Modelling Martin Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Hello Everyone With interest i read the August edition of Hornby Magazine and was inspired by the '3ft challenge' where you have to create a layout or diarama in just 3 square feet. As i am in school i had a long six week time scale to finish the project and so within the first week i went down to Chadwicks (local wood working shop) to get some wood and started to make the baseboard. The layout is based on a fictitious railway works somewhere in the north of England as i do not have much rolling stock from 'down south'. The layout, as stated above, is a heritage/preserved railway in the current time loosely based on the likes of the KWVR (Keighley and Worth Valley Railway) And the ELR (East Lancashire Railway). I am aware of many peoples perception of modelling preserved railways but i think they are a great way to justify running all your rolling stock and locomotives as well as being able to wether rows of unwanted old Hornby, Lima or other less detailed classes of locomotives. The layout is DCC as i have an NCE system and already have 11 sound engines and counting! I look forward to your comments. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Hi Everyone Im just updating With a trackplan of the new layout: The red box on the top left is the fiddleyard of scene from the layout. The entrance to it will be hid by a bridge. On the top right is the yellow rectangle which will be the repair / restoration building- cruitial to any heritage railway. I Look forward to your comments. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warspite Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 There is a lot of interest on here in small space layouts. Have you designed a track plan yet? My only advice is, don't try and fill all 3 square feet with track! Sometimes, 'less is more'. Post more photos on here as you progress. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Thanks for your comment. I was steering to a layout with There is a lot of interest on here in small space layouts. Have you designed a track plan yet? My only advice is, don't try and fill all 3 square feet with track! Sometimes, 'less is more'. Post more photos on here as you progress. Stephen Thank you for your comment. From the word go i designed the layout to be functional instead of being a static display. The bottom right of the trackplan is open for scenic details. I have a few ideas e.g. A jcb loading coal or something like that but if anyone has any suggestions i will be glad to hear them! Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Hi everyone To keep this topic 'alive' and not go under the radar this morning i got out the paintbrush and applied the coat of grey to the baseboard top In the end i didn't fill the screw holes as they could be easily covered by grass or a man. Next up the wonderful world of track laying! Look forward to your comments Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Hello everyone Yesterday i put down the track. Im using Hornby track because that was the manufacturer of the bits and pieces of track i used left over from another layout (But thats another thread altogether.) So anyway i only needed to buy one piece of semi flexible track rumage through the track boxes upstairs and i could start laying the track. After id cut all the track to its appropriate lengths i laid it out and begun marking the track with tipex to show which bits i had to solder to. Once the track was off i then drilled the holes for the point rods and bus cables. In the meantime i was soldering the droppers to the track. To do this i first cleaned the rail sides with a fibreglass pen and then tinned the wire and track and finally added heat to both of them. For the droppers i used very thin wire and for the bus main i used multicore cable using the brown and blue and leaving the earth to one side. After bussing the track it was then tacked to the board with tiny amounts of superglue as the ballast would be the long term security. After the glue had dried (about ten seconds) i then flipped the board over and started work connecting the droppers to the bus main. This was the overall look underneath: And a closer look at the soldering: I look forward to your comments, Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 By the way i am only thirteen years old and my dad is the type of guy who trusts me and has taut me how to solder, use different types of glue and sharp knives etc. He also supplies advice and a wallet for those fiddly little things! But the main thing is he lets me get on with it and he likes to take a 'hands off' approach as it is my project and not my dads. With this in mind i welcome any comment / advice on my project. Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Comments welcom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefredie Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Comments welcom Good start your soldering is neat and tidy looking foreward to seeing more of this layout Well Done David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SXHALL Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Looking good. Certainly got further than I ever did at your age and I no doubt to higher level than I would have achieved. Come think to think of it your still beating me on both fronts! Will follow with interest as I love the smaller layouts as it is all I have space for myself so don't let myself dream too big Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelp Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Spot on job so far! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 By the way i am only thirteen years old Ahh nice to know someone a similar age to me who also likes modelling. Will be following this project with interest.... Is your NCE system the PowerCab starter set? Cheers, Oli Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Ahh nice to know someone a similar age to me who also likes modelling. Will be following this project with interest.... Is your NCE system the PowerCab starter set? Cheers, Oli Thanks for the comment, the majority of the model railway modellers are i suppose the older generation. Yes I bought the nice power cab set that includes the power board NCE handheld controller etc. Overall I really like the controller but it was bought for my bigger layout and so I had to buy I laptop charger to improve the amount of electricity to the tracks as some of my sound engines were stuttering and some times cutting the sound, especially the ones with the new v4 decoder but I do have over 200ft of track! Look forward to your comments Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Good start.....am I the older generation....I'm 40. Arrrggghhhh. Still we need you young whippersnappers to be the torch bearers for the next generation if modelling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thanks for the comment! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium southern42 Posted August 29, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 29, 2012 By the way i am only thirteen years old I'm already at the other end of the age scale but will be embarking on building my first layout shortly (I'm still working on the track plan at the moment). I wonder if hubby will give me a free reign with the soldering iron once he's taught me how to use it. Sure he will . I love micro layouts, especially in 00, and find a lot of them quite fascinating, so I wish you all the best with yours. Watching with interest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thank you for the comment its never to late to make a model railway! I have another ongoing larger project but in the meantime i wanted to make this smaller layout to practice my skills before going onto the bigger one. I find that smaller layouts can have as much operating possibilities as a scale representation of kings cross with there shunting movements and general querkyness. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Hello everyone, just a quick update. Over the past few days its been very productful. First thing track painting: This was done simply using a brush, a pot of humbrol rail match paint and a very steady hand! After that i moved on to ballasting. To do the ballasting i used Java Scenics fine chippings which i think look alright. I noticed that next to the Java scenics ballast in the shop was geoscenics which was over double the price! To attach the ballast i bought an squirty bottle to apply water to make the glue flow easier. For the glue i did a 50:50 mix of water and Pva and overall result i am impressed with although a bit of touching up here and there will improve the overall look. Here are some finished photos of the ballasting After that i put a black wash over the grey ballast An overall look at the ballasting: I look forward to your comments Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Just some more photos of work on the layout: I look forward to your comments Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 Hi Everyone. This Morning i went down to Cleveleys beach (near Blackpool Lancashire) and picked up some sand. After a few funny looks from the locals i went back home and got busy applying it to Robins Lane: Overall im impressed with the result but it will need a few washes / dots of paint to make it more realistic and add some reality. I look forward to your comments Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 Comments Wecome Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 838rapid Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Looking good Martin. Last time I went to Cleveleys Beach was to see "riverdance" Keep up the good work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nickwood Posted August 30, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 30, 2012 Some very neat ballasting there Gary and good progress in such a short time. Well done, keep posting and don't get too impatient if you don't get an immediate response. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 Hi Everyone. Today i made a start on the depot wall. The wall will go up against the backscene in the top right hand corner. I made it by shredding some card and with pva sticking it onto some plasticard. The depot will be 2ft long. I look forward to your comments Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelling Martin Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 Hi everyone. Yesterday proved very productive. I added the grass to the layout painted the sand on the road grey and, with filler, made the concrete apron / foundations for the depot. After the filler dried i painted it grey. After that the odd bits of white filler were touched up and track cleaned. I look forward to your comments. Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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