Layout planning with "mock ups" at Chadwick Model Railway | 141. 

As you may have noticed, I've now changed the release time to 5pm rather than 12 noon (UK times). I do hope that this hasn’t inconvenienced you. Regards Charlie

Greetings from the most remote city on the planet; Perth, Australia. I too will be retiring at Easter time and embarking on my model railroad journey. Of all the tutorials available to me on RU-vid, I find The Chadwick Model Railway authored by Charlie to be the most informative, easiest to understand (mostly) and often most entertaining of them all. I will be taking great note of all the information Charlie has to offer when I commence my build. Thank you and I look forward to many more informational and entertaining videos.

This corner really starts to take shape and it'll look very nice.

I like the way you go about figuring things out and present them. Just a good rule to find out if the grad is to steep is to stop the train on the gread a see if it starts moves from there, if not you are to steep is my feelings. Great video Charlie....thanks for sharing 😉

Great video Charlie and glad you got to visit South Devon Railway. It's a beautiful area and the route to Totnes alongside the River Dart takes some beating!

Lovely Charlie never mind to much when i can't sleep i put a vision in my mind and try it ! well done good show ! John from Chichester

Charlie, as usual I thoroughly enjoy your videos and like following along in your thought process.

9.45 Hells bells Charlie I nearly had kittens when you went to put your glasses back on with that hot knife in your hand! TonyS

Great session Charlie yes love the south devon railway to great model shop 🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂

Awesome to see a plan coming together 🤩 You are a Legend in your own lifetime 🏆👍🏻

The change of time is OK. We are, of course our time is about 8 hours ahead of UK. I was just a bit worried when your post was not here at the usual time that you had decided you have had enough. I enjoy all your posts and have learnt a lot from you . . . most of which I still have to put into practice. Cheers - Chris

Lovely bit of modelling and layout as always Charlie, always interesting to see what clever ideas you have

Great video as always, wish I’d have seen this a when I started my layout a couple of years ago. Can’t wait for the next episode.

Always staggered by thr detail in your layout, you are truly gifted, love your passion :)

Charlie, Thank you again for a great video. I love the planning and thought that you put in to your layout. The mock-up with styrene and cardboard is a great idea. Stay safe, cheers, Michael

Brilliant as always Charlie.. I get so much inspiration watching your layout come together. I've just started the electrics on mine .

Looking forward to seeing the finished construction in that corner, was great to see the thought process that went into it and the mockup really does make sense.

Great vid as always Charlie. I think this is going to be an interesting scenic corner when it's done!

Hi Charlie, loving the progression being made. An idea for your level crossing would be one that is known as an Automatic Open Crossing Locally Monitored (AOCL) This consists of no barriers saving you barrier worries with motors etc The road uses flashing red lights as normal and the railway uses a white flashing light at the crossing, one either side depending on direction of travel to tell the driver the road stop lights are working and the driver then checks it is clear of any obstruction, that's what is meant by locally monitored, no signal box control required, movement of trains is sensed by a treadle prior to crossing and a reduction in speed board is given for trains on approach. Driver checks for flashing white light and an unobstructed crossing and cracks on at permitted speed and that's it, no fancy stuff or other signals needed and would suit the low speed road crossing your making. These crossings have been in use for many decades, slowly being upgraded to barriers but plenty still around. Probably find examples of the layout of such crossings online somewhere though happy to aid in signage and layout info

I really like your videos. You're building a very beautiful layout there. The info is also really useful. Thanks for that.

I really enjoyed how you explained your thoughts as you ran through this whole process. The inclusion of inclines and the tracks running on different levels is a great addition to Chadwick. Mock ups and trial runs has to be the way to go.

Very enjoyable video as usual Charlie, playing designer and engineer all in one go to achieve what you want, your imagination is great, thanks again for the inspiration

Time to sit down with a beer in the comfy chair and watch another Chadwick video!

Thanks Charlie, looks great fun, looking forward to the next Installment.

Charlie, great video. One of the recommended things to do with Woodland Scenic inclines and risers before attaching roadbed is to use a paper masking tape to lay across the top of those. Modelers have done that and claim that it has lasted for years. I have done it myself and the thin paper masking tape will not introduce any bumps into your incline. The tape keeps ballast from falling between the gaps and gives you more surface area to glue your roadbed to on the inclines.

