Lets Build an N Gauge Shelf Layout (Elevated Curves)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 เม.ย. 2023
- Hi Everyone as the Creweworks Layout continues in the background I thought it necessary to put together a more appropriate diorama shelf layout for our video purposes here on the channel, hopefully something I've mentioned in the video can help you out building yours, worst case scenario it doesn't and there's some running of locos at the end of the video so enjoy
Here's a few of the items i mention in the video
- Vallejo Thinners - amzn.to/43e6RdU
- Pin Vise hand drill - amzn.to/417rbMj
- Modellers Clay - amzn.to/3Mp3WsY
- Battery Airbrush (same as mine i just removed power pack) - amzn.to/3Kn2Nzq
- Air Compressor (if you want the same one) - amzn.to/3MmcmRW
- Soldering Iron - amzn.to/3MqO3Cs
- Static Grass Applicator - amzn.to/3KIXKKY
- 2mm Static Grass 500ml - amzn.to/3GqGpEk
- 4mm Static Grass 500ml - amzn.to/3KhJeIN
- Seafoam Trees - amzn.to/41dh5tt
- Grey Ballast - amzn.to/3KjVs3M
- Brown Ballast - amzn.to/3MIFFhV
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a great glue for ballast, is 1/4 pea, 1/4 acrylic medium ( I use gloss it is cheaper) 50% 90%+ isopropyl alcohol. The benefits of this is that the ballast will not be brittle and can flex if the board is moved or transported.
Excellent work. The canting of the track lifts it to a new level, so to speak.
Thank you, i had wanted to do this for some time, you dont see the canting much in the model world 👍
Fantastic !! Love it. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, Andy
Thanks Andy, glad you like it, thanks for watching 👍
Hi Richard. The trick to stopping your ballast from floating when you apply the glue is to pre wet the ballast using a very fine mist of Isolropyl Alcohol. I use a solution of about 85%. This stops the ballast from moving and I use a normal glue bottle with A 60/40 mix and drizzle it on. A quick ipa mist afterwards will sort out any bits of glue that are sitting on top or poooling
Thank you, Yes i knew i was missing something when i was ballasting! Brilliant cheers 👍
This is brilliant. You have given me pause for thought. This is definitely something I would like to do, because I have very limited space in my new place and this is an interesting excellent way to overcome this. And solve the problem of space and its totally movable. Brilliant.
They are Ikea floating shelves, all i do is arrange some setrack and loop the shelf with setrack so i can run the locos. The beauty is you can have a few shelves and connect them up 👍
Most excellent work, and a fantastic transformation from bare shelf to picturesque scene! Loved the running shots, particularly of the HST coming towards the camera! Lots of really useful info too which I hope I'll remember when I come to adding scenics to Shelfington! All the best, Ian.
Ive wanted to try this kind of thing for a while now with long shots of incoming locos and for the most part it really came out as i was hoping, i would recommend painting your baseboards before adding ballast though as i did this whole build in a rushed way haha, love watching your videos Ian, im by no means an expert here just wanted to show how i did what i did and the effects it produces, these layouts really come alive once you add the grass and all the little details 👍 take care Rich
The hst is particularly pleasing and you’re right - great info too. These are top videos and I don’t understand why they aren’t more widely watched.
Hi Richard, Great little build, Love the camber on the tracks, and a great way to show some trains running with a picturesque view. Some great modelling tips along the way to boot. All the best Tony.
Hi Tony, Thank you yeah i was itching to run some locos and wanted a fast section of track, was quite fun and quick to make too👍, Rich
Simple but very well done, looks great.
I was itching to run some locos and video them and one thing lead to another and a shelf layout was born haha 👍
Soldering the track together is fine, but useless for those who model in sheds, lofts and garages as it does not allow any movement in the track for heat expansion or contraction. I model in an environment where the temperature often tops 125f due to a corrugated transparent roof.
Hopefully the expansion of track on this layout will just extend off the end of the shelf.. although i keep my layouts indoors this summer it will be interesting to see how my layouts react to the heat, i remember seeing allsorts of damaged layouts last summer when the temperature got hot
Superb shots. Have you added anymore 'feeder' or fiddle track at the end - it doesn't seem long enough for the runs you get in the movies from a standing start??
