GBP £

Scale Model Scenery Baseboard Guide

By Iain, 23rd January 2023 | General

Model Railway Baseboard Guide

Introduction

A good quality foundation is key to success in creating your own miniature world. Our range of precision laser-cut baseboards has grown rapidly over the past few years & will help you get up & running quickly with your model railway creations. From the original large series diorama boards to our very popular micro layout in a box range, with so many to choose from it can be a little confusing as to which to choose & what is compatible. In this guide, we’ll take you through the board range & show what goes together to create a layout, from micro to small up to larger layouts.

Are baseboards easy to assemble?
Do they take long to assemble?
What tools do I need?
Can I expand the baseboards?
Do all the baseboards fit together?
Medium / Large Diorama Baseboards
Large Sized Modular Baseboards
Small Baseboards
Mini Micro
Recap

I don’t feel confident at wood work. Are your baseboards easy to assemble?

Yes, they are easy to assemble & have been designed to be easy to assemble If you have never built a layout & don’t feel confident in woodworking or have limited spare time. You'll have no problems assembling them.

Do they take long to assemble?

They are quick to assemble. In many cases from unpacking to completing the assembly can usually be done within 30 minutes to an hour at the most.

What tools & glue do I need?

For glue the likes of Deluxe Materials Super Phatic Glue, PVA Wood Glue, or Mitre Fast Glue are ideal. The boards simply slot together as they are tab & slot friction fit design, so in most cases, the only tool needed would be a small or light hammer, to tap the parts in place.

If I want to make my layout bigger will I be able to expand the layout boards?

Yes, the majority of our baseboards are modular, which allows a layout to be expanded with additional add-on units The baseboards come supplied with bolts, washers, wing nuts & spacer pieces. Pre-cut bolt holes & holes for running electrical wiring are all there to make things as easy as possible for you.

Do all the baseboards you do fit together?

They are designed in several family units, with boards in each family unit being compatible only with fellow boards within its own family of boards. For example, the micro ones are designed to fit micro ones only. In the next part of this blog guide, we’ll show what each is compatible with, to help you make the right choice to suit your layout needs

Medium/Large Sized Layout/Diorama Baseboards

The BB001 Large End Board. Can be assembled as either a left-handed end or as a right-handed end, as shown in the diagram below. Two BB001s can be joined together to create a larger diorama.

The BB002 Large Center, BB003 Medium Center Boards & BB011 Large Center Board Without Backscene. These are designed to bolt onto BB001. These baseboards can be assembled in any combination on a straight run. The BB001 Large Ends can only be fitted at the ends. The two diagrams below show two examples of how they can be assembled.

The BB010 Large Double-Ended Diorama is a standalone unit suitable for displaying all various scales of military, aviation, and road transport models, as well as displaying your model railway locomotives. It can also be used as a spray painting booth or even a photo booth for your models.

Large Sized Modular Layout Baseboards

The BB030 is a modular design that allows easy expansion as your layout grows. The BB030 is designed to work with additional BB030 baseboards which can be bolted onto any of the four sides of the BB030. From straight runs, 90-degree corner sections, as well as expanding along the front & back of the layout. The diagram below shows an example of how nine BB030s are joined together. It also has plenty of space underneath for large point motors like the Tortoise, Cobalt, etc

Micro Baseboards (Layouts In A Box)

We’ve designed the so they’ll fit in the 77L & 22L Really Useful Christmas tree/Christmas roll wrapping paper boxes. These boxes can be found on the likes of Amazon’s website & also in the Argos catalogue store. Lightweight compact & portable, perfect for when space is limited.

The BB017, BB029, and BB021 Micro Baseboard are part of the larger series of micro layouts in a box series. The BB017 & BB029 consist of two halves which allow them to be split in half & have one or more BB021 centre extension baseboards fitted to extend them. The BB029 also allows boards to be bolted onto the front to create a 90-degree corner. The BB029 can be built as either a left-handed or right-handed configuration. The three diagrams below show several assembly configuration examples.

The BB017 with BB029

The BB017 with BB029 & also BB021

To create a right-angle L-shaped corner layout the example below shows how.

The BB018 Micro & BB023 Center Extension. The BB018. is the smaller brother of the BB017. The BB018 is designed to be used with the additional BB023 Center Extension. In addition, it can also be used with two micro fiddle yard boards the BB019 & BB022. The diagram below shows some examples using the BB018 & BB023 baseboards.

The BB019 is a single-track board (or double-track if using N scale) whilst the BB022 is a double-track board (four-track if using N scale). They can be used singly or in multiple to create longer fiddle yard boards. They can also be used as a board for a DCC programming track too. The diagram below shows an example of the BB018 in use with BB019 & BB022.

Small Baseboards

BB012 Small Diorama End Board & BB009 Center Extension Board. The BB012 end corner board can be assembled as a left-hand end or & a right-hand end board. The BB012 can be bolted to an additional BB012 to make a small double-ended micro layout/diorama. If needing a longer layout/diorama fit sister BB009 centre extension board (as many as required) in between two BB012s. The diagram below shows these examples.

BB006 Small Diorama Board. The BB006 is a standalone diorama board, perfect for creating small dioramas, to display railway models, diecast models, and plastic military kits on. Also ideal for practising scenic modelling before moving on to working on a larger layout.

Mini Micro

One of the smallest barring our circular plinths is our BB031 which is a standalone unit. Designed to display a single road vehicle such as a car, van small truck, bus, or even a small building kit of some kind too! Great for going on your bookshelf or display cabinet.

Another use for the BB031 is to screw it to your layout baseboard framework, where it can then be used as a handy place to put your tea or coffee mug, mobile phone, track rubbers & track cleaning bits, etc. Or for those of you who like a wee tipple of something a bit stronger cut a hole in the flat base section big enough to take a beer glass (the type that tapers outwards towards the top). In the image below Paul Gosden has made the BB031 into a mini diorama to display one of his many model buses.

To recap…

As we reach the conclusion of this guide we hope that it'll help give you a better understanding of what each board is compatible with within our range. Once you’ve decided on which ones are suitable for your layout project, choose your boards & then it’s time to start planning your track plan to fit the boards.