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Hobbiton End


bridgiesimon
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Hello and welcome, I have decided that I need that extra dollup of motivation to get going on my new layout and thought that ensuring regular updates on here would ensure that.

 

Anyway the background is -

50ish years since the battle against the dark forces and elapsed and life in the Shire is settled and happy. Since his travels around the lands of Middle Earth, Meriadoc Brandybuck has found a good following for locally produced pipe tobacco's and has gone into business acquiring, blending and trading his special pipe weed. Around the same time a group of enterprising Dwarfs have been developing a railway system and it has now stretched a branh line deep into the Shire to a new terminus station at Hobbiton End. This is now used by the developing 'Meriadoc's pipeweed Supplies' company.

 

Anyway the idea is for a small narrow gauge terminus station on the side of a hill with a few typical hobbit holes around it, a couple of sidings and a station. There are several ranges of miniatures who do suitable hobbit cxharacters and I am presently trying to mix and match which ones match size wise to each other to acquire a range of characters.

 

I have always tried to be prototypical with my modelling whether it is the railways or my large scale modelling. I suppose this is my rebellious nature coming out and sending my imagination on a journey through Middle Earth life. I do not want to go too far through the Lord of the Rings ilmstyles but an aware that if my layout looks too different then it would not succeed with the viewing publc assuming at some point I get exhibition invites.

 

I have built some hobbit holes so far as well as planned the layout and started playing with suitable stock.

 

I will add some of those piccies when I have taken them later today.

 

Anyway, what do you guys think of the idea so far - total nut case or a little bit of fun?

 

Please don't be too harsh

 

Best wishes

Simon

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Ok, time to try and add a few piccies, firstly the most important tatty rough untidy piece of paper - the planning scroll.

 

post-3347-0-65001200-1303651304_thumb.jpg

 

 

I have also added some piccies of the work so far -

Some of the buildings constructed including

The Pipe weed store This is designed to locate on the front of a loading platform at the railway side where the scenery drops towards the front of the layout, hense the deep rear side of the building.

 

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Hobbiton End station building, designed to be located with only the frontage sticking out from the front of the hilkl, the whole interior will be underground but lit so can be viewed through the windows.

 

post-3347-0-95779500-1303652005_thumb.jpg

 

A terrace of hobbit holes, I hope to add a small smoke unit to the chimney at some point, also maybe lighting as well although these at the moment do not have any interior detail.

 

post-3347-0-40382000-1303652026_thumb.jpg

 

A single hobbit hole, this one is detailed inside with a small hallway and a bedroom. This will also be built into the hillside with lighting etc. I still have to complete the small garden with flower and maybe a garden bench outside the doorway.

 

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The ale and wine store, a very important building with full detail inside - barrels, crates of bottles and boxes of supplies. It has a scratchbuild shelves around for all the stock, again this will be lit.

 

post-3347-0-54762900-1303653571_thumb.jpg

 

There is also a piccie of the first four Hobbits I have painted, I have chosen a range of hobbits that are almost charicatures, reinforcing the light hearted nature of the project.

 

post-3347-0-56603000-1303653593_thumb.jpg

 

Finally I ahvae a piccie of the first loco as is so far, it has a scratchbuilt wooden cab and will be detailed with a Dwarf crew, tools etc. It will be running on a Grafar Jinty chassis

 

post-3347-0-16311800-1303653601_thumb.jpg

 

PLease give me feedback of what you think so far.

 

Best wishes

 

Simon

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LOVE IT!!! absolutely brilliant. You providing any passenger services and if so will the stock be customised dependent on clientelle, afterall a hobbit has substantially different stature to a dwarf, human or elf!!

 

Thank you, yes I am planning on varying the stock, I am looking at coaches based on horse drawn carraiges but with round doors for the hobbits, possobly named as Pullhobbit stock (rather than Pulman). I am looking at possibly having open topped coaches for the taller passengers but this is an area that I am not sure of at the mo. I like the look of the Snailbeach District Railway hopper kits from Dundas for some of the goods stock as well as suitable scratchbuilt wagons for sheep, ponies, bales of pipe weed and other local supplies

SDR wagons - http://www.parksidedundas.co.uk/acatalog/Snailbeach_District_Railway.html

 

The miniatures are from a range by Battleforge (www.thebattleforge.co.uk)and are excellent castings with loads of detail and sensibly priced.

 

Best wishes

Simon

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Superb, go for it! I don't know why, but I suddenly had a vision of a series of two wheel cariages, rather like Hansom Cabs, trundling along behind that loco - but they'd be a bu99er to run in reverse! (One possibility might be to have them in rigid pairs, so that they effectively become 4 wheelers.

I also think you should go for a pub for a bit of evening carousing! Somewhere on the internet there is a superb dwarven tavern in a basement with stone steps running down into it and drunken figures, customers, and "bar-girls" with fist-fulls of tankards - I can't find it at the moment though.

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Superb, go for it! I don't know why, but I suddenly had a vision of a series of two wheel cariages, rather like Hansom Cabs, trundling along behind that loco - but they'd be a bu99er to run in reverse! (One possibility might be to have them in rigid pairs, so that they effectively become 4 wheelers.

I also think you should go for a pub for a bit of evening carousing! Somewhere on the internet there is a superb dwarven tavern in a basement with stone steps running down into it and drunken figures, customers, and "bar-girls" with fist-fulls of tankards - I can't find it at the moment though.

 

This one?

http://www.miniwargaming.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=43422

 

love the idea for the hanson style cabs, really got me thinking. Sounds great about the pub as well better have another look and make sure I can fit one in.

 

 

Simon

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quote name='shortliner' timestamp='1303660750' post='383105']

http://skullcrafts.c...php?topic=501.0

Slightly off topic, but some quite clever Lego Middle-Earth stuff here http://www.flickr.co...s/kumipallomaa/

http://www.coolminio...95-bree-village

Sorry, but can't find the one I was looking for

 

 

Ok missed yer second message, excellent stuff, I am getting more and more excited about this project, I was thinking of adding a small quarry scene with dwarfs and possibly using a tamed cave troll for the muscle. Great link off one of those for a company called Thomarillion who do a pile of great stuff!

 

post-3347-0-67881100-1303663133_thumb.jpg

 

Anyway, getting a little OTT me thnks

 

Simon

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What an original idea, with liking the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books, Films and of course railway modelling a super subject.

 

Delight full models to go with it. You cannot have standard track, some form of rustic sleepers or baulk road. I will look out for the updates, thanks for shareing it with us

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What an original idea, with liking the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books, Films and of course railway modelling a super subject.

 

Delight full models to go with it. You cannot have standard track, some form of rustic sleepers or baulk road. I will look out for the updates, thanks for shareing it with us

 

Interesting you should say that, it is something I am looking at using some form of flatbottom rail on baulk timbers and occasional tie bars/timber/stones etc Am considering making my own track for the plain track - rails on hardwood square section strips with occasional cross members, as I am scared of building my own, revamping Peco points. Also deep ballasting will help give a different effect.

 

I would also like to say how much I appreciate everyones comments, it has given me massive confidence to develop the layout, development that I will, obviously, share on here!

 

Best wishes

 

Simon

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Interesting you should say that, it is something I am looking at using some form of flatbottom rail on baulk timbers and occasional tie bars/timber/stones etc Am considering making my own track for the plain track - rails on hardwood square section strips with occasional cross members, as I am scared of building my own, revamping Peco points. Also deep ballasting will help give a different effect.

 

I would also like to say how much I appreciate everyones comments, it has given me massive confidence to develop the layout, development that I will, obviously, share on here!

 

Best wishes

 

Simon

 

Simon

 

What scale are you building to ?

 

Track work is a doddle to the work you have done on the buildings, you could think abour using 4mm ply sleeper strip or even copperclad strip (or both) all you need is a couple of gauges

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Based on the measurements of the figures I am looking at a scale of around 5.5mm scale and am planning on using 9mm gauge track to allow for the range of available N gauge mechanisms. Track construction scared the hell out of me and the likelihood of getting it reliable enough for exhibition running is rather low, I work ok with card and plastic but with a soldering iron is a very different matter. Maybe it is time to dive in and give it a go.

 

Simon

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Based on the measurements of the figures I am looking at a scale of around 5.5mm scale and am planning on using 9mm gauge track to allow for the range of available N gauge mechanisms. Track construction scared the hell out of me and the likelihood of getting it reliable enough for exhibition running is rather low, I work ok with card and plastic but with a soldering iron is a very different matter. Maybe it is time to dive in and give it a go.

 

Simon

 

Simon

 

To my mind N gauge sleepers may look to small, even 00 RTR sleepers are actualy H0 gauge 3.5mm. So either true 4mm scale sleepers or S gauge may look better.

 

With what I have seen narrow gauge track uses similar sleeper widths as standard gauge, so if you can get some wood or ply strip between 4 and 5mm wide you will get the impression of bulk that is needed to stand up to heavy locos and rolling stock.

 

9mm track gauges can be brought, but are easily from scrap metal sheet. You could use spikes to hold the rail in place. OK there might be a small bit of soldering and filing on the turnouts but not much.

 

You could look at Peco code 82 flat bottom rail which would be easy to lay eithe with mormal sleepers or baulk road. Off stage just make copperclad track for ease/speed/cost.

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