Narrow Gauge Beginnings - getting started in HOn30 and H0e

[laurenceb]

My policy is to only have one loop apatr from brake vans.

[009 micro modeller]

4 hours ago, laurenceb said:

My policy is to only have one loop apatr from brake vans.

 

I think if I was a bit more organised I’d take the loop off one end of everything (and put one on locos at one end) as I’ve found this set-up easier to use when uncoupling with ramps (my very small wagons don’t get on well with magnets). It would mean everything could only be used one way round though which is slightly irritating.

Edited June 14, 2021 by 009 micro modeller

[Keith Addenbrooke]

As it’s a couple of months since I began this thread, I thought it would be good to take stock of where I’ve got to (I read through the parallel thread I have on the NGRM Online Forum yesterday, and an earlier version of this post appears there too):

 

I was more than happy with the momentum I was able to build during April - as noted by @Woody C here at the time.  I was able to finalise a simple layout design I like and build my sub-frame baseboards.  But three things since then have rather derailed progress on the layout.  I’ve had plenty of fun trying new ideas and practicing some modelling, and received much helpful advice and encouragement - thank you @JZ, @BernardTPM and all, but I’ve realised more of this thread has been about aspects of my modelling not directly related to building the layout, and it may help if I get myself back ‘on track’ now.

 

What’s happened is this:
 

1.  Wet weather in May prevented me from moving on to paint the baseboards as that’s an outside activity here.  As the layout will be portable (resting on tables), I need to paint the subframes and boards before moving on to tracklaying.

 

2.  I had some clearing out to do.  A collection of bags had built up on the way to the attic room where the layout will go, waiting to go to local charity shops once they were able to take donations again (after their re-opening rush).  Additionally, the outbuilding / store I can use to keep boards while paint (etc) dries had become stuffed full of rubbish and recycling waiting to go to the local tip - again, once the re-opening queues subsided.  A third pile, this time of mouldy old carpets and Lino removed from our cellar last Summer, was being kept in a second outbuilding - formerly the outside toilet - and also needed disposing of.  There is an unbuilt layout story behind this, which is discussed elsewhere on RMweb (GW Branch Line - A Cellar Layout?).  I’m happy to say all three piles have been now been cleared.

 

3.  The third thing however is that the room I can use is now needed over the Summer and won’t be available for the next three months.  We have no other spare rooms, so it means slowing down anyway.

 

However, my enthusiasm has not been affected, and my ideas have continued to race ahead of me, accelerating way beyond even where I’d hoped to have got to by now.  It’s all good stuff but I can see I’ve gone several steps beyond my first layout in my thinking.  I tried not to plan too much - as I’ve spent the past two years falling over every time I make a plan - but maybe a little ‘project plan’ would now be helpful.  So that’s what I’m thinking about:
 

I’ve been reminded of a quote from German modeller Karl Gebele I read when designing this layout: “The overall visual appearance of a model railway layout, regardless of its size, should be to look consistent and balanced.”  Very wise!
 

But if I bring together the different bits I’ve bought or made so far, that’s not the picture I’ll get:  for example, look closely at this photo of my first attempt in card:

 

 

The purpose of the photo was to highlight the difference in coupler heights - but I completely missed the basic beginner’s mistake I made with the height of the doors on my Combine (the dimensions of the later plasticard version below are the same); the taller clerestory roof I added initially ‘hid’ my error:

 

 

 It was good experience scratchbuilding my first passenger car, but I’ve a way still to go yet.

 

And how will my wonderful Bemo overhead electric actually look alongside the intentionally rough backwoods American Depot I’ve started (even putting to one side the geographical anachronism)?  So I’m thinking I need to work on my consistency, and make a distinction between those things I’m building for this layout, and those things I’m trying out for later.

 

Hopefully that will make a bit of sense, and help me move towards the goal of an operating layout, even if progress is slow.  As always, advice from those who’ve done this (in some cases many times over) is welcome.  Thanks, Keith.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(16th June: additional photo and link)

[Northroader]

I was looking at the video you made of a test run with a scratch built train through newly laid track, and it struck me as faultless, you’re already on a firm foundation with your modelling, so more of the same. (It also showed me I must look at an up to date controller for slower movements). Nice to see you’re finding the attractions of a bigger scale, wonder where this will develop to?

