Making a small H0e/H0n30 layout in just 6 evenings

Small layouts and 'pizza layouts', and especially those made to narrow gauge and H0e/ H0n30 in particular, have always intrigued me. Several members of my MRC, Gleng Modelljernbane Klubb, have made such narrow gauged pizzas in different scales and gauges. Many of them are seasonal layouts and have a Christmas theme, which inspired me and made me thinking for a while to make one on my own.

My wife made a chess-table by painting a chess-board directly on a table. I 3D-printed her some black and white chess-pieces to go along with the chess-table. After a long while the varnish started to turn yellow and flaking off, and the table didn't look so good anymore, and she was going to throw it away. I've said before; Throw away nothing - it might come handy some day. By coincidence the table was circular and an idea to convert it into a small seasonal micro-/pizza- layout was born. Luckily I had some Roco H0e/H0n30 starter set and some other narrow gauge stuff laying around. At this time there wasn't that many days left before Christmas, so there was not much time to loose.

Day 1

The original circular table with the 'chess-board':

I thought the outer rim looked to deep for the layout, so I cut 2 pieces of foamboard which I put inside, so the rim didn't seem so deep anymore:

I had a H0e-starterset which fitted the table nicely. The track were glued down to the foamboard with some few blobs of PVA here and there. -And then some obligatory test-running. I then weightet the track down and let the glue set overnight:

Day 2

Some small blocks of styrofoam was cut to shape as small hills, and glued down to the foamboard with PVA. Then the chuncks of styrofoam were covered with drywall plaster. Now everything needed to dry overnight again:

Day 3

Now everything was covered with a layer of white matte household paint, needing another evening to completely dry:

Day 4

At the craft shop they sells a lot of things for christmas-decorations these days. So in my local craft shop I found some 'snow paint', which was very thick and actually more like a paste. After covering the whole layout with this snow paste, I used the brush to stipple some texture into it. Inspired by a recent trip to 'Lommedalsbanen', a narrow gauge heritage railway in the forrest, I wanted to make a heavy snow scene. Now it needed to dry to the next day:

Day 5

Now it was time to plan the details to put on this micro layout. Firstly I drybrushed some trees with white craft paint and 'snow paint':

I wanted the layout to work as a candlestick for advent candles, so I placed some bases for led-candles too:

The station building is scratchbuilt by a friend and was salvaged from another H0e layout I'm currently reworking. I just gave it another color and a station sign:

The Gingerbread house were made from a free STL-file from Thingiverse, resized to H0-ish and 3D-printed.

The 'Stabbur' (storehouse) was also 3D-printed as is from Thingiverse. It was like a kit were you printed the different parts. Details like figures and vehicles I planned to buy in a model railway store, but it looks like I was a little late as almost every seasonal details were already gone and out of stock. So I bought some few they had left and 3-printed the rest.

The few I managed to buy:

The rest I 3D-printed (and painted):

The most observant of you may recognize the sleigh and the load (load #2); It's the same I scaled up for winter-service with my G-scale Heeresfeldbahn. Now I've scaled the same sleigh down to H0. The original STL-files at Thingiverse are made to about 28mm scale:

Day 6

Now it was time to bring everything together at the layout:

This is a military modelling blog and I usually include some kind of military presence on model railway layouts. Even if the main theme on this layout was 'Christmas', I included some memories from my own service. 

I tried to replicate the temporary white paint used for winter camouflage on Norwegian vehicles back, as it did not turn out like a 'solid' white color, but somewhat more transparent. 

Finally at display in our living-room for everyone to enjoy just in time for Christmas.

Layout at a glance

Name: Svingen
Scale: 1:87

Gauge: 9mm Narrow gauge (H0e/ H0n30)
Size: Diameter 19 1/2"
Height:19 1/3"
Style: Circular table, island, micro layout
Period: 2000 - 2006
Locale: Norway, fictious - "Somewhere up North"
Theme: Christmas micro layout

Scenery: Styrofoam covered with drywall plaster and Snowpaint on solid table

Control: DC analogue

Roadbed: None

Track: Roco N-scale track

Max grade: None

Minimum radius: 7 7/8"
Backdrop: None
Fascia: Original table edging

Conclusion

Often I read and hear that if you want to 3D-print small miniatures and details, only a Resin printer/ SLA-printer will do. I must say I'm surprised with the results from my Filament printer/ FDM-printer. My miniatures are not smoothed with filler and sanded as there were no time to do so this time. Mine are only printed and painted. Being cheaper than Resin printers, I think Filament printers are highly underrated. 

I didn't plan to name this little layout, but as a Facebook-group I follow called 'Micro Layouts' planned to host a virtual model railway exhibition at Saturday the 23rd of December I decided to join. 

-But again, then my little layout needed a name to participate. - So I named it: Svingen (which is Norwegian and means "The Turn", as the trackplan is in a constant turn) after a popular Norwegian Christmas tv-series for kids.

This was a quick and fun build, and it certainly motivates me do do another micro in the future.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!