Kirkby Luneside

[Physicsman]

Thanks Rich, appreciate the support and encouragement.

 

But it's really leagues apart from something like Pendon. All I can do is try my best, listen to what others suggest and keep learning.

 

Oh btw, the piece of ballast was actually 0.000357 degrees out of true. It has now been corrected.....    

 

Jeff

[MarshLane]

Thanks Rich, appreciate the support and encouragement.

 

But it's really leagues apart from something like Pendon. All I can do is try my best, listen to what others suggest and keep learning.

 

Oh btw, the piece of ballast was actually 0.000357 degrees out of true. It has now been corrected.....    

 

Jeff

 

 

I really wouldn't say that!  The the standard and realism really takes a lot of beating.   As for the piece of ballast, oh thank god - I might be able to sleep tonight now Lol!

 

Rich

[Andrew P]

Great pics of the Locos, I had my Sound 24 running last week, more pics on KM when I get back from holiday.

[Physicsman]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MarshLane]

Nice shots Jeff ... see your getting adventurous as well now!  Trains passing wow!! hehe. Looks great and the point rodding really adds to the scene.

 

Rich

[Physicsman]

Nice shots Jeff ... see your getting adventurous as well now!  Trains passing wow!! hehe. Looks great and the point rodding really adds to the scene.

 

Rich

 

Cheers Rich.

 

Not sure if everyone realises - I only discovered this a few months back - but clicking on the picture gives a substantially magnified view of it.

 

2 trains worth up and running. I've enough 3-links for another 10 wagons. But a wagon-break tomorrow. I'll be playing with sheets of cobbles.

 

Jeff

[Rowsley17D]

Hi Jeff, great to see trains in the landscape. Just looking forward to seeing 8F, Black 5s etc.

 

Pedant mode on/

 

Are you having cobbles or setts?

 

Pedant mode off/

[Physicsman]

Hi Jeff, great to see trains in the landscape. Just looking forward to seeing 8F, Black 5s etc.

 

Pedant mode on/

 

Are you having cobbles or setts?

 

Pedant mode off/

 

Being pedantic, eh?

 

I'm using Slaters 0418 granite setts.

 

I've used Wills cobbles sheets in the past, but it's easier to fit 3 or 4 A4 sheets (cut to size) in place, rather than the much smaller Wills sheets. Less sheets means less joins to see and have to weather down.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

Hi Jeff, great to see trains in the landscape. Just looking forward to seeing 8F, Black 5s etc.

 

Pedant mode on/

 

Are you having cobbles or setts?

 

Pedant mode off/

 

Just to add one further thing. I'll try most things, but one thing I definitely (so no need to discuss the issue) won't be doing is converting steam locos to EM.

 

Anyone like to suggest a name of someone willing (and able to do a proficient job, cost virtually irrelevant) to do this task?

 

Jeff

[uax6]

Looking very nice Jeff. Having just had a quick read through, and a look at the photos, a couple of things come to mind:

 

The headcodes on the two type 2's need looking at, the disc one needs the top light turning off, and the headcode box of the later one seems far too bright to me....

 

The trains themselves look stunning, and its nice to see trains of a decent length.

 

Well done Sir!

 

Andy G

[60091]

Hi Jeff...

Still following your progress with KL2. 

More great photos, especially the sixth one showing the trains crossing. The view over the gate and across the field down to the track is pure S+C.

 

Regards

Alan

 

[Donw]

Looking good Jeff. I am pleased to see you are using three links. I used them myself in EM and still do in 0. I don't think I converted any locos to EM built 00 kits to EM yes but there wasn't the range of commercial stuff at the time. In those days a lot of 00 stuff had wider wheels so when replacing them with better thinner wheels set to EM the cranks pins were in much the same place so lining up with the cylinders was ok. I wonder how easy it would be today. No doubt the EM gauge society has plenty of info. I assume there would be quite a few to convert.

Don

[Physicsman]

Alan, Andy - thanks for the comments.

