David's 0 Gauge stuff

[David Holman]

Cranbrook Town

 My second 0n16.5 layout, Cranbrook Town was built after Loose End and before Eatonswell, appearing in the April 2003 RM. It was very much another part of the High Weald fiction - a twig off the branch to Hawkhurst. When the latter went in the council crusher, I'd kept all the buildings, so this new project was seen as a 'quickie'. Hence everything was kept as simple as possible: three baseboards [3' x 2'], two feet of which was the fiddle yard on the third board. Track was Peco 0n16.5 and I noted in the RM article that it took just a weekend to make the baseboards and another to lay the track.

Nice.

 I'd kept all the Hawkhurst stock, so a short piece of 9mm track was laid too, while the fiddle yard used cassettes again.

 Scenically, the idea was to use the integral back scene to extend the overall picture, trying to show things such as a town scene, but also a bluebell wood and farmland - all very Kentish. Buildings included a Wealden Hall House and a large mill.

 A few new items of stock were added and as I was still freelancing to some extent, one involved the chopping up of the then newly released Bachmann 08 shunter. The body was rearranged on a new, wider, footplate, together with a new cab. The chassis, with its outside cranks, was a superb runner, making it ideal for shunting with the pick up goods, as shown above.

 Another new model was the Baldwin 4-6-0T. A Wrightlines kit and therefore mainly white metal, it was one of those that didn't actually go together very well, but once finished, seemed to hang together quite nicely, while the weight made it a decent runner.

 A real talking point, proved to be my railbus/lorry combination. The Selsey tramway had one of these for a while. The passenger half of mine was one of the old MTK 'El Crappo' [yes really] etches, while the lorry started life as a Corgi Lipton's tea van. I removed the body and replaced it with a dropsided flatbed.

 I also made up one of the [even then quite old] Branchlines kits of a Clogher Valley coach, which [though I didn't realise it at the time] started my moving towards the Irish scene ten years later.

  There was another purpose to the layout, because in a mercenary sort of way, I always intended to eventually sell it, with all the stock, as a going concern. And so it proved. After a few shows, I started advertising it at exhibitions & it wasn't long before somebody made me an offer and it went home with him instead of me. I believe it is still with the new owner, getting good use, which is very pleasing.

 So, there we are, a trip through my 0 gauge modelling, which which hopefully now gets a revival with a new minimum space layout. Planning is making progress, so I should have something to report on this soon.

[jhb171achill]

Very nice, and I like the quite ingenious track plan, good for maximum interest in shunting operations at a small terminus like that.

[David Holman]

On 30/7/2025 at 10:33 AM, Northroader said:

I’d be inclined to ditch the right hand crossover, just a straight entry into the back siding from the fiddle yard through just one point out of the loop?
On due consideration, you would lose the private siding aspect, so maybe not, perhaps something like Ruyton Road, plus the engine shed?

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/154530-ruyton-road-revisited-what-to-do-with-an-old-classic/

sorry, I always think Iain Rice added at least one more point than necessary, now that Whitley could lose a siding, and keep it all compact and less points, and… (why don’t you just shut up, Bob?)

I think you are right about that extra point, while have also tinkered around with the position of the others, as shown below. The other two sketch plans give an idea about other options. The 6'9 overall dimension will be shortened to 6'6/2m, so that I can use the lighting and pelmets from Fintonagh/Swillybegs. No point in making extra work if you don't have to!

 Moving the point off the mainline means almost all shunting moves will take place on scene, while making the loco shed siding longer means it can double up as an exchange siding. 

 The initial project will see the narrow area against the back scene as just a low bank, with a row of poplars to hide the baseboard joint. A couple of trees on the right should hide the exit from the fiddle yard, while the back scene itself will be painted to represent low lying countryside. Shades of Wissington, perhaps. Both these sections will be removable, to allow a granary/maltings low relief set of buildings instead and [later still] a dairy cum Co-op option.

 I've worked out what I need for the baseboards and an order will go in for some pre-cut 6mm birch ply. Track on the mainline will probably use either Peco or C&L flexitrack, with one of the latter's point kits, so everything will be bullhead. The private sidings will be Code 100fb on copper clad sleepers to give a lightweight look .

 With only a few buildings and scenic items, there is every reason to get as much fine detail as possible. Am thinking the locoshed at Wantage Town, while the passenger halt may just do with a grounded coach and/or van body.

 As well as recent projects on this forum, inspiration is also comimg from some new books by James Hilton & Wild Swan. They very much focus on minimum space/maximum detail and are well worth getting hold of.