Pregrouping 4x4 oval layout -- teardown and rebuild

[MattR]

WARNING: This topic may contain controversial subjects like small spaces, roundy-roundys, set track AKA "track for toy trains", 0 potential for "operation" and slightly possibly non-prototypical running. Leave now before it's too late!

 

Story time!

 

All my model railway attention for the last two years has been centered around my main layout Dreams of Summerseat (8x4), however it was not always my main layout.

 

When I first got back into model trains several years ago, my first layout was a 3x3 piece of MDF laid on the floor under the Christmas tree with non-secured ancient brass Tyco track. Once I got into British outline and Christmas passed, the layout was extended with more pieces of MDF to a 4x4 and set on some milk crates to raise it off the floor. Later, 2 inches of pink insulation foam was laid over the MDF, grass mat on top with cork track bed (which makes it incredibly quiet) and nickel silver Atlas HO track that included a point leading to a short siding with a station. Edge boards containing a very short backscene were added (I didn't know what backscenes were then, so mine was actually a fishing-related wallpaper border). All very rudimentary stuff.

 

Eventually I really got into everything Southern Railway-related and settled on a firm period theme of 1923-1930 for the layout. Locomotives and stock followed and I later got into the SR pre-grouping constituents. I loved this little layout, but wanted to do something bigger too, which was the genesis for Dreams of Summerseat.

 

This original one has been collecting dust and hardly gets run and when it does, it's usually the pregrouping stuff.

 

So I've made the decision to sell off my SR stock and concentrate on pregrouping only. And since I have station and goods sheds covered with Summerseat and operation covered with my shunting layout, I'm going to completely tear down this layout and rebuild it to represent just open landscape with a single track running through -- no railway buildings, no points. Then I can run my pregrouping stuff and there won't be anything to tie it to post-grouping times.

 

So starting now, everything will be removed/ripped out and I'm going to start over. I'm not sure if I'm going to reuse the MDF base, but the foam will definitely be reused.

 

Edited April 29 by MattR

[MattR]

The layout as it appears now. Somewhat crude, half finished and featuring lots of oddities from its early stages.

 

The dead-end lake with the bridge is very un-English. The low water levels and red clay banks are what lakes look like here in east Tennessee when there's a drought.

 

There's lots of spruce or fir trees. Are those common in southern England at all?

 

The wallpaper "backscene" is supposed to represent Montana or something here in the U.S.

 

The castle ruins in the right corner was supposed to be something like Corfe Castle.

 

The huge manual switch machine on the Atlas point is an eyesore.

 

The signal box is partly crimson and partly green. There's a ladder and table with bucket of paint was supposed to have a painter figure who was repainting the box from LBSCR colors to SR colors.

 

There are some trial attempts from when I first got my static grass applicator, with random patches of static grass over the grass mat.

 

I do like the barn though -- I may keep that.

 

 

 

Edited April 29 by MattR

[MattR]

The Peco station buildings/platform/benches/signs/lights/accesories don't look too bad, but all of this will go, as will the church, to the new Christmas tree layout my daughters do every year.

 

Edited April 29 by MattR

[MattR]

The revised version of the layout won't exactly be 4x4 -- more like 4 feet 1 inch (124.5 cm) x 3 feet, 9 inches (114 cm). I'm planning on using Peco set track third radius curves and straights to form an single-track oval. I'm going to do a scenic break as well, with the backscene covering the rear 1/3 of the layout.

 

As for the exact landscape, I've taken inspiration from the so-called Wanderers Curve on the Mid-Hants Railway, just before Ropley Station. I really like the high railway embankment and the open rolling fields. I think this will work well for my pregrouping stuff (mostly), since it's small in scale:

 

- LSWR M7 in Drummond livery

- LSWR M7 in Urie livery

- SECR C Class in lined Wainwright green

- SECR P Class in lined Wainwright green (on preorder)

- LBSCR E4 in Marsh umber

- LBSCR H1 in Marsh umber (this one will probably look silly on a single-track line with five Pullman coaches, but I did mention possible non-prototypical running)

- LBSCR A1 Terrier in IEG

 

Plus assorted coaches and regionally appropriate goods wagons.

 

Edited April 29 by MattR

[MattR]

Track and most scenic items removed in preparation for imminent disassembly.

 

In other news, I’ve decided to make this a double-track line after all, with the second oval being Peco 2nd radius.