[ahammond2247]

I have had a break of several years from model railways to pursue other modelling projects. I have however recently been able to renegotiate the use of the garage to set up a layout. This was originally planned some years ago, but the garage was then hijacked for other uses after I had put the extra electrics in place. There will be a bit of work to do before the layout is started on, mainly involving insulating the roof with a false ceiling and replacing the neon tube lighting with office grade LED lighting.

The layout that I currently envisage will be N gauge with a fairly simple double oval feeding into sidings etc inside the oval. I have at least twelve feet by four feet to play with. As far as I can see, little has changed in the hobby during my absence regarding the track and other hardware, so no problem there, What I am mainly interested in at the moment is the best way to go re the actual baseboard. At one time it would have been a simple 2" x 1" softwood frame with a Sundeala cover. For various reasons, mainly concerning the time and labour involved, the softwood frame is out of the question. As is Sundeala owing to the price. I am currently leaning to either a professionally ready built track and board layout or a modular frame layout with a covering of my choice and doing the track work myself. Any advice on choice of a firm that will not charge an arm and a leg to do a fully tracked layout without buildings or scenery or of an alternative covering to Sundeala on a modular board will be welcome, as will any other observations or advice. The layout will be DCC powered, but with something that is preferably plug and play simple.

 

[34C]

Welcome to this site. Wish I could help with layout structure construction services, but never having used one... (It might help others make useful suggestions if you give an indication of whereabouts you are in the UK as some may be 'territorial'.)

Plywood is a common choice for both layout framing and the baseboard, PVA assembled using soft wood blocks to make an 'eggbox' which is very stiff. For a permanent layout, softwood legs are the norm, but there are plenty of alternatives now; I once built a layout on legs made from aluminium extrusions salvaged from (awful!!) secondary double glazing removed from my sister's house.

...As far as I can see, little has changed in the hobby during my absence regarding the track and other hardware...

There's sure to be useful advice from N gauge modellers on this aspect. For example Peco now offer better looking track as 'Code 55' by burying the bottom 25 thou of code 80 rail in the moulded track base. Had that become available when you were last active? There's also a kit track option I believe.

All the best with it!

 

[ahammond2247]

Thanks for the reply. I was last active in the hobby well over ten years ago, when DCC was just coming in. The one thing that I have noticed is the now lack of models shops. I live in Newcastle upon Tyne and there used to be at least five or six model shops in the area, including the excellent Rolling Stock in North Shields. Now there are none. Oddly, the thing that stirred my reinterest in the trains this time around was when I bought my grandson a load of Brio from a charity shop a couple of months ago. It really is quite brilliant, especially the powered locos complete with sound modules.

 

[34C]

Worth a look here:

https://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/modelshops.html

It's a general truth that there are fewer model shops now, the nearest to you that I have visited is probably TMC on the North York Moors. (The wife likes visiting Northumberland - particularly Vindolanda - but there ain't a model shop for miles and miles near that location; I believe there's one in Morpeth, but I have only been through that town - slowly - on the train many a time...)

DCC has come on a street while you were away, there is now plenty of choice in smaller decoders which are a necessity for N gauge

 

[andyr]

If you are looking for modular baseboards how about these. Baseboard Shop | Grainge and Hodder A Google search should find other firms that do similar both built or in kit form

 

[jamesed]

Sundeala is not commonly used these days and is particularly unsuitable for N gauge due to its tendency to warp and swell. As has already be said, plywood is the most favoured surface option now. I model in N gauge and have used 9mm ply on a pse timber frame. With N fauge you don't really need underlay (although some people stil choose to use cork) so you can glue your track straight to the plywood. However, it's sensible to paint the plywood first with a neutral dark colour vinyl emulsion - mine is briwn. Copydex is great for glueing down the track. If you aren't confident in making up a timber frame then you'd probably find it cheaper to hire a local carpenter to build it for you than to buy commercially pre-made modules unless you are planning a portable layout. 75x25mm PSE timber is ideal for making the frame. 50x50mm rough sawn tanalised timber is good for supporting legs.

Now, just take a step back. Before you build or ask someone to build your baseboard it's worth designing your track plan first. If you intend installing under board point motors then you will need to make sure that ypu don't have any supporting battens running directly beneath the points where you will need to fit motors and connect frog wiring. It's a lot easier to design the base frame to fit the track layout than it is to try and make a track layout work on a pre-built board.

Another important thing to think about is the height of you baseboard surface. With DCC you are quite likely going to be spending quite a lot of time under the board soldering bus wires so make it as high as you can. A minimum of 900mm ideally. Build the supporting frame first and then install your bus wires and attach droppers for point motors or accessory decoders before you fit the top plywood surface. At this stage make sure you've thought about how your bus will run. Will you have more than one power zone? Will you have a separate accessory bus? Will it/they be ring or radial? Do you want to add a 12v dc bus too? It is so much easier to get that all installed whilst you can work from above before you fit the top plywood surface.

