Coffee Table Layout
by Will Parker
This is a beginners layout. In 1992 circumstances reminded me that I’ve
been interested in miniatures most of my life and did a lot with them as a
kid. I was given some N scale components and some Kato track for Christmas.
I started buying and building that dream monster layout all through the house.
I soon realized that this was not going to work and that I better scale it
down to something manageable.
I thought of the idea of a coffee table mainly as a way to keep the maintenance
down. My Scottish heritage really started coming into play in several respects
now. I could see that this new hobby could get expensive if I wasn’t
careful. So I developed a formula for what to spend money on and what to avoid.
I put good money on high quality components such as the electrics. If the
powerpack, track and locos are of very high quality, the rest I can make from
found materials. So no building kits or the other things that can run you
dry. The money is concentrated on making it run reliably.
I must confess here and now that I’m a die hard romantic. This has a
large influence on how I wish my scenery to look. I chose the U.K. as my interest
for scenery. Also, being a romantic, I wanted steam. Before British Rail came
in 1947 there were other lines such as LMS and LNER. So this set in pre-1947.Now
the challenge was finding N scale British steam. I recommend Graham-Farrish.
The quality and price are excellent. Also ,I wanted to keep everything generic.
This left me more freedom for what I wanted to do. At this learning stage,
I did not need barriers. This was also research and development.
The table is made of cherry and I had a plate glass top custom made. Two threaded
dowel rods are twisted to lift the top for access. Small metal plates are
glued to the glass where the rods meet. The track plan is a folded dog bone
with a siding, a passing siding and a small yard with loco escape. The bench
work is a sheet of 1⁄4”plywood 2’x6 1⁄2’ braced
with 1”x2”. The entire piece can be lifted out for any service
that might be needed. Later on, I replaced the Kato track with Micro engineering
code 55 track and tortoise switch machines.
The scenery is where I did A LOT of experimenting. First, I shaped the beaded
styrofoam into the land forms that I wanted. Everything is then covered with
dark green bath towel. I wanted a dark landscape as one would see in overcast
climate. Now comes the trick where I wanted to add color but not change color.
Dry materials had to be used; not paint. I found that different shades of
dryer lint and other old shredded wash cloths worked perfectly. So these Yorkshire
dales have dryer lint heather. I used driveway grit for my stone walls. The
buildings are made of scour pad and I glued stone on the sides. The roofs
are all real slate or shale. Later, I got some granite, made a device for
busting it into chips and glued granite on the buildings. A citadel ruin is
made of 4 toothpaste caps and a shampoo cap. A thatched cottage is made from
one of my haircuts.
Here comes a new challenge. I have N scale locos pulling 4 wheel carriages
around. They are half the size of our rolling stock. How do I make them look
large. I figured to have something smaller working along side them. The coal
mine was inspired by “How Green was my Valley”. The original winding
tower is made of hardwood that is toothpick to matchstick thickness. It is
real hole and peg construction and it is a strong structure. The winding sheathes
are made from a necklace of wheels that I found. These sheaths alone make
the entire layout work. Without them this wouldn’t be worth looking
at. They are the heart of this table. The two winding engines are hand made
from clock gears. I made my own transmissions and powered them with old junk
motors. I put fly wheels on them which helps then a lot. One engine works
the winding tower and the other works the ore car incline. The incline is
Z scale. A second power pack runs the mine. I can switch to one or the other
winding engine. The trains are independent of all of this. The two mine shaft
elevator cars each have a miner standing in them. Each of these cars has a
working light in the car. So when the miner comes out of the mineshaft, the
light is moving with him.
Eventually, the head stock of the winding tower gave way. I decided to make
a new tower out of brass. Instead of tossing older structures away, I keep
them on the layout. The mine in operation steals the show from the trains.
This is what I wanted. I did not account for the portability; I had never
intended for this to leave my living room but I now take it to shows and museums.
It has brought me closer to folks in general which has led me to more designs
and inventions.
I work in the fine arts library at Cornell. This collection has helped me
a lot with this hobby. For example, we get “Country Life” from
England. I'm able to see the latest issues and study landscape color
schemes. I study the dryer lint and other fabrics to see what will work. I've
had comments from Americans that my buildings are too small. But I've
had comment from folks from the U K that I was right on the mark.
This is a project still in progress. I would like to have magnetic couplers
on the locos and rolling stock some day. Various ideas come in time and I
try and work some changes in when I can. I'm also a member of the Central
New York Model Railroad Club. We own our own railway station which houses
a 21"x57" HO scale layout. It represents 9 towns in our district
and we are a registered historical society.
I've learned that you can have fun building something to learn how you
want to build the next one without it costing a lot of money. A lot of this
started from simple ideas. Once you start work on the project at hand, you
can elaborate on the design, construction method. I didn't plan it to
look the way it does ahead of time; it just evolved this way. This hobby is
so fantastic because it opens you up to so many fields of interest. You can
explore landscaping, architecture, industrial archeology, city planning, physics,
design and engineering, etc. There’s no limit at all.
I’m also starting a very small business called Miniature Mechanics.
I like designing working industries and other types of marvels. I intend to
keep it simple and not go overboard. I want to enjoy this and not be a slave
to it.
I hope you enjoy this view of a simpler time. And, I can help answer any question
from folks if there are any.
Specifications
Name of Railways: LMS, LNER, GW
Scale: N, Nn3
Theme: Freelance
Locale: United Kingdom
Era: Pre 1947
Size of Case: 80”x27”x18”
Bench work: 1⁄4”plywood braced with 1’x2’underneath
Roadbed and Sub-roadbed: cork on plywood
Track Brand: Micro Engineering code 55 with #6 turnouts.
Minimum Radius: 9”
Maximum Grade: 4%
Mainline Length: 29’
Scenery Construction: Beaded Styrofoam covered with bath
toweling
Backdrop: Blue canvas lining inside table
Control System: Spectrum Premier for the trains, MRC 1400
for the mine
