Keith Addenbrooke

I'm continuing to think about ideas for my new baseboards. Completion of my Test Circuit took me back to my first days as a railway modeller. I wanted to model in N Gauge, and when I was 9 or 10 my birthday present was a baseboard my Dad had made with a simple circuit of Peco Setrack and one siding - same as I've just made now (there was also a controller and a train). I can still remember the board was 2'2" x 3'8". It was never ballasted or sceniced, but instead developed into a busy layout. No photos exist, but this was the track plan: It wouldn't translate into H0e, as the track spacing would be too tight, and I think I've learned the 'less is more' lesson now (one of several reasons this layout never got sceniced). But it still took me until yesterday to realise that putting my two new baseboards side by side (instead of end to end) to give me a layout 26" x 44" is in fact the same now as then. Back to square one, a second chance or just a coincidence? Who knows. I'm hoping to get to the Merseyside and South West Lancs gathering tomorrow, which will no doubt give me loads of new ideas - so no point trying to decide anything until then. Have a good weekend, Keith.

Hi @Northroader - I think there may perhaps be a bit of a typo in your post above? You are quite right of course - the boards are each micro-layout sized (approximately), so there are plenty of possibilities. What I should have said was that ‘there are far more options for what I’d like to do now in NG.’

Of course, something else to do while paint dries is to run trains: (I don’t ‘notice’ the absence of a backscene while running trains, but it does rather show on the photos). I also took the opportunity to do some simple measuring of train lengths in case I actually try and plan a layout for the new boards. For anyone wondering about NG and reading some threads here (which I know I did), these may be of interest: Five wagons seems a decent length for a short mixed goods (disclaimer: it’s also all I’ve got at the moment), 51cm / 20” : Short passenger (with locomotive) about 39cm incl. standard H0e couplers (just over 15”): Note though that Zillertalbahn passenger trains can extend to a dozen carriages behind a U-Class, so this is atypical. I don’t have all the bits I need for a contemporary passenger train, but it will be the longest I might run: And, for completeness, a Peco Setrack 228cm / 9” point, but note that small 009 4-wheel locomotives often stall on Insulfrog points, and larger locomotives won’t run on Setrack curves, so use with care. Hope this helps, Keith.

Returning to the opportunity given to me with two free MDF baseboards, I started by thinking that the only thing I’ve been missing out on while getting started in Narrow Gauge modelling is somewhere for my SG trains to run. Family life rather resembles an experiment in Brownian motion, with the one constant being that my space constraints are unlikely to be relaxed any time in the next four years (at least). So I thought I’d see first of all what I might be able to do by way of a small H0 switching layout, placing some of the stock and buildings I had to hand on the boards by way of a size guide: (Obviously my interest in passenger operations doesn’t help here - those are 85’ cars). This will be a product of my overactive imagination, but the scene I began to imagine in my mind was that of the heritage train that runs through Augusta, GA for the US Masters each year (maybe that’s just me though)! Anyway, after playing around a bit the reason this post appears here is that I think I concluded that the boards are most likely to be used for another NG project after all. There are options in SG (an Inglenook switching plank would be an obvious one, for example), but far more options in NG. What’s the purpose of the post? Musing while paint dries would be title, I guess:

Hi there, @Chops, welcome on board. I think the magazine/ publication you’re referring to may be Ian Holmes’ new Digest, which has been written about on the Boxfiles, Micro layouts and Dioramas Forum, but is an independent initiative not connected to the publishers who are associated with RMweb (to avoid confusion). @Ian Holmes is based Stateside, so depending on what time you may have emailed him may determine when he’s able to respond (I’ve found I get a nice reply within a couple of days). I hope you’ll find a lot of inspiration and encouragement here, and I know the Micro-Layout Forum has really helped me get beyond dreaming, planning and collecting, and into modelling (despite several well documented false starts). Keith.

Like the livery - and I wouldn’t fancy my chances with wasp stripes!

Nothing new - I’ve just been asked for a close-up photo of the finished ballasting:

So, bacon toasties and Kato batches. The kitchen will be busy

Minitrains do an H0e Brake Van like this in Green (#5119) or red (#5128) - not sure if it’s currently available, but I’ll admit I hadn’t realised it was prototype based.

