Size Matters

One of the reasons I started this blog was to act as a spur to build a model railway. I figured if I felt I had to provide regular updates on my progress I would actually get off my arse and do something.

It's not worked, has it?

Often, after returning from work in the evening having experienced the operations of the real railway (12 inches to 1 foot scale), I'm not in the frame of mind to pick up with the model variety. That said I have made some some more progress. Sideways.

The space I have is limited and I thought I could build something reasonable in N-gauge on a baseboard approx. 120 x 60 cms - nope. Clearly, expecting to run scale length express trains through rolling countryside wasn't going to happen, as the picture of my first attempt illustrates.

Cat swinging cancelled due to lack of space.

 A rethink was required and a possible way forward was suggested by Mrs C. She suggested there may be space elsewhere for bookcases that were currently in the way. I faintly recall there were conditions, but my memory went a bit hazy when she then went on to talk about spending money on furniture from John Lewis.

The next step (apart from a shopping trip) is to sit down with some graph paper originally bought for T & T dungeon design purposes and see what I can do with the extra space. There still won't be room for those expresses, mind.

There are still challenges: there's an inconveniently placed radiator; a window that would be unreachable if the baseboard was too deep and a cat that's going to find this an irresistible place to sun himself (if we ever have summer). But if the navvies could drive a railway through the Cumbrian fells I ought to be able to do something here.

Now, where's my tape-measure?