[009 micro modeller]

4 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

And how will my wonderful Bemo overhead electric actually look alongside the intentionally rough backwoods American Depot I’ve started (even putting to one side the geographical anachronism)? 

 

I was going to mention this earlier but I seem to remember there were a few narrow gauge (wider, at 3’, 3’ 6” or 1m rather than 2’ 6” but it still kind of works and could be quite believable as an H0n30/H0e model) mineral railways in South America using a mixture of Swiss and other European overhead electric locos and other stock and equipment (including buildings) of North American origin (or at least built in a North American style). Tocopilla is the one I was mainly thinking of although this seems to have largely used either US or more recently Chilean electric locos (but the idea is there, kind of): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocopilla_nitrate_railway

 

Possibly something similar could be justified in North America too although I think then they’d probably be standard gauge with the electric locos being locally built.

 

I’m sure there’s another example of European electric stock and American practice being combined in this way (possibly in South-East Asia?) but can’t quite remember where. Purely as an aesthetic to base a layout around I actually quite like the Swiss electric stuff with a rougher, American-looking backdrop.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

On 15/06/2021 at 21:08, Northroader said:

I was looking at the video you made of a test run with a scratch built train through newly laid track, and it struck me as faultless, you’re already on a firm foundation with your modelling, so more of the same. (It also showed me I must look at an up to date controller for slower movements). Nice to see you’re finding the attractions of a bigger scale, wonder where this will develop to?

 

On 15/06/2021 at 23:31, 009 micro modeller said:

 

I was going to mention this earlier but I seem to remember there were a few narrow gauge (wider, at 3’, 3’ 6” or 1m rather than 2’ 6” but it still kind of works and could be quite believable as an H0n30/H0e model) mineral railways in South America using a mixture of Swiss and other European overhead electric locos and other stock and equipment (including buildings) of North American origin (or at least built in a North American style). Tocopilla is the one I was mainly thinking of although this seems to have largely used either US or more recently Chilean electric locos (but the idea is there, kind of): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocopilla_nitrate_railway

 

Possibly something similar could be justified in North America too although I think then they’d probably be standard gauge with the electric locos being locally built.

 

I’m sure there’s another example of European electric stock and American practice being combined in this way (possibly in South-East Asia?) but can’t quite remember where. Purely as an aesthetic to base a layout around I actually quite like the Swiss electric stuff with a rougher, American-looking backdrop.

Thank you for these ideas and kind comments.  
 

A South American line could be fascinating, but I’m afraid I know very little about South America and hardly anything about its railways, so I don’t have a personal connection to really stimulate sustained layout building.  
 

Swiss railways perhaps give me a similar challenge.  I’ve never actually visited Switzerland, so even though their mainline Narrow Gauge network looks ideal for someone with my range of interests - and I’m clearly taken with their trains, I have stronger personal connections with Austria, Germany and North America (in particular).

 

While I think about how best to focus my thinking, I’ve quickly redone the end pieces for the Depot / Station I’ve started, using a bit of free time to see if I could easily smarten them up.  I’m also redesigning the Station so it will look a bit less like Skagway in Alaska and a bit more European.

 

 

The photo highlights the minor flaws and reveals the limit of my skills, even with the new version on the right.  I am however hopeful though that, by the time I’ve covered the edges, I ought to be able to do a passable job of a building in better condition, which is helpful to know.

 

I’ve also rescued the chassis from beneath my undersized passenger car for reuse:

 

 

I’ve kept the roof as well - I expect it will reappear at some future point too.

Edited April 21, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(additional photo)

[Keith Addenbrooke]

With the cancellation of evening meetings continuing, I’ve had the best part of a couple of hours tonight to start on the road side of my coffee-stirrer station building:

 

Trying to be neat means taking more time over each piece, especially as each stirrer needs to be split in two for H0e.  I share this to show what that means in practical terms of hourly progress (I’m not a quick builder anyway, even with kits).

 

I’d originally cut out each 2cm square window opening with a view to adding lattice / grid window frames (see photos of the earlier, ‘rough’ version).  The first step now was to carefully fit new centre-pieces to each one, to make them look like more modern opening windows instead.  
 

