At the Midland Model Engineering Exhibition a couple of weeks ago, I was perusing the excellent BB Engineering Services stall. It's always worth a look as there are definite bargains to be had, fat fibreglass sticks for 2 quid as opposed to 7 on a model railway stand for example, plus loads of other fascinating goodies even if I don't know what they all do !
Beside the stand there were some plastic boxes. Nice and very useful but I'm sorted for small part storage at the moment so I wasn't worried. Under the table though, I spotted this. It's a clear(ish) plastic box with internal dimensions 73x20x14cm, price £11. At that moment I knew I had to have one to build a small model railway inside. In fact I was more inspired by this box than I have been in model making for a long while.
You might think that I had enough train sets. You'd be wrong. For a start it's not possible to have enough model railways. There is always one more to build. Also it would fulfil several important needs - as a background for photos of rolling stock in magazine photos, a test track for locos I build for other people and most importantly as a layout I can take to shows where I am demonstrating by train.
Anyway, I have my box and now I have to work out what to put in it. 73x20cm isn't very much space in OO so I'm looking at micro layout ideas. I'm very pleased with my box file layout and keep looking at other people models and thinking "I want to build something like that", something other than rolling stock anyway.
My first thoughts are around a shunting puzzle. Inglenook sidings should be compressible to fit. Paul Lunn's book has been providing me with inspiration (and at least one more model I'd love to build) as has Carl Arendt's website.
So, there will be much planning to come. Any reader suggestions are welcomed too.
4 comments:
The advantage of that box over box files is that it's more of a model railway shape. I started this one in 61x20cm a couple of years ago.
http://fairlightworks.blogspot.com/2007/06/cwmafon-uchaf-micro-layout.html
Don't suppose you finished it yet Steve? :-)
This is quite a small space in OO, even for a small shunting yard. One idea (and good for posing locos) is a loco depot, or part of. I did one in a Shoebox in 009, complete with turntable - though you won't have space for one of those in OO in 20cm! The front of a shed, watering and coal facilities, would fit though. A hidden track with a cassette or Peco loco-lift would serve as a fiddle yard.
Phil, I can't resist a challenge and love doodling plans, so I have posted some ideas for you on my blog!
http://michaelsrailways.blogspot.com/2009/11/some-track-plans-for-phil.html
You probably have your own ideas by now, but it has given me a bit of fun :-)
I and the rest of our club members use these boxes for gauge one stock transport. Following the purchase of a Hornby Peckett though I'm going to have a go at something like this.
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