Mainline to Somewhere in N gauge

[NGaugeTom]

Hello all!  I find myself wanting to build another layout and thought it would be good to document the progress and share the idea on the forum.  My previous layout, Meldon West, still exists and there are still some things to finish off but having received one of the Kato Class 800's in GWR green last year, my current 2ft 6 inch quarry layout just isn't big enough.  This therefore gives me an excellent excuse to go full steam into a layout suitable for it.  As much as I have been increasing my collection of stone wagons for Meldon West, I have been slowly building up my passenger stock so it's also a good excuse to be able to get this running!  I've been throwing ideas and plans around in my head for approximately two years, trying to decide on what to build next.  I've found it difficult to settle on an idea because I tend to model in the BR Blue and sectorisation years, but I also like the modern traction and have a growing collection of post-2000 models.  I'm one of those modellers who really likes the Class 66 and the fleet is growing!  Having studied endless photographs and throwing away many a scribbled plan I have finally landed on a very simple design.  As you can see from the plan below, it's simply a two track electrified mainline cutting through the British countryside.

 

Plan:

 

It's not modelled on any specific location, but the idea is to create a slice of the English countryside where I can watch trains moving through. 

 

The layout has to tick some boxes for me and those are:

 

I don't want it to be too date specific, a layout where either a class 33 in BR blue with MK1's or a Class 800 looks at home. 

I don't want the layout to be location specific, so although inspiration has come from seeing the Class 800 hurtling along the Great Western Mainline, I equally want to run my LNER Class 43 (And who knows a Class 91 one day when someone makes one!) 

Needs to be a small enough project so that I can achieve reasonable progress around non-modelling life.

Needs to lend itself to modelling areas I've not modelled before.

Needs to include a small bridge.

The tracks need to be elevated on an embankment to assist with photographing models as I enjoy photographing them.

A slightly deeper board to include more scenery and a bigger scene and help loose the railway into the surrounding scenery.

A canal and lock if possible if it doesn't look out of place in the landscape.

To model farmers fields, I'm thinking just after harvest (this would be a whole new thing to me and at the moment I have no idea how to do that)

To include scratch built working LED signals.

Catenary with wires (non-working).  I'm not entirely sure about this as this will come down to scale size of wire versus look.  But I like the idea of trying.

Sweeping elevated track curves.

 

Not a hugely exhaustive list but important none-the-less and even though it's a simple layout, they'll be a lot of firsts in there for me with my modelling.  Track-wise I'll be opting for the British Finescale range again, after using it on Meldon West I can't see myself ever going back to Peco for the modelled sections of my layout.  I'm still undecided on fiddle yards and whether I'll have two traversers at either end or turn it into an oval but I will decide later with this.

 

For now the wood has been purchased to begin building the modelled section, which will be 4 foot long and 14 inches wide.  I'm opting for an open plan baseboard with a curved backscene and may try and incorporate a slight curve into the front of the layout.

 

That's it for now, I've got some wood to mark up and start cutting  

[AndyB]

I can certainly sympathise that you need a place to run your passenger stock.

 

In my own case I have a BLT wrapped around 3 sides of my garage. But it takes a bit of a back story to explain why it will host quite so many locomotives. And at least a couple of them are mainline locos at that! And of course my EMUs can't (shouldn't) run on it at all.  

 

So at some point in the future I can see myself doing something similar to you. I'll follow your progress with interest.

 

A couple if observations if I may?

 

You've described various passenger trains which may be quite long compared to the 4-foot long scenic section. There's a rule of thumb that says the scenic section should be about 3 x the length of the train. What's your thoughts on this?

 

Your track plan is quite simple so I'm guessing the joy of this layout will be in watching a variety of trains passing by. To keep things interesting you'll need a fair sized fiddle yard and possibly some level of automation? 

 

Cheers. Andy

[NGaugeTom]

Hi Andy, thanks for taking the time to comment and thank you for your observations, they are good questions and ones I thought of too.

 

I've always struggled with the 3x length of train rule, in that if I want to model modern traction and make it look realistic I'd need near on 20 wagons headed by a 66, which would be a scale 10 feet(ish).  So for the 3x rule to be effective then you'd need 30 feet plus the fiddle yards.  Add into that the cost of 20 wagons, then multiply that for multiple trains, and it's something that is beyond my means.  Even if you just went for 10 wagons, it's still a considerable space needed.  So my thought process was the opposite, I started with the space I wanted to model, this being 4 feet.  So rather than having longer trains and more wagons, I only need a Class 66 with five or six wagons to make this effective.  If I can't see the end of the train as the front disappears then the illusion should be that the train could be longer.

