The Backyard Tidmouth

Dear fellow members of Blue Plastic Tracks.

I'm happy to announce that after quite some years of being left in storage far from my residence with no access to them, my extensive TOMY, TrackMaster, Take Along and some other collections have been reunited with me. Up until now, there were no more sufficient storage options left for them anywhere indoors, let alone in my room, and they finally have a great new spot to reside in as well.

 

Over the last month, we've been setting up a garden shed that mom ordered to store her masses of equipment (including my belongings) until she could move office, but a turn of events led to the shed being reserved exclusively for the toys. I've kept this a secret the whole time until they arrived. Now that my collections are right here and I know they could start a new life where they've always belonged, I intend to finally reveal the items that I've mentioned I have ever since I joined. It will also give me opportunities to revive and utilise some of my scratchbuilding skills, which I've abandoned on the grounds that my room is overfilled with items (many of which will now have a more appropriate place).

Expect to see activity in the Toy Train Photography thread and Modification Gallery since there will be outdoor photos (my first outdoor versions of their kind) and various customs, among my own versions of items I never had in TOMY/TrackMaster. I'm quite eager to get back into this hobby with more possibilities than I've had until now.

[Super]

That is exciting news Da-lag. Anxious to see much content coming from you and showing us your collections. Hope to see some pictures of your new workshop/shed before you start fixing it up.

The scratchbuilding sounds really interesting! I'm excited to see what you have planned out!

That is exciting news laG. Anxious to see much content coming from you and showing us your collections. Hope to see some pictures of your new workshop/shed before you start fixing it up.

It's a Keter Montfort 757 (228x223x252). Very tall, robust, high quality and cleverly designed. The exterior will stay as is for the most part, but interior lighting and furniture should be added. Even though a small Plarail/TrackMaster layout could fit, I wouldn't build them inside because there will be a desk (which would be too thin to accommodate one). Most of my new layouts would be set up outside the shed, with unconnected track sections for photos and filming and complete layouts for actual runs. Sorry, but I won't show the inside in its current state because it's not presentable yet, and I'd rather wait for the collection reveal so as not to spoil them.
 

The scratchbuilding sounds really interesting! I'm excited to see what you have planned out!

In addition to vehicles, I was referring to custom buildings and other such things made of several materials (mainly cardboard, wood from various sources, paper and existing components). I'm still lucky to have a few spare parts I could alter and repurpose numerous times whenever I see fit.

[Super]

Very nice looking maintenance free shed Da-lag.

Man, I like that shed! I have a similar one that I need to replace and something like this might fit the bill.

Until the furniture arrives, I've done measurements to design two simple cabinets to help with storage and display since many items are still in bags or exposed on the floor at the moment. The desk was left out since I wouldn't expect it to be specialized. The current concept art has been scanned and translated into English:



The shed was not drawn exactly to scale, so it's actually wider inside than I've depicted it. Yes, that's a mat of synthetic grass we've added as a carpet. Unlike the right cabinet, the left one would have a space underneath for the existing cardboard boxes of track and road parts. The desk will have drawers on either side for things such as rolling stock, spare parts, custom shells, other and non Thomas items. Some leftovers that wouldn't fit elsewhere would be on top of the cabinets and/or in the corners.

The first new piece of furniture has just been brought in; It's an old (existing) black cabinet that happens to be just the right size (and not too far off from my original measurements for the right side one). Most of the large TOMY/TrackMaster parts are currently expected to be in it with some others on top, like in the initial plans. Since it's much heavier than I envisioned the specialized cabinets to be, I'm glad it has casters to help move it if needed. The left cabinet might still have to be specialized if I'll want a space for the track and road boxes underneath. In addition, I've also inserted a small plastic case and a large box that should be helpful as well.

[Super]

Can't wait to see a few photos of what you are doing, I can't tell you are having a ball.

Well; I had a better look at the cabinet yesterday, and it turned out the problems I thought it would have were totally nonexistent. The back was still perfectly strong and only some staples had to be pushed back into place. The sliding tray was removed before dusting but won't be reinserted (I shall see how I'll repurpose it). These are the first public photos of anything inside:



In keeping with the concept art, it has been filled with the TOMY and TrackMaster destinations. The depth turned out to be 40 cm, which helps fit the large ones very well. Some of the ones that can be taken apart were disassembled for more effective storage, especially sheds. Even the bottom right compartment is just wide enough and doesn't hinder anything (though I still think it could've been better off without it). Not all the items are in permanent locations.



I was impressed to see how neatly everything went into it, thanks in part to the disassembly. Some have been laid on top of each other where possible, while others were simply tucked in. Since the top shelf is too low for characters and other vehicles, I knew I'd save it for large items to take better advantage of all that space.





The Sodor Engine Works (right) was actually my only Take Along/Take 'n Play set (as I mentioned in the Introductions thread, I got it simply to get James before I saw one by himself). Everything else is TOMY and TrackMaster, so it wouldn't have much use for me besides as other buildings and for some interior shots. On the other hand, the TOMY Engine Wash (left) has always been one of my favourite pieces. Along with the small track and road station, it has since been taken out and put on top for display (next to the Elsbridge crossing).



The bottom right compartment has been reserved for both the HiT Toys and Fisher Price Tidmouth Sheds. The turntables were hard to deal with, but all the doors, roof sections, walls and support beams fit just as well as their TOMY counterparts.

Needless to say, I'm glad I decided to repurpose the cabinet because it's just what I needed for the right side. I'll still have to find solutions for Boulder Mountain, the oversized Harold Cargo Delivery and (of course) the track and road boxes and anything else in there.