N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 12 - A Heljan Meat Packing Planet and LED Circuits

Back in March I was busy buying secondhand buildings on eBay to fill out the center of the layout.  I also bought a few brand new (old stock) kits from Heljan and Gaugemaster (Kestrel) to satisfy my need to get this layout moving forward.

Heljan Meat Packing Plant -  N673

I don't know anything about Heljan other than Sam's Trains on YouTube regularly gives them hell about their OO locomotives.  The kit came in a slightly squashed box with a few sprues inside.

Initial assembly was relatively easy once you have worked out that the letters on the instructions relate to the the letters on the parts which must join together.  The basic structure went together very easily but the configuration of the highest roof is a bit odd and leaves an unsightly gap.  Furthermore, my intention was to light this top most area and it is essentially sealed off once you add the roof.

Painting with Jason Jensen

I'm a big fan of the work of YouTuber Jason Jensen, his densely packed urban layouts in OO and N Gauge are just a sight to behold.  However, I'm no ex comicbook artist with all those thousands of hours worth of drawing and inking to fall back on.  The beauty of Jason's channel is that he shows you how you can easily add character and weathering to a structure just with some paint and a bit of sponge.

The building was primed in black and given a white zenithal highlight.  This is a fancy way of saying I sprayed the building with white paint from above to highlight the bits which would be hit by the sun at it's zenith.

I then proceeded to sponge on a few different shades of brown to simulate the varied coulour of the brickwork.  There's no secret sauce to this recipe and you can pretty much use whatever paints you have at your disposal.  Just remember to dab on less and less as you go from dark to light. 

I did not bother to follow the spackle mortar step as I was really happy with how this turned out and I have no idea what spackle is 🤣.

All the woodwork, doors and trim came seperate on the sprue so this was painted before assembly with a quick zenithal prime and then a base coat of two of my least used D&D acrylics from a Nolzur's starter set by Gale Force Nine.  These were specifically Putrid Slime and Xanathar Blue.  Honestly these are crap paints and I do not recommend that you buy them, but they do produce a nice sea green colour when used together.

Palethorpes Signage

I have 3 Lima Siphon-G wagons in my fleet, one of which is branded with Palethorpes Sausages.  I naturally thought that this meat packing plant should be a Palethorpes factory serving the local community of Upper Carrom.  Grabbing some suitable images from the internet and resizing for printing using GIMP was a trivial exercise.

I followed Jason Jensen's weathered sign technique.  This involves sanding the back of your printed paper sign until it becomes almost transparent.  I cannot believe that I spent half an hour of my Saturday morning carefully sanding paper to make it even more paper thin.  We do what we must in the pursuit of happiness. 

This was then stippled onto the textured brick work with diluted white glue and I have to say I was impressed at how well this technique works.  You can see the ghosted image of the underlying brickwork on the lighter coloured backgrounds and it is quite convincing.  Now that I know what I am doing, I am going to be braver and go for even thinner more realistic signs in the future.

Lighting the model and adding a circuit board

My intention with the majority of the buildings on the layout is for them to be removable so that I can work on them off the layout.  This lends itself to the "plug and play" mentality where each building has a single connection to 5V power and is then distributed to each LED from a circuit board.

This model has a sum total of 6 lights.  Three are 5mm bright white LEDs for the building lights and then there are 3 bright white streetlights.  To be honest I have long since lost the packaging that the lights came in and it was all Chinese to me as it came from Aliexpress.

Following the excellent tutorial on How to Wire Multiple LEDs: Series vs Parallel by Rachel de Barros I built a small circuit board to accommodate all the lights.

The circuit diagram is as follows

This worked wonderfully for about 30 minutes of continuous use until one of the street lights failed, then another and then the third until this went pop but as I had encased it in photosensitive resin it smoldered for a while and stank!!.  Why did this happen?

Because I am a dumbass!!  

The eagle eyed of you will have spotted that I had wired the positive leg of the Street light LEDs in at points A, B and C and then soldered all the building lights in at D.  This completely by-passed all the resistors and sent each one 5V from supply. 

I initially blamed Chinese fake LEDs, but no wonder they failed, nothing can withstand that much power and survive.  

It is only by writing this blog that I spent the time to dissect the circuit and recording what I actually did and compared it to the circuit diagram (what I thought I'd done) that I discovered my catastrophic mistake.  This is called learning through failure boys and girls and is the best type of learning their is.