For designing your track and bus design give Anyrail a try which you can download a free trial verson. The free version is a full working version but limited to 50 sections of track. If you get on well with it and you need more than 50 sections the the cost of upgrading to the full version is quite reasonable.

If you don't want to work with flex track and don't want to worry about ballasting then it would be worth taking a look at Kato track. However, the most commonly used track system in N gaugue is Peco. Unless you plan to use set track then within their Streamline range your choice is between Code 80 or Code 55. Having built my own layout in Code 55 and currently building a club layout in Code 80 I would definitely recommend using Code 55. It's a bit harder to cut away bits of sleepers to attach droppers but the rail doesn't pop out of the chairs when bending it as Code 80 has a tendancy to do if you aren't careful. Also, the newer Unifrog points, that are available in Code 55, are ideal fof dcc.

As for a control system, be careful of going for something too simple as that may restrict you when it comes to programming CVs. I'd personallg recommend taking a look at the Z21 or z21 system which does simply work out of the box but also allows full programming control. It's also a system where, once programmed you don't need to remember dcc address numbers as you upload a photo of each loco to identify it. It will also manage dcc control of your points and accesories really well without needing to build a control panel or have complicated wiring. Adding a cheap 10" android tablet to the system makes it much easier to use.

Good luck with it all and enjoy this design stage. Take your time and get it right.

 

[ahammond2247]

Thanks for the reply. It does look as though I will be laying the track myself. I am though very much still at the thinking stage. I still quite like the idea of modular structure for the baseboard. As for points, that is definitely one road that I have been down before. Hacking lumps out 2 x 1 to fit a point motor in the right place is something that at one stage I was quite familiar with. I have found a website called Scarm that has a couple of layout plans that l like the look of and with a bit of modification are just what I am thinking of. The different track codes I was not aware of, nor the Unifrog points. So thanks for that information. At the moment for DCC I have been looking at Bachman controllers. But that is something for later on.

 

[kristopher1805]

Hello there and welcome back to the hobby a couple of things might be worth considering
1. MDF is nice to work with and stable and consistant 9mm should be fine for an N layout.
2. As above Z21 is future proof and the grahics are on an ipad or similar
3. Worth buying the Peco catalog and the track plans book, firms like Osbournes at Bideford sell the whole track package at a discount if you like any of them, saves wasting money.

 

[ahammond2247]

I have been looking for the Peso printed catalogue, but I cannot find it anywhere. I have bought their N gauge track plan and electric wiring books. For the price, though, I am far from impressed with either. They are both years out of date. By coincidence, Model Rail magazine has a supplement this month on making a layout, which I am finding very useful for revision.

 

[ahammond2247]

A decision has been made. Several years ago, although I was not involved in railway modelling at the time, I bought the book Rails Across the Plain about the Amesbury to Bulford branch line mainly because I was brought up in Amesbury despite now living in Newcastle and walked along the line regularly as a boy. The book contains several track plans of Amesbury station, as well as numerous photographs and detailed buildings plans. I remember vaguely thinking at the time that an N gauge representation of the station would be possible, with no intention of ever actually building it. Having dug the book out, I have decided that although maybe a bit ambitious, it is definitely doable within the space I have and for a lone modeller like myself. Also, having a prototype to copy will make planning a lot easier. It will not be a warts and all copy of the station as there are several alterations that will be needed to fit in with what I want as well as additions to the station to suit my taste. But I think it will be a good basis for my new layout. Now all I have to do is get the garage sorted and a baseboard installed. So hopefully come late June I will be able to start the track laying.

 

[kristopher1805]

Great to hear you have a plan you like and this sounds like it could be interesting to work with, please do keep us posted up to date as ideas are always of interest.

 

[ahammond2247]

Hopefully next week the garage roof and doors get properly insulated to make it usable during the colder months. The existing fluorescent lighting will be replaced by LED strip lighting set to daylight at the same time. Then the old work bench and assorted clutter is stripped out before my modelling benches can be moved in. After that is done I will have a much better idea of how big I can make the layout. At the moment though it is looking like 13` x 3`. This takes into account space needed for other things like the bins that are also kept in the garage and which are non negotiable.
Although I am leaning very much towards N gauge which I have used in the past I am still half considering OO. TT was considered a possibility but at the moment the range of what is avavilable is too limited for what I want..
Mind this is not coming cheap. It is costing me a new living room carpet, a redecorated spare bed room and a good chance of new kitchen units as well.

 

[34C]

Good to read you are making progress.

On the 'space for bin accomodation' requirement, can they go under the layout? Guessing that they are wheelie bins this would require a higher than usual baseboard; which is something I favour as the view is then a more realistic eyelevel when sitting on something like a bar stool.

...I am still half considering OO...

Scale choice, the space as it stands will clearly better suit N, unless an end to end layout is intended. But if you can win more space, I would strongly suggest looking at OO before making the final call on scale choice. In brief, OO offers much more in subject choice, is way easier to work with, and offers superior mechanisms. Something like the 700 'black motor' 0-6-0 from Hornby might suit the location you mention, and is a good example of what's now usual in OO.