bmthtrains - David

If your board is only 44cm wide you will struggle to have any loops at all. Maybe a shunting plank instead? You’d need a minimum track diameter of 45cm for short wheelbase N gauge stock but 55cm is now recommended. Some 009 locos will go round much less than this but again not long wheelbase stock. As the scales of 009 and N are so different I’d also suggest picking one only. David

Ooh time to get my order in! David

Crikey! People wanted coaches, they got coaches! The NR ones will be added to my wish list immediately! David

Thanks both, I suspect this layout will be around for many years until it gets recycled into whatever comes next! David

My contribution to this thread from today’s running. A (hopefully) realistic slice of the WCML in N. David

Thanks Andrue, The ballast is only lightly weathered as it’s intended to be very fresh, capturing the intensive renewals schedule when the WCML was rebuilt. Photos below for comparison. David

With the layout more or less complete I’ve been reflecting on its design and build today. The layout had a long gestation, having been in the planning stage since 2013 and so was thought about a great deal while my retraining and career shift into academia severely restricted by hobby budget. A house move later and by mid 2021 the plan had been fixed and some of the key buildings were under construction. Restricted again to portable boards, this time giving 8’ in total length, I wanted the layout to capture the rebuilt WCML of the Virgin era, and as my preferred layout type is ‘watching trains go by’ I wanted the scenery to be railway related, so yards, trackside details, etc. With the boards arriving in Jan 2022, the track and electrics took an age, and the number of isolating sections across both boards used up nearly 100m of wire. Next time a much simpler track plan I think! I enjoy making layouts far more than actually running them, and there were some really enjoyable challenges on this one: the paintwork on the ROC, designing the etches for all the building windows, the signal gantry, the lineside details like lamps and signs, and getting the buddleia right - which I think really give it the WCML feel. Overall I’ve really enjoyed being back making in the hobby again, and really found my skills had improved over the ten year gap. And I now have a layout that is easy to put up and run and which captures the feel of the modern railway I set out to create. It is also probably the best I can do in the format I’ve had to stick to - the portable 8’ long by 2’6 set up. I doubt there will be another layout of this type as I think for the size I’ve squeezed in everything I could. I do have plans for another WCML N gauge layout but it is probably many years off, another house move at least, as I’d want to tackle a permanent set up with at least an extra 4’ of scenic running and a comprehensive storage yard to take at least 12 trains. For now the focus is on collecting rolling stock, partly with that next dream layout in mind, but more wagon rakes and whatever other goodies come out over the next few years. And running the layout! So nice to just pop the boards up for an hour today. Later this year or early next I’ll be starting a small 009 diorama layout as a total change of scale, period, setting, and modelling style, but there’s always more details to add to this one. David

Another shot of the layout looking south towards London. David

I found a second less warped FEA set on eBay so now have the start of a GBRF container train, here being pulled by a Freightliner 66. When the Dapol GBRF 66 comes out next year and hopefully the C-Rail FSAs this year, I can finally run two correct trains! David

Some lovely looking layouts, although I hadn’t realised it was a nautically themed exhibition… ⚓️

Great to see this exhibition back, and to say hello to a few familiar faces and admire Bournemouth West. Lots of N gauge on the trade stands which was good to see, but the highlight I think was the fictional Dorset 009 layout with some excellent scenic modelling. David

Very much needed to go behind my impending Freightliner 90! David

Hi Ben, I’ve given it a bend and superglued some containers which seems to have given it the rigidity it needed. I’m surprised there’s a weight in them at all really, so very bendy! David

It’s an eBay purchase but from the look of it the set has barely been used. David

Hmm, it seems I may have to rethink my plan for a GBRf rake - the Dapol wagons are hideously warped. I will try heat bending them and then super gluing some containers on to see if it helps but at present the coupling hits the sleepers so it won’t run… David

The ecofrets are tempting but as they are £100 on sale for 120’ of container space versus £40 for the same on the FEAs I’ll start with the Dapol wagons. Really hoping the C-rail FSAs hurry up so I can properly do a Freightliner rake as well. David

I will look out for blue FEAs in that case, had only seen the FL green ones. If they don’t warp a good mix of those, pocket wagons and Megafret would look nice behind a Dapol GBRf 66 next year. David

The layout isn’t designed to be exhibited and it’s really quite small, just 2x 4’x2’6” boards that sit upright back to back in the spare bedroom when not in use. Going to make a dust cover to keep them clean. With the layout largely complete I can enjoy running it so have been making lists of potential future stock purchases. I need more container wagons but find identifying them a bit of a maze, so I have been trying to match what’s available (or forthcoming) to the different operators. Any additions/corrections to this list please let me know! Farish intermodal FIA EWS/DB Revolution KFA FL EWS/DB Revolution ecofret FL EWS/DB GBRf C rail pocket wagon FL C rail FSA FL Dapol Megafret FL EWS/DB GBRf DRS Dapol spine wagon FEAB FL I’d like a GBRf rake but there doesn’t seem to be much suitable? I’m also keen to avoid further KFAs as they have a habit of warping, which the FEABs apparently also do. David

One more photo from this evening. A long crop of the construction yard. There’s a bit of perspective distortion using the wide angle lens but it gives a good feel of the scene. David

Hello WCML! From this angle the layout appears pretty much finished. Just a few more details to add to the front industrial units scene. David

Hi Graham, the track is weathered but only lightly. This is to reflect the whole ‘upgrade and renewal’ feel of the 2010s WCML. This shot shows the weathering better: David

A bit of detailing today, a delivery of fresh linen is all bagged up and ready to be shipped out. David

I can imagine how fiddly that was to solder! David

Thanks Jack. This morning I’ve been sorting and painting detailing parts for the front scene, and gave my intermodals a good run. David

I’ve yet to see any attempt at wires that looks workable to me. Partly it’s a scale issue, they’d be around 0.1mm thick which would be extremely difficult to achieve, but it’s the track cleaning/access issue that puts me off most. Really they’d need to lift out which means some kind of obvious hooking system. Probably easier to as an AI art bot to just add them to each picture! David