Building Elvenhome, an N Gauge layout

A couple of people asked me to show how I go about painting N scale figures, and needing little encouragement I have recorded a section of this video showing my approach. I have been able to do some more work on building the hotel which now at least has some front walls. Some helpful comments in response to my last video has shown me an easier way to use the Just Plug system which I pass on in this video.

 

In this video I show the work I have been doing on two scenic items. The first is to extend the raised area near the main town and put in a retaining wall and embankment. The second, in response to a genuinely helpful comment on the pedestrian crossing by the station, was to repaint it and make it conform with the relevant predestrian crossing regulations. If you didn't know that there are legal requirements for a zebra crossing this is the place to learn. Finally I have included a clip of A1 Tornado passing Linlithgow station in a hurry.

 

More work has been done in building the art deco hotel. I was also able to get to the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway to see a visiting Black 5 and the sight of the Caledonian Railway Class 439 4-4-0T 419 hauling some Caledonian Railway Coaches. There is an excellent O gauge model of 419 which a number of the members of the O Gauge Railway based at Bo'ness have. Almost made me turn to the very dark side but I resisted the temptation.

 

Refreshed from a lovely time in Orkney I was ready to get back to the build of the Hotel and in particular the build of a fire escape for the exterior of the rear of the hotel. I also had time while away to think about the bit of the layout that is next for development. all is revealed in this episode on my YouTube channel.

 

Thanks Jim I did try to find the relevant fire regulations for a building built in the 1930s I was astonished to find that until the 1971 legislation (after a fire in a hotel that killed about seven people) fire regulations were very haphazard and different from area to area. I have therefore used modellers license to avoid door frames that would be about 0.5mm if I built them to scale by going for flush doors that open outward (some gigantic piano hinge that). Steve

 

In the October update I show a razor saw and mitre block that has helped me to make decent mitred window frames out of 1.5 mm strip styrene. The track has arrived to allow the building of the extension of the branch line to its terminus at High Elven, and I enjoy the delights of DCC to get five locomotive running on the layout at once.

 

With the window frames mitred and made I can move on to get more of the Hotel build. In doing so I had to accept that a much cherished design idea just didn't look right because of other changes that I had made in the build of the Hotel so far. However all its not lost, because in having to design something different I also got to get some paint on the model to test out whether I do like the intended colour scheme. Finally I my WiFi receiver to fit to my Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance2 controller that allows me to have two locomotives controlled from my iPad in addition to the handsets.

 

Life rather irritatingly got in the way of modelling so a bit of gap since the last video. However in the time the scratch build of the art deco hotel as progressed to the point where I can now see the end of the build. In addition to showing the work done on the hotel I show the benefit of using the Woodland Scenic light diffusing film and the tint.

 

After many months of head scratching and painstaking work the build of the Art Deco design hotel for the layout is finally complete. In this video I show the final stages of construction including the design and build of the roof. I also reveal the name of the hotel, and show it sitting on the layout. The hotel now sits next two my other two recent scratch builds of a fire station and a War Memorial.

 

As promised in the last video here is the Christmas update which is largely trains running. I also have made my first purchase of a locomotive from eBay, and highly successful purchase as you will see. Finally, I reveal the next phase of work on the layout for 2020. Merry Christmas everyone

 

Thanks Mike. I think was very fortunate with the 4F. I thought I would have to pay a lot more. It runs like a dream. The seller had good recent feedback and I didn't doubt he had accurately described the loco. Stephen

 

In this video I start work on designing the Church School that I will be scratch building for the layout. I also take a look at some light bars ,ade to fit Dapol coaches. Dapol no longer supply them and I had four coaches in a rake of eight that needed them.

 

Lots of comments on the last video about the design for the church school, so it was back to the drawing board for part of the design. Work also starts on my scrap yard

 

Hi mike and thanks. The playgrounds are at the front of the building for the girls and to the side for the boys. I based that on various inner city schools that I have seen where land was at a premium when they were built. I hope all will become clear once I have the school built and can start work on the area.

Regards

Steve

 

With the design finalised I have been able to get with building the Church School and you can see the start of the process in the video. I have also had a go at using Woodland Scenic Shaper sheet and plaster to build an incline to take a lock and wagon up to the Coaling Stage.

 

Another fortnight flies by. In this video I show the continuation of the work to build a church school and further work on the incline to the coaling stage