Turning "Kiesgrube Klieben" into a cameo layout

The narrow gauge micro layout in situ in the Billi bookshelf.

Construction on the "Kiesgrube Klieben" micro layout continued after a break of a couple of months with the addition of back and side backdrop panels plus a fascia. I also built a lid holding a 1.5m, 4000K led strip.

All boards were primed with MDF primer. Then the fascia and side panels received two layers of "woods green" (Flexa Strak in de lak binnenlak zijdeglans "woudgroen"). I am really fond of this dark green colour. It fits the layout perfectly and is a positive deviation from the usual black or anthracite.

The layout without the led lighting switched off to give an impression of the size and shape of the layout. Unfortunately the lighting in the living room does not reflect the true color of "wood green" properly.

Buildings are placeholders only.

Industrial narrow gauge micro layout: Kiesgrube Klieben

 After weeks filled with work and other hobbies and model railroading on the back-burner, except for reading and planning, I finally picked up the shovel again and started with a new build. The Elmslohe H0 layout is still in its infancy with tracks laid and wiring done, but without any scenery. And I somehow cannot get myself to start with ballasting and similar tasks. Instead, re-fitting my decades-old, little H0e diesel with a new motor and decoder, re-painting and weathering her, provided lots of fun. So the decision was taken to build her a home; in the form of a micro-layout that is extendable with fiddle yards.

I laid Peco industrial narrow gauge flex track (SL-400) and two turnouts (SL-E492) on a 75 x 30  x 0.8 cm board and 44 x 18 mm frame. This size fits perfectly into the Ikea Billy shelf beside my work-desk. As written before, I like small layouts that are operational at the flick of of a switch, providing fun for a short break. Once finished, the little layout will provide a nice opportunity to shunt some skips with narrow gauge diesel engines. With fiddle yards added I could also exhibit the layout at club events (once exhibitions will be allowed again...).

The concept of the small layout is to show a section of a 760 mm industrial narrow gauge line for sand, gravel, stones, etc. I drew inspiration from images like the ones from Messers. Dachkeramik Meyer-Holsen in Ostwestfalen, However, I will go for a time period of probably the 1960s.

Here some images from Meyer-Holsen:

I like the heaps of sand and the way the excavator sits between them.

I might hide one entrance to a fiddle yard with a comparable bridge.

And some more images for the atmosphere to be re-created. I definitely want to have lots of "green" on the layout and not so much an actual quarry or loading/unloading area:

Source: Bloustod Teglvaerk

Source: Bloustod Teglvaerk

Source: drehscheibe-online

Segrahner Kieswerke. Source: Der Eisenbahnfotograf

Source: Buntbahn

And finally some images of the current state of affairs (tracks laid, wiring done, first trials of positioning buildings and objects):

Bridge view.

Trying different shots. The magazine stores also important liquids for the workers..

View down the line.

Total overview.

Moving the engine shed (part 2)

The idea of moving the engine shed looked immediately convincing on the first test. It's a much more balanced layout now that offers more possibilities and looks less crammed despite it's short length. So I waited no longer and added the new switch, added the new loco shed rail and added some centimeters to the freight shed track.

Overview of the two station modules in situ. Not shown to the left is the platform and station building area. A fascia will certainly further integrate the layout in the furniture.

First test drive in the living room with my traditional test loco, the Austrian Rh 2045. Note that the layout is shown here from the backdrop end.

Railroad modelling in the sun. The rougher work of cutting out the inspection pit in the shed was done in the garden.

Light in the "Aquarium"

I installed two LED panels above the Elmslohe station modules. It's an amazing effect to stand in a dark room and see the layout brightly illuminated. There LED light distribution is such that you don't see any shadows on the layout or background. As Elmslohe is sandwiched in-between cupboards below and above, the lit layout has a sort of "aquarium" feel to it.

I still need to mount a front fascia, ca. 12-15 cm high. Also, I need to store the cables properly and out of sight.

Once the fascia is installed, I want to properly judge the light. Depending on how much light I also get on the sides of cars, buildings, etc. I might install some LED spots in addition to light the layout from the front. So far, I don't think this will be really necessary. But as always, the proof is in the pudding..

The panels are from Ledlichtstunter:

- 2 panels of 120 x 30 cm each
- 36W
- 4000K

It is impossible to capture the effect with the mobile camera. Unsurprisingly with the high dark-light differences. The below images therefore only give a very rough representation of my new "layout aquarium".

Unterbau und Laderampe

Der vier Segmente sind fertiggestellt. Zwei Segmente von 125 x 45 cm für den Bahnhof Elmshorn, ein Landschafts-Kurvensegment von 65 x 40 cm und der Fiddle Yard mit 120 x 40 cm. Alle bestehen aus einem Rahmen aus Fichtenleisten von 69 x 18 mm, einer Birken Multiplexplatte von 9 mm und einer 4 mm Lage Kork. Im Bereich der freien Strecke in der Kurve wird die 4 mm Jeweha Korkbettung eingesetzt.

