If you follow the explouts of YouTubers Mike and Doug at Budget Model Railways you will have heard about the Floating Shelf Layout Challenge.
I got really excited about this and so popped down to my local Home Bargains to snag three of the cheap shelves.
Why Buy 3 Floating Shelves?
I could go into a long essay about prime numbers or the religious significance of the number three, but it's because I am building 3 sections. 1 for me (an inglenook), 1 for my dad (a shunting layout), and the third will be a shared fiddle yard sitting between the two layouts.
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| Dad's scratchbuilt model of Padstow Station in N Gauge |
The challenge specifies that the fiddle yard can only have 2 tracks, but in my case I am going to have 4 in total but trains from one layout will not be able to cross between the two tracks. This should provide some excellent expansion but honestly the layouts should operate independently of each other.
Mike has alluded to a modular challenge in the future so I will have to factor this into the design without really knowing what the dimensional specs are going to be. I am banking on a single line going directly through the middle of the short edge on each board as the easiest way to do this.
Perhaps all that hard work designing Geomorphs for my other hobby (Role Playing Games) will finally pay off?
The Budget So Far
This is an exercise in budget model railway building so keeping the cost to a minimum is key. I think it is only fair to represent what it would take to build a layout from scratch so I am only going to consider things I can or have purchased from eBay or AliExpress. Whilst Mike does espouse the recycling of old layouts for track, if you are new to the hobby you will not have an old layout to scavenge. This will obviously push the costs higher, but I think it is in the spirit of the original question that provoled this challenge.
I will not be including the cost of acquiring tools as I feel that this challenge assumes that you have basic tools such as a craft knife, steel ruler, hammer, drill, sanding paper, rotary tool, 3D Printer (only joking)
I have some items on order in anticipation of the challenge and whilst they have not arrived yet I will include their costs in the running total. I have included the cost of 1 KATO 11-109 powered chassis for each layout as I have just purchased those for my own layout.
Whilst I have several 3D Printers and I will probably print some things for my own layout, I will include nominal costs as if you were ordering these items from a print farm rather than the cost to make them myself. For example each loco body could realistically be bought from Etsy eBay or other small manufacturers for £10.
Running Total
| ITEM | Layout 1 (mine) | Layout 2 (Dads) | Fiddle Yard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseboards | £6 | £6 | £6 |
| PWM Controllers | £2 | £2 | - |
| Kato 11-109 Chassis (1 per layout) | £23 | £23 | - |
| SUBTOTAL | £31 | £31 | £6 |
We will be attending the Sompting & District Model Railway Exhibition on May 10th, so I hope I can pick up some cheap rolling stock and track to build the actual layout.
Board Dimensions and Layout Design
The Home Bargains Loft Floating Shelves are are (L) 800mm x (W) 235mm x (H) 38mm which means a single length of PECO flexi track will run straight across the board with plenty to spare. It is far too early in the design process to be detailing which track sections need to be purchased but I imagine it will look something like this:
Well I right royally f*@&!£ that up. Reading the challenge guidelines the boards I have bought are 20cm too long. This means that the fiddle yard will be 20cm long and be part of the main board.
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