Category Archives: Layouts

All layout subjects

Large, Layout Design, Layouts, Liked off site, Motive Power, OO Scale (4mm:Foot), Scenery, Site seeing, Sites of interest, steam, YouTube

Site seeing – The ‘Barmouth Junction’ edition

Leave a comment

This video came to my notice thanks to a post on the Australian Model Railway Magazine’s (AMRM) Facebook account. And while not Australian in any way shape or form, Geoff Taylor’s Barmouth Junction layout is a visually stunning model.

Barmouth Junction

Well worth the time to travel over the line and listen to it’s creator tell you about the layout. It’s a masterpiece and while not a small layout it is so well modelled and I imagine it is just as good to operate on that I wanted  to share it with you.

Well done Geoff and the thanks also to British Railway Modelling (BRM) magazine for showing us the layout.

1. Small, About, Classic Designs, Information, Layout Design

Jack ‘Shortliner’ Trollope – RIP – April 27, 2019

Leave a comment

For those of you reading, who did not know Jack “Shortliner” Trollope, AKA Shortliner Jack, you really missed out on an experience. Jack was a courteous and caring man, modeller and mentor. Always giving of his ideas, and time, with many across the world of model railways.

His passion for small space railroad modelling ignited my passion. It wasn’t until today that I realised I have been in touch with him regularly for most of the last 20 years online, in forums and through the Model Trains International magazine and website. He was the person who first took an interest in my designs and got me to write several articles for MTI over the years.

His most enduring design (I think) was Box Street yard. A timeless design along the lines of Cyril Freezer’s ‘Minories’, Alan Wright’s ‘Inglenook’ and John Allen’s ‘Timesaver’. To have a layout design spoken about in that august company should by anyone’s model railroading standard be considered an honour. I’ve included an image of Box Street below (image courtesy of Carendt.com) . Click on the image to get taken to the site for a full review of Jack’s layout design. A fitting tribute to the man and the modeller.

To his wife and family you have my deepest sympathies. I’ve shed a tear, and to his memory I’ll raise a beer shortly. RIP Jack. You’ll be greatly missed. You’ll not be forgotten.

Andrew

Liked off site, Operations, Prototype, Site seeing, Switching, Web, YouTube

Site Seeing – Last mile switching on the Florida Central

1 Comment

Danny Harmon spends a day out following a railfan friendly switch crew of the Florida Central as they switch customers around Orlando, Florida.

First Mile / Last Mile

This is where I believe that real railroading happens. It is where the customer meets the railroad. It’s also where modellers with small spaces, budgets and time allocation get the most bang for the buck when designing and building a layout. There’s a lot of great locations and close up detail shots of the crew working and the locations for inspiration.

Sit back, put on your headphones and enjoy the sights and sounds of a couple of vintage locomotives as the train crew prepare their train, run out to, and then switch, the customers spurs. (Clickable video below)

Make sure to like and subscribe to Danny’s channel. Recently he’s been doing a lot of switching videos. I hope he does a lot more to come. Supporting him might just get him to do more too.

Layouts

Site Update – RailBox XAF10 Modelling pages updated

2 Comments

The modelling article on the RailBox XAF10 class cars have been updated. There is new content and the first step into the rebuild article promised quite some time ago. There’s more information below.

What’s happened

The XAF10 class RailBox boxcars (the first of the fleet) built by ACF from late 1974 through mid 1975 are my favourite North American railcar. I’ve been working away on collecting information for the rebuild and upgrade to the Athearn Blue Box models since 2010.

I first mentioned rebuilding my XAF10 model fleet, in this related post, back in 2014. Since then a tightening of the modelling budget (due to being laid off, and being over 50 and it taking a long time to find full time work again) has slowed the build process down, although it never stopped completely. I’ve worked in fits and starts as I could afford to buy bits and pieces. The test boxcar is very close to being finished. I’ve tested updates and processes as I go to find what works best for me. Once the test car is done I’ll get stuck into the other 5 cars and knock out at the one time. And that should be over the next 10 days (I hope).

I’ve updated the main page, and added the first page of the process. I’ve got a couple of tasks left to model on the on the test car tomorrow. Once that’s done I’ll upload the work to that point.