I’m also about to run out of the solvent-free Bostik glue I used to be able to get from my local Homebase: it’s wonderfully non-smelly, which is great.  Roket Card glue is also very good, and faster, but not nearly as cheap.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

…plus time for ‘repairs’ when I realised I’d put doors too close to the same corner on the end and road side.  Card is a great medium when it comes to making alterations:

 

 

 

Skagway Station actually has a small porch entrance where I now have the solid door, and fewer windows on the road side.  The kit doesn’t have the porch, and places both doors on this side next to each other (my glass panelled door is in the correct place).

 

I’m still considering the balance between the European and US influences I want for the layout, but I’d rather be making something when I have some time than just pondering.  Looking at the diary, I think I’m also heading for a modelling pause, so it’s good to make some more progress now.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

I’ve taken a bit of time this week to step back and think a bit more about the direction I’m wanting to take this layout project. After spending some time on the NGRM Online Forum, I was able to explain to myself why I keep going round in circles.  Two suggestions from NGRM Forum members helped me break out of the circle.  The first is to focus my starter layout in European H0e on the kind of forestry / logging operation I may later incorporate into an American Narrow Gauge HOn30 layout as well.  This gives me common ground.  While this may seem obvious, I’d not thought of it (I still tend to think first of passenger operations).

 

 

I’ve therefore ordered a copy of Kalmbach’s “Model Railroader’s Guide to Logging Railroads.”  It will help me understand the industry better, and while it’s not specifically Narrow Gauge focused, a couple of the Maine 2’ lines are mentioned in the write-up.  By starting with an American outline book I can be confident I’ll enjoy reading it anyway, plus I’ll be able to look at logging traffic for my H0e layout from a better informed base.  That approach worked for my move into Narrow Gauge.

 

This choice of industry will also help with the second suggestion: to use my first layout to develop the skills I’ll need if I do move on to an American Outline layout, for which there is less available r-t-r.  I had become concerned that I don’t have the skills I need to do justice to the wonderful European H0e rolling stock I’ve already got, but if the rationale for my line is based on wood products, the approach I’m taking to scratchbuilding the structures I need works once more.

 

It has meant another redesign of my Station building, as the larger, passenger-only Depot at Skagway isn’t what I’ll really need.  I’ve therefore added some baggage room doors to make it into a bit of a combination Depot instead:

 

 

The track side pieces are at the top - and the street side below.  Where I’ve cut the windows and doors to fit differently, the addition of coffee-stirrers will cover the joins.  Back on track…

 

 

Additional notes: The Station is now very much freelance - a baggage / lcl section would normally be more like a small goods shed: one big sliding door each side and few windows, but I’m thinking in terms of a separate warehouse / goods shed alongside the Station as well.  I also experimented with a couple of other colours instead of white, but white still seems OK (and there are Austrian examples to refer to).

 

Although I’ve bought a Swiss locomotive, and my diesel shunter is in its original German livery rather than the one it had when on the Austrian Zillertalbahn, I’m OK to keep them within the boundaries of my freelancing.  I’ll stick with an Austrian theme while drawing on ideas from the neighbours.  Keith.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(Additional notes)

[Northroader]

https://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/france18.htm

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Slow progress this past week (as expected).  There’s a very long way to go with this building:

 

 

 

The bracing inside is essential, not for when the coffee stirrers are glued on the outside, but for their strong desire to warp when subsequently painted.  As I’m going for a more ‘polished’ feel with this Station, each coffee stirrer is split and then glued to the card template next to its original partner.  This avoids gaps and keeps the overall wall (fairly) straight.  I’m then applying two / three coats of paint to give what I hope will be a more European look.  

 

Overall size is 250mm x 100mm, or approx. 10” x 4” (bigger than a cakebox diorama model, which is limited to an 8” square).  It’s just a bit smaller than this row of US shops I built from a Walthers’ kit last year  (270mm x 115mm excl. sidewalk):

 

 

(photos of this have been shown before on RMweb)

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

I thought it would be wise to give myself a break from splitting coffee stirrers, so I’ve been working on two separate projects:

 

With my proposed layout space unavailable for the Summer, I went out to the workshop / outhouse and started putting together a 1m x 0.6m board for a simple test track, using left-over PSE from making the layout boards and the remainder of the reclaimed 12mm ply from previous failed layout attempts, shown here on an IKEA table top to test flatness:

 

 

(It appears I have learned something from all my previous false starts: at least this one was flat straight off!)

