Dave Elbourne

Broken window frame ? not at all uncommon on older industrial buildings ! too many could easily become a modelling cliche tho'

The track cleaning regime is the result of experience. The shunting locos.(0-4-0 & 0-6-0) on the 4mm version were built with compensated chassis to maximise contact and always worked very reliably, but you will be amazed at how much dirt does accumulate at certain points on the layout. You will be operating a lot more intensively than you do at home, but 7mm scale locos. have more mass so you will get inherently better contact anyway. For the couplings, just be very carefull as you pack and un-pack, and use whatever height or alignment gauge you had when you installed them, as you put them on the layout. This first showing will give you a good idea of any improvements you need to make, that's for sure ! (my first to-do list involved changing most of the varied makes of wagon wheels for one make and standard, (Romford/Jackson in my case) and reliability improved 100% straight away). You may find that your very finely detailed rolling stock won't travel very well, so it may be worth being prepared to compromise with a set of stock just for exhibitions. (brake gear always seems to be the most fragile part). You will soon find out what suits you and the layout, and if you don't intend to exhibit very often, you may not have to change too much, so don't worry, but be prepared !

I guess, when I'm feeling flush, I need to buy a set and experiment ! I am a reader of Riks blogspot and have been following his conversion from track-power to the Deltang system with interest. I think I need to "feel it" for myself !

I think we're almost there with the batteries, certainly in the larger scales, but I've not yet seen an electronic speed controller that can give the finesse of control on what is a very small layout. The available ones seem fine in the garden or continuous running, but not I fear for shunting.

After setting up, clean all the track with a dry cleaner, (Peco track rubber, for example, keep 2 in your toolbox), and vacuum over the track area (a 'dust-buster' is a useful tool for this). Clean all of the loco. and rolling stock wheels, using a fibre-glass burnishing pen (check and adjust, if necessary, the back-to-back measurement of rolling stock wheels after this), a foam-lined cradle is useful for the locos. and a separate controller with appropriate leads for a cleaning station (your old H & M is ideal) which can be used off the layout at any time. Clean the track again before the exhibition opens (and vacuum off again). If locos. start to stick at certain points, be prepared to clean track again when necessary, and check loco. wheels for cleanliness. Experience tells me that none of the "miracle" track-cleaning fluids work very well under exhibition conditions, there's too much dust around from the movement of people, and dry cleaning is best. Repeat this cleaning regime at the start of each exhibition day (track and wheels) Exhibitions are hard on locos., points, controllers, rolling stock, working signals, electrical connections, and baseboard joints so pay particular attention to these areas, and fiddle yards are as important as the visible parts of the layout, as they make the operating easier. I'm not trying to frighten you, but exhibition operating does need a degree of discipline, but once your 'there', it's very enjoyable, and you will get in person the same kind of feedback that you get here, and if someone responsible offers to help, accept ! you are there to share !. ENJOY !

I agree with the above, and it's not an OCD sympton ! a spare of everything that is essential to the operating of the layout is a must: Loco., point-motor, (at least one of each), controller. You will find that everything that has performed well at home, will fail in some way ! A back-to-back gauge is essential in your tool-box. (as soon as you pack your rolling stock up, the wheels will move!) and everything that worked perfectly will derail ! and don't forget at least two extension leads, one a long one with two sockets (your neighbour will need to piggy-back off your power supply) Most exhibitions will allow domestic power leads, and any venues that require a valid "test" certificate should provide an electrician to test & certificate them. If you buy new, keep the receipt, this implies a one-year manufacturers warranty and test certification. and carry spare mains fuses for your extension leads. (incidentaly, you can buy test labels from any electrical wholesaler), but do make sure your leads look ok, no taped joints or exposed wires. If they are damaged, replace them, or re-terminate them. Health & Safety Rules OK ! (In a previous life I was a layout exhibitor AND an electrician, AND a trades union Health & Safety rep.) and I've suffered failures of all of the above ! Be prepared to have a great time, spend more time talking than operating, and be totally wiped out by the whole experience! You won't be able to wait till the next one ! Good luck, you have a great layout!

