T&C Light Railway & Süd Harz in G

I promised a layout for our club show next April as I fancied trying out some ideas we learnt from Neils Klein Arosa layout. The tough decision was should I build something for the UK collection or the German stuff.
 
Hmmmm
 
Ok so what if I can do something to accomodate both?
Aquiring one of the superb Caledonias off GSM and noticing the figurines Em had given me for Crimbo were roughly the same scale meant the initial decision was UK only. Some of you might guess now what T&C is going to stand for.

 
This is the plan and I discovered that by the addition of a couple of boards a bigger station could be made to accomodate the German stuff too. The two red lines show the additional boards. The scenery on the layout is going to be rough grass mostly and fairly generic so the buildings will place the layout, and are removable.
The points are arranged to prevent reverse curves which cause sudden swings and look less realistic on a scenic layout.

 
Here are the full size drawings to test how it all works, (using the parents living room as the muck doesn't show on the patterned carpet and it's big enough to get it in!).

 

 
Now I already had some Schliech beech trees and I decided to see if I could increse the numbers by making some low relief against the backscene.
Here's a complete one. It's been dusted with dark green spray paint to give some variation to the leaves.

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Cunning plan to get a straight line, marked with a pen to follow.
 
 
Cutting commences! hard work as it won't fit in a vice.
 
 
Success I think, the top part was secured with stiff wire and araldite glue.
 
 
Two low relief trees, I might cut another one too but it is a bit of a swine to cut.

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PaulRhB
Some of you might guess now what T&C is going to stand for

 
I think No 1 Grandson will be wanting to see this

oberinntalbahn
I think No 1 Grandson will be wanting to see this

 
Oh yes, these are some of my favourite stories, grandma likes them too, we've got all the videos 

First outing will be

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A quick sketch of what it should look like, I laid the printed plan on the table, photographed it from an angle then printed it off faintly using WORD and sketched in the stuff in very rough 3D.
 

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likeing it... looking froward to see more

Yep I concur with Mikey; I'm looking forward to seeing more too!

And I like the clever idea of slicing a Schliech (try saying that whilst sucking a toffee!) tree in two, too....

Well there has been progress. I sliced up a second tree so I now have 4 low relief trees to go against the backscene. There's a pice pile of timber sat in the car ready for tonight and the baseboard tops are already cut to shape.
I finally found some ballast that looked right, sold as Haskins garden centres for decorative topping for plant pots.
So to see what it might turn out like I made up a test piece to see if the glue turned the ballast odd colours and to see how the grass works.

 
The grass is green hanging basket liner glued on with neat pva and then when dry the top layer is peeled off and all the loose fibres brushed out with a stiff brush. The peeled off top can also be used again glued with the mesh side down so very little is wasted.

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PaulRhB
The grass is green hanging basket liner glued on with neat pva and then when dry the top layer is peeled off and all the loose fibres brushed out with a stiff brush.

I'm impressed with the grass Paul.  Is it available anywhere near Salisbury and how much does it cost?

Any garden centre should stock something similar, I've seen it in 3 locally, this is branded Gardman. I only bought one for a 12 inch basket but they also sell it in rolls.
This is what I used, £2.50 ish I think I paid
http://www.gardencentre.co.uk/product.asp?id=200

and this appears to be a bigger sheet of the same stuff
http://www.gardencentre.co.uk/product.asp?id=7324

Homebase have something similar too but I haven't tried this
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=20001&partNumber=384069&c_3=3%7Ccat_14418930%7CBaskets+and+Stands%7C19778441&c_2=2%7Ccat_16849255%7CGarden+Pots%2C+Planters+and+Decorations%7C14418930&c_1=1%7Ccategory_root%7CGardening%7C16849255

Thanks Paul, I think I may be going to need quite a lot

You might also find the hanging basket liner at Wilkinsons - that's where I got mine. 
 
Before I found that I used old felt carpet underlay, peeled in half, with the old "outside" edges stuck down. Only trouble is it needs painting. I used a mix of old Humbrol greens with lots of yellow, all well diluted with white spirit.

The basket liner grass is a top tip Paul. Might try that .

   Brilliant, the boy and I were thinking of somthing similar.  Looking forward to seeing more.  Lots of piccys please.
 
  Are there any piccys around of Neils layout?

Great stuff. Keep it coming, please! I'm about to scenic the baseboards in the shed, and had been wondering what to use for grass... now I know, thanks!

jubbly

Here's another shot of basket-liner/carpet-underlay grass (foreground) plus some mixed with lichen along the base of the buildings.
 

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Netty, pics of Neils layout here http://www.gscalecentral....m=516&high=Klein+arosa Boards well on the way after tonight all the frames are cut and ready to assemble.

PaulRhB


Well there has been progress. I sliced up a second tree so I now have 4 low relief trees to go against the backscene. There's a pice pile of timber sat in the car ready for tonight and the baseboard tops are already cut to shape.
I finally found some ballast that looked right, sold as Haskins garden centres for decorative topping for plant pots.
So to see what it might turn out like I made up a test piece to see if the glue turned the ballast odd colours and to see how the grass works.

 
The grass is green hanging basket liner glued on with neat pva and then when dry the top layer is peeled off and all the loose fibres brushed out with a stiff brush. The peeled off top can also be used again glued with the mesh side down so very little is wasted.

 
 
 
That's some of the best looking grass I have ever seen. I didn't inhale any.