Designing a simple, basic layout

[saddlers]

I've built a small layout and have come to a halt as I can't find a basic book/manual that will help me to design and build a simple scenic backdrop. All I can find on this forum is aimed at the very clever... not much for starters like me. Can anyone point me to a suitable publication to help.

[D1042 Western Princess]

I don't know if it helps but there are lots of commercially produced backdrops available.
Will none of those be suitable?

[paulprice]

some of the peco ones are quite good despite their age, or you could try painting your own, if I can do it anyone can

[saddlers]

Appreciate your suggestion. I think I lack imagination. I look at some of the tracks built by many members and say - I can't do this! I think I can build but I need to work to a plan and know what I need to acquire to put it all together. I would like a back to basics - "here is how you design; this is how you build (a bridge or tunnel for example), build a level crossing; even the sort of material you put on the base board for different effects.
I'll look at the Peco publications and maybe there is something out their which will become my bible.
Thanks anyway.

[Jack]

This thread may help you with your back scene. http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=14456.0

With whatever you do in this hobby remember that everyone was a beginner/starters once,even those who layouts you may wish you could aspire to, and probably most of them would have made mistakes or didn't like there early attempts. The good thing about back scenes if you have a go at painting your own is you can alway paint over it in sky blue and have another go. Better to have a go and fail then try again than not try at all.

You can use tester pots from the likes of B&Q or Homebase, they're cheap enough. You may be surprise what you can achieve when you have a go. Nothing ventured nothing gained. 

[railsquid]

Appreciate your suggestion. I think I lack imagination. I look at some of the tracks built by many members and say - I can't do this! I think I can build but I need to work to a plan and know what I need to acquire to put it all together. I would like a back to basics - "here is how you design; this is how you build (a bridge or tunnel for example), build a level crossing; even the sort of material you put on the base board for different effects.

The N-Gauge society handbook has quite a lot of useful information on that kind of subject and makes good reading. There are also a series of pamphlets from Peco which cover various aspects of model railway construction.

In general - don't worry too much, like Jack says it's a learning process. Do one bit at a time, and don't be afraid to experiment. As a beginner myself, literally last week I decided to create a small "diorama" on a bit of old shelf to experiment with scenery techniques, as I kept finding tutorials online giving the impression I had to model the exact soil colour before daring to put down some grass, and giving contradictory information about types/mixture of glue, soo I sat down and experimented and found it was not as hard as I imagined.

As far as backscenes go... right now I appear to be modelling a railway located on Planet Plywood Sky, but I intend to paint them sky blue just as soon as I get round to it . I deliberately made the backboards detachable so I can improve them at a later date.

[silly moo]

I hope I'm not barking up the wrong tree here    I'm assuming that you want to know how to do a scenic backdrop ie actual scenery to go amongst your track work, not how to make a flat painted or photographic backdrop on a backboard. I am building a layout at the moment and before I started I did a lot of searching in google images to get inspiration, I made copies of anything I thought looked interesting and eventually got a better idea of what I wanted to do.

It also helps to narrow things down if you have an idea of location and era for your layout. Make a list of scenic features you would like to include ie station, goods yard, town, harbour etc.

When you are doing scenery you need as many references both real and model as possible to help you get inspiration.

As you are in England going to model railway shows and taking photographs is a good idea too.

What you should aim to do is to get ideas from a number of sources and combine them into something new but if that isn't working you could make a straight copy of someone else's layout, it would be unlikely to be exactly the same once you'd finished anyway BUT if you do go that route and intend to exhibit your layout I think you would need to acknowledge the original layout builder.

Even though I'm building a layout I'm forever looking for ideas from magazines books and the Internet. Believe it or not I even look at layouts for sale on eBay for interesting ideas!

[D1042 Western Princess]

With whatever you do in this hobby remember that everyone was a beginner/starters once,even those who layouts you may wish you could aspire to, and probably most of them would have made mistakes or didn't like there early attempts.

I ran my first layout, built by my dad for me, about the time I started school and now, as a retired man, am building yet another, having lost count of all those in between.
They are perfect, not a stone of ballast out of place and every detail included, they work perfectly and win modelling awards  .
Trouble is, once I get them out of my head and onto the baseboard all that perfection disappears in a flash   :'(!  I don't know where it vanishes to    but it does, every time       .

What I'm trying to say here is Jack is spot on, few 'get it right' every time, even with experience, so sit back, enjoy the 'game' and if it doesn't go right  don't worry, you are in very good company.
Above all it's a hobby, something to do to fill in the otherwise empty hours; it's not worth losing sleep over.

[PostModN66]

Steve, why don't you post your plan and let us have a go at a scenic treatment - you might get a few ideas to start you off.

Cheers Jon 

[silly moo]

Good idea about posting your plan.

Another source of reference is you tube, there are lots of videos showing how to do things. Here is a random example from a series of episodes
http://youtu.be/k91eE-Gjw5w

It is a 00 layout but the methods are the same.

I agree with the others as regards the learning process, don't be afraid to try things out and change them along the way if they don't come out quite right, that's how we all learn.

My layout is called 'Trial N Error' which describes the building process.

[Bealman]

These days there are fantastic photo backscenes available which will do the job. I painted my own, but only because the photo ones weren't around at the time.

If you are painting, even a simple blue sky background is better than nowt. Use heaps and heaps of white. Start with blue at the top, making it lighter and lighter downwards, until at the bottom  or near the horizon, it is amost white.

You can add clouds or hills and buildings later. An old but effective trick is to use old calendar and postcard scenes and blend them in with your backscene. 

[Kris]

I would either go for a flat single colour back scene (greyish blue), or a photo back scene. On my last layout I found the location the provided a suitable back scene, took the photo and printed it. On the first attempt this was too bright and over powering so I then faded the colours and reprinted. Once printed I then cut the sky off and stuck the photo to the board that was painted a flat sky colour. The overall effect worked well and was easy to do. I will most likely do something similar on the layout that I am creating at the moment, however I will need to do a lot more photo editing as I need to back date modern day photos to make them appropriate.

[saddlers]

A great help and thanks. But I find my lack of imagination the biggest problem. The locos works fine and all the wiring seems fine but its featureless. I want to build bridges, goods yards and hills. There is a multitude of goodies in the shops but I really need to start wit a grand design. I would also like to work out how to build ground scenery . My feeling is that I should have designed it all first before laying out the track. My plan is therefore to give my wife the job of drawing out a plan (goods yards etc) and then i can go to town. By the way, I think there is an "n" gauge magazine, if true, how do i get it? Do I "join" up?

[dannyboy]

Steve, have a look at the 'N Gauge Society' website. I only started in this hobby a few months ago and have got half a layout done. I realise you say you lack imagination, but get yourself a few paint testing pots, greens/browns etc, some 'grasses' from a model shop and start playing around! Above all, enjoy yourself  . David.

[Zogbert Splod]

By the way, I think there is an "n" gauge magazine, if true, how do i get it? Do I "join" up?

If you mean the 'N' Gauge Society mag, yeah, join up and you will get it mailed to you regularly.  It is very good and a great deal of help in all aspects of the hobby.
The most useful thing that you could do however, in the short term, is to get your track plan on here.  You will have ideas coming out of every corner.....

Regards, Allan.....