A base for the Community Gardens Micro-Layout*

The base for the Community Gardens micro-layout* on the coffee table.

It's very inspiring to have the workshop cleaned up and reorganized. Seeing all the open workspace I finally decided to create the base for a micro-layout* I've had in mind for a year or so.

Before getting into the construction details I need to backup a bit.

A portion of the walking path through the community gardens is on the left

Not far from my house is the city's largest community garden located in a hydro field right of way, situated between two major roads. In it are four hundred or so garden plots the city rents out to residents where people grow all sorts of vegetables and flowers over the summer. 

There's a road-to-road, 1 km long walking path through the gardens that's part of the city's larger multi-use pathway network that I use for my daily walks, so I enjoy the gardens just about everyday, in every season.

A portion of the road that runs parallel to the walking path.

There's also a gravel road that runs parallel to the walking path so gardeners can drive their cars closer to their plots.

Now, me being me, I see that road and I start to wonder what it would be like if it were replaced by some sort of little narrow gauge trolley line. Its purpose being to carry gardening supplies, and maybe gardeners too, from the parking lots and bus stops at either end of the area closer to specific plots. 

Walking path entrance at one end of the community gardens.

For awhile I've being thinking about building a very small micro-layout* inspired by the community garden that would feature that imaginary narrow gauge trolley line through the plots. 

All of the micro-layouts* I've built so far have been at the large end of what can be considered micro; that is, they've all had an area of 4 sq. ft.. In a way they aren't truly micro, and I've wanted to try my hand at building one where there is no question about its micro-ness. 

I've also wanted to build a little micro-layout* that incorporated stylistic touches of mid-20th century furniture, and had a vibe that suggests it could have been purchased long ago at Radio Shack in the '70s, or maybe earlier from Clairtone. I also wanted the layout to incorporate lights and sound, which none of my micros so far have had. Overall, it would be a decorative item featuring a moving trolley or train, lights for nighttime scenes, and some ambient sounds recorded at the gardens playing on an endless loop. 

A scene from last year where I experimented with building A4 sized loop layouts on stacks of styrofoam.

Last year I did some experiments with a Community Gardens micro in mind where I used a commercial rail bender and stacked styrofoam to build some A4 sized bases for small loop layouts utilizing N-gauge track. I learned how to use the rail bender and was quite happy with it, but the stacked styrofoam bases, although functionally ok, demonstrated that I wasn't going to get the look I was after using them as bases. 

So, the idea of building a truly micro-layout* inspired by the community garden has been on hold for awhile. However, a trip to Michaels back in December got me thinking again about this layout.

Wooden storage box from Michaels.
The footprint measures 12-1/2" x 12-1/2"

I stumbled across these wooden storage boxes and thought if I cut the scalloped edge off, along with the handle cutouts, and flipped it upside down there would be my layout base.

The bottom of the box, which will be the base of the layout.

The price was not too expensive at $22, so if I bungled cutting it, no big loss. I don't know what kind of wood it's made out of, but it's nothing fancy, and a bit rough. The corner joints aren't super, but they are strong and fairly clean.  Although, that being said, with a little sanding and some stain it should look quite presentable in a family room setting, and provide me with the style I'm after.

Immediately after finishing the cuts.

I can't say if I cut the box the correct way, but it worked. I measured 8" down from the bottom of the box and marked a line on all four sides. Then I carefully cut a groove about half way through each side by clamping a steel bar against the line, using the bar as a fence to guide my back saw. Once the groove was cut all the way around I then methodically deepened the grooves, rotating the box and cutting a little more on each wall until the scalloped edge came free. A video would be more explanatory, but I just wanted to concentrate on making the cuts.

Old #78 from the Pennsylvania Saw Corporation came to my rescue. 

The only problem I encountered happened early on. I used my Stanley back saw and thought it had a little wobble in it as I made the first cuts. The backbone didn't seem to be holding the blade completely rigid and by the time I realized that I had mangled a corner a little. After some thought I took the back saw I had inherited from my father from the wall and decided I'd use it. It wasn't in the best condition, but strangely enough the blade seemed sharper than on my relatively new saw and it was far more rigid. So, I went ahead and used it and made all the remaining cuts just fine. I repaired the corner I bungled with the other saw with some wood filler and now it looks alright.

'Warranted Superior', they're not kidding.

My father's back saw has stamped on it that it was made by the Pennsylvania Saw Corporation and is product #78. The thing must be at least 70 years old as it seemed to be in our old house forever. My Stanley saw is around 25 and seems to be worse off than the old thing.  

