Mike140

So far the layout has progressed from the "Clean out the attic first" stage to the "Just push everything back and work around it" stage. For the past two weeks I've been locked away from mankind, trying to get rid of the flu and have used that time to collect images from Google to inspire the build. So, I thought I'd share some of them to try and give an idea of what I hope the layout will one day look like. Again travelling clockwise. Trains will emerge from the fiddle yard via a tunnel mouth and over a viaduct. The land will rise up to meet the track bed. Then sink back down to allow a long embankment spanning a tundra. There will be a number of smaller bridges along this stretch, with a long steel viaduct just off center. There will be a fast flowing shallow river below. Note the background in the first image here. Definitely something I want to replicate! The land will then rise up sharply to form tall mountains. This is where the baseboard will drop down for the valley. Glenfinnoch Viaduct will curve around. The land will rise up sharply again to track level before dropping in to another valley. The line will curve around sharply. This area will be densely populated with trees. Of course, there will be an abandoned stone barn somewhere. Youtube has also provided a huge amount of inspiration with videos like this. The clip at 12:20 perfectly captures what I'm looking for on the layout. Watch as the train makes its way around the valley, passing over multiple bridges. Imagining this is the layout, the train has just passed over the first viaduct after the fiddle yard, making its way around the valleys and then approaches the station behind the camera. There will be a short run through a second tundra before entering the station. Right smack dab in the middle of nowhere! Hot drinks and sandwiches are available at the station café. The station will be accessed via subways leading to the station car park and a narrow footpath. There will be a number of hidden references to my favorite video game, Skyrim, through the layout. The first of which will be hidden away somewhere around this area. The line will then split off in two directions. The main line heading South and the branch line, served by DMU's, heading East. The two lines will disappear in to something like... what ever this is! I have no idea what it is, but it will make a decent scenic break! And hopefully that paints a picture of things to come!

Very nice! I was once very tempted to model Frodsham railway viaduct near Runcorn. Will be following this!

How has this been hidden away from us for 8 years?! Thank you for bringing this over to layout topics. Looking forward to seeing more of this.

Right you are, Andy! I'm not familiar with the area at all and sometimes mix things up. Google images has accounted for about 90% of my research so far! I'll go back and edit that first post shortly. Signalling. I was going to go with semaphore signals as I do like the idea of having brackets for the various routes around the station area. Instead of going for the costly DCC ready option, I am toying with the idea of kit bashing the signals and have them operated by wire-in-tube via micro-servos. I like the idea of having a display of servos all churning away as trains travel around. That HST certainly does look interesting. Unfortunately mine has a more black and cream colour to it Maybe it's been diverted? Extremely diverted! Mind you I am still waiting for Dapol to decide to release their coaches! I bought the loco-hauled ones by mistake, didn't I? Edit - Slight name change!