Super Glue works too, and no, I don't have issues with it
Very clever..simple and eye catching....
Hi Richard… hope you are well.. you go from strength to strength.. This video … superb modelling!! Especially the use of Lego blocks.. I’ve got hundreds of these I’m always treading on when the kids go home… great work! Take care.. Colin
I find myself using these little Lego blocks everywhere, i cant help myself 🤣, hope your well Colin and thanks for watching 👍
I am fascinated by your shelf idea. I use to be a country representative 43 years ago and built a special travel case with my layout in it. I use to be away 7 out of 8 weeks.
Glad you like it thank you, that's very ingenious with your travel case layout 👍
Very nice video. It's well done. Don't worry about what others might say petaining to your techniques. Just do what you want, as you want it, and how you want it. As another N Scale Model Railroader Steve Brown states - "It's My Railroad". - So do what you want "it's Your Railroad".
Thank you 👍, the little I do know of the real world trains I have learned from people commenting on the channel, I try and take critic comments in a creative way, hopefully making my layouts more realistic. Theres much much more to come thats for sure! Cheers Again, Rich
I am new to this, but with limited space in my office I think I will have a try. Your concept is really neet.Great use of materials, I hope I can be 1/4 as good.
Im still learning how to do things myself, im sure you'll be fine, its just practice practice practice, Thanks for watching 👍
Brilliant, what a great idea, I liked the curves, they do make a lot of difference. And I think you have the trees just right. I don’t think scatter in them to represent leaves/foliage would do them justice. Just right. Like other comments, you have sparked some ideas as I have hit a wall for getting my layout moving on. Depending on the shelf dimensions, a good extension board could be made. As for fences, maybe on the hills, either the top or 2/3rds up. But without any it still looks great. Thanks for giving me a nudge. Wife might not be happy, but if I can get her involved, then who knows. Awesome. Thank you. 😊😊😊😊😊
Thanks Paul, i was itching to play with my Locos hence how this shelf layout came about as my Creweworks layout is going to take some time to finish off before i can run some locos on that... Yeah its tricky knowing what to add to the layout such as those fences.. 🤔
Fantastic. Totally superb.
Ooooh....love that canting of the curves !
I was was itching to have some of these curves and to run my locos so now i would highly recommend making banked curves 👍 although the steam locos really dont like them. They basically fall over so all in all its all fairly realistic 👍🤣
@@ThisWayWorksTWW Wow ! never knew that.....too rigid i suspect.
@@richardbradley2335 i suspect so, unless the steam locos were also more top heavy so cant lean over as much maybe🤷
@@ThisWayWorksTWW try with a 9F !!!!
@@richardbradley2335 i tried my Britannia it it just fell on its side 🤦😁
Great scenery. If I was being really picky I would have to inform you that the trains on the left hand track from our camera view should be going away from us and the trains on the right hand track should be coming towards us.
Yes i was informed once the video was uploaded, 😁 it shall have to be a bit of rule one in this case im affraid 👍
Very very very good job!! Tank you
Cheers, Thanks for watching 👍👍
Nice bit of canted track work. Cheers Euan
Thank you Euan, i was wanting to make something like this for a while, Thanks for watching 👍, Cheers Rich
This is new world for me although I did make some ceiling tile 1.72 scale aircraft dioramas as a kid longtime since . Not only did I learn a few things, I find your presentation both informative and entertaining. Relaxing to boot ! Cheers.
Thank you, im glad you liked the video 👍 i think this and other modelling hobbies are a constant learning adventure, i learn new tricks and techniques for the modelling nearly every day, if youve done you 1/72 dioramas then N guage isnt really that different, you'll be fine 👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW Very tempted, but first I need to buy some static grass ( I thought it meant 'not moving ' 🤔
@@alanbg2278 well technically it doesent move 🤣, static grass really can add that bit extra realism i think 👍
Love this.
One of the greatest tutorials on yt. Grtz from NL.
