Decoville, H0e, 1944

[TheQ]

Ok then this is the start of building a Exhibition layout , vaguely French, definitely Art Deco. 

 

But Why?

 

I'm already in the design stage of an 009 real location UK railway, the real thing used WW1 ex military NG track, a Ford model T car as a locomotive, and was a farm railway.

The problem with that is it won't fit in the new to us car (Peugeot 107), as currently designed, so that is on hold while I work out a solution.

Meanwhile I got persuaded to buy a H0e, Decauville set of 2 locos and two carriages.

 

Why Decoville?

I did some research on the French Decauville company..

They were a farming family who happened to make stills and boilers for the production of spirits..

They also grew sugar beet and after struggling to harvest, invented the pressed steel sleepered track used by the military in WW1.

 

I was already gearing up to build such track for the 009 railway ..

 

Then what style place to build? Originally I thought of a mountainous area, but the height limitations of the 107 ruled that out.  Then thought maybe I could at some point add on the 009 railway which is very gentle slopes to the H0e layout, so the whole layout will be fairly level.

 

Building style, French going with UK? Plus the name of the Decauville company.. so it had to be Art Deco, and the layout name of Decoville.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by TheQ

[Joseph_Pestell]

Mountainous can be done in a small space with a tilted baseboard. Barrow MRC did it years ago with a SBB layout in HO,

But your Art Deco theme would match well with the CFD du Calvados, one of the few 60cm lines in France.

[TheQ]

Thanks, I've " merged " ideas from that line and some 1M lines, due to the H0e being roughly 2.5ft wide track.

 

 

So I set about designing a layout to fit in the 107, as it's a fictional place, shape is no longer a problem.

 

The space is roughly 36 inches by 37 inches, but the rear window / hatch is just 21 inches high.

 

Many hours were spent designing a 36inch square base board to no avail, it just didn't come to my wishes as a layout.

 

So eventually I hit on the idea of 2x 36 inch by 18 inch by 20 inch boxes. Each box would  open out to 72 inches, and then it's an L shape to fit in the modelling room.

 

Then came the cutting plan, with back scenes/ box sides being 10 inches high,  a lot of 10 wide strips of ply were needed. So 3 strips of 10 inches were taken of off each of two sheets of ply ,  allowing a  blade thickness of 5mm that's 30 and a bit inches from the 48 inches with of an 8x4 sheet of ply.

In actual fact the board width of the remaining section is about 17.5 inches. They were then cut to 900mm long twice giving the 4 base boards.

 

This leaves a layout of approximately 72 inches by 17.5 on one leg and 90 by 17.5 inches on the other.

 

Construction technique is that of tongue and slot like a laser cut board. But it's done by me using a

mini scroll saw.

Board 1 is built, just needs a little finishing.

Board 2  is under construction .

Photography will start with boards 3 and 4, so I can hide all the errors I made on boards 1 and 2.

 

A major requirement is quick assembly / disassembly at a show, I've seen too many layouts with a team struggling to get a layout up and running between hall opening time and show opening time.

I've set myself a Target of 15 minutes. 

 

To achieve this,

Legs are on lock down hinges, and will have catches to hold them up in transport

Each board pair will fold up on each other, end plates protecting board ends will also be hinged, and have more catches.

A lot of piano hinges are required, they're being bought tomorrow..

Cassettes will be used, which become train transport boxes, so you just run a complete train on and off a layout. This simplifies the board electrics as well, no points in the fiddle yard.

 

[TheQ]

Buildings...

I have the big Faller distillery that was given to me a couple of years ago, it's a bit Germanic, so will be "Frenchified" and Deco'd a bit. 

 

On board 1 there will be a half relief Deco  hotel at an angle , it will have a ply core to reinforce the end board of the layout. Then along the back of the layout will be a 3/4 relief tenement terrace, based on a couple of Deco terraces in Bo'ness. That will hide the cassette exchange section behind and inside it.

 

Board, 2

The main building on board 1 will be that of a very small station. A few houses and shops will fill much of the rest of the space.

 

Board 3, 1/2 relief Deco houses at the back hiding the return railway line, gardens down to a river, sidings the other side of the river to a small quay heading.

 

Board 4 

Distillery , vineyard, siding to distillery and?  Needs a bit more interest..

 

 

[TheQ]

Things have advanced..

A picture.

Board 3, with its front panel being glued.

