Not another new American layout or how to build a layout in less than a week!!

[Mayner]

Last week my daughter Skye asked me why she could not run train on the N gauge layout I have stored in the garage for the best part of 10 years. Rather than try and get the layout up and running I thought it was a better example to follow Dave's example and build the layout under a Lend-Lease arrangement in return for running powers at some future date

 

Skye turned out to be a good project manager (cracking the whip) we had trains running after one evening and most of the scenic complete after 4 days. Dad was responsible for the civil engineering, trackwork and electrics, herself taking charge of town planning, scenics and the raod transport side of things.

The Beginning a sheet of foam board and some Peco flexi track

I bought a 4X2 sheet of foam board about 3 months ago for a mock up for a 4mm layout, I used Code 80 Flexible track for the curves because I already had the track in stock and had no set track. Track is pinned down to the foam board with Peco track pins which was interesting.

Town planning complete and test running

The points are large radius because I sold my stock of medium points about 2 years ago, I have a diamond crossing stashed away somewhere for a overlapping spur but cannot find it. Skye likes to park the loco overnight in the loco shed 1st time its been used for its intended purpose in over 20 years.

Day 3 I think Skye applying Woodland Scenic ground cover on dilute PVA (Art Attack Glue!!!) after paint dried

Nearly complete! Trying out 25 year old Con-cor Rivarassi Challenger

The real controller Babuska also keeps an eye on the Large Scale layout

[Noel]

Wonderful

[Dave]

That's excellent John, I've only finished the track and wiring. Better get me finger out!

[DiveController]

Fantastic, John!

It's great to see a new generation with an interest in railways and nice to see some girls interested in the hobby.

My daughter is a little younger but still happily building on the hobby table with a variety of wooden track and buildings.

[Broithe]

Fantastic, John!

It's great to see a new generation with an interest in railways and nice to see some girls interested in the hobby.

My daughter is a little younger but still happily building on the hobby table with a variety of wooden track and buildings.

 

Tell them that it is just like doll's houses, but smaller and in a community setting.

[Mayner]

Tell them that it is just like doll's houses, but smaller and in a community setting.

 

That's it exactly our daughter got a great kick out of the Thomas and Chuggington wooden railways at the railway museums and tourist railways we visited in the States last year, the sheer hands on playability factor.

 

Smaller kids particularly girls incorporate the railway in their imaginary play giving the locos, cars trucks and animals personalities. Since we got the signals working the Sheriff's car is busy going around keepin law and order handing out citations to the other cars and trucks on the layout and even the poor John Deere tractor and the loco for a SPAD

[Broithe]

That's it exactly our daughter got a great kick out of the Thomas and Chuggington wooden railways at the railway museums and tourist railways we visited in the States last year, the sheer hands on playability factor.

 

Smaller kids particularly girls incorporate the railway in their imaginary play giving the locos, cars trucks and animals personalities. Since we got the signals working the Sheriff's car is busy going around keepin law and order handing out citations to the other cars and trucks on the layout and even the poor John Deere tractor and the loco for a SPAD

 

Excellent!

[jhb171achill]

Well done, Mayner..... that's how to get young interest going. A circle of O gauge tinplate track and a "locomotive" made out of a painted wooden block on an old wagon chassis, towing another bent tinplate open wagon, is what started my own interest......

[billyboy]

Impressive work.

[Mayner]

The ulterior motive was probably to keep herself distracted while I decided whether to dismantle or re-build the N Gauge layout. The layout had successfully survived a move from Ireland to New Zealand in 2004 and I had started to incorporate it into a new larger layout in Auckland before a move to the Waikato in 2007.

 

The downtown area still looked fairly good though ballast and ground cover could do with improvement. The track is Peco Code 55 laid on cork with Woodlands Scenic ballast on 15mm ply base and drums like hell.

 

5001 (Yellow & Blue) was my 1st N gauge loco an Atlas/Kato RS11 bought in 1988 in Norfolk & Western black, 5001 is currently available from Atlas in the Yellow Nose Scheme. The second loco a U23B has a cut down Kato U30C body on an Atlas/Kato U25B Chassis and excellent runner. Atlas brought out a highly detailed U23B around 2006.

 

The layout was originally designed to fit a box bedroom in Dublin and additional boards added for a yard. I had scrapped one of the yard boards and lifted the track on the second and now planning to re-lay.

 

General view of the downtown models with a train entering the yard. The idea was to represent a yard served by two separate single track main lines and different railroads.

 

[Maniwaki]

You've done a wonderful work. Hope you don't mind if I borrow a few ideas from your little layout...

[Maniwaki]

I really like the real controller Babuska.

[Mayner]

On 3/10/2020 at 5:11 AM, Maniwaki said:

I really like the real controller Babuska.

 

We also have a Large Scale version GSR Grey who looks after things on the garden railway.