make it a fold-up layout or make a special case for it. What do you think would work best? Do drop a line and let me know your suggestions. In the meantime, why not take a gander at the proposed trackplan?

It may or may not be the final design, but let's hope for the best!

[mdvle]

What are the dimensions?

[LNWR18901910]

I was thinking of 2ft by 3ft or 3ft by 4ft.

[mdvle]

So the immediate thought is, given you I assume want to be able to take this to shows or other outings, is there any limitations external to the layout.  By this I mean small vehicle, public transit, ability to carry it, etc.

 

The obvious first choice would be to just build a case and call it a day - by eliminating the fold you eliminate both complexity and a potential source of running problems.  On the other hand if say 3.5" x 4.5" is too unwieldy so you end up dreading to taking it, then the compromised of a hinge may be worth it.

[LNWR18901910]

1 hour ago, mdvle said:

So the immediate thought is, given you I assume want to be able to take this to shows or other outings, is there any limitations external to the layout.  By this I mean small vehicle, public transit, ability to carry it, etc.

 

The obvious first choice would be to just build a case and call it a day - by eliminating the fold you eliminate both complexity and a potential source of running problems.  On the other hand if say 3.5" x 4.5" is too unwieldy so you end up dreading to taking it, then the compromised of a hinge may be worth it.

That's a thought, but finding a suitable one can be like waiting for a solar eclipse to happen. Also, the electronics and controllers are another issue as where to put them. Would a fold-out shelf be an option?

[TonyMay]

You've got a facing point straight into what I assume is the goods yard.  This is a big no-no, especially for pre-grouping railways.  The goods yard should be off a trailing point.

 

Also, because of the siding on the kickback from the goods yard into a shed, to shunt into that with a loco you're going to have to clear the other main siding in order to do that.

Edited January 9, 2020 by TonyMay

[Joseph_Pestell]

2 hours ago, TonyMay said:

You've got a facing point straight into what I assume is the goods yard.  This is a big no-no, especially for pre-grouping railways.  The goods yard should be off a trailing point.

 

Also, because of the siding on the kickback from the goods yard into a shed, to shunt into that with a loco you're going to have to clear the other main siding in order to do that.

 

As with all rules, there are exceptions. But, in this case there does not seem to be any advantage in laying it out this way, so better to do it conventionally.

 

In N, this layout is going to be much more effective as a 6' x 2' than 4' x 3'. Even then, I think it might be better without a station if the OP wants something that is not too fixed to a specific UK location.

[LNWR18901910]

Quite right, gentlemen - I need to find or make a baseboard to accomodate the layout.

 

Like I said, it may or may not be the final design, but with your suggestive feedback and advice, I'm sure to rework the layout in any way possible. I'm thinking of where I can put the engine shed, the station and siding.

[Harlequin]

A fold up layout would result in an easier package to move around and would have the advantage of forming it's own case.

 

You could do something like two halves, each 3ft 6in by 2ft by, say 6in height. When folded up that would make a package 3ft6 by 2ft by 1ft with the scenery protected on the inside - a manageable size to move around that would to fit in any car.

 

When opened it would make a 7ft by 2ft model area and that would give you a bit more scope to break away from the oval trainset feel, to disguise the end curves and more room to create all your scenes.

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Harlequin

[LNWR18901910]

2 hours ago, Harlequin said:

A fold up layout would result in an easier package to move around and would have the advantage of forming it's own case.

 

You could do something like two halves, each 3ft 6in by 2ft by, say 6in height. When folded up that would make a package 3ft6 by 2ft by 1ft with the scenery protected on the inside - a manageable size to move around that would to fit in any car.

 

When opened it would make a 7ft by 2ft model area and that would give you a bit more scope to break away from the oval trainset feel, to disguise the end curves and more room to create all your scenes.

 

Gosh! That's an excellent and marvellous idea! I shall take it into consideration. But then there's the issue regarding the controller and where to fit it...

[mdvle]

14 hours ago, LNWR18901910 said:

Gosh! That's an excellent and marvellous idea! I shall take it into consideration. But then there's the issue regarding the controller and where to fit it...

 

Perhaps treat the controller as a separate issue - package it separately and just come up with a way for it to be easily attached/removed from the layout once the layout is set up.

[LNWR18901910]

4 hours ago, mdvle said:

 

Perhaps treat the controller as a separate issue - package it separately and just come up with a way for it to be easily attached/removed from the layout once the layout is set up.

Absolutely. I shall work around that as well.