Comparing the new layout base to the experiment from last year.

I decided to keep going and cut a foam insert for the top. This will be the actual base for the layout; the box provides the support 'cabinetry' and internal space for the power supply, sound unit and speakers, and lighting power and controls. 

I cut a piece of 1" thick pink foam to fit snuggly inside the edge made by the side walls. Right now it's just friction fit; I'll glue it in later.

I find the foam's pink colour annoying so I went ahead and painted it with some acrylics. Scenic materials will eventually cover it up, but in the meantime it can't irritate me :-)

I think I'll keep the scalloped scrap piece around for awhile. It might come in handy for something.

So, there's the base. As I mentioned somewhere earlier on the blog, my projects are scattered all over the place so far this year, and nothing has gelled in my mind to devote all my efforts to, so the mishmash of post subjects continues. All I can say is I find all these dives into different projects interesting, which I think is the true goal of an avocation.

Stay tuned!

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Digressions

*I don't particularly like the term 'micro-layout', but I recognize it's an established term, so it isn't going to change anytime soon. But, if I could magically change it, I'd change it to something like 'dynamic diorama'. At the layout sizes we're talking about here, near 0 to 4 sq. ft., there isn't much difference between them and many dioramas I've seen at plastic model shows. Often the only difference is the micro-layout has a moving element (ie, dynamic element; ie, a train). In my reading and viewing I've seen micros at a wide range of scales, with many of the larger scale ones making use of modelling materials and kits from other modelling genres. I think there would be 'interesting synergies' as they say in business-speak that would arise if micros were thrown in the mix as dioramas, and vice versa.

The Mount Lowe Railway Alcove

The stand rotates so all faces can be made visible.

Way Out Layout Runabout, Part 1: A Man With A Saw Thinks Everything Needs Cutting

Top: Before | Bottom: After

I have saws and cutting with saws on my mind these days. First it was the Desert Dodge's roof, then the Desert Dodge's pickup box, next it was the RDC-M's body, and now it's the beach on the Way Out Layout. 

A black Sharpie pen was used to mark what needed to be cut off.

Construction on the Way Out Layout has been stalled for a very long time. I tried to think of why over the Christmas holidays. I realized one stumbling block was I was probably never going to finish detailing the beach area. I had lost interest and it was holding me back. So, I got out a Sharpie pen and drew a black line around the area I had no interest in.

A tool-box saw does the deed

As I've written about before, I have a number of small layout projects in mind for this year, and although my thoughts haven't settled and gelled on how to proceed yet, all will need the Way Out Layout for test running vehicles and trying out landscaping techniques. So, I thought I'd fix it up and get rid of whatever was annoying me about it. That included cutting off parts that seemed irrelevant. 

All that's left of the beach is a trash bag o' foam pieces.

Although the layout's base board was built up from styrofoam, it was surprisingly tough to cut through.

Once the desired landscape was removed I smoothed out the new rough foam edges with a rasp and painted them with black acrylic paint. 

Strangely, I'm glad the front edge has been sectioned.

The next thing is a general layout tidy-up and to test run some locos and streetcars.

Yes, the posts are still quite random here, and I expect them to stay that way until I settle on a new direction. Stay tuned!

Layout planning tool for layout 585 3 aka Taronna

The advanced layout planning tool has been created!

Now that the Mount Lowe layout is done I've been starting to think more seriously about the Taronna layout. About the only constant that has washed through my mind on this has been that I'd like it to fit on top of the family room coffee table. That little table has been the support for all the small layouts I've built recently - well, other than Mount Lowe - that I've thought of naming an new layout genre after it, MCM-7 :-)

The basic, unlayouted coffee table.

The Taronna layout will likely take up the coffee table's entire surface, and maybe even overhang a little. Since the area of the coffee table is a little under 7 sq. ft., it won't classify as a micro, but that doesn't concern me as the goal is to have a layout representation that reflects my Taronna memories, not to have an 'official' micro version of them.

Advanced tracing process for creating the advanced layout planning tool.

It's going to be a very tricky layout to design. So far I haven't even come close to capturing the look and feel I'm after by just doing drawings in my sketchbooks. Instead I'm going to try 3D design with actual track and buildings and what-not to see if I can make any progress.

Test fitting the wilderness retreat mockup layout for size.

While I had things pulled out for making the layout template I tried having a look at the mockup for the wilderness retreat layout I made last year when I was learning how to use my new rail-bender. That layout is a micro, but I'm not happy with its design either.

