Story of a Plank - Part 2: Foundations

Work has begun on ‘the plank’ – I need a name for this project. The first basic step is to lay out the positions of the road and railway. For the road I’m using a roll of cork sheet cut to the required shape; I’ll also be using this ubiquitous product for the railway track bed. Using cork mat for the railway is a popular technique, but I’m a huge fan of using it for roads too, for the following reasons:

The surface is textured, making a realistic base upon which to work.
It is easily cut to shape; ideal for any road layout that is required – bends and junctions are no problem.
It gives depth to the road, so holes may be cut into it to allow manholes, drains, roadworks etc to be easily recreated.
The mat is available in several thicknesses, and in sheets of 6sq foot – a good workable size.
It is cheap – my holy grail.

Cork mat used to be widely available at shows, but sadly these days many retailers only take along piles of Hornby & Bachmann stock, because it is seen as the sexy side of modelling. They then leave the boring mundane modelling stuff (the essentials, in other words) behind. Try getting ballast, fishplates, paint, glue or buffers at most shows, and generally you’ll struggle. But if you want a Hornby class 60, you’ll be faced with every other stand offering them in 18 different liveries. I got all my cork mat from Modellers Mate, who specialise in the unglamorous stuff – but they have just about everything a serious modeller who actually builds things could ever want.

For ‘Plank’ I’m using 1/16 inch thick mat. The first step was to draw the outline of the road and lay-by onto the surface, followed by a guide of where the track would go. As always, there’s never quite as much space as you thought you had! For this reason, I’m scaling down from double track to single track; otherwise the scenic break between road and railway will be too compressed.

With everything marked out, the cork was cut to shape and everything laid out as I plan it – road vehicles and a train were positioned so as to see how everything will fit into place – and here we are:

The strip of cork along the front of the board represents the edge of the main road, with the lay-by set back as in the photos from the A1 on Monday. The rectangle behind the coach is the base for the café, which will be based on the portacabin design. The single-track railway will be positioned behind this along the backscene.

So far, so good. To be continued …

Story of a Plank - Part 1: Ideas & Inspiration

If the title of this article leads you to think that I’m writing my autobiography, then think again. And thanks. Martin Luther King had a dream. I have a plank. I suppose we all have to start somewhere – and look what happened to Martin Luther King. Anyway, down to business. I do have a plank, or rather, a shelf (3 in fact) that have been discarded at work. I retrieved these shelves from the skip; they’re far too nice to throw away – and the timing is perfect. I need to build a scenic diorama for the show season when it kicks off in September, and now I have, at absolutely no cost to myself, the base on which to build one.

The idea for the diorama came to me a while ago, when parked up in one of my favourite lay-bys on the A1 near Colsterworth. I need something that depicts roads, railways, basic scenery, lineside detailing and scenic lighting for buildings and streetlights – in other words, a cornucopia of everyday facets of modelling, but they need to be brought together in a realistic manner in order to look convincing and plausible.

I have decided that this shelf provides sufficient space to create the impression of a large layby set back from the road, and includes a roadside diner at one end. A railway line will run along the rear. Here is the basic plank, with some stock to show the space available (working in 4mm scale)

The Inspiration

These photos of the prototype show the effect that I’m looking to recreate, based on the southbound lay-by, which is set well back from the road. The trees provide a natural screen from passing traffic on the A1, so you're not likely to get spotted if you shouldn't be there ... perish the thought.

Entrance to the layby, with churned up earth from repeated visits by trucks cutting the corner – a good modelling challenge.


The café, typical of many such roadsides diners. It has been created from a portacabin, and will make a great model. Plenty of opportunity for detailing here, especially if illuminated. I always enjoy working on building interiors. This particular café is located on the northbound A1 in the layby about 7 miles south of Colsterworth, and serves a cracking Bellybuster Breakfast for £4.80. I have made many visits to this layby, in the interests of modelling research, of course.


A general view that highlights the weathering of the road surface, discarded litter and wild, unkempt vegetation at the roadside.


The reading room, available at the more classy Truckstops. Also makes a great layout cameo. Smells not included.


The railway – I actually took this on the Boulby branch near Middlesborough some years ago, but this is the sort of look I’m after – a secondary line, still regularly used, but a little rundown with weeds growing in the trackbed and lineside vegetation encroaching onto the tracks in places. I'll be adding cable trunking to my model, as this is a detail that is easily overlooked until the ballast has been laid - and retro fitting is not easy or pleasant!

So that is the plan. I’ll keep you updated on progress, and hope to have a presentable model ready for an appearance at Peterborough Exhibition. So, it’s not just Martin Luther King who has a dream then …