Hilton, James Small Layout Design Construction

Two years after his Small Layout Design Handbook and with several additional model building projects and commissions in his portfolio, James Hilton further explores the ideas behind small layouts in this book before describing how he builds them and then presenting numerous new ideas and plans to spark the reader's imagination. He describes how he eventually moved away from the idea that a small layout is a kind of second-best solution that can be realised before a main project to a position where small layouts can rightly be considered and enjoyed as a genre in their own right. Using the cameo presentation form introduced by the late Iain Rice, in which models are displayed on a stage with appropriate lighting, presentation and composition, the author argues that simple and small does not have to be synonymous with boring. By first thinking carefully about what we want to represent and what kind of operation we are aiming for, and then combining this with an accessible space and our desired themes or models, a perfectly satisfying model railway becomes a real possibility. Various practical considerations are explored, such as control, the operation of points and couplings, and the aptly named fiddle sticks, to set the scene for the subsequent detailed explanation of how James Hilton builds his own layouts. He first lists the tools he uses himself and describes them. He recommends building your own base plates and cameo boxes rather than buying one of the popular base plate kits made from pre-cut MDF or plywood. Apart from anything else, you don't have to worry about altering and possibly ruining someone else's work, and if you build your own base plate, you can create exactly the space and shape that your own ideas require. Next, practical details on construction are provided, accompanied by helpful and informative sketches and photographs. The various elements that make up the layout, details on cutting sheet material so that the machined straight edges can be used to best effect, the arrangement of track exits to the fiddle area, the arrangement of controls, and the important topic of lightingwhat to use and how to place and control it. All this, together with a host of other thoughts and ideas, culminating in the placement of the finished work in a domestic environment. The rest of the book, which makes up most of the 80 pages, is devoted to 27 layout concepts, complete with track plans, sketches and accompanying texts. Using a variety of models and settings, each suggesting different approaches to creating scenes and atmospheres while also considering operation, James Hilton provides ideas for giving models a real sense of place and purpose. As in his first volume, the topics and models covered are wide-ranging, including narrow gauge, industrial, and some North American and international subjects. All are written in a clear and easy-to-understand style, full of encouragement, inspiration, ideas and information.