 

I thought about raising the roadbed 40mm above the subframe to match the main layout, but with timber supplies running low decided it was better on this occasion to use the 12mm ply as part of the strengthening.  I also wanted to be quick, but my luck has run out again and bad weather this week has again stopped me before I could paint these boards: déjà vu!
 

I’m not really sure why I took this next photo - but anyone who doesn’t have a dedicated layout room / workspace will know the feeling of getting everything out and putting it all away again before and after each modelling session:

 

 

(Note: my tape measure and sanding block / sandpaper sheets aren’t shown - there’s always something else I might need).

 

I also wanted to correct my HOn30 Combine, making a new body to fit between the reclaimed chassis and roof.  I’m still learning about plasticard, but I think these new sides are going to be as good as I can do at this stage:

 

 

 

 

I’ve used the same technique as on my building for window frames (ie: they’re faked by cutting a smaller aperture on the inner wall):

 

By measuring out both the inner and outer ‘walls’ together, the lined up as well as I can get them to when I cut them out.  I think I’ve reached the limit of how straight I can (can’t) cut lines: for a neater finish I’d need to buy bespoke parts.  Keith.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

As part of upgrading my passengers’ accommodation, I’ve also made some new, neater end railings for the Combine.  Having some thinner plasticard meant I could have separated planks either side of a third, middle piece - and it’s still thinner.  
 

Rather than cut individual planks this time I made a bigger ‘sandwich’ in which I just scored through the painted section - I then cut out and glued the three layers together and simply sliced off the ‘crusts’: 

 

 

 

While I know I’m repeating a lot of steps - each time I am learning something new which should help me in the future too.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

A bit of better weather and a day off mean I’ve managed to paint the baseboard for my test track layout:

 

 

This is the underside.  I realise brilliant white gloss paint is not a recommended colour for baseboard edges, where darker Matt colours are usually used to help frame the layout, but in this case the layout is designed to sit on a white IKEA table top (which is not to be painted).  We also had a new tin of white that had been bought for a small DIY task that I could use.

 

I did take the trouble to remove each pair of screws before I painted that bit of the board, after having great trouble reclaiming boards from previous uncompleted projects where I’d painted over the screws.  I may be fooling myself of course - some paint has gone into the holes this time instead.  My main hope is this board progresses further and doesn’t need dismantling at all.

 

No real purpose to the photo - I’m just happy to be making some progress.  Keith.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

With baseboard painting finished on this smaller test track layout, and a layer of cork on the top weighted down for a few days to stick firm, spare time this evening gave me the opportunity to do some more on the Combine rework.  
 

I’ve been pointed towards a different technique for making coach / passenger car sides based on building up laminate layers instead of cutting out windows, so I thought I’d give it a go with the new ends I need (this isn’t the full technique, just a simplified version):

1.  I measured out the two ends:

 

 

2.  I then separated the piece below the windows and cut the pillars and top of the windows separately - it’s easier to cut a straight line than cut out an aperture:

 

 

3. Stick down the bottom piece on the cutting mat grid, then line up each pillar with the end of the steel rule.  It only needs a tiny amount of solvent glue to hold it in place:

 

 

4.  I then cut out some more vertical sides and glued them on top to strengthen the structure.

 

5.  Finally I added some filler pieces top and bottom and cut off the spare plasticard below the ends.

 

I could do better still with some micro-strip, as some of the pillars are a bit uneven still, but it’s all stayed flat, and didn’t stick to the mat.  This laminating approach gives me a recessed door, but I could do a bit more to make the upper parts of the doors look like doors and not just more windows.  Surprisingly easy for a first attempt though: total time just over an hour, and a reasonable result so far.  As I often say, if I can do it, anyone can - and I do mean that.  Keith.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(Final photo no longer available - a picture of the finished door end is below)

[harris0169]

Hi Keith

As promised over at NGRM here is what I was thinking you could do to create the droplights from layering. Brass Crafters and Plastic Creators look away now! I'm pleased to have had a quick bash with the Bron Hebog method in card...something I wanted to try...just never expected to do it in HOn30 with American outline!  

