Lancaster Green Ayre - The Barn Owls have returned.

[LNER4479]

Hi Jamie,

 

Just to say 'happy new home' for LGA. Looks like many happy modelling holidays ahead for you over the years to come. Hope it all works out for you as planned.

 

Graham

[Mike Storey]

That is some "shed". You could have built a bigger layout.

 

I get the feeling that is what might happen, one day.

[jamie92208]

I get the feeling that is what might happen, one day.

Who mentioned Trent Junction or Hermosa Wyoming.......

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

Who mentioned Trent Junction or Hermosa Wyoming.......

 

Jamie

Sounds like a couple of adult entertainment stars

[jamie92208]

Sounds like a couple of adult entertainment stars

Trust someone who used to jump out of perfectly serviceable aeroplanes to think of that one.

 

Jamie

[lezz01]

Hi Jamie.

I'm very glad that the move went ok. The layout sure looks good in it's new home.   I see you also have plenty of room to extend  ...just saying is all

Regards Lez.Z.

[45156]

Looking good there now Jamie.  Nice to see your plans come to fruition.

 

Layout should now get a lot more reliable, as there's no more of the rigours of transport to and from exhibitions and between your home and the church.  Likewise not a lot more damage to the scenery and OHLE.

[Mike Storey]

The world is definitely smaller than we think.......

 

Turns out you were standing behind my big Bro at Warley last year. You were exhibiting LGA. He was with his club (Hillingdon) exhibiting Grindley Brook, also 0 gauge. He couldn't understand how you get (had) so many invitations to exhibitions whilst Hillingdon MRC struggled to get any. Any advice?

[timbowilts]

Divorces are expensive.Jamie

That seems a bit of a drastic way to get layout space?

 

Tim T

[jamie92208]

That seems a bit of a drastic way to get layout space?

 

Tim T

 

It's worked though Tim.   the move was for health reasons for my wife and she sort of agreed that I could have enough space to put the layout up.   We were just lucky that we dropped on a large shed that happened to have a house attached.

 

Jamie

I get the feeling that is what might happen, one day.

 

I'll send you a PM Mike.

[jamie92208]

Over a month since I last posted but for a variety of reasons there hasn't been a lot of modelling going on.   However it's time to do some more.  My daughters wedding has been and gone and other family happennings are underway.   Tonight I had to make a start,

 

Skerton Bridge at the east end of the layout is a prominent structure both in real life and on the model,  One of it's features are the ornamental balustrades along the parapet walls.  

Here's the part of the bridge that is being modelled.

And here is a close up of one of the sets of balusters.

9 sets are needed and will be set in the plywood parapets on the bridge.  I realised I couldn't make them so Ray Clasper kindly made  a master of one of the balusters for me in brass.   Graeme King then very kindly cast me of them with wire down the centre.

I then made them up in a palsticard frame to produce this.

Dave Tanner then made me a mould and it was then over to me to pluck up courage and try not so spill on the dining room table.

Here's the mould after the first pour.

Here I've managed to take it apart and the mould is next to the first cast 2 hours later.

Then I managed to clean the flash off and here is my first cast next to the master.

The second is now curing but hey ho I only need another 16 half casts.   

 

there is on slight problem in that the silicone rubber went past the centre of the master by capillary action and is very difficult to trim so I will have to file the cast down to it's centre line.

 

I'm very pleased with how it's gone.

 

Jamie

 

[45156]

And of course, in the real world, Skerton Bridge is handling two way traffic to and from Lancaster Northwards, as Greyhound Bridge is no longer able to cope with the poundng which it is getting from HGVs and the large weight of standing traffic which it suffers at peak times, and is closed for six months for extensive strenghthening and refurbishment.  Should have been left to its original purpose.

[jamie92208]

And of course, in the real world, Skerton Bridge is handling two way traffic to and from Lancaster Northwards, as Greyhound Bridge is no longer able to cope with the poundng which it is getting from HGVs and the large weight of standing traffic which it suffers at peak times, and is closed for six months for extensive strenghthening and refurbishment.  Should have been left to its original purpose.

 

Yes it's rather ironic that it's the 70's concrete deck that needs most of the work and the 1911 steel structure only needs a clean up and repaint as far as I can tell from the various bits on this interweb thingy.  

