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BEIJIAO - a large Chinese HO exhibition layout set in the 21st century


TEAMYAKIMA
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Do what we did when faced with a layout or two that could only be erected in the garden: Buy a party tent. We have an 8mx4m tent that we now have a floor and carpet and lighting for, when we want to put the layout up (and testing has to be done at home, you can't do that in front of the public) we can make quite a comfortable layout room outside that is reasonably weatherproof. 

 

Andi

 

Unfortunately back garden too small and too uneven. Have had three boards (maybe four) up at one go. The church hall is a better bet.

 

How are you crating it up for transport?

 

Haven't a clue yet  ... concentrating on building the thing first. This is a hugely ambitious project for one person still working a 40 hour week.

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Nothing wrong with the ambition but worth considering now as you'll need to protect the structures and track ends ;)

Some at my club took over the O gauge and didn't use the carry boxes, just G clamps and it turned up at the show with a crushed homebuilt bracket signal and other minor damage.

Do you have a group of friends to help move and operate it? By yourself it will be a risk as any minor cold or injury could make it really hard work. I've even done a show with a broken ankle thanks to friends helping. Don't rely on shows providing help as it can be sparse if they are short on members or over helpful ;)

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Here are two freight cars I've worked on ... a wood load for the C64k and weathering ... just weathering on the tank car

 

 

                                                                           post-4476-0-90859000-1403774595_thumb.jpg

 

 

                                                                           post-4476-0-50020400-1403774600_thumb.jpg

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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I just love that c64 weathering and load.

 

Using the 'load' itself to enable more of the 'load' to be 'loaded'(!!) is just so typical of China and demonstrates the level of attention to detail that you are going to.

 

I've seen all sorts of stuff loaded into those things too, although it has to be said, mainly coal dust.

 

 

Kev.

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I just love that c64 weathering and load.

 

Using the 'load' itself to enable more of the 'load' to be 'loaded'(!!) is just so typical of China and demonstrates the level of attention to detail that you are going to.

 

I've seen all sorts of stuff loaded into those things too, although it has to be said, mainly coal dust.

 

 

Kev.

 

Here is the inspiration for the C64, taken from the dining car over lunch ....

 

                                                                              post-4476-0-45616800-1403788316_thumb.jpg

 

And the tank car ...

 

                                                                             post-4476-0-69353500-1403788846_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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I will watch this with interest. Although the Bachmann models have been available for some time I have yet to see a layout making use of them.

Only the one as far as I know - my little loco shed layout 'Changchun'. It still exists, in store in dads garage, but has't been exhibited for a few years now.

 

Teamyakima project coming on leaps and bounds, watching with interest from here!

 

Regards

 

Richard,

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Only the one as far as I know - my little loco shed layout 'Changchun'. It still exists, in store in dads garage, but has't been exhibited for a few years now.

 

Teamyakima project coming on leaps and bounds, watching with interest from here!

 

Regards

 

Richard,

 

Richard (Ben ?) - you are the original Chinese modeller as far as I know - saw your layout somewhere like Milton Keynes from memory. I don't really classify myself as a modeller - The most I do is weather RTR stock - you built a QJ out of a Fleischmann class 50 - that's modelling!

 

One of the reasons I want to build this project ( as quickly as possible) is that I want to do something different and I want to get it to exhibition before every show has a Chinese HO layout.

 

The five exhibition layouts I've built in the past have been firstly in OO and then OO9 .... by then (late 1970s) I got bored with seeing the same concepts at every show ( GWR branch etc) so my next layout was in American standard gauge O, then in the mid 1980s in was in ON30 (long before Bachmann did On30), then it was ON3 with sound (long before sound was generally available).  Each layout was novel for its time and now every show you go to has an American On30 layout - many with sound! 

 

So Chinese HO may be the final frontier .....I only hope I can get it on the exhibition circuit before it's a case of  "Oh no! Not another Chinese HO layout!"

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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Doubt you'll be challenged anytime soon. The Bachmann stuff has really gone up in price since I started collecting ;)

I picked up two more QJ's last year for a bargain price and they will eventually be fitted with Tsunami decoders for a one day layout. I've planned it and it's a smaller version of your plan with a short 9ft scene with a 8-10 road fiddleyard. I just had two through lines with trains circulating in front of the entrance to an industrial complex with the SY trundling back and forth with works trains.

I did see a company advertising N gauge DF4's on eBay and had thoughts of the Jinpeng curved viaducts in N but as there were no QJ's it would have been a bit monotonous plus expensive in stock ;)

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Just to show that show tracklaying has taken place and that I'm just not delusional, here is a photo taken in January ..

