Staff Show and Tell
George Dent has been finalising the trackplan for his new layout, but can he rise to the challenge of elevating the rails satisfactorily?
See what’s been keeping the Model Rail staff busy when they aren’t writing.
Last month, I outlined the motives behind my new layout project, which will be (hopefully) an improved version of a previous micro layout. Rather than repeat several earlier mistakes, I really want to ensure that I get the track plan spot on before any rails are laid. Therefore, I’ve been setting out a few different alignments, using lengths of flexi track and points, leaving them in situ while I think things over.
It’s surprising how you can feel like you’ve found the perfect setup one day but, a little later, you realise that things could be vastly improved simply by shifting things around slightly. Of course, this could potentially go on for ever, but a little time for reflection has proven worthwhile.
Ultimately, my aim is to place the tracks in the optimum position, relative to the boundaries of the scenic baseboard and the proposed structures. There needs to be a natural-looking sweep to the curves, displaying the trains to full effect, wherever they may be on the layout. Basically, I want the whole composition to be as photogenic as possible.
As well as the course of the tracks, the positioning of the buildings and structures also plays a key role in the overall composition, so their locations have been considered carefully. Paul Lunn looks into the use of physical mock-ups to plan a layout in this month’s Masterplan (see page 76), with an eye on recreating a real location. In my case though, I have the luxury of portraying a fictional scene, so I can base my choices purely on what looks right.
One of the major frustrations of the original ‘Lisburn Lane’ was the lack of track elevation, giving the landscape a rather two-dimensional appearance. This time, after experimenting with a variety of track heights, I’ve settled on an elevation of 30mm, using sheets of 10mm expanded polystyrene and 5mm foamboard. Even in this early mock-up phase, it’s clear that the trains will have ample prominence and there’ll be scope for realistic landscape contouring too. The dropped section of the baseboard adds greater depth and, while I’d initially thought of adding a stream or river, I’m now leaning towards a farm track or cattle creep instead, with a small iron overbridge for the railway.
A knock-on effect of raising the trackbed on the scenic baseboard is the need to do the same for the tracks on the sector plate fiddleyards. This isn’t such a big problem, but it will involve some extra work and materials costs. But I’m sure it’ll be worth it! 1: The 10mm thick expanded polystyrene foam (bought in 600mm by 400mm sheets, from Amazon) were cut to form the necessary scenic contours. Two layers were employed to form the base for the trackbed.
2: Atop the two layers of polystyrene will sit two layers of 5mm foamboard. My plan is to try Chris Nevard’s method of assembling the track away from the layout, which avoids the need for me to lean inside the diorama case. The laminated layers of foamboard should provide a sturdy enough backing.
3: After sketching out the outline of the tracks with a fine Sharpie marker pen, a flexible ruler was used to create more defined lines.
4: The layers of foamboard have been arranged so that the joints overlap, thus creating a stronger composition.