Westminster TMD - Minimum Space N Gauge Layout

[Shaun Mac]

Hi all,

OK, I recently drew up a track plan for a minimum space layout in the Personal Layouts - Planning section.

Well, some things have fallen into place over the last 2 weeks and I can now make a start on it. I've made some changes to the track plan I initially drew up for a number of reasons. The main one being - and something some people in here would have worked out when they see my plan - is that the layout could easily be upgraded from an end to end layout into a full loop by adding a second baseboard at a later date.

The layout won't have *too* much in the way of track as the temptation with N Gauge is to fit as much into the space available as possible. Instead I want a layout that is at least someway believable and to then make it as good as I can by the attention to detail I give to the scenery.

This is the current track plan (the layout is based on a 4'x2' baseboard):-

Westminster TMD.jpg (35.46 KiB) Viewed 4768 times

I was lucky that a good mate of mine is a carpenter so I got the materials and he made the baseboard for me:-

Baseboard 1.jpg (390.37 KiB) Viewed 4768 times

Baseboard 2.jpg (398.5 KiB) Viewed 4768 times

And I laid out some Setrack I had to give me an idea of what the track plan might look like when transferred to the baseboard:-

Layout Test 1.jpg (307.5 KiB) Viewed 4768 times

Layout Test 2.jpg (266.9 KiB) Viewed 4768 times

The straight track that is completely separate to the rest of the layout is intended to be a DCC programming track as I have a Lenz 100 starter set that I want to start using.

I have got some buildings already for the TMD site but even though I have a Peco Diesel Depot I plan on scratch building one based on the engine shed that used to be at Sheerness Dockyard. All the buildings will eventually be painted so as to represent the yellow/tan London brick that the station buildings at Sheerness Dockyard were made of.

A bit boring perhaps but the backscene will be retaining wall painted in the same colours with a road leading down from the main road that will be on top of the back scene to the depot. I also have some Knightwing oil tanks that I think will be an almost perfect fit for the diesel oil tank that you would see at most depots and plan on buying one of their diesel fuelling points too.

I bought the points I need for the layout today as well as enough Seep PM-2 points motors to operate them all (I used them on my test layout and they worked a treat). Me being me I forgot to buy the switches I'll need but luckily I have a Gaugemaster switch unit that will suffice in the meantime.

I have also noticed that Dornaplas do a plastic kit for both the BR truck and also an oil tanker that would fit right in to this layout so will be buying one of each when I get paid next.

I'll hopefully have another post soon showing some of the buildings I have - mainly Peco depot and lineside huts amd Muswell Models office buildings.

Oh, and if anyone could tell me how you can display pics in full rather than with scroll bars I'd be their friend forever!!

SM

[BrotherWolf]

Promising start, looks as though it will come along quickly.


As for pics with no scroll bars, have a look at the "Test Upload now succesful!" thread in Railway Photographs, but here is a recap.

"Here we go.......Upload picture to Photobucket, click on picture you want to show on NRM's, on the picture's individual page there are some links on the right, click on the bottom one [IMG], this will automatically copy the link. open up your "new post"
on NRM, ctrl+V in the box and that should paste the link. Click preview to check all is well then submit."

[nickbrad]

Looking good, if you'd tried for an oval it would have looked very cramped so I think you've gone for the right idea, I always assumed N allowed an oval on a 4' x 2' board, but then I've never really looked into it as 00 is my thing.

[Shaun Mac]

Promising start, looks as though it will come along quickly.


As for pics with no scroll bars, have a look at the "Test Upload now succesful!" thread in Railway Photographs, but here is a recap.

"Here we go.......Upload picture to Photobucket, click on picture you want to show on NRM's, on the picture's individual page there are some links on the right, click on the bottom one [IMG], this will automatically copy the link. open up your "new post"
on NRM, ctrl+V in the box and that should paste the link. Click preview to check all is well then submit."

Thanks for that. TBH, it would be simpler for me to upload them to my own website - which, funnily enough, is dedicated to building my model railway. - and then link them from there.