Hello all. (Big Edit : "Glenfinnoch" renamed to "Glenshiel" / "Bridge of Finnoch" renamed to "Bridge of Shiel" etc etc etc!) This is my plan for my attic layout, which has been in the planning phase for well over a year by now, Glenfinnoch! (I hope that doesn't translate to anything naughty!) Glenfinnoch is the name of the layout as a whole, the station being named Bridge of Finnoch. The name is a mash-up of various stations and locations that led to the design of this layout - Bridge of Orchy, Glenfinnan and Rannoch. It's based on and is inspired by the West Highland Railway and I aim to capture the absolute remoteness that comes with it, but I also want to capture the stunning surrounding landscapes. I have combined parts of several landscapes in the plan, including Glenfinnan viaduct, which will definitely be a center piece. The viaduct scene will be modeled both vertically as well as horizontally. I plan on having the back scene rise far above the track bed and have a massive valley dropping below. Much like the real thing, the layout will have a single bi-directional line running throughout. It also has a large 8-road fiddle yard. The lines are more than long enough to house an 8-coach HST - Rule 1! Following the line clockwise will take you through the different scenes! (excuse the horrible colour!) Edit - Station name changed to Bridge of Finnoch. The space I have to work with is roughly 490 x 280cm / 192 x 110", give or take - had a big fight with the tape measure! The two main baseboards, either side, will be 60cm / 23.6" wide, just a nice size for a single line and some scenery! One will house a simple, yet probably over-complicated by WHR standards, station that will feature an island platform to allow two trains to stop, a large passing loop for goods or none-stopping services and a branch line from Pl.2 served by a DMU service. The station area takes up about 1/3 of the total running area. The 60cm wide boards allow me a large operating well of around 160cm / 63", where I hope to set up a number of 'photo spots', where I can move a chair to and enjoy the layout from a number of different angles. My goal is to have trains undergoing a long, uninterrupted run through the entire landscape. The track plan may seem barren to some, especially when it comes to N gauge, but that is the point! I want the main focus of the layout to be the vast landscape and scenery with trains cutting through that. Remember, the landscape was there first and the trains came later! Bridges, lots of bridges, will be included through the line. I find bridges add such a nice sense of dimension to a layout. The track bed will be elevated by four inches above the baseboards to allow plenty of contours in the landscape. After growing up watching eight trains chasing their tails all at once, I am very much looking forward to seeing one single train travel through a large landscape and navigate some iconic scenes! The running of the trains will be automatic! Another goal of the layout is to have everything automated, from trains to signals, and being able to sit and watch a railway operate itself. While only one train can travel through the majority of the space, the station allows a second train to slip away in to the fiddle yard and there is always the possibility of a DMU appearing as another train makes its way through the valleys. I am a big fan of simplicity, and it's these simple movements that will keep me entertained! I also want it to be transportable - You never know! That's all for now! Let me know what you think and any ideas are more than welcome! Mike. (Formerly MKR140)

A question about scale vehicles - Would 1:160 scale cars look much out of place on British N scale, 1:148? The few 1:160 cars would be sitting in their own specific scene, so hopefully away from anything comparable. I just don't want to spend on something that might look a bit daft.

I mentioned earlier that I was waiting for some stock to arrive, so thought I'd post a few pictures of them. Also, a sneak peak at one side of the new layout under construction. 37 514 waits for the signal with a rake of TTB tanks. 514, in Railfreight Metal Sector livery, was a bargain from Hattons, listed at just £69! I believe there is a reason for that low price however. The loco leans badly to one side! It seems to be a problem with the bogie mounts hidden somewhere within. 027 seems to lean very slightly, too - not enough for me to bother with. So I believe it is a manufacturing error. I will most likely take 514 apart and have a look, hopefully finding something simply out of line and I'm able to fix it. Other than that, it is a very striking model and I am very happy with it. It's undergone the usual procedure of taping up the contacts for the lights at one end to eliminate the tail lights while hauling. It has nothing to haul in its own sector yet - waiting for GF to release their BDA, BBA and SPA wagons, so for now it will be working random goods trips. The TTB's The tanks were listed as TTA on the shop's website I bought them from, as they are on most other shops I've visited, but they are in fact TTB's! I'm not sure what the difference is, but I'm happy with them nonetheless. I have no idea whereabouts these particular tanks in this livery would have been seen - ICI Methanol, but I got these (thinking TTA!) as they seem to be common in Scotland and they are for a future project which will see them repainted in plain black with heavy weathering. The illusive class 24 is still nowhere to be seen! And just for fun - 37 514 heads West, past the station with a mixed goods train as 31 173 waits for the road South with a parcels train. A 108 is approaching the station from the North, down the re-opened branch line with a shuttle service from Banks Hill - a few years after it was closed, now re-opened (in theory!). The buildings are in place only to give me an idea of positioning.

Thanks again, Andy. A big help! I'll send off a PM tomorrow. I've just been having a nose at Kings Moreton. Those backscenes definitely are better than anything I've seen with a price tag attached. I'm following the thread now so look forward to seeing more of it. I love the scene over the canal! Mike.

Today I have been mucking about with the plans for my new layout and so had all the stock out to make sure everything fits - it does! Six-coach trains are a reality!! So here are the current members of the team. I'm still waiting for another class 37/5, a class 24 and a rake of 9 TTA's to arrive. Mostly I go for late-Blue through to Sectorisation eras and stick to Scottish-ish based trains, but there will be a few intruders making an appearance. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice something wrong with the HST, a grave (expensive!) error on my part The IC 37 and RR 31 are older models, projects that I want to update with working lights, replacement wheels and DCC conversion - The 31 will be a challenge but I think I've already got an idea of how to tackle it. Sadly, with the plans for a new station officially approved, the axe drops on Banks Hill and the station is closed!