Such lovely kind words thank you, greetings from the UK 👍
Looks really nice.
Thank you Glenn, it was fun to make 👍
Outstanding!
Hi Richard. Very effective! I was surprised when you put static grass directly over the plaster bandage, but it works very nicely. (It's not necessary to physically ground the crocodile clip - you can just hold it just above the surface, although clipping it to a rail is handy.) You definitely need the buffer stop at the end of the siding. Right-hand running! (sometimes)?
I call rule 1 for my running of locos as i just dont know enough about the real ones myself just yet, ive seen most real locos in my area run on the LH rails, is this a common setup of the railways? Like our British roads, drive on the left kind of thing?
Im affraid to electrocute myself so i opt for clipping the static grass applicator where possible👍, i may get brave on my next application of grass and hold the clip with my hands 😁.
The buffer is in place now and forever it shall stay, ive superglued it down👍
Thanks for Watching Paul, i appreciate it👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW While LH or RH running (depending on the country - interestingly, when Sweden changed from driving on the LH side of the road to the RH side [overnight!] in 1967, they left their railway system on LH running) is the "norm", there are often reasons for reversing this; so, Rule 1 applies. I'm a little worried about your fears of being electrocuted! If you hold the wire rather than the clip (as other modellers do), you should not receive a shock. I've not seen others discharge the static at the end of applying grass in the way you did; is your "cheap" applicator safe?
@@PaulSmith-pl7fo good point with regards to "is it safe". As far as i can tell other Applicators are the same. As soon as i touch the clip with the applicator after use i know the capacitor within the device is then discharged and il get no surprises when i refill the pot on the applicator. I think im due to upgrade what i have and maybe to a smaller applicator i think so i can get in the nooks and crannies of the layouts.
Thank you for the info regarding LH running, it also helps me work placement of signs and signals! 👍
Spray it first with isopropyl alcohol. Then when you use the pipette it soaks into the ballast without it floating away. Also, you can then do it in the middle and alongside the tracks much more quickly and it doesn’t dislodge.
Thats the part ive been missing, cheers 👍👍
this has almost made me want to rip what ive got up and do swooping curves XD, this looks so good
Haha thanks, my steam locos dont like the banked curves (they fall over) so although true to real life its something to consider.. with what ive done here it can be stored on the wall out of the way as it is just a floating shelf from Ikea so maybe you could do something similar instead of ripping up what youve got👍, i just loop setrack around when i fancy having a play with it 👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW i have some Floating shelfs on the wall so might be tempting, im a big diesel fan so ive got no Kettles on my Layout haha so the falling over issue wont affect me
@@GWRailFan would love to see what you make if you decide too👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW to be Honest id Probably make more of a Mess that a Layout XD
@@GWRailFan 🤣be arite 👍
Really nice, except everything looks so clean and new, unlike a real railway. You need to weather the stock and the landscape.
great job , nice to see someone else using LEGO , these things are accurate to 1/200 inch .great for making all sorts of model making jigs .does the super-shiny shelf have a purpose , you are going to cover it all over anyway ?? (Love the shelf-rail concept - I would like to build one that goes allaround the walls ! ) very photogenic curves . best wishes from Wales .
Thanks Fred, yes the White of the shelf is so it matches all the other shelves i currently have, brightens the room up a touch having the white to bounce a bit of the light around too 👍
If the fine ballast about the same grain as coffee? Thought the same about breaking those tree parts apart and spraying some heavier brush with glue and sprinkling that over it? Just use them for fall scene.
Many people use a spray contact adhesive or hairspray on these trees and then sprinkle bits of scatter or flock on them, saves the brushing glue bit👍, this ballast is about 1/3-1/2 of a mm in diameter. You might be onto something using coffee grains 🤔, if it looks good go with it id say, it would smell good at the very least 😁
Very good; the camber of the track is quite neat. Is this eventually going to connect with the viaduct (how's that coming along??😉) and Crewe? You didn't mention about cleaning your track after painting. Do you use an abrasive or chemical? Thanks. Take care
Ah yes forgot about the cleaning bit! Because i used acrylic paints the paint is very easy to remove from the rails, i scrape the tops of the rails with a peice of wood then clean with isopropyl alcohol then give it a hoover, works a treat. Yes i can connect with the viaduct in the future 😉, i got stuck on how to make the shelf removable but keep the transition of the viaduct to the other shelf but i have found a neatish way of doing it now so in a bit of time i shall resume the Brackley Viaduct area 👍. Creweworks is coming along nicely and i have many things to show but all the superstructure is at various points of completion so i havent been able to get a video out of Crewe just yet.. soon, very soon there will be an update though 👍
Hi. Really great vid and just what I need to get my layout started. I wondered if you pinned the track down before you started ballasting ?
