Layout In A Box – Demo Micro Layout Project (part 11) The Station Platform Scratch Build

Lets get started…

Tools you’ll need are:

• Cutting mat  
• Craft knife with new sharp blade
• Steel ruler for marking out & also acting as a straight edge to cut against.
• Roket Card Glue
• Glue stick or similar
• Pen or pencil

Before starting on the platform it’s self, the final positioning of the two low relief buildings was worked. The buildings we want to site them up on a raised bank above the railway. Two pieces of MDF were cut to length & to the height of the embankment for the buildings to sit on. These then were glued into position against the back scene. The left hand building will partly sit upon the platform, so the MDF piece was set to the height of the platform.

For the platform height, we took one of the coaches & measured the height up to just under the door step on the coach. This then determined the height of the platform & the MDF piece was cut to this height. In the photo right can be seen the two MDF pieces in place ready for the next stage.  

Next using around 1mm thick Greyboard card, the card was cut to fit between the backscene board & rail nearest the backscene. The track here is on a slight curve & allowances have to be made for gauge clearance. To do this, the longest coach that we will be running on the layout, we held a pen against the middle (center) side of the coach. The coach was then dragged past the platform area & the pen marking the center of the coach overhang. The coach is Lima/Hornby Mk3.

The greyboard card can be found here in our webshop & is ideal for use with all the download kits here in the club shop. 

https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/gb002-1mm-a4-greyboard-pack-of-10-1800-p.asp 

In th photo right you can see the coach being used as a guide for marking out the overhang.

Here you can see the Greyboard card after marking out. The card will be cut along the marked line between the two arrows.

The area along the edge of the ballast/cork trackbed was cleared of ballast in preparations for taking the platform wall. This area will be re-ballasted once the platform has been completed. The orange box highlights the area cleared of ballast. 

Using the 1mm Greyboard card, a box frame was made up for the platform wall sides & internal cross braces. Once the pieces had been cut, a dry test run was carried out to make sure all fitted okay. Any triming & adjustments should be carried out at this stage. Once happy that all is okay, Glue the sides & cross braces together. Don’t glue the platfrom frame to the baseboard just yet!

To reinforce the front & sides of the platform, these were laminated with a thin sheet of laser board. The laserboard was cut to suit & glued to the outside & front side face of the platform as shown on the right.

For the platform brickwall sides we’ve opted for the TX105-OO blue engineering brick sheet. This can be found here in the club shop as a download, available to buy using your Railwaymodellers.com club points. Also available in pre-printed sheet form over on www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk 

The brick texture sheet was cut to size & glued into place on the platform sides as shown on the right. We used a glue stick (Pritt Stick) to glue the brick sheet into place.

Now refit the platform frame onto the layout & glue into place using Roket Card Glue or similar.

For the platform top, we are using the TX205-OO weathered asphalt with NetworkRail platform coping edge stones. The TX205-OO comes with a separate copingstone strip which we will be also using in this build. 

You’ll see on the TX205-OO sheet four little orange arrows. We highlighted two of them in the images right for you. These are the score fold line markers. Turn the sheet over with the printed side facing down & then hold the sheet up to the light so that you can see the printed side showing through. Mark on the non printed side the orange triangles with a pen or pencil. 

With the platform texture facing printed side down, place a steel ruler between the two marks we’ve just made. Using  the blunt rear edge of a craft knife, lightly score along the side of the steel ruler between the two marks to make a scored fold line.

Now place the greyboard card platform top along the sored fold line. Proceed to draw around the Greyboard card top. Now cut out the texture leaving the overhang of the platform texture. We need the overhang as this will cover the card underside to give the edging stones.

The photos right shows the score fold line being made.

For the right hand side of the platform, it also needs a coping edge stone fitting. The extra coping stone strip like the main platform sheet is scored along the fold line in the same way. The coping strip is then cut free from the sheet. As can be seen in the photo right, the two coping stone edge sections are cut to form a mitred corner joint,

Using a glue stick or simliar, & glue the non printed side of the of the platform sheets. Place the card top baselayer so that it’s edge butts up to the scored fold line. Wrap & fold the overhangover the edge & on to the underside of the card baselayer. Then glue & fold the separate coping strip on to the end edge of the platform, making sure that it butts up flush to the other glued platfrom texture as shown on the in the two photos right. 

Optional: We glued a thin sheet of laser board to the greyboard platform to give it added strength. It’s up to you if you want to do this or not with your platform scratch build.

The platfrom top after wrapping with the texture sheet. 

Next job is to run a bead of Roket Card Glue along all the top edges of the platform walls & cross braces. Then carefully fit the platform top into place upon the glued platform walls. Place light pressure on the platfrom top for a minute or so whilst the glue sets.