 

Piece No 2 now out of the mould and No 3 cast.

 

Jamie

[45156]

Yes it's rather ironic that it's the 70's concrete deck that needs most of the work and the 1911 steel structure only needs a clean up and repaint as far as I can tell from the various bits on this interweb thingy.  

 

Piece No 2 now out of the mould and No 3 cast.

 

Jamie

Just shows that it was pretty well engineered at the outset - I'm not sure how well the conversion work was done, but I can imagine - as cheaply as possible to get the cars moving quickly.  70s concrete has got a pretty poor record of long term survival largely due to fatigue in the steel reinforcement. 

[PaulCheffus]

Over a month since I last posted but for a variety of reasons there hasn't been a lot of modelling going on.   However it's time to do some more.  My daughters wedding has been and gone and other family happennings are underway.   Tonight I had to make a start,

 

Skerton Bridge at the east end of the layout is a prominent structure both in real life and on the model,  One of it's features are the ornamental balustrades along the parapet walls.  

Here's the part of the bridge that is being modelled.

160211-2.jpg

And here is a close up of one of the sets of balusters.

balisters.jpg

9 sets are needed and will be set in the plywood parapets on the bridge.  I realised I couldn't make them so Ray Clasper kindly made  a master of one of the balusters for me in brass.   Graeme King then very kindly cast me of them with wire down the centre.

I then made them up in a palsticard frame to produce this.

180306-1.jpg

Dave Tanner then made me a mould and it was then over to me to pluck up courage and try not so spill on the dining room table.

Here's the mould after the first pour.

180306-2.jpg

Here I've managed to take it apart and the mould is next to the first cast 2 hours later.

180306-3.jpg

Then I managed to clean the flash off and here is my first cast next to the master.

180306-4.jpg

The second is now curing but hey ho I only need another 16 half casts.   

 

there is on slight problem in that the silicone rubber went past the centre of the master by capillary action and is very difficult to trim so I will have to file the cast down to it's centre line.

 

I'm very pleased with how it's gone.

 

Jamie

 

Hi

 

For sanding resin flat I find Superdrug emery boards are very good for getting a flat surface.

https://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Nails/Manicure-&-Pedicure-Tools/Nail-Files-and-Buffers/Superdrug-Long-Life-Emery-Boards-5-Pc/p/736102?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuP7UBRDiARIsAFpxiRKFG9A21qvF_Rv92B6NXwmQTmfGJ8rOUShCHTJ0ZzdSn84gwF0T55gaAoOYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CI7uutvC2tkCFTEg0wodWm0MxA

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[jamie92208]

Hi

 

For sanding resin flat I find Superdrug emery boards are very good for getting a flat surface.

https://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Nails/Manicure-&-Pedicure-Tools/Nail-Files-and-Buffers/Superdrug-Long-Life-Emery-Boards-5-Pc/p/736102?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuP7UBRDiARIsAFpxiRKFG9A21qvF_Rv92B6NXwmQTmfGJ8rOUShCHTJ0ZzdSn84gwF0T55gaAoOYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CI7uutvC2tkCFTEg0wodWm0MxA

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

Thanks very much for that Paul.  I was thinking of making a sanding jig with a hole 2.5mm deep that just takes the casting and then sanding down to that level.  I will call at Superdrug.

 

Cheers

 

Jamie

[Mike Storey]

Hi

 

For sanding resin flat I find Superdrug emery boards are very good for getting a flat surface.

https://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Nails/Manicure-&-Pedicure-Tools/Nail-Files-and-Buffers/Superdrug-Long-Life-Emery-Boards-5-Pc/p/736102?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuP7UBRDiARIsAFpxiRKFG9A21qvF_Rv92B6NXwmQTmfGJ8rOUShCHTJ0ZzdSn84gwF0T55gaAoOYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CI7uutvC2tkCFTEg0wodWm0MxA

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

With the added benefit that your fingernails look fabulous Paul.

[jamie92208]

Another day and a few more dollars or in this case balusters. I've now cast four of the 18 and the 5th is curing. Hopefully I can do 3 or 4 a day In between other tasks.   Here they are.

