SNCB / NMBS - A couple of days in sunny Belgium

An impending change of job has given me some time off to relax before beginning at my new company later in the summer. Given this unexpected free time I though a couple of days in sunny Belgium, split between Brussels and Antwerp would be just the ticket to begin with.

I have posted below a few edited highlights, but I will post more at my main flickr page shortly.

Further real-life inspiration: Muizen (Part 1)

I recently spent some time in Belgium researching for my latest HO-scale layout; the permanent one which will take up the larger of the two basement railway rooms I am lucky to be blessed with. Whilst traveling from Antwerp to Leuven I passed through a small station Muizen with a very interesting and extremely active yard; and had to go back and take some pictures. A couple are reproduced here; I will upload some more soon.

The yard which included both hopper and container unloading facilities, was packed with pairs of Series 13 electrics; 77xx diesels and a Class 66; the station itself was a nicely compact twin island platform, with a neat row of houses which formed a ready made backscene.

Obviously the yard would have to be massively reduced in scale, but by judicious use of say, the road overbridge seen in the background (moved slightly east), only the yard throat need be modelled; the station though, could be fairly easily reproduced, at least in width, even if it may need to be slightly shortened to around 6 coaches in length.

I will start on a track plan soon.

A weekend of woodwork.

Inspired by the layout that Nigel Burkin has under construction at: http://nigelburkin.wordpress.com/ I've made a start on the baseboards for my latest layout. Unlike my last two, this one is a 'layout that doesn't leave home'; mainly as it will have extensive OHLE, and frankly to model overhead line equipment convincingly it isn't too compatible with portability IMHO. I've started with the easiest section; the narrow return along the door-side of the room; a run of around 11 feet; with a minimum board width of 15 inches; widening at both ends for the corners. I am planning to use a minimum radii of around 3', but hopefully well disguised by either scenery or completely 'off'scene'.

Excuse the Roco NS 1800; it's simply to give sense of scale. I've gone for a completely wall-mounted construction for the narrow 15" wide 'returns', but the main section; at some 13' x 2'6" will need at least some additonal support.

New HO Project: Hasselt / Kiewit (SNCB); or 'here we go again...'

Anyone who knows me is well aware of the fact that I can never have just one or for that matter two major railway projects on the go at once; in fact I'm never happier than when I'm planning the layout after the one I haven't built yet.

So to that end; I introduce my latest overambitious project; a permanant layout inspired by the Hasselt / Kiewit area of Belgium. This town is home to the Pukkelpop alternative music festival: http://www.pukkelpop.be which I am very fond of and have been to the last few years.

In between bands and on the day either side of the festival I've been known to spend rather too much time in and around the railway; on the weekend of the festival many trains are strengthened and additional loco-hauled services run to both the main station; Hasselt, and the local station next to the campsite, Kiewit, making a highly modelable subject.


Add to the fact the Kiewit station is on a branch line, is a compact site, sees regular freight trains and is at roughly 90 degrees to the main line, some interesting scenic breaks afforded by river crossings, and the fact that the main station has a busy yard and its own locomotive depot and there is some excellent inspiration.

The main station would take a great deal of modelers license to compress; the real thing having 9 platform faces, which can accomodate up to 12 coach trains; the layout I have in mind will accommodate reduced length rakes of between 6 and 8 coaches, but hopefully I may be able to capture some of the essence of the station. It should be possible to model Kiewit fully, as seen below the station building is fairly compact, though it may be necessary to curve the platforms.