Keith Addenbrooke

Further progress on 49th Street Bridge (3 of 3) I need an open railed fence across the railroad bridge to give the best viewing angle while waiting for a train, so I need a simple way to make one. Parapets are card offcuts with printed paper from the Engine Shed Office kit wrapped around them, measured to be just over a scale 4' high (capstones for each parapet are to be added - if I remember - when I get to detailing). In case I need more than one go, I used my original paper template for the bridge to measure the parapet spacing. To give a bit of strength, I've glued the four parapets to a card base for stability. The railings themselves: spaghetti, each end dipped in glue then lined up with the stones on the parapets using tweezers. This will be left to harden before painting. I'd not expected it to work first time - had I known it would, I could have painted my pasta beforehand! ___________________________ Finally for now, a first picture of the module with all the key elements loosely in place together. I've already learned from basic kit building that there's still a lot to do to produce a finished model from this point, but with four weeks to go it should be achievable now. And then we'll just be waiting for a train.

Further progress on 49th Street Bridge (2 of 3) Next job, add a fence on top of the retaining wall, again with pieces from the BRM Engine Shed Office Kit. Without a parapet to fasten the base of the fence to, I included a pavement inside the fence (in the alleyway). This gives enough of a profile for the glue to take and keep the (thin) card fence suitably vertical.

Further progress on 49th Street Bridge (1 of 3, again) With an improved track base, I've now re-painted the gravel areas to each side. The first photo show my original, the second the revised module using a darker grey paint - and painting with a vertical brush for a stippled effect (rather than brushing over the underlay as I did first time, making it smoother). The third photo shows the two board side by side - with the new and improved on the left this time. Lesson learnt: the difference a bit of practice makes is significant.

Lovely to see Shell Island in this thread - I've never seen it in the flesh, sadly, but it is truly inspirational at every level. In the context of this challenge / invitation, I wonder if one of many things that gives it such atmosphere is the additional width (15", I think I read somewhere). The length is fine for Billy, but the ratio of 2:1 (width:length) is quite different (Billy is 3:1, though was this a Barry Norman diorama recommendation at one time?). Anyway, keeping to the width (and straight) presents a further challenge, I guess. One thing in the contributions is the choice between a self-contained layout and one which either removes for operation or has some other means of adding to the sides: hat's off to those sticking to the shelf-contained option. With 23 pages of micro-layout threads to look through on RMWeb (nearly 600 topics) plus Carl Arendt's website (250 micro-layouts plus small layout updates since May 2002), there's plenty of expertise out there (oh, and over 60 million Billy bookcases worldwide per a 2017 BBC report).

It is starting to look that way: I was thinking this morning of asking the 'powers that be' whether there might ultimately be a something in the magazine section, the layout planning section or the modelling section (with box files / micro layouts). I guess we need to demonstrate that the interest on this thread is turning into worked out ideas that'll be followed through first.

It's a modular-type system with available add-ons: I have one with 8 shelves (and different vertical spacing too). You can buy the shelves separately, per the opening post's photo by the look of it. As a further note: the inside shelves are 76cm, and the sides are 2cm thick each (hence a reference to 80cm earlier in the thread). A layout for the top of a bookcase could theoretically be a little bit bigger, I suppose (but that's not the challenge). (I moved house last year)

There's always a catch.

Definitely tempted - a logical next step from stand-alone kits via a cakebox towards a full layout. Is there a deadline for ideas? Is this developing into a challenge in its own right? (ie: with an end deadline too - I'm not worried about trying to win anything, but am finding the cakebox deadline helpful, though I might regret saying that at the end of this month)

