As all the layouts i have mad in the past (About 5 micro layouts), and my current Windowsill layout are all done i figured i would create a single thread with some pics of the all in it. As the majority are N or Z scale, N being my favourite as it is relatively tiny, so fits in my room.

So then, In time order, here are the pics:
First and foremost was the "N-Scale Disc" layout which started my building of layouts. The concept of it was to build as small of a round-and-round layout as possible. I was inspired when someone said that they used a CD-ROM as a turntable, at which point i thought - I know, why not build an entire layout on one. So the disk diorama series was born (A series of 4 layouts in 4 different scales, on 4 different types of disk - On which a train has to be able to run around it without and modification to the engine or rolling stock).
Here are some pic's: (More can be found on my website, as with all of the other layouts)




After the successful completion of the first disk, I thought, i can go smaller than this. The "Z-Scale Mini-disk" was born. An 8cm diameter mini-disc is now the home to a Z-scale addition to the disk series.
Piccy's:




With the Z-Scale one out the way, i realised i couldn't stop. Bring on the LP's (Old Records). A 33RPM 30cm diameter LP has been converted into an OO-Scale Logging layout. As this one is actually alot bigger proportionally to the rest, there was alot more room to try my hand at a bit of scenic work. I managed to fit the entirety of a logging layout into the space, from the mining camp at the top, to the logging pond and sawmill (Which was scratchbuilt from a pile of old matchsticks).
Some pictures:








However i wanted to test how small the gauges could physically go. Bring on HO-Scale on an 18cm "Single." To my amazement, it worked. The scenery somewhat failed due to lack of space, but the purpose of diorama succeded.
A couple of pics:



The disk series was then completed with a couple of none functional Dioramas. A pair of them on 3 1/2" Floppy-Disc's
Pictures:





There are however plans of the next great adventure. T-Scale. 3mm gauge 1/450 Scale. What disc could i possibly use. It has to be smaller than a Mini-disk, and cant be a floppy. I know, an SD Memory card.
(Layout coming to forums near you - when it's built that is, wont be for a while).

Completed Series so far:


After the disc series i made a small diorama as a Birthday present for my mum:




Finally, I come to my current layout. I have migrated from the miniature and gone for the Small. I wanted to build a large layout, however have no space in my room. As such I thought, I know, I'll build a layout on my windowsill. Interestingly, the first ever N-SCale train set i got (before I built any of the layouts), my parents let me buy because i convinced then that i could build a railway on my windowsill. I bought the set, and then did nothing with it (Except turn it into a tiny disc layout). But now, I've finally realised the dream, and my first proper layout is built. Of course I already have finished plans for the next one, but I'll stick to the current one for now.
Here is the general Plan:

Followed by some more recent pictures of the thing completed:


















Sorry about the lots of writing, I just thought i should introduce myself with an history of layouts. Anyway, I'll stop now before i accidentally lose everything i have just typed - knowing me that will happen if I'm not careful.
Bye.

Tom,

Thanks for the tour! Some very fun and whimsical work with the micro layouts along with some great modeling on a shelf. Nice details in all. I'm a big fan of heavy industrial scenes so I really like your waterfront with the large crane. Your paved track in those scenes is very well done. How did you accomplish that?
Ralph

I'm glad you enjoyed the pics, and Thanks for your comments.

The paving is actually just Metcalfe Tarmac Effect Card, coated in a layer of chalk dust and then sprayed lightly with thin black paint from an airbrush. The Baseboard was built up to sleeper height around the tracks with standard GrayBoard (Thick gray card), and then the tarmac sheet was layed in 6cm square sections (A Standard size i found for some concrete slabs - about 30') by pressing the tiles against the track to leave an impression which i cut along. Once glued in they were blended with chalk and paint.

The crane and tipple are both Faller Kits (The crane is part 222137, dont remember the tipple's no.), and the water is Woodland Scenics EZ-Water Granuals, which was poured over a yellowy-green base to give it a dirty industrial feel.

Tom, Thank you for posting those pictures of the various layouts.
The "family" of pizza layouts is interesting and looks nice.
I don't expect to build any pizza layout ( I like to operate ) but I like to see what other fellow modelers can achieve with that kind of layout.
Now I know what's the minimum N scale track radius, I won't have to experiment. Is it Peco flextrack ?

The windowsill layout looks great and crowded. Nice work. Good mix of industrial and country scenery
What' are the overall dimensions of that layout ?

Jacques

Yes, PECO flex track - I'm a great fan of PECO trackwork, all of my N-Gauge and Z-gauge things have used it, it works great, looks good, and is easy to work with.

As for the Windowsill layout, Its 270mm deep (roughly 11") and 1900mm long (350mm of that is the control panel/traverser.)

Fantastic imagination! I'd like to know how you... how do I say this... kept the rail joints soldered so smoothly on such tight little radii? Or maybe they're not and you just have them concealed cleverly. I'm an N scaler myself (mostly) and I think you've done a fine job with the space you have on the window sill as well. Several years ago, my oldest son and I built a pizza layout. It's nowhere near as small as yours (2'4 x 2'4), but we had a lot of fun creating it all the same.

Nice pizza there

Interestingly the rails on the disks arent soldered together, they are just joined with a standard fishplate. However, to get them to stay in that position what i did was to slide all the sleepers off, bend the two rails to a radius smaller than what they are going to be layed at, and then slid the sleepers back on - staggering the joints of the two rails. What this in effect does is insure that the rails themselves want to be at a tighter radius and so the ends push against each other forcing themselves into the fishplate and staying there.

Is a fishplate a rail joiner ?

Jacques

Yes Jacques the fishplate Tom describes is a rail joiner.

upnick Wrote:Yes Jacques the fishplate Tom describes is a rail joiner.

Thank you upnick for taking some of your time to reply.


Jacques

Tom, did you ever submit any of your "layouts on a disk " to Carl Arendt's website ?

Jacques

On your site... I really liked the OO triple spiral. That's some crazy framing you got going on there. What's all the pink stuff? You could see it ever so briefly in one of the slides.

Jaques, Yes i did submit them to the Small layout scrapbook. There is one in i believe either 65a or 66a, and then two later on.

The Pink stuff is ordinary Polyfilla with some food colouring in it. It was supposed to endu up brown but there wasn't enough green so it turned pink. I needed to put another layer on anyway, so imade sure the second layer was brown (mixed paint into the plaster).