Author Topic: N Scale Coffee Table Layout  (Read 3083 times)

Offline renegade

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N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« on: June 01, 2015, 08:44:25 AM »
N scale loop in a coffee table...  I have been working on this for quite some time...  the idea was to have a simple loop, or maybe double loop that could fit into a modest size coffee table.  Mainly as a display piece, but it should be able to work.  so the head scratching started.  as luck would have it, I came across a glass table that had some potential in my view...

In this little series, I will post some pics of the layout.  It is not intended to be a construction article, but I will try to post some pics from start to finish.

hope you enjoy!

regards
Francois Kritzinger

Modeling HO American and S.A.R. And any high speed trains. And lego trains. And... Oh I just love trains!

Offline BigEd

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2015, 08:48:11 AM »
Start with a picture of the table so long...
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be

BREATHE
Dark side of the moon
Pink Floyd 1973

Offline renegade

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2015, 09:36:24 AM »
So, the idea started about 7 years ago, and about 5 years ago, I purchased this table with the clear idea that it WILL be a coffee table layout.  The first image is the start of the layout table.  The wood box at the bottom of the table is where the electronics is housed in...



Next I had to cut a sheet of plywood to form the base of the actual layout.  That will fit INSIDE the table, but for now, the base is on top of the table in order to lay the cork roadbed...



The track plan is not very complex.  The limited space was just not going to give me much more freedom....



A test fit of the base board with cork roadbed glued down, and track in place...



The controller and Capacitor discharge unit needed to live somewhere.   A drawer under the layout will server that purpose.



A simple track plan has simple wiring.  here the wiring finished.  The white/green wires is the power wires, and the coloured ribbon cable is used to control the points.



This is the basic sructure...   I then installed polystyrene and formed a landscape.  The double track end is mostly covered in a tunnel, with hill and farm land on top. the single track and yard sections is in the village, with a station, some towns buildings, and a small industry.  As I said before, this layout is not intended as an operators layout, but rather just a nice display piece or conversation piece...

in any case, time passed, and finally buildings, trees and roads popped up all over the place.  and the layout is now inhabited by a lot of happy villagers...
Francois Kritzinger

Modeling HO American and S.A.R. And any high speed trains. And lego trains. And... Oh I just love trains!

Offline renegade

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2015, 09:54:43 AM »
Mocha Valley is a quiet little village, with little need for fences.  Mail delivery is done on foot, by the only postman in town...


Unfortunately the sleepy little village did not escape the attention of vagrants and beggars.  The town square has its own resident musician, playing familiar tunes on his guitar, and singing (quite out of tune) for a few bits of loose change...



As one would come expect in this day and age, no intersection would be complete with some unemployed (read too lazy to do real work) person harassing motorist out of their change...



Out in the country, life goes on, oblivious to the problems had in the village...  Mary is playing outside her parents house, with the sheep having come onto the luscious green lawn surrounding the manor house...   is that a little bunny she is trying to catch?



A rarely seen aerial view of the Mocha Valley.  The village does not have its own airport.  Th main road from the nearby town is well travelled, as residents often have to drive there for any business they are not able to conduct in town.



The local businesses all rely on the one freight handler to bring in their goods, and to shipp off stuff to other villages and towns.  Even the local postal service makes use of them to get mail in and out of town!



Look at miss Barbie... her butt must look so good because of all the cycling she does...



The village is very small, with few opportunities for employment in town, so most residents found jobs in the nearby cities and towns.  The mornig commute is often done by train from the local station...



For the few luck enough to not HAVE to work, washday is a labourious task, especially if the kids are running around the garden without clothes!!



That is it for now...   the final images will include some completed views of the table, but that will be around in a day or two...

hope you enjoyed!
Francois Kritzinger

Modeling HO American and S.A.R. And any high speed trains. And lego trains. And... Oh I just love trains!

Offline capeklr

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2015, 10:17:39 AM »
 :thumb:
Very nice, always liked the idea of a coffee table layout.

Offline renegade

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2015, 11:05:18 AM »
Thanx.  it was quite a lot of fun to build!
Francois Kritzinger

Modeling HO American and S.A.R. And any high speed trains. And lego trains. And... Oh I just love trains!

Offline BigEd

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2015, 02:09:27 PM »
Brilliant!!!!

I saw this on BoB and thought of you... http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/186873009/N_SCALE_LAYOUT_LOT_899C.html
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be

BREATHE
Dark side of the moon
Pink Floyd 1973

Offline renegade

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2015, 11:02:01 AM »
nice one! thanx Ed
Francois Kritzinger

Modeling HO American and S.A.R. And any high speed trains. And lego trains. And... Oh I just love trains!

Offline LooVille

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2015, 06:30:39 AM »
Awesome, Awesome......
Very nice, I like all the detail you put in to it.

Looking forward to the final pictures.

Cheers, LooVille  :thumb:

Offline renegade

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Re: N Scale Coffee Table Layout
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2015, 09:42:16 AM »
I will post final pics, of the completed table. 

also, apologies that all the pictures have a dark background, the phone camera flash does not like low light conditions too much...


thanx for the comments guys!
Francois Kritzinger

Modeling HO American and S.A.R. And any high speed trains. And lego trains. And... Oh I just love trains!