Serious problems in getting motivated with the layout. I've run trains and built stock since the last entry, but done nothing on the railway. There are a few thing I am not happy with. For a start the turn into the station is too tight. It should have been 3' but is closer to 2'6". The section at the far end suffers from changes in temperature, leading to railjoiners un coupling, hence derailments, this need to be more solid. Not happy with my ballasting, looks OK for a modern layout, but not ti
Thoughts are turning to how I should fill in this corner. From the road bridge to a tunnel mouth it will run through a cutting. What type of cutting is what I am pondering over. Should I go for a normal type with 45º banks, or perhaps a retaining wal about 5' to 6' high or a full height walled cutting. In real life there are factors to consider like land use and geology. It could be that I end up with a combination of all three on the inside of the curve and a walled one on the outside as this
This is a view of the timber yard.
The nearest structure will have a roof added covering an open area to it's front. This is where a steam powered circular saw will go. On the far right of it will go a forge. The wood stores are from Will's and Atlas.
A couple of the brewery. The first is of the loading area. The second looking across the yard to the stables.
The building beyond the satble is the town fire station. This is the Skaledale one.
Still pondering over the signalbox.
Time for an update I think.
Finally getting some work done on the layout. It's been a while, but I have had a few ideas to get on with now. The last thing I wanted to do was to put something down and then be dissapointed with it. For the brewery/timberyard area I have looked out an old Humbrol/Euromodel wooden kit. This will be used as a workshop for the timberyard. I will build an open, roofed area to the front of this where a Woodland Scenics steam powered circular saw will go. Attached t
For some reason I cannot get any enthusiasm to get on with the layout. However I have not stopped modelling. At the moment I am putting together a rake of Kirk Maunsells. Work on these originally stopped when Hornby announced theirs. Working away through weathering my fleet of loco's and have finished crewing them.
Some of you may be aware that when my Hornby coaling tower arrived it was broken. Well, the replacement arrived this week and using some excellent material in help and advice sectio
Nearing the end of a week of leave. Started out with the best of intentions to get some work done on the layout. So far have done nothing. I do have excuses though. Monday I caught up with some old friends at lunchtime and evening, Tuesday, MoT'd the car and met up with some more old friends. Wednesday and Thursday I actually did some modelling of sorts, I finished putting crews in my steam loco's, 60 odd figures to paint and fix, but well worth the effort. Oh, and I mowed the lawns and fixed o
Not done much on Somercombe since my last entry. I was hoping to get some done this week with my week of rest days, but I left myself available and ended up with 4 rest days work, so far. One of the little jobs I am doing, is to crew the rest of my steam loco's. I am using Masterpiece Falcon Figures. I have tried other makes, but the variety of poses makes these, in my mind, the best.
Just added crews to four more this morning, my 2 Q1s, a Black 5 and my 8F. First time using my phone
Just spent 1½hrs working on this fence. The posts were put in a few days back. Tonight I added the wires.
You can just make out the wire. I used fishing line for this as it worked out pretty much to scale. Thing is, from normal viewing distance it cannot be seen, hence this topics title. I will persevere though, or at least until I run out of fence-posts.
Just about finished my 2H, just a lick of paint to tone down the Black Beetle wheels. Sitting here in the bay waiting to depart for Yeovil Town. Gloucester MPV is on a run down to Exeter, while 3MT is on the Exeter-Salisbury service.
Ignore the front bogie from my S15 lying behind the platform .
Both of the units are ones I have always had a liking for. My Grandfather moved to Ropley in the early '60s and 2Hs were a constant feature of the line and as I never saw them elsewhere, t
Decided that the layout needs some form of lighting. After costing out the streetlights, I decided to have a go at making my own. I will be putting them on two circuit. The night one will include the station and street lighting, plus some of the upstairs in the shops and the chipshop ,pub and cinema. The daytime one will do the shop interiors, goods shed. I purchased some white LEDs and copper tube for the street and station lights and tonight put together a prototype.
This is the design
Rest day today and some more work done to the brewery.
The main structure now has floors and windows. Decided to add a few bits and pieces to the outside of the buildings.
As you can see from the second picture, I have bricked up a few windows to add a little more interest to it.
Another little job done today was to finish this.
Bashed from a Bachmann Junior loco. New chimney, safety valves, handrails and buffers. Originally I bought this to test decoders prior to cutting the plu
I just thought I would add a few details about the location of Somercombe to give a clue, or excuse, for the traffic that can be seen going through.
Somercombe is between Yeovil Junction and Chard on the LSWR mainline, in Somerset and close to the Dorset border. It's location give me an excuse for a wide range of traffic flows. As well as the named trains, ACE and Devon Belle (in the '60s . Oh well, it's my railway)and other fast and semi-fast services to and from the Great Wem(Wm Cobbett,
Spent some time this morning working on the layout. I want to get the area between the yard and the control desk finished.
Looking down on the brewery yard from the Fire Station tower.
The terrace next to the shops will be going and be replaced by a longer one.
