Making tracks...

A concerted push this autumn has resulted in some great progress on my German HO scale layout. All the trackwork is laid, point motors fitted and decoders added and it has all been tested. With this major hurdle cleared the basic structure of the scenery can be formed. Apologies for the slightly rough and ready nature of the landscape, these photos basically show an equivalent to a first draft or sketch, so that changes can be made. Buildings and structures are just roughly placed before being properly bedded in once a satisfactory position is achieved.

These photos show the far left end, roughly a quarter of the scenic element of the layout, where the mainline enters from an alpine valley before crossing a river valley. The first tress have been placed to gain an idea of scale and perspective, many hundreds more to be added.

Brief European layout update

A lot of work has taken place on my main European layout in the last few months, but much has not been particularly worthy of photography, such as wiring and fitting point motors and point decoders. The main work has been in what will become the station, with the through lines and two bays now laid, and the pointwork for the station throat largely complete.Further time was spent reworking the baseboards, hopefully for the last time, particularly in the station approach area, allowing more space for the 'frontscene' (as opposed to a backscene) as I am  keen to see the trains running through a town-scape on the approach to the station, rather than all the railway infrastructure in the foreground. I've also widened the station itself to allow a few carriage sidings to be laid in front of the column that will by necessity have to act as a scenic break roughly two-thirds of the way along the station. As a consequence of this compromise which results from the structural challenges of building a large layout in a cellar, I will only be modelling part of the station, the through platforms will allow a loco and up to 5-6 coaches to appear from off scene, into the station, while the rest is still in the fiddle yard. The front bay platform end in a blind tunnel to allow five coaches and a loco to be accommodated.

All pointwork on the visible part of the layout is the latest Tillig Elite code 83, which in my opinion is the finest ready to run track available, and once ballasted and weathered is close to handlaid in both look and performance. It also has the advantage of being quite flexible so can be laid with some curves to avoid the jointed look that ready-made points can suffer from.

The main lines are laid with Roco Code 83 concrete sleepered flexi-track, which has a finer sleeper profile than most other proprietary HO track, whilst the sidings are to be Tillig elite, which matches the turnouts.

The point motors are generally DCC Concepts Cobalt, which seem to be better put together these days. I had quite a lot of issues with some of the early batches I used on Widnes Road, and they were replaced by the more robust but far chunkier Tortoise motors for exhibition use, after two cobalts failed at an exhibition.

The motors are wired from the outset for full DCC operation, this being accomplished with NCE 'Switch-8's' which are a very cost-effective solution to turnout conversion.   

I've also made the most of the fine weather to start on detailing and renumbering stock, the first completed is a pair of 111's in Bavarian advertising livery. These are the recent Roco models, with full buffer beam detailing fitted and painted, and they are now awaiting some light weathering.

'Muizen' Progress - The first tracklaying

Another weekend of successful woodworking and I've been able to get the first track down, at least in 'first draft'. It's to give me an idea of whether I can keep to my plan of a minimum radii of 30-36" even on the off-scene parts; and initial tests are hopeful. Although it's not too clear in the picture all track will be laid with prototypical super-elevation or 'cant'.

I've already rebuilt the 'removable' section by the door to ease the track radii from 28" to a generous 36", and to ensure that where the track joins the main baseboard from the 'bridge' it does so perpendicularly to allow for a reliable rail joint.

The second photo shows the main off-scene area; this allows a continuous run to be achieved and also accommodates a 4-road fiddle yard for up to 6/7 coach trains plus locos, this will be laid as far as the wall in the distance. The four tracks to the right of the picture are placed to gauge the depth needed for a useable storage yard; this quarter of the layout will not be modelled.

All track is the HO-Elite system from Tillig, obtained from international models in Wales, who provide an excellent range and great, friendly service. I consider the Tillig track a good compromise for a layout that doesn't leave home. Whilst my exhibition layout Widnes Road has only hand-build turnouts, for something of the size I'm planning for Muizen I felt it really was a bit of a tall order, plus would have slowed progress by 6-12 months. The Tillig track once ballasted and weathered, and fitted with slow action Tortoise or Fulgerex point motors can look nearly as good and has all the excellent slow-running characteristics of live-frog continuous point blade turnouts.

The final shot shows the layout in context in the main basement railway room (Widnes Road has it's own room!) It really is starting to dwarf Singen Hbf, but the design allows for either layout to be operated independantly, and the central layout is easily moveable if extra room is needed at one side of the room for modelling. Next task is to get the windows in the room replaced and then the main baseboards along the longest wall can be built, and a continuous run laid.

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.