After my first 55 years in England and now 18 in Canada, I am working on the plans for my first ever model railway. Life has taught me that “Information is King” and with that in mind, over the last year or so I have viewed, subscribed and contributed to various Forums and YouTube productions. I have produced an ongoing Blog which shows what I have in mind and will be updated as I work through the various stages. As much as retirement brings more leisure time, I also have to meet my commitments to family, friends and a not insignificant home renovation project. As our acreage is currently hiding under several feet of snow, I don’t have to bother with woodland and grass maintenance. I look forward being part of this forum. Regards. Peter Lawford. New Brunswick. Canada.
Welcome to the forum!
Simon
Hi Peter!
Welcome to the forums, and a very belated welcome to Canada!
[#welcome]
I read through your blog. There are some very interesting scenes, and I think you have enough space to represent them. If I have read the diagrams properly you have about 12’ x 26’ for the main layout and about 4’ x 26’ for staging.
Your “Code 2” and “Code 3” curve radii should work given the equipment that you want to run. Most modellers believe that the larger the radii the better but your layout theme doesn’t suggest sprawling, wide open scenes so tighter curves do suit the concept. In particular, the tighter curves will make it easier to have the bridges cross over the roads beneath them at angles similar to those in the pictures.
I look forward to watching your progress!
Cheers!!
Dave
The major problem you have got,if I understand your blog correctly is that you propose to model a British layout in HO. Nobody in UK produce HO models the British standard is OO which is 1:76 so you would have to scale all British drawings to that scale.
Really?
Hello Cambus and thank you for your reply. Your observations and comments are partly correct. At the time when I was writing that section, I had not decided on what track to use. I knew that rolling stock and locomotives would be OO but was considering that purchasing HO track in Canada would cost less and readily available, locally. However, in the past week and after comparing prices, delivery taxes etc, etc there is little to be gained by using HO locally sourced track, so I will be using OO. As for buildings, bridges etc, I recognised very early on that it would be a combination of kitmoding and scratch. There are no kits which represent the buildings as they were in the 1930’s to 1950’s. I intend this to be a antonymical layout with the emphasis on enjoying what I am doing. Thanks again for your interest and comment. Peter
Hi Dave. Thanks for your comment. I thought that my minimum radii was ideal but I have had comment that it is not quite large enough. There will be some serious mock up work before anything gets “nailed” down.
Thanks Simon.
Finding HO scale models following British prototype is a rather futile endavour. Heljan in Denmark, as a non-British producer, makes a range of British steam and Diesel engines, as well as rolling stock, but they are in OO scale and not HO scale.
For a British outline layout, the OP has to “buy British”, as all locally sourced structures, vehicles and figures will be too small.
It runs on track gauged for HO, 16.5mm, but the locos and rollign stock are to 1/76 proportion, not 1/87. So the track is too narrow. There is a fine scale standard, P4, which builds to fine scale 4mm scale, which is what 1/76 works out to be (HO is 3.5mm scale).
There’s also a 2mm scale fine scale group, 1/152 as opposed to ‘conventional’ N scale of 1/160, which has amazingly been around for 60 years - even more amazing, the first models build to 2mm fine scale were produced in the 1920’s!
–Randy
Adding to the confusion, British N scale is not 1/160 scale, but 1/144 scale.
Rapido has done some British model trains but don’t know it they are HO or OO.
I visited a club in Sunderland UK, not real far from where my wife was born and raised and the club there mostly modeled US HO trains. There was a bit of British also but the scale wasn’t mentioned.
A few years ago, Rapido Trains made a GNR Stirling Single, a 4-2-2 steam engine in OO scale.
Currently, the only British product is an OO scale double decker bus.
I have to apologise because in my original Blog I bundled or even bungled references to scale and gauge. I will rewrite that part. I can’t re-invent the world of model railways and my layout will be British, 1930’s - 1950’s antonymical. That said and taking into account that at first glance one would assume that the cost of buying product in Canada had to be less than importing it from the UK, I made reference to using HO track. I knew from the start that the Scale (not gauge) would be British OO because that is what is made. Manufacturers make British locomotives and rolling stock in OO Scale. As for scenic, I don’t think there is much difference in grass and tree sizes [:^)] but for the decades I have planned, there are no prototypical domestic buildings. The larger structures featured will all have to be scratch built. I have already scaled the 900ft + (300m) approx Stairfoot Viaduct using Maps, photos and onsite measurements of actual bits that remain and artistic licence will have to be applied to the overall model length. The same goes for the Oaks Viaduct. What I am attemting would not have been possible if it were not for the valuable help, comments and advice that I have received from others. Many of whom have more years of experience behind them than I will have with my layout. So to everyone, Thankyou. Peter.
Another insightful one word reply. Thanks.
I do not think many UK modellers model in HO, preferring OO scale instead. I use plenty of imported OO scale buildings and products in HO scale. Most items are certainly useable. Wills and Ratio make some great stuff.
-Kevin
Hi Peter,
Does your blof actually show your modules? Be interested to know how you have tackled it. At the moment, my railway uses flex track for the straighter areas and compounding of set track curves for the double and triple track"" sections of my layout. Most people do not realise I have done this until it is pointed out so I have sections of Radii 2 3 4 and 5 built into the curves and it does not look quite so geometric either,
But hey mate it is your railway! I was just talking to a friend in Saint John NB on skype as a model railroader … and this is a great forum for meeting people,
Cheers from Australia
Trevor https://sites.google.com/view/stagnesrailway for your interest!
Can you unpack that comment for me?
I don’t know what you “read in” to my one word reply but that didn’t sound very nice.
FWIW I was/am surprised that there is little if any HO scale train made for UK trains. Especially because from what I’ve seen, model trains are much more popular and socially acceptable in the UK.
I wasn’t trying to take the Micky (an expression I learned from my British wife) if that’s what you were thinking. Gimmi a break, even if we may be cut from different cloth. [B)]
Hey Peter-
I’m not well versed in British modeling, so I’m not familiar with the various designations you mentioned. Nor am I too concerned with semantic differences between scale and gauge. But I am sympathetic with the problems fi
Hi Peter and welcome.
Don’t know if you are familiar with Britania Models but the kid that now runs it is really awesome and they have great prices. I model NA railroads but order stuff from him and even have my two Rapido ten wheelers on order with him. They are out here on the West coast and I have steered a few modellers in New Zealand and Australia their way and they were delighted with the service.
Hi Robert. Ref Scale/Gauge. HO and OO are the same gauge of track. Scale is size of locos, rolling stock and kit structures etc. UK is 1/76 of actual and the rest of the world mainly 1/87th. This makes the OO locos and rolling stock look a little too large for the width of the track, but that is how it has been since they invented it as half of O. Back in the day it wasn’t possible to squeeze the clockwork motors into the 1/74th scaled body. As for my remark about trees and grass, A 5ft North American tree is the same height as a 5ft English tree same with the grass 