HARDYARD - A G Scale Indoor Layout

Thanks Mel & John!
 
Now that Hardyard's new guise is as a loco servicing depot, I've made a refueling point from some odds and sods I had lying about the train shed.
 

 
Made using some 5 mm plasticard offcuts, the tank is ex-HLW. Valve wheels are press studs, the gauge is a washer, the fuel line is made from cable covered with black heatshrink and an electrical terminal.
 
The water tap is some thin brass tube with wire covered in blue heat shrink, and another press stud.
 

 
The workman is a figure with moveable arms and legs, given to me by another modeller; I don't know who made it. I've repainted his brown trousers and tabard in hi-vis orange, and touched up his brown hair and beard with a little black and grey, as it looked too plastic....

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The first exhibition for Hardyard Ver 2.0 was a great success.
 
I had to modify the refuelling equipment just before the show though, due to clearance issues!
 
I will probably relocate it closer to the buffers and away from the curve at some point.... 




 

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I'll be making a small change to Hardyard for 2012.
 
The overbridge arches, whilst of sufficient height for my diesel fleet of locos, are not high enough for the Stainz with its tall chimney!
 
As smaller, or shorter locos work best with this layout, I will be looking into how I can increase the height of the arch. The bridge is 3mm plasticard, covered with brick paper, and some painted plastruct angle strip to represent the bricks around the arch, so it shouldn't be too difficult to modify.
 
As yet, I haven't any exhibitions booked for the layout, so if anyone is looking, then send me a PM....
 

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Hi Gizzy
would it be easier to raise the whole end piece with the arches. You could put foundation blocks under the arches and it would look prototypical.
 

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beavercreek


Hi Gizzy
would it be easier to raise the whole end piece with the arches. You could put foundation blocks under the arches and it would look prototypical.

Or leave the bridge as it is and lower the baseboard mate? 

Or shorten the chimney? I do like it mate- well done for flying the g scale flag too!

yb281

beavercreek


Hi Gizzy
would it be easier to raise the whole end piece with the arches. You could put foundation blocks under the arches and it would look prototypical.

Or leave the bridge as it is and lower the baseboard mate? 

Easier still, would be to cut an inch of the legs for the baseboard....

Gizzy

yb281

beavercreek


Hi Gizzy
would it be easier to raise the whole end piece with the arches. You could put foundation blocks under the arches and it would look prototypical.

Or leave the bridge as it is and lower the baseboard mate? 

Easier still, would to cut an inch of the legs for the baseboard....

Now you're just being silly

Well when I checked Hardyard at the MRC last night, I realised that the tunnel entrances were not the problem for the Stainz, but the backscene board.
 
As can be seen in this picture. You can see the blue sky in the tunnel mouth.
 

 
The height of the entrance to the fiddle yard area has now been adjusted accordingly!
 
The Stainz can now get through the tunnel mouths into the fiddle yard!
 


 
One other thing I'm going to do, looking at the last picture, is to add a dummy piece of track to the sector plate, so that when it is aligned for the platform road, you will see rails where the hacksaw is lying.
 
I'll also be painting the fiddle yard in black....
  
 

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Gizzy


As can be seen in this picture. You can see the blue sky in the tunnel mouth.

 
They do say when slipping away and you can see a glimmer at the end of the tunnel.........'never go towards the light'.
Or perhaps you were doing some 'bluesky' thinking........

On my Portable Pizza layout, the clearances are mostly measured in the fractions of an inch. I like idea of a false track next to the sector plate.
 
Have you considered ballasting the sector plate and fiddle yard area instead of painting it black? If you ballasted and added brick paper to the walls inside that area it only reinforces the idea thats theres more layout beyond the portals, thats a big issue if you have people looking thru to the inside. On my Pizza the biggest surprise I found diplaying it was how many people spent time looking thru the BACK of the layout into the tunnel access area, which has a landscape section placed in front of it, instead of the front. Just my 2p but I think it would be a great addition to this worth considering. 
  
One other thing worth considering: Catenary!

vsmith


On my Portable Pizza layout, the clearances are mostly measured in the fractions of an inch. I like idea of a false track next to the sector plate.