However, I do have photographic evidence that, however briefly, it did work.

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 11 - Can you actually 3D Print an N Gauge Locomotive?

My fleet of N Gauge Locomotives has been slowly growing ever since I began this Coffee Table Layout project but I have been somewhat dissapointed in the affordability of most locos.  

This has meant scouting for old Minitrix, Graham Farish and Lima Locos on eBay which can be picked up at budget prices.  Reliability and running is less than stellar as you can imagine for toy trains which can be around 30 to 40 years old.  

However, being an avid follower Mike and Douglas at the YouTube channel Budget Model Railways and I noticed their affection for the Kato Pocketline locos used on their tiny layouts and was amazed at the effortless slow running of these tiny little marvels.  I subsequently purchased a couple of the very cheap Kato 11-105 powered chassis to experiment with.

Kasugar.Japan

A big shout out goes to eBay seller Kasugar.Japan who furnished me with two chassis for the princely sum of £46.52.  If you are looking for some Kato items or maybe you want those rare JDM Pokemon cards then this is the store for you.  SPOILER ALERT... I enjoyed this experience so much I bought two 11-109 chassis.

Which Kato Chassis do you choose

The main differnce between the two Kato powered chassis is that the 11-105 has two 4 wheel bogies (one powered and driving but both pickup power from the rails) and the 11-109 just has 4 wheels but is all wheel drive and all wheel pickup.

3D Printed Bodies Galore

If you are into your Narrowgage / 009 model railways, you have a plethora of options available for both the Kato 11-105 and Kato 11-109 chassis.  If you want to stick to N Gauge then you will have to do a bit of searching on Cults3D or Thingiverse, but they are out there.

Freestyle Shunters - £1.50 (6 models)

This file is amazing value for mone, I struggle to price up my own downloads and there is always the fear that if you price it too high you end pricing yourself out of the market.  At this price it comes highly recommended.  

I printed off a couple of Model 6, a warship class looking body which the designer recommends for the 11-105 chassis and a couple of model 5 which looks a bit like a class 04.  Printing took an hour and a half and they came out looking great.

Once the tedious task of clipping off the supports was done, Model 6 fit on the chassis perfectly.  Model 5 required some trimming with the dremel and it is a bit of a squeeze but it can be made to fit.  

Sadly when painting I used an untested rattlecan of "white" paint which ended up being gloss and having a really bad reaction to the black primer underneath.  I soldiered on and managed to get a passable attempt at a little BR Green paintjob.  I was only mildly pissed off by the painting disaster because these are 3D printed bodies and I can just reprint them.

 

But what do they run like?

The Kato chassis are very light and they have a tiny motor which is ideal for their intended purpose which is low speed shunting operations and as a result they have very little pulling power.  Anything more than a couple of small wagons and the wheels start to slip.  This can be overcome with the addition of a little weight. 

I added two 5g self adhesive weights to the top of the motor housing and this proved more than enough additional traction to comfortably pull everything in my fleet of wagons and coaches including my Canadian Pacific grain wagons, BR Mk1 Coaches and Siphon G wagons.

 

The incline on my layout was no problem for the tiny little Kato on its own, but it struggled when coupled to anything but the lightest of my wagons.

Other Locomotive Body Options 

Whilst hunting around on Cults 3D I encountered a few options together in my N Gauge Train Stuff collection so you don't have to trawl through pages and pages of train stuff.  I also found quite a few of the odd looking chibi style "Caricature" 009 locomotives which are essentially condensed versions of regular OO/HO loco bodies for the 11-109 chassis type.  Most peculiar. 

On Thingiverse I found the Alsthom 1000 which looks like a fairly authentic reproduction of its prototype.

If you don't have access to a 3D printer Budget Model Railways has you covered one with a range of N Scale Loco Bodies to purchase from their website.

Let me know what you think, and if you have tried printing out your own N Gauge bodies for the Kato chassis please share.

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 10 - Adding some Low Profile Buildings

It's been a while since I blogged about the N Scale Coffee Table Layout what with the minutae of life having taking center stage.  Whilst there has been a huge amount of progress on the layout I just did not have the motivation to record it.

Cardstock Low Profile Buildings 

Before Christmas I chanced on a joblot of low profile cardboard building kits for a bargain price.  These were all from the scale model buildings N gauge range and are semi photo realistic and obviously taken from photographs of prototypical buildings which have then been photoshopped.  

