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Tip Of The Day – 95

Modelling Tip Of The Day – 95

This Modelling Tip Of The Day is an ongoing series, in which we’ll be posting a modelling tip that may be of use to the newbie right up to the seasoned modeller. Today’s tip is:

Model half or part of

For many railway modellers, modelling a full size location is not possible due to the lack of space. For many of us would love to have a model of large station but just don’t have the room. So how do you get around the issue of lack of space? The answer is to model only part of a large station and not all of it. In this video by Waverley West, it features a layout based on Edinburgh’s Waverley station.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at0h08AGsMU&t=30s

You’ll notice in the video that just a small portion of the station has been modelled, this being the a short section of the platform ends. A road overbridge & backscene divider blocks the rest of the view & tricks the viewer into thinking the station carries on beyond the bridge & that the layout is bigger than it actually is! In truth the railway lines swing round into a fiddle yard behind the backscene. This is similar to what i’m building on my very own layout. See the photo above showing one such trackplan with part modelled station.

But what if you don’t have space for a continuous run? Go for an end to end layout, with fiddle yards at either end hidden behind a scenic break. So for example you have a layout that is 15ft long, the two fiddle yards could be both 3ft long & the scenic section 9ft long. At one end the fiddle yard is hidden behind a road overbridge & the other end hidden by station buildings that sit above the tracks on a overbridge.

The fiddle yards would be best suited with a sliding traverser or rotating fiddle yard. This would allow the trains to turn around, or swap tracks to re-enter the scenic section on a different line. On the scenic section a short section say around 4ft of platform is modelled, the rest being off stage.

For small length trains such as DMU’s, loco with 3 or 4 coaches could run the full length of the layout. However, if modelling an express train or long train you only need to model part of it. For example, a HST you would only need one power car & three coaches. The HST would enter the station from the fiddle yard & stop level with the end of the platform, here it would then depart in the direction it arrived from. That way you don’t need a full length train or consist.

In the case of loco hauled trains, the train arrives & the loco detaches. It then runs around it’s train & departs the way from which it arrived. Thus giving plenty of operational scope & interest running the layout. A good example of this design of layout can be found in a book called ‘Modelling the British Rail Era’ by Santona Publishing.

Perhaps you already have a layout like this style of design? If so why not post your photos to the club gallery.

Happy modelling.

 

 

 

 

Example one

This road over bridge will billboards on it, is acting as a scenic view blocker divider. On one side is a snowy winter scene whilst the other is set in summer time. The added height of the billboards & the truck on the bridge help block the view between the two scenic sections. The trees to the left of the bridge also helps block & divide the the two scenic sections on the two backscenes  behind the layout.

 

Example two

A more traditional Scenic divider is this hill, backscene & tunnel section. Viewed from the snowy tunnel side gives the impression that the railway line runs straight on to else where. However in the second photo viewed from the back of the this hill & backscene shows the line actually curves round to give a continuous run. The bare baseboard area is to become a station with the board acting as a divider between the two scenes.

 

 

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