Popular Post warpy Posted February 3, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) Hi. I’ve been a lurker on the forum for several years now. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to share their layouts, photos, comments and other content. There are many I follow and watch with interest and you've provided a lot inspiration, ways to do things and answers to questions. Anyway I thought it was about time I took the plunge and shared my own layout – Warphampton. It’s a purely fictional name, simply a play between my name and location. Warphampton has taken almost 10 years to get to this point including a couple years of procrastination, planning and being brave enough to actually allocate space in the house and start a baseboard. Since then it’s been a leisurely process fitting around family life, work, a house move and other pastimes. Ultimately though, it’s been an enjoyable journey, a source of fun and a great escape from everyday pressures. Now it’s reached a point where I think the scenic work is pretty much done and I feel comfortable sharing with a wider audience. I made the switch to N gauge in my youth when my ideas outgrew the single OO loop and GWR trainset. It won’t please some but there’s no particular location and the date is sometime in the 2nd half of the 80s drawn from memories growing up. I’d retained the old Grafar stock of my youth but decided to invest in new DCC locos when returning to the hobby 20 years later. I’ve come to realise it’s not a cheap hobby but then what is these days. I’m satisfied with ‘rule 1’ investments or a 2nd hand bargain that I like the look of rather than modelling prototypical regional formations. So a Scottish region class 25 can appear alongside an Eastern NSE class 47 alongside Western region HSTs – sorry! My initial ideas were inspired by a layout called Maybury built by David Gotliffe. Maybury was RM Railway of the Month in July 1989. It was my favourite layout back then and I read his article countless times. This was the sole RM issue I kept and I stumbled across it 11 or 12 years ago when my Dad finally asked me to clear out the train stuff from his loft. Arguably reading it again was part of the kick start to get back in. David – if you’re reading this, thank you for the inspiration! I was never a hard core spotter but just enjoyed watching trains go by at Reading and Twyford stations or stood on a bridge over the 4 tracks at Waltham St Lawrence. My modelling probably reflects this – rekindling the ‘trains going by’ memories rather than pure realism. I’m a big fan of the blue grey, intercity exec and NSE liveries; HSTs, loco pulled trains and DMUs; passenger and some freight for interest. I wanted some operational interest combined with the chance to just run trains. It’s perhaps a bit crammed in maybe but as you can see from the photos there are 4 loops linking a double decker fiddle-yard, each with 8 storage roads. 4 terminus bays and an MPD were added to the design with the aim (like Maybury) of running loco hauled trains backwards and forwards. However, in hindsight space and limited loco stock compromised the design and utilisation so now the bays accommodate DMUs and the MPD is just a cameo scene. Still for a single user it gives me plenty of enjoyment. However, the final point count was quite a considerable investment in money and time wiring it all in! Next time I’ll work harder to make it more efficient somehow. As with the rolling stock it’s all ‘rule 1’ scenery with the usual stereotypes of a bus on a bridge, a wedding at the church and everything from quaint cottages to tower blocks but I hope it just about works. Much of it such as signals & trackside details are there to add a look rather than realistically modelled. I had a lot of fun reviving old shop chains, places from my memories or playing around with names of old friends and family. Anyone from Bracknell might also recognise an old landmark or the inspiration behind the rather concrete and blocky appearance I tried to capture with the town scenes. I also wanted a ‘busy Saturday afternoon’ feel, accepting a wallet-saving compromise of using many more but cheaper and less realistic figures and cars. As you can tell I’m a huge fan of Scalescenes kits as they offer a lot of detail for n-scale and are great value for money. At one point my family thought I was addicted to building John’s kits. I spent as long building all the terraced houses as my wife and daughter spent watching all 10 seasons of Friends, although if I’m honest I was half listening as well! Over the years I’ve learned a lot and hopefully gained more experience. A few things Id do differently if and when I start a new layout: - Spend longer getting the track design more effective, simpler and realistic. - Avoid double decker fiddle yards. It seemed a good idea to provide plenty of storage but in reality the gradients are a bit steep and wow it’s hard to clean those tracks or fix derailments. - Use bigger castors to make it easier to roll the baseboard around (allows me to store against the wall but walk round both sides). - Improve my soldering and wiring - neater and more organised. - Take more time to paint the track and use more scale looking ballast. - Use less green looking scatter and trees - it’s a bit bright for the look I was hoping to capture. - Be brave enough to try fully scratch-building some structures. I’ve been really inspired by some great examples in N scale from other modellers on this forum and on YouTube. I hope you enjoy the outline and the photos . As I run some more trains I’ll upload a few more in the future as I enjoyed taking various shots. If anyone has any questions, comments or wants more detail on any of the layout please let me know below. Edited February 3, 2021 by warpy typo & photo 23 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 A few more photos as this is my first post - sorry, I've perhaps been a bit enthusiast but I hope they're of interest 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