In the background

Board 2 with an end piece being glued.

 

 

[TheQ]

Board 3 now has all its sides on, 

Board 4 has two sides on.

 

There was a major revision to the plans, in that it was mirrored, the distillery and vineyard was taking up to much space on the long leg of the L, and Decoville village was too cramped on the short leg, so I swapped them over.

 

 

I'm pushing the date back to June 1944..  for which I need two or 3 Austin K6 lorries though the full convoy was 140-160 men and 27 vehicles I don't have room for that...

more of that later..

 

Found 3d printed lorries of the correct scale, they have been ordered.

 

 

[TheQ]

All boards now have their sides on,

Since board 4 was on the bench, I spent a considerable time cutting window holes in the plywood core of the hotel . That is now installed and gluing.

There's going to be large glass area in the front of that so some research will be needed for a impressive art deco hotel entrance lobby.

Tomorrow legs can be fitted,  then it can be moved to the house.

 

Board 3 has had reinforcement added to the back scene, particularly where the hinges will be.

[TheQ]

Now concentrating on board 4 as it like board 1 it has a full set of legs.

A reinforcing strip has been added to the board edge at the front and to the drop down flap that forms the case. Then the piano hinge was screwed to both.

Two vertical reinforcing strips were added to the flap at the ends.

 

A cassette was made, but i forgot to allow for the thickness of the aluminium, so it's a failure,  I'll remake it on Monday.

 

 

[TheQ]

The fold up flap wouldn't close properly on board 4, due to the thickness of the screw heads. The hinge position has been redesigned so sort that out. Unfortunately it will mean an extra day build time due to the setting time of the glue.

Board three has had the extra bits of wood added to sort the problem. It's now setting

 

Rats in the workshop, yep they've got in somehow, spent the morning having a good clear out of accumulated bits and pieces can't find how they got in, I can only assume the pile of spare wood pushed the bottom of the door to the garage, just enough to let them in through the gap.

 

Cassette prototype 2 has been a success as far as running carriages on it. Now to fit it with a closing top and end doors.

 

I'm now going to finish board 3, as far as wood work is concerned, which requires the tenement building core to be fitted as it forms the cassette mounting area, and reinforces the backboard. Then the front and end fold up protection boards will be fitted.

 

Then each board will be brought into the workshop in turn for their protection boards to be fitted or modified.

Once the fold up flaps are fitted, there'll be something to photograph.

[TheQ]

After a reorganisation of the modelling room I can get all 4 boards up together, unfortunately there's not enough room to work on it all at the same time, so it will be mostly two boards up at a time.

The boards are all assembled, except for the hinges that allow one of each pair to fold up one top of the other.

Part  of  The reason for the delay was that on the first one, on other side of the plywood I used penny washers to reinforce the ply... It looked a mess and was visible. So I ordered another 4 hinges and will sandwich the ply between  pairs of hinges.

The second reason for delay is I'm treasurer of the MRC and it's quarterly results time . Much typing of figures into spreadsheets, unfortunately, Excel was doing its best to frustrate the work by not saving things properly...

 

Hmm sailing tomorrow, new tyres for the car Monday requiring a trip into Norwich, and the final set of figures to be typed in, MOT for the Landrover Tuesday and MRC quarterly meeting. It will be Wednesday before further work can be carried out, I thought retirement was supposed to give more time.

 

[The White Rabbit]

When you're retired, you never get a day off. You're still making better progress than I would be though ... 

[TheQ]

Ok time for 3 piccys.

Unit folded up. Sorry for the darkness of the picture.

Unit half open.

Unit open,

Not very good pictures, but my back is against a desk occupied by a computer and printer, so I can't get far enough back, and it's raining outside so I can't take it out.

 

It still needs alignment bolts between boards and to line up top and bottom when folded. 

There are two of these units which will form an L shape.the other folded up unit is behind the left of the last picture.

 

Now to start drawing out the track plan, on the foam.

[TheQ]

Been fitting alignment slide bolts, as I've recessed one of them in, I'm now awaiting doubling pads to set place.

First foam added to build a hillside, then on the next board a half inch of foam was excavated to create the bed of a river.

I've been studying the large Faller distillery that will be put on the layout.

Unfortunately it's layout is the wrong way round for where it will be put. Luckily it's badly glued together, so I'm going to strip it apart, reverse it's layout, and make it less Germanic.