These were perfect to line the edges of my layout and I developed a technique of cutting out the buildings in layers to add a little depth and visual interest to these already great kits.

Doors and Windows

Using a fresh blade in the trusty craft knife and a steel rule, laboriously cut out each of the windows and doors and put them to one side.  It is important to store these in the same order and orientation in which they were removed for when you want to put the windows back.  

This will leave you with your base layer. 

Add Depth with a Second Layer

Take your base layer and stick this to a second piece of card of a similar thickness using a glue stick.  The buildings are generally small enough that there is enough excess unprinted card to let you do this without needing to break out anymore card stock but following in the footsteps of Michael from the fantastic Chandwell YouTube channel, you can resort to your favourite brand of cereal packet.

Now repeat the exercise cutting out all the window and door apertures.  This will leave you with a double thickness layer.  

Abutments and Protruding Structures

Some of the buildings feature various protruding structures which can be cut out and carefully peeled away from the second layer.  Glue stick is pretty weak stuff so you should have no problem removing these elements.  Stick these to similar thickness card and cut around them.

Glazing Windows

There are a couple of ways you can glaze the windows either by adding a layer of acetate to the whole base layer or by covering the window with cellotape.  I prefer the second method as it does not add a lot of thickness and it is easy to cut through the tape if you are simulating broken glass.  

Using the cellotape technique you could go the extra mile and remove any tape from the mullions and transoms of panelled windows for that matt look.

Using the acetate technique you can simulate larger moder multipanel windows by scoring the acetate gently.  You can then rub these with coloured pencils which will colour in the scratches to form the mullions.  This does tend to warp the acetate creating a sort of bubbled shape to the windows and lots of reflections.  If this is not to your taste then you could just draw the mullions on using a permenant fineliner. 

Edging with Watercolour Pencil

The edges of your building (and window apertures) will now have clean white edges which need to be coloured with paint or my favourite water colour pencils.  This does not need to be a perfect colour match and in fact my dark grey pencil seems to get the most use.

Reconstruction

Any abutments that you created can now be reglued back into their rightful places giving you a solid wall again. 

Rebuilding and Reinforcement

Adding all these extra layers of card that they weren't originally designed into the kit can make them a challenge to keep square when you finally come to fold them together and rebuild the low profile type structures.  I found that adding an interior skeleton of 5mm foamboard was more than enough to produce a rigid structure.  This also gives you a much better surface to attach your roof panels to. 

Replacing Windows and Doors.

You can now refit your windows in their relevant recesses simply fixing them in place with tape.  For particularly deep recesses you can repeat the earlier step adding additional layers to the window apertures to suit your tastes.  If you are gluing these to your backboard as I was then I recommend keeping the final number of layers to a minimum.

Roofs

The roofs included in the kit are the worst aspect.  Typically using just patterned textures as these are likely to be completely unuseable from the prototype photograps, they are a little lack lustre and can either be replaced by better textures from other companies or weathered using the watercolour pencils.

If you are making a silhouette style building the included roof textures are more than acceptable.  however, if you are going more for the low profile look intended by the kit then a stage of artistic weathering is definitely required.

Accessories and lighting

How far down the rabbit hole you go is dependant on your tastes and skill level.  Adding some gutters and drain pipes with strips of card or styrene is an easy way to add that extra layer of detail.

Some of the buildings clearly include security lights and adding these to your building is trivial.  Simply drill through the relevant spot with a small drill bit and fish through an appropriate voltage prewired SMD LED.  These can be affixed with the modellers friend photoreactive resin glue or even white glue.  

Signs and Names

Some of these kit buildings come with signs printed on the buildings.  Whilst the maority are simulating painted on signs some would benefit from being raised from the surface.  You could scan the building sheet into the computer before you start cutting out and reprint the signs onto card to make them a bit more three dimensional.  

If you have access to a 3D Printer you could also model these letterforms and print them out.  This is much easier than it sounds and I have a tried and tested technique for making signs which can be used to great effect here.

Weathering Cardstock Buildings

This is an area of modelling relatively new to me but using a set of cheap artists pastels and watercolour pencils I managed to dirty up some of my buildings.  This is an entirely subjective exercise and is probably best done when you have selected spots on your layout for the buildings to go and then you can weather them into place and achieve a realistic and consistent tonality to your scene. 

