An Update

The first finished products of my town
the general store and another building
maybe a store   not sure yet

The Trains

I model 'N' gauge trains which work out to 160:1 scale .I think this is the second most popular gauge after 'HO' which is 87:1 scale . N gives you the ability to model realistically large areas  in limited space
The trains running on this layout of which I don't have many rolling stock as they will have to be
what ran in that era. Some passenger coaches (like in the picture) some coal cars and the typical goods coaches.

Here is some more on model railroading
http://www.askmen.com/money/how_to_400/405_how_to.html

The Neighbour

We have a interesting view from our balcony But our neighbor really really! likes the view

An earlier layout

Some pictures of a Layout that ran around my work desk.
Never got to finish it but it had some interesting areas.

The Layout

A sketch of how the Layout might look like,
A typical small town somewhere in the untamed frontiers  of the west 
The steel tracks pushing further west to the promise of gold and California
railway workers  and ranch hands sustaining the  small town economy.

The first Steps

The first buildings are taking shape and as you can see from the pics they are alright but needs to be a little neater but that might come with a little practice
The first one I don't know what it's function is yet, the second is the general store

The 'Base"

The Bases for the layout  have arrived courtesy of a timber furniture and all other things in timber manufacturer  who is currently doing lots of work for us
there are two of them and I will have to choose the most suitable, in this case  the one with the bigger circumference and smoother under side.

The chronicles of the matchsticks

When I was about five years old, my cousin who was around twelve at the time used to create matchstick towns to complement their matchbox vehicle collection. I remember the whole floor of their bedroom except for the furniture was a miniature town, the roads were drawn with chalk from school. This was the inspiration that drove me to what I am today, from cement roads around trees in our garden  lego cities and 'HO' layouts with trains from my uncle to finally my lifelong hobby of modeling miniature 'N' gauge, 1:160 scale trains
This is a project that has been procrastinating on my mind for some time. I can' t see the final picture of this project yet but I now know it will be from the days of the wild west, A time I know really well in my imagination having read countless J T Edson and Louie Lamour westerns, in a time of limited Television. On a different note I think reading really fuels your imagination and the television for all it's programming, does nothing for it .
So the matches have arrived thanks to my sister (Aliya does not manufacture real matchsticks anymore thanks to deforestation and costs so we have only  useless wax  coated paper matches) The next step is the Base

See near the Sea

One day the the Sea will say NO MORE!
Saw this on the way to Chilaw on the coast road. A toilet that drains straight into the ocean

My very first

Chop'c' is and will be a blog to post a mixture of anything A.K. A chopsuay