Summerfield is located in a garage and is permanently attached to the walls and floor. The layout is currently "L" shaped, but future expansion plans will change this to a square "C" shape and almost double the size of the layout.
Base Boards
Framing is 35mm X 70mm pine topped with 18mm chipboard. This is a heavy frame but weight is not important. The upper levels are supported on pine off-cuts and 15mm heavy plywood and also topped with 18mm chipboard, the inclines are made from 15mm heavy plywood. The whole baseboard structure was made to support a person standing on it, as this is required from time to time. Cut-outs are provided within the baseboards for access to tunnels etc. The area below the baseboards has been fitted out with various cupboards and storage areas, and a black curtain across the front hides all the mess. I have fitted power points below the layout along with under layout lighting, which is a bonus for finding things in the cupboards and when it comes to work under the layout. The layout is illuminated with a number of fluro tubes. In time these will be boxed in.
The Layout
As I am not one to plan on paper, Summerfield has evolved into what it is today. It originally started as a single track with passing loops, but over time the single track sections were converted to double track. Yards have also been built and moved. Originally the area below Summerfield station contained 6 hidden loops, which represented the rest of the system, trains could be diverted to these hidden tracks and held until required again. With the planned expansion these have been removed as they will be incorporated into the new area. So at the moment the track layout is basically a double track mainline. Trains complete two laps of the layout over the two levels before returning to the starting point. The new expansion will continue in this way but almost double the length of the run.
(As I don't have a drawing of the track layout I will try and include one when time permits)
Summerfield is the main station and is basically a three track through station, with the centre track being bidirectional. A yard is built to one side of the station with 7 sidings. Three tracks form the loco and rolling stock service area, and until recently the other tracks were used as a container terminal. This has since been removed and in time will become a fuel depot and the refuelling centre for locomotives. Another long siding and passing loop is directly in front of Summerfield station, and this area is used to makeup and breakdown trains.
All track work is Peco code 100 flex track and all points are Peco streamline insulfrog points fitted with Peco point motors. I have used large medium and small radius points as required and in some cases to use what was on hand, a few double slips have also been used as needed. All track work is laid over a 3mm cork roadbed. The track is painted with a red/brown mud mix I use for my scenery, and the rail tops wiped with a damp cloth when it has dried. This gives the rails are much improved look. All track has been ballasted using Chucks Ballast, which I have found to be an excellent product. All block sections were double gaped as the track was being laid. My track laying is not always the best as I tend to rush to get things running but things are getting better. Derailments are uncommon and quite often are caused by out of gauge wheels or rolling stock that is very light. Most of the track was laid in the summer months and the gaps between rails have increased a little with the colder weather, some sections have been soldered together into longer lengths. The curves are quite sharp the minimum being approximately 18 inch radius which is a real challenge when building and running some of the current range of rolling stock. Grades are also a little on the steep side also, but most current locomotives are more than capable of hauling a train along them.
Scenery & Details
A number of different methods have been used to construct the scenery, but my favourite is to use crumbled newspaper with a layer of plaster over the top. I use timber to create the basic contours and then the paper is added as required, I then mix up patching plaster in small quantities which is then applied over the newspaper. As it is setting I contour it to the final shape desired. I normally allow this to set for a few days and I then paint it using my mud mix I use for painting my rails. This mud mix is made from the red/brown clay soil from my garden which is mixed with some water to form mud. This is then brushed onto the plaster, which stains it giving a very realistic earth colour. The intensity of colour can be darkened by applying further coats when it has dried. Once the mud has fully dried, I begin to add the grass coverings. I normally use Woodland Scenics ground covers and start by applying the finer grades and then add courser grades as required. Some areas are left bare to show through as bare patches or rock outcrops. I then add small bushes and trees and last I add the larger trees. I generally mix a number of different greens to produce a more realistic colour spread and also add a small amount of yellow and brown.
Nearly all the buildings have been assembled from kits with many changed in one way or the other. Many of the buildings of Summerfield have been reused from a European layout I had built over 25 years ago. In time I will add more details to some of these buildings to Australianise them a little further. Nearly all buildings are illuminated, and for this I use lamps from Christmas tree sets. These are 15 volt lamps which are run at around 8 volts which gives a nice soft glow. Windows are fitted with curtains etc and some are blanked off to create a more real effect, more of this work goes on as I feel in the mood. I also have fitted many operating street lights, again these are run at a much reduced voltage which looks a lot better and also increases the lamps life. The Summerfield station building is a G&E Rail Models Kit. It has been a challenge to build as the walls were not only different lengths, but thickness as well. It is still incomplete, and the roof fitted is only a temporary one until I have the time to build a more appropriate one. This was one of the first to be produced and the newer ones I believe are much better. The buildings behind the station are a mixture of American style which have been blended together.
Roads are always a challenge to make, mine are not great but they will do for now. My method is to make the road from thin cardboard (non glossy), such as the back of cereal packets. This is glued down to where the road is required. I then paint the road black, using a dry brushing method, that is very little paint on the brush and try to spread the paint as much as possible. The end result is the cardboard will dry patchy with various "shades" of black, somewhat like a road surface. When the paint has dried I sprinkle on some good old house hold dust taken from the vacuum cleaner. This is swept across the road with a paint brush and then it is all collected again in the vacuum cleaner. The end result is the roadway is given a very dull uneven look. The road markings are made by using very thin plastic strips cut to size and glued onto the roadway. Footpaths are made from thick plastic strips cut to shape as scribed as required, these are painted a concrete sort of colour, again I tend to dry brush the paint to give a patchy look. Finally I add the finer details such as rubbish bins, signs, trucks and cars etc, and of course people. Summerfield is a large city so many people are required, I have spent countless hours painting these people and continually keep adding more. As time goes on more details will be added such as billboards and signs etc, a number of which have already been started.