Dissatisfaction with layout ideas I've been kicking around awhile seems to be a theme for me as I start the new year. I have a lot of things on the go and will write about a few here, so for some time the blog will be a hodgepodge of notes until something gels. You've been warned :-)

A base for the Mt. Lowe layout

The layout on the base mock-up.

Before starting on shooting layout glamour photos I thought I'd finish building the mockup for the base. Who knows, maybe this will become more than a mockup and be the actual base.

Trefoil base plates are rough cut with a Japanese handsaw.

When I set aside base construction last year I had the three tubes cut out and covered with that wood grain contact paper for a 70s Radio Shack look. The trefoil tube arrangement supported the layout quite well.

Marking the location of the bearing on a foam plate.

Sometime last year Galen suggested mounting the layout on some sort of bearing so it could be turned around for better viewing. I was intrigued by that idea, but I had to resolve a few problems before it became viable. First was the layout had a power cord sticking out of it for plugging into a controller. If it were to rotate, the layout couldn't have any external power or control cables coming out of it. In keeping with the 70s vibe I decided to build in a battery powered controller to solve that problem. With the benefit of hindsight I'd probably make use of an external wireless controller in future projects. 

Plate edges were shaped with a rasp and smoothed with a sanding block

Then there was finding a suitable turntable bearing. The one I eventually settled on is a bit of overkill as it's rated to support a 750 lb load (!), but it cost less than $30 and had the diameter I was looking for, so the decision was easy.

Exposed portions of the base plates are painted with black acrylic.

For awhile I thought I'd use plywood or chipboard for the base's trefoils, but 1" thick foam sheets that are used for house insulation won out. The load to be supported is minimal (I should weigh the layout, but I'll simply comment that it is "quite light" ) and this material is good enough for supporting light loads like those often encountered with micro-layouts. It's easy to work with too. All I ever use is a small handsaw for rough cutting, a rasp for final shaping, and a small sponge sanding block for smoothing edges.

Transfer tape was used to bond the turntable bearing to the foam plates.

Finally, in the mockup spirit, I decided to bond the bearing to the foam trefoils with transfer tape. The tape provides a surprisingly strong bond. I've used it extensively in layout construction, so I thought I'd use it here too to make construction quick and easy.

Top and bottom plates have been bonded to the turntable bearing.

The bottom of the base panel that rests on the floor has a some anti-slip material bonded to it. Again, I used transfer tape for this. The part I haven't figured out is how to attach the layout to the tubes. If someone bumps the layout, it could take a heartbreaking tumble. Of course, if the layout were attached to the tubes the whole thing could still be tipped over because it's rather top heavy. I might need to add some weight inside those tubes to try to make that harder to do. Well, that's what experiments and mockups are for: finding out this sort of stuff. 

Anti-slip material is bonded to the bottom of the base

Well, that's basically it for construction. The tubes were stood on the base and temporarily held in place with good, old duct tape. Here's a video of me 'taking the base out for a spin':

I see a few things that need to be fixed, so it's back to the workshop for me.

Design notes on bases for dioramas and micro-layouts

Base for Moon Mail Madness diorama after Cell-U-Clay had hardened.

I thought I’d spend a little time writing down my thoughts on how bases for dioramas and micro-layouts should be designed; well, maybe I should back off a bit and say these notes are about how I like to design bases. I think about this topic from time-to-time and it popped into my mind again after participating in the recent scale model show held here so I figured maybe this was a good time to put some notes together. I don’t claim any originality or universality here. No doubt many modellers have gone down this road too and touched on many of the same ideas. I can’t say that these notes apply to all situations; your mileage may vary :-)

I used the models to sketch on a big sheet of paper how each would be positioned on the base.

Ok, let’s move on to the first topic. These notes aren’t in any particular order, just what pops into my head as I write.

The arrangement went through several iterations; this one is close to the final

Inspiration: MacRae, Smith, Bennett, Adams, + ...

To me a diorama isn’t just a few objects or figures set on a base to show off a model in a more favourable light as implied by the show’s flyer, which noted that for their purposes we’re looking at a diorama when the following condition is met: “As soon as ANY [JDL: All caps theirs] objects are added to the bases other than the model, it will be classed as a “diorama””. To me a diorama, in the context of scale model work, isn’t simply a collection of objects, but is a model display that tells a story. The story is the primary feature and the models support the telling. A few objects or figures on a base accompanying a model isn’t a diorama, it’s simply a way of displaying a model to best advantage.