SM

[Shaun Mac]

Hi all,

Well, I am hoping to start laying the track next week. I want to ballast the track - naturally - and have a ballasting tool that I am going to practice with on some offcuts of wood I have.

Also, I forgot to mention that my layout is going to be set in the mid 1970s so the locos will all be BR Blue.

SM

[Shaun Mac]

OK, took a little longer than I thought it would but here's the pics I promised of some of the buildings I plan on using:-

Buildings 1.jpg (244.73 KiB) Viewed 4524 times

Buildings 2.jpg (298.24 KiB) Viewed 4524 times

Buildings 3.jpg (274.3 KiB) Viewed 4524 times

I plan on doing some work on the baseboard soon and will upload pics when done.

SM

[Shaun Mac]

Hi all,

OK, I have done a little more work to my baseboard. I was out in my shed going through my model railway stuff when I happened to find some cork tiles and, luckily, they would cover an area just larger than the 4'x2' board I have:-



I think they were the left over tiles from a previous project I had that went a bit wrong (I made the board successfully but then put it in my shed which leaked badly and ruined the board.)

I had already been to Homebase and bought some PVA Glue in a nice squirty bottle:-



And another search of my shed found a nice big wallpaper stripper which looked good for spreading out the glue once applied to a tile:-



The PVA glue was fairly easy to apply because of the dispenser:-



And the wallpaper stripper did the rest:-



So after a couple of days (due to needing to weigh down each tile until it dried otherwise the tiles would "lift") my baseboard now looks like this:-



Though my dog Bugsy wasn't best pleased that I am doing all this. He seems to be of the opinion that any leisure activities I get up to have to involve him:-



So I can now go onto the next stage which is track laying. I have been on the Peco site and found that they do printable point templates:-

http://www.peco-uk.com/imageselector/Fi ... SL-396.pdf

So I plan on printing some out so that I can see how the plan I posted earlier in this thread will work out and make any adjustments necessary.

Hopefully the next update will be in the next week or so.

SM

[Shaun Mac]

Hey all,

Sorry for the complete lack of updates. I recently lost my part time job as well as having my disability money taken away for a time so had things on my plate.

Don't have a job as yet but got my money situation straightened out so will hopefully be able to do some stuff to my layout soon (even if it's only buying new stuff for it!!).

SM

[whynot]

Hope 2014 proves a better year for you! Good luck.

[Buggleskelly]

I wish you All the Best too.

[Shaun Mac]

Hi all,

Well, 2 pieces of news.

Firstly, I have taken the plunge and set myself up in business as it was becoming patently clear that my health issues made me virtually unemployable.

Secondly, the heavy rain over the the last few months has shown that my shed is totally unsuitable for a model railway as it leaks really badly.

So I went up into my loft and cleared it out completely and am now looking at having it re boarded and then having a workbench/base for a model railway installed.

Might take a few months to get it all done but the benefit is that I can put an 11 foot model railway up in the loft with an 8 foot spur off of it to make an L-shaped railway.

SM

[whynot]

Good that you are back on a better track (pun intended!). Best of luck with work and pleasure!

[PinkNosedPenguin]

Best wishes from me too. Every cloud has a silver lining - an L 11' x 8' is a serious amount of space in N gauge . At least, looking at it from the perspective of my 4' x 3' it is anyway

[paulcornish]

Hi Shaun,
I seem to struggle with sending on this forum, I have mailed you before but have a funny feeling that it did not "send". Have you made any progress with your layout during the past 12 months? The last I can remember is a small N gauge called Westminster, is that still ongoing.

You said that you had a set of track plans for the old Sheerness Dockyard section from one of the magazines, if you've still got these could you scan and email them to me please. My new address is cornishpaul55@gmail.com

Thanks Shaun.

Kind Regards,
Paul.

[Bufferstop]

Hi Paul, Shaun last logged in about three months ago so you may have to wait a while for a response.
John W