A Portable Layout in S-Scale
Fantasy N-Scale Portable Layout
Light Weight Construction
Dinosaurs, Stargate and Improbabilium Fluoride
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This page has pictures and description of a small (5 1/2 feet long) portable layout that I take to train shows.
The layout contains a single loop of N-Scale track that can allow small N-Scale trains to run. The display is made to a fanciful theme with fictional elements
as well as some real world inspiration. Visitors mostly enjoy seeing it and sharing with their friends and family members. That give me a great deal of delight. | ||
 Bill at the Space Coast Show 2022-03-05 |
 Award from the Train Collectors Association Southern Division |
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 Layout and parts loaded up for travel |
 View from the back of the car |
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 Dinosaurs and Stargate |
 Dinosaurs and Stargate side view |
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 Improbabilium Fluoride Refinery Overview |
 IF Refinery Lakeside view |
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 IF Refinery Service Entrance |
 IF Refinery Security Fence |
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 IF Refinery Security |
Improbabilium first came to my attention in the pages of the National Association of Model Railroaders publication "NMRA Bulletin". One
of the contributors invented the word to describe a fictional mineral that was mined and hauled on their model railroad. It has since seen
wider usage. A few decades back, I decided to compound it with Fluorine to make a liquid named IF for shipments of tank cars. Gort, the robot from the original movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still" is available as a pattern that can be printed using a 3D printer. Those robots were referred to as guardians. They are so employed on this layout. What about those domes, cylinders and pipes? Visitors mostly refer to them as "The Spaceport". Nope, those are the buildings where the IF is refined and handled. The stuff is very dangerous. That is why there are walls and fences to keep unwanted visitors out of harms way. Those buildings are also printed on a 3D printer. The patterns were labeled as "industrial" pieces for various games. |
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Suspended in the lake is a model of the Nautilis from Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The appearance is borrowed from the
Disney movie of the same name. The model was printed in 3D from a pattern that was available online. It is about half as long as the specifications
in the book would suggest. A full-sized ship would have been just too big for the scene. The lake itself is made of epoxy resin. I carved the lakebed out of the foam and then painted and further decorated it with stones, gravel and ground foam scenic material. Then, the liquid epoxy was poured in and allowed to partially cover the ship. Once it had cured hard, I used a rotary tool to cut ripples in the surface in accordance with the wind and direction of flow. That seriously roughed the surface to a frosted appearance that was nearly opaque. The final step was to brush high-gloss varnish on it to fill in the scratches and restore the intended appearance. |
 Verne's Nautilis as imagined by Disney |
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 Bridge Over Untroubled Waters |
 Dinosaur Cemetary |
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 Gort at the Guard Shack |
 Gort at the Portal Gort is the name of the robot in the original movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still". The dialog stated that it was a guardian and made to enforce the laws. Having dinosaurs and humans in the same area could lead to dangerous conflicts. So, Gort and Associates. |
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 Great Foamy Mountain A model railroad that is intended to be rich in scenery almost always needs a mountain. How can that be accomplished if the display is also intended to be transportable by someone with an aging back? The answer is foam. Great Foamy mountain is made from surplus Syrofoam and Great Stuff brand expanding foam. The mountain itself is made to be removed and transported in its own plastic tub. |
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 Foamhenge |
 Fortifications |
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 Lookout Point |
 Lower Access Bridge |
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 New Dress Pants |
 Into The Mountain |
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 Dinosaur Shower |
 Discussion Group 1 |
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 Marching Home From Work |
 Marching to a Picnic |
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 The Promenade |
 Tiki Dude visiting from Easter Island |
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 Gatekeeper |
 Fashionable Headwear |
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 Some Palm Trees Were Cake Decorations |
 Fantasy Rocks Originally, the rocks were carved foam with a splash of paint. |
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 Downstream View |
 Fantasy Rocks Updated with new epoxy castings from standard rock molds |
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 Right Of Way Discussion |
 Right Of Way Part II |
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| Site and Pages Copyright 2011-2023 - William P. Porter --- Some content belongs to the indicated provider. |