Hi im glad you liked the video. All the track was actually superglued down only prior to ballasting, No pins.. then when you add the ballast that also adds to holding the track down 👍
Hi Richard What some excellent ideas. You have my thinking hat on. Do you connect it to a loop ? cheers Roger
Hi Roger, yes i looped the track around the back of the shelf layout with some set track, i didn't fit a backscene as it allows me to film all around the diorama then. Ive just been moving around a painted blue peice of wood as sky for temporary measures so far 👍, the idea for me is to have many shelf layouts and just connect them in any way i like with set track in the future 👍, when not in use i slide them back on their brackets on the wall 👍
Great work! Love the s curve. Totally mesmerising to watch trains running although a small part of me was left wondering what happens when the disappear off camera knowing they run out of track! Where did you get your seafoam from?
I got them from Amazon, on the box it says WWSCENICS 👍
Ive put the link to the exact ones i purchased in the description of this video👍, looks like they've sold out currently but i think if you follow the link or messege them they could tell you when they are getting more in 👍
Thanks
@@MTM2711 i simply looped the track back around using some peco setrack off camera 👍, in the future the locos will probably loop going through all my other layouts 👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW phew! I had visions of some emergency stops off camera…
Flour and water works well and its cheaper
Is this for the landscape shaping? instead of using casting plaster bandages? Cheers Rich
Painting the track after you put the ballast down was a mistake. Other than that, looks pretty good.
Great video, very helpful. Is the shelf itself made of XPS foam or wood?
Thank you, the shelf is a mixture of a wood type honeycomb infill and the white surfaces are hardboard, bit like MDF about 2-3mm thick.. covered in the white which is a plastic coating, bit like plasticard 👍
lovely video, Its pronounce canteen (where you get your lunch) ary.
Genuinely thank you 👍 its been bugging me for ages!
Hi, in the video you mention using super glue to affix the siding track to the shelf base. Do you use this method for all of the track to tack it into place after shaping before ballasting/ gluing with the PVA?
Yes i fully glue all the track down with Superglue. Once the track is down for good i do the ballasting with the PVA mix 👍.
@@ThisWayWorksTWWHi, thanks for the info. Much appreciated. I think I'm missing something with regards to holding the track in the correct alignment/ curvature while you are in the shaping stage, I see the little bricks but not how you tack it as you go, before applying the super glue prior to ballasting. When I last did this in the 80's, it was on sundeala board, so I used paper point templates and could pin. I like this idea of using floating shelves that can be stored in a wall rack. Seems a good way to go as regards having a semi-perm but mobile set-up. Great selection of videos. Very informative.
@@user-ql7sw2wt6y Thank you, the building blocks are just loose (not glued) and are just a quick way for me to get the tracks parallel as i glue the track down.. the flexitrack code80 by Peco almost holds its shape so i shape it by hand and apply glue to the sides of the sleepers, the capillary reaction between the shelf and track draws the superglue under the sleepers and makes for a very permanent job. Sometimes i will draw a line with a permanent marker on the baseboard of which this is what i would use to guide me as i glue the track down. Hopefully this info helps, most of the time i eyeball the track laying 🤫
@@ThisWayWorksTWW Noted and understood. Thanks again. TH-cam videos like yours are a great help. Back in the early 80's my father built an N gauge layout. We learnt a fair bit from magazines, model shops and exhibition visits, but I wish there had been more info on loco repairs..... We had about 10 which were all bought new and initially ran well. However.... Gradually most developed running faults, as we didn't have much of an idea as to how to service them and my pocket money didn't extend enough to cover repair costs. Dad stepped in a few times, but in time they slowly started failing again. I was quite handy with my motorbike and one day I thought I'd have a go at my locos myself.... My Suzuki X1 needed plenty of oil and I thought the same would be ok for my N gauge engines!!.....I'll say no more!!....