[TheQ]

The distillery has been stripped off the "house" and turned back into a kit.

Various arrangements tried, one chosen .

Three boxes containing vehicles for the layout have arrived,  a Crossley lorry IG8, two Bedford lorries  QLD and QLT, one jeep, to go with the 3 Austin K6s i have. The full set would be 27 vehicles, but there's not the room for that, so about half will be modelled.

 

Meanwhile, a side plate, and three removable tops for the return tunnel have been made out of ply, they will be disguised under a field with hedge boundaries on the joins. The side plate and some quarter circles to support the tops have been installed.

Must remember to do another photo.

[TheQ]

Fancy a chocolate cake?

Layers of what ever foam I had to hand stuck together with pva or non solvent thick grip adhesive.

There's boards on the right, and at the back covering the hidden track area.

 

My normal method, a genuine J cloth, as they have tiny holes in them which allows the filler to

Link through, that smooths out the carved foam.

The filler mix used is approximately. 25% pva, 70% water, 5% acrylic paint of an appropriate background colour, stirred well,  then Pollyfilla to the thickness required.

A thin layer of mix  is spread on the base, the J cloth pressed into it, then coated with the rest of the mix.

Since this photo, its cliff edges and road have been coated with a grey mix.

The excess J cloth will be trimmed off when the ground has set.

 

A lot of the brown will be covered by static grass, but if it gets chipped it just shows as brown mud.

The cliffs will get painted to make it more natural in appearance.

The hinges at the back will be given a suitable colour to hide them, then a couple of strategic trees planted.

 

 

[TheQ]

Discovered I'd forgotten to lay in the wire in tube, for the visible turnout on this board. The route goes under the hillside. So tunnelling has commenced, I need access to the other side to complete.

 

The river was deepend, the outside of the curve of the river has been plastered eventually to imitate stone , the inside of the curve has been clad in wooden quay heading. Otherwise known as chopped up square section barbeque sticks, with the odd chopped up lolly stick as capping.

 

I need to put in the lower section of a water mill that hides the end of the river., tidy up the wooden parts then dye them, scribe the stonework , before filling the river.

 

[TheQ]

The barbeque stick quay has had its first base coat of paint.

A tunnel mouth has been fitted, cut from ply it was glued into place then coated with the usual Pollyfilla mix and scribed. More to do on that yet.

Found some of the Pollyfilla mix previously done hadn't set properly but was crumbly, so painted the lot with PVA .

The Cliffs have had their first coats of paint to make them look more real.. long way to go on that yet.

 

Must be due another piccy must do that soon.

[TheQ]

There has been a delay while I thought about turning the track on the inner corner of the L of the layout.. Solutions were hard to find that didn't take up too much space,  then I found a mention of Kato minimum radius track...

4.6inch radius !!! Somewhat tight but I'll only be using 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 locos more worrying is the longer carriages.

Some of said track has arrived, experiments will be conducted tomorrow. If it's ok then that will be laid and become the reference point for all the Layouts track.

 

[TheQ]

Since the reference track point was there, more track has been laid, all that under the tunnel, the track by the river,and it's turnout off the main line. I'm now in the process of joining the above, with a first attempt at building Decauville track.

 

I'm also experimenting with using rail to make it look like tram track with inner and outers metal faces to the groove the wheels run in.

 

 

The tunnel under the hillside was completed, it's now got a working wire in tube point control and power wire has been laid in as well but not yet connected.

[TheQ]

Must clear all the junk off of the layout so I can take more piccies.

 

Work currently going on is laying the inner rails on the section of the track which will be in the road. Takes time pinning rails in place, gluing , wait till set then do the next bit.

 

Came across, " Fair Price Models" a peruse through their kits made me think that they could look quite French... So three were ordered.  I'm impressed for what are called scratch aid kits, there's a lot of detail.

One is replacing the upper half of the water mill, the other two, plus two more I've ordered since, will become the station. Both have been modified, the mill needed some chopping out of the back to allow the return track to run behind. The station is being built on a corner not a terrace, so the required butchery has taken place to bond two fronts at a corner.

 

 

Three more Austin K6 lorries have arrived, I've found several more pages of information on the radar units that went ashore on D day, 2 on D day itself, 3 more during the following week.

