Marlborough
1/120 Scale by
Noel Cresswell
I had attempted American N-scale [1-160] modelling
before, but modelling in 1-120 scale was much more attractive. It is
visually quite a bit bigger than N, and yet equally able to fit in a
garage or spare room.......
The base board measures 3.0 x 1.2 Metres when assembled [ It is built
in two modules ]
My decision to make the layout portable paid off later when I shifted
house. It also meant I could transport it, by trailer to
various exhibitions.
I decided to base the layout on my home province of Marlborough, here
in the South Island of New Zealand.
Hence the name "The Marlborough Layout." I have tried to create a
general impression - Typical representations only. There have been no
attempts at exact replicas, but you can find many familiar local names
& scenes, such as the Inter island ferry "Arahura" docked at the
Picton terminal, also the vineyards & wineries that our region is
famous for.
My chosen era is modern New Zealand Railways.
Although it's more typical of NZR to have single track, having some
double track & separate controllers allows me to run two trains at
once, particularly at exhibitions. For yard work and for shunting rail
traffic on & off the ferry there is a third controller, which is
enough to keep two operators busy! All locos & rolling stock are
fitted with micro-trains couplers, and with uncoupling magnets sited in
strategic places under the track, a feature of the layout is great
hands-free shunting for more realistic operation. A feature that is
very popular with the viewing public.
All the points are on the operators side, and worked by push/pull
wires running in a flexible tube. They each incorporate an
electrical slide switch, which delivers power to the movable point
blades. Hence no stalling on the points...ever....Effective &
affordable.
When I first started, there was virtually nothing available
commercially in 1-120 scale, so all my locos are built on quality Kato mechanisms.I built all the bodies for the locos and rolling stock,
mostly from plasticard. Also most of the buildings & other structures
are scratch built, including the ferry... a time consuming but
satisfying part of the hobby.
Thankfully this situation has changed & there is now quite a bit
available in 1-120 scale, not only locos & rolling stock, but also
lineside details people & animals.
There are still things to do, such as weathering, signals, operating crossings, etc etc ....but that is part of the joy of this great
pastime.
Noel Cresswell
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