I think El Tortuga can be translated either Tortoise or Turtle, too? It’s a lovely little layout, really helped by nicely proportioned scenery and a ‘relaxed’ (ie: well-spaced) station design. Really works well - I can see it is is the sort of layout that would remain in the memory for all the right reasons. What intrigues me about the layout design is the deliberate way it was planned to avoid creating a long run for the small motors. At the same time the layout sidesteps the common solution whereby passengers could step from the end of the platform into the fiddle yard - that can mean exhibition operators spend more time driving the fiddle yard than the trains. I suspect the ‘suspension of disbelief’ involved in the concept may work best as a NG / Feldbahn subject. Nice one, Keith.

Thanks - I’m afraid resin is a new material to me. Could I ask how it’s assembled (eg: is it superglue?). Just wondered, thanks, Keith.

Well, the idea of having a gap didn’t last too long: These two sheets of 9mm MDF were used as packing for a mirror delivered to my eldest’s new address - both my adult kids looked at it and thought the same thing: “Dad’ll use these for railway boards.” Maybe not my first choice material, but free, and wouldn’t want to disappoint the children now, would I? Still using up the paint I bought on discount last year! (Not sure what these will be used for yet, but it’s not like I’ve run out of ideas…! 2 off 13.5” x 44.5”)

Sorry, can’t help with the instruction sheet - my N Gauge Warship was a late 1970s Minitrains one, long gone now! What I did want to say was the photo shows how good the definition on the 3-D print is: looks really crisp from what I can see. Hope it was worth the wait, Keith.

Elsewhere I have seen exactly that approach used - polystyrene block hidden inside an outer casing of thinner wooden strips. Totally convincing, much lighter, and the ‘genuine foam core’ joke got used too.

“Finished” After the rail paint had dried, I gave the track another clean and then finally brought it inside: I’ve mentioned before that photos aren’t easy to take in the layout space, as the baseboards go in front of the window, but it was still very nice to see the MV8 on a short goods train at last. It’s only a small first step, but I do have a layout. It’s time for me to say thank you for the encouragement and advice. I’ve plenty more builds, projects and the larger H0e layout to work on (as well as my long-term paused SG projects) so while this project is complete, I’m sure there’ll be another train along soon:

Hi there. With regards to the ‘run-round loop’ point, if there is room to include it, I’d suggest it might well be worth it, not just to look like the prototype, but for the extra switching flexibility it gives: you always have the option of not using it. Just a thought, Keith.

As long as he doesn’t watch to the very end of the video…

As promised, some further pictures of progress. Scenery I wanted to add some simple scenery before time ran out for the end of the holidays (otherwise it wouldn’t get done at all). This is just basic beginner’s stuff, to see how I got on and what I needed to take note of for future reference: despite happily playing trains operating model railways on and off over a period of more than forty years, too many house moves (and other factors) mean I’ve never actually tried scenery on even a simple working layout before. So here goes: With plenty of Calci Sand to hand, I scattered a layer over the bare baseboards to add some simple undulations, then sprinkled on a mix of colours from the tubs of flock powders I had in stock. At the other end of the baseboard I included a trio of H0 Scale huts, Auhagen freebies my Dad got some years ago. These are to serve two purposes: 1. Could I make them look like they were set into the ground, not just sitting on top of it. 2. Can I carry the baseboard around the house without knocking them off: As the sides are very narrow, I simply brushed a layer of PVA alongside the track and stuck down some flock powder (I also did this for the section inside the point). I tried to mix the colours as I made my way around the layout: An overall view after the PVA had set however quite clearly shows which bits were stuck straight down, and which were soaked and glued like ballast, as the parts that weren’t soaked remained much lighter: It might have been wise to find more time so I could stick down the base layer of Calci Sand first, then add the grass, as several bits along the edges brushed off when I was removing loose pieces of flock powder (top left is particularly noticeable). For a first attempt however, and with limited time to finish, I think I can still be happy with this as a test. Another good clean of the track and it was time for the next test run: (The train is running the right way for testing the electrical supply to the siding, though the wrong way for shunting!). The impression the close-ups give me is perhaps of a less well-maintained NG line running along a windswept coastline? I’d need to take more care to define the boundary between ballasting and scenery for it to look more like a modern Austrian NG line, which was the idea (I bought Peco Mainline Flextrack for this project - and until a couple of weeks ago I was still looking at Swiss Metre-Gauge lines of course). Nevertheless, I’m more than happy that a bit of practice is what I need now. Final task was to paint the outside of the rails, and then take this layout inside where it can be called ‘finished.’ Hopefully I’ll be able to complete this Chapter of the story with a final post tomorrow.

It’s just a thought, but depending on budget / availability, there are some second hand Bemo H0m models around (Swiss electrics) with excellent chassis (4 and 6 axle). If the body / pantographs are a bit worn the price might come down, but the innards may still be up to scratch. As I say, just a thought, Keith.

Thank you - I think my scenery may well turn out looking a little bit like the colours in the second photo. As for the coaches, my understanding is that these days the emphasis on tourism means the local authorities expect the trains to be kept quite clean - I’m not sure I could weather coaches to look quite like those ones do! Progress is continuing, and I should have some more photos tomorrow. Really useful pictures to see. Thanks, Keith.

Hi there! No apology needed - I chose the Calci Sand based on the size of the chippings and in that respect it is ideal and still good value for money. It hasn’t gone too ‘goby’ after gluing either. Personally I quite like the colour, and I could always darken or paint it if I wanted to anyway. It’s only when I compare it to photos of the Austrian Zillertalbahn to match the rolling stock I’m using that it catches me out. Their ballast is a well-maintained light grey - closer to the colour the Calci Sand was before soaking. Thanks for the book suggestion too - I’m not short of things to read, but I’ll have a look on t’internet at some point, Keith.

Tracklaying 2 I’ve been able to make some more progress and can expect to finish over the next day or so (my modelling is a bit ahead of the write-ups): I completed the track laying using just 3 yards of track: As a test layout, I want to use the practice for more than test running trains (though there’ll be plenty of that). In terms of track laying, 5 details I’m trying are: 1. Electrical power using Pecolectric wired fishplates - not everyone recommends these, so I want to see how I get on with them here. 2. I’ll be inserting spare sleepers to hide the gaps at track joins. 3. A tip I got from NGRM is to paint the area under point blades a darker colour to hide the absence of ballast there. 4. Electrical contact using point blades - it’s worked for me on unscenicked layouts, but is not generally recommended. Will I find it still works here (it does simplify wiring)? 5. This track joint (beneath the front wheels of the grey open wagon below) is fitted with insulated railjoiners: another test for the point blade electrical contact. I’m happy with the size of the pieces of Calci Sand I’m using as ballast. When I’ve used granite clippings before, I’ve found they turn a darker shade of grey when soaked with water / washing up liquid mix before gluing. This is it still dry: This Calci Sand however rather turned the colour of, well, sand… I’ll edit the relevant post earlier from when I bought this to give a warning - I’m going to live with it, but it could put some people off what might otherwise be a viable ballast option. I’ll see how it looks when the rest of the boards are sceniced.

Hi Andy, nice to see the progress - I particularly like this picture: could easily pass as real, and when I think how small the rowing boat and bushes are in this scale it’s very impressive.

Tracklaying 1 Finally, some progress with track laying on the test circuit layout. I’m mainly following advice shared on the NGRM Forum, although the mistakes are all my own of course. To being with, I’d made an MDF former to help align the 228mm end curves, which I marked out using Setrack: Using Flextrack then allowed me to introduce slight transitions even on this small layout, which were initially marked using drawing pins. When I was happy with the alignment these were removed and replaced with track pins, which meant I could also check the curves with some rolling stock - the VS5 Driving Cab is possibly the longest piece of H0e rolling stock available? (It does have quite an overhang, but as a Liliput model is still designed for 228mm curves).. Track was then trimmed to size and glued in place with DIY store PVA before being placed under weights to set: I’m doing the two end curves first, then the side pieces: the track plan is a simple circuit with a stub siding along one side.

Indeed - this actually happened to me today: I’m working on a small scenic test track and connected up the controller for a test (DC, just two wires). Engine* behaved itself perfectly when the controller was set for Forwards, but the moment I flicked the switch to Reverse it instantly set off at full speed - even though the power was still at zero! No way I’d have prevented a high-speed drop test on a layout like Trelothen. Fortunately (as @The Stationmaster and others will know), I strongly favour continuous run layouts, so was able to catch the Engine as it came around. Not sure what I’d done, though disconnecting and reconnecting the controller fixed it. (* I’ll use the term Engine rather than Locomotive as it was just a ‘naked’ powered chassis with no body).