The Scotland St end (of the real Scotland St. yard), did have a couple of advertising hoardings, facing towards Scotland St. itself and Royal Terrace, so using at least one as a view block in front of the tenements, maybe at an intermediate scale would certainly be correct for the area. They were there in the mid-seventies, although I can't remember what was on them, if anything, (the whole area was pretty run down by then)

Hi there, do you have any sources for locos. and stock etc., I use to be in touch with Robert Hendry around 10 years ago, but don't know if he is still active as I've moved away from Rugby. My son is now interested in the subject, and I have been researching some of the narrow-gauge Ukrainian forestry railways, which still appear to have some of the old soviet era equipment, so any help would be greatly appreciated, many thanks, Dave Elbourne

Scotland Street (the 4mm one of old) was "finescale" OO. I used the old (by then, defunct) BRMSB wheel and track standards measurements (culled from old Railway Modeller magazines) as I was using Romford wheels on the locos. The running reliability of the stock improved many-fold when I changed all the wheels for Jackson (now Romford/Jackson or Markits? maybe). Again proving what the P4 exponents were trying to indoctrinate all of us with "only matching wheel and track standards work properly". Even in (or probably especially in) coarser scale/gauge combinations.

Hi David, I think the roof slate treatment looks great. In close-up the softer edges are a definite improvement on the "newly-cut". From a normal viewing distance the roof as a whole will take on the look you are after and weathering will enhance it further. I find it all too easy to be misled by hours spent with it right under your nose, when you will never view it this way normally. I find the same with weathering, it can look awful and over-the-top in close up,(especially in photographs) but looks good in a normal viewing distance context. Take a step back, and enjoy! Dave

Thanks Jeff, it's good to be here. It's an interesting read, even when they're not talking about me . The more I look, the more names I recognise ! Dave

Hi Ben, I'm glad the layout worked for you ! From the comments I read earlier, it seems to have stayed in a lot of peoples' memories. It always attracted a crowd at the exhibitions we attended. I do have photographs of the layout (taken by Barry Norman for the Modeller article) but they are in storage at the moment (we live in a small-ish ex-council flat in London) but we did select the best ones for the article. When I was looking for a prototype for a new exhibition layout, I remembered the original article but worked and thought long and hard before it eventually materialised as a working and workable exhibition layout. It also took a lot of "fettling" (playing) before we could reliably shunt wagons around those horrendous curves and 3-way points !

Thanks Colin, I often look at the various forum sites, most recently with regard to larger scales as I'm currently scratch-building in 16mm, but something made me search Scotland Street and here I am. I had to join up to thank the posters for their kind comments! By the way, I'm still an indoor modeller, even in 16mm scale, garden railways just look like too much non-modelling work!

Hi David, I spotted this topic today and just had to join in. Great work so far and I'm so surprised that the "detailed scale model" of Scotland Street still exists. I built this as an exhibition layout in 4mm "finescale" OO. I did compromise it a little to make it more entertaining for exhibitions, but the yard trackplan was followed as closely as possible as you just could not make it up and keep it believable! I scratch-built the track (pcb sleepers and SMP rail) and bult the turnouts to the correct angles and lengths. I formed the unique tunnel mouth stonework from plastikard on plywood, using photos and measurements I took on-site when it was still a semi-derelict hole in the ground. Good luck with the project and I shall watch your progress with interest, Dave Elbourne

Idly surfing the 'net today, I found myself being talked about ! I am the builder of the 4mm "finescale" OO layout, Scotland Street, which appeared in the Railway Modeller all those years ago (1988). Of course, I am now a lot older, but not necessarily wiser! I would like to say thank-you for the kind comments and a "hi Phil, long-time-no-see" to member Phil Parker. I can confirm, however, that although I am no longer building layouts, I am still an active railway modeller. I am currently scratch-building 16mm scale narrow-gauge wagonry of various origins, both Welsh (some of the more obscure prototypes) and some industrial oddities. I do have an interest in Italian railways (FS) but have never got further than a few locos. and some representative rolling stock, and I, and my son Alex did exhibit Lego trains for a while (we still have those of course!), Anyway, it was interesting to read the comments and see some familiar names, and, now I'm a new member, I shall keep an eye on proceedings on the rmweb, thanks to all, Dave.