 

Jonathan, re. cobbles and setts. I've just dug into my storage area and pulled out packets of Wills "Cobblestones" (SS MP218) and Wills "Granite Setts" (SS MP204).

 

I recall using cobbles on a previous layout, but these aren't appropriate in this case. However, the Wills setts look SO much better than the Slaters sett sheet that I'm going to bite on the bullet of sheet size and go with Wills. Setts are larger, but will look good with weathering.

 

The Slaters looks like the stuff you'd put on a platform top - very little depth to it.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

Looking good Jeff. I am pleased to see you are using three links. I used them myself in EM and still do in 0. I don't think I converted any locos to EM built 00 kits to EM yes but there wasn't the range of commercial stuff at the time. In those days a lot of 00 stuff had wider wheels so when replacing them with better thinner wheels set to EM the cranks pins were in much the same place so lining up with the cylinders was ok. I wonder how easy it would be today. No doubt the EM gauge society has plenty of info. I assume there would be quite a few to convert.

Don

 

Hi Don.

 

I was converted to 3-links by - guess who - Jason. I found the system fiddly and frustrating at first (as I've recently rediscovered!!), but you soon get the hang of it and it looks "mighty fine" (as the Americans might say).

 

Conversion of the steamers to EM isn't a priority and although I have about 20 S&C-relevant steam locos, we'd be talking about maybe 8-10 (3 Black 5s, 2 9F, 1 8F, 2 Jubilees, 2 4F) over a period of time. It'll get done eventually, one way or another!

 

Jeff

[Rowsley17D]

Hi Jeff, you say that you're looking to hiring in help to convert your steamers, but why not have a think about say doing the 4F yourself at some point? No outside cylinders or valve gear. Just think of the satisfaction. Brassmasters do a nice kit for such a conversion and their instructions are very good.

 

http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/4f_easichas.htm

[Physicsman]

Hi Jeff, you say that you're looking to hiring in help to convert your steamers, but why not have a think about say doing the 4F yourself at some point? No outside cylinders or valve gear. Just think of the satisfaction. Brassmasters do a nice kit for such a conversion and their instructions are very good.

 

http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/4f_easichas.htm

 

I meant what I said about the conversion of steam locos on KL2 - though that doesn't mean I'm not willing to have a go in the future.

 

I have a lot of things to do on KL2 - including a fiddle yard "conversion" at some point and I'm not prepared to get involved with steam conversions UNLESS I HAVE TO. There are people out there who can do an excellent job for me in the short term - the next year or so. If I don't find anybody, KL2 will remain diesel only for the foreseeable future.

 

I'm sure it's satisfying. I just don't have the time given the time-input I'm putting into everything else. As an example, Joe Bloggs might build a layout using proprietary walling. Time to build = 0 hours. By the time I've finished, I'll have spent 250 hours on my walls. Fred Bloggs might buy RTP buildings. I'll probably put in a good 100 hours on the shed, station and box. I HAVE to prioritise IF, in the short term (next year or so), I want a steam loco or two (Black 5, 9F would do me) on KL2.

 

5 years down the line I quite fancy building some turnouts and doing a steam conversion (I have discussed this with a couple of people), but not now.

 

That's my rationale. I'd appreciate that people just accept it, for the moment.

 

Jeff

[MarshLane]

Just to add one further thing. I'll try most things, but one thing I definitely (so no need to discuss the issue) won't be doing is converting steam locos to EM.

 

Anyone like to suggest a name of someone willing (and able to do a proficient job, cost virtually irrelevant) to do this task?

 

Jeff

 

 

I started reading that, after the comments bout which cobble sheets you were using, and was expecting too see "I definitely (so no need to discuss the issue) won't be making individual cobbles out of DAS clay!" haha!!

 

There must be somebody who offers a commercial conversion service, when I head up stairs I'll have a look in the latest EM Society magazine, surely in this day and age somebody who is a wiz with these things is doing it.

