Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Hi,

Before we go away with in our small motor home, I have done some thinking and drawing for the new layout.  Being reasonably happy with the design and basic construction of the layout, the next step is to decide on the length, width and height of the layout base boards.  The present design of the base boards would allow for up to 16 across the trailer to be stored or up to 28 shorter ones along its length.  If two of the 4 folded curved boards stacked one on top of the other, they would take up the space of 4 boards leaving up to 12 or 24 spaces for other boards.  As there will be an entrance between the curved boards at one end there will have to be a straight board to balance it at the other and as the entrance and the straight board will be the same width as the curved boards they will be stacked and use up another space. Down to 11 or 23 spaces which will allow either up to 5 or 11 pairs of straight boards and a spare to be use for the front and the back of the layout.

Length:  It was hoped to make the running length of the layout as long as possible given the size of the trailer.  The maximum economic length of a base board is 1220 mm (4’) cut across the width of a 1220mm x 2440 mm (8’ x 4’) sheet of plywood, this would fit longitudinally with a bit to spare in the trailer.   A base board this long would allow a curved track with a 1400 mm (55”) radius.  A base board stored across the trailer could only be 880 mm (34.1/4”) long which would allow a curve track of 990 mm (39”) radius which is the same as the inner track of Rhydypenderyn.   Boards stored along the length of the trailer could of course be between the two lengths mentioned.

Width: The width of the curved base boards without their edging if two are the be stacked one on top of the other can only be 200 mm (8”) or less. 

Height:  The 880 mm (34.1/4”) curved board will accommodate up to a 740 mm (29”) folding leg; which is a little short, the Rhydypenderyn layout has legs 840 mm (33”) long which seems OK or it is just that we are used to it?

OK decision time! The easy one: width 200 mm (8”) which allows the boards to be stacked and save two spaces.  As the length also effects the maximum height they will be treated as one decision. To accommodate an 840 mm (33”) folding leg under a curved board it would have to be at least 940 mm (37”) long.  If our standard plastic boxes are used six leave a space usable length of 1000 mm (39.3/8”).  To allow a little wiggle room a length of 950 mm (37.3/8”) has been decided on.  This will allow a 1140 mm (45”) radius curve about the same as Rhydypenderyn’s outer track to be used and it will be high enough to be able to use the skirts from Rhydypenderyn so saving time and a lot of money.

Thoughts were given to how wide the straight base boards for the front and back of the layout would be.  As it only has a single-track main line a passing loop on either side of it on the back straight and maybe a passing loop around a station and a siding at the front.  This would be possible on a 460 mm (18”) wide board.  A drawing of a possible layout configuration has been made.

So, this will give me something to think on while we are away: this is a first draft of ideas it will be interesting to see how much difference to the finished ideas before possibly the start of another project.

In 1996 I wrote an article for the’ Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette’ describing the construction of our first layout ‘Rhydypenau Light Railway’ which was the start of the two maybe three exhibition layouts I have designed and made along with the two garden railways in our garden and the three garden railways of the CMES that I have been involved with.  It might be found interesting it at least shows how my ideas have perhaps only changed a little over 20 years.

Well its time to start loading the smaller trailer (proposed layout trailer) with exhibits for Winterbourne over this coming weekend, we leave tomorrow as we like to take it slower than we used to.  We hope to visit our son and family on our way home and he will check my layout calculations using CAD.

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Regards. 

Tony.