Godstone Road

[cornish trains jez]

HI mate,

 

Been following this one with interest, as a fellow 2mmFS modeller. I agree that it’s difficult to see the difference with rewheeled finescale sets on diesels but the track certainly will look much better in appearance than N Gauge track.

There are other options and ways to still use the finescale track from the society and build to either N Gauge standards or also a slightly finer version which would be somewhere between N Gauge and 2mmFS.

My advice before you embark on any more trackwork would be to check out (if you haven’t already done so) Tom E’s excellent Ropley Mid Hants Railway which he has built to N standards using society easitrac. The other layout I recommend checking out is Cav Millward’s brilliant Burton on Trent layout built to N2 standards, again with society track with a mixture of easitrac and copper clad, which is a slightly finer version of N Gauge but still using N Gauge stock.

 

Hope this helps. Building finescale track can be very daunting to begin with but certainly very rewarding in its appearance once done.

 

Good luck with the layout and look forward to seeing it develop.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[Lacathedrale]

Hi Jeremy, being in West Sussex we must only be a stones throw from each other - it appears all of the southern quadrant of 2mm modellers are coming out of the woodwork in this thread!

 

Justin said something very similar to yourself on this: 2mmFS is most obviously appreciated with spoked wheels and to show contrast against huge locomotive driving wheels, as opposed to 3' disc wheels hidden behind several inches of steel bogie. I think given the limited scope of the layout I may well forge ahead with 2mmFS regardless of the realisation that chunky diesels and bogie wagons might not be the best use of the standard. If I can get dimensions for a NMRA N-scale roller gauge I may ask my uncle to mill me one, or fabricate one out of washers and bolts (if I can get a supply that won't require a minimum order of a hundred of each)

[Lacathedrale]

Here's Ardingly's aggregate shed built in 1mm card as a dry-run for the corrugated stock I've got in the workshop. I'm pleased that it's come out at the correct shape/size after measuring up on Google Maps and some photo reference, although a few bits did take a few tries...

 

 

The rear of the building is skewed to match the backscene, and has an overall length of around 160mm - the full length of the prototype building. I think it would be a good idea to include this length just to ensure that the whole layout isn't just a flat plain.

 

My next step is to build up the aggregate office out of card, and use some other strips of card to represent the railings and hardstanding, and then get going with the plaster bandage to get some proper contouring going on. 

 

What is the consensus on modelling the aggregate piles vs having them on the backscene? 

Is there some commonly known easy way to make sleeper-fencing (aka coal staithes with the sleepers horizontal)? 

Edited January 12, 2018 by Lacathedrale

[Lacathedrale]

The wife was out late tonight, so I got mockups of all the structures for the layout built - there are technically some portacabins on the site now, but I have a feeling they'd have been something more traditional back before the yard was rebuilt. As the majority of the right hand side of the layout is level and a smooth yard surface I can always add them later. Pictures in some daylight tomorrow. It's quite an odd feeling, this approach: I'm taking my time building mockups which I'm knowingly going to throw away, but the reassurance that the pleasure is in the process is certainly helping. I'll try to keep telling myself that when it comes to tracklaying with this tiny rail.

[Lacathedrale]

The structures placed look sound enough, though I'm still insure about what to do with the gravel piles. I think the solution is to make up the intermediate fence and use some paper cutouts to gauge things. Speaking of gauge, I have requested a larger order via the 2mmFSA shop in order that I don't have to wait quite this long in future for basic supplies. I totally appreciate it's a volunteer thing and am not complaining, but I'm somewhat sitting on my hands in the meantime. The Dapol 33 has gone back to it's original owner, I've decided that money is better spent on track building supplies especially since the layout is so modest already, it hardly requires two locomotives and the '37 was not only my first choice but also has already been re-wheeled.

 

I spent today putting together a studio desk for myself. That sounds a little self indulgent but I only have a computer desk here in the house, and my 'garden shed' that holds all my hobby bits was just boxes and a chair. Now hopefully I can set up the soldering iron, plasticard and scalpels without having to pack every smidgen away shortly after. 

 

I say soldering iron, because not only have I got that track coming, but I've also been doing some research on building my first brass loco in 2mm - not related to this layout specifically but just something to pass the time while I wait for the track.

[Lacathedrale]

I did an oil wash on some of my S7 wagons to try out a pin-wash. It came out looking good, faded quite alot compared to what I was expecting. I gather a second wash (or on an untouched model; more pigment) ? How long should I wait between initial application (yesterday) and the next?

 

I broke ground on some wagons for Godstone road, but I've got that horrible feeling when you realise this stuff was meant to stay on the sheet and be laminated together, rather than being cut out...

