Fishplate42 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 It has been a while since I posted here. The railway has taken a back seat for the past year as so many things have got in the way of finding time for railway modelling. I have also been dabling in several projects and not really getting very far with any of them! so I though it was time to concentrate on one thing so here is the story of this layout and how I decided to go On30... It all started in the ‘50s when my dad bought me a train set for my first birthday. Cynics might say that he bought it for himself… It was the Tri-ang Jinty goods set with an oval of that old light grey ready ballasted track, the 0-6-0 loco, a flat wagon with two cable drums, a shell tanker, an open wagon and a guards van. Soon a lump of chipboard was acquired, painted a light gloss green and the track pinned down. At this stage a few extra bits of track were acquired and I had a couple odd sidings. By the time I was two my dad had acquired some of the new black Super 4 track, one of those Tri-ang Canadian pacific locos and a caboose! Realism was not a high priority in those days, but it was good fun. That little 0-6-0 Jinty went on and on with its coarse scale wheels and crude couplings. The original controller lasted the test of time and was eventually superseded by a H&M unit. Now more than fifty years on I still have a strong interest in model railways. I have always had a lingering passion to build something American, but up to now I have resisted the temptation. Having dabbled in several scales I still keep coming back to 3.5 / 4mm to the foot. I have been heavily into fine scale but have never got around to finishing a project, like John Lennon said “Life is what happens while you are busy making plans” I don’t think he was a model railway enthusiast but his words are so apt that I think they should be inscribed on the top of my tool box!I also have a passion for narrow gauge and in the past amassed a large collection of Egger-Bahn, Minitrains and Lilliput HOe (HOn30) most of which has now been sold, although I still have a small amount ready for the next layout... I also got involved in LGB for a while but struggled to get away from the ‘Train set’ look. This too was sold to make space for other interests. A Year or so ago I decided to build a 0n30 layout. I constructed a couple of baseboards and acquired some stock. The baseboards are built from light plywood and glue blocks. The boards are both 2ft wide, one is 4ft long, the other 6ft. Well approximately. In fact they are built in what I call Metric Feet (300 mm to the foot) this makes the boards 1200 x 600mm and 1800 x 600mm respectively. This form of construction is very light and yet extremely strong. As far as the setting I think it will have to be some kind of logging line as the Bachmann stock I have lends itself to that. other than that I have not got any further. Hopefully building will start soon, but first I have to come up with a track plan. I am not intending on covering the space with road as I really like the scenery side of this hobby - so it's buildings and landscape with a 'railroad' running through it for me.I like to start with the trackbed a couple of inches above the line of the baseboard so all trackbed will be standing on risers. this means that the landscape can go down as well as up. I will make a few sketches of what I am trying to simulate and then follow that rather than trying to make it up as I go along. With some help from others, I think I have formulated a name (location) and the start of a back-story for my On30 logging layout.'Smokie Ridge & Falling Water' Smokie Ridge' is where the trees are and 'Falling Water' is the where the supply depot is. The logging company will be: 'Smokie Ridge & Falling Water Timber Co.' or S R & F W T Co.The layout will be based around Falling Water, a convenient spot by river that falls a few feet into a natural basin ideal supply for the Steam locos and gives me a good excuse to build a trestle bridge . Smokie Ridge will not exist in model form as it is the site of the felling some distance down the line. I am settled on a straight 'plank' design for the main baseboards with a fiddle yard at each end initially. I may consider folding the fiddle yards behind the layout as most stock will cope with really tight radii. I will post progress as it happens but for now I have a couple of Bachmann Shays that need new gears Ralph Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I like the name, and notice from your description it means there will be a water feature. Will look forward to see this evolve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colney123 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 looking forward to it's progress , it might get me started. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stadman Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Contact Bachmann in UK. They have been offering some replacement gears for split ones. Seen on On30 conspiracy yahoo group. >>I will post progress as it happens but for now I have a couple of Bachmann Shays that need new gears Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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