Thanks Charlie. Great as always. Big on rural but, it matches the 5 lanes of track very well. Having used these incline kits in the past, found them to be just the ticket 🎟

Yet Another great video Charlie , like the 'mock up' idea never really thought about using that . Really happy you had a great day out with us at the South Devon Railway . Regards Howard

Well thought out Charlie. I like that incline. I can’t wait to see the platforms in place with the bridge crossing to the industrial area..

Charlie, the layout is really coming together. I like the way you put the mock ups in, that way you can really get the scene in your head. As always I pick up a truck or two. Thanks for sharing and stay safe. Ken

Very interesting video Charlie, will look forward to further progress in this section of your layout. Planning is the key to a successful outcome Cheers Greg

your vlogs have been so good as I am just learning cheers Alan

Excellent as always - must pick up the spirit level as I've a second helix to build on my layout - so thanks for the tip Charlie. Euan

Another great update, really like the idea that your putting together and I’m sure it will look great, look forward to seeing the next instalment, keep up the great work 🙂👍🏻👍🏻

Well done Howard and the Williams family for looking after the old boy on his day out playing trains 😆😆

Great video as usual Charlie. Sat at work watching in my bait time. Must get one of those polystyrene cutters, very handy. Cheers mate 👍

Another great video Charlie. full of useful information and tips as always. I must agree that the cutting pen is a great little tool, just have to keep the fingers out of the way and make sure that the room is ventilated. I personally think that there is nothing wrong with the later release time. Keep up the good work Charlie looking forward to seeing how this project progresses. Paul

Hi Charlie Great video as ever good to see the progress. I 100% agree about trying things out first to see what will work. I am now rebuilding my layout again and I left a track plan for a week and only yesterday after having the stuff out for 6 days saw a better way to align everything without cramping it in.

Charlie you are giving me so much to think about. Although my layout is smaller, 8 x 7. It is a joy to watch what you are doing on yours. Mick

Woodland scenics recommend filling the gaps in that flexi-polystyrene stuff with that guey plaster of Paris chewed up toilet roll stuff. Oh dear, have I let the cat out the bag.. apart from PVA and cat litter.. I know Jenny Kiel’s trick with Impregnated Jayes cloth and PVA.. using bog roll and PVA has come in handy in the past. Like Mod-rock (Jarvis of Stockport) but different

Great video Charlie! I like the techniques used for mocking up the industrial area. Can't wait to see your bridge solution. I have found that a wallboard saw and course sandpaper does not release that wonderful aroma of burnt styrene into the air. The saw also allows better control and the sandpaper on a block will smooth out the anomalies in the ramp surface.

Excellent as always, Charlie. Fortuitously for me, my own layout progress is in lock step with yours, so all your product tips are very useful. For my two WS inclines I tested out their position and curves with tiny dabs of blu-tak, then placed some track and rolled a coach uphill and downhill to test for smooth running. I’ve not yet firmed up on backscenes as I want to integrate a complete townscape into the design with a reasonably natural looking undulating topography. That gives the headache of trying to plan in 3D of course!

Haha...building from the back forwards. Simples! If only I'd decided to use that theorem, it'd have saved me hours!! All looking good Charlie. Thanks once again.

Looking so very good , thanks for sharing

Hi Charlie, another enjoyable and interesting video. I'm actually on holiday at the moment and visited the South Devon Railway for the first time. I would recommend visiting the railway to everyone as I met such friendly people on my visit. I'm looking to put a road and parking area around my station so will be interested to see how you tackle it.

Great video, Charlie! Mock-ups really are helpful in deciding where to put things. I do like that bow string bridge! That particular one may be a bit wide for the area, but I do like the design! Remember rule #1: Your railroad, your rules.

Great video Charlie. Can’t beat thinking time and trying out ideas before committing and building. Why is so often I then still have a better idea...!?

One option for the level crossing is once you have ground set and and at the correct height, use a long drill bit that will reach all the way through to the bottom. You then can install a drinking straw or hollowed tubing and run the wires through for the arms and signal lights to the bottom. Then you can attach the motors and circuit boards on the bottom of your layout. I did this to run my feeder wires using the same incline set. Another option it putting all your motors and circuit boards under your cutout card you made and that way there is easy access for trouble shooting. Great Videos! always enjoy them.

Very good video Charlie, the scenic side is just as important as the trains themselves otherwise its a train set.

