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  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
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Grahame's dining room table

Latest efforts

Modelling effort has been taking a back seat as I've been attending hospital three times a weeks for a course of UVB treatment and as I prepare for my annual jaunt to Australia for the month October.   Nonetheless, I've undertaken a little work on some projects such as a planned Gatwick Express set where I've now got sufficient mk2 coaches and have painted the seating inserts and started cutting the end recess for the waist level jumper cables. And I've been working on N'spirations3 which is
grahame

grahame

3
The San Miguel Central RR

Part 4: Marine vessels

My layout is thought to be situated on the US eastern shore in the vicinity of Maine. It is a shortline with it´s major traffic generated through the Harbour and the Car float operation. I had already made the Car float apron so now I "only" had to make a Car float . Initially I had actually wanted to use the Walthers float, but the scarcity of it and the very high prices on it made me plan a build of my own instead. As I had some plans from Sylvan scale, and a lot of pictures from the Web
M Graff

M Graff

2
RJRs Branch Lines

Start with what you know

I think starting with what you do know, is always a good place.. I am undecided about lots of things, but I have decided that N gauge is not for me. So I have started clearing that out. Still no decisions about what will take its place but hopefully seeing some space will help me decide.         I've put the G scale 20 in the space just to get a feel for how big or rather how small the space is.       So I guess that's a 156 and a 66 in N to sell !!!
johnteal

johnteal

2
Skinnylinny's Blog

Hack and grind (or how to completely invalidate a warranty)

Having obtained my stupidly-tight curves for my N gauge shelf layout, I realised that my Farish 94xx (crudely repainted in maroon) wouldn't navigate them, with its too-long (!) fixed wheelbase. This is not going to be a layout where I can run 9Fs and Pacifics (although to see a Pacific navigate a 1-chain radius curve would be fun!). As such, I decided that I would attempt to modify my 94xx to allow it through the curves. How? Flangeless centre drivers, of course!   Being a poor student, I don'
Skinnylinny

Skinnylinny

2
Spoonerisms

L&B Gala with special visitor 'Lyd'

Spoonerisms has been rather neglected... hopefully over the winter that can be put right.   Here are some photos from my visit to the L&B gala to see Lyd in action this weekend, it's a mightily impressive loco and looks great pulling into Woody Bay!   I was disappointed on the day to find out that a ride behind Lyd was an extra £5 and it was only running hourly, we arrived fairly early and the first train we could book on was at 16:00!! A much more intensive service could have been oper
invercloy

invercloy

0
RJRs Branch Lines

What to do next

As the title says "what to do next"   Some modellers spend a lifetime dedicated to one thing, others of us flit from one thing to another and I'm the latter. As the nights start to draw in and the garden becomes less hospitable my thoughts are turning to change.   This is my shed as it is now.     On the main level a folded dogbone of modern image scenic N gauge that crosses over what, for N, is a massive curved viaduct. The work surface in front of the viaduct is removable and the th
johnteal

johnteal

5
N gauge modern image

new ideas and ballasting

well its been along time since my last update and things are changing. I have been given a space in the garden for a shed so new plans for an n gauge main line are being drawn up at the moment i still havent decided on the idea of modeling a real place or somewhere made up yet. any ideas and thoughts are very welcome it will be modern image 2000-2010. today i have started ballasting my 4ft shelf layout but progress is slow. the main thing i guess is that it looks right and im happy with it probl
shreives

shreives

5
The San Miguel Central RR

Part 3: Water and piers

I was getting ready to start on the Harbour, and I needed to add the various items on the quaysides that was going down into the water before proceeding. I was going to have a small fishing pier and a Carfloat apron, The pier was easy to make: I made the stonewall from balsa, and embossing the mortar lines with a pencil. I primed it with gesso and painted it. Ready! But the Apron was a whole different matter, I needed some hoist/balance structure to hold the wires that keeps the actual bri
M Graff

M Graff

4
JaymzHatstand's Blog

C&W update from the Sandhutton...

Some (more) new rolling stock is in the erecting shops! If I could actually finish some before starting more, it'd be good! Anyhow, here's an update...   I decided that the Sandhutton coach I built at the beginning of my layout's creation needed a partner, but that a full length bogie coach would be a bit of an expense for a small railway (in it's earlier days at least!) so I have begun construction of a four-wheeled version to a similar design. It it a full open with bench seating, but wit
JaymzHatstand

JaymzHatstand

0
barrowroad's Blog

Barrow Road Demo at Scaleforum

I have just about recovered from a very busy but enjoyable weekend demonstrating at Scaleforum with two of my friends from the Glevum Area Group, Morgan and Paul. I took two of the boards to the demo - limited space at this years show prevented me taking any more - these being the roundhouse/workshop board and the sidings board alongside the shed. A selection of locos and rolling stock was on view together with research material. Thanks go to Morgan for demonstrating his CAD drawings of the
barrowroad

barrowroad

13
Liphook & District MRC Blog

Scenic Progress on Yamanouchi Oshika & Club Activities

Last Friday the new wall behind the yard started to take more form. This will be a concrete retaining wall, holding back the hillside. In addition, the bridge carrying the roadway over the branch line has been moved forward in preparation for the road to be divered on a bridge across the tracks and towards the front of the layout.   The base for the hillside is polystyrene, with a foamboard facing. This will be covered by Scalescenes 'Concrete Walling' over the next couple of weeks. Further su
Claude_Dreyfus