 

Rich

[Physicsman]

I started reading that, after the comments bout which cobble sheets you were using, and was expecting too see "I definitely (so no need to discuss the issue) won't be making individual cobbles out of DAS clay!" haha!!

 

There must be somebody who offers a commercial conversion service, when I head up stairs I'll have a look in the latest EM Society magazine, surely in this day and age somebody who is a wiz with these things is doing it.

 

Rich

Thanks for that. I, too, would have expected there'd be people out there who'd offer this service.

 

I'm always happy to try something new, but right at this moment re-gauging steam locos isn't one of them.

 

Jeff

[Donw]

I think a lot of people who do this kind of thing have moved to 7mm as the higher prices for locos gives more opportunity to charge a reasonable price.

 

I wasn't suggesting you should do it. More musing about the amount of work involved. If I was doing the job for someone the Brassmaster Easichassis would be a good option where it exists. Probably extra work but a more reliable result. Sometimes you can move wheels out on an axle but if doing it on commission it would be a concern how good the result was. Buying new wheelsets would be a cost but you could have confidence in them. Anyway if you are thinking about it I might be interested.

Don

[Physicsman]

Update: Not a lot of time in the Bunker today, though progress has been made with a section of "granite sets". Hopefully my order for additional Wills sheets will arrive tomorrow.

 

I'll show some pics of this when there's something fixed in place and painted, so probably Sunday/Monday.

 

Don, I sent you a PM re. the re-gauging work.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

Needless to say, the Wills sheets didn't arrive today, so I converted another 3 wagons.

 

Then I made a couple of discoveries, rummaging through the box of stuff I'd taken to the Gnosall EM event in July. First, another 3 weathered wagons, already re-gauged and just waiting for some links. And a couple of loco boxes loaned to me by Jason - containing a 25/3 and a 08.

 

So "work" came to an end and I've been playing round with 4 locos on the go for the last 2 hours. And the activity did remind me of how adaptable DCC is to really (and I mean VERY) dirty track: a 25 successfully reversed over 20 wagons into the goods loop, and I'd forgotten to clean the grime and muck off that particular section.

 

Good fun. Hopefully I'll be able to do some more road work tomorrow.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

Here's a few pics.

 

The first two show an accumulation of diesels and wagons. KL2 (or it's nemesis, Kirkby Stephen) was never this busy!

 

 

 

Then a few pics of Wills granite setts being fitted. My new supply arrived this morning.

 

12 sheets cut so far; it'll take 24ish by the time I've finished. The sheets are being fitted, in sections, onto a 20thou backing. What you see here is simply the "raw" sheet - each section is currently just sat in place, and will be removed to the work table to allow filler, weathering and painting to be done. Only then will anything be properly fixed on the layout.

 

 

 

 

Jeff

[teaky]

Nice work Jeff.  Just a thought: wouldn't an area of setts that size need drainage channels?

 

The stone setts still present in a number of streets when I was a lad used to have gutters a couple of setts wide that were laid slightly lower and angled to create the required shape.

Edited November 4, 2017 by teaky

[Physicsman]

Nice work Jeff.  Just a thought: wouldn't an area of setts that size need drainage channels?

 

The stone setts still present in a number of streets when I was a lad used to have gutters a couple of setts wide that were laid slightly lower and angled to create the required shape.

 

Good thinking Rob, and you may be correct. However, I've found it impossible to acquire any images of the old cobbled road during the 1950s/60s period. So I'm going to assume that the setts were fixed on a road-bed with a slight tilt - say 1 in 200. The road in my model is 15cm at its widest - so about 40' or 12m to scale. At 1 in 200 that's a drop of 6cm across it's width in real life - or about 0.8mm to scale. Barely noticeable.

 

So I guess I can pretend I've incorporated the tilt..... Of course, it may be that they never built in any drainage options in the first place.

 

Thanks for making me think!

 

Jeff

Edited November 4, 2017 by Physicsman

[Anglian]

Jeff,

 

Did you make the oak tree?

Edited November 4, 2017 by Anglian