Thanks, Andy. Much appreciated, but I'm out of the frying pan and now in the fire. I can't figure out how to find him to send the PM. I really like your Glenfinick layout. I would have probably tried something very similar if I were to build a fixed tail chaser layout. Your backscenes are an inspiration! I was going to buy ready-made backscenes but after seeing yours and how you can get a perfect blend in to the scene that you just don't get from ready-made ones, I've remembered that I've had an artist's set of water colour paints sitting in a drawer for 15 years or so. I think I'll give it a go on my new layout!

Hi all. Just a quick request - Could someone tell me how to change my username for the forum? I've looked around in the settings and profile but can't find anything. Cheers for now. Mike.

Anyone had a go at this system? Thinking of buying and would like a review. Cheers.

More and more new stock is being seen at Bank Hill as of late. 27 032 is waiting to depart from the siding as 37 027 is seen at the station with a rake of new MK2 opens and a buffet car.

Thanks, mate. I forgot to mention that the two 37's on the layout are both heavily weathered by TMC. They look amazing. Definitely worth spending a few extra quid if you're not yet skilled in air brushing, like myself. I'll be sending the 27 and DMU's to them in the future. I want to learn how to air brush, so will be doing the stock myself. I find powders a bit tricky in 'N'. Bullidae was a harsh lesson in being careful about what you buy online. It was priced as a new tooling model, the weathering threw my judgement off. It is in fact an older model; No lights and not DCC ready. So a bit miffed about that one, but the weathering and the fact that it is in IC colours - my favorite livery - makes up for it for me. Plus it gives me the opportunity to tinker. I want to fit DCC, which will be very simple from looking at the inside, and lights to one end. On the new layout, the trains will usually only run one-way, so will only need lighting at one end. I have masked up the contacts on end-2 of '027 to rid it of the dreaded 'red lights on while running' curse. The 37's on the shelf below, excluding the IC '37 426', are attic relics. They'll be sold for a few coppers to go in to the new layout. '426 will be getting me in to super-detailing in 4mm scale at some point. It's more of a display model than anything. Mike.

A few (not so good) shots of the new stock seen at Bank Hill over the past weekend. (De-badged) 37 027 arrived a few moments ago to pick up its train - a tourist train, including a buffet car and inspection saloon, used as an observation car for the weekend. Moments later, '027 is hooked up and ready to leave. 37 431 "Bullidae" has arrived and waits to pick up a train of empty hoppers, which were stored here for almost a week! 27 032 arrived last week with a pair of 108's in-tow. These are usually stored here and used at peak times. In the future, the 108's will return to permanent service and serve a restored branch line, reconnecting Bank Hill to the network. The next day, Bullidae arrives with some freshly painted MK1's in Regional Railways livery, and a tag-along in its own native colours. After my car decided it no longer likes its water pump and demanded a new one, the building of the station side of the new layout, Elsweyr (If you know what this is from, we can be friends!) has been put on hold - those points are expensive! For now, I'll be working on the viaduct side and some temporary ends to connect it with Bank Hill. Bank Hill will be adapted to allow the trains to run-round by taking away the micro-fiddle yard, replacing it with a single line and removing the scenic breaks from either end.