Great video and excellent timing! Just what i needed to see today.

Wow! Some great comments here. I am amazed by your progress on this area and your imagination. Look forward to seeing what you decide on. Roy.

Great video Charlie!!! Thanks again for sharing. Cheers Onno.

Many thanks, yet again, for a most interesting video with many useful ideas and tips.

Hi, For the level crossing (and the industrial scene), perhaps build the whole piece as a slot in module that way it can be built easier and be removable for maintenance. Have some sort of connector for the power so it doesn't need to be rewired each time. When you add lighting to it it can all be self contained and controlled.

Hi Charlie, well done for helping me, I was thinking of adding an elevated section myself.

Nice video. You have some nice ideas going there Charlie looking forward to seeing how this turns out when finished.- Nicholas.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Those are usually my famous last words before catastrophe! But for you, Charlie, looks like you have a solid plan for the upper level transition. It's always good to see how others work these things out. I tend to take forever making these plans; suppose I need to take Nike's advice - Just Do It! Thanks for the great video, as always!

Thanks for another excellent video Charlie! I'm guessing beyond fighting the pull of gravity when 'going down' there might need to be a speed restriction imposed on the incline curve - alternatively for a bit of an adventure you could use that new cutter to put a camber on the track bed. Now, there's a whole new world of mathematical calculation and cutting challenges to get your teeth in to in case life is otherwise a bit too dull 🤣. And, you'd make the rivet-counters so happy, they would just love to see that!

Woodland Scenics appear to supply the best part of all my landscaping and they have something for everything. If you ever come across one of their wire-bound catalogues, you'll be amazed at the range of products they have and it also makes great reading (although it is heavy on the wrists).

Another interesting video. My only thought is that the positioning of the two buildings parallel to the walls of the room tends to strongly link the scene to the room and so unnecessary make it look more model like than it needs to. Having the buildings at slightly different angles might reduce this effect. The main point of the video that mock ups allow one to get a better idea of what a layout will look like than just track plans and one’s imagination is well made.

Coming along nicely Charlie. Thanks.

Another interesting video Charlie. My suggestion, fwiw, if you do put the warehouses in the corner, some old rails sunk in the ground outside them hinting at a former set of sidings that ran from the line going past would look good. Maybe the outline of a former wagon turntable like they have at Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross even.

Great to see your mock up ideas .I have a similar incline on my Highland layout (based on the incline out of Garve station ) its a winter scene lots of snow and Inverness depot snowploughs. Think the factories would look good lit up .

Hi Charlie, very nice video again! I think you have two options to work out the roads. In my opinion it makes more sense that roads follow the landscape rather then cutting trough it (espacially with secondary roads). So if you have a hill in front of the layout the road should go over or around it rather then with an expensive tunnel trough it. For the crossing with the railroad you can use a unguarded crossing because it's a low traffic line. Or build some prefeb wooden sheet(s) with de crossinggates attached to it that you can take out for installation and maintenance. Hope these ideas will help you make the right descision. Good luck with the rest of the construction and enjoy the hobby! Cheers Jasper

Really enjoying watching your videos. Your bridge trial fit reminded me of the army bridge that used to service the Broad Oak factory in Portsmouth. It was more like a footbridge, it was only wide enough to take one car so it was always fun trying to get to the top first. Perhaps you could adapt it to link in to the road that you have planned. Thanks once again from Spain!!

WOWSERS THATS STEEP INCLINE well done!

Inspiring and very instructive ~ as always, best thanks!

Hi Charlie, liked your video, picking up tips for lots of things to do and not to do. With the fill in on the corner behind the had you thought of sizing the card to cover the track bed well as the back corner? You could make a cut out where the level crossing is to be then you could have a drop in unit for the crossing, just in case it went faulty. Andrew

I have so much hind sight that I should start walking backwards. I like the way you develop your scenes but I can't describe them ( you vision) at all like you. Nice job. I like the last bridge , it has more bulk and gives character to the whole corner . It also takes away the feeling that it is a corner.

great episode this week, may have an idea for you, you could have a none functioning point and a small section of track going into that industrial area, then put a fence and gate across it as if it used to be used but isnt any more.

Great video Charlie enjoyed your ideas for the layout 👍

Excellent video Charlie, been doing a similar thing on my layout.

Great progress! Carry on!!!