(How We Scratchbuild Carriages - BRON HEBOG http://bronhebog.blogspot.com › carriage-building-guide)

If you want more details about how I did this I could post a topic.  There's things I'd add to the build if I was making the coach (eg: shellacking or super gluing parts of the card, marking spacing for the door frames better, using filler, sanding, etc etc.  The point was to show the droplight idea ie: creating them without cutting out rectangles.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

As an aside (another one), there’s an interesting thread in the USA & Canadian Railroads Forum at the moment about favourite railroads.  It prompted me to think about the many inspiring freelance model railroads I read about when I was captivated by Model Railroader magazine each month as a kid.  One at the top of the list for me was the Carabassett and Dead River of Bob Hayden and Dave Frary - in many ways the seminal HOn2 1/2 layout(s), I think it’s fair to say.  Part of their premise was that the Maine 2’ network carried on into the 1940s, allowing them to build the kind of light diesels emerging on Standard Gauge lines as NG power.

 

I’m not trying to copy or emulate them, but I’ve been given a surplus Athearn GP9 and I’m wondering about cutting it down and converting it to NG.  It’s not something I’ve tried before, and it may be a disaster, but I’ll see what the body is like when the paint has been stripped off (it was painted in a freelance livery many years ago).  It’s an unpowered unit these days, but of such vintage that it was one of the rubber band powered ones at one time.  

 

I know some NG modellers take N-Scale diesels and add bigger cabs (especially long hood switchers), but all the steps (etc) need modifying for it to be convincing and I’m not at that level.  This may be a daft idea, and probably not the best body type to try on (the roof-mounted dynamic brake pods are a bit of a giveaway), but NG diesels are still being built, and there are transition and post-transition era examples around (eg: White Pass and Yukon), so it’s just a thought for something to try.

 

(If I decide it’s just too big to start with, my other option would be to paint it in a Santa Fe livery and have it as a dummy unit for my long-term HO layout of course).

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(Edited for text only - photos no longer exist)

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Andy @harris0169 has raised the bar when it comes to simple scratchbuilding techniques for passenger cars:

 

On 16/07/2021 at 11:41, harris0169 said:

Hi Keith

As promised over at NGRM here is what I was thinking you could do to create the droplights from layering. Brass Crafters and Plastic Creators look away now! I'm pleased to have had a quick bash with the Bron Hebog method in card...something I wanted to try...just never expected to do it in HOn30 with American outline!  

(How We Scratchbuild Carriages - BRON HEBOG http://bronhebog.blogspot.com › carriage-building-guide)

If you want more details about how I did this I could post a topic.  There's things I'd add to the build if I was making the coach (eg: shellacking or super gluing parts of the card, marking spacing for the door frames better, using filler, sanding, etc etc.  The point was to show the droplight idea ie: creating them without cutting out rectangles.

 

I’d done a quick test the other night to see how I got on with some car ends, and the results were promising.  With some time this morning, I’ve had the opportunity to put together a better car end.  This has taken about 90 minutes.   Because the technique involves taping down the base piece, I only get to see the reverse side when it’s done.  This reveals the inaccuracies in my cutting, but on the plus side the flat inside will be easier to glaze and to fix to side walls.  It means the build will take longer (my to do list looks like increasingly like a queue in a Bank), but for a beginner I have to say I like this:

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

And in other news…

 

Test track baseboard finished and ready - track due to be delivered on Monday.  I bought a large roll of 6mm cork for my Standard Gauge plans last year, so covered the whole board (before realising it leaves me without a ballast shoulder).  I painted it grey using a tin of good quality mixed paint on clearance also bought last year - it’s a bit lighter than I thought it would be, but excellent value otherwise.

 

I’ve also bathed my GP9 body in Dettol - very effective.  I’d not realised the body was actually black plastic (I think the silver ends might have been factory painted - if so that layer hasn’t come off but it is thin and doesn’t hide any detailing).  It showed how well it has been looked after - the handrails are all present and correct (and free moving - they can be easily straightened).  I was keen to find out if I the Dettol bath worked - now I know it has this side project can join the queue, but there are quite a few things in front of it already.  Quite a productive day off today.  Take care and stay safe, Keith.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(Edited for Text only - photos no longer exist)

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Back to the Combine build.  A first attempt at the steps I’ll need for each corner.  It’s easier to see the detail through the camera lens than using the naked eye!