 

It shows the scenic section, in particular the approach to the industrial storage sidings and the industrial passenger station  This is the l/h end of the trackplan viewed from the operators side. The double track mainline and the single track regional line are just 3 inch spurs at the moment to take the track off the FY boards...

 

post-4476-0-46022200-1404030058_thumb.jpg

 

Here is another photo taken a few days later. This shows the concrete sleepered industrial mainline with the two wooden sleepered loops either side.It also shows the concrete sleepered passenger platform road (with a coach on it)....

 

post-4476-0-98907500-1404030784_thumb.jpg

 

Here is a photo of one of the FY approach boards .....

 

post-4476-0-73362800-1404030739_thumb.jpg

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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Hello Paul

 

I'm not sure if you mean am I using point motors? Or do you mean am I using route selection?

 

All points for primary routes have PECO point motors  - mostly clipped under the points, but there are a couple of points which are directly above the central spine which have modified PECO surface mounted motors.

 

There are 65 primary routes in/out of the FY which will be route selected via the DCC system  ...

 

There are four scenic tracks and so there are four 'separate' fiddle yards. Three FYs of five tracks = 15 plus the completely separate industrial system which has its own three track FY = 18 tracks in total.

 

You can see the 3 track industrial system FY at the bottom of the photo. It's slightly more complicated than that as the 3 track industrial system FY can store 5 or 6  short trains rather than 3 long trains ... it will make sense when I post more photos but that may take a week or so.

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Do you have a van of your own? Hate to put a damper on things, but van hire at £100+ a day is going to limit the number of shows which are going to invite you. Of course that's not quite so bad for a layout which can be assembled at home, but in this case it will restrict the number of opportunities you get to operate the layout. 

 

A really good option for this type of exhibition layout is to build a dedicated trailer. Not only transport but easy for storage as well when at home out of use.

 

Edit:

 

Beats having your own van as no road tax, MOT or insurance to worry about

 

Going back through the thread, I work out that all 12 of your boards are the same size (5ft x 3ft). That may seem a bit dull but it is a massive advantage in storage and transport. It should be perfectly easy for you to create a trailer 5' wide and 6' long (plus A-bar for tow hook) and stack boards on a framework of angle-iron.

 

Or possibly 5' x 9' would be better if you have the space to park that. Depends a bit on the height of the scenic boards.

Edited by Joseph_Pestell
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Yes that's a good option and one that might be the way to go, but there are some issues ....

 

1. I don't drive

 

2. My partner's car is a two seater sports car

 

3. We have no space to store a trailer

 

But this project is my # 1 priority so maybe we move house, maybe we buy a new (more practical) car ... any/every thing is possible.

 

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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Just found this topic.

 

I'm just home from operating a friends layout at Lymm Transport Day. His layout is also of Chineese Railways and Lymm was its first exhibhition appearance. I was too busy to take any pictures.

 

Suprisingly, there was a model of Japaneese Railways at the same event.

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Just found this topic.

 

I'm just home from operating a friends layout at Lymm Transport Day. His layout is also of Chineese Railways and Lymm was its first exhibhition appearance. I was too busy to take any pictures.

 

Suprisingly, there was a model of Japaneese Railways at the same event.

 

If there are good r-t-r models available (and there are lots of them for Japan), people will build layouts for them to run on. I am sure we will see more China prototype layouts just as we will see a surge in East Anglian branchlines with the Hornby J15.

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If there are good r-t-r models available (and there are lots of them for Japan), people will build layouts for them to run on. I am sure we will see more China prototype layouts just as we will see a surge in East Anglian branchlines with the Hornby J15.

I'd better get on and finish mine ASAP then!

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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I would like to see one of those narrow gauge 0-8-0's that were and may still be used, On30 would be nice. One preserved in UK.

There are 3D print ones of the Polish version in HO on shapeways ;)

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Liking your spirit and drive

 

Go for it

 

If you are who I think you are, telling you how to build an exhibition layout would be like telling one's Grandma how to suck eggs. I wouldn't worry too much about the van hire cornundrum, large layouts need vans and if you can get by with three operators then that saves the additional cost of a car.

 

Its also worth shopping around for a good deal and telling the hire company what you'll be doing, a van that is carrying your prized posession will be treated better than one that is piled with junk or taken on a booze cruise. Last weekend we loaded up a couple of layouts after a show, the new-ish 7mm scale one going in a brand new Mercedes Sprinter and ironically the 25yr old OO one in a knackered 02 plate Taillift Luton. The daily hire costs for each van were the same.

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Yes the lot we use often asked what we were carrying and now assume we are carrying layouts so we get a discount as good customers :)

Looking forward to seeing the scenic side progress as the modelling and weathering is very promising that this will be one to travel to see :)

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