RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 13, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) Smrzovka is doing its first show this year at the East Grinstead Model Railway Clubs show this weekend. The layout was started about six years ago and has been built by myself and Warbonnet with help from one of our regular operators Mike. He built the goods shed and the small out buildings next to the old engine shed plus various items of rolling stock including the steam special. The layout is DC controlled. We would like to go DCC but the long small unit and loco numbers have precluded us from doing so for now. A large amount of the stock is kit built resin or plastic bodies. However more is now available to run such as the dsitinctive 'Goggles' locomotives and some of the coaches. Here are a few photos of the layout. One of the photos shows what inspired us to build this layout with a bottle seen sitting on the layout whilst it was under construction! Ian Edited April 10 by roundhouse 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted March 13, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 The bottle inspired it but no doubt slowed progress too This looks like the one I saw at Eurotrack a few years back, very nice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Really nice, and a wonderful scale for exhibitions as you can get it to look BIG in a small area, all the best Andy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Its always good to see something different, and in nearly 35 years I have never seen Czech 3mm! Nice one 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taigatrommel Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Although TT has long been the dominant scale in Czech railway modelling, there's been a glut of new items lately- Goggles from three manufacturers, Type Ys from two, 749s, 372s and Regioshuttles from Kühn... good times. And a lovely layout to show them off on, it really looks the business. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supaned Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Nice layout - I remember seeing it in Continental Modeller , but have never seen it in person. I like the goggle with the DMU trailers.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted March 13, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 A bit different from Banbury! But very interesting. I was in the Czech Republic for a holiday about 10 years ago and found lots of interesting models available there in both HO and TT. Really good manufacturers who have somehow failed to build an international reputation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 13, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) Yes there is some nice TT stuff coming out now. We have plans to build Praha Masarykovo one day and with the EMU's coming out it may give us the impetus to start it. TT is my prefered scale - if only it had taken off in the UK and USA its ideal for adding detail yet can get quite a bit more in the space than OO / HO. If it wasnt for the beer, we would never had built this station. We had to wait 45 minutes for the connecting branch train and found the bar to serve very nice dark beer by Konrad. We stood on the platform with a glass of this beer on a beautifull Spetember morning and the beer gave us the inspiration to do this model. Ian Edited March 13, 2012 by roundhouse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted March 13, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 So agree with you about Continental TT. 1:120 scale is just so much better than 1:148/1:160 when it comes to visible detail but allows massively more layout in an average space than 1:76/1:87. And 120 x 12mm = 1440mm, a proper track gauge. What's not to like? Huge shame that when Triang tried to launch British TT (1959?), the technology simply did not allow them to use 1:120. If they had held off for another ten years and gone for 1:120, I think that it could have been a massive success. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katier Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Lovely layout, in the UK there is still a thriving community for TT/3mm modelling and indeed we have a 3mm section in the special forums here which covers all forms of TT and 3mm/ft modelling. While the only modern RTR is continental, the range of kit's is HUGE, easily as big as most other scales. Definitely a viable option for the UK as well as continental. Lovely example of modelling though, what track did you use? I know Tilling do a range, in the UK most people either hand build (with or without Society flexi track bases), use 3SMR, or Peco HoM. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 13, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 The track is by Tillig. Very nice track but the ite bars are a bit fragile and the check rails tend to come out when cleaning the track, even when they have been glued in place. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Hudson Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 This has a great feel to it and well animated, thanks for posting. Andrew Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 13, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 A few Youtube videos taken a while ago at various shows Ian and the real one! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted March 13, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 Just for the record guys, 3mm to the foot is a purely British type of TT giving (on 12mm track) a gauge of just 4' - even worse than the 4'1 1/2 of OO. Continental TT is approximately 2.5mm/1 ft. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted March 13, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 Some great videos there. Show what a great prototype Czech railways are with very short trains. Weather was a bit foul. Coffee or hot chocolate might have been more suitable than that beer. (Only joking, nothing keeps me from Czech beers). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 13, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) Ah....we drink Czech beers what ever the weather. Also a good excuse to get more photos of the real railways when we go over there. Havent been this year yet though. The last few times we have gone by Eurostar and through Germany. Makes a great week. Ian Edited March 13, 2012 by roundhouse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 13, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 13, 2012 The bottle inspired it but no doubt slowed progress too This looks like the one I saw at Eurotrack a few years back, very nice. Paul Yes it was at Eurotrack a few back. I have just been enlarging the stock trays tonight so that I can get more of the newer items into it - saves removing each item from its manufacturers box and putting them back again after the show. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supaned Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I suspect things will have changed quite a bit since your last visit. There is a lot of stock now in the new CD blue and white livery , and lots of 814 "RegioNova" units buzzing around replacing loco hauled trains... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 14, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2012 Things had changed when we were last there last Easter. Virtually all Regio Nova units except for the branch class 810 railcar, new (well sort of) platforms instead of just gravel, plus the area to the West of the station buildingtowards the loco shed has now ben turned into a bus stop / turning area, so no doubt more changes since then. A shame really as we had a great time in previous years along this route and at Liberec watching railcar tailers bein shunted about and the loco hauled services on the more important lines to Decin, Usti nad Labem and before that, to Pardubice. Oh well I suppose its progress and things couldnt have staye the same oherwise there would be mass line closures rather than just thinning out lines slowly over the last few years. I do hope they dont have a mass closure of lines any time soon like many of the neighbouring countries including Austria. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCromptonParkinson Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I really like this, there is something about it. Awesome. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D802 FORMIDABLE Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Really like it Ian , nice to see something a bit different and love that loco in second pic as it is the spitting image of Bender (pmsl) Cheers Anthony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 15, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks Anthony Yes those 'Goggle's are quite different. Quite a few have been rebuilt for continuing use of freight and passenger workings, so they have some years left in them unlike the Frowning locos which might have all gone by now. Great sounding locos though. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 16, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 16, 2012 Smrzovka ready for loading in the morning along with the new stock box which will speed up putting the stock on to the layout. Takes us about an hour to unload and set up and half hour to dismantle and load on the Sunday evening. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 17, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 17, 2012 A line up of Goggles on Smrzovka today at the East Grinstead show. Ian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 17, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) Here is a short video taken today at the East Grinstead show before opening hence no trains moving but it shows the scenic section of the layout. Edited March 17, 2012 by roundhouse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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