Modelling on a teenager's budget in OO.

[tubs01]

So just an introduction. I'm 14, and am attempting to build a model railway ect.  So, I thought I'd share my modelling on a budget. As one may guess, 0-4-0s make up the majority of my small collection, however I'm trying to expand it. Will add more in a bit

[tubs01]

So, recently I found some hatchette mk1s on ebay for 8 quid each, I know they're not the best models out there, but at 8 quid each it's hard to ignore. The seller has a listing for 10 for 50 quid which I might get when I have some more money. I know the underframe needs to be hollowed out as it's solid, but is there any other simple ways to improve it?

[Barclay]

I think the budget limitation is, in some ways, a good thing - these older models can require improvement, but they are cheap enough that you aren't scared to touch them. Thus we develop our skills, and one day you find that you are no longer dependant on Hornby or Bachmann bringing out what you want, you can build it yourself.

[ikcdab]

I think you have made a great start,  well done.  These sorts of models can be excellent. I have bought several old triang mk1s and replaced buffers, added gangway ends, new wheels, reglazed and painted inside and out and I am pleased. Looking at your pics I would say the best thing you can do is some simple weathering on the undeframe. Coaches were normally kept clean so no need to go mad, but some track colour lightly sprayed over the lower half would add a lot. 

Well done. 

[darrel]

There is a thread on here about the hattchete mk 1s if you search for it. 

I dismantled mine and resprayed the roof using a spray can from Halfords. I gave the sides a light weathering using humbrol black wash painted on then wiped off. The coach I renumbered mine then gave the body sides, ends and roof a spray of matt varnish. Makes a huge difference.

I weathered the underside with track dirt paint. Then reassembled the coach. 

If you are looking to add to your locomotive fleet on a budget have a look in model shops or on ebay for second hand locos. Older Hornby or lima locos can be picked up for under £40. 

When I was your age I saved up my pocket money to buy new locos, you are probably already doing this, but if not its worth doing.

[tubs01]

Thanks for all the replues, as for kitbashing I have done quite a bit, with this probably looking the most professional. However, I'm planning to sell it on ebay as I don't really have a use for it, and the money would be nice.

[tubs01]

In general I think while it's all well and good having every super detail loco, wagon and coach, if you don't put the modelling work in, whether it be scenery or just in general, it's going to look bad.

[The Johnster]

What sort of layout do you have at present, Tubs, or are you just accumulating stock?  10 Hachette mk1s take up a lot of room, and I would consider this before parting with £50 no matter how good the value seems.  As has been said, s/h and the 'Bay are your friends, and if you've enough skill to make that Holden into an 0-4-2 it might be worth your looking at 'spares or repairs' non runners.  These are risky, but can be models that others have given up on. often after trying to lubricate their way out of trouble and gumming up the works.  Removal of the old grease, a strip down and thorough deep clean, followed by careful re-assembly and new lube can often get things running really well (and it might work on your locos as well!).  Minor cosmetic damage, bad paint jobs, and other disasters also sometimes mean models that are good with a little work done to them are available.  And when you have a job and enough money to spend on new RTR, you'll be a much better modeller than those coming to it new and reliant on everything as it comes out of the box, on top of which you'll have had a lot more fun!

 

You might have skeletons in the cupboard as a result of this as well; I do not look back to my teenage 56xx with any pride, a Triang Jinty chassis and a bodged body which was mostly an Airfix construction kit large prairie, and a 42xx which had another large prairie and the boiler of a City of Truro.  My non running 63xx, prairie chassis with CoT body, didn't look too bad. 

[tubs01]

Don't have a layout at the moment. I was planning to build one over a year ago but many circumstances have lead to it not materializing. The general plan for the layout is a trakmat inspired double loop. As for era, while this will sound absolutely horrendous, I don't plan on basing it on any era, simply as I like practically all eras of britain's railways, except the 70s. Thanks for the advice.

[tomparryharry]

If you're into modifying locomotives, Corbs of this parish has a thread going on with Pugbashes and Nellie-fications. 

 

Rule 1, enjoy it.

 

Rule 2, read Rule 1.