50002Superb Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 That is a cracking layout you’ve got. very impressive It has a Gloucester 1980s feel to it, especially the Horton Road style depot 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted February 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2021 Hi there, Thanks for taking the time to post - what a fabulous layout! I hope you’ll upload more images when you feel like it. Very inspirational. cheers Ben A. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) That’s really good - shows me what can be done in N ! Don’t get me tempted ! I grew up in the area so have also spent time at reading , and been to White Waltham a fair bit. feels like a cross between reading and Gloucester I’d say . nice one ! Edited February 3, 2021 by rob D2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2021 Love it, can’t wait to see more! (Also, I kept the RM with Maybury in too - definitely an inspirational layout) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattm Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Very nice. May i ask what the dimensions are? I'm in the 'planning' (i call it that, anyways ) stage of my own beginner N scale layout; it's always nice to see what other people have managed to fit into a simple loop formation. Even with 12' x 3' I'm having trouble trying to distill a few basic elements into an interesting, semi-prototypical, layout! This is about your layout, however, and there looks to be some effort put into the same over the years. Its layouts like this that i drool over, and come back to time and again just so i can think to myself, 'one day!' 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 Thanks all for your kind comments. Really appreciated. I’ve realised the tracks do need a good clean and I probably need to service most locos to get it running really nicely. A lot of focus lately getting the scenery finished. I’d also like to start detailing them with all the bits that came in the box as I never got round to that. Weathering is on the agenda but need to be feeling really brave there. If anyone has some good suggestions on where to find tips weathering n gauge stock it would be much appreciated. Lots out there on OO and O but feels like a wrong brush stroke in that scale doesn’t risk wiping out the whole model! To answer an earlier question the model is 300 x 85cm. Split into two boards of equal size. There is a height difference of 7cm between the two fiddle yards although the gradient was reduced by having the scenic side sat at 3.5cm with one double track rising and one double track dropping. You can see this by the tunnel portals. Ultimately it’s a little steep particularly on the tighter inner loops. One or two locos struggle but overall it works. On another layout I think I’d try to find space to avoid the double deck option and go for longer or wider fiddle yard to accommodate the stock. In the end I decided to rebuild the top fiddle yard to accommodate a hinge in as without it cleaning underneath and rescuing stock was just impossible. Doesn’t get used too often as of course it’s normally full of stock but there for occasional emergencies. I’ve improved visibility on the bottom level with some LED strips and two cheap reversing cameras from Amazon. Think they were only £15 each including a modest screen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 12 hours ago, mattm said: Very nice. May i ask what the dimensions are? I'm in the 'planning' (i call it that, anyways ) stage of my own beginner N scale layout; it's always nice to see what other people have managed to fit into a simple loop formation. Even with 12' x 3' I'm having trouble trying to distill a few basic elements into an interesting, semi-prototypical, layout! This is about your layout, however, and there looks to be some effort put into the same over the years. Its layouts like this that i drool over, and come back to time and again just so i can think to myself, 'one day!' my layout is 300cm by 85cm. It’s a little cramped as you can see but just about squeezed in enough for some operational interest although not overly prototypical. i would have liked just a little more scenic distance before the station as currently that takes up a lot of the visible track work. Ideally I’d have liked the odd gentle curved section thrown in as it’s a bit straight but overall still gives me plenty to watch. The double decked fiddle yard helped with storage but did introduce complexity and a few issues in running. Hopefully with 12’ x 3’ you’ve got just a little more space than me so good luck with the planning and hope you can take the plunge soon. Let me know if you want any more dimensions or have questions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted February 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 4, 2021 What a wonderfully busy layout. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyboy Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 You have a fantastic layout. I've really enjoyed looking at your photos and being inspired! Sam 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Steven B Posted February 5, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 5, 2021 Great work! It's amazing how many of the shop names have gone from the high-street. Nice to see I'm not the only one with those yellow, blue & red buses. They do benefit from cutting/filing the window frames to give a fewer number of larger panes of glass. Steven B. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparxD428 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 Very nice layout Warpy, my favourite era too. Looks like plenty of fun to operate as well. Cheers, Stu 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 8 hours ago, Steven B said: Great work! It's amazing how many of the shop names have gone from the high-street. Nice to see I'm not the only one with those yellow, blue & red buses. They do benefit from cutting/filing the window frames to give a fewer number of larger panes of glass. Steven B. Nice tip Steven. Now that I look at them you're right, those windows are very small. Do you mind me asking where you got yours? I picked mine up second hand but wouldn't mind a couple more. Unless I've missed them I've never seen them at the main stream suppliers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Steven B Posted February 6, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 6, 2021 Can't remember - they were common at exhibitions years ago. They are available on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/N-Scale-Chinese-Buses-x-4/303760573664?hash=item46b98a84e0:g:O9EAAOSw5c5fqkbM https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-x-Diecast-Metal-Buses-H-302-K-Express-302A-Unbranded-N-Gauge-Model-Railway-W17/303084167311?hash=item469139608f:g:PrQAAOSwRW9cfRsh https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-x-Diecast-Metal-Buses-H-302-Fleet-Unbranded-N-Gauge-Model-Railway-W17/303084162618?hash=item4691394e3a:g:u0UAAOSwyi5cfRic Steven B. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 3 hours ago, Steven B said: Can't remember - they were common at exhibitions years ago. They are available on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/N-Scale-Chinese-Buses-x-4/303760573664?hash=item46b98a84e0:g:O9EAAOSw5c5fqkbM https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-x-Diecast-Metal-Buses-H-302-K-Express-302A-Unbranded-N-Gauge-Model-Railway-W17/303084167311?hash=item469139608f:g:PrQAAOSwRW9cfRsh https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-x-Diecast-Metal-Buses-H-302-Fleet-Unbranded-N-Gauge-Model-Railway-W17/303084162618?hash=item4691394e3a:g:u0UAAOSwyi5cfRic Steven B. Thanks Steven. I tried eBay a while ago and didn’t see any at the time. haven’t tried lately as been trying to source some lorries but great there’s some there now. I’ll take a look. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 Took the chance of a couple of cold lockdown weekends to do a really good spring clean. Vacuuming around the scenery isn't an easy task but saw a good video from Miniatur Wunderland where they used a small, soft brush to gently release dust. Seemed to work quite well. Fortunately the better half was in a good mood and sacrificed a pair of old tights to put over the nozzle to avoid losing anything to cyclone Dyson! It's amazing how even the smallest blob of tacky wax seems to hold the figures in place - only a few casulties pulled over the force 12 gale. Once the scenic side was hoovered the tracks got a good clean although it's a lot harder now all of the trackside details are in place - it sure is easy to destroy a speed sign and signal without realising :-( Once the scenic side completed I was just about able to cram all of the trains in to free up the two fiddle yards. Doesn't happen often enough but those tracks were also given a good clean. Whilst the top yard was up I also took the trouble of positioning some lane end markers to the bottom yard. Not quite as clear as I hoped but the cameras can just about pick up where to stop the train. Still, quite amazed what the £15 reversing cameras and screens from Amazon do show and that they're still going after the year or so since installation. I had pretty low expectations given the price but so far I've been proved wrong. Finally I also decided to get creative and create a simple loco roster using some magnetic strips, images from the Farish & Dapol sites plus a cheap memo board from eBay. Quite pleased with the result and now means it's much easier to keep track of what is where underneath and what DCC code to punch in. Some pictures below if it's of interest although apologies for the poor quality of some of these. I'll post some more running pics soon as the clean has worked wonders. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 Really good running session so took the opportunity to take a few snaps from a few angles. On inspecting the close ups it proved I really need to be braver and take on weathering the rolling stock and the buildings. Any suggestions or links to suitable n gauge tips and tricks would be very much appreciated. P.S. Anyone tell the class 47 is my favourite loco? Forgive the rule 1 photo staging. 