 

So, who wants to see the rolling stock for the layout and buildings once I get them?

[dud spud]

I'd certainly like to!

[LNWR18901910]

So here are the buildings and rolling-stock I have for my layout. I apologise for the lack of pictures as the Max total size 10MB prevents me from doing so, and I had to reduce them down to size as well as the quality unfortunately. But don't worry - I'll post some pics even if it's one at a time.

 

The loco and rolling stock I have with me are Graham Farish's SECR C Class 0-6-0 in SECR green livery, a four-wheel coach painted in Wellington Brown and an LMS non-ducket brake van converted to the SECR Dance Hall brake van. Being a member of the Bachmann Collectors Club, I ordered some SECR plank wagons to go with the brake van I made for it as well as the SECR Birdcage Coaches; however, I might use some 4-wheel coaches and repaint one of them in SECR Wellington Brown like the brake coach. What do you think?

 

Finally, as well as coal bunker/buffer stops, I acquired this beautiful thatched cottage bought for a fiver and I decided to create a scene from The Railway Children. This is part of the layout which I have now measured up to as 2ft by 3ft.

 

The track wires are hidden underneath the tunnel which will have a latched door behind so my hand can access the wires. The controller will have a drop-down side so it can be mounted on to run trains through it. Finally, the layout will have a suitcase-like-top on it which makes transportation easier.

[LNWR18901910]

Just as I promised, I have some pictures of the layout.

The coach is a Graham Farish 4-wheel brake coach repainted into SECR Wellington Brown and the brake van is a Graham Farish LMS brake van without duckets altered into an SECR Dance Hall brake van and repainted into SECR colours.

 

At the time of posting, my portable N -Scale layout has now got a level crossing and double siding added on. I will be posting a picture of the final track design soon so watch this space!

[LNWR18901910]

Hullo, again!

 

I have been doing work on my SECR coaches and I have repainted them into SECR Maroon as I find it much nicer than the Wellington Brown.

One of the coaches was a Caledonian Railway-liveried one that had missing couplings but they will soon be replaced with new ones to complete the SECR local commuter rake. The lining on the other hand will be another job and will come in due course once the numbering and the search for buildings is done and dusted before building the case-board for it.

 

Another piece of rolling stock is an SECR vent van which I will be using an SR vent van (provided that it matches close to the original SECR design) and simply repaint it and add to my SECR plack wagons when they arrive from Bachmann Collectors Club.

 

So, for now, I'll say cheerio and see you next time for more on the portable layout Crowmoor!

[LNWR18901910]

Just an update (the first in a long time):

 

*The layout will be picking up where it last left off.

*Construction will resume at long last.

*The station signs have been ordered and are on their way sometime next week.

*The Edwardian-era figures will soon be added to the layout.

*The signal box will soon be built.

 

More on this as it develops along with pictures of the layout and possible addition of 3D-printed rolling stock.

[TonyMay]

Yes, but this is the design forum, so are you going to revise the design towards a workable design that reflects prototype practice?

[LNWR18901910]

It has been months since I last updated this thread. I have yet to continue more on my layout along with building and running it, too.

 

Also, I purchased off E-Bay a Union Mills T9 4-4-0 which I intend to make into an SECR E Class 4-4-0 that I can use for express passenger duties.

This way, I should have at least a handful of period-correct rolling-stock to run on the layout as well as figures which will be the finishing item.

[LNWR18901910]

On 09/11/2020 at 06:29, TonyMay said:

Yes, but this is the design forum, so are you going to revise the design towards a workable design that reflects prototype practice?

Well, it's supposed to be an Edwardian-themed layout set in the Kent countryside. And it's portable, too.

[Aire Head]

On 15/07/2021 at 20:27, LNWR18901910 said:

Well, it's supposed to be an Edwardian-themed layout set in the Kent countryside. And it's portable, too.

What Tony means is that the current track plan doesn’t accurately represent a railway of the time period you are wishing to depict. All the pointwork on the running lines should be trailing points which mean they face in the opposite direction to way in which a train is travelling, this prevent train accidentally being sent into the goods yard.

 

Given what you want to achieve and now you appear to have decided to depict a particular geographical region you should be able to come up with a much more accurate design should you wish to do so?

 

The choice is ultimately down to you as to wether you want to make train set which is a means of being able to play with trains but doesn’t seek to follow how the real railways operated or wether you wish to create a model railway which depicts a slice of the world as it was to the tiniest possible detail. 
 

There isn’t a wrong answer it just changes the advice that people will give you