Ever since I rode the 3ft. gauge line from Durango to Silverton in 1974 (when it was still operated by the D&RGW), I have a love affair with North American narrow gauge railroading. For many years, building a HOn3 layout was out of question, as those brass imports were out of reach in my neck of the woods - just too expensive. When Blackstone announced their new range of HOn3 locos and cars, the interest was rekindled. What a shock it was when I saw the street price in my home country. gain, those grapes were beyond reach, and I was about to shed my ideas of building a US prototype narrow gauge layout. Rescue came from Bachmann with their line of On30 equipment, which does not really resemble Colorado narrow gauge railroads, but is closer to tose two ft. lines in Maine. A change of locale seemed to be the only way for me to build this much wanted layout, so I buried my dream of a line in Colorado´s high country and moved eastward.
OK, folks On30 is not On2, but for me, this is not so important.
1. The Dream
Reseraching the web, I came across three truly superb layouts.
These highly detailed, atmospheric layouts were inspiration and driving force at the same time for me, to finally come up with an own layout idea. But what a challenge! All of these layouts are fairly large, and in no way I cut have my Quartermaster General allocate this much room to me for a layout and my Chancellor of the Exchequer generously provide the necessary funds for it.
Looking at my assets in terms of space and available funds, I was just about to give in. How to squeeze an On30 layout, which captures the atmosphere of the Maine coastal region and is interesting to operate into a space of a mere 10"6´by 6"6´ while leaving sufficient room for all the other activities that have to take place in "my" train room"? Rescue came from The Upper Canada & Algonquin web site, where I found a layout idea, which could be adapted to my givens - the Keg Harbour Rlwy. & Navigation Company. A lot of squeezing, fiddling and iterations had to take place to extract what I could incorporate into the space I have - the beginning of the "Plan" part of the Dream-Plan-Build trilogy.
2. The Plan
Taking the aforementioned as a master, I fired up my old track planning program and drew a track plan. Now, a track plan is only one side of the medal. A layout´s atmosphere is influenced more by the scenery and the setting, than by the track plan. For this reason, I always sketch up "scenic plans", to tickle my imagination and to get an idea on the atmosphere of the layout.
After a series of trial and error, finally this plan evolved:
This plan, once approved by my aforementioned superiors, formed the basis for the subsequent layout plans. Yes, a layout plan is much more than just a track plan. You need a plan for:
... your benchwork.
... the wiring of your layout:
... your scenic features and structures (if you plan on scratchbuilding them):
and, last but certainly not least, your operation. I still have to do this one and the plans for quite a lot of the buildings on my layout.
3. The Building of a layout.
Construction of a layout usually starts with the benchwork, although I know a number of people who have started to work on the structures prior to building the benchwork. A week ago, I started to build the benchwork, using the open-frame-method. The benchwork is built in 4 segments, two of them will be permanently fixed to a wall, while the others need to be removable - to safeguard household peace! The three main segments have been built and await being attached to the wall. I will post pictures as soon as they are hung up.
Next steps
Stay tuned for more, but be patient - progress will be slow.
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Ulrich,
Nice project!
Did You look at any of the Campbell Wood kits? A couple look very close to what you want to scratch build. Like pickens place #395 and the boat builders, two story building on the dock. You could probably arrange any of them to suit Your needs and idea's, you would surely already have the scale lumber that come's with the kit.
Just a Thought! Have Fun!
Frank
EDIT: In my height of enthusiasm in your project, I just remembered, ON30. Oh Well!
I wike it a wot!
Steve
Life is tough, but it's tougher if your'e stupid.
zstripeDid You look at any of the Campbell Wood kits?
Frank - the cost of those are prohibitive! Building this layout is an exercise in model railroading on a shoestring budget. The total cost for it must not exceed $ 500, excluding locos and rolling stock. Track, ballast, switch stands (I will use Caboose Industries´ HO high level switch stands, which seem to be just right for On30) and the benchwork material already ate this sum up. For the buildings I will use cardboard, paper and styrene glazing, just like Troels Kirk and Martin Welberg did on their layouts - with astonishingly amazing results.
Wow! Does it really cost that much for lumber materials over there?
Good Luck! To You.