 

Time and lack of budget is not always a problem.  My own modest amount of 'stuff' has had 50 years in the making. It's only now that I'm finally getting there....  Model what you know; what you see; what inspires you. 

 

Most of all:- Enjoy it!

[CKPR]

I would definitely suggest using part of your budget to get some decent tools as they will make modelling much easier and will last. Of all the many model railway items I bought in my teens in the 1970s, the only one I still possess is a pair of Lindstrom pliers that I use every time I do any modelling. When it comes to buying tools, the second-hand tool stalls in local markets and antique centres are probably as good, if not better, than most model shops , which only tend to stock a limited range of Exacto tools.

Edited August 26, 2021 by CKPR

[The Johnster]

What they said.   Also, while there is nothing wrong with a trackmat based layout, it does take a lot of space, which is why many of us go end to end. fiddle yard to terminus, or around the walls of a room for a continuous circuit, usually with the fiddle yard on one side and the other 3 being 'scenic'.  A trackmat or trackmat style trackplan fixed to a board is a heavy and awkward thing to manipulate in a room, especially one with delicacies like windows, light fittings, computer monitors and a modelling desk...  Therefore, my advice would be to establish, as a first step before anything else is done, where the layout is going to go and what limitations that will impose on it. I fully understand that this may not be easy   You are a teenager and living at home I guess, so some negotiation will need to to take place with 'rents and siblings.  Do you have your own bedroom?.    The end to end sort of layout is fundamentally a shelf on the wall, and can be anything from a mimimum space shunting puzzle to a main line empire circumnavigating the whole room with a lift out or duckunder at the door, depending on the running length available.  As a rule of thumb, for an end to end terminus/fiddle yard, allow a third of the overall length for the fiddle yard, a third for the terminus, and a third for the station throat.  In the case of a fy/through station/fy set up, make that quarters, or 5ths if you want throats at both ends. 

 

If there is no space for a permanant or semi-permanent layout, the trackmat may be the only option, but you will have to set it up for operating sessions and put it away again when someone else needs the space for something, which is onerous and a pita but sometimes needs must.  if this is the case, go easy on the stock as you will need to spend as little time as possible setting things up and will sometimes have very little time to take it all down and put it away; delicate models don't like this scenario!  There will I'm sure be suggestions that you use the loft or garage/shed; before agreeing to this don't make the mistake I made  as a teenager in your position, and establish in advance how the location is to be heated, ventialted, accesses, and who is going to pay for it and do the converssion work (my attic layout was mostly too cold or too hot to use and it eventually tore itself literally apart with expansion and contraction. 

 

My personal view, 'informed' by this experience and freezing the familiy jewels off in a clubroom, is that if I can't have a layout inside the living area of the house where there is heating, ventilation, and I can control humidity, I'll do without until I can.

 

If this is your situation, you can still model, a joyful experience in itself, which only requires a small working surface and a ventilated room.  Be careful (you need to keep 'rents and siblings on board) of how you use things that do not smell nice, such as glues and paints; I use spray paints in rattlecans on the patio, which needs calm and dry weather, and a cardboard box as a booth to prevent the spray going where I don't want it.  As well as the tools, invest in a good anglepoise led lamp and a cutting mat, and a comfy work chair.  In the meantime, as you are building up stock and buildings for a future layout, you can plan schemes suitable for various types of potential future spaces.  I spent years doing this, and when i finally got a flat with a suitable bedroom had a variety of plans retady to go that fitted the 16 feet linear, actually doglegged around a bay window and curving 70 or so degrees, and ploughed straight into building it!  It has been an overall success, but owes a lot to the planning.There are computer apps for planning but I find them restrictive and preferred to draw plans out on imperial graph paper at 1" to 1' scale, using home made card templates for various radii of curves. 

 

When you acquire good tools, obviously look after them and they'll look after you, and never, ever, lend them to anyone except on the condition that you are present and supervising their use.  Do not borrow tools either, unliess it is on the same basis, as otherwise friction will, I absolutly guarantee, result between borrower and lender.  I have  two sets of tools, the 'precious' tools that I go all Gollum over, and the cheapo tools which I am happy to lend out.  These cheapos are useful for work that involves tool abuse, and while pound shop screwdrivers are rubbish as screwdrivers, they are perfect for opening paint tins, stirring paint, levering, cleaning out flangeways (childrens' stiff nylon paint brushes good for this too), prising bodies off, and all sorts of other useful misuse!  Pound shop chisels are good for clearing glue and ballast if you are relaying track, and so on.