Just an updated plan of the new layout. This one is as to-scale as I can get it. (Edit - Forgot to trim the bottom of the picture!) Purely out of curiosity, I made up some trains to give me an idea of scale. I couldn't stop! I think the mock-trains add so much to the plan, almost bringing it to life. They are a bit purposely over-scale in length. I always like to add a few centimeters on to the length of trains to allow for passing space etc. 37 027 Heads North w/ 6 coaches. 27 032 Heads East w/ 4 coaches down the branch to Bank Hill (Before the line closure made it a terminus!) 37 431 Heads South w/ 12 coal hoppers. Double-headed 108's pass over the viaducts, branching off towards Bank Hill. To make it more lore-friendly, I think of the entire route as one big oval. North-bound trains will eventually re-emerge from the South and vise versa. That mind set just gets rid of the idea of trains just going around in circles. I've decided to move the storage sidings to either end to give me a lot more room for scenery on the viaduct side. The left side are mainly passing loops. The original idea was to have the viaduct running straight along the edge of the board with the back scene directly behind, literally touching the back of the viaduct. "Straight lines are boring." ~ Pete Waterman. This new idea will allow me to make an actual scenic area. I hope to include some shallow rivers, a road, open fields and some cottages or farms. The layout plan has grown a bit, mainly to round off the measurements. Of course that means more elbow room to work with. I can now fit up to 6-coach trains in to the station and sidings. I will be going all-in on the new layout and hope to exhibit it or at least take it to a club. So transport is important. It'll break down in to 6 sections. 4x scenic + the two ends. The 4 scenic sections will stack on top of each other in a bookshelf-like design. I'm going to make a glass-faced cabinet to go with it. The two ends will be stored behind that. The "big gap" will feature a two way back scene straight down the center to separate the two scenes. That will also be made up of 4 sections. With the future in mind, extensions can be fitted to either side. With time, the layout will probably continue to grow. Hopefully around a shed! Bank Hill is now 50% wired up. The trains run! I just need to re-wire the building lights and it'll be done. I'm not doing the signals as I was never really happy with them. One important thing I've learned from Bank Hill - Wire up the damned points!!

Hello all. Wow! How long has is been? Far too long. I'm pleased to tell you that after at least 2 years of collecting dust and drivers being on strike, Bank Hill has been cleaned and is back to its former glory. Except for the wiring. That's still not done. Any of it. But will be getting done tomorrow as I am now attacking this layout head on in order to get it to the point that I can sell it! I'll add more details tomorrow, when I can get some pictures done. I lost the sunlight before I could find any batteries. Bank Hill has seen some development in scenery since I last uploaded any pictures and has succeeded in its mission of getting me back in to the hobby - then back out - now back in again, and I have decided that the time is right to move on to what was going to be my "Shed layout when I get a shed", with one exception - I don't need a shed, because I'm dumb and have realized that I can just take the ends off, store them away and stick a second side of a layout on top of a new layout, which Bank Hill is currently in the way of, when not in use. The new layout will be exactly the same size as Bank Hill, 211 x 19.5cm, this really is a great size to model 'N' in as Bank Hill has sat on a wall for years now without getting in the way of anything and houses a nice station scene with some scenic space, and only half of it was ever used as a shelf! But there will be two! As I said, there will be two sides to my new layout ; A storage side which will be a decent sized fiddle yard with a very long, very straight but very narrow scenic section in front, a viaduct scene! And the main side will be a somewhat evolved version of Bank Hill, with a much more interesting but simplified track plan. In fact, it's already all planned out... The new plan was first inspired by Invermoriston Station by Ian Stock, featured in RM December 2012, priced £3.75 I might add.. ehum.. a simple but extremely beautiful layout that has haunted me since the first time I turned the page. And, of course, the rural rail freight plan which Bank Hill was based on, which for the life of me, I can no longer find on the internet. I think it was featured in a track plan booklet that came with a RM. The station side of the layout is built around a 3-way point, leading off scene, providing the two station lines and a loop line intended to allow freight to pass stopping trains, and the double slip that was originally relegated from Bank Hill's plan, providing two exiting lines to the South and East. All larger (4-car / 5 at a push) trains, including freight, will head South, down the nearest line to us, and to the East, furthest from us, is, in our minds, Bank Hill - End of the Eastern line, served only by DMU's. There will be two removable ends to the layout to allow the trains to run around 3rd radius curves to the opposite scene or in to the fiddle yard. The right-hand side will have enough space to hold two 2-car DMU's in two sidings. You have probably noticed the huge gaping space in between the two sides - Me too! I will most likely fill in that space with four removable sections that will mostly feature barren moorland, the odd stone wall and a few cottages. I made the plan way before looking up any locations for inspiration, but later stumbled across Rannoch station. Give that a Google search and you can imagine how shocked I was at just how similar it is to my plan. Definitely a prototypical design! The bug has bitten me so hard this time that I have already splashed out on new stock, which I'll get some pics of when it all arrives. That's it for now. It's good to be back! Mike.