Have you considered ballasting the sector plate and fiddle yard area instead of painting it black? If you ballasted and added brick paper to the walls inside that area it only reinforces the idea thats theres more layout beyond the portals, thats a big issue if you have people looking thru to the inside. On my Pizza the biggest surprise I found diplaying it was how many people spent time looking thru the BACK of the layout into the tunnel access area, which has a landscape section placed in front of it, instead of the front. Just my 2p but I think it would be a great addition to this worth considering. 
 
One other thing worth considering: Catenary!

You know Vic, I like looking 'behind the scenes' at fiddle yards too!
 
I have added brick paper to a section inside the portal, before the 'adjusted' backscene and the point at which the sector plate board joins to the main board, but I think I need a transition to darkness to get the right effect. The track is also ballasted upto the join, and partially beyond that too.
 
I may have to think about having a circular sector plate to have the ballast looking right, as at the moment, it is only a straight one, made of 2mm plasticard, which moves on another smooth surface.

And one day, catenary may come too....

Gizzy
 

I realised that the tunnel entrances were not the problem for the Stainz, but the backscene board.

As can be seen in this picture. You can see the blue sky in the tunnel mouth.

The height of the entrance to the fiddle yard area has now been adjusted accordingly!

Well blow me down, all that was needed was to move the firmament - simples
 
 
 
 
And to think we used to be G Scale MAD
 
 
 
Where's the 'white coat' emoticon? 

Gizzy


You know Vic, I like looking 'behind the scenes' at fiddle yards too! ...

...And one day, catenary may come too....

Thats the intrinsic value of micro-layouts like this, not only can you can detail the living be-jezzers out everything, but you can try things like Catenary, and alot of others thing, with only a modest investment of time and coin. It gives you the chance to see if you like something, and the skill experience of doing it, that you can then use on a larger layout down the line.

As I now keep Hardyard at the MRC, I only get to work on it every 2 out of 3 thursday evenings, due to shift work commitments.
 
Over the last 2 thurdays, I sprayed the fiddle yard area black as the entrance to it is via 2 tunnel mouths.
 
I also experimented with putting in some dummy rails for when the traverser track is in the 'straight ahead' position. I found some sticky backed copper tape and cut a long 'sliver' from this, but it hasn't worked as well as I hoped. However, I have some car 'pin striping' from another project that I reckon will be much better, so that'll be a job for the next thursday I'm at the club....
 

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However, despite the copper tape not working quite as well as I hoped,
the effect of my idea does seem to work as can be seen here.
 
If you look at the left hand portal, the blackness of inside a tunnel and a feint trace of rails can be seen.
 
To the left of the tunnel mouth you can see Adverse Camber's buck-eye coupling gauge. It's there because he left it on the display track at the front of the layout. This track is powered and I had a short circuit when I first connected my MTS controller....
 

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Hardyard is also being used as a test bed for my recently aquired LGB 55060 PC Interface Module, before I try it on the Logs, Gravel and Bricks railway.
 
The track plan has been drawn with a diamond crossover to represent the traverser track, but otherwise the simple trackplan is shown.
The one point can be changed by clicking on the appropriate point on the display and either right or left clicking the mouse.
 
Also each loco has it's own control 'GUI' as can be seen on the photo below. It's harder to control a loco on with the PC, so I tend to use the MTS Universal Remote to control the locos and the PC to control the points. This is also how I intend to use the PC Interface on the LG&B....
 

 

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Hi Gizzy, I can see what you are trying to do and wondered if you couldn't have some "real" track fastened to the sector plate base if there was enough room for it when you moved the plate over?

The next outing for Hardyard, will be on Sat 3 Mar 12, with the ONE TRACK MINDS Group, at Fornham St Martin Village Hall, Thetford Rd, just outside Bury St Edmunds.
 
This isn't so much as an exhibition, but more of a modelling demo day, and it'll be open between 10am and 4pm.
 
There is a good pub, The Woolpack, just a few doors down from the hall, which serves good food and excellent ales. If you'd like to come along, let me know, and you can come and have a test of Hardyard....
 

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trammayo


Hi Gizzy, I can see what you are trying to do and wondered if you couldn't have some "real" track fastened to the sector plate base if there was enough room for it when you moved the plate over?

Might be what I'll have to do if 'PLAN B' and the pin striping doesn't work Mick?
 
PLAN C might even mean the use of an LGB R3 crossover to 'balance' the traverser/sector plate....