and season's greeting, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This will be my last post this year. I am off on holiday and I won't be able to work on my layout (nor do more blog updates) until the start of next year.

I have been working on a more detailed drawing to illustrate my plan. It has been a useful exercise, because:
1. It clears up how the plan will fit together, it has been rather fuzzy so far.
2. It brings up new ideas which I can explore on paper.

Note to my self: this plan is rather optimistic ambitious, but at least I have a goal which I will attempt to achieve ;)

So, here it is, the full 2D, full colour plan:



Edit: Fixed typos, and changed words. This is what happens when you try and write an entry whilst being half asleep :)

Posted by Andy at 12:21 AM , 2 comments  

Perhaps "because it is there" is not sufficient reason for climbing a mountain ...

My order direct from Japan has arrived. I ordered the 4 car add-on set for the N700 from Kato. This makes my N700 an 8-car set train. That is already snaking long, imagine how long the full 16-car set will be!

I also ordered a light-rail train, the Enoshima Railway type 1000, by Modemo. This beauty will run on the 'tram' line which is currently a proposed point-to-point line running under the mainlines.



Now that I have a clearer picture (in my head) of how the sceneries will work, time to put it in place. Firstly, I use 3mm foam core for the side-board and back-board. The large window openings are there because that section will be a tunnel area.

Next I cover the tunnel using more foam core. Once all area are covered as required, time to scrunch those newspapers and pile them up to form mountains. Secure them with masking tape (lots of masking tape) so they pretty much stay put.

Notice that I actually took the left most section away so I can work on it. Got good advice from the jnsforum to keep the layout sections separate, and it pays out already.

Once all newspaper scrunches are secured, I took the layout back to the main tables and run a final check to make sure all trains can run clear of all those newspaper bits. That's the last pic, next post will be the plestering process using plester cloths .....

Posted by Andy at 10:47 PM , 2 comments  

That's what my cats would say, if they can talk.

No pictures on this update, cause nothing has changed. Physically that is. However the picture of my layout in my head has fortunately have progressed.

I have the track layout planned, and it was inspired by the layout I mentioned in one of my earliest blogs. I wasn't going to follow the rest of the layout, like the buildings nor the scenery. The scale of things are all different in N scale, and of course it doesn't have a Japanese feel to it so it wouldn't have fit with the layout anyways.

However I haven't really thought about all the scenery whilst working on the track. Now that the track is complete, I needed time to process how the scenery will look out. Will it be urban/rural, where do the tunnels go, which parts are mountainous, how high are the hills, how deep the valleys ... well, you get the picture.

So I am just slowly letting it cook in my head. In the shower. On the treadmill. In the car. At work. On the way to work. At home, while watching my train going around the track.

It's a slow process, but I am starting to get a clearer picture of how the landscape will be. I will try to put it in a drawing. One of the main thing is a tram track, point-to-point, with the tracks going on and off the road. Maybe one or two Modemo trams, with an auto-reverse system. Now I just need a tram to test the radius and the incline...

Posted by Andy at 10:10 PM , 0 comments  

Using Risers to give the layout some depth.

The flat layout from previous post was good as an indication how large is the layout, and how much space there is for the sceneries. Now, it is time to go 3D and install risers and incliners.

First a quick test to make sure the N700 can go around the smaller radius curve and up the 4% incline. It was no problem. However I just had a thought this morning, that perhaps it is okay with only 4 cars, not sure what happens when I get more cars later. Have a look here.



Now that the incline test is complete, time to set the risers. The main track in the foreground is propped up using 2 inch-risers. The curves are 4% inclines, and provides a 2-inch incline, so the background track is 4 inches above table-level.

All risers and inclines are hold in place by sewing pins. The idea is to glue them on later once it's all set. The Woodland Scenics risers and incliners are easy to set using pins. Unfortunately they are expensive, so to save I also use a large 2 inches high foam. These ones need to be cut, and takes some time to get it to the required size.

After all foam is set, on comes the track and the train. Running trains on the flat layout before was fun, however it cannot be compared to running them after I installed the risers. I mean the sceneries are light-years from complete, but at least now it gives a real sense on how the trains will run on the actual terrain. Don't think the pictures really convey the feeling, but here it goes ...

Posted by Andy at 12:42 PM , 0 comments  

for the first time.

After a month of patient wait, all the track pieces have finally arrived. Not wasting any time, I proceeded to put the track together according to the plan.

Okay, so the layout is still flat, however finally I can run my train around the layout.

O, and I almost forgot, while waiting for the track, I have also put a layer of cork board over the whole chipped boardl so the brown colored surface you see in the pictures below is actually cork.

Posted by Andy at 10:17 PM , 2 comments  

Here is my pride and joy ...

Well, actually, this is my one and only rolling stock (hiks).

My plans to buy track and maybe another locomotive direct from Japan has been heavily hit by the global financial crisis, specifically by the sudden 'nose-diving' of the Australian Dollar compared to the Japanese Yen. The shopping list suddenly looks 30% more expensive, so I am just re-thinking my wish list while waiting for the AUD to rebound.

In the meantime, to fill in the time, I took my N700 Shinkansen by Kato and took some pictures of it on the small length of track that I do have ...

Posted by Andy at 5:32 PM , 0 comments  

For the base, I've decided to go with ready made coffee tables ...

I am going my own way with the base.

Firstly I acknowledge that I am not a carpenter, and I do not make my own furniture. Thus, I will not be constructing my own baseboard. Instead, I am using 3 coffee tables (which come from Ikea). On top of each of the coffee tables, I will use 600 x 900 x 16 mm chipped board as board.

Secondly, the height of the base is probably not the standard "viewing height" for model layouts. However I plan on using pillows or just sitting on the carpet to enjoy the model, so the 450 mm coffee table height should be okay.

Posted by Andy at 12:29 AM , 1 comments