A rural micro-layout ( or at least the possibility of one )

[enodenlover]

  I recently worked out the personal problems that forced me to put model railroading on the back burner last spring, and looking for a cheap n' easy project to get myself back into the hobby I've decided to build a tiny micro-layout. I'm using an 18" x 24" cork bulletin board as a base and will be using Tomix track instead of my usual Kato stuff. The setting will be rural Japan in the mid 1950s and represent a fictional interurban operating single electric cars of 1920s vintage. I already have the rolling stock and the few structures that I need; once I get the track and a Tomix power pack I can get started on actual construction. By keeping it small and simple I'm insuring that there's at least a chance that this will become the first layout that I've ever finished.  

[tossedman]

What is this mysterious finishing a layout that you speak of? 

 

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

Cheers eh,

 

Todd

[bill937ca]

Electric Railways of Japan, Volume 3 pointed out the Kumamoto Electric Railway as a line that retained the feel of a 1950s interurban line. Overhead is usually supported by wood poles on both sides of the track and a wood cross piece that supports the catenary.  Look to Tomytec for these. The cork bulletin board should give you lots of space for a Tomix Mini Rail oval with 140-30 turnouts or perhaps the 280-15 wye turnouts.

 

Vicom You Tube video of Kumamoto Electric Railway from 1999

 

 

Some other local private railways from Vicom:

 

Fukui Keifuku Electric Railroad Co., Ltd.

 

 

Kambara Railway last winter 1999 from Vicom

 

 

Kambara ran two car trains, but generally only in the morning rush hour.

 

Niigata Kotsu Co., Ltd. 1992 You Tube video by Sintosy to:

 

 

The spur around 1:40 at the station was the remnant of a former LCL freight siding, separate from the passenger platforms.

Edited December 29, 2016 by bill937ca

[bill937ca]

More Niigata Kotsu, Hamataguchi You Tube video.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2016 by bill937ca

[velotrain]

> Overhead is usually supported by wood poles on both sides of the track and a wood cross piece that supports the catenary.  Look to Tomytec for these.

 

Why not use real wood?  Skewers (or dowel stock) for the poles, distress with a razor saw, and stain with traditional India ink and alcohol - basswood for the crosspiece.  Maybe add insulators to represent the wire location.  You could introduce slight variations so each one looks somewhat different, instead of identical plastic castings.  In the first video you could see that some were not perfectly straight tree trunks, so maybe even strip some generally straight twigs.

 

Have fun with the project.

[cteno4]

Yes I think this is one case where you could do some excellent scratch building as Charles outlines very easily with excellent results.

 

Distress skewers with a fine wire brush, basswood X pieces and some stain and India ink washes would get you some awesome looking poles.

 

Jeff

[velotrain]

What is this mysterious finishing a layout that you speak of? 

 

 

Todd -  I suspect he's suggesting that - like a few others of us, he tends to start more projects than he finishes ;-)

 

Being subject to ADD, among other things - I find that I'll begin working on something only to discover my interest has suddenly shifted elsewhere.

 

Of course, by then I've already acquired the materials for the first project, so it becomes an endless cycle . . . .

 

However, e-l's plan for a small project with strictly defined parameters might be a potential way out - for him.

[cteno4]

Charles, I think todd was joking that layouts never seem to be "finished"!

 

But your AAD layout description is also a phenomena as well!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[velotrain]

Todd's perspective is certainly valid, but there seem to be a fair number of new projects / layouts posted on the forum that we never hear of again . . . . .

 

I don't know if we can attribute it to human nature, or the nature of model railroaders ;-)

[bill937ca]

I know when I started buying Japanese trains some of the trains I wanted vanished into sold-out space and it took me about 7 years to collect some of the items I wanted the most in the beginning.  By then you have lost the original focus.  Just a fact of life with the Japanese distribution system.  

[tossedman]

"What is this mysterious finishing a layout that you speak of?"

 

I've yet to finish anything that I've started. That's what I was referring to, with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

 

Cheers eh,

 

Todd

[nah00]

What are you supposed to do when you finish a layout anyways? Oh to have the feeling of satisfaction of running trains and not thinking what I could do to make it look better!

[velotrain]

What are you supposed to do when you finish a layout anyways? Oh to have the feeling of satisfaction of running trains and not thinking what I could do to make it look better!

 

Believe it or not, there's guys who tear it down and start planning their next, larger and better one.

[enodenlover]

My reference to a possible first finished layout for me stems from all the ill-fated layouts, both HO and N, that I've started and abandoned since I was in high school ( a loooong time ago ). Because of my love for the Appalachian region I've tried to model the N&W and the C&O a few times over the years, along with several attempts at US interurban and rapid transit layouts. It took a while but I finally learned my lesson, for me it's either a simple micro-layout or none at all.  