Resources

XAF10 Class modelling updated pages:

1. Small, Information, Inglenook, Layout Design, Layouts, Minories, Site Updates, SuperNook, This Site, Web

Insight – Why am I modelling the way I do?

3 Comments

A recent conversation with a fellow modeller has bought me back to thinking about why I’m modelling, and what my modelling should represent. Let me explain.

I have a lot less modelling time now than I ever did before, due to my work commitment, which is driving the nature of my modelling in different (if interesting new) directions.

Among the changes I’ve had to make is in the scope of the work. Because it takes longer to complete larger and more complex projects I’m focusing on smaller easier to complete in a day projects as my primary goal. I have some large projects that remain on the table. These will be for items I cannot buy, kitbash or otherwise make out of something else.

Will this change the nature of posts that appear here on the Andrew’s Trains blog? No, I don’t believe so. This blog has always been about small layouts with lots of operational potential, and that is in line with what I am moving to in my modelling.

Weathering will continue to play a large part in my modelling, upgrading blue-box style kits to better reflect the prototype is where I found real joy in modelling as a young man. And I’m going back to that in a big way this year. There’ll be more posts along these lines to come over the next few months as I get my modelling life back in order.

With a demanding and hectic work life simplicity is my goal. Modelling simplicity likewise has to be the case. Simple projects that can be done with:

  1. tools I already have,
  2. resources I already have, and
  3. that can be completed in the time I have to give them.

This is the focus of my modelling going forward. Likewise to layout building. I have a couple of projects that I want to complete, one of which is a Supernook, a new design I’m working on now that will begin with the baseboards build before we left the USA 13 years ago. I’ll be continuing on with the US-based shunting layouts, but I’m interested in building a Australian/UK-based Minories layout soon as well.

Takeaway

I’ve made modelling a complex and often difficult endeavour. I’ve lost my love of producing models that I enjoyed building and that I am proud of. Life is short, and more so as I near my mid 50s. Time with my family and enjoying what I do is not limitless. So the time is now to make the changes that keep me happy, healed and enjoying what I do. I hope that you will stay along for the ride. With almost 100,000 unique views over the last 3 years I’m hopeful that you will stick around and see what is coming.

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

Site Seeing – the “I love the Yard” edition

Leave a comment

Imagine an industrial 7mm narrow and standard gauge model railway with radio controlled crane and lorries. Then look at a great video and see it in action.

The Yard

Built by a group of four during a three-month period for a club exhibition. This layout is in 7mm scale and uses both 16.5mm (3.5mm HO standard gauge) and 32mm (7mm O scale gauge) track. Scenic area is only 2’2” x 6’, with an overall size of 2’2” x 9’ including fiddle yard.

Of particular note are the working features of the layout including:

  • standard and narrow gauge trains
  • working gantry crane, and
  • radio controlled lorries

The gantry crane had apparently been on another layout and manually controlled. When moved to the yard it was converted to radio control. The lorries, which I believe are the work of Mr Giles Favell, (see the resources section below for more) were in use on other layouts. The rolling stock came from other layouts also.

Control of trains is by DCC, while point control uses MERG canbus.

Resources

See more about the wonders of Giles Favell’s radio control 7mm scale lorries and his layouts at:

1. Small, 1:48 (US O Scale 1/4"), Atlas O & HO Scale, Exhibition, Layout Design, Layouts, Liked off site, O Scale, Operations, Personal Layouts, Reports, Scales, Scenery, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Switching, Web

Site Seeing – The David Barrow fan boy edition – September 24, 2018

Leave a comment

We moved back to Australia in 2006. So, I have to live through others when they visit David Barrow in Austin Texas, my wife’s hometown, and where we spent 10 years from 1997. Trevor Marshall visited recently and came away with a great post on the man and his layouts – including his new small (comparatively speaking) O scale layout which really piqued my interest.

David Barrow’s layouts

Hi – my name is Andrew – and I’m a David Barrow fan boy tragic…

I first remember reading about David Barrow’s Cat Mountain and Santa Fé layout in the 1980s in Model Railroader magazine. As a young man, dreaming about my large future model railway plans, David’s layouts (there were at my last count about 17 versions of the Cat Mountain) were my ideal. While I dream of those massive layouts still I took another path to small layout designs.