Frank - the lumber alone was about $ 80, add to that the stell brackets I need to hang the segments up on the wall, bolts, washers and the like and - poof - gone are $ 150! The track and switches (Peco On30) add up to about $ 300 and the switch stands another $120 - that´s for 7 high level ones, 2 ground level ones and a Blue Point "motor", including accessories. I already overspent my budget .
Things are slightly more expensive over here, not only due to our 19% VAT.
Did some more paper model railroading today!
I finished the drawing for the Harbor View Hotel, which now includes the side elevation. It´s a backgrouns semi-flat, positioned at an angle against the backdrop, so the sides are different in width.
I also prepared the drawing for the second pier - the one on the left of the layout. It was more of a copy & paste job from the drawing of the first pier, than an actual design job, so it went pretty quick.
There are two mor buildings I´d like to prepare drawings for - the depot and, certainly the most difficult one, the lighthouse.
By the time these drawings are finished, I hope to get into some real model railroading by starting to lay the track!
Love those drawings! "Real model railroading..." That's what it's all about. Dan
A well-thought out plan, looking forward to seeing it grow.
Frank,
Even if the price was right, HO scale Campbell kits are just not gonna look right on an O scale layout.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Campbell has one (1!) O scale kit of a storage shed. At about $ 70 + shipping, customs duty and VAT, it´d cost about $130 when arriving at my door step - out of reach.
Mike,
I guess you didn't read my EDIT.
My plans to put the benchwork up on the wall today did not materialize. A friend of mine, who wanted to help me on this, has unexpected business to do, so it has to be postponed by a few more days.
So it is another paper modeling day.
This time, I tried my luck on the lighthouse. When I was nearly finished, my old CAD software decided to crash - gone was the file! 4 hours of work down the drain. Fortunately, it took me only a little less than half the time to re-create the drawing. Believe me, I now do back-ups frequently!
Next in line will be the depot.
... and here it is:
There are still a few more buildings I need plans for:
the engine house
As I need a helping hand (which is currently not available) to put up the benchwork, I may continue my "paper modeling" exercise, just to make the best use of the time. Btw, there is a set of detail drawings behind those "pictures", which will be used as templates for cutting each piece that goes into constructing the buildings.
Love it. I've had a thing for the Maine 2 footers ever since Hayben Carrabasset & Dead River and here you go tempting me again. Also love the scratch built structures. All my layouts over the years have been primarily balsa, paper, and stripwood strructures per EL Moore.
Mission accomplished!
The "paper modelling" phase has come to an end!
The segments are now securely attached to the wall and the detachable segment rests on a support with casters, so it can be easily detached and moved out of the way, if necessary. Getting this done, was a major exercise, involving a lot of noise and dirt, much to my wife´s dismay! After 4 hours of work, including several trips to our local home improvement store to buy missing items, everything was in place and the mess we made removed.
I used heavy duty steel brackets, bolted to the wall, to support the main segments.
These supports can carry a weight of up to 650 lbs per pair - that should do the job!
The joints require some smoothing, but that will have to wait until the Easter days are over - just to maintain the household peace. I will also install a board for the backdrop, using 3 mm hardboard, attached directly to the wall.
Nice work Ulrich. Now you can get on with the fun of track laying and scenicing. It's going to be interesting to following your progress. Enjoy!
Joe
After sanding the benchwork joints, track laying has begun this morning.
Some weeks back, I had prepared a 1:1 print of the track plan to be used as a template when laying track. I gave that a try this morning, but soon skipped the idea and went the old fashioned way by positioningb the switches first and than work my way forward.
The tricky bit is yet to come - the diamond crossing on the right part of the wye. It´ll habe to be hand-laid "in situ".
There is only little progress to report for the last few days. I did some track laying, but a pain in my shoulder keeps me from doing serious work on my layout.
A test run with the caboose resulted in one spot, where it derailed occasionall - of course, one of the benchwork joints was the culprit. A few turns with a screw driver lowering the screws to which the rails will besoldered took care of that.
I got a little wiser this morning:
"Nothing ever gets build the way it was planned (on paper)!"
I sketched out the piers on the layout, only to find out that both would not fit the way I had planned them
I had to downsize them a little, but I don´t think it´s much of a loss. See for yourself:
I "plan" to start the construction of them coming weekend, providing my friend lets me use his workshop. It´ll be going to be a dusty affair, cutting all the pilings out of 8 mm wooden rods.
