Toy Tram layout ?

[deeslexia]

Hi .

 

I wonder if it's considered odd to create a small 1/64 layout to run a couple of obviously short Corgi London Tramsport Trams as inspired by those sold on e-bay ?

The LCC trams would be accurate,but I prefer the London Transport style .

I thought to have a 1.5 metre length with an arched embankment behind which would accept the 1/72 buses etc in perspective .

Simple for a beginner I hope.  

 

dee

[maunsel]

Hardly odd, all you have to do is find a suitable motor chassis. But why not try old Keilkraft kits or Bec kits in OO?

 

Don't forget that LT used a fair bit of conduit, so that makes things easier.

 

Easiest of all is to model the Aldwych Subway................

 

 

 

Eric

Derby

UK

[Armchair Modeller]

There are 1:76 plastic tram kits on eBay too - they would match the scale of the buses better. You can use OO track then too.

 

Just a couple of examples (not mine!)

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AIRFIX-TYPE-LONDON-FELTHAM-TRAM-TOWER-TRAMS-MODEL-KIT-/111124574753?pt=UK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item19df8a7221

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORGI-TOWER-TRAM-KIT-LONDON-E1-OPEN-PLATFORM-1-76-OTHERS-/161058178798?pt=UK_ToysGames_DiecastVehicles_DiecastVehicles_JN&hash=item257fd0c6ee

[Red Devil]

Corgi Felthams and Tower plastic E1s give you you the basics for a LT tram layout, the plastic kits can be bashed to other London types E3, HR2 etc easily enough

 

http://londonmodeltramways.webs.com/

 

Corgi trams have been used in the past, have a look at

 

http://www.gordonstrams.net/SCTpage1.htm

 

If motorising, you've got the choice, of BEC, Tenshodo, Halling motorbogies amongst others.....I personally prefer Halling as they possibly run the best and a reasonably priced.

[PhilJ W]

Why not model a tram depot? MPD's are a popular subject for limited spaces and a tram depot will allow you to display several models in a small area. 

[Red Devil]

Why not model a tram depot? MPD's are a popular subject for limited spaces and a tram depot will allow you to display several models in a small area. 

Only problem with building a  tram depot is that it involves pointwork and a simple loop or oval is a fair bit easier for someone new to inset street track.. Unless you go down the route of using Luna trackwaork which can work out on the expensive side. 

[PhilJ W]

Only problem with building a  tram depot is that it involves pointwork and a simple loop or oval is a fair bit easier for someone new to inset street track.. Unless you go down the route of using Luna trackwaork which can work out on the expensive side. 

Some London tram depots had very little pointwork, they relied on a traverser 

[Red Devil]

Some London tram depots had very little pointwork, they relied on a traverser 

 

Very true, but some pointwork involved and both for a beginner on a simple layout?

[deeslexia]

Thanks guys. I may just create a long diorama with two live tracks . I can up the scenery to 1/64 OK .

It's gonna be one of those fantasy type layouts which some rail modellers create,I guess.

I shall be needing some advice on track etc in due course.

Dee

[hartleymartin]

I've taken a look at the Luna track system. Used judiciously, I think that it can work out well. I would probably look at ways of using regular flexible track for long stretches though. I don't know if it happened in London, but in various places where Tramways had their own right-of-way they had regular railway-style ballasted track.

[PhilJ W]

I've taken a look at the Luna track system. Used judiciously, I think that it can work out well. I would probably look at ways of using regular flexible track for long stretches though. I don't know if it happened in London, but in various places where Tramways had their own right-of-way they had regular railway-style ballasted track.

The only place in London where the trams had their own right-of-way was The Embankment and that was 'paved' like the normal street track. The nearest place to London with such track was Southend where the track was grassed over and separated from the highway by hedges.

[deeslexia]

OOPs!

This all started with a visit to the East Anglia Transport Museum and a ride on an LT tram which transpired to be that which a small obsessive mildly Autistic child was fascinated by outside Chessington Zoo.

Co-incidentally, I found someone selling motorised Corgi Trams on e-bay , and stumbling across two unused toy Hornby basic train sets in the loft...

 

There was a thought that it would be fun to see a tram actually moving ...

 

I have just checked the cost of the amazing Luna system which would require my selling a pair of 1933/34 Leica II cameras 

The Luna element is that I am actually considering it !!!

 

I may run to a couple of 750 length within a Billy Bookcase with back scene .I would have to be a touch careful with the speed controller !!!

I would not mind the simple loop on a backboard which I can create a scene around , but in a sense , having two trams passing closely would be so much better .

 

Why did I start this ??? !!!

 

dee

[Velopeur]

The only place in London where the trams had their own right-of-way was The Embankment and that was 'paved' like the normal street track. The nearest place to London with such track was Southend where the track was grassed over and separated from the highway by hedges.

 

Alexandra Palace had a section with its own right of way, if I remember correctly - and what about the Kingsway underpass? They were both very unusual in their own ways though - not the normal type of tramway situation by any means.

[deeslexia]

I am thinking an extended tunnel with underground station like the Holborn underpass with half roof over .

Looking through static track with trams through columns to the tram moving behind.

Could work for me.

dee

[glennofootscray]

Thanks guys. I may just create a long diorama with two live tracks . I can up the scenery to 1/64 OK .

It's gonna be one of those fantasy type layouts which some rail modellers create,I guess.

I shall be needing some advice on track etc in due course.

Dee

A simple block wired twin track end to end layout with termini and a cross over in the middle can offer a multitude of running scenarios. Segments can be made modular, therefore interchangeable and extendable when the need arises.

 

This is how "Victoria Street" started.

