My Layout So Far -- Feedback Welcome!

R

RobertInOntario

Active Member
Mar 22, 2006
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
In the past couple months, I've made some progress with my British layout. The main addition was creating a street. The layout is close to completion although there is still a lot of detailing I can add -- 1-2 more buildings, fences, telegraph poles, more people, etc.

I'm interested in your feedback. I know there are discrepancies ... For example, the '69 Camaro is totally out of place but I'm using it for now until I can get something better -- I've ordered a 1950s/60s Anglia (a very distinctive British car) and double-decker bus which I plan to add after Christmas. And the road in one part of the layout comes too close to the tracks than it probably would in real life.

At any rate, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about the layout/design, scenery, etc. Thanks in advance!

Rob


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I certainly like what I see here! Can you show an overall view of your layout or post a trackplan?

You've done a nice job on the scenery. Are you interested primarily in just running trains or are you inclined toward operation? (switching, timetables, etc.)
 
Cannonball said:
Nice!
Is that a Flying Scotsman in the last pic?
Click to expand...

Thanks!! I do have a Flying Scotsman but did not include it in these pics. I'm trying to model SW England (Somerset & Dorset) but occasionally run locos that ran from London to Scotland. When I took these pics, the layout was in its "Southwest" mode.
Another batch of discrepancies is that, while these locos would have run in SW England, many have incorrect livery/colour schemes for that region. For example, the black loco in the last pic is a Black Five in London Midland & Scottish colours. Black Fives did run in Somerset & Dorset but would have had a different livery.

I also have a collection of North American trains that I like to run as well! :mrgreen: even though the scenery doesn't quite fit in.

Take care, Rob
 
Dr. John said:
I certainly like what I see here! Can you show an overall view of your layout or post a trackplan?

You've done a nice job on the scenery. Are you interested primarily in just running trains or are you inclined toward operation? (switching, timetables, etc.)
Click to expand...

Thanks, Dr. John! Yes, I should have posted a track plan or overall view of the layout. I'll try to do that next weekend. Thanks for your comments about the scenery! I enjoy that more than the technical/mechanical side of the hobby.

Ultimately, I'm inclined to operation and am very open to suggestions as I do want to get into this more. I'm struggling a bit with working out a consistent operating schedule that involves switching & timetables.

Take care & thanks again.

Rob
 
only15 said:
Gday, are you modelling in 4mm (OO) or 3.5 (HO)??
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Good question! All of my British trains & stock are 00, as are most of the buildings and most of the automobiles. I do, however, have 2-3 HO buildings on my layout and the people/figures are HO as well. So it's a mixture but I thought it was OK since the two scales are fairly close. Rob
 
Herc Driver said:
Those houses have really interesting detailing. All the brick work really sets them off well.
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Thanks! I wish I could take credit for them but the ones that you are probably referring to are straight out-of-the-box Hornby products!

Hornby has a line of ready-made buildings called Scalesdale, and they just seem to be getting better and better in quality. They have general stores, bake shops, houses, churches, British row houses and now castle ruins. Their prices range from $25 to $50 per building, but their appearance and quality are excellent. They're very durable, which is great for me with my two young sons.

A few of the other buildings are made from plastic Hornby or Atlas kits. They're obviously more fragile but have held up well, although my country station has knocked around a few times.

Rob
 
I've always been fascinated with English railway equipment and Aussie narrow gauge. Is your equipment primarily Hornby or some other manufacturer?

Can you recommend a good north American source for English style trains?
 
Rob: so we finally see what you're doing! Like (almost) all of us, you need to remove some of your stock to the fiddle yard. (I can't talk; despite 4 cabinets full of removed stock, I can't run a train between Exeter (St Dayle's) and St Mary Ax because there are no empty platforms. :p
Scenery looking good. :thumb:

Dr. John:
I suggest you check the British Railway Modellers of North America (BRMNA)
http://home.ca.inter.net/~brmna/index.html
They have a section on Member-Dealers and there are some in the US. I know most of the ones in Ontario, but not the others. (I can suggest Ontario ones depending on what you want.)
 
Dr. John said:
I've always been fascinated with English railway equipment and Aussie narrow gauge. Is your equipment primarily Hornby or some other manufacturer?

Can you recommend a good north American source for English style trains?
Click to expand...

Sure ! Most of my trains are Hornby or Bachmann Europe -- they seem to be the main two current manufacturers of British model trains.

Britannia Models > Welcome to Britannia Models!, located in British Columbia, is a good source. Also, Model Railway Imports (Model Railyway Imports - British Railway Locomotives, Trains, Rolling Stock and other Hobby Railway Items), here in Ontario, offers a good selection, good prices and very helpful service. Another is BJB Enterprises (Brian Baldwin BJB Enterprises). I can suggest others but these should be good starting points. Let me know if you have any other questions!

I'm Canadian but have a strong British connection -- my mother was English and my wife is from England as well. We're planning to spend Christmas there so I hope to fit some steam train rides in! :mrgreen:

Rob
 
60103 said:
Rob: so we finally see what you're doing! Like (almost) all of us, you need to remove some of your stock to the fiddle yard. (I can't talk; despite 4 cabinets full of removed stock, I can't run a train between Exeter (St Dayle's) and St Mary Ax because there are no empty platforms. :p
Scenery looking good. :thumb:
Click to expand...

Boy, do I know what you mean ... And I thought I'd "cleaned" this layout off for my picture-taking! Realistically, I can only have 4 locos out on the board at any one time, if I want to run passenger trains with a goods train. I'm trying to force myself to remove things to my fiddle yard. Rob
 
tetters said:
That looks like a ton of fun to operate. :thumb:
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Thanks! I basically made this track plan up as I went -- I did not follow a published track plan although I sure would next time (as I ran into a few problems on the way :eek:). I've pretty much crammed all I can into a 4x6 and have to just tolerate the tight curves on the inside track.

Rob
 
nkp174 said:
Oh, this is a newer, more through thread than your old pictures! I like it!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I've made a few small changes, mainly to the town setting. And I've added a few more time-appropriate British car(s) and a bus. The track/sidings near the front have also changed -- I had trouble getting the curved siding in the lower right to work.

I'm trying to make it as British as possible without making it too cluttered.

Rob
 
One trick to make it look a little less cluttered would be to raise the town/siding above the left end of the ovals. The mainlines would enter tunnels at that end, and break up the appearance of an oval.
 
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