Layout update – 2021 – Marklin Loft

Oh dear, it’s been far too long since my last update on progress. A lot has happened over the last year or so. The station and town are largely complete and just need a few finishing touches. The remaining track has finally(!) all been ballasted. That pretty much “only” leaves the left-hand side of the layout to finish, i.e. the area to the left of the engine shed. But see for yourselves…

Platforms

The platform bases are made from balsa wood. The foundation is a 6mm x 6mm strip. This is first painted on the visible side and then glued down according to the final shape of the platform. Joins are reinforced with a small backing strip.

This arrangement leaves enough room to run wires beneath the platforms to a convenient point where they can be dropped down through the base board. At the same time, access for ballasting is easier as you can get right to the edge of the platforms.

The platforms themselves are 6mm balsa wood sheets, cut to size and according the shapes required – my platform 3 has curved ends which can easily be cut with a craft knife. In order to give the platforms an edge, I glued 1.6 x 1.6 mm strips level with the top surface. Then I painted everything with the same grey as the foundations.

The next step was to assemble the roof kits. I used the roofs and support from two Auhagen 11376 kits. I added LED lighting in the centre of the roofs. This is made from small pieces that were cut from a 5m LED lighting strip reel. They are glued to the roof and then re-connected with small copper wires. The connecting wires are then run down the centre of one of the supports and through a hole in the platform. Everything is pre-assembled, including the resistors for the LEDs.

I then added the free standing platform lights that illuminate the platform either end of the roof. As everything runs off the same 12V circuit, it was a simple case of connecting the wires to the ones from the roof lights. The wires are then secured to the underside of the platform with tape and hot glue.

The next step was to drill a hole in the baseboard at the appropriate location, feed the wires through and then glue the platforms with the roofs already attached in place. I added some of the accessories from the Auhagen kits as well as some leftovers from the main station building kit and the obligatory Preiser figures.

Enough talk – here is the result: