Category Archives: 1. Small

Small layout designs

1. Small, 1:43.5 (7mm Scale), Exhibition, Inglenook, Layout Design, Layouts, O Scale, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Switching, UK, Web

Site Seeing – April 5 – Small O scale layouts 3

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With many thanks to David Bromage for sharing photos of his visit to the 2016 Bendigo Model Railway exhibition let’s take a look at a new O scale layout on the Australian exhibition circuit: Filching Road Yard.

Site 1: Filching Road Yard (courtesy of David Bromage)

Photo courtesy of David Bromage
Photo courtesy of David Bromage

New on the Victoria model railway scene is Filching Road Yard. A simple and not overly large O scale of 8 feet (2400mm) by 18″(450mm) wide. The layout is a budget build and was designed to fit into the back of the owner’s car (a station wagon).

With only two turnouts and a cassette fiddle yard this could be the ideal O scale starter layout. To keep your costs down you could also build your own trackwork, a project that I’ll be undertaking later this year as I attempt to increase my modelling skills into trackwork.

Like this post and comment if you find it useful or would like further information; if you’ve not already subscribed to keep up to date you can do so now using the link at the top of the post.

1. Small, 1:43.5 (7mm Scale), Inglenook, Layout Design, O Scale, Operations, Scales, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Web, YouTube

Site Seeing – April 3 – Small O scale layouts 2

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In this continuing series during April I want to visit one of my favourite exhibition switching layouts: Ingleton Sidings.

Site 1: Ingleton Sidings

nevard_110330_ingleton-sdgs_DSC_1821_02_web1-400x267[1]Paul Allen’s masterpiece Inglenook, built in OO scale,  shows what can be scaled up very simply to British O scale (1:43) with the use of commercially available kits, RTR trucks and loco’s available now or in the very near future. The entire aim is to keep cars and loco’s short to keep the visible part of the layout within the 8′ (2400mm) maximum. Giving enough run and movement without taking up the entire house.

Ingleton Sidings, designed to sit on a standard home window sill or ironing board, illustrates what can be achieved in a minimum with RTR products and basic scratchbuilding techniques. The location as modelled is fictional and represents a small BR sorting siding during the late 1950s through to the early 1960s. The layout features point motors, 16v lighting, line side CCTV and Kadee automatic coupling. With the layout detailed and weathered to represent the last days of steam.

If you are thinking of going British O at minimum cost and personal commitment then Ingleton Sidings might be the place where you start.

Now see it in action:

First up an overview of the layout and features:

Next, from February 2014 – the initial running of DCC and Sound on the layout at the Milton Keynes model railway exhibition:

1. Small, 1:43.5 (7mm Scale), 1:48 (US O Scale 1/4"), About, Australia, Layout Design, O Scale, Operations, Proto 48, Sites of interest, Switching, This Site, UK, Web

Heads Up!

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April is now and forever more deemed to be the ‘O scale’ small layout month.

Overall layout - outstanding

Throughout April I’ll be posting layout plans, and information, on small and achievable layouts that have already been built in O scale, or that could be up-sized from the smaller scales to fit in a maximum visible space of 8 feet x 2 feet (2400 x 600 mm).

The only requirement is that it must be based on the recognised scales of:

  • 1:43.5 (UK & Australian Standard gauge)
  • 1:45 (European)
  • 1:48 (US & Australian Broad gauge)

So this includes 0n30, Metre gauge, standard, broad, and anything else that you can imagine. Traction can be steam, diesel and, or electric. If you have an industrial track plan or layout that is small in nature I’d be really interested in seeing more information or links to your website especially.

I’ll still be posting the usual informative and layout focused information as normal, this is simply something special I’ve wanted to do for some time.

If you have any ideas or layouts that you’d like to share during April drop me a line through the comment field and I’ll work with you to get that information into a post!

Don’t forget to ‘Like‘ this post and ‘Comment‘ if you find it useful or would like to offer or need further information. If you’ve not already subscribed to keep up to date you can do so now using the link at the top of this or any post or page.

1. Small, HO Scale, Inglenook, Layouts, Scales, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Timesaver, Web

Site seeing – March 29 (Trackmobile layout edition)

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The BLI HO Scale Trackmobile
The BLI HO Scale Trackmobile (image courtesy of BLI)

One of the better small locos to have come out in the last 10 years is the HO scale Trackmobile available from Broadway Limited Imports. I’m working on my unit to weather it into a loved if hard worked unit. There’ll be an article in April about how I weathered it and how you can do so too. The only drawback with this model is the dummy coupler on the front end. Somewhere on the internet I read about a change to the Trackmobile front where you add a shortened Kadee #58 coupler directly under the dummy coupler. Essentially the change was drilling and tapping a 2-56 hole in the bottom centre of the dummy coupler, shortening a #58 coupler and then drilling a hole in that for the 2-56 screw before screwing the two of them together. While not perfect it falls within the Kadee coupler height gauge requirements and allows the Trackmobile to be double ended. Saving the Hand from the sky (the 0-5-0 hand of god) traverser. Now, onto today’s site.

Site 1: RÜGENSHAVEN (Carendt.com)

Thomas Van Hare's Rugenshaven Layout
Thomas Van Hare’s Rugenshaven Layout

Thomas Van Hare of Ashburn, Virginia, USA put this layout in the Carendt.com First layout design contest in May 2008. While the layout location is imaginary this HO Scale German fishing harbor corner layout Thomas says “involves a Timesaver (with eleven destinations), plus dual opposing Inglenooks, competitively running two DCC ‘Little Cow’ Trackmobiles”.

The layout features small fishing warehouses, boat maintenance facilities, fueling and supply shops, a fishing net manufacturer and marine diesel repair shop. At center is the harbor’s main canning smokehouse business, with two loading platforms.

You can find out more about the layout design challenge and the entries from the 2008 challenge on the Carendt.com site.

 

1. Small, HO Scale, Layout Design, Layouts, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Switching, Web

Site seeing – March 28 – Layout presentation ideas

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Layout presentation is something that I care greatly about. Today’s post, from The Small Urban Rails site takes you through a comprehensive review of proscenium arch and other presentation styles useful to model railroaders. Enjoy.

Site 1: Small Urban Rails

This insightful article about the author’s Southside Industrial District, originally housed in a 28” x 88” closet (thus its dimensions) and his discovery of the beauty of presentation after leaving the closet light on one afternoon before returning later in the evening to a darkened room and the image of the HO scale skyline of the Southside standing out from the room darkness.

Discussing styles of presentation and moving onto how he framed the Southside Industrial District this post is well worth the time to read and understand how your layout can really pop out of the background with simple framing techniques.

Like this post and comment if you find it useful or would like further information; if you’ve not already subscribed to keep up to date you can do so now using the link at the top of the post.

1. Small, Layout Design, Layouts, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Web, YouTube

Site seeing – March 10 – the Llanastr, B&MR edition

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Small layouts really tick the box for me when it comes to model railroading and I’m assuming they tick your box also since you all keep coming back. Recently this English layout was discussed on the Prince Street blog. On to today’s sites.

Site 1: Llanastr, B&MR web site

The idea for the layout was born in the early eighties when the builder moved from All PostsWales and found himself in an apartment too small to accommodate the layout he’d been building based on the Brecon and Merthyr station at Rhymney.

Llanastr - thanks to the ScaleFour Society's website
Image 1: The entire layout in all it’s finished glory

To keep his skills up and to run his stock he decided a compact layout should be built that allowed a fast setup and takedown time. Llanastr was the result. The home site has a full history of the layout and the build details.

Site 2: The ScaleFour Society’s website – pictorial

The image shown above provides a comprehensive overview of the layout. But there’s still more (unfortunately no steak knives). Head on over to the ScaleFour’s site and take a look at the other images of the layout, they are worth the effort after the jump.

Site 3: Llanastr on YouTube

Although short this video provides a full overview of the layout and shows in detail the sheet background (I’ve not seen one better) and the track plan. If you look closely in the left-hand end of the layout you’ll see the operator using the pivot table to move a loco onto another road.

Don’t forget to like this post, comment if you find it useful, and subscribe to this blog if you’ve not already subscribed.

1. Small, HO Scale, Layout Design, Layouts, Liked off site, Operations, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Switching, Web

Site seeing – February 13 (the behind the scenes edition)

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Site 1: Switching/Shunting/Shelf “Small Model Train Layouts” (Facebook group)

Glenn Sanders runs a very tight-knit and helpful group over on Facebook. I’m pretty sure that you need to be a member of Facebook to view the group, and you have to be added by Glenn, but since joining I have found some of the best modellers on there. Ray O’Neill of HELM and 59th and Rust fame is just one of the great modellers on the group. It is also a great place to share ideas and plans for your industrial switching layout (ISL) too. If you get a chance drop by and see what’s going on. Very layout focused.

Site 2: End of the spur!

For those of you who might know Ray O’Neill through his 59th and Rust layout, he has another underway at the moment that I wanted to share with you. End of the spur is an industrial switching layout (ISL) set in an inner city industrial area, using combined motive power moved because there is no run-around as in the image left, there is a lot of switching to do and surprisingly a lot of space to get it done in with 12′ (feet) of run and 14″ (inches) of depth. There are some great ideas that I’ve seen in this build that I’ll be using on my layout too. Among them the switch frog polarity controller – which is genius.

Have a great Saturday.

1. Small, HO Scale, Layout Design, Layouts, Operations, Personal Layouts, Switching

Site update – January 7

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Is there no end to designing a layout? I sincerely hope not, I’m having too much fun!

I’ve added a page to the 12 foot layout modelling project for the design process. It’s been really good to check the images from a distance (and not standing at the layout board) and seeing where things could be improved. I’m going to make changes and get to the Mk III design later this week.

It’s nice to know that I’m getting closer to an ideal layout design that will keep me happy switching and let me enjoy the layout for the next few years.

Keep an eye out for updates to the page later in the week.

1. Small, HO Scale, Information, Layout Design, Layouts, Operations, Personal Layouts, Switching, This Site, Web

Site update – January 1 – Happy New Year edition

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I’ve added a new Modelling section – My 12 Foot Layout.

This will provide a Work-in-Progress report of what’s happening in the layout build process. For now there’s a front page. It provides my overall thoughts and a photo showing the proposed design (already laid out in track).

As I stated on the page there’ll be more coming in the future including:

  • Track laying,
  • Building construction,
  • Detailing,
  • Operations design, and
  • A session report or two

Looking forward to getting this underway this month.

1. Small, Layout Design, Layouts, OO Scale (4mm:Foot), Switching

Site Seeing – December 29

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Small layouts can be as interesting and as fascinating as their larger cousins. Today we’ll focus on one such layout that shows how even in a small space, there is room to excel.

Site 1: Paul Marshal-Potter’s ‘Shelfie’

Paul’s blog site (Albion Yard) has featured before on this blog.

Recently I found a couple of posts and images of ‘Shelfie’ in a semi-finished state, before managing to get a copy of Model Rail #214 October 2015 from our local library service last week.

And what a difference between the in-progress shot and that shown above and in the magazine. If you’ve not read Paul’s blog before may I suggest that you do so? There is great modelling ideas and images aplenty there. Drop by and give Paul’s blog a read soon.