Cardstock Buildings at Upper Carrom

Bowerings Animal Feeds - LR-I-009

The Bowerings compsny sign was scanned in and then 3D printed using the technique I menetioned above.  LED lights were added alongside 3D printed drainpipes.

Modern N-Gauge Warehouse - LR-I-011

This building is located on the upward slope of the layout and is a sillhouette building.  It uses the acetate windows technique.

Wood Brothers Ltd - LR-I-001

This buildings roof texture was okay but I needed to heavily weather it to make it look like rusted tin.  The aperture for the sliding door is currently masked with some black card whilst I decide on a suitable interior.

Lion Brewery - LR-I-006

This two storey structure features a loading bay with protective steel posts which I modelled using styrene rod.  Drainpipes were added using the same styrene rod.  The roof is a little lacking in detail and I think could do with a replacement slate tile texture.  Sometimes you are never really happy.

Obligatory Running Video

I recently invested in a tiny action camera measuring no more than 2cm cubed.  After some messing about I managed to get a semi decent bit of footage.  I highly recommend playing this back at half speed.

 
  

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 9 - Upper Carrom Gets Platforms

Documenting my journey into model railways.

The layout has undergone some pretty big changes of late, none bigger than it getting some platforms and more importantly working out where the logical place for the station is.

The original plan was to have it on the left side of the layout, but things got cramped real fast and so I decided to flip the script and move the station to the right.  It makes logical sense to just have one road going into the interior of loop 1 and then out via a large 3 track spanning bridge adding even more visual interest.

How to make a custom shaped N Gauge Platform for your model railway

1. Grab acouple of sheets of A4 copier paper and lay it over the track. 
   
   
2. Run your finger over the track embossing the location of the rails on the paper and then trace those embossed lines with a marker to make the next step easier.
   
   
3. Draw parrallel lines approx 4mm outside of the track.  This represents the edge of your platform.  Cut out the shape of your platform and test for clearance on your layout.
   
   
4. Draw a line in the middle of your shape which is a known length, say 50mm.  This is your scale line.  Scan or photograph this shape and put it on your computer.
    
   
5. Import the image into Sketchup and draw a line over the top of your scale line.  Use the tape measure tool to measure this line and input the known length of your scale line.  This will rescale the image to match the real world scale line.  Delete this line as you no longer need it.
    
6. Trace around the edge of your paper shape using the straight line and two point curve tools until you have created a filled shape.  Flip this shape in the Z axis or you will end up creating a mirror image of your platform shape.  Ask me how I know...
   
   
7. Extrude this shape up about 2mm to form your platform surface. 
   
   
8. Use the offset tool to create a matching shape 2mm in from your outer line to form an inner filled shape.  Extrude this shape up 10mm.  Save as an STL and send to your slicer of choice for printing
   

Obligatory Running Video

This weeks video shows off some of the lighting I have been adding to the layout and in particular the little 5v USB power distribution block I bought from AliExpress for some stupidly low price.  Lighting is an involved process and I will be going into this in much more depth in future episodes.

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 7 - Laying Track the Bob Ross Way

Documenting my journey into model railways.

The Wait is Over... Time to lay some track.

My Aliexpress order of flexitrack finally came through.  For £15 I got 5 50cm long lengths of really flexible concrete sleeper style flexitrack with gold rails.  Not a huge price difference to PECO track but when you are combining with other orders you can make significant savings on the shipping.

I did not skimp on the points and managed to pick up 2 x ST-5 (RH), 2 x ST-6 (LH) and an SL-E393F short crossing for £50 all in. 

Establishing Loop 2 and Casualties of Construction

Putting in the large Loop 2 was the first priority.  This goes all the way around the layout and through a tunnel / viaduct and allows rail traffic to move between the loops. 

This was also my attempt at laying cork underlay.  I bought a roll of self adhesive underlay (that's not going to bite me in the arse in a few years time, LOL) and cut 1 inch strips which I then cut in half about 2 inches from one end.  This creates a head and two tails which can be more easily bent to conform to the radius of the track. 

I joined two of the flexitrack sections together using the very substantial joiners provided and connected it to one of the RH points.  This established the first run of track on the left side of the layout allowing space for the platforms which will eventually service the station and passengers waiting at loop 1 or loop 2.  Things went swimmingly until I began fixing the track under the elevated section.  I could not get a tool in to drive home the track pins.  

