Hi All, I have finally got around to signing up, as a prelude to digging up my garden and starting to build track. I even have my wife telling me to get a move-on, she's keen to see some proper landscaping instead of just mowing grass on what was a farm field before we bought it and built our house. Sure helps to have management on your side before you start any project.
I work mainly in 1/34 scale, and this is going to be a bit different to the usual garden railway because it is narrow gauge, that is, NZ Railways 42" gauge represented by 1-1/4" track. It is called 'Ninemill scale' because the conversion factor is 9mm = 1 foot - the scale factor is actually not precisely 1/34, but it's near enough for descriptive purposes. I say 'mainly in 1/34 scale' above because I have some O-standard gauge models too - uses the same track gauge so it is easy to succumb to temptation.
I angsted for years over how to fit a workable railway into the indoor space that I have - Ninemill is 'fine-scale' with very fine flanges and hitherto has only ever been an indoor scale. This tends to limit layout functionality because minimum curve radius is 1800mm - huge for any indoor layout. My workshop is 6 metres square, but there's not much space left for fitting in turnouts, passing loops etc. by the time you allow for the curves in each corner of the room.
Well, I finally saw sense after seeing several very nice British outdoor O-scale layouts in various publications. I've got 2.5 acres, and a very nice climate where I live, so I thought to myself, stuff it, I'll be dead of old age before I can afford the indoor ninemill layout I want, so I'm taking it outside and I'll just deal with any problems as they come along.
Control is to be RC with batteries; I am right now setting up a basic brushed-motor electronic speed controller in an ancient AHM-Rivarossi O-scale 0-8-0 switcher kit. Will document in RC control forum when I get far enough to have something worth showing off.
Regards
I work mainly in 1/34 scale, and this is going to be a bit different to the usual garden railway because it is narrow gauge, that is, NZ Railways 42" gauge represented by 1-1/4" track. It is called 'Ninemill scale' because the conversion factor is 9mm = 1 foot - the scale factor is actually not precisely 1/34, but it's near enough for descriptive purposes. I say 'mainly in 1/34 scale' above because I have some O-standard gauge models too - uses the same track gauge so it is easy to succumb to temptation.
I angsted for years over how to fit a workable railway into the indoor space that I have - Ninemill is 'fine-scale' with very fine flanges and hitherto has only ever been an indoor scale. This tends to limit layout functionality because minimum curve radius is 1800mm - huge for any indoor layout. My workshop is 6 metres square, but there's not much space left for fitting in turnouts, passing loops etc. by the time you allow for the curves in each corner of the room.
Well, I finally saw sense after seeing several very nice British outdoor O-scale layouts in various publications. I've got 2.5 acres, and a very nice climate where I live, so I thought to myself, stuff it, I'll be dead of old age before I can afford the indoor ninemill layout I want, so I'm taking it outside and I'll just deal with any problems as they come along.
Control is to be RC with batteries; I am right now setting up a basic brushed-motor electronic speed controller in an ancient AHM-Rivarossi O-scale 0-8-0 switcher kit. Will document in RC control forum when I get far enough to have something worth showing off.
Regards
I justified my last layout on reduction of mowing and managed to negotiate several extensions - with CFO approval already in place you're set.
