Project 20 - 0 Gauge Layout - Part 2

The layout will be a water side setting. I considered a harbour and canal but am now favouring a tidal river. The track plan requires six turnouts (four Y and two LH). The key element is the passing loop in the middle, which enhances operation by enabling the train to propel wagons from either end within the scene.

Five of the turnouts will be buried in a tarmac surface. Proprietary, fully sleepered turnouts would be an over kill here. Cost savings should be possible if a make the buried turnouts as I only need the rail with a stripped down track base made from wood or plastic. With this in mind I also decided to fabricate the wooden sleepered track of the entry turnout and branch line. Making the sleepered turnout is far less expensive than using a proprietary item but cost savings for a DIY straight track are insignificant and only worth considering if either you have cosmetic issues with proprietary track or enjoy making your own.

I obtained turnout templates from PECO and TIMBERTRACKS. The latter may be more prototypical but they are longer than PECO making the short sidings far to short. I settled on the PECO templates. The shortest siding is about 40cm long. This is sufficient for holding either two wagons or, one wagon and a tank engine without encroaching on the turnout.

To Part 1.

Project 20 - 0 Gauge Layout - Part 1

I mentioned before that the inspiration for my foray into 0 gauge modelling was seeing 'Arun Quay' . The layout demonstrated that an authentic scene with operating interest can be created in a small space using 0 gauge (7mm fine scale).

Having made 8 wagons and set them out in a line with my Terrier loco on top of our upright piano they spanned the entire 1.4m length. It was then that I realised even a small freight train still demands space. This lead me to ponder a garden layout instead of a small indoor layout.

I could visualise a dumbbell layout circling the tree, snaking through the flower border passing the rear of the patio and turning back on itself through the far corner border-  a run of about 48 feet each way. The land slopes a bit in the flower border so the track bed would be a raised platform through the middle. I roughly calculated the cost of track and trackbed to be around £500. Then I thought, does it give value just watching a train going round and round since I am not interested in making a landscape with scale buildings etc. in an over scale environment.

My thoughts returned to a small indoor shunting layout like Arun Quay. I studied a variety of tack plans but nothing came close to the operational potential afforded by the Arun Quay plan. I make no apology for basing my plan on that with a few tweaks.

First job was to make the scenic baseboards, which was quick using two insulating foam boards 1.2m x 0.45m x 50mm from Wickes. The sides were covered in eighth inch hardboard for protection and these extended below by about 20mm to accommodate D type connectors and wiring- deep enough  to conceal SEEP point motors too, though I don't plan to motorise turnouts.

I used 'No More Nails' glue to fix the hardboard panels to the foam but found it to give a weak bond. It holds OK but would not take much effort to break the seal resulting in the panels coming away with chunks of foam. For added strength I glued quarter inch wood blocks into the corner joins of the hardboard.

The two baseboards join together by means of butt hinges with removable hinge pins.

A fiddle yard will be constructed later that will connect to the scenic boards.

January Website Cover

Displays my 0 gauge rolling stock and announces Project 20.

View the cover here.

Project 20 progress will be reported here in due course.

Happy New Year!