With a sigh I proceeded to rip out the elevated section.  In truth, I was not 100% happy with it and it will allow me to custom cut a roadbase which conforms to the curve of the viaduct and provide a solid mounting surface for the points which will be needed if I decide to put a small siding on the left.  The right side of the viaduct is going to be getting a signal box from which the signalman can see the entire layout. 

The First Rail Disaster!!

Everything seemed to be going according to the vague plan I had in my head until I got down to the return set of points which reconnect Loop 1 and Loop 2.  I think I got mixed up and ended up putting them too low down on the layout.

However, as Bob Ross might say "It was just a happy accident" and chance purchase of the short crossing changed the direction this layout was going in a big way.  Gone was the idea of another set of 4 points connecting loop 2 with loop 3 and back again.  Instead the crossing would permanently link loop 2 and loop 3 in a moebius strip like arrangement.

I'm sure you will agree that this introduces a large amount of fun to the layout and saves me £60 in points that I won't have to buy.  This will also reduce the number of DC controllers I need to buy to have continuous running throughout the layout.  Double Whammy!!

Thanks to this unplanned change the layout lines I had marked on the layout could not be followed and so I strapped on my big boy pants and began cutting underlay and laying track in small sections.  I can always trim it down later.

By now I had pretty much used up all my flexitrack, but don't worry I put in another order a couple of days ago just in case.  

Obligatory Running Video

This weeks running video showing the layout in its new improved Bob Ross inspired shape.

The archway shopfronts have been removed for photographic purposes but don't worry they will make a return shortly.

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 6 - It's Alive!!

Documenting my journey into model railways.

As I mentioned in an earlier episode of this series, I actually have another loco in the shape of a very battered Minitrix No 201 0-6-0T Dock Tank Loco in British Railways black which I found in a £3 grab bag of toys in a charity shop.

It did work, but not very well, so I had a go at blindly repairing it.  I'm a man, I don't need instructions... how hard can it be?

I killed it...

...or at least I thought I had.  I disassembled the running gear and could clearly see that there was nothing stopping the motor from moving about in the chassis and consequently the worm gear from becoming unmeshed with the drive gear.  Two tiny countersunk screws were missing from the motor plate.

Thanks to the information found on the marvellous site Classic Minitrix I was able completely strip down the chassis and to put it back together with the wheels in the right configuration.  I don't know if this is normal but this little engine uses the wheels and chassis as pickups from one rail and isolators on the axle allow other side of the wheelset to pick up from the other rail.  

As soon as I applied power the motor sputtered into life.

It's not out of the woods yet as it is missing some bits like a buffer, the two tiny countersunk screws which hold the motor in place and both couplers, springs and the plates which hold the whole shebang together.

I'm sure that these are readily available on the internet somewhere like Lendons of Cardiff.

It really does need a lick of paint as it currently looks like a very well played with matchbox car. Fortunately the decals are in great condition so at bit of black enamel and a protective coat of matt varnish should see it back in good cosmetic order.

The Tale of 1,600 Machine Screws

Sourcing the screws to retain the motor was not difficult as there are plenty of eBay sellers offering tiny watch screws.  The challenge is discovering what size screw Minitrix used back in the day when they designed this little loco.  

The answer is M1.6 x 3mm.  I know, because I bought 1,600 countersunk machine screws to try to find two which were the right size.

How does it Run?

Like the clappers.  It's not great at very slow scale speeds but as you can see it flies around the small loop on my layout.  My choice of electrofrog points is causing it to get stuck (hence the speed) but it runs.

Not to worry, there are big changes coming to Upper Carrom so tune in next week.

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 5 - Can you 3D Print N Gauge Wagons?

Documenting my journey into model railways.

IMHO a 3D Printer is essential for most model hobbyists, they have never been more affordale and easier to use, as long as you have awell ventilated place to put it like a workshop or man cave then you should get one. 

The cost savings of print your own models compared to commercially produced injection moulded kits or ready to run models just makes it a no brainer.

N Gauge Rolling Stock - Thingiverse Thing:6503848

I found this selection of N gauge Rolling Stock models inspired by the PECO wagon on thingiverse and thought I would have a go at building my own rolling stock.  

The kit of parts is great and offers a basic short 4 wheek wagon chassis comparable to the ones I already have in my collection which came with the starter set.  On top of this can be fitted a choice of:

• Box Van
  
• Brake Van
• Cattle Van
• 5 Plank Wagon
• Tank Wagon 

The kit also comes with two roofs for the brake van, and the cattle / box van and rapido style couplers. 