It´s been a while since my last post on the progress of my Keg Harbor R.R. & Nav. Co. layout. Quite a lot has happened since. With the exception of the diamond crossing and the track over the bridge, all track is laid and work on the scenery has begun. No wiring yet, but that will come soon. Soldering really isn´t my cup of tea, so I´ll have a friend of mine jumping in for me. He is an electrician by trade and should be able to complete that task in a jiffy.
Scenery on my layout means essentially the rock face along the coastline. On a small and narrow shelf layout, there isn´t much room for anything really dramatic, so this scenic feature is the highlight of the entire layout.
I started out by filling the gaps between the two levels of the benchwork with chunks of Styrofoam, roughly shaped to the slope of the coast line. I managed to cut those ribs with a sharp knife without cutting myself!
Next, I covered this with a thick layer of quick drying plaster, to which I added cheap black latex paint to pre-color it. Immediately after covering the foam with plaster, I gently (and I mean really gently) pressed crinkeld tin foil into it to give it a rock texture.
Shortly before the plaster´s "official " curing time had passed, I carefully lifted off the foil, avoiding it to stick to the plaster. The result was quite pleasing.
A wash with heavily diluted black latex paint improved the look.
Those white spots are reflections of the flash light I used on the still wet surface.
Next was adding the tide lines, but that job isn´t yet finished.
The foundation of the light house were set by using 2 cm Styrofoam glued in place.
In the meantime, the foundation has received a coat of DAS modelling clay, into which I will engrave the stone texture.
Coming weekend will see the building of my first pier.
Those rocks look great!
Lone Geep
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Nice trackplan. If you're planning on doing a backdrop, you should probably build it now before you start on scenery.
Steve S
Steven S Nice trackplan. If you're planning on doing a backdrop, you should probably build it now before you start on scenery. Steve S ... how right you are. The backdrop is one of the things coming next - after I have airbrushed the track
... how right you are. The backdrop is one of the things coming next - after I have airbrushed the track
Ulrich
As with so much of your modeling I think you nailed the rocky shoreline.
I have set aside a space to model this on my layout and have been trying to get that crinkley look of the rocks. I think I will try your tinfoil method.
This photo is of the leeward side of the point. You get the more crinkled look below the tide line on the rocks, however on the windward side where the waves crash in, the crinkled look goes right up above the tideline and looks much like what you have created.
Keep up the great work as I am following with interest.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Brent - thanks for the kudos!
The tinfoil method works nicely and is simple, efficient and inexpensive. If you want to try it out, here are some more hints:
Be careful when you straighten out the crinkled tinfoil. It tears apart easily, any whole in it makes it unusable.
The plaster should not be too "soupy", but rather thick.
Gently, and I mean really gently, press the tinfoil onto the plaster, don´t us your fingers, but the palm of your hand.
Take off the tinfoil before the plaster has completely set. If you don´t take it off at the right time, you will have to "peel" it off with tweezers and a toothpick - a cumbersome task! I use quick-setting plaster, which sets in 2 hrs. I take the tinfoil off about 1 1/2 hrs after applying it.
You can give the still damp plaster a wash with black paint thinned down heavily. I use cheap black latex paint for that.
I don't want to sound too negative here, you are doing a great job and all, and it appears that you like the scenery aspect of what your doing and now are talking about weathering the track. But I have this thought in my mind, as to when do you plan on doing the wiring? Hopefully you can do it without having to undo what You are Creating.
Have Fun!
the weathering of the track will be done after the wiring is completed , followed by ballasting. I keep postponing the wiring, as this is my least liked task
I figured that was the case. I believe I recall you saying that before.
I am basically different. I do the least liked first, if possible and enjoy the rest.
It's looking good though!
I am just back from a friend of mine. He has a nice workshop, where making a mess is not as critical as in my home. I used the opportunity to cut 500+ pieces of stripwood of various shapes and sizes for the dock on the left side of the layout. I am amazed how many pieces I need to built it. The figure does not include all that NBW detail, which I will fabricate from cardboard and small "window maker´s nails".
My friend is an electrician by trade - he will do the wiring for me - big sigh of relief! Whenever I touch a soldering iron, I end up with both of my hands bandaged