This is a lot further ahead of these photos, but still needs work. I built it two decades ago but it's been gathering dust. It has been more in the way than anything but due to the effort I put into the design I couldn't get myself to get rid of it.

It was designed to fit in a space and our previous car. The car has changed, the house space, one could say has shrunk, not from moving. I will leave it at that!

Anyway, the two ends can be joined together to reduce the length to 2.3 metres. The station is 0.4 metres, it's a lot of work for a short section, but that was due to our previous car as two 1.35m modules would have been a pain in the neck. I could add another module to extend the station if I had nothing else to do!

The frame is welded aluminium 38 x 25mm RHS. 25.4mm aluminium legs slot in, with locking custom nylon thumb screws. The RLs (relative level) are made from Forex (expanded PVC mostly 3mm thickness, solvent is Tetrahydrofuran SLR laboratory grade 99.5%).

Earthworks are built up with polyurethane foam, being careful not to do too much in one go. It expands a lot. Then cut back the excess foam to create open cells and covered with typical railway model materials. Track ballast was made from three colours to give variation.

The fly-through is the main line only without additional station tracks or loading yard tracks at rear, or 400mm centre module. The layout is basically two independent layouts in one, clockwise and anticlockwise. I prefer to run trains, couldn't be bothered fiddling with shunting. If one loop fails then there is a good chance that the fully independent second loop keeps going.

Uphill is on the outside, radius is 287mm 2% gradient, hence the crossover to keep uphill on the outside. I learnt a lot from my first layout, so no curved points or crossing points. The basic design was a sort of dogbone folded into three but then looped.

Flythrough.mov (1,380kb) downloaded 115 time(s).
Fly-through screenshot (LightWave 3D).




New layout's ghost on the wall stripped of its track. It was 3.6m long (2 x 1.8m).




The control panel basics have been done so I can run a basic loop. Points need to have more switches added. I have actually made all the switch gear.


I wanted as much landscaping as possible, so the top of the "mountains" lift out for access to internal rail (the layout needs a seriously good vacuum).




ICE maximum 14 carriage set.
ICE.mov (2,462kb) downloaded 171 time(s).
ICE fly-through screenshot. The bridge concrete columns I made from styrene as I didn't like the bought ones as they looked a bit tacky. Added a bit of "rust" to the bridges, slack maintenance!


End view without 400mm centre station module. Large trees in the foreground to help create depth of scene.


The "mountain" lifts up at the road edge for access. A little bit of snow and snow poles in the mountains to help suggest altitude.


Etched stainless steel balustrade around stairwell platform access. Platforms and awnings built from 0.75 and 1.0mm styrene.

My first layout, full of disasters, before I know better.

3.6 metres long. The two halves fitted upside down into each other, unscrewing the Lichtenstein Castle (not shown) on the mountain, to make a compact enclosed box for transport. That compact aspect was the only good thing about the layout. On the new layout I got rid of curved points, and no cross points ether.

The track was on a plywood base with 6mm aluminium tube spacers between it and the layout base. The ends of the aluminium tube tapped so is was all bolted together to the correct RL (relative level). A lot of work, but at least it made the whole layout very rigid and didn't move when filled with polyurethane foam for the earthworks. It worked really well. Track was on foam ballast which ended up disintegrating. Grass was the pre made sheet grass.

Slowly progressing. I cut all the footpath pieces. They key into the road and the buildings key into the path. It is easier to paint this way and everything is positioned exactly.

Nothing is glued in yet. Will stick on the people, street furniture and growies, last will be the buildings so as to keep them out the way while positioning the small items.

Stainless steel.

I wanted outdoor terrace furniture for architectural models and was fed up with the rubbish sold. These are etched from both sides so the lacquer print has to line up perfectly on the 0.3mm thick stainless sheet. The thinnest width is 0.3mm with the folding/hinge points 0.25mm wide, pretty much the limit for 1:200 chairs. The acid undercuts the metal so you have to be aware how this will weaken the very fine widths. The vector line art all has square corners but has become round due to the acid etching away the stainless.

Being stainless it doesn't need painting. If you need to paint it the paint sticks very well. I use powder coat 150ml touch up cans, same as the car touch up cans. Not cheap but you don't have all the cleaning up circus. For the roads I heat the cans and hold further away for texture and there are usually 3 colours. The footpaths I used 5 colours.

In the photo 1:200, 1:100 and the remaining piece off a 1:50 chair. The sun lounge section snaps off. Also with stainless it doesn't snap like brass. If you stuff up a fold, other than the very tiny pieces you get a second chance to reposition the fold. Typically for balustrade around a corner where one doesn't always get it right first time.

Also you don't get those horrible cuts like you do with brass. On that basis alone stainless steel is worth it.

View up the mountains, sorry no trains, with Zap-a-gap and Zip Kicker everywhere I don't want any accidents.