Printing Advice

Supporting the model well is crucial.  I chose to print my chassis flat side to the build plate, but I still added plenty of supports arount the edges, buffers and inside the coupler box to ensure a good print.

The wagon bodies have a short pair of keys which lock into 2 matching slots in the chassis so their is no flat surface and a similar support exercise is required.  The roof is easier to support as noone will see the insides.  The trickiest part to print were the bars on the cattle van, which are really too thin at this scale.  When I reprint my cattle trucks I will likely recreate these slats in thin card.

Assembling a 3D Printed N Gauge Wagon Kit

Assembling the kit is a simple case of adding the couplers to the chassis and sealing the two halves together with your choice of body style.  

Ready to Run models typically have sprung couplers but I had no tiny springs on hand, so created a simple spring from the thin transparent packaging that the wheels came in. 

Cut to size and bent in the middle this provides enough "spring" to keep the couplers level.

The brake van has a specific roof with a stove vent whereas the cattle van and box van have a ventless roof.

What about wheels?

The kit does not come with wheels and whilst I have found some models to print I thought it best to buy these on one of my many aliexpress trips.  

I found a seller offering 48 plastic wheel sets by Evemodel, that's enough for 24 wagons, for the princely sum of £5.49 + shipping.  If you want metal wheel sets they are readily available but obviously more expensive.

The wheels fit neatly into the holes in the axle boxes of the chassis, although I did have to open up the rectangular pockets that the wheel flanges sit in to enable free running and end float.  This was a trivial task with a small needle file, although care must be taken when fitting the wheels to avoid breaking the brake assembly detail. 

Once assembled they look pretty convincing.

How do they run?

Pretty well as you can see in the video below.  The couplers hang down a little, but with the addition of the little makeshift springs I think these will work very well on my layout.

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 4 - All aboard for Upper Carrom

Documenting my journey into model railways.

It's high time that this layout got a name and it seems appropriate to call it Upper Carrom as it is quite literally above the Carrom Table.

Of course it wouldn't be a real railway station if it didn't have a railway station sign.  There are plenty of places you can download but I wanted to model one myself and the technique I used to make my badges and the famous Okey Dokey sign is a great fit for what is a very simple design. 

Use The GIMP

I have been a GIMP user for many years ever since Photoshop 5 and it is an awesome free alternative.  Yes it has it's quirks but once you get used to them it's pretty much plain sailing and has everything I need in a bitmap image manipulator / Photo editor.

On a transparent layer floating above the white background layer, I added the station name using the text tool making sure that this was 100% black.

The basic name plaque lozenge shape is easy to create using the circle and rectangular select tools to create shapes on seperate layers filled with 100% opacity black.  These were then merged together to create a single "half" which could be duplicated and flipped and then merged to create the whole lozenge.

The middle lozenge was just a repeat of the steps above.  Do not merge the full width lozenges together at this stage.  You shouls have 4 layers (from top down) Text, text lozenge, middle lozenge and finally the white background.  Hide the text layer temporarily.

For each of the lozenges, select the black area and use the select > shrink command to reduce the selection to an appropriate size then fill this with white.  Merge Down the sign lozenge onto the middle lozenge to create a single lozenge layer 

Unhide the text layer.  You should now have a black and white railway sign.  Export this for Tinkercad as a png no larger than 1000px wide.

Finally select in the lozenge layer select everything outside the lozenge using the fuzzy select tool, invert the selection and create a new layer above the white background fill this with black.  Turn off the layers above and export to png.

In Convertio

Convertio.co is a fantastic free web based converter tool.  Just upload the two png files and convert these to SVG.

In Tinkercad

Import each of SVG files you have just created as "Art".  Modify the height of the text layer so that the text and the border of the sign protrude protrudes out of the background.

Export your model as an STL for 3D Printing.  Import this into your slicer (it will be big) and scale to your needs. 

Obligatory Running Video

The first running of the newest addition to the ready-to-run rolling stock collection, a cheap aliexpress Canadian Government grain wagon... it's on loan okay. 

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 3 - Loops, Points and Elevation

Documenting my journey into model railways.

As I mentioned in the first episode of this series, my wishlist includes 3 loops of track which requires a significant number of points if one is to return a train to any one of the loops.