 

If you don't have a life, and as a teenager you really should have a life, you can check out the story on Layout Topics/South Wales Valleys in the 1950s.

 

 

[tubs01]

44 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

What they said.   Also, while there is nothing wrong with a trackmat based layout, it does take a lot of space, which is why many of us go end to end. fiddle yard to terminus, or around the walls of a room for a continuous circuit, usually with the fiddle yard on one side and the other 3 being 'scenic'.  A trackmat or trackmat style trackplan fixed to a board is a heavy and awkward thing to manipulate in a room, especially one with delicacies like windows, light fittings, computer monitors and a modelling desk...  Therefore, my advice would be to establish, as a first step before anything else is done, where the layout is going to go and what limitations that will impose on it. I fully understand that this may not be easy   You are a teenager and living at home I guess, so some negotiation will need to to take place with 'rents and siblings.  Do you have your own bedroom?.    The end to end sort of layout is fundamentally a shelf on the wall, and can be anything from a mimimum space shunting puzzle to a main line empire circumnavigating the whole room with a lift out or duckunder at the door, depending on the running length available.  As a rule of thumb, for an end to end terminus/fiddle yard, allow a third of the overall length for the fiddle yard, a third for the terminus, and a third for the station throat.  In the case of a fy/through station/fy set up, make that quarters, or 5ths if you want throats at both ends. 

 

If there is no space for a permanant or semi-permanent layout, the trackmat may be the only option, but you will have to set it up for operating sessions and put it away again when someone else needs the space for something, which is onerous and a pita but sometimes needs must.  if this is the case, go easy on the stock as you will need to spend as little time as possible setting things up and will sometimes have very little time to take it all down and put it away; delicate models don't like this scenario!  There will I'm sure be suggestions that you use the loft or garage/shed; before agreeing to this don't make the mistake I made  as a teenager in your position, and establish in advance how the location is to be heated, ventialted, accesses, and who is going to pay for it and do the converssion work (my attic layout was mostly too cold or too hot to use and it eventually tore itself literally apart with expansion and contraction. 

 

My personal view, 'informed' by this experience and freezing the familiy jewels off in a clubroom, is that if I can't have a layout inside the living area of the house where there is heating, ventilation, and I can control humidity, I'll do without until I can.

 

If this is your situation, you can still model, a joyful experience in itself, which only requires a small working surface and a ventilated room.  Be careful (you need to keep 'rents and siblings on board) of how you use things that do not smell nice, such as glues and paints; I use spray paints in rattlecans on the patio, which needs calm and dry weather, and a cardboard box as a booth to prevent the spray going where I don't want it.  As well as the tools, invest in a good anglepoise led lamp and a cutting mat, and a comfy work chair.  In the meantime, as you are building up stock and buildings for a future layout, you can plan schemes suitable for various types of potential future spaces.  I spent years doing this, and when i finally got a flat with a suitable bedroom had a variety of plans retady to go that fitted the 16 feet linear, actually doglegged around a bay window and curving 70 or so degrees, and ploughed straight into building it!  It has been an overall success, but owes a lot to the planning.There are computer apps for planning but I find them restrictive and preferred to draw plans out on imperial graph paper at 1" to 1' scale, using home made card templates for various radii of curves. 

 

When you acquire good tools, obviously look after them and they'll look after you, and never, ever, lend them to anyone except on the condition that you are present and supervising their use.  Do not borrow tools either, unliess it is on the same basis, as otherwise friction will, I absolutly guarantee, result between borrower and lender.  I have  two sets of tools, the 'precious' tools that I go all Gollum over, and the cheapo tools which I am happy to lend out.  These cheapos are useful for work that involves tool abuse, and while pound shop screwdrivers are rubbish as screwdrivers, they are perfect for opening paint tins, stirring paint, levering, cleaning out flangeways (childrens' stiff nylon paint brushes good for this too), prising bodies off, and all sorts of other useful misuse!  Pound shop chisels are good for clearing glue and ballast if you are relaying track, and so on.