@@user-ql7sw2wt6y Yeah the motors in locos really dont like the oil, I remember when i bought my first N gauge loco from a car boot and tried to fix it.. i had no luck and the internet didn't exist to obtain parts as easily as we can now.. i persisted in fixing things from way back when and now I generally will have a go at most things, theres certain rules you need to stick too to get good results but hopefully i put some questions to rest with regards to at the very least opening a loco up correctly etc 👍, IC engines in cars, bikes etc.. again as you probably know theres also shortcuts that cant be made/rules to follow etc. I should add theres a thing called activator, this you spray on the superglue and it almost instantly cures the superglue. I shall add a link to the superglue and activator tomorrow when i can access a PC..Take care Rich
The strangest place i have seen an n guage layout was in the attendants office at a public toilet at Moulie Point light house, Cape Town, South Africa. The layout was built on an old door cut into two parts for transport.
Think id avoid a toilet layout, id worry too much about the locos getting wet
What catenary wiring do you use, because the distance is not a standard distance between the masts. Greetings Jef
Hi Jef i didn't research prototypical spacing, i just spaced them as per a MK3 coach i had. Although now im interested to see what the spacing should be 🤔 cheers Rich
Apparently prototypical in N gauge would be roughly 42cm apart on a straight but closer together on the curves 👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW My problem was that I used Vollmer catenary. This manufacturer decided that it wouldn't produce N-gauge catenary anymore. I did have some 120 masts and about 80 wiring items. The length of the wiring is 220 mm, 145 mm, 130 mm and 65 mm. In my opinion these lengths are chosen as a result of the available tracks. Normally the length of the catenary wiring should be around 50 meters divided by 160 = approx. 312 mm. So I tried to make some catenary wiring myself but the soldering of these thin wiring is very difficult. I'm still sourcing for a solution.
@@jefwisse1957 ah i see, the Caternary's ive used are made by Dapol, they are just static show non functional Caternary's. I may use clothing thread as a fake wire on mine, yes i can imagine its fairly difficult to acquire some conductive lines. Maybe piano wire would work well however you would still need to solder them unfortunately
@@ThisWayWorksTWW Solar I used 0.8mm copper wire. Due to their thickness, it is very difficult to solder these wires together. Maybe I find a way to solder them together.
8:10
Pronounced. “Pee”-“pet” for “pipette” in le french. Or “dropper” in Freedomglish
Thanks 👍😁, i struggle with basic english most of the time.... French is worse im affraid.... Jemange le Chian... 😂
Why dont you solder the bottom side of the tracks to prevent the solder hitting the wheels.
I will actually try this next time 🤦😅, i still think the capillary action of the flow of solder will still mean the solder finds a way to the topside of the rails, Although also most of the time ive allready stuck the track down, the soldering of fishplates is normally done in situ 👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW I suppose a little solder wick would mop up any excess. I much prefer soldered fishplates as they work loose too easily. ✌
@@arnolduk123 Yes i like to solder them because of that issue too. You can put dropper wires on every peice of track to avoid soldering the joiners but i also find soldering the joiners helps to keep the rails inline for smoother running aswell 👍
@@ThisWayWorksTWW 👍👍
I'm not a railroader but I do solder a lot of electrical components and cables. I think your solder is to heavy. use of a smaller diameter may have better and cleaner results if you give a shit. Nice video, thanx for posting.
Do you mean smaller diameter solder iron tip? Or solder itself? With the way things are getting smaller it is tricky soldering somethings at the moment 👍
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Thank you :)
The only thing I found odd was you painting the track after the ballast was applied.
Yes any of the overspray from painting the rails was going to be covered by the weathered darker coats of paint anyway on the ballast. You could mask off the ballast or paint the rails before ballasting 👍