The largest radius I can realistically run on this board without the whole layout  turning into a helix is going to be 12".  I printed out some tracksetta style gauges to help me lay the random collection of secondhand flexitrack.  I also made a rudimentary  curve compass out of a strip of hardboard to help scribe the radii on the baseboard and also to cut sections of track bed which will be elevated.

Where we're going we don't need... plans

I am not following any plan with this layout.  It's a case of design on the fly based on what track I can scrounge together.  In fact the layout has changed and will continue to change based on the age old philosophy of do I really need 11 sets of points!!

At this very moment the plan looks something like this:

Notice the addition of the first scenic items in the form of the viaduct fascias.  All will b e revealed in the fullness of time or when the 3D Printer has finished printing them off.

3 Continuous Running Loops

What is the point of a coffee table layout if it doesn't have continuous running.  My 3 Loops are loosely defined as follows:

Loop 1 (Purple) - A 9" radius (1st radius?) with the smallest points I have turning this into an oval.  I could really do with replacing these points for a matched pair of 1st radius curved points so that I can properly form the fiddle yard.  At the moment I am not confident that the southern tank engine can make a tighter radius curve.  Fingers crossed I can get the little black shunter working as it has a set of tiny little wheels in an 0-6-0 configuration.  Being a diecast body it's got some weight to it unlike the Southern which is made of plastic. 

Loop 2 (Green) - A mix of radii from 10" to 12" and traverses the entire layout from the staging area at the bottom up the left side and into a tunnel which runs underneath the viaduct and then emerges on the right side of the layout.  This is essentially a branch line and will be running a mix of small 4 wheel coaches (when I buy or make them) and goods wagons.  This will be the preserve of the Southern Tank Engine unless something better comes along.

Loop 3 (Yellow) - The largest loop (but not by much) and is a squared off 12" radius circle.  It takes you all around the layout rising on the left to the viaduct and falling back down on the right to rejoin the staging area bottom left (blue).  I have tested the gradient with the only working loco I have and it can pull a full rake of 6 wagons weighed down with nuts and bolts.  This will be the main line and hopefully I will be able to run larger coaches and goods wagons with articulated bogies.

Power to the People

With all this going on and the potential of having 3 simultaneous running loops and accessories, I am going to need to get some more controllers and isolate each loop with those isolating fish plates all the cool kids use.  This of course is going to be a whole other ball game, but I am going to stay DC rather than go DCC as I just can't justify the complexity at this stage.  However, there is nothing to say I won't change my mind further down the line.

Talking about Tracks but specifically making a point about Points

There are a lot of joblot auctions on eBay for collections of track and it is somewhat daunting to a beginner to try to find exactly what you want to fit in a given space.  Flexitrack is your friend as you can essentially lay track from point to point.  Track is so goddam expensive and I'm trying to keep the cost to a minimum, I'm not a Rothschild you know (only when I'm Bunty), so I buy what looks right, even if in the end it might not be.  False economy I know.  Especially when you don't know that PIKO track is a completely different connection standard to PECO... fortunately this only cost me £10 to learn.

However, when we get down to the tight transitions between the curves I think I might need to bite the bullet and buy specific radii turnouts.  Wouldn't it be awesome if each manufacturer published a set of photocopiable templates of their set track and turnouts so you could literally try before you buy.  If you know of any please do pop a comment in the section below.

Points Theory

Finally, there is some points theory to consider (which I am also slowly learning) behind designing a three loop continuous running layout.  I will cover this in a future episode as it is driving me insane trying to visualise what I need to buy compared to what I want for the layout and my available space.

Obligatory Running Video

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 2 - MDF uh huh uh huh!!

Documenting my journey into model railways.

If you read episode 1 of my carrom table layout build then you will have heard me rant about how the "big box" DIY stores in the UK have fully transformed into soft furnishings stores.  

What you probably don't realise is the markup is significant.  Two pieces of 12mm MDF required to make just my baseboard would have cost in excess of £32 leaving me to buy extra wood for the side panels.  However, a whole sheet of MDF custom cut to my requirements by an oldfashioned builders merchant was £40 and left me with so much extra from the full sheet that I have MDF coming out of my ears. 

Building my N Gauge Layout Baseboard

With all my wood precut to approximately the right size it was a fairly easy task to trim the panels to final size and screw together.  The whole structure sits neatly on top of the carrom table and can be lifted off in case carrom needs to be played.  The carrom tabletop is hinged to allow access to the storage bin below and this can still be operated with the layout sitting on top although any loose items like rolling stock will need to be removed first.

