Back in 2017 I 'enjoyed' a rather eventful 2-day, Class 749 'Grumpy'-hauled railtour from Prague up to the top corner of the Czech republic, near the Polish border. High winds brought trees down all over the place, so we ended up stuck at Nové Město pod Smrkem (a sleepy branch station) for about 6 hours with only a sizeable quantity of free beer to sustain us.
The Czech railway scene was much like BR 40 years earlier, with short loco-hauled passenger trains, interesting units and branchline freight workings along these bucolic branchlines, ripe for modelling.
I'd initially thought in H0, but a friend pointed out the availability of all the locos and stock I'd need in TT, with the added advantage of fitting more railway into the given space (said space being my customary Ikea Lack 110cm shelf)
Nové Město na Nedostatku is the result, a typically-Czech 3-loop + sidings branch terminus, albeit compressed to suit the length available.
Trackwork is all from Kühn (recently acquired by Roco), wire in tube point operation and analogue dc control. The 2 structures are laser-cut card kits from KBModel, who also produce the platform sides.
The various scenic details are etched kits from the various cottage industry makers that the Czechs are abuntantly served by. Backscene is a panoramic photo I took during our lengthy sojourn at Nové Město pod Smrkem, printed using the free Posteriza software to give a long, thin poster on 6 A4 sheets.
Locos are rtr (a 749 Grumpy and a pair of 742s)
The 810 railcars are from the LPH injection-moulded kit (a bargain at €5 a pop). A recent acquisition is a resin 831 body on a chassis based around a BullAnt motor bogie.
Coaching stock is Kühn or Tillig, freight stock is a right mix of reworked ancient BTTB/Zeuke, modern Tillig and the various resin and plastic kits from ESPěcky and SDVModel.
The layout still have a few scenic bits to finish off, as and when I feel the inspiration and/or find something that fits the gaps.
The layout featured in the October 2022 issue of Continental Modeller. It's been shown at half-a-dozen exhibitions to date, with a similar number in the coming year (including Model Rail Scotland)
As always, my micros are designed for portability, I get to most shows by public transport.
The Czech railway scene was much like BR 40 years earlier, with short loco-hauled passenger trains, interesting units and branchline freight workings along these bucolic branchlines, ripe for modelling.
I'd initially thought in H0, but a friend pointed out the availability of all the locos and stock I'd need in TT, with the added advantage of fitting more railway into the given space (said space being my customary Ikea Lack 110cm shelf)
Nové Město na Nedostatku is the result, a typically-Czech 3-loop + sidings branch terminus, albeit compressed to suit the length available.
Trackwork is all from Kühn (recently acquired by Roco), wire in tube point operation and analogue dc control. The 2 structures are laser-cut card kits from KBModel, who also produce the platform sides.
The various scenic details are etched kits from the various cottage industry makers that the Czechs are abuntantly served by. Backscene is a panoramic photo I took during our lengthy sojourn at Nové Město pod Smrkem, printed using the free Posteriza software to give a long, thin poster on 6 A4 sheets.
Locos are rtr (a 749 Grumpy and a pair of 742s)
The 810 railcars are from the LPH injection-moulded kit (a bargain at €5 a pop). A recent acquisition is a resin 831 body on a chassis based around a BullAnt motor bogie.
Coaching stock is Kühn or Tillig, freight stock is a right mix of reworked ancient BTTB/Zeuke, modern Tillig and the various resin and plastic kits from ESPěcky and SDVModel.
The layout still have a few scenic bits to finish off, as and when I feel the inspiration and/or find something that fits the gaps.
The layout featured in the October 2022 issue of Continental Modeller. It's been shown at half-a-dozen exhibitions to date, with a similar number in the coming year (including Model Rail Scotland)
As always, my micros are designed for portability, I get to most shows by public transport.
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