Imustbemadatmyage

I wondered about that but I want a layout on a loop and the 750 width gives me the ability to have curves that won't derail anything! I dont really want an end to end layout and to have to work out how to turn the engine round at the ends. Surely a fiddle yard at each end would give me less room for a scenic straight in the middle than having the track simply disappear round a curve? All of the middle of the board would also be free for further ridings, buildings etc.

As a total newcomer to the idea of railway modelling, I have been avidly reading articles on layout design and find a lot of the terminology rather confusing. What, for example, is a "trailing point"? Is there a resource that I can access to find out what I can and can't do when designing my layout? I have seen lots of suggested layouts criticised for what appear to me to be quite esoteric reasons. How do I find out how to do it correctly? I am wanting to plan my first layout in N gauge on a 1200 x 750 baseboard (the largest that the domestic manager will allow!)

Have you a copy of Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook? That has lots of information on the railway, including maps of the country and details of stations, rolling stock and, of course, Iron Girder.

The discworld series is best started at the beginning with The Colour of Magic. Happy reading! You will have weeks of enjoyment ahead. Lots of the later books refer to previous ones so it's worth reading them in order.

Having just joined the forum via buying a “train set” for my grandson, and wanting it to be more than a simple oval of track, I realised that I wanted to develop my own layout as well. He could bash his about as he wished but I would do mine nicely and keep it safe until he was old enough to respect it! Totally by accident I found out about the programme and watched the whole series. I had, by then, looked at magazines and “how to” videos and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these things put into practice. I have never been to a show or even thought about joining a club - indeed I didn’t even know there was one within 4 miles of where I live- until I saw them on the show. The big question now is “do I just go down on a club night and walk in ( not my usual way of doing things) or do I start going to shows until someone invites me?” I’m sure that I’m not the only person who feels this way.

Having just joined the forum via buying a “train set” for my grandson, and wanting it to be more than a simple oval of track, I realised that I wanted to develop my own layout as well. He could bash his about as he wished but I would do mine nicely and keep it safe untethered was old enough to respect it! Totally by accident I found out about the programme and watched the whole series. I had, by then, looked at magazines and “how to” videos and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these things put into practice. I have never been to a show or even thought about joining a club - indeed I didn’t even know there was one within 4 miles of where I live- until I saw them on the show. The big question now is “do I just go down on a club night and walk in ( not my usual way of doing things) or do I start going to shows until someone invites me?” I’m sure that I’m not the only person who feels this way.

Surely, to be true to the spirit of modelling, you must have the Patrician playing with his little train (presumably in Z scale)! And, of course, Drumknott on the footplate of the loco. Do you have a small child being rescued by Moist von Lipwig?

Track laid and tested, and loco running. Now where did I put that fake water ...?

I won’t! Have to clear out the spare room first! Mind you - I have got something running!

Hi, Just joined the forum. I am based in West Yorkshire and don’t (yet) have a running layout. Buying a Thomas set for my grandson has re-awakened my interest but lack of space sent me down the N scale route.

Hello. Let me introduce myself. I am a retired bloke who decided to buy his grandson a Thomas set for Christmas. When it arrived a couple of weeks ago (I don’t believe in last minute shopping!) it re-kindled my interest in model railways. As I don’t have a lot of room, I decided to go down the N scale route and am currently researching track, layouts etc, including how to model scenery. The recent programme was brilliant for me. All the techniques I had seen on the internet were being put to good use and to see the way the teams approached their tasks was an eye opener. I didn’t want to see how-tos because I have seen enough of those on the internet, and I have reached the conclusion that there are many ways of doing anything. For me, as a non-modeller (so far), it was brilliant entertainment and contained enough information to make me even more determined to build a good layout. As an aside, I am a retired doctor but I still watch Casualty and Holby City. I accept that what I see is entertainment rather than instruction and I would hope that other modellers would take this programme for what it appears to be - entertainment. Certainly for me it has acted as both a stimulus to get building and a reassurance that it is not a totally black art.