A 2mm Micro layout

[Donw]

I belonged to the 2mm Scale Association some years ago but had got sidetracked into gauge 0. However seeing the work in 2mm of Missy and Bcnpete on RMweb got fired up to do something in 2mm again.

We are currently expecting to move again which will mean any home layout would be on hold. We are also hoping to do a lot more touring in a motorhome.  As we do not bother with the tele when touring and there are not all the jobs there would be at home there is a bit of time when some modelling can be done.

Consideration of the space indicated that a small test track could fit in one of the cupboards. Then I thought to myself why just a test track why not a small layout.

There is room (just) for two boards 18inch x 8inch giving a layout of 36x8inch. The height would be a bit restrictive but should be possible or at least worth a try.

 

Stage 1 the baseboards.

Despite the small size I made these to my standard design but used small or light sections.

 

Tops 4mm ply solid tops

Side members 20mm square balsa

Ends 25mmx 6mm ramin

Diagonal Braces 10mm pine

 

These were glued (resin W) and pined together. I tried screws into the balsa - don't bother the screws just chew the balsa when tightened.

 

This shows the two boards one inverted to show the underneath

 

Next will be the track plan

Don

Edited July 20, 2013 by Donw

[bcnPete]

Thanks for the mention Don.

 

Am excited to see what the track plan will be. Good luck with the build.

 

Staying well tuned...

[Donw]

When considering a small terminus these can be recognised as one of several basic layouts. Usually there is a platform with a run round loop although sometimes the run round is before the platform. There may be a bay road to the platform. The goods sidings can either be arranged behind the the platform where the station access is also the yard access. Alternatetively the siding can be on the round round loop side so that a seperate yard access is required. Either way the sidings normally have the buffers the the far end. Ocasionally the sidings can run the other way towards the station throat. Tetbury is perhaps the best known example.

When planning this layout I did not have a particular location in  mind and drew up a number of sketches. I rather liked the common arrangement with the sidings behind the platform it would have looked quite good. However bearing in mind the planned use there would have been little change of movement without a fiddle yard or a bit of main line connected. By arranging the sidings to run towards the station throat some shunting could take place without a fiddle yard or just a short fiddle stub. This also has the advantage that the loco mainly says on the layout during shunting whereas with other times in can spend more time in the fiddle yard than on the layout proper.

 

 

This is a rather crude sketch of the final design. I drew a nice isometric pencil sketch but in a motorhome with no means to scan it this is the best I could do on the laptop.

The turnout bottom right will be a tandem one too maximise siding length. When pondering it I realised it is very similar to Andy Peters Glen Roy (4mm ) although he managed an extra siding. The bay platform will be useful for Siphons, fruit vans or fish vans. I imagine the layout to be in the South West area where GWR and SR could mix (however improbable at such a small station).

The next installment will cover trackwork and associated issues like turnout control.

Don

[The Nth Degree]

Looking forward to see what trackwork you're planning to use.

 

Like you I started off at the small end and went all 0 but I still have a hankering for the small stuff. The only N stock I have left though is my version of the Cornish Riviera Express (Minitrix and Lima).

[autocoupler942]

Try to have sufficient length for a loco and vehicle between the toe of right hand turnout and the end of the board. This  will allow limited running round for quick 5 minute shunting plays without setting up the adjacent board/spur. Nothing so theraputic as rearranging troublesome trucks !

[autocoupler942]

Adding to my earlier note- if the right hand turnout  is brought inboard of the bay turnout you would create more capacity for running around before having to attach the extension.

 

Incidently, if constructing an individual turnout on a workbench (rather than in situ) I have always advised building-on a wagon length or so to the toe end (10" wide sleepers!). This enables you to fully test the flow through the switch blades (assuming you have fitted the tiebar). It can always be trimmed off later if not needed.

[Donw]

Autocoupler942 (apologies I do not know your name)

 

I do tend to agree with your comments however that would shorten and already short runround. I plan to use a short stub that could almost plug in of about 150mm which should hold a tank loco plus a wagon. However if I ignore the idea of running around the loop plus the two sidings and the station throat will act as a inglenook layout and so allow testing/play activity in that format.

