Making a SCENE
Simple techniques for lifelike scenarios
We all know how a model railway works don’t we? Set the track up, plug the controller into the mains and away you go, enjoying hour after hour of miniature fun. This doesn’t cause a problem 99% of the time when you’re at home or in an exhibition hall, but what if you want to operate your model railway while relaxing on the shores of Windermere, or enjoying the views on the Jurassic Coast without a mains socket nearby? Kevin Smith was faced with this exact conundrum and decided that being on holiday in his motorhome wouldn’t stop him from working on his ‘N’ gauge layouts, including ‘Sandy
Bay’. With some careful considerations to the design and power required, he was able to create something which would run quite happily on the motorhome battery. Now it’s due to appear at the International ‘N’ Gauge Show, where he’ll be able to make a quick getaway at the end of the weekend.
Based on the North Yorkshire coastal line from Scarborough to Middlesbrough, ‘Sandy Bay’ is Kevin’s re-creation of a line of which he has had plenty of time to learn the history.
“It’s a beautiful location. The line hugged the coast and it’s very photogenic, with hills, cliffs and the sea all in a narrow strip. The line is now a
“It’s a beautiful location. The line hugged the coast and it’s very photogenic, with hills, cliffs and the sea all in a narrow strip”
cycleway and footpath and I’ve been doing it frequently in the decade I’ve lived in the area. When it came to planning the layout I had the size decided for me, both by the necessary restraints to be able to load it into the motorhome storage areas and the fact my neighbour gave me five spare doors. I wanted to encompass all the features found along the line without it getting cluttered. I used the tunnel mouths to disguise the exits from the scenic area, modelled on those at Ravenscar and Sandsend, an iron viaduct from Sandsend, the station layout from Scalby and a passing loop added from Robin Hood’s Bay.
Kevin elected to model the line in the 1950s, just before it was closed, and in a time where public transport was king and the tunnel mouths weren’t overgrown as they are now.
“I did a lot of research before building the layout, using Scarborough and Whitby Railway Through Time by Robin Lidster for much of the information. I wanted to know what it looked like before it became a cycle path, and it would allow me to reconstruct things such as the viaduct more accurately. This proved to be the most difficult thing about the entire build because the brass tube I used for the supports had to be installed at an angle. I made a couple of attempts and then built a jig to help me hold things in place as I was running out of hands. It took me a few attempts to design and get things looking the way I wanted them and it sits on a curve – I certainly didn’t make things easy for myself!”
“I wanted to encompass all the features found along the line without it getting cluttered”
FEWER WIRES, FEWER PROBLEMS
To avoid draining the battery too quickly, Keith had to consider the power at all points of the build and use manual controls wherever possible. A sealed lead acid battery provides 12V of power for the analogue control system and the lighting, while the signals, points and uncouplers are all operated manually. As well as having an unusual power system, ‘Sandy Bay’ also contains an unusual, but very clever, signal operation system.
“The signals are made out of brass tube and rods with the operating wire being guitar string. This goes through the baseboard and underneath is a crank and a magnetic weight to keep the signal in the danger position. From the operating position I have access to a tube with a rod in it and a magnet on the end. When I want to change the signal I move the rod forward and the magnet attracts the weight, moving the operating wire and moving the signal arm. When I want to return it to danger I simply move the magnet away. No wiring to go wrong.
SHORE THING
Away from the track, it’s the coast that draws your eye at ‘Sandy Bay’. The sea bed was prepared by painting it with black and dark green, getting lighter towards the shoreline, and fading into a sandy gold colour as it meets the beach. The harbour shows exposed mud at the edges which is brown paint over Artex. The water is many coats of gloss Ronseal enamel varnish, each one allowed to set properly overnight. The harbour and promenade walls use Wills 7mm and 4mm scale stone sheets as these
better replicate the size of blocks found in these structures. The joint between the two boards is hidden by a breakwater extending out into the sea.
“As with any portable layout, I’ve tried to keep the weight down wherever possible. The hillsides were made from the usual polystyrene, papier-mâché and Artex. The road is card, painted with emulsion, and the slabs on the promenade were made from cereal boxes, again to try and keep the weight as low as possible. The buildings are mixed and matched from Scalescenes downloads and the station building is a modified Metcalfe kit. All have been enhanced with guttering and downpipes. To protect them from any damage I decided not to fix the boats down, which not only means they can be safely stored with the locomotives off scene but also that I can move them around in the harbour to change the look of the scene if I wish.
“I’m looking forward to The International ‘N’ Gauge Show as I have never been as a visitor or an exhibitor. Seeing what other people create is always exciting and I hope to see some of our European friends with their layouts.”
Of course, running a model railway from a battery does limit its size and the number of accessories you can include for a long running session, but given that layouts on the whole are getting smaller, perhaps we will see more layouts that aren’t powered from the mains. It could open the doors for layouts to be at more events and visible to more people.