A New Level

The building of the first level (and possibly the start of the helix but plans change during construction) has commenced.

Thinking of various ways of doing this, I decided on a framework from wood. Later on these frames will be painted to a glossy black finish. It also leaves room to extend it into a helix or do some other fancy stuff with the layout.

For now, here is the result...(i know, it is time to take the xmas decorations down)

checking the height

and again, checking the height

testing the ramp

see if it fits

completed the first circle

just looked pretty

scaring the driver

plenty of space for extra track

sometimes simple things work best

ramp testing

some more measuring

that's more like it

wtf?!?

my trusty old diesels and a dodgy piece of scenery

now just find these things in black...

The Helix - First Layer

Using SCARM, a freeware model railway designer, I came up with a design that will allow me to add multiple levels to the layout. Each level will have room for parking 14 trains. that should do the trick. well, for a while anyway.

Still working on some kind of suspension mechanism that will allow me to extend the layout with additional layers. Thinking of adding 3 layers in total. In the drawings you can see the connecting points for next levels.

3 levels with 14 trains each. That will give me 42 trains. Add the current sidings and it will bring the total to 45+ parked trains. Good, now all there is left to do is to build it.

But for now, having a plan already gives me good reason to start collecting additional stock.

Change of plans....lets go digital and modern!

Been busy for a few weeks but progress has been made on my model train project.

Not only that, i moved the landscaping project to a spare room and created a second project in my living. The idea is that it has no landscaping, just trains in design kind off layout.

And i have added digital to the layout. Very cool.

Here is the techie stuff:
- Hornby 00 gauge
- Hornby eLink connected to windows 8.1 laptop
- Handheld software on my phone
- 2 locs DCC fitted
- 2 locs (Mallard and Flying Scotsman) DCC ready and fitted myself with a decoder

move the current project to the spare room

clear the area

add some carpenter skills (that i did not know i had)

have some track go behind tv's to the other side of the living

add some christmas spirit

go digital

Building a frame, twice

Right, track plan is made and some shopping needs to be done.

Starting off with a single level frame. Adding the track and even dreaming of a nice complex bridge.

But this already provides the first challenge: how do you make a proper ramp? 

Browsing the internet, I soon came to the conclusion that polystyrene was the way to go. 

Wish some would have told me the two main issues with this stuff: cutting can not be done with a regular knife (bread knife worked best) and it leaves a mess. A serious mess.

Anyway, after a few hours spent in using various techniques, I finally had something that looked like a bridge. Felt good about myself and placed the Flying Scotsman (yes, another trip to the hornby shop led to this addition to my train collection) only to find the ramp was too steep.

Together with having absolutely no clue how to build nice green sides to the ramp, i decided on a different layout that did not include a ramp.

The first remodeling including taking down all the ramps and adding a second level to the frame. (and yes, because there was another trip to the shop included in this process, another train - The Mallard - was added.

But now my layout is complete and the landscaping can commence.....

getting started

The first choice i have to make is what kind of train do i want? European style, British or even North American?
And what size? There is O (bit too large), there is N (thick fingers, too fiddly) and there is HO/OO.
Seeing that i stumbled upon a Hornby Shop, i decided on British and OO. And steam trains are beautiful so the periode was set to somewhere between 1930 and 1960.

Splendid! Choices have been made so let's get crackin'.

I decided on 2 freight steam trains. One carefully selected in the store and one picked up at a model train show. Yes, a model train event. One of the first things i found is that you need to look around to get a feel of what it is you wish to do.

Knowing me, i would probably set my goal to high so i decided that something small would still be within my reach.

Now all i needed was a plan. Trying to find out what you want on a piece of paper did not help me much so i got anyrail on my computer and a plan was created.

Let's make a list of what else i need and get going. This is when something untimely came along and interrupted my progress: work.

All these new insights had to wait and trains where placed on a table and a few weeks passed. But the hobby was still on and was picked up.

The next post will explain the frame building process.

model train, how hard can it be

Getting older has many advantages. Thinking about all the things you wanted to do but never did is one of them. And so, gone past 40, i have had some attempts at starting a great hobby that did not quite go to plan.

For instance, in my bedroom there is a beautiful looking guitar on a nice looking stand, gathering dust.

But there is also the so-far-successful career of golf, albeit this success is measured in actually getting round a golf course without upsetting the marshals too much.

A model train is my next challenge. As a young boy, i had this thing for trains (in particular the lego kind) and always thought i could build a proper model train but never got round to doing it. The start of fall means less golf and therefore more time for something else. I thought: "i know, i will build me a model train. how hard can it be?".

Well...i am about to find out....

Not being known for my handy man qualities and therefore making every mistake in the book, all i can say is: here goes nothing!

Hope you will enjoy my sequel (might be a short story though) of how the model train came to be in the next few months.