How do you decide what location to model?

[Earl Bathurst]

How do you decide which location to model? Im someone who would like to have a S&D layout or a china clay layout, but can never decide what to build due to restrictions of size of the layout and unable to fit a track plan into the space i got. So how do you decide where to model and as for the track plan of a certain location how do you 'cut' them to fit the space you have?

 

Be interesting to see the different answers people have?

[Kris]

I knew the general area that I wanted my model to be located in so I then looked for locations that could be built in the area that I had available without compromise. Once I had that list I did some research into the individual locations including visiting them to allow me to make my decision.

 

The next model location has been chosen and research is well underway. This won't be built for some time yet though as I don't have the space or the funds to start construction. This was chosen from a random visit and book purchase that inspired me.

[Brinkly]

Hi Scott,

 

I thought this might happen! The space that you have is 12ft by 8ft, which isn't bad and many a good model has been built in said space. The first thing I decided to do (after a couple of years of searching in my case) was to decide what I liked, for me this turned out to be ex GWR and ex LSWR in Devon and Cornwall, but my main interest is a certain ex GWR running through West Devon. As I said it took nearly three years whilst I was in my last year at school and first couple of years at university to actually settle on an area.

 

The next major factor I considered was what space I had, at the time I still lived at home (being 19 at that point) and had access to 25ft by 16ft in the basement of my parent's house. The next thing was a mix of budget and what was available. Working with your S&D idea I think nearly everything can be bought in RTR form, with some exceptions. Your china clay theme, again has lots of RTR items already available.

 

For me the next aspect to consider is what I like about the railway scene, for example do you like mainlines, branches, through stations or terminus? In my case I enjoy watching a train in the landscape and generally I prefer through stations, to termini. I also enjoy busy branch lines, so something on the Launceston branch suited me down to the ground, a busy branch line.

 

The finial thing to consider is your time and money budgets, it's all very well wanting a massive mainline, but if you don't have either the cash or the time, it might become a bit difficult, particularly as a mainline will generally require more track, points, signals all of which add up in both finical outlay and time to install. Again this was another reason why I chose to model a branch line, simply as (working on uni budget) I could get away with half a dozen locos and coaches and a couple of dozen wagons. For a busy mainline trains are longer and there tend to be quite a lot of them!

 

But you have to do what is right for you, but I feel it is important to take into account the above, as it might answer a few of your questions.

 

Regards,

 

Nick.

[Happy Hippo]

I wanted a layout of a single line in the South Wales area on which I could run both steam and diesel locos. I suppose it is down to childhood memories when I lived in the area

 

After doing a lot of ferreting around I came across Common branch Junction. Originally a triangular junction, CBJ was heavily rationalised by the CWR by the mid 30s, however, the traffic pattern suited my needs.

 

Unfortunately I didn't want to compromise and build a shortened version, so I decided to take the track plan and reposition it between Coryton and Tongwynlais on the old Cardiff Railway creating a fictional junction in a real place.

 

Obviously i had a great deal of fun rewriting Eric Mountford's book of the CR, and emulating Captain Kernow with his rewriting of historical and geographical fact (Fiction/Fact=Faction)

 

From all this I eas able to produce a small scale diagram from which a friend ran off a full size template using Templot.

 

But it has been the assistance of RM Webbers such as Mike (the Stationmaster) and Brian (br2975) with photographs, advice on signalling matters and putting me in touch with others that has enabled me to progress as far as I have, without losing interest and flitting off to another wistful project.

 

Regards

 

Richard

[Kenton]

My layouts are generally inspired by seeing a prototype photo or something on another layout.

 

I have never let my favourite era or company lead me to a particular layout.

 

Nearly all are small space - in order to have any chance of near completion before operational boredom and the next inspiration comes along.

[peach james]

I started with Long Marton, wanting to have a double track station, with fairly sparse scenery. The track plan before that was freelanced, based on the normal procedure of cramming as much track as it was humanly possible into a given space. From there, I went onward, and looked for a double track mainline, which the S&C is, a relatively isolated station, and a reasonable trackplan to allow for something other than just watching trains. If I want to _run_ a train, I can pick up one of my 3.5" gauge engines, and go play with that- so, for me, the OO is scenic modeling, or shunting. The in-between layout is because of knowing of the shortage of space I would have. I built the baseboards at home, before I went off in the Canadian Forces, and then got them & finished them in the first 3 years of being in the forces. (first year, actually). I remember the strange looks at bringing a 8' sheet of styrospan onto a city bus.

 

Anyway, back to Long Marton- I also spent a fair # of hours working on building bits for LM during my TQ3's, so had buildings part done. I like the design of a double track station, so that's what I have stuck with since then. I have had the opportunity to change direction a couple of times, and been tempted, but chosen not to. When I started replacing the 2nd set of baseboards, it was fairly dishartening to chuck what were supposed to be "temporary" but were completely unuseable boards into the fire- 6' spans of 1x4 on edge that sagged up to 1/2" in the middle...that was disapointing. I came close to going strictly to Lego at that point, but figured that I was in for a penny, in for a pound, and rebuilt. I'm far enough in that either end isn't visible from here, so I just keep on working on LM as the mood strikes.

 

How exactly did I pick Long Marton? Well, I was given a copy of "Rails in the Fells", and I knew that the scenery in the fells was what I wanted. S&C is double track. Then, it was just a case of picking one of the stations. I think quite a bit of it then came down to scaling off the OS Maps that are in Rails in the Fells, and seeing what would fit on 2x4 baseboards, sensibly. Version 1 (that went to GBTS 1996), was based on 3, 4' long baseboards. V2 and V3 have both been based on 5, 6' baseboards. But, now I own a house, whereas before they had to fit into my railway room, and then into my dad's house basement. I do not know if Long Marton will ever make it out as a exibition layout. It is built modularly, but would require quite a bit of setup time to design/modify the fiddle yards in order to take it to a show. It's possible, but I built it modularly for ease of house move, and the ability to relocate sections of it, not really as a exibition layout. In order to take it to a show, I would have to get a fair sized trailer to move the sections, and construct some more interesting trackwork, I think.

 

James Powell

[martin_wynne]

as for the track plan of a certain location how do you 'cut' them to fit the space you have?

Hi,

 

The next version of Templot will have an option to shrink and bend a scanned prototype track plan to fit your space. This then provides a background guide for your model track planning. You can try it now if you join the development group on the Templot Club forum.

 

Here is the control template on an S-curve transition representing the desired running line for the model in the available space, and a scaled scanned track plan (Crewkerne) which clearly won't fit that space as it stands:

 

 

 

 

On older systems there's time to make a quick cup of tea while Templot does its stuff, and here's the result:

 

 

 

 

I set the wrapping line offset to match the up running line, and the scaling and curving has matched very well:

 

 

regards,

 

Martin.

[Anglian]

I never know the answer to this tormenting question and hence I sit on the fence and do nothing but make endless plans and drawings – my interests are so conflicting and I've been mulling the same two options for years, so long in fact that I could have built one and started on the other!

 

I would suggest you try to pick up a copy of the late David Jenkinson's Historical Railway modelling – there's a lot of sound advice within about selecting a location.

 

I'm not sure what others would think but I feel that a space such as yours gives enough scope to enjoy either of the options you mention. Cole or Midsomer Norton spring to mind on the S&D and may be worth a look. Ian Rice's book mainlines for modest spaces is also worth a read, he even has an S&D plan for Binegar that you may be able to compress to fit your space.

 

There's also a balance not only of time/space/money but also do you want to work on one project for several years or more and if so what option will hold your interest?

[PGN]

Having decided to go entirely Pre-Grouping, I've been collecting suitable models for some time now.

 

One of the problems with doing Pre-Grouping in N is that while there ARE plenty of locomotives (RTR and kit) out there, they are fairly thinly spread across the different railway companies. The LNER and Southern boys think they've got it bad ... but you should try modelling LYR or Caley in N to see just what "lack of suitable models" really means!!

 

So I look for locations where two or more of the pre-grouping companies ran their trains over the same (or adjoining) metals, as a meagre or unbalanced locomotive stud for one company can be disguised or balanced out by the locomotives of the other.

 

Eventually I aspire to having a crack at Carlisle (7 different railway companies: BLISS!!) but in the meantime, less ambitious projects are the order of the day.

 

I have spent many happy evenings poring over Jowetts Railway Atlas looking for suitable locations, and eventually found one in Shalford Junction. The LSWR, SECR and LBSC all ran trains over the same metals from Shalford Junction to Guildford, making it ideal for my purposes. And I reckon that there are enough models available to be able to run the services and make an enjoyable watch-the-trains-go-by type of layout, so that's what I'm going for.

[Oldfield_Park]

I've always been drawn to ex-LNER territory, probably in no small part due to the fact that I grew up next to the ECML. The Southern and the GWR have always held little appeal for me, and although I've sometimes been tempted by the LMS region the LNER has always won over.

