BASEBOARD ARRANGEMENTS

Single baseboards work well if you want to model a single location. But what if you want to model more, such as a stretch of railway, or more than one classic location or station? Here’s where format planning comes into its own. To illustrate what I mean, let’s take a look at the northern extremity of the Highland Railway system, of Thurso, Wick and the light railway to Lybster that closed in 1944.

‘U’-shaped

This dual- sided layout portrays the way the Lybster branch turned sharply away from the station throat at Wick. It obviously uses more space but it’s an ideal layout for two operators. An additional or alternative access door could lead into the open end of the operating area.

End-to-end

You might consider an end-to- end layout to be a straight, linear affair, but there’s nothing wrong with adopting an almost oval format such as this. It includes Wick and part of the Lybster branch and has the benefit of two lines sharing one fiddleyard. You will need to devise a way to reach the track behind the ‘any station’ baseboard – you could go through access holes in the bottom left and right- hand corners, or incorporate a removable backscene.

‘U’-shaped

Another ‘ U’- shaped design that, this time, links Thurso and Wick. I’d be tempted to leave the curved section non- scenic for easier access to the fiddleyard. A doorway leading directly into the operating area is much preferred, as opposed to a duck- under, particularly for older modellers!