Rattle and shake

[ianmianmianm]

I've posted a few pics over on the "Overseas Prototype" section, but what started as a discussion about models seems to have turned into a layout topic. As there are other modellers coming on scene, I'll focus on my layout here.

 

• It's a 75cm x 13cm micro built into an RUB box, but this time turned on its side to allow more height.
• It's based on Bermuda's short lived railway in the later 1930s.
• Track is Kato for convenience and robustness, as the layout is being built in Bermuda and will have to fly to the UK this year or next.
• Stock and buildings are 3D prints.
• The track leaves stage right to an improvised fiddle yard. 

 

Tomix and Kato mechanisms are being experimented with - very hard to do due to the distinctive shape of the motor cars.

 

Thank you for looking - more info about the Railway here:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by ianmianmianm

[DanielB]

Very nice work. Got any photos of the bridge end of the layout?

[ianmianmianm]

Coming up via phone:

WIP though - not yet found a robust enough way to disguise the entrance to the FY.

Being a random reefy rocky place in mid-Atlntic (we are not in the Caribbean as everyone thinks), random rock faces do appear and there are lots of cuttings in the real thing.

The bridge is also a 3D print. 

 

[ianmianmianm]

[DanielB]

Thanks for the extra photos. What a lovely little layout

 

[ianmianmianm]

So I am going to fess up and say that the station building, which was a retro-fit to (a) deal with an awkward corner I was really unhappy with, (b) make the station less austere since it was a terminus and would have had a building and (c) visually balance the layout a bit, is a Shapeways print of El Alamein (though not quite right). When I spotted it on Shapeways, something screamed at me, subconsciously, even though it's not really in the line's "style", and I wasn't even looking for anything for this layout.  

 

I was asked elsewhere if this was an attempt to do Aquarium station.... and no it wasn't, but I'll take what I can get.

 

 

[ianmianmianm]

One more of the whole thing. It has a lighting strip that sits on top of the box and shines through, this is a kitchen LED attached to a piece of inch by inch balsa, and some foamboard information panels. These both fit under the layout board, in the box when the box is closed - you can see them just below.  The controller, stock and FY board are separate, working on integrating these into a small boxfile for transport.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by ianmianmianm

[ianmianmianm]

Lighting in place. Simplicity in itself - it is described above. The box diffuses the light beautifully as well!

[Jeff P]

This is beautiful! Is the backscene stock or something you made from photos?

Edited February 4, 2020 by Jeff P
added question

[ianmianmianm]

On 04/02/2020 at 22:32, Jeff P said:

This is beautiful! Is the backscene stock or something you made from photos?

Made from photos and printed on a photocopier down at the local quick print place, at A3 size. I used a couple of image library ones in the end.

 

But all changed now anyway - see below.

 

[ianmianmianm]

I ended up having to strip this layout down and rebuild on some commercial boards recently, as my woodwork was wanting! Also, I had originally put the board on its side to make use of height for trees, but this wasnt needed in reality.

 

I removed the points and made it a through line, which despite the use of Kat setback, is reasonably sweeping thanks to using some odd shape pieces,

 

 

[ianmianmianm]

The weather finally cleared here in Bermuda and I am fortunate to have a coal shed at about 4'6" height on which to place the layout against a background of Paget Marsh toward Middle Road. The line did not run this side of Middle Road, but it makes a striking backdrop. Work on the layout and diorama are now stalled while I wait to see how this nCoV19 situation unfolds here, as it may mean a return to the UK for expats like me on work visas, sooner than I had planned. The layout packs into a box for transport anyway, and along with my boxed LUL layout, it all fits in 2 holdalls.