clecklewyke Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Details of a new initiative from the Scalefour Society to encourage the building of small P4 layouts can be found here. This all started in a discussion in the Scalefour Society, with the title “What would encourage you to go the Scaleforum?”. Having praised such initiatives as the 18.83 challenge, which produced a multitude of miniature layouts (and spawned an enormous one - Burntisland). I mused about whether another challenge, but to build really tiny layouts might encourage more armchair modellers to have a go at actually building something. Moral of the tale - never suggest anything when members of the Committee are around. They might think you have volunteered to do it! The idea has been refined to be a "Standard Gauge Workbench" where ideas for very small layouts, with a maximum scenic section length of 4‘ 8.5” can be discussed and construction progress followed. We would love to see some really imaginative ideas. Such a small area does not limit you to a small industrial location. Far from it. You could build 370 feet of the East Coast Main Line if you wanted. Getting an HST to fit might be a problem but there is a Dutch layout which has solved that. Iain Rice’s “bitsa” concept - modelling just part (preferably the most interesting part) of a station, goods yard or loco depot is the key. If done cleverly, not only can this be an attractive scene in its own right but could be the first step to building a much larger layout.I have now built three such small layouts - Clecklewyke, Humber Dock and Royston Vasey. The latter two were just one-off projects to meet specific challenges with no idea of re-use as part of a bigger layout but Clecklewyke was always conceived as part of a much larger project - the Bradford North Western branch - and will be shown with its next section, Mill Gill viaduct, at Scalefour North next year.For the Standard Gauge Workbench I am mulling over three plans which are possibilities and I will post about at least one of them within a day or so but for the moment it’s over to you. Let’s see what ideas you have! For more details look here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Maybe I should suggest a 7ft 0¼in long version to a society I belong to! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clecklewyke Posted July 26, 2013 Author Share Posted July 26, 2013 Maybe I should suggest a 7ft 0¼in long version to a society I belong to! That's a nice idea - and maybe a 2ft length of the Festiniog? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penrhos1920 Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Just wondering how you define and measure length. Especially since there is no maximum or minimum width. Change where you stand: width becomes length? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 My current layout boards were built in metric units so, just to get a feel for what this might involve, I measured the central one in imperial. Though the track is P4, the board length is 4'11/2" Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon A Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Hmmmmm Penrhos. That smacks of the twisting of the rules????? I suggest that the term length is the distance between the left and right hand outer edges of the that is facing the viewing public. If you are thinking of diaganols the gain will me negligible. Gordon A Bristol. Heading rapidly for the Nova Scotia! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I suppose you could build an end on view of the ECML or WCML. However for those wishing to display their efforts, "Rule 15" states If the layout is intended for exhibition (at Scaleforum or elsewhere) the completed layout and all ancillary items, including rolling stock, has to be portable and capable of being transported to exhibitions by a private car or public transport and be erected and operated by a maximum of two people. This is to encourage the economical appearance of layouts promoting finescale modelling. So unless you private car is a LWB Transit or similar, then you are rather restricted. Jol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 So unless you private car is a LWB Transit or similar, then you are rather restricted. Jol Mine is a Fiat Ducato based MWB camper van, so I could get a good 12ft depth in. It would stick out into the exhibition hall a bit though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tender Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I suppose you could build an end on view of the ECML or WCML. However for those wishing to display their efforts, "Rule 15" states If the layout is intended for exhibition (at Scaleforum or elsewhere) the completed layout and all ancillary items, including rolling stock, has to be portable and capable of being transported to exhibitions by a private car or public transport and be erected and operated by a maximum of two people. This is to encourage the economical appearance of layouts promoting finescale modelling. So unless you private car is a LWB Transit or similar, then you are rather restricted. Jol I've just transported my 10ft 6in x 1ft 4in layout in the back of a ford fiesta, also a new set of baseboards for a 16ft x 2ft layout (P4) in the same car so it doesn't have to be. Ray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clecklewyke Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 I've just transported my 10ft 6in x 1ft 4in layout in the back of a ford fiesta, also a new set of baseboards for a 16ft x 2ft layout (P4) in the same car so it doesn't have to be. Ray. The idea is to encourage imaginative solutions within the spirit of the rules so go for it! Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tender Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 The idea is to encourage imaginative solutions within the spirit of the rules so go for it! Ian 4ft 8.5in length won't go in the car in one piece, but the minimum length 'a standard 1200 x 500mm extruded polystyrene insulation board' will, so I might just do that before starting on the 16ft layout. Assuming I can find some pink Knaff insulation board. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clecklewyke Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 You might be able to split the baseboard in half. My Royston Vasey, built for a challenge by the Workington club, is four feet long but splits and one end can be placed on top of the other, to form an enclosed box 1' X 2' X 8", with one half of the backscene forming the back and the other the front of the box. Thus it could be carried on public transport to exhibitions. Some more details can be found on my old blog. Have a look at the home pages in 2009 and the Royston Vasey section. In a few days I'll be writing more about RV as an example of a small layout suitable for the SG Workbench in the Standard Gauge Workbench section of the Scalefour Soc's forum but for them moment, as a taster, here is a picture of Royston Vasey. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penrhos1920 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Hmmmmm Penrhos. That smacks of the twisting of the rules????? I suggest that the term length is the distance between the left and right hand outer edges of the that is facing the viewing public. If you are thinking of diaganols the gain will me negligible. Gordon A Bristol. Heading rapidly for the Nova Scotia! Not really twisting the rules, just flexing them in the right direction. You see. Penrhos was always intended to be viewed end on, looking along the track from the road bridge. The road bridge baseboard is 4'6" x 2'. There happens to be a spare 26'6 fiddle yard in the garage which could be used, I could probably take the middle 6' board out of it. The track plan is on my website. As are some photos. Some track has been laid since the last photo, but I really don't like that diamond crossing over the baseboard joint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.