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This is an abridged account of the construction of my first G scale layout, which first appeared on the GSM website in August 2009. I am adding it here as it is an ongoing project, and I hope to add more material and photographs as the layout progresses (apologies to all of those who saw the original account previously). “Hi” to all. I’ve finally joined the ranks of “G Madders”. I got the “bug” after winning a loco + stock whilst staying in Las Vegas for an extended vacation in December 2008. Never even thought about this hobby until my winning ticket – but now everything else (golf, the gym, flying light aircraft, food etc) has bit the dust, and I’m consumed with plans and ideas. Well, here is the progress so far: 1. This is my winning ticket prize, an ‘Aristocraft’ model ‘Mallet’ 2-8-8-2 (ART-21600-01), and some mixed rolling stock. And so, I then looked at my rear garden, and drew up plans for a simple layout – up came the plants, the gnomes, and the neighbours cat’s favourite toilet space, and this started to be constructed. I commenced this in February of 2009, and now I’ve laid the basic oval of track, built a tunnel based on a mountain, and a fishing pond with a metal bridge – I’ve taken lots of photographs from the early construction of the layout support table (I had to opt for this as a ground level layout might have caused me to spill my drink when bending down to reach the track and trains etc). 2. This is the original plan for the layout – as you might have expected, the current track layout is slightly different consisting of a 10 feet diameter oval, with an inner 8 feet oval. The remainder of the layout (so far!) is as per my original plan, but watch this space.
The total garden area I have to work only allows an area of 16 feet by 12 feet to work with, and the framework for the table was constructed using 3” x 2” hardwood for the table legs and support braces, and 8’ x 4’ exterior plywood sheets for the top. The table surface is 3’ 5” above ground level. The ‘pond’ was constructed by cutting out an irregular shape from the plywood sheeting, with the edge cut at a 45% angle to simulate the pond banking, then a piece of clear plastic was added to the cut-out section, to represent water. 3. Here are some pictures of this stage of the construction.
I then set about constructing the mountain (tunnel) which is 5’ in length, 3’ wide, and 3’6” in height. It is curved to accommodate the track layout. There is an ‘escape hatch’ in the rear section, (rather like my late Dad’s “Long Johns”) to enable access for derailments. It is constructed of a chicken wire frame, onto which I applied several layers of ‘Modroc’ plaster bandage, before finishing off with various cans of spray pain, and then varnished some of the more exposed areas. 4. Here is a ‘piccy’ of the construction process. I then commenced work on the first feature area (the fishing pond – my brother in law is as obsessed with fishing as I am now with this hobby, so I thought this would be an interesting feature. I’ve named it ‘Tom’s Pond. 5. Here are a couple of ‘piccies’ of it. Now Iv’e got this far, I ran my first train, and guess what – No derailments!! So now it’s onto the ballasting. I spent ages trying to decide on the colour and type of ballast, before picking some from ‘Homebase’. It’s now down, but whilst it’s the right size, I’m not too happy with the colour, but I’m sure it will fade once it begins to weather. 6. Here are some pictures of the first train running, followed by some shots of the newly ballasted areas. The next project was the construction of a station. The platforms were simply made from wood, and then painted. The main station building, which was in reduced relief format ( due to the shortage of space in the area for a full scale size building, was based on a picture from a suppliers catalogue, which was then ‘fettled’ using Abode ‘Photoshop’ software. Lighting was added in each of the individual windows, connected to a 12v battery, with a small solar panel (On special offer at ‘Maplins £8.00) to provide a trickle charge to the battery. Having reached this stage, I got slightly sidetracked, and rather than finish the station platform etc, I did some shopping and was fortunate enough to purchase a “Pola House Under Construction” kit for approximately £30 below the list price. I decide in incorporate this into a scene of a building construction site of residential houses, and this is the result. I was lucky to pick up some very cheap vehicle kits ( courtesy of a fellow “G” scalers tip on a previous forum, and these were added to the building site car park for effect ) - I still have to add an office or cabin to the site, but for the time being, that can wait, as I’m moving onto another project, involving the construction of a scrap yard/car wreckers site, the building of a wooden cabin from a kit that I purchased on a recent stay in the States, and then starting a road network for the main site areas. Anyway, first things first, here are some photo’s of the building site. Scrap yard / Car Wreckers Site. On to the scrap yard scene. I based this around a baseboard measuring 3’ by 2’ so that I could construction it indoors during the winter months. The fencing is made from balsa wood strips covered