 

If you don't have a life, and as a teenager you really should have a life, you can check out the story on Layout Topics/South Wales Valleys in the 1950s.

 

 

Thank you! I do have my own bedroom as my brother moved into my sister's old room a few years ago, which means I have room not only for a large layout, but a double bed! As for putting it away, I'll probably install some rollers on the bottom so I can roll it under my bed. The loft would probably be a good place for a nice big layout, but no one's been up there in years, and the garage is ruled out as none of the council houses ( In my area atleast) have one. My parents are all fine with the idea and my brother barely ever ventures out of his room, and he'll probably be going to uni in a while. I do really need to get some tools though. I just need to try and balance getting rolling stock (I only have 2 working locos, and not many wagons or coaches) and getting modelling supplies which can be quite expensive. However I am going to invest in some humbrol weathering powders, as the results achieved with them can be amazing, as demonstrated in humbrol's tutorials.

[tubs01]

12 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

If you're into modifying locomotives, Corbs of this parish has a thread going on with Pugbashes and Nellie-fications. 

 

Rule 1, enjoy it.

 

Rule 2, read Rule 1.

 

Time and lack of budget is not always a problem.  My own modest amount of 'stuff' has had 50 years in the making. It's only now that I'm finally getting there....  Model what you know; what you see; what inspires you. 

 

Most of all:- Enjoy it!

That thread have provided many hours of enjoyment for me. Lots of inspiration. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be many similar threads in the way of modern image, or on how to model modern stuff on a budget.

[tubs01]

Just thought I'd show some pics of my other stock. I must mention however that the black loco at the left of the last picture is now part if the scrap pile and the blue loco became brighton.

Edited December 2, 2020 by tubs01
said second instead of last.

[tomparryharry]

May I suggest you search out 'inglenook' on your top right search panel.  That should take you to the shunting puzzle pages. The layout puzzle itself is not too large, only about 4'  (1,220mm ) long, by 12" (300mm ) wide.  Within that size, you can create a puzzle with 8 wagons, 1 locomotive. 

 

Trackwise, it's 2 points, and about 8 feet (2,400 mm ) .   A layout puzzle of this size will give you 40,000+ permutations. As far as era is concerned, it's your choice! Either steam, or an 03 or 08 locomotive.  When I had enough, I'd buy a loco to ring the changes; then a different rake of wagons. Then, a year later another loco & wagon rake, etc. 

 

Don't get too worried at this stage of the game, as time moves on, you will develop your own tastes & desires.  As far as budget is concerned, do you want the top-rate expensive stuff when you are experimenting, or do you want to wait until you know what you want, and then set your sights on the  top rate stuff?  Remember that locos & rolling stock are  layout-transferrable, but track is less so. 

 

Have fun!

[The Johnster]

Modelling the current railway sadly has almost all the features that your situation and budget mitigate against; locos and stock. espeially goods stock, are longer, more complex, and take up more space than 'traditional' railway stuff does, and are also a lot more expensive.  Passenger trains come in sets and beyond the world of Sprinters and Pacers are 4, 5, or more cars long.  OTOH there are 5 car HSTs these days...

 

In addition to 08s and 03s as suggested by TPH, there are modern or  at least modernish industrial diesels  around, some of them very cheap.

[CKPR]

Following on from The Johnster's words of wisdom, you could usefully invest in one or two of the Peco layout plan books as there have been many plans designed for teenager's bedrooms  over the years - you'll come across mysterious references to one Cyril Freezer aka 'CJF' who was a magazine editor for over 40 years and who designed many practical small layouts, the best of which are collected up in the Peco plan books. Another really good and more contemporary source of inspiration is Paul Lunn who again has designed practical and workable layouts for some seriously small spaces.

Edited December 2, 2020 by CKPR

[ikcdab]

As i said before, you have made an excellent start.  All of my early modelling was done on a piece of 6 x 4 chipboard and a small pile of setrack. I bought some airfix paints and just got on with it. I seem to remember using Dandy annuals as platforms and using a lot of superquick and airfix (now Dapol) kits. Most of this stuff I totally destroyed, but I learnt a huge amount in the process. Later I saved up and bought a K's kit of a 1361. It never ran because of the limitations of Ks kits combined with my youth, but I learnt a lot from it.

Well done on what you have done so far, keep going and keep posting here.

Ian

[tubs01]

39 minutes ago, tomparryharry said:

May I suggest you search out 'inglenook' on your top right search panel.  That should take you to the shunting puzzle pages. The layout puzzle itself is not too large, only about 4'  (1,220mm ) long, by 12" (300mm ) wide.  Within that size, you can create a puzzle with 8 wagons, 1 locomotive. 

 

Trackwise, it's 2 points, and about 8 feet (2,400 mm ) .   A layout puzzle of this size will give you 40,000+ permutations. As far as era is concerned, it's your choice! Either steam, or an 03 or 08 locomotive.  When I had enough, I'd buy a loco to ring the changes; then a different rake of wagons. Then, a year later another loco & wagon rake, etc. 

 

Don't get too worried at this stage of the game, as time moves on, you will develop your own tastes & desires.  As far as budget is concerned, do you want the top-rate expensive stuff when you are experimenting, or do you want to wait until you know what you want, and then set your sights on the  top rate stuff?  Remember that locos & rolling stock are  layout-transferrable, but track is less so. 

 

Have fun!

I know end to end layouts, inglenook layouts ect. take up less space and are infinitely more realistic but at the end of the day I just want a big-ish layout where I can run two trains round and do a little bit of shunting. I know the Hornby un coupling track isnt very realustic, nor are many of the other accessories, but to me atleast, they have a charm to them, so I'll be using quite a few 

[tubs01]

33 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Modelling the current railway sadly has almost all the features that your situation and budget mitigate against; locos and stock. espeially goods stock, are longer, more complex, and take up more space than 'traditional' railway stuff does, and are also a lot more expensive.  Passenger trains come in sets and beyond the world of Sprinters and Pacers are 4, 5, or more cars long.  OTOH there are 5 car HSTs these days...

 

In addition to 08s and 03s as suggested by TPH, there are modern or  at least modernish industrial diesels  around, some of them very cheap.

Not much of a worry for me! The wonders of being 14 is that even though I'll probably look back on what I dod and cringe, with some things I just don't care about realism, mostly when it comes to rake lengths. A four car eurostar passing by a class 47 with some Hornby lwb box vans is good enough for me

[tubs01]

Would just like to mention what I'm getting for christmas! Not very accurate to the actual appearance of the yellow submarine eurostar I know, but I love the beatles and I love the eurostar. I would love to get the extra coaches but at 80 quid I just can't afford. Even with christmas money; there's better things to spend it on

[andyman7]

As someone who started modelling at 11 and painfully had to acquire things secondhand from pocket money until I got my first Saturday job, I can second those that say you will learn skills and adaptability that will last a lifetime. Secondly - it's a hobby. Have fun, build and run what you want and don't mistake advice (good or bad) for rules you must follow. 

The only other think I'd say is - make sure you keep something from these early days to remind you how you started out. My first loco was a resprayed secondhand Triang Class 31 that cost £6. I wish I still had it!

Edited December 4, 2020 by andyman7

[CKPR]

If you're looking to run trains rather than engage in shunting, there have been lots of  continuous run 6' x 4' layout designs that would fit the bill [see the classic '60 plans for small layouts / locations' book]. Regarding Eurostar, I used to regularly use Bromley South station in the late 1990s and in between the regular EMU services, I remember the Eurostar coming through very very slowly  - as they say, there is a prototype for everything !

[tomparryharry]

3 hours ago, tubs01 said:

I know end to end layouts, inglenook layouts ect. take up less space and are infinitely more realistic but at the end of the day I just want a big-ish layout where I can run two trains round and do a little bit of shunting. I know the Hornby un coupling track isnt very realustic, nor are many of the other accessories, but to me atleast, they have a charm to them, so I'll be using quite a few 

 Have a look at Kadee couplings. They can be well hidden in between the sleepers.  As far as layout size? Well, a man can dream, cant he?