Regarding the construction of turnouts. I generally build them in situ but if I do build them on the workbench I find sliding a section of easitrack on the ends useful two section might be better. Which is what I did for this one built as a demo

[StuartM]

Hi Don,

Instead of having a run round, have you considered using two locos, the train loco and a pilot to release the train loco,

it might add more playability ?

[Donw]

Hi Don,

Instead of having a run round, have you considered using two locos, the train loco and a pilot to release the train loco,

it might add more playability ?

Indeed Stuart and if you model a station with an intensive suburban service could be quite realistic. I did have a smaller terminus in mind where a prairie and a B set or an M7 with 2 coaches would be more normal. AS it is mainly intended to take in the motorhome and allow me to carry out a bit of modelling the restricted operational possibilities are no great concern.

Don

[Donw]

Posting has been rather delayed for various reasons, however a start has definitely been made. The build is being done in the motorhome so is somewhat difficult. Problem one is I do most of the work with the baseboard balanced on my lap. I miss having the magnifier lamp. I am sharing the seat with a small dog which makes soldering tricky as the dog does understand that the end of the soldering iron might be hot. It has got even harder as the temperatures have soared.

It was suggested to me that cork is not that good for 2mm track so I laid some 1/16 balsa

Although I learnt track building in EM ply and rivet later doing copperclad in N and 2mm. I used C+L (then sold under Alan Gibson) on moving to 0 gauge and find it suits me. I naturally chose Easitrac. However I did think adding some pcb timbers here and there to add strength might make sense. Not quite so sure now waving an iron around near all those plastic chairs may not be the best thing. I could use foresceps as a heat shunt but they can easily get in the way. Note I prefer to build my track in situ rather than in sections on the workbench.

 

Threading the chairs onto the rail is good fun. If I detach them first I cannot see which way round they are so I thread them one at a time whilst on the sprue I then cut the chair free from the sprue using curved scisscors. One hand is holding the rail the other the scissors so the sprue falls away and often bounces from the baseboard onto the larger hairy dog laid under my feet. Marion thinks I am completely mad

 

I am currently experimenting with plwood timbers. I wanted to build a tandem turnout and using some 1/32 ply (I think 1/64 would be better but the 1/32 was to hand) cut strips about 2mm wide I have laid some with PVA and will be attempting to fix the easitrack chairs to the ply. Maybe with a soldered joint here and there for strength. More pictures when there is enough progress.

Don

[BG John]

Try building a 5' long 4mm layout in a small van, with a large dog . It's not easy, which is why I didn't finish it!

[2mmMark]

Try building a 5' long 4mm layout in a small van, with a large dog . It's not easy, which is why I didn't finish it!

 

It's the lack of opposable thumbs that handicaps them.

 

Mind you, in Germany, dogs are trained to do attic conversions.   

 

They are known as the Loftwoofer.

 

Mark

[richbrummitt]

They are known as the Loftwoofer.

All these new buttons to push and Andy Y didn't give us one for 'groan'

[RichardW1]

Don I thought I didn't have enough room!

I wish you luck with this, and look forward to the results

Richard

[Tricky-CRS]

Good luck with this one and enjoy the motorhome touring.

[David Siddall]

I think the term for the outcome of your endeavors will be 'compact and bijou' Don.

 

Spent the last two weeks in our new larger tourer and on more than one occasion found myself pondering just how much smaller scale layout I could sneak into the storage space under the fixed double bed without risking a major diplomatic incident ;-)

 

D

[tender]

Hi Don.

 

Just found your thread. Although my interests are in 4mm, SHMBO won a Dapol B17 'Everton' in a crossword competition recently at the N Wales N gauge show. Watching this might give us some encouragement to build something to run it on.

 

Ray.

[Donw]

Thanks gentlemen. I have slowed a little as it was rather hot for a while and I have been a bit busy with sorting out the move. or  it it too much time spent on here?

