South Oak Road

Baseboard construction 1

With most of the key features of the layout pinned down I was keen to begin construction. I have to confess that my first attempt at building the baseboards for South Oak Road ended in complete failure! Mark I was a rather ad-hoc affair formed from a framework of 19mm x 90 pine and a very heavy MDF back scene.

Despite being aware that it was far from perfect I was generally happy with the basic structure until it suffered a ‘catastrophic’ structural failure that could be in part due to me drilling one to many lightening holes in the framework! The structure had also been severely weakened by my attempts to retro fit several ‘after-thoughts’. After a strong cup of coffee there was little more that could be done other than carefully remove what track and take the whole sorry mess to the dump! News of my latest layout becoming landfill only seemed to confirm to my wife and skeptical friends that I have a psychological disorder that prevents me from ever adding scenery to a layout.

Partly motivated by embarrassment, I was keen get to straight into building Mark II but my enthusiasm was tempered by the knowledge that I really needed to plan this new version out properly before I fired up the drop saw.

I previously viewed modellers who built ‘mini’ scale versions of their intended layout as having just a little bit too much time on their hands. Very conscious of the first failure, I was unsure were to begin. Though fully committed to the same track plan and basic dimensions as Mark I, I had to concede that creating a 1:10 cardboard prototype was the only way forward. Though roughly constructed, almost from the word go the 1:10 model pointed the way forward on a whole host of design and construction issues.

The invaluable 1:10 version cobbled together from card and foam.

Confident that I had worked out how the structure was going to come together, I began by cutting out a 950×280mm piece of 7mm plywood for the main baseboard. Having glued a sheet of 3mm cork over the entire baseboard I was ready for the track work!