Jiggery Pokery

So, feeling like doing little more today than resting my aching limbs after yesterdays marathon. I gave some thought to the baseboards for this little venture. I have, courtesy of my father-in-law, some 16 strips of 13/16" ply 4' long x 3" deep for the purpose of framing a baseboard or two. Bolstered by the fact that the really difficult job of cutting some perfectly, square level and flat has already been done for me I feel that I can safely make some baseboards... (famous last words there)

So the visible section of the layout is planned to consist of two identical baseboards hinged so that one folds on top of the other for easy transportation (what was that I said about things being safe). Perhaps the construction of some sort of jig is in order.

Ahhh now lets see about this. My woodworking skills are suspect, so I expect myself to make a jig to enable myself to make decent baseboards. Somewhere, somehow, this scheme is going to come crashing down in a pile of my own logic...

Exactrail Signature series Waffle side Box car

Those of you familiar with my US outline blogs will know of my liking, nay love, for Exactrail models. Today another one arrived by mail. (I'd like to say arrived in my mailbox but the mail person had just thrown the package on the driveway) . In the package was a NS waffle sided boxcar. I desperately wanted the Southern Railroad version but so, it seems did everyone else, and there is nary one to be found except by paying over the odds on fleabay. So I settled for the NS version.

It is one of the Signature series of models, top of the range and what a gorgeous model it is. Take a look.

Below: The lettering is really tiny and very legible

Above: The end detailing features coupler cut rods and air hoses
Above: More stunning detail.

If I have one criticism of the model it is that the door is moulded as a part of the body and not separately applied as on the Railbox perhaps's that's a production issue. The door actually fooled me as to me it looked as if it might open.

Another great model from Exactrail

First mock up

So not wanting to leave a good idea alone and the fact that its well past 80F in the garden and I don't fancy mowing the lawn in that heat. I set to and mocked up the sketch plan. Though I am a visual person and can see things in my head pretty well I always think that on small layout like this there's no excuse for NOT throwing things down to confirm just how they look to see if there might be any issues with clearances etc:

Above: Here's the plan, you should be able to make out the edge of the baseboard in blue marker. You can see that there is plenty of room between the tracks and the central road will comfortably take four 60 foot cars. I also have a couple of 70' cars and there won't be any issue with them either.
Above: A down the layout view. I think the City classics Smallman Street warehouse is well suited for that location. It's a kit I love and should one find its way onto the layout it will be the 4th layout of mine to feature one. The team track on the front road before the warehouse denoted by the woodchip car is another device to stop folks seeing the trains move across their field of view.
Above: View from the road overbridge. The perspective of the "concrete canyon" between the two buildings is quite pleasing. I don't know if the Walthers Lakeville warehouse used is the right building for the site. Perhaps something different is needed there.

Now to sit on the idea for a while and see what happens...

Plans afoot

Anyway, having spent a lot of the holiday weekend thinking about the concept and how to go about it. I came up with the following scheme.

I have incorporated the idea about the webcam. I don't know how practical it would be as my laptop is a MacBook Air and the screen isn't that big. You certainly couldn't get many people around it, probably not as many as could take in the actual end on view on the layout.

I have also mooted the idea that the central sorting road could be extended onto another baseboard/fiddle yard.

The "end on viewing" concept is stressed by angling the baseboard and the track backwards from the fiddle yard and blocking off up to half the layouts length with industrial buildings in front of the viewer. Thereby forcing the viewer to adopt a more end on view of the layout.

A crazy idea for the structure at the front would be to have a cut-away interior displayed. The viewer could then watch the loco and cars pass by the windows and loading dock doors. Perhaps.

Perhaps that's too crazy.

Right now it seems like a reasonable idea. This is after all, a small shunty-plank (switching layout) and devices would be needed to keep peoples interest up.

Practically speaking. Could I build two baseboards exactly the same and make them fold up with hinges as I've suggested? My carpentry inabilities are legendary.

The siding lengths are designed around my preference for the longer, more modern stock rather than the old fashioned 50 footers beloved of some layout builders who try to shrink layouts to microscopic sizes.

There's nothing wrong with the track plan. It's an Inglenook. Tried and tested proven over 50 plus years of railway modelling. It's all down to how its executed and the industries that I choose. I've got a few ideas on that front. More of them later

Would you watch a layout at a show from here?

So here's an idea for you. A little off the wall perhaps but here we go.

How many times when you were out railfanning/trainspotting did you sit on a roadbridge and watch trains go underneath you? Quite often, I'll warrant and even more often as a child if you were like me. How often do you get to do that on a model railway/railroad? Not very often. I can only think of two, perhaps three layouts where the principal motion of the trains is front to back. Nearly all layouts have you watching trains pass across your field of view.

OK so there are severe logistical issues here concerning the location of your storage sidings. Which has to make for issues with an exhibition manager an 8'x2' layout is easier to place than a 2'x8' one. But I in my own bloody minded way think it could be solved.

Anyway, here's a mock up to tease your brain a bit.

A loco would push some cars into the middle siding and proceed to switch them out to the sidings on either side replacing cars that would already be spotted there. A standard "inglenook" type switching operation. But all the switching moves would be to and from the viewer. There's not a lot room for folks to watch the layout end on with a 14" width as mocked up here. Even less when you consider the storage area will take up some of that. So some kind of concession needs to be made to letting people watch from the side. Perhaps having the layout open to viewers as far as the first buildings.

Having the storage sidings in front causes issues no doubt. But as I enjoy engaging the visitors in conversation (must be something to do with my accent) that wouldn't be an issue with me it could even form a part of the presentation.

Is it practical? I don't know. Its something to consider over the holiday weekend

What would we do without Railpictures.net?

I've found another picture of the Alaska Railroad yard on RP.

It's still a very appealing scene to me. I'm starting to have some crazy ideas about how to recreate this. More on those later.

Too quiet for too long

Been busy doing other things so interest lapsed for a while. I still want to build something in P87 but what?
Then I saw this delightful atmospheric small layout inspirational picture http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=286124&nseq=8

Right when do I start...