What did the Romans ever do for us... The Viaduct

This week also saw the addition of the first scenic item to the layout in the form of a viaduct.  I purchased the single track viaduct model by Crafty 3D from Cults3D  and threw it on the printer.  

Whilst this is a scenic item, adding this to the layout early on is crucial as it dictates the height of the elevated Loop 3.  Working out the exact gradient of the incline from base to viaduct is going to be a process of trail and error, but I would like a train to be able to pass from Loop 1 to Loop 2 and ultimately to Loop 3 and back again.

I will not be printing these viaducts en masse as my viaduct is also a front for the Loop 2 tunnel.  I don't fancy carving a hole through 8 or 9 of these bad boys, to say nothing of the wasteful use of resin in printing something just to cut it out.  The future is here, there is a better way...

My solution is to make these into removable fascias, allowing me to extricate any trains which may have derailed inside.  The plan is to print out a series of these fronts which can be linked together to form a long fascia.  The fascia will be magnetized to stick to a solid shelf which will carry the Loop 2 track and allow wide access for said emergency train extraction.

This is a fairly trivial task to open the STL in Meshmixer and use a plane cut to remove all the unwanted model leaving you with just a thin fascia.  Taking this approach is doubly advantageous as it also allows me to spread these fascias around a curve.

Small Businesses

The viaduct model also comes with a selection of arch inserts ranging from shop fronts to a warehouse.  These will of course be magnetised to allow for easy swapability and add a bit of variety to the layout.  

The exact nature of these businesses remains to be seen and will be covered in a future episode.

Obligatory Running Trains Video

To ensure that I keep up the momentum it is important for me to keep a section of the layout in running order.  The layout is in my front room and so it is everpresent and what good is a model railway if you can't play with it.

N Gauge Model Railway - Carrom Table Layout - Episode 1

Documenting my journey into model railways.

Coffe Table Layout (or should I say Carrom Table)

Those who know me in meatspace are aware of my passion for Carrom, the tabletop shuffleboard game played in most parts of the indian subcontinent.  I purchased a table a few years ago and converted into a coffee table.

This is the perfect base for my N gauge Layout and measures 32" square to the outside edge.

Starting with a Starter Set

I was lucky to snipe a Graham Farish 370-025 Tank Loco Starter Set from ebay for less than £80.  This was an absolute bargain and in great condition.  The set includes 8 pieces of settrack scribing a circle with the smallest 9" radius curve.

Also in the set came a 0-6-0 Southern Tank loco, 2 wagons and a brake van.  The loco will definitely be getting a paint treatment as it looks really quite plasticky and I think with the application of some black panels and some pin striping it will look much less like a toy.

I did also have a small collection of 3 wagons and a Minitrix 2f 0-6-0 Dock Tank Locomotive 47160 which I found in a charity shop for £3.  I hope to get that loco working again as I seem to have blown it up!!.

Building a Box

All the best layouts are enclosed with beautifully painted backdrops and so I designed my enclosure to be tall on 3 sides with a lower front section enabling easy access to rail locos and rolling stock and to get unfettered views of the layout.   

The sides also pull double duty creating a well so that the layout can be removed easily when that all important game of Carrom needs playing.  My design should allow for everything trainset related to move with the layout and also provide easy access to the underside of the layout where the wiring channels will be.

I tried to get some MDF for this project from my local B&Q and Homebase stores.  However, they seem to have stopped selling DIY materials in real world sizes and now appear to only sell Christmas decorations and pillows.  The struggle is real people.

I need the following boards:

• 1 x 32"x 32" (813mm x 813mm) 
• 3 x 33" x at least 6" (813mm x 153mm)
• 1 x 33" x at least 3"(813mm x 76.5mm)

I am designing much of this layout using my go-to 3d modelling software sketchup free and hope that this will be of great assistance when planning out the placement of tracks.

Layout Wishlist

32" square is not exactly a huge space, but I would like to try to get

• 1 x central small 9" radius loop with some internal shunting space
  
• 1 x middle larger 12" radius mainline loop which perhaps goes into a tunnel at the rear of the layout.
  
• 1 x outer elevated loop which climbs on the left drops down on the right and reconnects with the mainline at the front of the layout.

The elevated loop ios going to be most challenging as there will need to be a removable section so that any loco's going through the tunnel can be retrieved if they derail.

Carrom Table Layout Running Video