That's the one! The LGB stock is the very image i've had of garden railways all these years. Nothing against it, of course. I'm sure many out there like it, it's just not to my taste. Something else i would be interested at looking into is radio control. I've had a few RC cars/trucks years back and absolutely love RC boats. What better way to combine the two hobbies than with RC trains?!

I've spent most of the morning searching the web for garden railways and have seen some wonderful sights, even 00 - which i grew up with - in the garden and must say i wouldn't mind giving it a go. I'm not quite sure where i got the idea of prices for 0 gauge from, thinking four figure numbers, really not as expensive as i've always thought. A small steam loco costing close to the same as a 00 loco. Maybe i've been looking at a larger scale in the past. Even after dragging my tiny N gauge layout into the garden to work on it and seeing it for the first time in natural light and sunshine i think i've developed a greater respect for the outdoor layouts. All i can think of now is an 0 gauge 37 split headcode in large logo blue with working lights, sound and exhaust roaring around the garden

I've never been a fan of garden railways. Having an image of American looking steam locomotives pulling a few 4-wheel plastic box vans around tight curves and over wooden trestle bridges firmly hammered into my mind... But THIS - some of my favorite diesel loco's hauling realistic rakes at realistic speeds through beautiful gardens is making it extremely difficult for me to take my eyes away from my monitor You have well and truly converted me! Now, if you will excuse me, i must get back to designing my terminus and fiddle yard inside my imaginary garden shed! Will be following this thread and looking forward to seeing more. Mike. (...I wonder if asking for an 0 gauge class 37 and six MK1 coaches is too much this year...)

Those rusty old coaches look amazing!

Honestly thought those lights were shop bought or at least kits mate, they are great. The scene looks brilliant and what a view from those back bedrooms! How much is the rent in those houses? Very tempted Love that last pic. Cheers. Mike.

And we're back! After another long period of "sod the wiring" I've decided to take one step backwards to be able to take two steps forward. I've ripped the layout off the wall... Literally! As my past-self had rather foolishly screwed the layout down to the supports and then decided to build a station platform over them... Screws cut off with a cutting disk the layout now sits nicely atop its supports with the aid of a few panel pins. So the layout now looks like it's spent a few months in a skip but with good intentions - to allow me to move it to get underneath to the wiring, which is on the 'to do' list as it all needs a complete overhaul. This will be job #1. Job #2 will be to tackle the ever growing dust problem, and that is to build an exhibition style display box with overhead lighting, in the form of LED strips and possibly a hinged perspex front that swings down when i'm playi...err i mean when the layout is operational. The box will be made from 6mm MDF and will simply sit atop the current back scene, which will be heightened along the back and sides. The scenic break that separates the fiddle yard and the still-not-built-but-will-eventually-be-built-i-promise-goods shed on the right side of the layout will remain at its current height, just enough to get a hand behind, the back scene behind will be painted blue to hopefully provide an optical illusion of continuity, the scenic break also being blue above the still-n'yadayada-good shed. So with fingers and toes crossed we get some decent weather so i can finally get this wiring done, which has held everything up for months on end because of a bad back and a really awkward way to get under the layout. Then i can get back to some scenery work and get some trains running! I am really kicking myself over not getting some ballast to suit and not putting motors on the points as today i realised that it would actually be really easy to transport the layout to a local club or even some exhibitions Oh well, maybe the next one. That's all for now. Hopefully a lot more updates to come.

Glad to see you have made a threat, Richard. Been following you and the layout on Youtube for a while now (MickMaan). Really great layout and some very helpful 'How To's' in your vids. Cheers. Mike.

Thank you Jaz. Just going through your thread now, it is such a nice layout. As for mine. All tools down! The wiring was really getting out of hand so decided to try and clean it up... Had to go in the garden and paint my station lamps just to recover All the lamps now need to be rewired, AGAIN! In fact the whole thing could do with being rewired. Dust is becoming an issue! Although it does offer a nice sense of time passing. Seems the layout has had a very light covering of snow Not much happening with it being summer, the room the layout is in catches the sun all day and gets way too hot to work in. So updates may be slow for a while.