From time-to-time eye level views were assessed as the arrangement was iterated.

I’m much inspired by the dioramas of Bruce MacRae, especially his Wine Tasters diorama, as well as the scenes constructed by Michael Paul Smith, Amy Bennett, and Kim Adams. 

Now the work of Smith and Bennett aren’t dioramas in the sense that scale modellers use. Smith created what could be considered temporary scenes for purposes of photographing them, and the temporary scenes Bennett builds are for creating paintings from. However, the key here is they both use models to create scenes that tell stories. 

The objects Kim Adams makes are closer to that of classic model making diorama-ists, but the content of his work is very different. His stories are often ones of exploration into alternative possibilities of our physical world, not just highly detailed reflections of it.

But, the connecting thread running through the work of all four artists is that the centre of interest in their dioramas isn’t one or two particularly well detailed models, but stories. 

Scraps of foam sheet to be used to make the base.

In the model railroading world, E. L. Moore is my main influence. Not everything he built centred on a story, but a lot did. Over the last few years I've been impressed by the layouts shown in the French magazine Voie Libre. Ok, yes, this has an air of shameless self-promotion since a few photos of the Loonar Module appeared there in 2023 in a micro-layout feature, but in my defence I submitted photos there for a couple of reasons. I was impressed by the small layouts they'd written about over the previous 3 or 4 years, and I had never seen a layout set in a Canadian scene by an actual Canadian in their pages! I wanted to fix that injustice :-) The rest is history :-)

I quite enjoy all the layouts Voie Libre has featured, but I especially like the work of Bernard Junk and Detlev Horn, notably their layout called The Island.

Continental Modeller is also a good place to see innovative layouts. And, yes, yes, more shameless self-promotion, the Centennial Experimental Farm layout appeared in its pages this year. 

All I'm saying is that there's a lot of interesting work going on in the wide world of model railroad layouts

Tracing template was cut out after finalizing the arrangement.

Shape: Base Shape Helps Story

The footprints of many dioramas and small layouts are simple geometric shapes: squares, rectangles, circles, and ovals. This is quite understandable as these are readily obtainable in the form of pieces of wood, picture frames, display plaques, and so on. I’ve come to think though that the footprint should help tell the diorama’s story.

Sometimes foam sheets were glued together to make suitably sized pieces

I didn’t really understand this when I built the Loonar Module. I used 2’ x 2’ by 1” thick insulating foam sheets for the base because they were easy to buy at the local home renovation store. But, I wound up building a round island on a square lake! It turned out ok, but if there’s a next time the base’s footprint will reflect the story since water isn’t square :-)

Later, when I was building the Centennial Experimental Farm layout I could have just gone ahead with a rectangular footprint for the base, but I thought it more appropriate for the base to be rectangular at the Carling road end since the road was all straight edges, and rounded at the streetcar return loop at the farm end. There it matched the graceful loop of the track, and didn’t present dead corners to be filled in as it would if this end was also square. So, curved lines at the natural end, and straight edges at the urban end.

A layer ready for cutting out with a hand saw and knife.

The Mt. Lowe layout is where I’ve really started to apply the ’base shape helps story’ principle. Mt. Lowe had several scenes that I wanted to capture, but they had to be somewhat separated from each other. The trefoil seemed to help realize that desire with its three prominent lobes, each providing a separate scenic area. Thinking about the trefoil’s scenic potential a bit more I realized its footprint actually allows for 7 scenes: the 3 lobes, the 3 concavities connecting the lobes, and the aerial view, which in this case is a mountain top observatory.

Lots of scraps and foam dust after cutting out the pieces.

With the Moon Mail Madness diorama I took the principle further. As you can see in this post’s photos I designed the base’s shape as I used the models to sketch out the story; both developed at the same time. And what is the story? It’s a slice of life in the lunar postal service: two lunar postal workers meet at a crossroads and one takes a photo of the other as he begins to remove letters from a mailbox :-) I thought the base’s footprint should match the shape of the road intersection to emphasize the crossing. Also, why make the base square or rectangular and have to deal with dead space that needs filling? The only external limit on the footprint was the show’s specified requirement that all dioramas had to fit in a 2’ x 2’ area, not be a 2’ x 2’ area, which was no problem fulfilling.  

White glue holds the stack together. A rasp and sanding blocks used to form the final shape.

Presence: A Subtle Call to Look

Over the years I’ve come to like thick bases for dioramas and small layouts. 