Stepping back from the first shot showing the Fire Station in relation to the brewery and next to the goods yard.
Passing through with Somerset coal for Exeter.
Golden Arrow kit on a Hornby 8F chassis and a Comet tender.
Also passing through, on a Plymouth - Portsmouth service, was the S15.
And a view from the roof of Wilkins Bro's brewery.
Now with the shiny bits well toned down, weathering just about finished, but still needing a crew, pick-ups and decoder. These can be done later, but at the moment there is a little tight spot whille running on test. It is gradually easing, but I won't f
Some new motive power has been seen in Somercombe.
S15 from a DJH kit.
Still have to take the brightness off the motion and DCC it. It also needs a crew and the weathering needs finishing.
My new Bachmann 3MT tank ready to work the stopper to Salisbury. The emblem has been changed and I have given it a light weathering.
My "Teddy bear". In the yard after working a pick-up down from Westbury via Yeovil Junction.
Finally for now, my Beyer-Peacock diesel electric pro
Well, here it is, 'The Beast' My stretched Hymek on a Falcon chassis, to which I am indebted to 6026, for obtaining it for me.
Body now ready for what I hope is the final coat of primer. As for the final colour scheme, I am open to suggestions, but I don't want to make it too like the original Hymek scheme. One thought is two tone green, like the Brush type 4s, with white or very pale grey window surrounds. As for number? D0270 would fit in nicely between Lion and Falcon, but these were der
With my ED finished, sorry no pic's but it looks just as it did before the conversion, thought turn to what to do next. With work on the layout somewhat stagnant, I'm sure when if the weather warms up I will get more enthusiasm, I am getting on with stock. First up is something I have fancied for a long, long time, a stretched Hymek on a C-C chassis. For this I have obtained a spare Heljan Falcon chassis. It looks like this could be a bit of a monster. I will get some pictures of progress on thi
Driveshafts arrived today, asked for a second one as I feel like doing another. Purchased a 73 body off of ebay and will go for full A1 body grills on this. Other parts will come from East Kent Models. The all in price of this one is likely to be around ??45.. The shaft supplied by Bachmann is 1mm shorter than I need and while this will engage both ends, I think it is better to extend it to the proper length. Next on my conversion list is something that purists may not like. But something Redga
All together now, apart from a driveshaft to the extended end. Just have to wait for that from Bachmann. I will get some photo's perhaps tomorrow. While I wait to see if I can get some new airhorns and grills, I have modified those fitted. Footsteps will need to be added to the bogies. But apart from that and despite all I have done to it, it looks pretty much as it did before the conversion .
Before I took the chassis over for milling I gave it a quick test run. All working fine . Buffer beams and detailing are now fixed to the body. Still trying to work out the best way for fixing the body to the chassis, but this is a minor worry. A later job will be to fit etched grills and wire handrails. Anyone know if Shawplan do them, I can't find any conversion kits on their website, the fittings page was last updated on 24 February 2004 .
I have now found what I need at M.G.Sharp. A1 mod
One thing I forgot to pay attention to was the width of the chassis . The class 20 chassis is 31.5mm wide. The ED body measures 30mm internally. Not a major problem, but it would have been easier to deal with before I cut and extended the chassis. So it's off over the valley later to a friend with a milling machine. While I await his return from his mother's I can get on with the body itself. Windows have been cut out and replaced. I can't decide whether to fix the buffer beam to the body or th
I have now given the chassis a coat of satin black. I have put the motor back in and I have done the bogies.
Tried various plastic solvents on the Lima sideframes. Nothing touched it. So back to the old standby, superglue. And once set, a fillet of epoxy is put around the joints. Belt and braces approach Bogies back in in the morning. Initially it will be driving on two axles, just until I get a new driveshaft from Bachmann. Then I can set to work on the body. I know the glazing will have
Right, well I've given it a bit of a cure close to a radiator and decided to get the two parts joined back together.
Side plates added for extra strength. Pretty much all I will get done today now. Leaving it over a radiator again for 2-3-hours to make sure the epoxy is well cured. I may just give it a quick once over with matt black. Tomorrow I will start putting it back together. Although the first job is to put the side frames onto the bogies.
Fed up with the poor performance on my Lima locos, I embarked on a plan to rid them all of their awful pancake motors. Already I had fitted extra pick-ups and this had made a considerable improvement. Enough so that I may yet leave my bubblecar and xGWR railcar. But for my ED I wanted to go for drive on all axles. My first thought was to use a Heljan Clayton chassis if I could get hold of a reject one. However, after a good look at mine, I decided that it would be best to use something more subs
It's been a while since I posted here and having to warm the shed up before working out there in this weather has led to a loss of enthusiasm . However I have not been completely idle. I have coverted one of my Hornby Stanier firsts into 'porthole' type. Comet sides. Quite pleased with the outcome and may do one of the old Mainline 60' ones.
Few odds and ends to do yet. Grab handles, extra footsteps on corridor side and I need to adjust the compartment arrangement. Not sure if they ever
