Early in 2020 I moved house, and sadly had to dismantle my previous HO scale model railway. This video gives a brief tour of my new project, largely constructed during Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown. Like my last two layouts, this one is integrated into my home office space. The main difference this time around is that the office is tiny – just 1.7m x 2.8m. I’ve never really been a fan of running trains around in circles, and the small space available really discouraged me from building a layout with continuous running. Instead I’ve built what is essentially a shunting layout. The western side of the layout is split into two decks – the upper part is a small terminus station with a run around track and goods siding, called Upper Glen Park. The lower deck is rollingstock stabling space, with three long sidings. The eastern side of the layout is one big yard, including the locomotive depot and more stabling sidings. The general idea is that a shunting locomotive prepares trains in East Yard, then a loco from the depot drops onto the consist and runs it up the hill to Upper Glen Park and back. The layout is also split into two control districts, so the yard pilot can be driven by one operator while a second person drives up the hill and back. The Upper Glen Park section is designed to be easily removed – it can actually be taken out in about 5 minutes. I’m vaguely planning to add some scenery to this section, and its removability will make construction easier, and also allow me to potentially take it with me when I next move house. Despite appearances the layout isn’t actually attached to the wall anywhere. It’s all built up on the benches and shelves. The western side is attached to a fake wall, which is just a divider between the office and the next ‘room’ in my rather small house. This style of construction, and the fact the layout is integrated into a multi-use space, is a great solution for people like me who don’t have the option of a dedicated layout room. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have!
You can take a video tour of my previous (much larger) layout here:
You can watch lots more model railway videos here: A