 

I knew I wanted to model a small station, mainly due to the space issue (my board is about 6' by 2'), but also because I prefer not to overcrowd my baseboard with track and platforms. Also, coastal locations have always appealed thanks to childhood memories of taking trains to and from the seaside, bucket in hand and sand in my shoes! I combined all this together, along with my wish to model 1950s steam, and came up with the layout that is loosely being worked on at the moment, which is a single platformed coastal terminus serving a small fishing village on the North Yorkshire coast. Somewhere off the Saltburn-Whitby line is the intended location.

[Gwiwer]

The model location itself was always going to be freelance but themed on areas I know well and which are now some 12000 miles away. That said I have borrowed recognisable elements from many locations which include Marley Tunnel, Dainton and Hemerdon banks, Lostwithiel, Bodmin Roadway, Truro, Redruth, Hayle and St. Erth.

 

Even with a large area (15m x 2.5m) I found there were significant limitations on what I could do. We almost always have to accept some form of compromise in our planning whether it be shorter trains, reduced versions of an actual location or something else.

 

Cost is an issue. So is personal time. Layouts have been binned half-built before now for no better reason than the intent exceeded the realistic time to work on them. That leads to frustration when things simply don't appear in a reasonable time frame and leads on to the next - and arguably most important - skill we need which is patience. Followed by persistence and perseverance.

 

Once you decide on a theme and a location then chew over how it will work for you in the space available. I would suggest keeping track plans as simple as possible given the dimensions already noted above.

 

At the extreme end of the scale there is at least one very good exhibition layout currently with nothing but a single length of plain track - not even a point - and which is getting a respectable following because it is simple, well-represented and exhibited with enthusiasm.

 

S&D doesn't exclude china clay as wagons probably made their way over that route at times. But a clay theme in Devon or Cornwall probably excludes S&D items. You can take your pick. At the end of the day Rule 1 = "It's your layout and you can do it your way."

[The Stationmaster]

Very simple really - I like LNWR semaphores, I like GWR signals, I like tank engines, I like South Wales (tight curves, steep gradients, short trains in some places) so from there it's easy apart from working out how to fit it all in.

[Pannier Tank]

Very simple really - I like LNWR semaphores, I like GWR signals, I like tank engines, I like South Wales (tight curves, steep gradients, short trains in some places) so from there it's easy apart from working out how to fit it all in.

Abergavenny ?

[coachmann]

OP :

How do you decide which location to model?

I've never had a problem. I knew a few sections of railway in the steam era and I like to recreate such sections of line in miniature solely on the basis of nostalgia. Because I'm first and foremost a painter, this gives me the freedom to choose any period in railway history I want, nevertheless I would still model the locations I knew using backward-engineered nostalgia! In fact I have toyed with the idea of having my route over Standedge set in the 1950s with a funny hour set in the 1930s.

 

I know the S&DJR pretty well from Ivo Peters albums and films, but I have no wish to build a model as I have no feeling for the area.

 

On the otherhand, if a person has only just developed an interest in railways or modelling, then I suppose one is not shackled either by nostalgia or the sheer thrill of today DMUs/EMUs and could conceivably model anything out of a photo album.

[The Stationmaster]

Abergavenny ?

Further to the west although for some reason I can't quite understand the bits of valley I have in my mind were missed off the maps (well it was a very complex area railway wise )

[Happy Hippo]

Further to the west although for some reason I can't quite understand the bits of valley I have in my mind were missed off the maps (well it was a very complex area railway wise )

 

Mike,

 

Apparently this was and still is a problem for modellers of South Wales. The mapping is sometimes of a very dubious nature. In some cases whole villages have been omitted, The WAG members on this forum will tell you Aberflyarff is a prime example along with Llanastr, Paynestown and the ever elusive Pantmawr Quarry Junction.

 

Regards

 

Richard

[PGN]

Seems to me that things omitted from the map is the perfect modeller's licence ...

[Wolfy]

As someone who's easily-distracted I sympathise. My chosen setting is an East Midlands brach line in the 1950s based on an iron-ore theme. This is because I'm from the East Midlands originally and there were some jointly run branches so I can justifiably run ex-LMS and ex-LNER stuff.

 

But... I am easily distracted and if a 56xx in 1930s condition potters along pulling a rake of PO wagons I won't lose too much sleep over it. The way I see it there are a lot of trains I want to make models of. After all, military modellers wouldn't generally make sure everything they build was used by one country's army in a ten year period, so why should I?

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

... A large deposit of kaolin nicely adjacent to the S&DJR route clearly being one of them.