Recently David Barrow has followed down that rabbit hole, this time in O scale, with a new layout. You can read more about that in the second link below by Trevor Marshall.

David’s layout design and presentation skills are unique in the hobby. Not to everyone’s taste I’ll grant, yet having seen and operated on the layout once in 2005, I did not notice its minimal scenic treatment. I was too interested in the operational side of things.

Image 1: Davids Barrow’s entire O Scale layout – battery-powered and operated by radio

Once again the layout design is the centre of attention and the scenic treatment is classic David Barrow – minimalist. However, you can use the design and then scenic it to your heart’s content. Hmmm – now let me see – I have 3 boards in the garage on which that layout design would fit perfectly…

You can out more on this layout in the Model Railroad Planning 2018 publication from Kalmbach.

Resources

1. Small, HO Scale, Inglenook, Layout Design, Layouts, Liked off site, OO Scale (4mm:Foot), Operations, Operations, Scenery, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Web, YouTube

Site seeing – the Second Hand Inglenook edition – September 20, 2018

2 Comments

I admire modellers who can get to the meat of a project, quickly and with vigour. Gazmanjack (Gary) on RMWeb used second-hand track, wood and other parts from his modelling left-overs to create a stunningly good small layout for operations. Read on for more.

Linden Ford – the second-hand layout

Gazmanjack (his handle on RMWeb) back in 2014 built an outstanding layout from left over bits and pieces, as an adjunct to his current layout, to give himself something to operate on during the other layout’s longer build. I’ve only just found it and wanted to share the forum post with you.

And what a cracker this layout is. I won’t go into too much detail here, as I think the adage of a picture telling a thousand words is true on this occasion. There is plenty of information in the post too on the build including scenery, tree armatures, and so on.

Image 1: Linden Ford – an outstanding small Inglenook layout

I hope that you find inspiration in the post. So much with so little that turned out so well. Well done Gary!

Resources

Layouts

Site Seeing – The I wanna live in Lakemont edition – 16 September 2018

Leave a comment

Small switching layouts are plentiful. Seb has taken this layout to an awe-inspiring level.

Welcome to Lakemont

Over on the RMWeb forums Seb has served up some serious eye candy with photos of his in progress layout. He describes his freelance layout as “a short line located somewhere in the NE, near the Canadian border”. The track plan is simple and efficient; main track, runaround, and sidings.

There are two major customers served by the LVN : Lakemont Packaging & Farmers Coop Elevator. Are also served a team track, an unloading dock and unloading pit with auger.

His attention to detail and his execution of the built and natural shown in the image below (click the photo to go directly to the forum) are outstandingly good.

Image 1: LVN 150 and another loco on the left end of the layout

There are many more photos on the main thread on RMWeb. Head over and read through the full thread and see a lot more photos of the layout. You’ll thank me once you’ve visited.

As a final teaser…


Clicking the image will take you to another thread where many of Seb’s images from Facebook have been linked and shared for those not on the specific Facebook group.

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

Site Seeing – The Super Duper Switch Stand Edition – 9 September 2018

Leave a comment

 

Using Sunset Valley Railroad switch stands on the layout

Operating realism is very important to me. It ensures that those working my layouts move at a realistic pace and in a realistic way. Switch operation is a big part of that goal for me.

The source of inspiration – Port Rowan in 1:64

Originally inspired by a post on Trevor Marshall’s Port Rowan blog, I want to include these switch stands as a part of my operating realism approach.

I particularly like the fact that Trevor uses a single style of padlock to lock the switches along with a length of chain. This ensures that all switches must be unlocked before use, and relocked after use as happens on the 1:1 railroad.

As Trevor says in the blog post, they are more expensive than other simpler options. However, I think that if you have a small layout, and realistic operation is your thing, then the cost is worth it. And they’ll last forever.

I’ve wanted to share this post for a long time, but only recently found all the links again after long searching. I hope you enjoy reading about this and get inspired.

Resources