Tag Archives: layout

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), 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, 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.

 

Layouts

Site Seeing – December 28

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Small layouts are my true love. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t love to have a huge O scale layout filling the basement of a huge house. Realistically however, the small layout is the most likely layout that I can build and operate within the scope of income and time available. And as many others have pointed out over the years it is also a canvas within which you can detail to your heart’s content.

Site 1: Bart van Doorn’s 33rd St Layout

This beautiful O scale layout shows what can be achieved in a relatively small area in what I consider the premier scale. Pop on over to Bart’s channel and take a look around at his videos of the layout.

Site 2: Bart van Doorn’s Flickr site

Bart’s layout has come a long way since the video above. Take a look at the Flickr set and see his outstanding modelling.

Site 3: Shortliner Jack’s version of 33rd Street in HO Scale

Shortliner Jack is one of my heroes when it comes to building a layout. He is a serial small layout builder designing some notable layouts among them Box St Yard.

Recently I found a 2013 set of posts about his HO scale version of 33rd Street that makes some interesting reading. Even though the layout did not get finished it does show what you can manage in a relatively small space.

1. Small, 1:48 (US O Scale 1/4"), HO Scale, Inglenook, Layout Design, Layouts, O Scale, Proto 48, S Scale, Site seeing, Sites of interest, Web, YouTube

Site seeing – August 10th

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Yesterday was all about passenger service; today is all about freight. Chris Gilbert pointed this video out, on his YouTube page. However the producer is ChicagoJoe28. But enough words let’s get to the video.

Site 1: Mike switches Batory Foods Chicago Terminal railroad

Video 1: Batory Food Switching on the Chicago Terminal

A little history

Located at 2234 W 43rd St, Chicago, IL 60609, Batory Foods began trading in 1979 when Abel Friedman opened Chicago Sweeteners. As a single source supplier of basic food ingredients such as sugar, flour, salt, starch, milk, oats, honey and corn syrup. Chicago Sweeteners expanded its product offering over time, as food manufacturers sought to develop healthier products.

With success in the greater Chicago market, the Company brought its broad line model to food manufacturing centres around the country. Some of the growth came with the original business; some by way of acquisition with:

  • Sugar Incentives bought in 1995,
  • Ingredients International in 2006,
  • Quality Ingredients in 2008,
  • LSI in 2009,
  • Industrial Ingredients in 2009,
  • Massey Fair in 2011, and
  • Mac Source in 2011.

Recently, the various names were consolidates into the single name: Batory Foods.

The layout idea

The site’s switched as an Inglenook. The two on-site spurs lead to undercover augers (I’m assuming here of course) for unloading powdered or granulated product.

Batory Foods Chicago - An Inglenook you can model

Image 1: The unloading spots (courtesy of Bing)

The storage track goes to other industries further down the track, but does not show recent use from my quick look. The loco has to push the cars into the site so you have a simple, prototypical Inglenook that won’t take up too much space. It is small enough that you could model any date from 1979 on in HO, S or O scale.

SCORE! What are your thoughts?

Thanks to Chris Gilbert for the vision, and to ChicagoJoe28 for filming it.