Well done Charlie! Your layout is coming along nicely. I'm still waiting on track to mail in.

For the curves, I like to use network conduit cover taped in the static areas to get a good idea. It's a small flat plastic item - don't know what it's called where you are. Sadly a lot of my old locos can't make such a gradient anyway. I set up some track on a gradually raised bit of thin plywood and try some of my weakest locos to get an idea of how far I can go. Nice update Charlie 👍

Looks good, lots of great ideas

Charlie I had a thought about the catch point at the end of the incline, in some cases this might have been a normal point with a short siding /sand drag taking up the blank space beside the doubleslip (1:49). This would ensure any runaways did not make it to the mainline but also did not foul the mainline one it had been arrested. I believe Darlington station still has one at the end of platform 1, though I doubt there is much sand in it these days. Thanks for the videos, they are great Gerry

I suggest the first bridge (plate girder?), they are more typical in urban areas. Also keep it relatively narrow if it's only for a small industrial area. Mark in Melbourne

Hi Charlie. Loving the work. Crossing gates.. look up Megapoints, and their servo system. Used for Points and signals, but watch the how-to video. Attaching them directly to the pivot of a crossing gate works the same as signals. Alternatively, barriers, with them underneath, with a bit of piano-wire of about 0.8 mil dia, should work. Had a thought about that bridge. How about the road bridge at the top of Crewe station throat? All a bit girder and concrete but does the whole span in One, so you get views underneath. I must get back to airbrushing 009 rolling stock now. All main station buildings fitted with LED lighting and interiors! Lots of little people painted with the thin end of a cocktail stick. All 200 of them🙃🚂K.

a track sensor so has the train gets near the level crossing the gates close and the warning lights flash -- small 3-5mm tubes push though the incline for making the gates move up + down -- wooden blocks under the corner that would be better for supports that way you can put peg post in if you need to take the board off for any maintenance if needed

Great video as usual Charlie. I am having trouble visualising a level crossing where you are planning, it doesn't 'feel right' but further mock-ups may persuade me! I would have vehicular access to the courtyard in front of the factory building through the gap between them and a pedestrian footbridge to give access down to the lower roadway and station. You wouldn't than have a roadway across the bridge terminating in mid-air in the foreground. Whatever you do though I am sure you will make it work and look great. Look forward to the next instalment.

great video as always fella, fantastic looking layout in the making!

A very interesting and practical vlog, I like your way of thinking and my brain does not go into melt down like it does when you do the electrical stuff haha, well done Charlie 👍

Good stuff again, as usual, Charlie. Great idea on the mock ups. Not sure how ahead of the videos, Chadwick is, but here are a few comments/suggestions : 1) First bridge looked best - if it's only going to a couple of factory buildings, who would have paid for large and expensive arch bridges like the bow string bridge? Particularly as with a railway goods line going right past, it'd be quite likely that in the past the factory/ies would have had their own spur. (You could even model the remnants of that spur in the road surfaces outside the factory. 2) Not sure what looked like the stone-built (laser cut) building works alongside the brick (card) building. The laser cut building also looked to be a slightly larger scale than the card building, and really pulled the whole corner into the foreground (if you see what I mean). I'd guess it's actually the card building that is a bit underscale, which is probably what you want in the distance, which, together with its rather bleached appearance, would help increase the perspective. 3) Putting both the buildings up against the walls, seems to emphasise that it's a corner. Might be worth trying it with the brick (card) building *across* the angle of the corner, even though that would then need a bit kitbashing to get the roof(s) looking right. 4) I share Gary Long's (above/below) concerns that the land would have been there before the railway, and that the railway company wouldn't have excavated such a massive area, rather than just putting the lines through a cutting. If there were/had been sidings or a goods yard there, then that might explain why so much land was removed, but I rather suspect, the railway company would have put the sidings/yard somewhere cheaper. Or a combination of the two. 5) I would suggest doing a couple more mock ups, to test possibilities: a) a cutting for the lines coming out of the station b) bringing the raised area over the tracks to the front of the layout. Both, but especially b) would disguise the curse of most model railways: the steepish curves to get round the corner of a room. Might be a bit of compression from your camera lens that's emphasising the curves. I might be tempted to see how it might look if the land sloped down from the raised area in the corner to the river. 6) Your hand gesture for the bridge over the river suggested a humpback bridge. Would the main road into a station and the factories in the corner really go over a humpback bridge? (I'd better stop. Sorry, this has got a bit long. I don't mean to make it look like I'm laying into you, this list just sort of grew, as I re-watched the video and thought of things)

Charlie, nice to see the mock-up. As others have commented, the hill that the industrial area is on would also exist on both sides of the tracks (like you have beside to viaduct) It may also be that drawing a map view of the area might help get the buildings, roads and layout in a realistic perspective?

