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Titles to Look Out For:
1993. Baseboard Basics and Making Tracks (The Silver Link Library of Railway Modelling)
1994. Creating the Scenic Landscape (The Silver Link Library of Railway Modelling)
1995. Locomotive and Rolling-Stock Construction (The Silver Link Library of Railway Modelling)

• Baseboard Basics and Making Tracks [top]
  Volume One in The Building of Platt Lane series
  First published in November 1993 by Silver Link Publishing in paperback, 96pp, ISBN 1857940067, original UK retail price: £10.99. 1st edition has slightly different cover to later versions - it has only two illustrations, a picture of Great Moor Street Station in Bolton (inspiration for Platt Lane) and a picture of the baseboard beginning to take shape
  Reprinted March 1995, August 1997 and April 1999, August 2000
  Reprinted 2001 (same details as 1st Edition), original UK retail price: £14.99
  Reprinted 2002 (same details as 1st Edition), original UK retail price: £14.99
  Later editions (e.g. 2001 & 2002) have three front cover illustrations: Two views of the completed 'Platt Lane'; and the prototype that provided the inspiration, Great Moor Street Station, Bolton (now demolished).

PLEASE NOTE: The layout chosen as the key reference point and built for this series is actually in 7mm scale, O gauge, reflecting the increasing popularity of what the author calls 'the king of all modelling scales' and that many of the techniques, principles and materials used are equally relevant to other scales, in particular 3.5/4mm scale derivatives of HO, OO, EM, S4 and the narrow gauge variants

About the Book: Silver Link commissioned railway modeller and author Trevor Booth to build a portable O-gauge exhibition layout-'Platt Lane'-from scratch, and record the process in step-by-step detail. This is the first book detailing that process, which is laying the foundations of the model railway, the baseboard, on which the entire success of the finished operational layout depends.

Includes many many diagrams and photos. Locations photographed include: the small ex-GWR shed at Brecon in the late 1950s, Hulton sidings in around 1960, Blackrod station in 1957, Bacup station in East Lancs in 1963, ex-GWR terminus Kingsbridge in 1962, and many many more. The purpose is to show the railway modeller real life examples to use on the model.

Contents:
1) What the Model Should Achieve
2) Choosing A Prototype
3) Adapting Reality to the Model
4) Making Plans
5) Types of Baseboard Construction
6) Baseboard Details
7) Choosing, cutting and laying track
8) The Wiring Diagram
9) Wiring Skills

Chapters:
Introduction

1. What we hope to achieve
'If it looks right it is right'
What type of layout?
Researching the prototype

2. Prototype to model
Marking out and mocking up
Fiddle yards
Operational and visual interest
Atmosphere and ambience

3. Building the baseboard
Planning ahead
Construction methods
Joining, moving and supporting

4. Laying the track
Track choice
Laying the track

5. Wiring the layout
Keep it simple, keep it tidy
Connecting the power
Soldering
Control of Platt Lane
Final thoughts

Index

Building Railway Layouts

• Creating the Scenic Landscape [top]
  Volume Two in The Building of Platt Lane series
  First published in 1994 in Great Britain by Silver Link Publishing Ltd
  Reprinted in August 1995, July 1997, September 1998, December 1998, July 1999
  Reprinted in August 2000, paperback, 96pp, ISBN 1857940237 . Original UK retail price: £14.99
  Reprinted in 2001, same details as for August 2000.

PLEASE NOTE: The layout chosen as the key reference point and built for this series is actually in 7mm scale, O gauge, reflecting the increasing popularity of what the author calls 'the king of all modelling scales' and that many of the techniques, principles and materials used are equally relevant to other scales, in particular 3.5/4mm scale derivatives of HO, OO, EM, S4 and the narrow gauge variants.

Contents: This is the 2nd volume in the 3-volume series from Silver Link Publishing where they commissioned railway modeller and author Trevor Booth to build a portable O-gauge exhibition layout 'Platt Lane' from scratch and record the process in step-by-step detail. The first volume dealt with the baseboard, track-layout and wiring. The scenic landscape is often seen as the most enjoyable part of the model-building process, where life and character is breathed into what has previously been purely timber and wire. Topics covered: Creating landscapes and contours, railway 'civil engineering'-platforms, retaining walls, bridges, etc; natural groundwork- trees, shrubs, earth, and grass; modelling form and texture-rocks, rivers and roads; buildings from scratch or from kits; life on the layout-people animals and vehicles; colouring, painting and detailing; cameos and conversation pieces.

It's a useful book that contains invaluable tips such as remembering to model in features such as wheel ruts, water culverts, scrapyards adjoining the track and rough tracks surfaced with stone chppings; and how to make tarmac-like features, pavements, rivers and streams, earth, grass and crops. There are many diagrams and photos-of the models themselves and of real locations such as Great Moor Street station, Thornton ground frame and Bolton Trinity Street.

• Locomotive and Rolling-Stock Construction [top]
  Volume Three in The Building of Platt Lane series
  First published in 1995 in Great Britain by Silver Link Publishing Ltd
  Reprinted in April 1999
  Reprinted in August 2000 by Silver Link Publishing, 96pp, paperback, ISBN 1857940385. Original UK retail price: £14.99

PLEASE NOTE: The layout chosen as the key reference point and built for this series is actually in 7mm scale, O gauge, reflecting the increasing popularity of what the author calls 'the king of all modelling scales' and that many of the techniques, principles and materials used are equally relevant to other scales, in particular 3.5/4mm scale derivatives of HO, OO, EM, S4 and the narrow gauge variants.

Contents:

The Building of Platt Lane
Silver Link has commissioned railway modeller and author Trevor Booth to build a portable O-gauge exhibition layout called 'Platt Lane' from scratch, and record the process in step-by-step detail specifically for this series of books. The books are packed full of technical detail, photos and handy hints.

In the first volume, he dealt with the construction of the baseboard and the laying and wiring of the track, then in the second, he turned his attention to that most absorbing of stages in model railway building, the development of the scenic landscape.

Now, with the railway environment complete, it is time to consider the type of trains that will serve Platt lane, the choice, construction and finishing of locomotive and rolling-stock kits and how they will be operated to provide a realistic service and maximum operational enjoyment.

The book covers:
* Choosing locomotives and rolling-stock to suit the period, location and services being modelled
* Building plastic and etched metal kits step-by-step-techniques, tools and trouble-shooting
* Adding detail to the models
* Painting, lining and weathering
* Running the trains to mirror prototypical practice

Locomotives Included:
Lancashire & Yorkshire 0-6-0 Saddle Tank No 51441
Fowler 2-6-2T, No. 40058
Fairburn 2-6-4T, No 42119
Aspinall Class '27' 0-6-0 goods No 52447
LMS 4F 0-6-0 Tender Loco No 44317
Alternative Locos-a pair of Ivatts

With this book, Platt Lane is now open for traffic, and hopefully this series of books has shown how with plenty of forethought, planning and observation of the real thing, a model railway can provide many hours of enjoyable, varied and prototypical running

Building Locos