With open track as the centrepiece of this module, the effect of having used oversized ballast was very noticeable. I'd been hoping in my mind's eye for something looking like the neatly packed stones to the right of the path below - but ended up with something looking far too like the rocks on the left... Taking heart from the conclusion that my rocky roadbed was mainly the result of using rocks (more than my lack of skill or experience), I've cut a new baseboard and tried again. To reduce the size of the ballast granules I simply took a hammer to my bag of ballast - the photo of the re-loaded ballast spreader clearly shows the mix now includes some smaller granules that have shaken themselves down below the larger ones. I've also left painting the gravel surround until after ballasting this time, so I can try and match the darker shade of the ballast after it's been sprayed and then glued: Not every rock has been crushed, particularly in the ballast shoulder, but I'm happier with the overall effect this time, both before and after glue is applied. With the generous gravel area to either side of the track in this model, I'm OK with the larger ballast shoulder I still have as a transition (as my track is modelled in an urban cutting, drainage would be key): I'm not a great photographer, but I can tell the difference between three pieces of track and cakebox boards I've ended up with: 1. My test piece (very rocky) 2. My first board (still rocky) 3. My second board (not as rocky) _____________ Re-doing this stage has cost me some time, and I'm noticing that one side-effect of working on a cakebox is that my pile of unfinished BRM magazines is getting larger: actually attempting some modelling has seriously dented my available reading / daydreaming time! In BRM world it's already Spring, and now I find myself looking at the Billy bookcase beside my desk as well...

Quite right - good point I should have mentioned. I'm using up the ballast I bought a few years ago: I've since learned that many 4mm scale modellers use ballast granules sold for N scale ballast, for exactly the reason you explain, so mine is really overscale, especially for 3.5mm scale. The "shoe test" you mention is a really helpful explanation, thank you.

49th Street Bridge - Tracklaying 1.01 Tracklaying is important to the final look and feel of the module - not least because the theme means there's won't be a train to hide it! I did try test ballasting a couple of 4' lengths of straight track a few years ago: it was fun to try, but the result was so rocky that it could only ever be used for very static displays (rolling stock just couldn't...). I'm therefore producing two pieces of track - a test piece alongside the 'real' one: The Hornby track I'm using is correctly spaced for HO gauge track, and while the sleepers aren't too obviously toy like in the middle, the end pieces are functional rather than realistic. As with other pre-formed track, there's also a continuous webbing underneath I want to remove: It was a simple job with a Stanley knife to swap the sleeper units from the ends of the final piece of track with some from the middle of the test piece, but I must admit I did get bored cutting the webbing from just these 2 x single pieces of track - I'm not sure I'd have the patience to do a whole layout! Hats off to those who do (the thought crossed my mind that handlaying track suddenly didn't seem like such an onerous task). Track was lined up (against a mirror from the final module) and simply glued to the roadbed for this basic model. Next up was to lay ballast - using a dry brush to produce an even finish. I don't have any HO scale rolling stock, so an unfinished OO gauge Dapol wagon kit was used to check the rails remained clear this time. (The man between the boards in the middle picture above is not "waiting for a train" - he's just in the newspaper I'm leaning on!). Once laid, the ballast is sprayed with a traditional mix of water + a drop or two of washing up liquid, before a 50:50 mix of PVA glue / water was applied using a clean medicine dropper. The result will then be left to dry overnight: it's quite a lot darker at the moment, but the wooden planking on the railroad overbridge places the layout in the steam era, so that's OK: track would be blackened through use. I've not painted the railsides at this point - I'll do this later if I have time: I won't worry if some paint gets on the rails - photos I've seen suggest that even rust spreads into the ballast over time. ___________ PS: If it all dries OK, then the test piece might even be useable for a later cakebox challenge too. We shall see.

Thanks for the explanation: covers the one thing I'd not worked out - I was fairly certain my 08 didn't have the outside frames. All makes sense. Looking forward to seeing the finished module - an excellent cakebox idea.

Ah, 08 113 - I'd wondered if it might be from an earlier post: my childhood layout (track on bare boards) was N gauge and I had an early Farish model of this. From memory the couplings on mine were upside down. If I remember correctly it was stabled in Cornwall? Nice to see it again.

49th Street Bridge - progress (part 3 of 3) Finally, the bridge itself, again using prints from the same BRM Engine Shed Office Kit. These can be wrapped around the corners of the structure and avoid 'split card corners' showing. The edging stones are actually guttering from the kit, with 2B graphite pencil rubbed along the seam (as there is a fold here). I liked the look of the edging, so have added some to the top of the retaining wall, which also has acquired a concrete road surface today as well. Yes, the track still needs ballasting, a fence for the top of the retaining wall, railings across the bridge and then detailing (my term for trying to cover up the joins). Given where I started from however, this is already further than I've got before with designing and then actually building a model that's not just a kit - and it is starting to look as if I could end up with something resembling what I set out to build...

49th Street Bridge - progress today (part 2 of 3) With an undersized cakebox (7" x 7" x 3" deep), I can expand upwards with a backscene. As I need viewing points from both the front and side, which could distort any attempt at forcing perspective, I'm using a plain blue-grey background 6" high on a card mount that slots into the cakebox behind the baseboard. I've also lined the other side of the cakebox (behind the low embankment and fence) with the same blue-grey paper - it's so plain it doesn't really show on the daylight photos in the previous post, but it is there (and it does look better than the plain white inside of the cakebox).

49th Street Bridge - some further progress with a free day today (part 1 of 3): Before attempting a fence that will be prominently positioned on top of the retaining wall (partly screening the low-relief building behind), I've put together another part of the module as practice - the low embankment for the other side of the track. This also uses parts from the BRM Engine Shed Office kit on a cereal box base, plus some spare coping stones left over from a Metcalfe kit to add some 3-D relief. As it'll all be reflected, it needs to be quite plain.

49th Street Bridge When I settled on a plan for this diorama I named it '49th Street Bridge' - my viewing point while waiting for a train. Tonight's task has been to make a start on the bridge: a cardboard skeleton formed from a cereal packet, onto which a pre-printed brickpaper finish can be stuck later. Having previously drawn up a design as a paper template (and then as an initial cardboard mock-up), I've now carefully drawn out the design in the style of printed card kits: This was actually my third attempt, and even then I realised I'd missed some tabs I'd need when I began cutting it out (not too late to add them in). By carefully scoring the card before folding it, and then checking that the tabs for the pillars didn't overlap when folded, it was possible to glue each pillar in one go, making assembly the quickest part of the job (this may not be news to experienced modellers, but to me it came as a nice surprise). As with the retaining wall, there is no safety parapet at this point - railings will be added - and for me, this more than meets my expectations. The one thing missing is an underside to the arch - this isn't visible from the viewing angles I have, so I may or may not rectify this later.

I keep coming back for another look at this photo, and then another look again: an all-in-one (left to right) ballasting tutorial. Fantastic modelling, so well documented, thank you.

Given the relevance of the poem to the concept for this entry, worth asking the adjudicators / editors if provision for a sound (video?) submission can be made - I may not model in DCC surround sound, but many do. Just a thought.

Ok, so I put off ballasting until I have time to set up a workstation I can leave out while it dries in place, and put together the building I want instead. You can see how the source kit has been modified by comparison with the photo at the end of the previous post. I inserted clear plastic in front of the printed card window frames for a simple glass effect. The printed door supplied looked too over-sized to pass for HO scale, so I used a corrugated metal sheet print from the BRM kit as this is featureless. I wanted a run-down but not disused appearance, so the doorway (and one window) have been boarded up from the inside - if the building was disused and boarded up externally, I'd expect any remaining windows to have been broken too. I've also gone for a low-relief building rather than the fold-down building flats I'd planned as the model needs to be viewed side-on as well as front on. A design for a railroad overbridge has also been mocked up in card and gives the effect I want. I've had to cut away a parapet I left across the bridge to get a low-enough viewing angle for the reflections under the bridge (I'll need some railings instead).