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teabag Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 That looks really good - the whole atmosphere is great and my favourite era. The texture on the platforms and road surfaces looks especially good - how did you do this? Teabag 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 (edited) I love this layout, thanks for posting all the photos. I am planning a terrace of the Scalescenes houses, and having seen yours it’s now a definite. And I fancy watching Friends again! I look forward to seeing more photos and details. Edited February 22, 2021 by Carl 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 15 minutes ago, Teabag said: That looks really good - the whole atmosphere is great and my favourite era. The texture on the platforms and road surfaces looks especially good - how did you do this? Teabag Thanks for the kind comments Teabag. The road surface and platforms were both Scalescenes downloads just printed on good quality inkjet paper. Fortunately in n gauge the textures themselves seem to give a good impression and I didn't seem to need any actual texture on the paper itself although I haven't actually tested this. For the roads I actually copied the textures into powerpoint so I could manipulate them to get the road markings right or add some extras in e.g. for junctions and corners. Took a bit of time as powerpoint isn't a particularly good tool for this but it was all I had at the time and I was pleased with the result. I think there are probably easier ways to do this now with software like Inkscape which a lot of people seem to mention 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 That is a very atmospheric layout, I think you exploited the scale very well and have made good use of the space. The low camera angle for photos always works well, that last batch of photos is very impressive, cheers 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted June 6, 2021 Author Share Posted June 6, 2021 (edited) Since finishing off the scenery earlier in the year I’ve been spending time sorting out a couple of niggles in the track and just enjoying some running sessions. Over the last couple of months I’ve also treated myself to several purchases from that well known auction site for the first time in ages. Firstly, a red parcels 47, two parcels GUV and two TPO wagons to make up a new parcels train. The 47 is my favourite loco so I couldn’t resist another one in a different livery. It took some inner persuading that I wasn’t being disloyal to the 80s as I believe the RES livery is more like early 90s but in the end it was a 47 and rule 1 won. More recently I was finally successful in bidding on a batch of a TEA tanker wagons at a price I was happy with. I’ve wanted a train of these since I was a teenager but never got around to buying them. I couldn’t justify the beautiful but pricey recent models so was just satisfied with the older Grafar one. I rejigged another formation so that my blue 37 can haul them whilst I wait for the promised Farish petroleum sector 37 that may one day arrive. Again apologies to the purists as I appreciate the wagons probably aren’t period accurate and predate the 80s. If you’ve read my thread you’ll know I don’t model an exact region or time and I haven’t yet bothered with accurate train formations. I prefer just the pleasure of watching a nice variety of trains running around and these two new trains have provided a bundle of that. A few snaps below - apologies the angles are similar to before. I’ll try and get some new angles next time. Edited June 6, 2021 by warpy Added photos 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stuart A Posted June 8, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 8, 2021 I think 47474 was the first to appear in parcels red/grey livery in 1990, with Res livery appearing the year after, so it's only just out of the '80s! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpy Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) Enjoyed a morning last weekend running a few trains with a good friend who due to lockdown hadn’t had chance to see the completed scenery. He also spent some time taking some photos with a much better camera and skill set than I possess so thanks Mark for the time. Look forward to seeing the results. as a result realised there are still some niggles in the running so spent a couple of hours this week replacing the track join between the flip-up upper fiddle yard and the ascending ramp. As you can see from the before and after photos the original looked pretty horrendous and it won’t surprise you to learn the lack of rigid track alignment, slight dog leg etc led to quite a few derailments. Having seen a post ages ago about how to do it properly I finally made it to a local model shop to pick up the necessary brass tubing. I’m sorry I can’t credit the author of the original post as I can’t find it now but if you recognise your recommendation - thank you. The new join works a treat. At the same time I also managed to squeeze another cm or so into the radius of the curves on the ramp leading to the yard. That’s also improved the running particularly of co-co bogies on the inner most curve. Delighted with the overall improvement. Now to sort the other side. Just wish i hadn’t procrastinated for so long! Edited June 17, 2021 by warpy Addition 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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