Mosslanda: Defiance or distraction…
I should be building Cwmbach, my long standing N scale shelf layout. Instead, you’re reading about the latest in a long line of Mosslanda based projects, this time set once again in North America…
From sketches, to mocking up inlaid track to ‘testing’ the track plan on my bench things have moved at pace - which is usually a good indicator of a scheme well formed. I hate building baseboards though - thank goodness a Mosslanda is usually fairly straight forward! In this case, some 9mm ply and a sheet of white backed hardboard, simply cut with the trusty jigsaw and glued together - the result, above, sits where Night Shift has previously, above Denton Road (whose resident class 90 is just visible!).
The overall feel is about right, just a hint of the road on the left, and the vertical variation with the longer low structure in the centre. I am going to experiment with a wing that covers the structure on the right, with an opening (as per Fancy Another Beer), and make the structure on the left a touch taller, perhaps 5mm or so… the top of the view will be slightly constrained by the lid and lighting pelmet too, so it’s getting the right feel to the resulting letter box composition.
You’ll no doubt have noticed the open end, a deliberate choice despite the narrow baseboard. I wanted to be able to get a somewhat more ‘end on’ view, similar to how you might first come across the operation in reality - here the rather wonderful Scaletrains GP30 is paused between switching just beyond the gates… my mind is already sketching in the structures and composition.
Adding track to a Mosslanda always brings home just how small a space we have to play with - especially with a turnout. The naked version above was ‘tested’ for sometime to check it was all working with all my locomotives! The wonderful thing is I feel happy that this scheme actually gives the CP Rail Alco, the Rio Grande GP30 and the Santa Fe GP20 all a home - I am really looking forward to playing with this layout…
Yesterday evening wrapped up with the first efforts of in cereal boxes. I’m not working to scale drawings or plans here, this is a more artful approach, adjusting composition as if sketching in card, rubbing out and adjusting things until it begins to feel right.
Sketching in cereal boxes, whatever next!
Until next time, more soon…
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This is great, James!
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of projects, not least the US N, that I have the itch to do something with, but aren't in my mainstream of stuff and are thus unlikely to result in a full-blown layout.
I think what I need to do is screw my Mosslanda to the garage wall above Schinkendorf. There's certainly some 9mm ply kicking around, and probably something suitable for the back board if I look hard enough...
Simon.
The danger is, once you start on a Mosslanda you see potential for orhers… and they multiply! Currently three here - and a fourth shelf arrived in the summer but I’ve not found a spot to screw that one up yet!
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