A lot of dioramas and small layouts I’ve seen present the viewer with a decent top side model and scene set on a thin, platter-like base. Sort of like a meal that has been put on a dinner plate. Some might say, well it’s the modelling that’s of interest and not what it’s sitting on, much like it’s the meal that’s important and not the plate below.

An anti-slip mat was cut and glued to the bottom of the base.

To me though a diorama or layout is a complete, integrated object; a type of three-dimensional sculpture. A diorama doesn’t consist of a good part (the model work) that is to be enjoyed and an irrelevant support part (the base) that is to be ignored. The base’s footprint helps to tell the story, and its height helps to command you to look at that story by establishing the diorama or layout’s physical presence amongst all other objects that vie for a viewer’s attention.

This is another idea that at first I didn’t fully appreciate. The Loonar Module’s base is 3 foam sheets thick because I wanted it to be quite rigid and strong. Mission accomplished. However, looking at the result over weeks and months I felt the thick base gave the layout a solid look that I quite liked. It seemed like the island actually was rooted in something, not just sitting on something.

Anti-slip mat trimmed to fit the bottom of the base.

On the Centennial Experimental Farm I deliberately made the base height about the same as what I thought the tallest tree would be. It seemed odd to me to have big, tall trees (completely to scale regarding height and canopy volume) sticking out of a base no thicker than a pizza box. It didn’t seem balanced. It didn’t seem substantial.

However, like the Loonar Module’s base, I painted it black because I didn’t want the base to draw attention to itself. Its job was simply to say “here’s a story” and bring it to a viewer’s attention, not be the story. The base is to be the strong silent type component in this object we call a diorama: it provides structural support, it’s footprint provides narrative support, it’s height makes a call for attention and visually balances the models, but it tries to do all this in a subtle manner, not calling unnecessary attention to itself. 

The mailbox rise is glued to the base. Note commercial vac-formed crater to the right.

Moon Mail Madness violates the subtly principle a little with the inclusion of the postcard. I thought it would help the overall story, and it tries to be subtle while doing so. Sometimes on layouts that are structured like framed paintings instead of sculptural objects you’ll see a lot of labels, stickers, photos, warnings, awards, and other ephemera attached to the surround. That’s all too loud and distracting for me. The layout needs to speak for itself. Likewise, dioramas need to speak for themselves. They shouldn’t need any supporting documentation or ephemera hanging around trying to divert attention.

Crater glued on. White glue spread on foam prior to applying Cell-U-Clay.

Materials: Sheet Foam

I use foam sheets for my bases because they are lightweight, strong when laminated, easy to cut and shape, and low cost. I learned a hard lesson when I built the portable Lost Ocean Line layout from wood. It became too heavy to be very portable by me alone. Other materials can certainly be used. Foam sheets aren’t some magic one-size-fits-all solution, but I’d say put the wood back in the rack if it isn’t completely necessary. If you’re using wood for decorative reasons, that’s a different story.

Spare Moonscope wheel was used to roll in tracks.

On the Loonar Module I sided the base with sheet styrene to give it a smooth finish. I’ve subsequently learned that isn’t completely necessary. Smoothing the foam sides and then painting them with an artist’s quality acrylic will produce a decent finished surface. Although foam sides may seem a bit rough and soft after shaping and smoothing, the acrylic paint acts as a binder to solidify the surface as well as provide colour. Think of the paint job as applying a surface binder that just so happens to have a colour, which is black in my case. 

After 2 weeks of curing, cheap acrylic paints were used to colour the surface

Eye Level: An unresolved problem

I’ve always thought that the conventional way scale models (plastic models, train layouts, doll houses, every category really) are shown and displayed is odd. I think the best way to view them is at eye level because, usually, that’s how we encounter their real life counterparts. Yet, models are usually displayed so that the most common viewing angle is from above. I understand the practical reasons for this, but it doesn’t do justice to the models and the work of their makers. By setting out models on tables of conventional height only small children get the best views :-) 

Maybe conventional tables augmented with some sort of leg extensions would do the trick for model shows. Combined with showing dioramas or layouts with thick bases, this might almost solve the eye level viewing problem. Or maybe not. If you’re a long time reader here I’ve tried some experiments to fix this issue over the years, but haven’t been satisfied yet with the results. 

Ready for adding the models.

These aren't likely my final thoughts on the subject. They simply capture a few aspects of my current thinking. 

Oh, and before I run off for coffee, Sheperd Paine's book How to build Dioramas is always good to consult. Maybe I'll dive in again while coffee's brewing.

Awaiting the show.