[enodenlover]

A belated thanks, bill937ca, for the really nice videos that you posted the other night. Lots of interesting stuff in there. After giving it a lot of thought I've decided to go with a basic oval of track with no turnouts as that leaves more room for rice paddies and the overall rural feel that I'm looking for. Bought the bulletin board today and I'll be ordering the Tomix track from Hobby Search as soon as their New Year's holiday is over next Tuesday. I'm planning on painting the cork before I do anything else but I'm wondering if there's any reason that I shouldn't - could the paint possibly soak into the cork and ruin the whole thing? Just want to be sure before I screw things up.

[velotrain]

FYI - I don't think HS is back until next Thursday or Friday, the posting on their site isn't super clear.

 

Actually, one place indicated that some staff will be working, and I have received a non-automatic email, but they won't process new orders until "after the 5th".

[enodenlover]

Oops, I meant to type Thursday. Those T-days sometimes get me confused.

[velotrain]

Good - I'm glad I didn't dash your expectations ;-)

 

However, to be a provocateur - since you won't have any turnouts, is there any reason not to use flex?  You might already have some lying around, and cork is a traditional base.  Among other things, your loop could easily be less formally "oval", and the ties could more easily have that rural buried in the earth look.

 

Maybe combine some street running through the village/town and PROW.

 

This likely isn't rural enough for you, but I quite like the "waist" area, where the line emerges from PROW - or an alley, to a street in the town - looks like an interesting station there.

 

I just noticed the man standing on the fire tower - a new image for me, but probably essential for any Showa layout.

 

 

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://11.pro.tok2.com/~mu3rail/link149c.html&prev=search

 

[enodenlover]

Thanks for the suggestions but no flex for me, I'm strictly a ballasted sectional track kind of guy ( translation: lazy and not that much modeling skill ). There won't be much in the way of a town either; other than an ancient passenger platform ( Tomytec's #149 rural station ) there's only going to be three structures on this little layout. Mostly just a narrow country road surrounded by rice paddies and a few trees. Those great Enoden photos show exactly what I'd love to do if I had the necessary money, energy and skill, but all those failed layouts that I mentioned before taught me to accept and respect my limitations.   

[cteno4]

Enoden,

 

Most of it is just practice and trying things out. This is a great little project to get started playing with things and building up that experience! Bill's bullitbullet board/tea tray layouts are really spot on for this.

 

Try little bits of various scenery techniques on a scrap of cardboard to figure them out, find the gotchas, and find out what worke best for you. Then move on to doing it on the little tray layout bit by bit. Mistakes are good, you learn a lot from them,mjust want to limit the investment so that its worth what you learn, so hence the little experiments first. Cheap fast and easy!

 

You will quickly stretch those limitations!

 

Looking forward to the project!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

 

Ps, probably not necessary to paint the cork, the stuff is uber water resistant and sort of ground color to begin with.

[bill937ca]

 Bill's built bulletin board/tea tray layouts are really spot on for this.

 

 

I have built micro layouts on both serving trays and bulletin boards.  I find there are so many themes in Japanese trains and Japanese model trains that it is hard to choose which to do.  The serving tray layout is from 2011.  Just a Tomix C140 oval with a C103 siding that loops part way around the oval into a station. The base is a scrap piece of pink foam from a LHS painted sand.  The black base under the town is a piece of Woodlawn Scenics turnout track bed. I also don't always finish layouts.   :)

 

Currently I have a 24 x 18 cork bulletin board from Staples which I have set up as a tram layout.  I use Tomix Wide Tram track along with 3/16 balsa to create a level city surface. Those ovals are  Tomix C177 and C140. The second photo dates from November 27, 2016.

 

The fun is in creating!

 

 

Edited January 3, 2017 by bill937ca

[cteno4]

thats the fun of them bill as you can always move on to another idea if you want, you dont have to finish them off with everything glued down if you dont want to!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[enodenlover]

This is probably a dumb question but I'm going to ask it anyway. Is there any way to use a Kato power pack with Tomix track without having to use any Unitrack pieces? Also, is anybody currently making 1950s era Japanese vehicles? Thanks.

[tossedman]

You could solder wires to the rail joiners. Or, for a stronger joint, just solder directly to the rails.

[cteno4]

Endoen,

 

you could just cut the tomix and Kato feeder to power pack wires and wire them together. just use the Kato power pack plug and wire to the tomix track plug end. twist together and tape or get fancy and solder and heat shrink.

 

then find someone using a tomix power pack on Unitrak and let them have the other sections to make the reverse feeder!

 

jeff