For several months I've been thinking that I just need to do a little bit more to the west end of the Camerton layout then I'll be able to post a new entry on the blog. Looking back at the previous entry (way back in February), though, I reckon I've made a fair bit of progress so it's well past time for an update. First an overall 'warts and all' photo where you can see the yard and, beyond the bridge, the station area is covered in modelling materials.
I'm also beginning to make progre
A discussion over in the Little Didcot thread about broad gauge track reminded me that I've said little about Loose Ends for nearly two years. Mind you, I've also done very little with this little layout on a few boxfiles. After the warping disaster, I put the boxes back on the shelfs where they stayed for most of the next year. However, the embankment section has had a new foamboard track bed without cork and a short section of dual gauge double track has been laid and ballasted.
The track
Some progress this weekend on the western end of the layout. This is the area of the goods yard, separated from the station by a road bridge. I say 'goods yard' but, in fact it was nothing more than a short siding alongside the line to Hallatrow. The yard was equipped with a short loading platform and a two ton crane. On the model, this area is much reduced in length to fit on a small removeable board across the room doorway. The photo below shows this section looking east.
The foam bas
I've made steady but slow progress on the baseboards over the last month or two. The boards are made from Knauf SpaceBoard extruded polystyrene which comes in 1200 x 500 x 52.5mm sheets, though it seems they are getting increasingly difficult to obtain (see this thread). End plates were made from 9mm ply and fitted with bolts and dowels from C&L. The front and back facing is 4mm ply. The foam pieces were glued together, and to the plywood, using the non-solvent indoor variety of "No More Nai
I'm posting this here to keep everything in one place. It is a summary following a very useful discussion in the thread/topic called Signalling Camerton following the prototypeincluding much help from The Stationmaster, I've arrived at the following draft diagram
It is based on my own observations from photos, Mike's comments and explanations and the diagram in R.H. Clark, An Illustrated Survey of Selected Great Western Stations, vol 2. Clark's description implies that there were no FPL
For those who do not know the area well, I thought I would add a little more background on Camerton. First, a link to the station area in Google Maps. Turn on the Map Labels layer to see the roads and their names. Red Hill crosses the site of the bridge at the west end of the track plan. Bridge Pl Rd runs from west to east across the map and over the bridge at the surviving east end. The four bungalows along Bridge Pl. Rd. are built on the trackbed in the station area, the station platform and b
Way back in February 2010 I posted an entry in this blog describing my thoughts on building several layouts. One of those layouts was based on Camerton in the Cam valley, North Somerset. It is area that I know well from my younger days and I've long been fascinated by the contrasts between its collieries and otherwise rural landscape. Since returning to modelling a little over four years ago, I've made several unsuccessful starts on a Camerton layout, each failing to satisfy because I was simply
This weekend has seen progress at Nowhere to the point where (almost) all track on the two main boards has been laid. Track laying had stalled back in the summer when I ran out of both standard and narrow gauge track and, since then, my main efforts on this layout have focussed on scenic work on the smaller board. Today I completed laying the narrow gauge station area so, after a six-month gap, I thought it was time to update this blog. The first picture shows an overall view of the station area
Most of my modelling activity in the last month has been on odds and ends that, in themselves, are too insignificant to post anything about, but will eventually find their way into blog pages in some form or other. On the workbench, I've been servicing motors and chassis, and fitting DCC decoders to some of the recently acquired HO and HOe stock for the Nowhere layout.
After a couple of weeks away, I've managed to finish the second, and larger, board for Nowhere. This has now been brought in
Little to report on Loose Ends other than problems. The warping that was apparent when track laying began on the embankment module has become worse, so I will have to cut out the trackbed and replace it. Looking at the station yard module, which has sat on the shelf since the cork trackbed was glued down, reveals the source of the problem:
Cork + PVA + foam board doesn't work. Though all appeared well after initial drying of the PVA, subsequent curing of the glue and/or contraction of t
A little over a week ago I posted an update to the introduction entry of this blog to announce Nowhere, Nirgendwo or Nessun Luogo as my new layout set in a wholly imaginary location somewhere between Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Unlike my other layouts, adherance to specific prototypes and prototypical operation are the last thing that comes to mind when thinking about Nowhere. As much as is possible, it will be based entirely on RTR stock and the main aim is simply to have fun playi
Although baseboard construction for Nowhere has been progressing rapidly, I've managed some progress on the embankment, bridge and station yard modules for Loose Ends. The basic form of the bridge module is now complete with the bridge itself, the river banks and the stone piers in place. Though I've yet to consider the river water or the backscene, and a central pier is yet to be built, possibly with Brunellian cylindrical supports. I'm still experimenting with different ways of painting the st
Introduction
I first created this blog back in early November but only now am beginning to populate it with information about the development of my layouts. Such is the rate of development of this side of my modelling activities Now, I say layouts, but this is really just an account of work in progress that I hope will one day lead to two three, perhaps three four*, working layouts.
* update 8th Feb 2010: Despite appearances, this is not intended to become a new version of the Monty Python
Now that I've taken the plunge and decided to unveil what I optimistically (perhaps laughingly) call my layouts, it's time to begin a description of progress on the collection of boxfiles that will be Loose Ends. Experience of RMweb suggests that whenever anyone starts a layout thread or blog without a track plan, someone will request one, so here it is:
Whilst it's a bit rough, it is the only plan I have No Templot for this one as it is just a straight section of two track main line.