After a few weeks marvelling at the wonderful ideas being developed by some very creative and talented cakebox modellers, the chance to make progress on my little model is on the horizon, with half-term just around the corner. Much of what I learn is by trial and error, so my ability to make lots of mistakes could be a blessing... I found some sheets of 1/4" MDF (left by a previous resident) in an outbuilding, suitable for a small baseboard. It's not too obvious from this winter evening photo, but my first lesson reminded me that, even 35 years after 'O' Level woodwork, I still can't cut a straight line: something I'll need to bear in mind for future, larger projects. NB: The coffee tin really is big: just shy of 7" tall (this is an American model) The roadbed is just corrugated card painted grey, while the gravelled area to either side came from a roll of "Premier Cork Underlay" I had. I don't know if it's still available: the sheet I found is priced at 2/- !!! Not sure why it's double sided? The main problem was rolling it flat after, presumably, at least 48 years in the packet. I've made up some cereal packet box frames for the retaining wall and building on top, revealing two more basic errors (D'oh!). First: I forgot to include a parapet on top of the wall (there'll be a fence on top, but a parapet would also be conventional), and second: after carefully bracing the inside of my box frame with thick card formers, I then stuck all the spare brickpaper I had on the back! Fortunately, building each part separately (in case of mishaps), all I need to do is turn it round. The building will be created from a downloaded BRM freebie from a couple of years ago that I never made - the original was for a 4mm scale Engine Shed Office, and while I've decided on a 3.5mm scale low relief warehouse, modifying it with a more typical American flat roof should look OK. One of the most common problems with card kits is achieving 3-D relief, but with US buildings often not displaying prominent external drainpipes (for example), I'll be covering the printed-on ones. Under the heading of things I wouldn't have guessed, it would appear that some standard brick sizes in the US are actually smaller than in the UK. Working to a scale 7/8ths the size, I should therefore have downscaled this kit by a bit more than that before printing it, but given the cost of printer ink I'll live with the difference. Next step: ballasting the track and settling on a suitable final design for my second railroad-related item, the overbridge. Traditional brick arches aren't as common in the US from what I can tell, but I want something fairly non-descript as it will be reflected multiple times in the final model.

Had a quick scan through this afternoon - looks like another excellent edition with a strong balance of things I want to read when time allows, thank you all.

Wow! That is absolutely brilliant - an amazingly creative idea, perfectly executed with such attention to detail (an excellent advert for 7mm modelling). Thank you, Keith.

Reviewing the previous post, it therefore looks like the two railway related items will need to be: 1. The single track that forms the centrepiece of the diorama 2. The railway overbridge which serves as the viewing point. Looking at the cardboard mock-up also shows how I can break the project down into sections, so I can build each one in turn (one per week). This will allow me to try out various ideas at each stage without risk to anything else, bringing it all together at the end. With limited time I can also pace myself, and this will show me how long it might take to build a larger model, maybe even one day a layout! My six pre-built items will therefore be: 1. Ballasted single track - HO Scale 2. Retaining Wall 3. Railway overbridge 4. Any detailing of the top surfaces of the bridge / retaining wall. 5. Building flats / backscene up to 6" total height 6. Small embankment / city park section __________________ PS: Looks like the 1830 Liverpool to Manchester is running very late...

First off: thanks for the various acknowledgements and advice so far - it's helpful and encouraging (and gives me some options as well). Having drawn a paper diagram I'm happy with, I've now made a simple mock-up of the proposed model from a used cereal packet. This shows that leaving sufficient clearance under the bridge for the smallest US loading gauge (AAR Plate B), leaves no space within the allowable 6" for a further drop in the foreground (for a small dockside, for example). The photos instead show a small embankment: going back up rather than further down. More significantly, the exercise confirms that widening the bridge for an inset street track restricts the view down the line too much: Halving the width of the bridge from 2" to 1" renders a significant improvement, and gives a view not much different to the very first paper mock-up (which had a 1/2" bridge when testing the concept): The narrower the bridge, the better the view when waiting for a train.