Glen Ogle

[Isle of Stoner]

Don't give up, it looked cracking and when you finally have it in a layout it will be a thing of beauty.

Keep it up.


John W

[gtmspyder]

Hello John and thank you for your interest.

I have not given up on Glen Ogle and it's viaduct, only on the current viaduct structure.

I have just come in from the garage where I have been constructing the first of the two baseboard modules depicting the actual glen, now I have my first failed attempt at building the viaduct, I can use it as a pattern to lay the rising 1 in 30 track bed out on the open topped base board

Because of the geology of the glen, my baseboards need to have a fifteen degree angle at the middle joint to accommodate the viaduct which is actually built on a curve in real life, and in the layout, will straddle the baseboard joint, so now, instead of being built into the layout, I will make it as a removable unit.

On the new model viaduct, the fact that it will be removable will help with one of the original attempts problems, which was the very flexible piers which allowed the piers to move about as the rest of the modelling was undertaken, resulting in twist and distortion.  So the new model will not only have the track deck, but will have the bottoms of the piers fixed in place on a solid base.  This not only strengthen the structure, but make it easier to construct a socket into which it can be slotted when the two halves of the base boards are put together.

I may well abandon the foam board material for the new build and use something more substantial, but I have not decided yet.

Regards,

BrianT.

[B.Meldon]

I have a viaduct on Westdorf.

It is about three feet long and curved.
But just to make things more difficult it is a double deck viaduct! (Actualy a triple deck!)

The H0 standard gauge double track main line is on the top deck and on the outside of this is the H0e on a grade starting at about 2 inches above the H0 tracks at one end of the viaduct and finishing at about 3

[gtmspyder]

Thank you Brian for your help and interest in Glen Ogle.

I'm still working on the base boards while I mull over my next foray into viaduct building ;D

I do like the finish on the Faller plasticard random stone work you showed us, I can't seem to find it at the moment with any search on Ebay.

My problem will be the fact that I need 12 plus 3 arches to be true to the location.

When I made my failed model, I managed to get the 12 arches into a 25" length as I was able to dictate the arch radius, this took up 25% of the total baseboard length I was building, I suspect that with the likes of the Faller plasticard, the radius will be dictated by the designers of the plastic material, and as such, the viaduct will probably take up the whole of the baseboard length, impressive, but hardly view worthy to any audience, and I would like to exhibit the finished model at some time, and I don't have a lot of time left. ::)

Are there any other makers of random stone plasticard?  There seems to be several brick sheet types available, but not many of stone work?


Regards,

BrianT.

[tedp]

The idea of making a viaduct on a removable base straddling the baseboard join appeals to me. I would use 1"x2" softwood piers pinned and glued to a ply deck. If the piers (supports) are fixed to a base you can control the vertical position far better.

Each softwood support then forms the core of a cardboard or foamboard pier, with arches cut out of the material to fill the space between. This way you don't have to rely on the shape of the flexible sheet material.

Regarding a stone finish, why not take the plunge and apply stones yourself, making them from cardboard strips? I have done so myself for ages, finishing buildings, bridge piers etc. It seems a lot of work, but actually it is very relaxing - I even watch TV during the process. All you need is a great number of cardboard strips produced by a paper shredder. These then are cut into small rectangles which you apply to a surface coated in glue. You pick them up with the point of a sharp knife.

The advantage is you can follow any contour and you don't have to worry about cutting the stone sheet to size. It's cheap, effective and the pattern is absolutely random.

Here is an example.

[gtmspyder]

Hello Ted and thank you for your interest and encouragement.

I think the route you suggest may well be the way I will go, with the solid pillars between the base and a deck, I just have to decide which method to clad the timberwork in.

The real life viaduct has random but rough stonework, so possibly a cardboard or foamboard outline, cladding the solid piers, with either Artex or Das overlay scribed for the stonework.

We are getting there, slowly.

Kind regards,

BrianT.

[B.Meldon]

The Faller viaduct kits are not cheep. About

[Graeme Dunbar]

If the viaduct is removable and "bridges" (slots into) two baseboards your idea of building it on a solid base is an excellent one for robustness. It could have a fairly substantial frame of wood; perhaps a top, bottom and verticals of ply or "2x1" covered in card, plasticard, foam board etc?