Don

[Andrew P]

When considering a small terminus these can be recognised as one of several basic layouts. Usually there is a platform with a run round loop although sometimes the run round is before the platform. There may be a bay road to the platform. The goods sidings can either be arranged behind the the platform where the station access is also the yard access. Alternatetively the siding can be on the round round loop side so that a seperate yard access is required. Either way the sidings normally have the buffers the the far end. Ocasionally the sidings can run the other way towards the station throat. Tetbury is perhaps the best known example.

When planning this layout I did not have a particular location in  mind and drew up a number of sketches. I rather liked the common arrangement with the sidings behind the platform it would have looked quite good. However bearing in mind the planned use there would have been little change of movement without a fiddle yard or a bit of main line connected. By arranging the sidings to run towards the station throat some shunting could take place without a fiddle yard or just a short fiddle stub. This also has the advantage that the loco mainly says on the layout during shunting whereas with other times in can spend more time in the fiddle yard than on the layout proper.

 

microlayout.jpg

 

This is a rather crude sketch of the final design. I drew a nice isometric pencil sketch but in a motorhome with no means to scan it this is the best I could do on the laptop.

The turnout bottom right will be a tandem one too maximise siding length. When pondering it I realised it is very similar to Andy Peters Glen Roy (4mm ) although he managed an extra siding. The bay platform will be useful for Siphons, fruit vans or fish vans. I imagine the layout to be in the South West area where GWR and SR could mix (however improbable at such a small station).

The next installment will cover trackwork and associated issues like turnout control.

Don

Hi Don, Cheers mate I missed this plug for GR. I like the plan and it works well for me and has been with me longer that any other layout I have built before or since so I hope you enjoy it as much.

 

Andy the Bodgit

[MarkAustin]

One point to remember about layout design is that, if there is a cattle dock, they were either as close as possible to the yard entrance, or had a dedicated entrance, in all cases allowing access to the dock without crossing any of the sidings and keeping any cattle being driven in as far away as possible for as long as possible. This was to reduce the chances of an engine (or something) panicking the cattle and causing an accident.

[Donw]

Things have been stalled for a while as I have been busy drwaing up plans and discussing with bulders the upgrade of our bungalow. However I have managed to do a little.

 

As you can see I have made a start on the threeway point using ply timbers I used some 1/32 which is about 0.8mm probbably scale thickness for 2mm. I thick I might try 1/64 another time as I have had to pack the easitrac to match it. The chairs eem to adhere ok to the wood.

Don

 

[bcnPete]

Good to see progress again Don

[Izzy]

The chairs will stick to the ply quite okay in my experience. For a strong bond I find it best to flood the wood/chair joint with glue (I've always used Mek-Pak) so some of the plastic of the chair seeps into the wood grain. Despite this you can slide a scalpel blade between them should you want to lift the chair for any reason.

 

Izzy

 

p.s. re soldering near the chairs. Unlike the Easitrac, which melts if you just wave an iron anywhere near it - and smells terrible - you can solder right next to these ABS moulded chairs without problem, well I have anyway.

[DavidLong]

Don,

 

I would certainly agree that this is a perfectly viable method of building 2mm finescale track.  I like to use the longest lengths of rail possible in order to keep the trackwork flowing rather than building it up from smaller sections so I haven't used any of the plastic base easitrac.  I have also found that using the cast brass chairs to be useful in conjunction with pcb sleepers at the crossing and also at the closure/switch joint.  This means that the crossing and wing rails are bonded and also the switch/closure rails and the stock rails.  A couple of photos show this:

 

 

 

Using long lengths of rail makes it much easier to maintain gentle curves through switch and crossing work as can be seen on this illustration:

 

 

The sleepers have been stained which doesn't interfere with the chair/sleeper glue joint; however I'm not sure that I would bother in future as most of the staining colour will disappear under weathering.

Good to see you continuing to make progress with the layout, Don.

 

David

[StuartM]

Nice, track work, very neat

I also agree about using long lengths of track to achieve a nice flow