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Snapshot of Eastcoast Mainline In N Gauge


TomNGauge

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Hi All,

 

Second post on this site, but I've been browsing for a few weeks now and its given me the inspiration to get stuck into my new layout.

 

The layout is a micro one, at only two foot long by one foot wide, I've taken a snapshot of the East Coast Mainline. I've been studying the track between Edinburgh and King's Cross and the likely place for this snapshot to be is the area to the North of Peterborough Station, I'm still researching this area as it would be good to get a name for the layout....ideas welcome.

 

With my OCD problem (or so she says) I decided to use code 55 peco track with the intention of 'super-detailing' it to make it look like 2mm - a challenge! I'm a member of the 2mm society and am currently building another small layout with this track, so I will put the two together and see whether it was really worth all the extra effort to build the track. The pictures below show the layout as it is at the moment, plans are to add signals, concrete trunking, cable tubes under the track, painting up the rail sides, and the list goes on and on.

 

wide-view-of-layout.gif

topdown.gif

 

For anyone interested in how I laid the track and made an N gauge concrete point, I posted more pics and details on my blog.

 

There are a number of plans for the layout, one is to have a mirror at the top of the line (above) which will hopefully deceive the eye in to making the tracks extend. The second is to model the two track mainline at the front as a super modern, just-laid line with the wooden sleepered yard to the rear will be a neglected freight sidings, the beginnings of a bigger complex. Each end of the layout will be disguised by bridges which I will be scratch building soon.

 

As for now, off to have a cuppa and test some electrics.

 

Tom

 

Blog:

http://tomblountsmodelrailwaymodelling.blogspot.com/

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A busy day on the layout, loads of developments!

 

A full description of what I've been up to is on my blog and a few more pics of the development, but here's just a few pics to get the old appetite going. I'm really surprised at how quickly I'm getting through the list of jobs on this layout, but I put this all down to its small size. I've added cable tubing, concrete trunking, point operating mechanism to the mainline point and begun some of the scenic work. Pics...

 

overall-view-2.gif

An overall view of the 2ft x 1ft layout. I've constructed mock-up bridges out of offcuts of foam board to check clearances and elevations for the landscape.

 

point-detail-1.gif

A view of the concrete mainline point and you can just about see the yellow point mechanism, scratch built from some bits of plasticard and brass wire, needs another coat of yellow yet.

 

overall-view.gif

An overview of the layout from the south bridge, you can see the orange cable tubing towards the bottom right of the layout, you can also make out the concrete trunking and the small stream bed right at the front of the layout. I've added the contours of the

 

I've also added the fine road / dirt surface in between the mainline and the freight sidings, this is made from PVA, polyfilla and grey paint.

 

I'm now waiting for the mirror to arrive, this will sit below bridge height on the north bridge (the bridge to the left of the photos) and some DAS modeling clay will arrive soon, this will form the access road to the rear of the freight sidings.

 

Cheers

 

Tom

 

 

Blog:

http://tomblountsmod...g.blogspot.com/

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Thanks for all the comments!

 

There will be plenty more pics coming, with the evening free last night I was able to get the first coat of Dark rust onto the mainline rails and todays jobs will be to get the frieght sidings sprayed with a coat of frame dirt and the backscene painted a pale blue.

 

As for the point, I did paint this myself, its just a bog standard Peco Large Radius Code 55 point with RailMatch Concrete Paint and Dark Rust added to the sleepers / rail - a laborious process but I'm glad I spent the time doing it.

 

As for the name, I still haven't decided, I would like it to be somewhere on the East Coast Mainline. Because the majority of the line is four tracks, a bit of imagination is needed to assume the other two mainline tracks run just in front of where the layout ends...I was thinking if I complete this and its feasible I would make a small board to attach to the front to add the missing two tracks but this is just an idea at the moment. I had a quick google earth down the track looking for a similar section but that takes a while, will be continuing the search soon, although I'm welcome to suggestions.

 

Cheers

 

Tom

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Very nicely done so far, keep up the good work and it surely will look great once you have finished.

 

For me, it has appears to echo the south (i.e. going up to edinburgh) approach to Doncaster, with the various freight sidings either side of the mainline.

