US Inglenook

[Steve1900]

Hi all,

 

Been a member here for a while but this is the first post I've made - and it's not very original, just another Inglenook (though personally I think you can't have enough of this type of entertaining, cheap and quick-to-build layout).

 

60" x 12"  with a 36" twin-track storage cassette (not shown) which fits on one end and allows a 3-car train to leave the main board and a different train to enter, which I find more fun that just rearranging the same layout-bound cars between the spots all the time. It's nice to send box cars out and then tanker or grain cars come in.

 

Baseboard is 1" x .5" wood with artboard as a top surface - used because there was nothing else I could obtain. Track is Peco code 75 using 2 medium radius turnouts and less than 3 yards of track, laid on 1/16" cork and ballasted with Woodland Scenics fine stone. Backscene from thin MDF and buildings from foamboard covered with thin card and plastic windows from old kits. Vehicles are from my local Poundland shop - the fork lift truck is a very good model as it fits into the scene well.

 

There's always a lot of space where the lead track is and I was going to put some buildings there but decided to model a highway along the length of the layout instead. This has the advantages of no buildings at the front blocking the view and it also makes the layout look a lot longer than it is. Road is cereal box card, grey acrylic and a wipe with lead pencil dust to simulate oil in the lanes.

 

Roadbridge is artboard, balsa, foamboard and pencils for the pillars. There's something very relaxing about watching a train slowly going under a bridge and vanishing to an imaginary destination, or seeing one emerge.

 

Detailing is what's needed now - lots of it; industrial signs, road signs, relay boxes, signals, light poles,rubbish lying about and the many other things that complete a picture. Should keep me going for a while.  It's been a very enjoyable little layout to build and operates faultlessly (another advantage of the simple Inglenook)

 

Regards to all

Steve

Edited May 7, 2020 by Steve1900

[SonOfMike]

Really nice - thanks for sharing

[B1uejay]

See you couldn't resist the temptation of including the kitchen sink then, Steve

 

Nice layout, simple but effective. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Rich.

[Steve1900]

1 hour ago, B1uejay said:

See you couldn't resist the temptation of including the kitchen sink then, Steve

 

Nice layout, simple but effective. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Rich.

Thanks Rich, should look better once all the details get added.

...and thanks for not mentioning that telegraph pole next to the bridge, the wires would stop pedestrians walking across it. I planted it before I planned it lol.

[F-UnitMad]

I do like the highway idea - it does make the layout look very spacious.   

[noctilux2]

Good to see a micro HO layout here, makes a very pleasant change.  The road (surface) is very good & looks typical USA.  Thanks for sharing.

[Kevin Johnson]

Very nice layout, thanks for sharing. It’s always good to see a HO layout in an American theme.

[Steve1900]

Thanks for the nice words guys. I don't have much space for a layout anyway but even if I did I think I'd still go for the minimal look - seen a nice shelf plan that uses 3 sides of a room but only has 4 turnouts so has long sidings which I think looks better than loads of short ones.

 

One change I am going to make to this little layout is to add some low relief warehouse entrances at the right side, as if 2 of the tracks were going in. That end looks a little bare at the moment (see pic 6) as there's nowhere in theory to load and unload anything. Lack of planning at the start by me! I have some bits of foamboard left so will knock something up.

 

Couple of mock-up pics which I think will work - paint the interior matt black or even use the old 'mirror' trick to make it look like there's cars inside. Perhaps I can even find a good perspective interior photo from the 'net to use.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Steve1900

[Steve1900]

This looks so much better - now we have a reason for cars to be there.

 

Made with 1/16" card and foamboard internal reinforcing and given a couple of coats of white primer. Windows are leftovers from Metcalfe cardboard kits, as is the skylight.

 

Few more pipe and vent details to add.. and I definitely need some sort of interior pic to paste onto that back wall. There's a lone figure on the loading platform but too dark to see him..at least he'll have a quiet day

 

Steve