Layout In A Box – Demo Micro Layout Project (part 5)

First job is to test fit the low relief engine shed kit & check for clearance with the rolling stock. Next the cork track bed underlay to the right of the shed, needed to be trimmed back to allow for the hardstanding to fit around the shed area. The orange circle & arrow highlights the area which we’ve trimmed & removed some of the cork track bed.

The LX096-OO Hardstanding kit which has been designed with two track types & spacing (For N Scale modellers, an N scale version is coming & due to be released soon!). The LX096-OO is designed for use with track on straight sections, however, one of our tracks is on a curve leading into a straight. We’ll be doing some cutting of the baselayers of the kit to make it fit.

The LX096-OO Hardstanding kit has three sub base sections, three upper base layer sections, two end side sections & two sections that fit within the track it’s self. We’ll start with the the two sections that sit within the track it’s self. The track with the curve section has one of the two track hard standing sections laid on it as shown on the right. Where the track starts to curve, mark a cutting line at this point (highlighted with the two oranage arrows right).

Cut on the mark so that you end up with two pieces. Replace the first piece tempoarily back into the track leading up to the curve.

Now repeat as many times as needed with cutting the inner track hard standing to get it to fit around the curve. In the photo on the right can be seen the inner track section cut & temporarily fitted back in place to suit the curve. Make sure there is adequate space for the rolling stock to pass over unhindered.  The track to the left, has the other straight hardstanding track section temporarily fitted in place. 

Moving on to the area either side of the two outer rails & also the inner section between the two tracks (Marked 1, 2 & 3), these where fitted with the three narrower wide sections. Section one had to be cut narrower for fitting along the straight section & then cut wider to follow the profile of the curve. The off cut was used to fill in the gap at the curve towards the nearest to the camera.

Section two had to be cut slightly narrower & also curved to fit inbetween the two tracks. This piece has to sit between the sleepers. 

Moving over to section 3, this was cut down to form a narrow strip along the right hand side track. Where it reaches the shed, it was cut a bit wider to suit & fit the shed building. 

With Cutting the hardstanding baselayer sections, we’ve used a steel ruler as a straight edge guide to cut against using a Stanley knife. Depending on how sharp the blade is (always use a fresh blade for a clean cut where possible) you may need to do a few passes with the knife to cut through the baselayer section. This will give a clean cut edge.

The process is now repeated with the three wider upper baselayer pieces. Again these have been cut down to suit our hardstanding area. Here in the image right is a final dry test fit prior to gluing in place. Items of rolling stock pushed along the track to check for any fouling of the wheels & any fine triming adjustments carry out where needed.

The baselayers are then all removed & then permently glued & fixed into place. The likes of Deluxe Materials Super Phatic Glue or Speed Bind is ideal for this job.

Next the long top baselayer for the track insert is glued & placeinto the track four foot as shown on the right. Make sure that it dosen’t foul the rolling stock wheels.

The curved track now has the infill hardstanding baselayer glued into place. take your time whilst doing this & test with an item of rolling stock to check for wheel clearances.

Now we move on to fitting the photo realistic texure, sheet. Place the texture sheet so it’s flush with one of the long side edges of the hard standing baseayer. On the opposite long edge side with the texture sheet overhanging the edge, run your finger along the edge to create an impression of the baselayer edge. This will give a nice clear line to cut to.

In the top photo opposite right, you can see the impression of the baselayer edge highlighted in the orange box after running a finger along the edge.

Using a steel ruler as a straight edge to cut against, use a craft knife with a fresh blade & cut along the crease mark cut line.

The cut piece of the hardstanding texture is then replaced onto the hardstanding base & checked that it fits okay.

Now mark out each section to be cut out, this time use your finger nail or a blunt edge to make the crease cutting mark, along the rail edge gap as shown on the right.

Cut along the crease mark as before. Now repeat for each section of the hardstanding area.

Once all the pieces have been cut & trimmed to fit, it’s time to move on to the glueing stage.

To save getting glue all over the cutting mat, use the clear packaging that the texture sheets come in and place upon the cutting mat. Here we’re using a glue stick to give a thin even coat of glue to the non printed side of the texture sheet. The Pritt Stick glue gives reasonable working time if any repositioning is needed of the texture sheet.

The glued texture sheet is carefully placed on to the baselayer and any lumps smoothed out.

For any over hang at the edges along the track section, use a flat blade screwdriver, ruler or similar & run it along the gap to push the over hang of the texture sheet down into the gap & up against the side edge of the baselayer.

That then concludes the installation & modification of the LX096-OO Hardstanding to fit our  layout build project.

In part 6 we’ll look at getting the layout ready for the planned external fiddle yard.

Happy modelling.