Ausserdem begann ich mit dem Bau der kombinierten Kopf- und Seitenrampe. Dafür passte ich einen Auhagen Rampenbausatz (Nr. 11348) an meine Verhältnisse an. Die Rampe wurde erst mit einer Lage Tamiya Primer in grau überzogen und danach mit verschiedenen Grautönen von Vallejo behandelt. Nach dem Trocknen schliff ich mit einem feinen Schleifpapier an diversen Stellen die oberste Lage bis zum Primer wieder weg. So entstand ein schöner 3D-Effekt. Ein paar Stellen erhielten eine Behandlung mit Putty, um Ausbesserungen darzustellen.

Auf den Fotos das fast fertige Modell. Details fehlen, zudem will ich das Modell weiter patinieren.

Der Unterbau mit probegelegten Gleisen. Wo die zwei G's stehen, kommt der Schuppen. Am Gleis zwischen Schuppengleis und Laderampe werden Schienenbusse halten.

Bahnsteig- und Laderampenmasse. Quelle: Miba aus Internet

Quelle: Miba Spezial 104

New fiddle yard

Am I getting sentimental?

It seems the more I plan for the new layout and think of track plans and operations, scenes and buildings, frame construction and lighting fascias, the more I want to keep my current layout. I am obviously not "finished" with it yet...

There is so much to improve, detail to add, scenes to perfect - but most importantly, believe it or not, I enjoy the short, zen meditation-like operating sessions on this tiny Inglenook layout! There is no effort involved, just start a Diesel locomotive and switch a few cars to their destination and form a new train.

As I have now more room available and to add some more fun, I built a small fiddle yard as extension. This two track yard allows me to get more variation in locomotives and cars on the layout without having to touch the rolling stock with my hands.  And it is nice to have a "wider world" where the trains can actually go to. In an operating session the new fiddle yard represents the station "Valkenveld Goederen", the starting point of my industrial spur. One of the two trains is the "morning train", the other one the "afternoon train".

The yard is 95 x 15 cm with one turnout and built from materials I had at home. The rails are trusted RocoLine with 2.1 mm profiles. I built the yard without usage of glue, so all rails etc. can be reused for a later project if necessary.

It's a small yard but offering much additional operational variation. Both tracks have a length to hold a locomotive and 4 freight cars.

And then there was a sky

I mounted the painted backdrop to the layout, a backpanel and one on the right hand side. For the moment, I want to keep the left open to allow natural light flood in through the nearby window. These are iPhone snapshots which do not show the colour properly, but it's a nice, light blue (Flexa strak in de lak No. 1009). The fascia - still drying - was painted in an anthracite colour with Flexa strak in de lak No. 1026).

Progress report: silo and grassland

It's not that I have been inactive lately. On the contrary. It seems I am doing twenty projects at the same time. There is an important deadline looming as Valkenveld will be shown at the Open Day of the Modelbouw Vereniging Hilversum (all info here) on 19 and 20 March 2016.

My first show entry ever. And although it is not necessary to have everything 100% finished, I want to get Valkenveld in a much complete stage than it is now in. My layout will be connected to modules of fellow model railroaders Marco and Jasiu with trains running over a length of 6.30m.

So what has happened lately:

- The silo is finished apart for the weathering. Weathering will be lightly anyway as - in my world - the silo was built and opened just a year before the time the layout is set in. The silo was primed and spray painted in white. The metallic elements got were painted with Tamiya acrylic paint (XF-16 flat aluminium) which gives a great finish.
- I started laying a grass patch between the silo area and the team track. Currently it is just the base layer as in this industrial surroundings the patch will become a wild and overgrown area. I bought lots of scenery material at the Rail Show yesterday.
- I laid a path alongside the ballasted track. But will remove it again today(!) as I have found much finer and realistic sand at the Rail Show. Some things need to be done twice it seems..
- I connected the two parts of the warehouse building together and kitted all seams. Painting still needs to be done.
- The backdrops (back and two sides) were covered with a primer and layer of blue paint (Flexa strak in de lak No. 1009). The fascia was painted in an anthracite colour with Flexa strak in de lak No. 1026).

Ballasting completed

I finished ballasting yesterday. With the glue dried overnight, I want to do the final clean-up work today and finish it off with a drop of ATF oil. Check all tracks and remove ballast on unwanted spots. Finally, to ride a train again. And then, do some weathering on the rails and roadbed.

I had spread the work over many days, by doing small sections at a time and in-between other, non-railroading activities. The proces steps have been as follows:

1. Brush-paint the rail profiles with Humbrol Enamel No. 113. Clean the top of rails with a track cleaning gum.

2. Distributing the ballast, a mixture of Woodland Scenics products: 2x Fine Buff Beige, 1 x Fine Light Grey and 1 x Fine Grey to reflect a roadbed of the Netherlands in the early 1960s.

3. Using a brush, toothstick and fingers to ensure the ballast comes up to the ties but not on top of them. Also, keep the profiles free of ballast and be cautious with the switches.

4. Lightly spray water with a few drops of detergents over the tracks to wet the ballast. Be careful to not move too many "stones"

5. Fixing the ballast with the traditional mixture of 50% glue, 50% water and a few drops of detergent.

6. Removing ballast from unwanted spots using a fine brush and toothstick

7. Clean the top of the rails with a track cleaning gum. Check that rolling stock is moving freely and remove any stones in the wrong places.

8. Apply a tiny fraction of ATF oil and distribute by running a train over the tracks.

Testing the ballasted track

Applying ATF oil.