On Video: Paxton Road Mindful Shunting in N...
If you had told me even a year ago that I would be enjoying shunting a cameo layout in British N scale I wouldn't have believed you...
You see, although I could always see the potential I hadn't spent enough time considering whether what I enjoyed about OO cameo layouts could literally be condensed to N. Add to that the relatively straight forward to assembly and fit DG couplings, and here we are - a 500mm long cameo layout, with another 500mm of fiddlestick, sat on my desk at the end of a busy day, shunting.
The simple act of shuffling wagons around without worrying about 3 link couplings or knocking these tiny wagons off the track via toothpicks or the like, it's a revelation. Will I change scale? No, I love the mass of OO/H0 which is a compromise between size and detail I'm comfortable with - and as I'm more of a locomotive modeller than operator, this suits me well. However, this experiment is great fun, learning new things about the hobby I thought I knew so well feels like real growth and I'd encourage you all to try something new in your own model making as well - be that a new scale, or just a new technique. Until next time, more soon...
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I'm amazed how the scale is improving. I could be sold on a cut down version of Minories set in the blue and grey era.
ReplyDeleteJames, the very same idea has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. Sometime ago, well more years than I care to remember, I sketched up a scheme based upon the Merseyrail system (using the Bachmann 150/2 limited edition in OO) on Minories. I thought it would be a wonderfully evocative scene, based upon the feel of the line at Birkenhead where it drops down to go under the river, but rather than a through station, model it as a terminus where trains reverse, some back to Liverpool, and some down the Wirral...
DeleteThinking about it now, this would work really nicely in N, as you say, I must see if I've still got the pencil sketches!
The heart of CJF's design is the station throat. My thinking is that if more of the layout is off scene then running quite short trains through that part of the layout, reminiscent of Birmingham New St, could be effective
DeleteJames indeed, the throat is 'where its at' with the design. There was something about the long thin nature of the scheme that seemed to shout 'spare room wall' to me...
DeleteHi James
ReplyDeleteVery restful watching the switching ( sorry shunting ) . I know my layout is somewhat larger but switching out part of the plant passes a restful time. The running qualities on the current N-gauge is impressive but I do miss sound for these operations and perhaps the mass of H0 and above.
I also think it shows the potential for your cameo style layouts, and with that I wanted let you know your book has just dropped through the letter box and on first skim it is very very good. Saw my name check and hope we can progress the layout next year. I was also inspired by some of the the other cameo layouts and wonder how a UK cement works might fit in a 150cm by 40cm narrowing to 10cm triangular site. Will be giving that some thought so the book is already working !!!
Best regards
Alan
Alan, funny you mention a cement works... I'm currently using your images you shared recently to dream up something too! I will share it on here in good time. I'm glad the book is giving you some ideas, and I tend to agree about both sound, and the mass of the larger scales. N however, I think, does have it's place in the 'finer scale' movement these days, and I hope that Paxton Road acts as a bit of an advert to what is possible in an even smaller space.
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