One-hour modelling A new series in Model Rail in which we show you projects you can do in small chunks.

Chris Gadsby builds a balsawood kit in the first of our one-hour modelling series.

At some point we have all said

‘I can’t do any modelling, I don’t have the time’, particularly when life and other commitments get in the way. This is especially true if you don’t have space for a workshop, and starting work means spending a while getting everything out of storage. By the time you’ve done that and factored in putting it all away again a lot of your allocated modelling time has gone.

Well, here at Model Rail we are going to combat this by showing you that you can build accessories and bits for your layout in one-hour chunks, so that whenever you find yourself with some spare time you can make a little bit more progress towards running your trains.

We’re going to demonstrate how you can do modelling at times of the day in which you had never thought about doing modelling work before, such as in front of the television or during your lunch break at work. These will all require minimal tools and take up as little space as possible, allowing you to make steady progress towards your dream layout. This issue we are going to take a look at building a kit out of balsawood. Despite being classified as a hard wood, it’s incredibly easy to cut and shape. The resulting structure is still strong, however, as well as being light, making it an ideal material for your buildings.

I’ll build a lift bridge that I bought several years ago from a bargain box for £2. I’ve not touched it since then, so this was the perfect excuse to finally build it, even if I had to do a little bit of scratchbuilding.

It’s a simple kit, comprising two small sheets of balsawood parts, a couple of supporting uprights and wire parts. I bought the long thin piece of balsawood from my local model shop to replace the parts missing in the pack.

Attach the two uprights to the base and fix the cross beam between the two. Now make sure that everything is square and perpendicular to everything else. Chamfer the edge of the base to make a ramp, or build it into the landscape.

Fix the wires around the top structure. I had to scratchbuild one because there was only one in my pack. I made it from a piece of plastic tube from Scale Model Scenery’s modern image signs bent at the right point and fixed in place.

Add the cross support to the uprights on the bridge. This should overhang equally at both ends to ensure that the whole of the bridge is covered by the barrier. The crossbeam should sit level with the top of the posts.

Remove the base from the sheet and cut the two holes for the uprights. To adapt the uprights in order to make them fit the holes I needed to cut a small groove in one end, but this gave me extra surface area for the glue.

Secure the supporting posts in place. These were the easiest part of the build as the location of their bases are marked on the board, as is the point they join together. Now the base just needs painting.

Work can now start on the bridge itself. Attach the crossbeam supports to the underside and make sure you chamfer the edge of the bridge that’s going next to the base so that it is able to lift without the two parts fouling on each other.

Fix the bridge to the base with the elastic tape provided. This is flexible to allow the bridge to lift without coming away from the base. Use a lot of glue to ensure that the tape stays in place.

These are the two uprights on the lift bridge. Make the curve at the top by either cutting through with a craft knife and then sanding it smooth or sanding from the start. Regardless, the whole upright needs sanding smooth.

The long beams across the bridge weren’t included, so I had to scratchbuild them. After looking online and experimenting with what ‘looked right’ I settled for 126mm lengths which would extend over the bridge.

The bridge also has barriers on either side to stop cars falling off. Here there are three uprights on each side which handily connect to the supports underneath the bridge and in the slots on the side.

Attach the upper beams with the counterweight onto the top of the upright posts. Press the supporting wires into place and then paint the model. The base and bridge needs to be brown, the counterweight black and the rest white.