 

 

 

A bit fiddly trying to cut pieces of .020 thou” accurately to these small sizes, but I think these look reasonably straight.

 

I now have four sides I think I’m happy with again (my expectations have been rising faster than I can make new ones!).  These are ready for glazing and door handles:

 

 

The painting isn’t great, but that’s never been a strong point so I know I need some practice, and at normal viewing distance the flaws are less obvious - I don’t fancy starting this build yet again!

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

I’ve also had a go at some brake handles.  I tried a couple of methods, but the path of least resistance seemed to be to use a short length of cocktail stick and some thinly cut plasticard:

 

 

The cocktail stick is a bit thicker than I’d like, but will be largely hidden by the solid wood end ‘railings’ I’ve made so I’ll probably stick with them, for this build at least.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[JZ]

I use these in preference to the plastic ones that come in kits. Solder on to .45mm or .5mm brass wire.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Today has been a bonus day off, and I’ve had a bit of time to add continue adding basic details to the Combine parts:

 

 

I may regret not adding glazing before handrails (made from ordinary office staples), but I have a terrible record of smudging windows on the kits I’ve made, so am leaving that as long as possible.  I’ve not painted the steps as I want to glue them to the chassis first.  I’m planning to add some more handrails at the ends when it is all assembled: I kind of used the baggage door handrails as a test - and am happy with the results.  More than satisfied with today’s progress.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke

[Keith Addenbrooke]

…and…stop!  I think I can call this finished now:

 

 

 

 

Plenty of room for improvement of course and there’s no interior detailing, although (ironically) the very apparent flaw with the handrails nearest the camera is an optical illusion: they are in fact both more vertical and parallel than the photo above suggests.  This is the same end in close-up:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trucks only just clear the steps on 9” curves, but this is a ‘maximum length’ 40’ car so I should be OK with future builds.

The large decals are some surplus Railmatch ones my Dad had had made up for his freelance SG ‘Chicago & Atlantic Lines’ road name (probably now to be known as the ‘Carabassett & Atlantic’ ?), and the small car details are actually some dry rub transfers he’s passed on.  The decals were very easy to apply (especially given their age) so I could have cut them out closer to the lettering - there’s always something to be learning.  The only items I bought were the Peco GR-106 trucks / couplers.  

 

Overall, it is quite delicate and light (some extra weight may be needed), but the chassis has already been tested with the previous body so I think I can be reasonably confident with the running quality.  For a first fully finished attempt, I’m more than happy.

 

Keith.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(improved photo)

[Keith Addenbrooke]

With the Combine completed, my next Summer project is to lay the track for the small test track layout.  My track-laying experience is limited, so the test track is a good idea.  I don’t have a lot of spare Narrow Gauge track, so I need to think things through first.  I think my biggest practical challenge will arise from not having a dedicated indoor layout space where I can work on the layout from time to time - then leave everything to dry / set rather than having to put it all away again.

 

So where am I starting from?

 

After many years using OO Setrack for occasional running sessions with my collection of trains, I did pin down a Setrack Table top layout in 2013 - it was great fun to operate, but it was not an essay in scenic model railroading.

 

I rebuilt a simplified version of it using Streamline in 2016, but again this didn’t get as far as ballast or scenery.

 

I tested the idea of Narrow Gauge with some Peco 009 Setrack.  I’d used standard N Gauge track when I had a very brief foray into H0e a decade ago.  I like the way the 009 Setrack avoids the larger end sleepers in SG Setrack, though it feels a bit more fragile.  Nevertheless, I was sufficiently impressed to make the jump into Narrow Gauge modelling.

 

My main NG layout will use Peco 009 Streamline Track alongside the Setrack, and I would have been quite happy with more of the same for the test track.  However, I was able to get a few lengths of the alternative, Mainline Narrow Gauge Streamline instead, which is aimed at the kind of European H0e I’m running.

 

I note that the Mainline Flextrack has more sleepers per yard (120) than the irregular patterned track (106), but the arrangement of the webbing under the rails is the same as the SG track I’ve used before.

 

Lesson 1:

 

Thinking about it, the main unlearning I need to do is to appreciate that this is not a simple task to be completed this afternoon - unlike the kind of SG Setrack circuits I’ve sometimes laid out on a day off!  With that in mind, I can plan ahead.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke
(Edited for text only - photo no longer exists)