 

 

http://glennofootscray.blogspot.com.au/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennofootscray/8255850548/

 

Regards Glenn

[Paul1973]

I have just ordered one of these:

 

 

It is sold for 22.65 US dollar by a Chinese webshop called Ezbustoys that sells bus models in all scales. They call this a bus also, but it is obvious that it is a modern Light Rail Vehicle.

 

It is made of plastic in 1/43 scale. I could not resist buying one. Motorizing it should not be that difficult.

 

Regards, Paul

[maunsel]

OOPs!

This all started with a visit to the East Anglia Transport Museum and a ride on an LT tram which transpired to be that which a small obsessive mildly Autistic child was fascinated by outside Chessington Zoo.

Co-incidentally, I found someone selling motorised Corgi Trams on e-bay , and stumbling across two unused toy Hornby basic train sets in the loft...

 

There was a thought that it would be fun to see a tram actually moving ...

 

I have just checked the cost of the amazing Luna system which would require my selling a pair of 1933/34 Leica II cameras 

The Luna element is that I am actually considering it !!!

 

I may run to a couple of 750 length within a Billy Bookcase with back scene .I would have to be a touch careful with the speed controller !!!

I would not mind the simple loop on a backboard which I can create a scene around , but in a sense , having two trams passing closely would be so much better .

 

Why did I start this ??? !!!

 

dee

 

Why? probably for the reasons we all do. It's fun to play with trams!

 

A thought on trackwork. If you decide on two straight tracks then you will need turnouts at each end to get the tram onto the correct track to run back and forth.

Whereas a double track loop can avoid any turnouts and any shunting or changing over of stock can be done behind the back scene. A four

wheel tram should get round sound pretty tight curves. If you use bogie trams then the tram bodies may need some trimming to cope. Just remember

to allow a bit of extra room between the tracks on the curves to avoid the trams touching each other.

 

A double loop in the 10 inch depth of a Billy bookcase would be very tight. So you could always hide both ends of the diorama and use ordinary Hornby or Peco turnouts, or build a hidden turntable or traverser at each end. Or use a return loop at each end, so the layout looks like a dogbone.

 

My initial research for layout ideas generally starts with YouTube, just type in 'model tram' as a starting point.

 

Good luck, and have fun.

 

Eric

Derby

[deeslexia]

Thanks everyone. It will take a while until I have a motorised tram .

But the you tube vids are good .

Someone just made simple card trams with old locomotive motors which could be quite fun.

I guess,I am just gonna go with what I can!,

[Barry O]

It is amazing the radii that a single truck tram will go around - indeed using your own chassis the Felthams will round a sharp curve.  Headingley Depot makes use of "black boxes" at each end to turn the trams   - I think these may be less than 10" radii - I will check tomorrow as it is set up down at the club at the moment..

[deeslexia]

One aspect which I did recognise from the you tube vids is that the single deck Corgi trams look better with OO scale buses etc.

I am looking at a London Transport double decker and having evil thoughts of removing the upper deck and glueing the roof to the lower deck.

It seems my search for no-more-than-£7 trams is far  from over!!

The proportions with 3 lower windows look better somehow.

This was far from my intention of a LT layout, but things progress from the initial WOW moment from that video of a tram whizzing around a 100mph from the e-bay seller !

I do have a £5 red Southampton single deck which will repaint into LT colours over the original red,[ without the interior looking wrong , so a couple more of these could work .

They might even look cool with a trailer tram.

I have no idea how all this will turnout !

[Red Devil]

It is amazing the radii that a single truck tram will go around - indeed using your own chassis the Felthams will round a sharp curve.  Headingley Depot makes use of "black boxes" at each end to turn the trams   - I think these may be less than 10" radii - I will check tomorrow as it is set up down at the club at the moment..

 

Tight radius......my specialty! Have a look here at about 3:15, this shows the tightest corner (!) on my Grime St layout, radius is less than 5 inch, bogie cars and single truck cars up to 40mm wheelbase handle it without too many problems, the Middleton Bogie (it had had a collision with the floor earlier hence the damage)  is on a modified Tamaden chassis whilst the railcoach is on a pretty much std Halling C mech. 

 

[deeslexia]

Mock up of the cheap and cheerful embankment from a Corgi tram back scene and infix bricks stolen from the internet which indicates how 00 buses can be separated from the trams.

 

Initially, I am thinking relief arches about 2 metres long with powered track to the front and static track behind with several LT trams on display.

[i don't know how to make a cross over or how to run two trams with my existing toy Hornby train set controller, so just a try out to see if I really wish to proceed with this]

 

Note the destination board from 'Charlie' who sells card trams on ebay, plus fantasy East Acton route and Number 7.[ Home Town]

No route 7 shown on 1938 map though.

 

Just Pritt or double sided tape for now.

[Barry O]

Checked the radius of "black Box" track on Headingley Depot - it is about 5" radius. As the owner was down the club he gave me some more info:

 

1 as his trams pick up through the track and return is through the overhead the radius is limited by the size of the pantograph on top of the tram

2 he has had 3" radius curves but only for non bogie - short wheelbase trams

3 have a go!

[hartleymartin]

From the narrow-gauge crowd, I've heard that as a general rule, the minimum radius needs to be 10 times the fixed wheelbase of your longest vehicle, although I think that this can be safely reduced to 7 times for trams. This is measured as the distance between bogie pivots on the bogie trams.

 

You may find that slight gauge widening on some curves (ie from 16.5mm to 17.0mm) will help ease the situation.

 

Another trick is to use a very soft graphite (6B or 9B) on the rail heads, and on the treads (and flanges) of your wheels. This will help with conductivity, but will allow the wheels a bit of that differential slip that is inevitable at these tight radii.

[deeslexia]

Thanks, I shall bear that measurement in mind, it seems that the Corgi tram bogie will be about 30mm centres , so about 220 radius should be OK.