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More modelling pics and tips

“Hello Al,

I’m a new “subscriber” from Pennsylvania in the U.S. I have been modeling in N-gauge since 1970, but still consider myself an amateur.

I think I have a twist on one of your contributor’s submissions. When ballasting in N-gauge, I use a very fine screen to eliminate dust in the ballast. The real “trick” is to add a few drops of “wetting agent” (dishwasher product like JET DRY) to the diluted white glue/water mixture.

This eliminates surface tension in the water which causes bubbles when applied to the roadbed. The applied ballast will absorb the glue/water mixture like a sponge.

Has anyone ever suggested using the metal tops from pencil erasers? Here in the U.S. some of them look identical to oil drums. (probably best for use in HO modeling due to scale)

One silly question. What is the most popular height (from the floor) for setting up N-gauge layout tables?

M”

“Alastair,

Here is a useful tool. I had a bunch of baby food jars. Filled with play sand from the home center store, they make excellent weights for holding down foam, cork or track if you are using glue to attach any of these. Just enough weight but not too much to damage track or push track out of guage. I have enclosed three pictures of the jars in use. A plus, the glue you use (I use yellow carpenter’s glue) doesn’t stick to the glass jars if you use a little too much.

Ed”

“Hi Al,

Here are some photos showing my Layout, including my turntable made from a cd disc.

Paul”

“Al,

Here some pictures of the grey house. I hope you can use them. As you can see I am still in a starting stage. I’m a bridge freak so I’m trying to get them in place right before I move on.

Thanks,

Ken”

You can download the house ken has made here.

A real mixed bag this time – hope you liked them. Let us know below!

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide, if you want to get going on your layout.

Best

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

More layout pics from Kaustav

Kaustav has kindly sent in more pics of his fabulous layout. If you missed them first time round, they are here.

“Thank you Al! I am glad that everybody liked the layout.

As a ready material, here are some pics of my latest build – the main freight-house of Wrightsville Port, along with a ‘Magic of Black ‘n’ White’ photo! Hope you like it.

For all my future progresses, I will make sure to send you the details.

Once again, thank you for the space! 🙂

Kaustav”

“Al, the attached photo is how I decided to “customize” the print out building a bit to give it a little more depth and texture and personalize it to my layout (which is a long way from complete). I mounted the print out to foam board making the concrete caps (painted balsa) easy to attach. With the imaginations I’ve seen out there, the possibilities with print out scenery are endless…

Keith”

You can download the ‘print out factory’ Keith used, here.

And now a question for you all: how come you are all be so shy on the tips? Come on – if you’ve got one, please share!

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide, if today is the day you start your railroad adventure.

Best

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Narrow gauge layout

My word, there really is some talent out there. Have a look at Julian’s narrow gauge layout. Just superb.

Have a look at the comments below.

“Dear Alastair,

having seen lots of layouts on your mailings, I thought it was time to send in mine. This is my layout. Its taken about 7 months to get to this stage.

It is a 00-9/narrow gauge layout, loosely based on several railways I have visited or seen in the UK and Europe. My first train set was a wind-up Maccano set my Great Aunt bought in the 1950’s. Since then I have owned Hornby OO, Garden LGB G and N-gauge railways.

The N gauge set took up an entire loft and I built it with my son and daughter. When we moved house I discovered the downside of not creating scenic dioramas with removable links!

This set is a much smaller but highly detailed Narrow gauge setup. I chose narrow gauge as I wanted larger rolling stock and building than N gauge, and with ageing eye-sight, OO is easier to see than N!

The base is a strengthened pasting table 730mm x 1500mm that used to be my desk. One day I was playing with some parts ordered through e-bay, the the next, the computer and papers were gone and track and hills had started to appear! The design was researched, but in the end grew more organically than planned! It provided a few headaches to fit it into the limited space.

The whole setup was designed to be portable so that it could be taken to shows and exhibitions. I have used layers of pressed paper board glued together, then carved, and plaster/cloth contoured over. I mixed paint pigment and PVA glue into the plaster so chips do not show. Tree locations were bonded into this mix so the trees can be removed for transport and relocated with ease, or just moved around.

Scatter flock was added in about 4-5 layers to build up a realistic effect around the houses and fields. The creepers and ivy on the buildings were added not only to disguise joins, but that is also what you would expect to see in real-life.

Each building fits and locates into the scenery base and has an electrical connection for LED lights. Most of the building are Metcalf bases, then customised. For instance the Yorkshire barn as supplied would never have a roof that over laps the walls!

Each building has 1 or more lights so the lower floors can be separately controlled from the upper floor to add realism.

The street lamps, outside wall mounted lights on the buildings and station platform lights are on separate feeds to add to the realism at night.

The bridges are adapted from Peco mouldings. All the track work is Peco, and I run a variety of locos and rolling stock.

The buildings are named after either places in the north of England with a slight twist to them, or after my wife and our dogs. There are several small scenes within the layout – the cows walking off to the barn to be milked, the boy throwing the stick for his dog across the bridge, and his mum shouting at him! A lady about to topple over trying to hang up the washing, and a couple leaning on the fence by the barn looking out over the country side.

Sadly my narrow gauge layout is up for sale now as I am relocating to the southern hemisphere and I cannot fit it into my carry-on luggage! So if there is a reader who would like to show it, it is available.

Julian”