Fine video Charlie. FYI I just use Copydex to hold down the foam. Works fine. Keith

Could you use that girder bridge to carry the freight line over the river? I think it would suit the freight train look. Great video by the way.

Hi Charlie, I found the hot wire cutter is easier to use and control. The one I have is from the same manufacturer

Another excellent and fascinating video. My only comment is that if you put a couple of warehouses against the wall and at 90 degrees to each other then they tend to draw attention to the corner of the room. - and thus make the suspension of disbelief of the viewer a little more difficult.

Looks great Charlie. Backdrop from your earlier episodes helps anchor the scene.

Another good video Charlie. I like seeing progression in a layout. It’s amazing how in the space of a couple of hours a small space can dramatically change. I was looking at the risers and think the Noch retaining wall you used the other side of the viaduct would look good along the length of your incline/decline. Just my opinion.

Hello Charlie, I have watched a lot of your videos, and they are all very interesting. In my case, this has been the best so far as my new deign relies on two dual mixed gauge inclines/declines in an awkward area. Depending on how long the hot pen is, I thought two batterns, loosely taped, each side of the proposed cut might be helpful in ensuring a straight cut. If you invert the 'spoiled' piece the 'hinging effect' will be in the wrong plane, i.e 3 degrees from vertical. Great work. Thanks again for all the tips.

Interesting stuff. The bow bridge would be the best option as it’s complexity of shape but ease of seeing through make them great features. What your incline by the bridge and industrial area is crying out for is a set is steel stairs climbing the full hight track to industrial area. Weather it up with rust and it will break up the retaining wall a treat. Great stuff keep it up.

it would be a good idea to have a little stub shunting area by the buildings at the back. possibly then going into the wall ....via a hidden track etc

looking good charlie keep up the good work.

I really like the look and idea of your industrial area so far. Just a thought about the bridge; if your intention is to have it as a service road to the warehouses you might want it as a single road and therefore a narrower bridge? Either way I’m sure it will look fab when finished!

Another interesting video Charlie, was wondering where your video was at 12 noon. Regarding the what bridge question you should use, I think you have mentioned in the past that you grow up watch railways in the Swindon area, watching you construct Chadwick it has always had a Western Region feel to it. So as a result I think the Bow String bridge would fit in as there is a great example of one at Bristol Temple Meads. Cheers Neil

As ever a wonderfully informative video. I love the idea of putting a mock-up in place to get an idea of "mass" (Although I have to admit I was thinking more along the lines of cornflake boxes to represent the factories rather than models you just happen to have lying around). "What could go wrong?" you say and the next shot is you wearing you Chadwick shirt and an untested glue in your hands. And a little later you almost picked polystyrene shard off the (very) hot pen! If you are going to make a habit of using the hot electric pen have you thought about mounting it so it is vertical sticking up from a flat surface - then you could push the polystyrene past the pen and be sure the pen is always at 90degrees to the edge. On the choice of bridge across the 4 tracks and road, my preference would be the beam and deck with the deck being on a slight slope, lower at the layout edge than at the level crossing. But the bowstring certainly looks very nice. Looking forward to the next fascinating instalment.

Love it Charlie, I'm with you, you can only go so far with drawings, you need a mock up to see if the space works. As to your crossing, if you use the arm type you might be able to run a control rod through to under the base board, and then use a servo, so the motor is below.

Only question is it looks like you have a tree in the middle of where the street would go. Great shout out l. So Charlie. Great video. Great ideas.

"I need to build from the back forwards" If only I had thought of that....! Ah well, its all a learning curve! I purchased one of those cutting pens, it burned out quite quickly, but that was probably a case of tool abuse on my part. The only thing I would add, is that the fumes from cutting polystyrene in this way are extremely toxic and noxious. I resorted to wearing a mask and/or cutting outside. It really is pungent, as you mentioned. Another great video Charlie. All the best, Nige