Photos of all 4 radars on Austin K6 lorries have been down loaded, and I've started carving off the unnecessary bits of the models. Electric motors have been ordered for the rotating radars, I'll have to use 2 servos for the nodding height finders ( type 13).

A Crossley, a Bedford QL and a AEC Matador are also under slow construction. 

 

And finally what allied troops were first into Paris.....

The official record says the French resistance rose up against the Germans as General Patton's troops advanced.

The unofficial record shows an RAF radar unit was based on Longchamp racecourse 2 days before the Yanks arrived, and there is a photo of an Airman on a bicycle with a local girl sat in the panier on the front in Paris dated before the official liberation....

[TheQ]

More work assembling lorries has gone on, especially carving of the 3D printed  K6s.

On them where the cab roof has been removed, and the plastic props removed from inside, milliput has been used to create seats, dashboard, and gearbox cover. The cab rooves are, as printed,  have roof hatches which the radar version didn't have , so they've been carved off and the hole filled.

Also some chassis mods were made with the milliput for unmodelled pieces in the 3D print.

They still need some fine sanding before the radars are added.

 

The second set of fair price buildings arrived today,  they have been modified and joined to the previous hotel set.

Hopefully piccies next time as at the moment they are face down on the flat, glue setting.

I've worked out how to modify them into the Art Deco theme and the smooth MDF they are made of lends themselves to being a simulation of white concrete.

 

A decision has been made with the distillery, looking at the main building it looked small, on measuring, it's not really 3.5mm scale more like 3mm, I think Faller have been saving plastic..

The house part was too Germanic anyway, so I've removed that from the distillery itself. The idea now is to bolt the still building onto the side of the water mill, which is always a possibility.

Edited February 3 by TheQ

[TheQ]

And time for a couple of pictures, 

First the distillery alongside the watermill with the lifting bridge in the foreground,

Second the Hotel on the corner, note I couldn't stand back far enough..

I've added the balconies on the front.

Note, all buildings are in their raw form , much more work to be done yet.

[TheQ]

A roof overhanging to match the balconies has been added, much milliput used to fill in unused slots and hide iniquities.

Much sanding will be needed, I want to get that sharp deco style.

Some interior walls need adding, then a decision on internal fittings, the building is prominent, at the front of the layout, with large windows .

Buildings alongside need thinking about, they'll be much smaller two story, 

Edited February 7 by TheQ

[The White Rabbit]

3 hours ago, TheQ said:

... Some interior walls need adding, then a decision on internal fittings, the building is prominent, at the front of the layout, with large windows . ...

 

Unless the buildings are lit, then (IMHO) you don't need to go for much detail inside. I'd suggest an 'impressionist' approach rather than 'Pendon' style. I've modelled basic interiors for the station building and waterside pub on mine and can only see a rough outline. Things like fireplaces, large pictures, ticket racks, the public bar, barman/maid, tables and settles show up. The train register on the signalman's desk (and the open paperback perched on the arm of his armchair). I did put beer taps and a few glasses in place - I can just see the former if I shine a torch in through another window, can't see the pint glasses. Or the ticket dating machine or coal scuttle. But depending just how big your windows are, you might be able to see a bit more - try it and see... 

 

Not all of the above is pictured on RMWeb - if you have a look at the Metcalfe thread, especially the post re the coaching inn (c a third of the way down the first page) and the cafe/pub (c a third of the way down the third page) then depending on the size of your windows, it might be a useful comparison to see how much you might be able to see of the interior. With the latter, that big bay window did let more light in, though only to that alcove - not the main part of the 'dining room'/bar/snug. 2D pictures of 3D objects can be useful if the viewpoint is restricted - for instance the shop and cafe windows in the red brick corner diorama on the second page. Likewise the images I did of flower vases in front room + bedroom windows and books/toys at a child's bedroom window. Saves a lot of time and fiddly bits. 

[TheQ]

I'm intending to light some rooms, particularly the restaurant,  and the shops on the ground floor.

Up till now I've not looked at the Metcalf thread, as they are so common I won't be fitting any on any of my layouts. I will go for a wander now.

 

Meanwhile some more windows arrived, these are for the terraced houses next door to the hotel. 

The removable back wall of the hotel has been built, complete with chimneys.

Some room walls have been fitted, stopped further fitments while I work out the wiring.

A terrace of 4 houses has been built one side of the hotel and five the other. Roof, plus front and rear wall blanks have been cut and await windows chimneys etc.