Claude_Dreyfus

0
Brafferton - 2mm Finescale

Putting it to Bed

The coal drops are now substantially complete and its time to incorporate them into the layout. With hindsight, I should have sorted out the cross board join at an earlier date and not tried to do it as part of the drops. However, what is done is done and I had to make the best job I could of the rails up to the join:       Once happy with the mechanical element of the area, I set to blending the drops in scenically. The pre-mix plaster I use is especially good for this as it is very dry,
Tony Simms

Tony Simms

3
The Fatadder's Modern Workbench

Gunnels and 47813

Having spent the weekend demonstrating modern modelling at Scaleforum, I have actually made some progress on a few projects this weekend.   First was 47813 in Great Western Trains, finally fitted with etched marker lights at one end and full GWT transfers (it does still need the yellow warning panels spraying which will be completed at Christmas.) Unfortunately didnt get a photo, but it was looking rather nice on Mike's mini Western Road test track. So much that it got me thinking how good W
The Fatadder

The Fatadder

0
Calshot 4mm - SRS's Blog

Information Panels

If there's something I have learnt from exhibiting it's that people love information boards. If you are able to captivate their attention by creating some information panels then you are likely to have people hanging around for that bit longer. Not only that, but I have found that people are more willing to talk to you about the layout!   Thanks to a suggestion made by someone on NGRM, I have created my own:       The next job will probably be to create a layout guide for exhibition mana
SouthernRegionSteam

SouthernRegionSteam

7
The San Miguel Central RR

Part 2: Some tracks and grass

I started with a mockup with the finished houses to get a better view of how the track planning would work in real life. As it were I didn´t have to change more than a few small curves to make it fit. I use Peco code 75 rail as I think they are a good looking and well functioning alternative to the more pricey brands. I glued the rails to the foam with No Nails: I painted the ties and rails before ballasting. I used Vallejo Umber and grey: ballasted it with Chinchilla sand, it is a
M Graff

M Graff

2
Whitemarsh Yard

Site office

I made a start on this on holiday, making the walls and adding all the framing, but didn't get as far as the windows. Remedied that this afternoon, via some experiments.     The windows here have a smaller section on the left which (probably?) slides or opens, certainly it's in a frame which sits proud of the main pane of glass. I had a go at making glazing bars with strips of sticky label, but gave up since I didn't get them to adhere well enough. More interestingly, I tried masking off th
Will Vale

Will Vale

11
RJRs Branch Lines

Class 20 ! VIDEO !

Today I gave the 20 its first test run, fortunately it worked perfectly first time. With hindsight I should probably given it a test run during earlier constructions phases, but all is well that ends well..         And the video     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fskJVZjxjaU
johnteal

johnteal

3
halfwit's fantastic workbench!

A Ruston rebuild - part 4, and some odds.

This build is now finally, as far as I'm concerned, finished. Its had a light coat of etch primer, final painting will be done by the owner, who will also fit the buffer heads (I always fit them last). I'm quite pleased with the way its turned out, I just hope the owner is as well! I had to make the cab steps and axlebox gaurds from brass strip as they were missing. A couple of pics; And one from underneath; As you can see I've tried to sqeeze a lot of lead into a small space! This one i
halfwit

halfwit

2
Skinnylinny's Blog

Micro-tailchaser?

I received a parcel in the post from Japan, containing an oval of Tomix "Mini Fine Rail", and, following some experiments, have discovered that it *should* be possible to build a roundy-roundy-style layout in N scale within a 1-foot width board. Experiments with a Farish 04 shunter and some Peco SWB wagon kits show that they will run around the 140mm radius curves (admittedly with some grinding noises from the wheels of the 04), although the Rapido couplers will not work reliably on the curves.
Skinnylinny

Skinnylinny

0
Calshot 4mm - SRS's Blog

Some new photos...

Going back to college has been hard after such a long break, but I've been back two weeks already. Unfortunately, coursework and college life in general means I have had no spare time nor energy to even think about the layout. I am pleased with how it is at the moment, but there are some flaws in the layout. The scenic exit is appalling and the hangar has fallen apart for some reason. Running is still not great which is a real nuisance as I can never get a layout to run well. I need more NG stoc
SouthernRegionSteam

SouthernRegionSteam

4
The San Miguel Central RR

Part 1: The story so far...

Hi all, I thought that it was time for me to start this blog as it is more easily read I think . I will on this Blog, show the build of my HO scale US prototype layout, and the various items that have to be constructed on it. I will also show a lot of Airbrush painting and weathering as well.   I will, in a few short captions bring you up to speed how far I have come on the HO scale M-K & E. It is meant to be set in the northeastern USA in the late 40´s, early 50´s sometime. It is a s
M Graff

M Graff

0
Layout - Fisherton Sarum

Manchester Show 2/3rd Oct - Preparation

Following a sucessful weekend at the Reading Society of Model Engineers show a couple of weeks ago Fisherton Sarum has had a few minor tweaks and maintanence carried out to it this morning ready for its furthest trip north next weekend to the Manchester Show.   I look forward to seeing Rmwebbers at the show, please come and say hello. With Rowlands Castle also attending there will be an interesting Souithern Railway presence at the show this year.
Graham_Muz

Graham_Muz

0
Will J's Random Adventures in N Gauge

A tale of two very different N gauge models, People Mover Mark II and a Pannier

Right, actual progress, a second try at making a properly-shaped People Mover. This one is much crisper, is narrowed a little to almost scale width (as narrow as it can be and still fit around the Kato chassis) and unlike the first attempt on the left, does not look like it has been crafted by Salvador Dali with a dessert spoon...     The side details are looking better...     The next step is to make a set of etchings to add a splash of detail, window frames, wipers, couplings and d
Will J

Will J

1

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