Modellings tips and answers - Modelling a goods yard - Videos

This week in history

On Thursday 5th October 1916, the Trans-Siberian Railway was finally completed, with the opening of the Amur River line just north of the Chinese border.  First begun in 1891, the Trans-Siberian Railway links Moscow Yaroslavsky station to Vladivostok Station on the Pacific coast.  With a working length of 5,772 miles, it is the longest railway line in the world.  Travelling the full length of the route in either direction takes on average 8 days to complete.  Further expansion projects are planned or proposed to China, Mongolia and North Korea and also an ambitious route by bridges to Tokyo.

This Week's Item of the Week is Looks Like Glass by Deluxe Materials.  This is a thin, water-based liquid that performs a number of functions.  Clear plastic parts dipped in it will have a realistic shiny glass finish for added realism.  Additionally, it can also be applied as an adhesive to attach clear parts to a model, where its thin solution uses capillary action to ensure adhesion with no visible residue.  It can also be used to coat a painted surface to ensure an ultra smooth finish that will aid decal application.  Finally, models looking for a wet look or finish to a model can use Looks Like Glass to create specific visual effects.  Looks Like Glass is supplied in a 100ml bottle and can be applied either by brush or airbrush.

For many modellers creating a new layout, a station will be an essential feature, acting as a hub of activity and a natural focus for other scene elements on the layout.  Whether large or small, a station is an essential transport hub and can be an exciting feature to develop with its distinctive and unique infrastructure.  That said, for modellers looking for something slightly different, the idea of an essential transport hub can also act as the inspiration for a goods yard.  A goods yard is a key transport hub but unlike a station, a goods yard deals with freight rather than passengers. 

As a natural transport interchange between rail and sea, or rail and road, a goods yard is a freight transfer location prior to onward movement.  To facilitate this, the yard will inevitably be equipped with a variety of lifting appliances such as jib cranes.  The Good's Yard Crane by Peco offers modellers an ideal solution for moving goods in a small yard.  Another similar solution is offered by Wills Kits, in the form of their Good's Yard Crane with fixed timber Jib.  For those modeller's looking for a slightly more substantial appliance, the Fordhampton Loading Crane kit, by Gaugemaster could be the ideal solution.  All of these options are supplied in the form of plastic kits and can be painted and weathered for extra realism and visual impact.

There are a number of options available when it comes to freight suppliers, such as the Small Timber Yard by Wills Kits.  This detailed and compact kit offers an ideal storage area for the local timber merchant to operate from.  Likewise, the Coal Yard Hut, also by Wills Kits offers a small coal office with adjacent coal staithes typical of the type used throughout the country at freight yards.  Being an essential transport hub, the goods yard will act as an interchange between rail and road traffic services.  For any goods departing or arriving by road, the yard weighbridge will inevitably be the first stop.  The Weighbridge and Hut kit, by Ratio Models will allow modellers to incorporate this essential service into their freight yard.

There maybe a storage requirement for some freight goods that are not necessarily ready for onward transportation to their intended destinations.  To cater for this eventuality many goods yards will have temporary storage facilities, such as those typified by the Provender (Goods) Store kit.  The Coal Sacks (48 pack) offers modellers the option for inclusion of temporary stored cargo along with associated weights and scales.  All freight movements and activities within the yard will be carefully monitored from the Yard Foreman's Office.  All three kits seen here are supplied from the extensive range offered by Ratio Models.

Another regular cargo that maybe seen in transit through the yard are oil barrels.  These useful items are utilised to carry a wide range of hydrocarbons for a variety of industrial purposes.  The Oil Drum Groups (3 & 5) set by Harburn Hamlet includes a series of 8 pre-painted and weathered resin-based barrels that are ready to install on a layout.  With the choices of buildings and transit goods made, the inclusion of plastic figure sets will help bring this bustling yard to life.  The Loading Workers set by Merten and the Construction Workers set by Noch will enable a modeller to populate their yard with figures appropriate to the tasks at hand.  Both sets contain 6 pre-painted figures that are ready to be integrated into suitable locations.

A goods or freight yard offers great opportunities to a modeller who wishes to use it as a theme for a layout.  The considerable variety of building and structure kits and figure sets available allows a modeller to adapt a modular approach to layout construction.  Items can be selected and assembled to create a particular look and whether the yard is large or small, the bustling and industrial nature of these locations inevitably lend themselves well to creating significant visual impact for the layout.  Why not explore the options available for a goods or freight yard for your next layout?

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