 

Upper left are three completed ones and the master. Bottom left is the 4th complete one with the sanding jig made out of three layers of 40 thou plasticard. Tomorrow I'm going to glue it down to a piece of ply and glue the 3 layers together.   I've also got an old medicine spoon so I can measure the resin more carefully.

The 5th one is curing in the mould which I hope will last for all 18.

 

A bit more progress.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Another day and despite snow and a major family funeral production has continued.   3 produced so far and a fourth curing.  That's nearly half way.

As you will be able to see some of them have very little flash and you can see between the balusters.   I've finally cracked portion control.  I found an old 5ml medicine spoon that had an internal line at 2.5mls.   I've found that if I fill to the 2.5ml mark with mixture A then clean the spoon and refill with B and mix them there is just about enough.  Also I wipe over the top of the mould with the lollipop stick. The end result Is minimal flash and less fettling to do in due course.  

 

That's 8 done, 1 curing and another one to do overnight.   All I've got to deal with now is which type of autocouplers to fit to my coal yard wagons, Dinghams or Spartt and Winkle.

 

Jamie

Edited March 8, 2018 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

A day without major calls on my time has meant that I raced ahead with production of more balusters and now have No 16 in the mould curing.    I assembled my fettling jog and having borrowed  nice 1" file have managed to get the first couple of them reduced to the correct thickness.    I am going to cast a couple of spares just in case of hamfistednes but all being well should have several to take to France on Easter Monday.   The bridge itself is over there so I hope to get some trial fitting done.

 

Jamie

[gr.king]

I hope you've not been driven to exclaim BALLUSTERS too many times while trying to produce those Jamie. At least the end result saves you having to produce each element individually.

[jamie92208]

Thanks Graham.   For whatever reason no one has asked me what a baluster is and it's not called Baz, neither have I exclaimed too much.   As I've 9 units to make the thought of individually making 54 of them didn't appeal.   The next thing I've got to do is the two ornamental porticos round the flood relief channel which have pilasters either side of them.  Dave Tanner, is keeping me up to speed on the architectural terms as he works for the National Trust at Nostell Priory.  I've also got 4 actual pillars to do that surround the new opening that the North Western Railway had to build for the railway.

 

Jamie

Edited March 14, 2018 by jamie92208

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks Graham.   For whatever reason no one has asked me what a baluster is and it's not called Baz, neither have I exclaimed too much.   As I've 9 units to make the thought of individually making 54 of them didn't appeal.   The next thing I've got to do is the two ornamental porticos round the flood relief channel which have pilasters either side of them.  Dave Tanner, is keeping me up to speed on the architectural terms as he works for the National Trust at Nostell Priory.  I've also got 4 actual pillars to do that surround the new opening that the North Western Railway had to build for the railway.

 

Jamie

 

No need to ask what one of those is - we have a bridge full of 'em

 

[jamie92208]

No need to ask what one of those is - we have a bridge full of 'em

 

DSCF0755.jpg

 

It probably has a style name that has escaped me.   Apparently the main feature of interest in Skerton bridge is that there is no gradient across the bridge itself. 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

No chance of doing any major modelling as for the last two days I've been continuing to pack the contents of my modelling room. 14 boxes of assorted books and modelling items and 6 stock crates have now come out of the door and today I dismantled all the reaming shelves. In the process I discovered a 3 track test track that includes a crossover. I've never wired it up and it has been in use as a shelf for the past few years. Hopefully I will be able to use it properly when I gat to France.

 

However I have had a few breaks from packing and yesterday sanded down the balusters. I found a piece of timber with sandpaper glued to it and it worked a treat. Today I glued them all together and this is the result.

 

 

They look Ok and hopefully I'll get a few of them trial fitted in France in April.

 

In the meantime as no serious railway modelling can now be done until June I bought a card kit of a WW1 Battleship that I can do with minimal tools in spare moments. It's SMS Derfflinger at 1:250 which will end up nearly 3' long. I've always been fascinated by this ship as it rather uniquely spent longer floating upside down (1938 to 1947) than it did the right way up (1913 to 1919). It's a Polish kit and looks to be an interesting project. So Far I've made a building board out a 3' by 6" piece of 3mm plastic and a similar piece of 6mm ply.

 

Jamie

Edited March 18, 2018 by jamie92208