 

Cheers

 

Chris

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Very nicely done so far, keep up the good work and it surely will look great once you have finished.

 

For me, it has appears to echo the south (i.e. going up to edinburgh) approach to Doncaster, with the various freight sidings either side of the mainline.

 

Cheers

 

Chris

 

Thanks Chris, just had a quick study of the old Google map and its looking like the best place to set the layout is the very South of Doncaster, bit of 'what-if' might be needed to omit one track and the adding of a second road bridge, but just North of White Rose Way passing over the road bridge is almost identical to the track layout I have. So the name......"Doncaster South"...

 

Thanks!

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Thanks for the comment Lee, I'm making good progress on the little layout. This afternoon in the hobby office I have painted the backscene with it's first coat of light blue paint (a tester pot from B&Q), then sprayed the freight sidings with a coating of RailMatch's Frame Dirt, added a layer of PVA/Polyfilla onto the pre-formed land masses and then finally started adding cabling around the under-track tubing. Hoping the DAS modeling clay comes soon so I can crack on with the access road, also need to scratch build the odd signal and order some kits from CR signals, as well as build the control panel, fiddle yard, and the list goes on!!!

 

Overview-1.gif

 

Looking at the layer of PVA/Polyfilla drying out I probably didn't add enough brown paint to the mix so this will need another coating of brown before any grass is allowed anywhere near it. You can also see the painted rails on the mainline in this pic.

 

Tom

 

Blog:

http://tomblountsmodelrailwaymodelling.blogspot.com/

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Hi Tom looking brilliant!

We have similar projects, except im west coast lol!

 

will watch this come along with pleasure, all the best.

 

Jack.

i wounderd how long till you found this thread ,lol

 

looking good tom

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That's a nice subtle blue on the backdrop, and well executed on the curved backdrop too....The one think I missed a trick on, dspite being well advised.

 

The landscape is coming together nicely, and seeing the level of detail already applied, I'll be paying particular interest to your ballasting. Do you know what ballast you'll be using yet?

 

Looking forward to your next update!

 

Regards

 

Lee :)

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I'm quite pleased with the result of the backscene, I may add some very subtle white paint patches to represent some whispy clouds but not sure at the moment.

 

I've been testing out a few shades of ballast but think I've settled on Woodland Scenics Fine Light Grey ballast for the mainline, I'm still deciding on the shades for the freight sidings.

 

I've just installed the first scratch built ground signal, a Berko 2 aspect signal at the front of the layout and a yard light, needs painting up but I will add photos this afternoon!

 

Cheers

 

Tom

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Signals, Stones and Mirrors!

 

The last few evenings and the odd hour here and there has seen great progress on the micro layout. The small mirror for under the North bridge arrived with some DAS modelling clay on Thursday and so the evening saw me adding these two features.

 

I also managed to build some signals, the large signal that straddles the two track mainline is built from a mix of LED cut-offs, plasticard and two old Berko signal heads that I had knocking around. All it needs now is some signage and some ladders adding. I've also built the first of two ground signals, one of which you can just about make out in some of the photos, at present this is just two 2mm red LED's but I'm looking to add a micro white LED but I'll need a much smaller soldering iron for that!

 

I've also got on with ballasting the track, I've used Woodland Scenics fine ballast in two colours, the slightly darker shade being used to the yard which will see some heavy weathering once I'm happy with everything. The mainline will receive a light weathering just to bring out the detail in the sleepers. You can see in some of the pics I have added the TPWS grids next to the signals, these were made from some very fine string mesh, I think this came in a challenger 2 tank kit about 4 years ago....I never throw anything away.

 

Things to do next are to add another layer of DAS clay over the access road to bring the road up to track level, the bridges need building, I need to build the control panel and I'd like to get started on the lighting pelmet for the top of the layout and the fiddle yard board, loads to do as always.

 

I might re-build the signal when time as I'd like to use finer parts but this will be a future development. Also you'll have noticed the catenary is missing, this is because the catenary that was on the layout just didn't look right in photographs and the layout feels a lot bigger without it, I will be experimenting with it to find the best place to install it.

 

Overall+view.jpg

Closer+signal.jpg

ballasted+track+&+signal.jpg

Higher+view+signal.jpg

 

Oh and hoover up any loose ballast........once dried

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