[gtmspyder]

Thank you every one.

It really is great to be able to bounce ideas around between like minded modellers, something I am not used too, having ploughed a loan furrow in all my project activities in the past.

It can get rather lonely. :-*

Kind regards,

BrianT.

[berryr99]

Thank you every one.

It really is great to be able to bounce ideas around between like minded modellers, something I am not used too, having ploughed a loan furrow in all my project activities in the past.

It can get rather lonely. :-*

Kind regards,

BrianT.

I have always found the forum very helpful during the times when I have been stuck on something, especially when building my first loco. No doubt I will get stuck again, soon !

Bob B.

[gtmspyder]

A little more work on the baseboards today which got me thinking about height from the floor of the layout, and design of suitable legs.

Now I know that this subject has been aired before, but I have not seen any reference to the very stable three legged stool principal being used and wondered if this was worth pursuing?

I thought a height of 3'6" for the baseboards, and as each module will be 4ft long, the master module, the head of glen Ogle, would have three legs, two at the operators side, one at each end, and the third would be on the 2ft centreline.  This would allow the operator to be able to lean on the baseboard at the back, and as any general public viewing would be kept a reasonable distance from the front, they would not be leaning on the cantilevered section at each end.

The second module, modelling the lower part of the glen at Lochearnhead, would clip and be doweled to the master module at one end with two legs at the opposite end.  This would give the 8ft baseboard of the glen. 

The third module carrying the branch line from the exchange station, at the head of glen Ogle, down to Killin on Loch Tay, will join the master module at a right angle, using clips and dowel pins, would again have only three legs, two at the unsupported end of the baseboard, and a third at the unsupported opposite corner.

Thus the three baseboards,  would make an ell section in plan view.

Any thoughts please?

Regards,

BrianT

[Moxy]

The 3-legged stool works because it is round & there is an equal distance from the leg to each edge, a rectangle with 3 legs will always have an overhang, in your case 2 ft from the centre line, and despite your best intentions, somebody somewhere will lean on an unsupported corner at some point!

If I may suggest, I would always make sure a rectangle is supported at each corner, doesn't have to be with legs, it can be from the board next to it.

The way I would support your three boards is with 4 legs on board 1 and 2 legs on the outer edge of board 2, with the inner edge dowelled & clipped to board 1.   I'm not sure how you intend to fit board 3, but if it is on the end of board 2, (making the layout 10' x4'), then I would have 3 legs, with the 4th corner clipped to board 2, and if it is behind board 2, (making the layout 8' x 6'), I would have 2 legs at the back edge of board 3, with the front edge clipped to board 2.

Having the first board freestanding with 4 legs & then supporting other boards from there has worked over many years on 009, N gauge and O gauge layouts, and the latter was 38' x 16' when assembled!

Hope this helps.

Regards

Paul

[gtmspyder]

Hello Paul and thank you.

Thinking about what you have written, you are right, the only board that would only assume a level automatically with the legs extended would be the master board, but, any one leaning on the two front unsupported corners would cause the board to flip.

The other two boards which clip to the two ends of the master board, would still have the inherent problem of wobbling on any uneven floor when hung at one end to the master board, so you might as well fit levelling devices on at least one of the two legs on the end boards to be able to level them.

Any way, that's settled then, but it was worth airing I think. :)

Regards,

BrianT.

[Krizzy]

Having built the 'Gairloch & Wester Ross Rly' initially on three boards forming an 'L', the corner board has legs at each end that fit into pockets. The two other boards bolt on to it (Tee Bolts) with support legs on the outer ends that fold under supplied by Red Dog. These legs also have diagonal struts to stiffen the whole assembly. For uneven floors we use a range of thin wood blocks. Each board is 4ftx3ft. Unfortunately Red Dog does not exist anymore. Definitely think about diagonal stiffeners. We use them on all our layouts. The height of your layout is entirely up to you. Gairloch and our other layouts all operate at a height we feel comfortable with around 40/42ins. Some modellers prefer even higher which can be contentious with wheelchair bound viewers.

Roger

[gtmspyder]

Thank you for your contribution Roger, I am heartened by the overwhelming response and help available on here.

Regards,

Brian.