Layout Project - Whitelaw Green

[Singer33]

Welcome to my TT120 layout, which I have named "Whitelaw Green"

The first section of layout will include a 2 platform through country station, somewhere on a mainline in rural England.

The station will accomodate 4 coaches and a loco and will have a small sidings, seen to the right on the photos.

At each end of the layout there will be double track section, which when joined will allow substantial length through expresses running at full speed.

They will run in a loop to sidings/fiddle yard on the other side.

As yet, the era is undertermined with mainly Eastern rolling stock being available from Hornby and Western buildings from Peco, but I'm leaning towards BR western region, circa 1960-1976, mainly steam, but I do want to include the introducion of HSTs.

Majority of track is Peco flexi, which has now been cut to length, droppers installed and tested. Points are the very reasonably priced Hornby and uncouplers in the sidings are connected neatly to Hornby track.

Next up is wiring in the bus cable and then painting the trackwork.

This will be a DCC layout.

If people are interested, I'll post up progress as I make it. Any questions or suggestions please feel free to let me know.

Mod note - your first post approved but expect to see rejection notices for the other 8 duplicates.

[von Klinkerhoffe]

Hi Singer33

Good start, like the use of drawing pins to secure the track. Are you gluing or pinning the track (obviously not with drawing pins 😂 ).

[Singer33]

I think I am going to have a go at glueing the track, will do a few tests with scrap track, will probably put dabs of pva on the underside of the tracks, drawing pins to hold it down flush to the baseboard, then the pva in the ballasting process to give it additional ashesion.

[von Klinkerhoffe]

Singer33

May be worth taking a look on YouTube, here is one link involving gluing the track:

Obviously other videos are available all with their own advice on the matter of gluing, pinning or using screws.

[Rallymatt]

Go for PVA, run a line down centre, pop track on, pin if you need to maintain shape and weigh down along length, it’s usually set within an hour. Ballast makes it more secure, but if you ever need to lift track it’s easy and no damage. More pics as you progress please 😁

[Singer33]

Latest update, the wiring on this section is now complete. Next up, ballasting.

First of all a test, in the photo, the bottom rails sleepers are painted "US Army Flat Brown" the top rail sleepers are "Dark Earth"

Ballast as yet glued, I have Woodland Scenics Gray and Peco weathered Brown.

Pure grey on the right and pure brown on the top left with various mixes inbetween.

Personally I an leaning towards Army Flat Brown sleepers 30% grey 70% brown ballast

Would welcome thoughts on this

[ntpntpntp]

I'd definitely go with the Army brown for the sleepers. There used to be a Humbrol "track colour" years ago but I'm not sure if that's still in the range? Nowadays I use Tamiya acrylic Flat Earth for the rail and sleepers (not a fan of picking out the rail itself in a different colour as it tends to highlight the oversized rail).

Choice of ballast really does depend on the location you're modelling. For my German N layout I prefer to use Woodland Scenics fine light grey/buff as the base ballast colour and weather it down, rather than starting from the obvious darker greys you have tried, but it's a very personal judgement as to what "looks right" to you?

I took the first photo on this Wikipedia page as my main inspiration for ballast colour

Double-track railway - Wikipedia

... and ended up with this

[Too Tall]

I think, from what has been said , its all quite subjective. Go with what you prefer.

But for my tu'pence worth: The bottom left is the colour combo I prefer.

[Rallymatt]

Humbrol Track colour 173 is still available but that and the various rust colours do seem in short supply.

I have been using burnt umber acrylic straight out of the tube for rails and working along sleeper tops, then add a few other blacks, greys and odd tiny bit of white depending what part of line it is. It varies so much in real life that my approach is to take away the new toy look (there is very little that is shiny on a railway!) and break up the uniform look. If you find a reference or a look you like then you can’t go far wrong.

[Singer33]

The last few days I've been building and painting peco station buildings.

In the end I didn't use a primer, instead deployed dry brushing of various greys, cream and browns to create a limestone effect.

It is a time consuming process but I am pleased with the results, the contours of the stone come out nicely.

Just need to add a bit more depth to the windows and doors, glue the canopy and maybe a final coat of dark grey to weather in.

[taunmarc88]

That really does look so good! Well done and thank you for sharing your tips.

[Singer33]

On this rather wet and dreary Bank Holiday weekend, I made my first foray into scratchbuilding.

Having been unable to find a suitable tunnel portal I built one myself using plastic brickwork sheets.

Cut them into shape then glued variouse sections together.

I found cutting a radius shape really difficult, the square stone sections just about work to my satisfaction.

I need now to finish with coping stones and decide on the paint finish.

Ultimately, the void is maybe a little bigger than I would like it to be, but overall quite pleased with my first attempt.

[Too Tall]

Looking good thumbsup

[Rallymatt]

Looking excellent, once painted a bit of weathering that will look very authentic 😁

[Singer33]

This evening I've been finishing off the construction of Platform 1. It will need a bit of gap filling, painting and weathering then it will be good to go.

The trains will exit the tunnel straight on to the platform, so I have build the it into the Tunnel wing walls.

Next will be the wide platform which will accomodate the down line and siding, with the station building placed somewhere around the location in the photo.

[Singer33]

Have come a little way since the last update, with the platforms built, painted and weathered.

Most recently have begun to build the cutting to the far side platform. This will be held by a small retaining wall.

Once the back end is complete I will work on the front of station yard.

[Singer33]

A little more work on the layout on these rainy evenings.

Embankment built from card and papiermashed. Painted green, followed by a scatter then some static grass.

Once fixed in place, a retaining wall will run along the platform.

Eventually the embankment will fall away to below the track level.

That is the plan anyway.

RDS Mod Note: I have rotated this image for you and will rotate your previous 2 images at some point but in future could you please rotate your images 90 degrees before posting if possible.

[Too Tall]

Coming along nicely, do you have a sketch/plan of the entire layout ?

[Rallymatt]

Looking lovely, all this rain

is good for something then 😁

[Singer33]

Coming along nicely, do you have a sketch/plan of the entire layout ?

 

 

I planned this section in detail only, with a few small adjustments made to the track layout. This is a 2 x 0.5m module.

The rest of the layout I do have in my head, another module of 1.5m to complete the scenic section which will be twin track with a siding.

The two ends will run into a a scenic yard which will encorporate sidings and a depot. I'll plan in more detail when this first section is complete.

I have kept them in modules so that the layout can be dismantles and stored away easily if I need the space.

[Singer33]

I thought I would have another go at a Peco Kit, this time the Signal Box. Straightforward enough to put together, the real challenge presented is in the painting at such a small scale, the brickwork difficult to define but after lots of trial and error with acrylics and water providing a base and oil and thinners providing the grout, I am quite pleased.

Should look nice on the layout

[RDS]

Your signal box looks really good

[Rallymatt]

That’s a lovely model and very well assembled and painted. Brick detail is really good 👍