Eridge (P4) rebuilding

 

by 10800

 

original page on Old RMweb

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??? posted on Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:27 pm

 

Yes, physical work is almost complete, test trains due before the end of the year, official opening next Spring. Spa Valley will use both the down main and loop platforms. NR/Southern will sell joint tickets to Eridge and the Spa Valley and promote tourism to Groombridge Place, Tunbridge Wells etc.

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??? posted on Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:20 pm

 

Not the whole layout you understand! Last Thursday night we had a bit of a play with some of the Eridge loco stud (and some interlopers) on a powered-up bit of the plain track. First though, just to update on sleepering and ballasting progress:

 

 

 

 

Pointwork will be built off the layout and ballasted after emplacement.

 

Then Mike brought out his nearly-complete J class, which performed beautifully (about time we had a proper Brighton loco on Eridge)

 

 

 

 

 

We also gave runs to the D

 

 

 

 

and the Standard 4 Mogul

 

 

 

Pinkmouse's M7 was also there, unfortunately I don't seem to have taken any pics of it.

 

Then there was this nice little High Level industrial

 

 

before the diesels made an appearance

 

 

 

The difference between a 33/2 slim jim and a 33/0 is quite obvious here

 

 

At this rate we'll be able to run the layout in a hypothetical blue diesel mode

 

 

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Comment posted by timlewis on Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:59 pm

 

Excellent: looking good Rod. And Mike's J looks fantastic, nice to see something a bit out of the ordinary.

 

Are you using the 'dilute PVA applied with dropper' technique for securing the ballast, or do you lay sleepers and ballast into PVA in one hit for plain track? (one of the many things I'm currently pondering how best to do).

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Comment posted by number6 on Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:42 pm

 

Honestly you P4 boys! Obsessing constantly about the width of your rail thingies but quite happy to have black lamp brackets on a Crompton!

 

The J is lovely. When is he doing the other one?!

cheers

Raphael

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Comment posted by Penrhos1920 on Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:58 pm

 

How do you manage to get the rails in the right place, can you see through to the track plain with all that ballast?

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??? posted on Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:35 am

 

The latter I believe Tim, especially given the amount of excess ballast that gets swept off and recycled, but I'm not the one doing it so I can't be 100% sure - Pinkmouse might be along later to confirm though.

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??? posted on Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:38 am

 

That will be down to me Raphael - at least Mike's made my job a little easier by doing the Walschaerts one! One day we will be able to run double headers with two I3s or J+I3

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??? posted on Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:41 am

 

Good question. On the plain track the sleepers are prepunched for rivets (even though it is all-glued) so the rivet holes are used together with the track gauges as a guide. Pointwork will however be done before ballasting (which will use the dilute PVA/dropper method) so that issue won't arise.

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Comment posted by david_ford_85 on Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:19 am

 

Love the pics. I'm amazed at how good EM looks, wouldn'd have thought that the extra 2+mm would have had such a huge effect! Can't wait to see how the layout comes along.

 

David

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??? posted on Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:53 pm

 

Er, David, as it says in the thread title it's P4 not EM - glad you like the pics anyway!

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Comment posted by david_ford_85 on Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:57 pm

 

Whoops Sorry

 

David

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Comment posted by pinkmouse on Sun Nov 09, 2008 3:13 pm

 

Indeed I can confirm the latter method. The strange thing is, despite nearly finishing all the straight track ballasting, we seem to have just as much, if not more ballast left in the bucket!

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??? posted on Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:46 pm

 

Last week, with tracklaying on the first board virtually complete, Mike's C class appeared on a short trip goods working

 

 

 

And Pinkmouse brought along his Caprotti Black 5 which is coming along nicely (it's not likely to see much use on Eridge though!)

 

 

When I'm next up in the New Year I should be able to collect this board for return to Devon for wiring and first signal installation.

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Comment posted by pinkmouse on Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:00 pm

 

Yeah, one run a day with an RCTS railtour headboard on I think. Still I could build one of these instead!

 

Oh and as it looks like Rod forgot to take a pic of the M7 again, here's one with its nice new lining. I should really have wiped off the dust and fingerprints first though, the harsh winter sun really shows them up.

 

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Comment posted by beast66606 on Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:41 pm

 

Where's the pacers

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Comment posted by dave_long on Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:55 pm

 

I hope the PW gang have spotted the missing chair?

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Comment posted by pinkmouse on Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:42 pm

 

Yup, I'm just waiting for the chair threading crew to break the correct facing one as they put it on. So far, the only ones have been wrong handed.

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Comment posted by pinkmouse on Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:44 pm

 

What's a pacer?

 

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Comment posted by jim s-w on Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:54 pm

 

Its a white and green chewy mint. Like a chewitt

 

Remember 'em?

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

Good work on the layout chaps!

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??? posted on Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:56 pm

 

sorry Al - the M7 was running very nicely too!

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Comment posted by pinkmouse on Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:58 pm

 

Gotcha' - spearmint!

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Comment posted by pinkmouse on Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:08 am

 

'S okay Rod, you're forgiven.

 

Still can't find a cause for that minor clicking noise though...

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Comment posted by Horsetan on Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:59 am

 

The loco pics are amazing. They almost could be 7mm scale....

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Comment posted by London cambrian on cambrian</STRONG> on Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:08 pm

 

Thats very nice. Interchangabiltity would be nice but I don't know if its been said before, you'd either have to make a detachable tree scene or ahve removable trackwork! depending on the state of Eridge at that time!

 

Do you have a black Motor to go on that freight train?

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??? posted on Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:33 pm

 

Nice though they are, Black Motors (700 class) never got over here. We make do with C and (eventually) C2X for most goods trains, with a K to come sometime as well.

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