with pool screen netting (from supplies I had in Florida). The site office is from T&M Models, with certain additions such as a chimney and internal lighting. The floodlight tower is a “Lionel” product I purchased whilst in Florida, connected to a 12v transformer power supply. Similarly, the model cars, both complete models and bodies only, were purchased in the States via EBay. The dog kennel is from “Hobbycraft”- I’m still looking for a Guard Dog!! So, here is the finished article, complete with Mechanics, but still awaiting the addition of the company Guard Dog. Wooden Cabin Construction. Whilst on one of my trips to my vacation home in Florida, I spent some time visiting various “G” scale shops ( as you must do ), and one of my purchases was a model kit of a wood cabin, which, whilst being of a slightly larger scale than I wanted, nevertheless was a bargain, and so it was purchased. I was surprised how easy it was to put together, all bits fitted, and I was not left with a bag of bits left over after it was completed. I added two old model cars (again bought via American E-Bay, and a windmill, (purchased from a visit to ‘St.Aubin Junction’ in Las Vegas, the week before it closed (how lucky was that). I fitted the cabin with an internal light, and a ‘Pola’ external porch light, both operated on a 6 volt DC supply. To complete the project, I fitted a smoke generator in the chimney. Here are some shots of the finished cabin. Station Taxi-rank. The Main line station is not yet completed, but as a side advantage to joining the ‘G’ scale fraternity, I got some model taxis as a Christmas present from my brother-in-law, (I normally get socks ), so I decided to construct a Taxi Rank and Car Park next to the station. Although the actual taxi models are not the correct size from a ‘G’ scale layout, I went ahead (taking Rule 8 as my justification for doing it),and anyway, I thought that despite most of my layout being designed to represent the States, the addition of a typical British Taxi Rank, would aid Anglo-American relations. The baseboard is made from some scrap wood I had in the garage, cut to shape, and then covered to appear like asphalt or tarmac, by covering it with a roll of “Flashband” (stuff used to cover joints in roofing felt ( £12.00 per 15 metre roll from B & Q ). The fencing “wiring” is made using jewellers wire, the sort of stuff used for stringing beads and necklaces, the car park markings from Electricians tape, and all the notices, courtesy of the Internet, toothpicks for the poles, and bits of Balsawood for the sign backing boards. Here are some photo’s of the rank – I intend fitting it with the same lighting poles I used for the various roads throughout the layout (more of them later). Site Roadways, Lighting Etc. I felt that a simple system of roads would enhance the layout, and so I constructed a basic road consisting of a main carriageway (with sidewalks - pavements to those of you like myself who hail from Blighty). I used plain sawn timber, doubled-up to provide the correct thickness that I desired, screwed and glued together, then covered with the “Flashbanding” I used on the Taxi Rank Car Park to represent the road surface. I then added strips of timber to each side, to represent the walkways. I sprayed these with a stone effect spray tin paint from ‘Wilkinsons’ The street lighting poles are via E-Bay (U.S.A. site) from a company called “Locomotive Joe” and which cost in the region of £11 each. They work off a 6 volt DC supply, and the bulbs are replaceable if they “blow”. I was very pleased with the effect at night, and despite only being a 6 volt supply, they are quite bright. I think that these lights really give the roads an atmosphere. The Telegraph Poles (LGB) are courtesy of those folks at American E-Bay - think I paid $15 for a dozen. The telephone wires are simple cotton. I have still to add some Traffic Signals ( Traffic Lights), which I am currently working on. So, here are a few shots of the roads, currently only daytime shots, but I will take some at night as soon as I can figure out how to do this without using the ‘flash’ on my camera, as this just seems to “blast” the scene with too much light, and obliterate the light from the poles. Well, that’s how I’ve been spending the last two months. I’m sure that I have been fortunate in purchasing a lot of the “stuff” I used, in the States, and then either shipping it to the U.K. via the U.S.Postal service, or my own luggage. I doubt I could have found, or even afforded most of it in the U.K. So, now my next project is connecting up four electric ‘Aristocraft points (switches), and then waiting till “Aristo release their new Point Controller which works with the new “Revolution” handset. I understand that It’s just finished field testing, and is now in production. Oh, I nearly forgot, I also did a super deal with ‘St.Aubin Junction’ while I was in Las Vegas. I purchased an ‘Aristocraft C-16 Wood Burner, complete with ‘Pheonix’ sound and decoder, for an unbelievable price. I’m really going to miss those guys now the Las Vegas store has closed. So now, it’s back to bread and water, no luxuries, and the life of a hermit (retired), until I can save up for my next ‘blitz’ on the American ‘G’ scale stores. |
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