Platforms

[Peter Richardson]

I am making a first attempt at creating a platform and have made
a card outline to start with. I am keen to create an appearance
like this photo from the Talyllyn. Can anyone advise how best to achieve this?
Really appreciate any guidance!

[Julian Evison]

My advice on narrow gauge platforms is to look at lots of photos of the real thing in the time period you are modelling. In most case they were very low and you need to unlearn what you know from UK standard gauge platforms.

Often they were just compacted earth, gravel and chippings faced with a piece of wood about the size of standard gauge sleeper along the edge. So my feeling is to start with the 4mm scale equivalent materials, behind pieces of stripwood to represent sleepers (typically 9 feet long, 10 inches wide and 6 inches deep starting at a height about the same as the top of your track sleepers.

If your prototype has a highish platform and you want a rough surface then scattering scale stones and sand will work, or simpler still, use rough sandpaper as the finish.

Julian

[Peter Richardson]

Thanks Julian, I think I have made a rookie error here as you
point out regarding the standard gauge approach. The station building kit is OO
and the doors determine the height. I can cut out some of the card at bottom of
The walls to reduce station door level and platform height.  Slightly nervous
About trying to get an accurate cut on ready built kit but hopefully
worth it in the end. Appreciate the advice!👍

[Hobby]

TBH as Julian says it's too high. There are a few places where platforms are quite high, Welshpool Raven Square is one, but you will note that it's a new build and nothing like the original which was simply a halt. It looks more like a SG platform than typically NG, but even so it isn't all that high, it's just the construction that makes it look like that. To give you an idea of how low it actually is here's a photo of one of the Austrian coaches alongside it and you will see that it's at the height of the lower step on the coach:

https://mkttransportphoto.smugmug.com/2016/May-2016/Welshpool-Llanfair-2nd-May/i-rGtLGDc

Again as Julian says look at photos before building anything. Too many NG layouts have this rookie error so you won't be alone... We can tell the ex SG modellers amongst us by this and the other one, full signalling which is also quite rare!

[Peter Richardson]

That's very helpful, many thanks Blair.
Clear direction now from above advice for work on layout over Easter!
Peter

[duttonbay]

Thanks Julian, I think I have made a rookie error here as you
point out regarding the standard gauge approach. The station building kit is OO
and the doors determine the height. I can cut out some of the card at bottom of
The walls to reduce station door level and platform height.  Slightly nervous
About trying to get an accurate cut on ready built kit but hopefully
worth it in the end. Appreciate the advice!👍

The error is the platform height, not so much the building height. NG rolling stock is lower so the platforms are lower (some at ground level) but the same sized people have to fit into the buildings, whether on an NG or SG platform.

[Graeme Dunbar]

I think Peter was steered into setting the platform height by the courses of bricks below the door step which raises the whole building up.

The cut does not need to be perfect, just generally level as buildings should be set into the ground, not sitting on top (unless it is on stumps as some Antipodean ones are  :) ). Some paving slabs, tarmac or similar around the footings and even a few weeds should disguise the gap.

[Peter Richardson]

Yes, the issue is with format of building (Alphagraphix Col Stephens station kit).
There is a 15mm area below the doors so I need to drop this down to the appropriate platform level...
Probably taking about 11-12mm off the bottom of the building. The kit instructions state these stations were built against the back of a platform mound so the doors on road side of building were approached by steps.

Graeme...weeds etc may be a good way of covering up any overcutting...thanks for tip!

[B.Meldon]

I tend to agree that the platform height is way too high. I think you will find that the height on the TR is 2 or 3 inches above the rail height.
As to the edging effect you could use Slaters 0421 Random Stone sheet cut into strips. This will increase the height at the edge of the platform so the rest will need to be covered with a sheet of similar thickness.

[Alan Feldon]

The other thing you should remember is that NG coaches do not have much clearance underneath ,particularly if there are steps .If your coaches overhang the platform then everything comes to a halt .How do I know ????

[Hugh Norwood]

Depending on what your baseboard is made off, you could rebate the building into it - this would also have the result of avoiding those gaps under buildings that so mar the appearance of layouts.

[Peter Richardson]

Baseboard made of foam which is quite easy to cut/shape do I've drawn the
Outline on board (see photo) to try 'recessing' option.

Back in November I sent off for a range of modelling resources for future Projects on my new bare board....so I have some of the random stone referred to For fronting the platform. Will see if I have strip wood to see how it looks too.

My Dundas Welsh Highland Bro Madog coach has low steps so will follow advice to Ensure space is left.

Thanks for these comments, really helpful for a novice to any form of indoor modelling!

[Hobby]

Graeme...weeds etc may be a good way of covering up any overcutting...thanks for tip!

And the gap between the bottom of buildings and the baseboard!

[Peter Richardson]

Thanks for all the help and advice. Thought you might be interested in how things have gone! Having ditched the card structure framework, I cut out thin lengths of plastic stonework and decided I would glue these to strip wood to create the platform and this went well, leaving a 2 mm ridge for a card topping and gravel on top of that. Having created the wooden framework and fronted it with the plastic stonework I cut out card from a cereal packet to fill the void and it gave a very satisfactory click as it popped into the framework. I then covered the platform with ballast and glued it using dilute pva.  Then disaster struck..

In my stupidity I failed to realise the dilute pva would soak  through and cause the card to swell and warp.

That was three weeks or so ago and I had the sad job of stripping all the plastic stonework off the wooden frame and starting again. I could have put some form of thicker card or thin plastic card into frame but decided on an alternative. I had a large sheet of 5mm foam sheeting at home so used it to cut out shape of platform but it was sitting just too high so I dug out 'foundations' for platform and the station building (see photo). The station needed to go down about 5mm into the foam baseboard while platform only required a slight skim removed.

I glued the plastic stonework back on and depend the next few weeks trying various blends and layers of acrylic paints to get the look I was after. Patience was required but got there in the end...far from perfect but I'm pleased with it!

Trains now have a platform to arrive at....the rest of the layout is still a blank canvass but a start has been made!

[Peter Richardson]

Photos of the finished job...albeit fencing etc still to do!