 

 

note to self: axle boxes are not brake gear

 

On the bright side, I'm going to continue with the build anyway and with much less stress because I've already buggered it up. First pause is due to the fact I need a proper broach to open out the alignment holes in the sheets to laminate the body together, hopefully Justin will be able to nab some at the M.E. show in Ally Pally this weekend for me, otherwise it's off to eBay. I also grabbed a Bug "Hold and Fold" since I almost buggered up the folding on this little chap.

 

With the Dapol 33 back to its owner and the imminent arrival of a J72 (of course, subject to me being able to build the little sod), a complete non-appearance of the VTG PGA wagons I ordered, the prototypical structures being reduced to 'the yard office' and with a fictional track plan - I think we are quite sufficiently departed from my original specification. I don't see this as a particularly bad thing; life is an ever changing evolution of ideas and inspiration. One of my bolts of inspiration was to backdate the 37 back to as-new 1960's all over green and model the J72 rather at the end of its rope. The only item that wouldn't be suitable would be the Grampus. Of course, I'd have to double-check whether any kind of aggregate would be seen...

Edited January 19, 2018 by Lacathedrale

[SED Freightman]

Not sure how much detail you intend to have inside the Ardingly Hopper House, but this view looking west may be of interest.  The photo was taken on 01/05/1976, sorry about the quality.

 

[Lacathedrale]

So, my PGA wagons didn't turn up, and after contemplation I didn't really like the 33. So my stock consists of a 37 and some 16T mineral wagon kits, and a J72 kit.

 

My inspiration remains unchanged - (an industrial area of a larger station complex), but I think I may backdate the layout to the 1960's so the J72 (rather clapped out at this point) could run concurrently with an all-over green 37. It changes the location a little to the NE rather than SE, but I can live with that as it clearly is Purley-inspired. This is a slightly revised plan, not much has changed other than extending that siding, but hopefully it provides a glimpse of the larger picture:

 

The only thing that would change to both add a little operational interest and make it more suitable for an end-of-steam era is the addition of an exit in the top right to a level crossing and rail-served factory. I think I would quite happily have this as a cantilevered single track rather than a cassette/etc.

 

With a slightly altered setting and timeline I'm not sure the aggregate workings would be wholly appropriate, but I can see that Buckingham had a gravel pit and a malt factory that were rail served, so maybe that's enough? Given the 16T minerals I have will be on coal workings I am technically free to use whatever industry fits, so any alternate suggestions would be gladly taken.

[Lacathedrale]

Well I managed to put together the body and chassis (minus solebars) of my 21T Tippler. I took a picture but I'm just too ashamed. It looks like it was built out of concrete  

[justin1985]

Sorry to hear you had trouble. There is definitely a knack to getting the right amount of solder on these small parts, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it

 

I'd be happy to sit down with you and help you tidy it up if it needs it, or help you run through another build?

 

J

[Lacathedrale]

Hi Justin,

 

I've deliberately not thrown my toys out of the pram despite my vociferate dissatisfaction after 4+ hours! I made alot of mistakes that are obvious in retrospect.

 

I've got two identical 16T mineral kits, so maybe we could have a bash at those one evening in parallel so you can tell me where I'm going wrong? 

 

All the best,

[Lacathedrale]

Hi all,

 

I've spent the last couple of weeks doing DIY, and muddling through my first couple of etched 2FS kits - unfortunately they're basically unusable as anything but notional stand-ins for proper stock but I have learnt a good deal so I'm chuffed. I'm trying to muster enthusiasm for the original Godstone Rd. plan but it's quite tough - no hoppers either JHA, PHA or PGA, no Class 33, no usable 16T minerals. I've ordered some more simple kits from the association stores, and weighing up the original vs.   simply using the carcass for a different plan i.e. some kind of suburban bitsa on the same broad theme:

 

 

I know it's a bit of a cop-out but I didn't realise quite how excited I'd be about the whole thing and wanted to keep my expectations super-low with the original idea. There was quite a profusion of little branches and joint railways in the Croydon area, including a terminus at Addington very similar to Bromley North/Caterham in scope - if I were to replace the factory line with a turntable that would do it - albeit rather cliche and time-specific. The above is more like one of the Hemyock branch stations, I think if I kept the specific furnishings until later in the process it would probably represent anywhere. Road bridge on left with platform extending under (i.e. Ladywell)  and either a level crossing or simply a danger signal on the right.

 

Best,

Edited February 16, 2018 by Lacathedrale

[Lacathedrale]

Well, Godstone Road as we knew it is still somewhat up in the air, but the 37 has a nice new bodyshell; very pretty: