In the summer of 2017, I set myself a challenge to see if a model railway could be built for £35.
The goal was to build a model railway for just £35 (this budget covering materials, track, electrics, controller and rolling stock) and to complete it 4 months.
Above is my initial back-of-an-envelope concept sketch, below is the history of its creation to date. Below is a step-by-step guide to its creation, from beginning to final status.
Part 5: Starting with the scenery
Part 8: Conclusion, final report
Project status
In the end, I missed my self-imposed deadline for the project but did achieve the main challenge – making a model railway for £35.
Budget:
- Track: Budget £5, Spent £5.
- Materials (box): Budget £10, Spent £9.98
- Electrics: Budget £10, Spent £9.99
- Total: Budgeted for items purchased so far, £25. Spent £24.97.
Deadline:
- DONE: Choosing gauge, layout size, theme and track plan. End of August.
- DONE: Aquire basic materials: wood, track, electrics. End of September.
- DONE: Lay and ballast track and electrics. End of October.
- DONE: Get rolling stock and make scenery and/or buildings. End of November.
- DONE: Add finishing details. 2nd Week of January (allowing for Christmas holidays).
Although missing the target deadline, and giving £100 to a charity, it was a really fun challenge, I learnt a lot along the way, and met some great people building their own model railway challenges. I’ll definitely be doing this again. Watch this space.