 

The track plan is very simple, and the main reason for this is that I want to concentrate on the detail of the model whilst being able to just sit back and watch the trains go by.  It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the majority of pictures I look at are of locos pulling their trains through the countryside so its something I'm keen to recreate in miniature.  In terms of operation I'll be installing four aspect signals on both lines so there will be static and moving trains at various speeds, whilst also being able use the scene for photographing my models.  I'm undecided on fiddle yards as yet, but yes, I've thought a minimum of 10 storage tracks would keep things interesting.  I'm not planning on any automation to start with, but who knows!

Edited February 9, 2022 by NGaugeTom

[clogger]

Enjoyed your previous layout. Now looks as though I’m going to enjoy this layout as it’s right up my street. Keep up the good work.

[AndyB]

Tom, there was a nice layout called Moors View in the January RM. It was a very similar to your idea, albeit set in winter-time Devon on a viaduct. 

 

I definitely like your idea of a run through some nicely modelled countryside. That definitely plays to N gauge's strengths. 

 

 

[Cowley 47521]

2 hours ago, AndyB said:

Tom, there was a nice layout called Moors View in the January RM. It was a very similar to your idea, albeit set in winter-time Devon on a viaduct. 

 

I definitely like your idea of a run through some nicely modelled countryside. That definitely plays to N gauge's strengths. 

 

 

Moors View is actually my best friend Paul’s railway and I know he won’t mind me sharing a few details here as I helped make a few bits and bobs on it.

I think I remember the board being 2.4 long, but with most of the curves hidden there’s probably around 1.9 metres of visible track.
If he’d completely hidden the curves then that would have been less obviously but it seems to work well as the curves aren’t too sharp (the inside ones are 3rd radius from what I remember).

 

@NGaugeTom, some of your ideas were very much what Paul had in his mind when he was planning it; somewhere to see the trains running through the scenery, no points out the front, curved backscene, able to swap eras at times etc.

 

 

That’s a nine coach train and loco nearly filling the visible section of line, but it kind of works because of the way the geography somehow looks much larger and the railway builders have had to find a way through it!

(The photo was taken before a lot of stuff including the backscene was finished but it gives a good overall sense of the idea).

Hope that’s helpful.

 

Nick

[NGaugeTom]

Thanks Andy for the suggestion and thank you Nick for the picture and details of Moors View.  It looks like a fantastic layout and completely up my street!  I really like the snow scene too, something that is not often modelled.  I imagine the depth of the board isn't huge?  And as you say the railway looks totally right in the landscape, exactly what I was thinking of trying to achieve with my idea.

 

Also very much liking the western with the mk 1's and I can imagine any time period of stock looking great flying over that viaduct.  Seriously impressed

 

[jollysmart]

Tom, have you seen Blueball summit as it is very similar to what you are looking for, certainly the scenery is very well done or for a more industrial  scene Mini MSW giving a different perspective to a continuous run?

[Cowley 47521]

13 hours ago, NGaugeTom said:

Thanks Andy for the suggestion and thank you Nick for the picture and details of Moors View.  It looks like a fantastic layout and completely up my street!  I really like the snow scene too, something that is not often modelled.  I imagine the depth of the board isn't huge?  And as you say the railway looks totally right in the landscape, exactly what I was thinking of trying to achieve with my idea.

 

Also very much liking the western with the mk 1's and I can imagine any time period of stock looking great flying over that viaduct.  Seriously impressed

 

I’ll pass your kind comments on to Paul when I see him on Monday and I’ll get the proper dimensions and try take a couple of photos of the backscene Tom.

Sometimes it’s just good to get a few ideas while you’re thinking about what to make. Thinking about it is part of the fun anyway.

I’ll be following this with interest!

[NGaugeTom]

20 hours ago, jollysmart said:

Tom, have you seen Blueball summit as it is very similar to what you are looking for, certainly the scenery is very well done or for a more industrial  scene Mini MSW giving a different perspective to a continuous run?

 

Yes I had seen Blueball Summit in the magazine and probably like most had to double take that it is N gauge.  Another fantastic layout and again, I really like the use of space.  Lots of inspiration there most definitely and if I can get anywhere near that detail on mine, I would be a very happy chap!

 

I have begun cutting the plywood for the baseboards today whilst the weather wasn't too terrible.  Once I've got the core structure together I will get some snaps  

[NGaugeTom]

With a free Sunday afternoon thanks to the rather stormy weather I've managed to build the main skeleton of the baseboard.  I've still got the backscene structure to add but the main track bed is down and the supporting structure around the road bridge installed.  The main structure is made from 12mm ply, with the road surface being 5mm ply, screwed and glued together.  Next on the list will be fitting the baseboard joining dowels, curved backscenes and thinking about legs.  I've yet to decide on what legs to use, I may go down the route of making trestles with this layout as they seem better for using on multiple layouts long term.