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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
    • 8 comments
    • 2,720 views
First Steps in O gauge

How it all began

I've been modelling for about 30 years. Started in OO gauge with a surprise layout straight out the Cyril Freezer trackplan book for Christmas 1976 - being an hour from the Peco factory I guess it wasn't too surprising.     Over the years the layout grew, taking over a spare room, until the usual teenage years when other, less wholesome interests take over your life. All packed up, put in a box in the back of a cupboard, and forgotten about for about 10 years.   One day, having a clearo
cromptonnut

cromptonnut

4
Bisley Junction

Ahhh, that's better....

After yesterdays trials and tribulations, one of the first things I did this evening, once home, was to turn the boards around to see how it would look viewed from the opposite side to the original plan.     I think it works better - I'm much happier with the appearance of the layout now, it just works better IMO.   The mugs and herb jars are the storage tanks, the CDs are the loading canopy and the coasters are a small office building. The Bachmann boxes by the far wall are a low-ish re
Pugsley

Pugsley

3
Highclere - 2mm Finescale

Results from this bank holiday weekend...

Hello.   Here is what I have been upto this weekend...     1. I have managed to get both sets of lights working on the layout. It took a bit of time to figure out why one side wasnt working but I managed to find a short across some PCB from some flux (there is a lesson there Im sure). I still have to paint the light bits black, pin the wiring down, and clip them to the brackets (one of the baseboards has already got a nice dent in it from one falling!)     2. I have made a start on t
-missy-

-missy-

7
The Grime Street Blog

Some modelling and a few gratuitous trolleybus pics.

What's going on, two entries in less than a week! Mention was made of the modded PC trams chassis for a Corgi Feltham, so here it is in primer     And with the Corgi body fitted     The general idea behind this is to do with the proposed resin body kit for LCC1/Leeds 301 which if all goes to plan (yeah, right!) would feature an r-t-r chassis using the PC/Halling chassis as a base unit but with platforms/stairs/doors/bulkheads/controllers etc, basically fit lifeguards, bogie sides etc a
Red Devil

Red Devil

4
2mm layout based in South Wales The Blog

Progress before my return to EM

No I havn't given up on the 2mm and hopefuly I'll be able to get back to it later in the year, but I have been working on my EM stock for the past month and I now require the space, so I've had to box up the 2mm whilst I do some work with an EM gauge layout, Morfa Mawr. http://www.rmweb.co....__1entry48479   This has a couple of exhibitions to get ready for, of which the first is STORMEx in August. http://www.rmweb.co...._1entry122363   I took a few photos of the 2mm today before packing a
Trevor H

Trevor H

10
The Saltney Railway

Saltney, more good(s) stuff.

The goods shed at “Slugworth†(not convinced that name’ll stick) is now just about finished and in position.   I’ve built an internal crane from wooden coffee stirrers and assorted bits of brass from the scrap box, fitted gutters & downpipes, LED lights and the windows in the office.     The roof and canopy have been painted and weathered but there are still ridge tiles to fit and quite a bit more internal detail to add.     Steve’s now added the island platform to the G
Jon Fitness

Jon Fitness

0
TomE's N Gauge Modelling

Slow progress

Well, what with work and holiday recently, time for the railway has been in short supply. However, I've had a go at weathering a Farish Class 66 and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Perhaps the roof needs a bit more around the exahust though?     Hopefully I'll have a bit more time to push on with the layout itself soon so more updates on the way.   Cheers,   Tom.
TomE

TomE

3
RJRs Branch Lines

Class 25 in G

Work has now started on my latest scratch built plasti-card loco   Based on a OO model I have, it is still in the early stages, but it is taking shape now. I have always thought it would be nice to have a BO BO diesel but couldn't work out how to hide the very "steam" based playmobil motor blocks, till now !   Here with its inspiration in OO, sat next to N gauge tracks !       Very basic but the next bit is where it starts to take shape, 4 side frames like this..     Once mounte
johnteal

johnteal

5
Bisley Junction

Progress, of sorts, and a small change of plan

It's been one of those days. One of those days when most things don't go the way you want them to. In fact, I've had the Sadim touch all day (the opposite of the Midas touch - everything you touch turns to sh*t) so it came as no real surprise that the start on the layout didn't quite go to plan.   Once all the Templot plans had been put on the boards, I started putting stock in the relevant places just to check the visual appearance of the plan. I don't make detailed plans, as such, I have
Pugsley

Pugsley

8
coombe junction - moorswater

coombe junction - Display sorted...

Update - Further to the last post and comments received, I kept thinking through the proscenium arch and looking at the 1:50 model...and then...seeing an ariel view of the display at the Railex exhibition, I realised that I didn't want a formal proscenium arch as such...more an implied one.   The problem of how the lighting beam at the front was going to be supported had troubled me for some time, but now I have a revised solution I am happy with, in that the lighting beam runs the full length
bcnPete

bcnPete

6
Calshot 4mm - SRS's Blog

Late night inspiration...

Just been playing around with some bits of paper after having comprehensively re-read the narrow gauge book on Calshot. This sketch doesn't sound that feasible given the right hand hangar will scale down to 36cm wide. (Not 50cm as I originally said) Alternately, the castle can be on the left hand side.   I'd ideally like to follow the prototype as close as possible, in the next few days I'll have half a dozen NG wagons to play with which will need to be modified to resemble the real things.  
Beardybloke's 009 Bodging Bench

Passengers, Slates and Progress (or the lack thereof)

Post-Railex, I spent a boring couple of hours soldering up some Spratt & Winkle couplings for the newest rolling stock - the WHR Ashbury, slate wagons and sundry other freight stock. There are still quite a lot to do, but many of the older wagons still need weight fitting and it's a somewhat mind-numbing task, so I keep allowing myself to be distracted!   However, with the fitting of couplings to No. 23 and wire loops to Prince in place of Bemo couplers, Hafod Las now has its first complet
Beardybloke

Beardybloke

4
Brass0four's Blog

In at the deep end...

Having browsed this excellent website for a while I've finally summoned the courage to jump in. Its odd how the seemingly plausible legend I'd contrived to justify my layout has suddenly become utterly bizarre and an obvious target for ridicule by my elders and betters. There might be comparatively few of the former as I'm no spring-chicken, but a great many of the latter as my railway modelling experience is minimal. First, that sig: -   Following a period of ill-health that was useful in est
Brass0four

Brass0four

3
Coombe Barton

Anti Spill Bunds for Fluids - saving the carpet and the wrath

The Bunds   So the anti spill in plastic caused problems. Especially with plastic solvents. To be expected, wasn’t it?   Yes, well ...   So this time a visit to Pets at Home (the dogs sent me, actually, to get them some treats) to get a couple of £1.59 stainless steel dog bowls. Small ones will do – you only need to use them as a bund in the most extreme circumstances so the volume needs be over twice that of the largest bottle/tin you’re going to put in them. They’re for stabili
Coombe Barton

Coombe Barton

1
Whitemarsh Yard

Crossing timbers

Having received some help from other members about siting point machines (thanks guys!) I've been extending my crossing timbers in readiness.     I cut up some spare sleepers left behind by track laying, shaving off one chair and trimming short of the other. These are glued in line with the crossing timbers - they look long to me, but with the point machine they seem about right - and the length is based on pictures of Whitemoor, so it ought to be legit. I've had a first pass at puttying to
Will Vale

Will Vale

0
Whitemarsh Yard

Sprat and Winkles

I did a lot of experiments with magnetic tension locks and while they were cheap, fun, and pretty effective, I ended up getting annoyed at how big and bulky they were. I ordered some 3mm scale Sprat and Winkle etches from MSE to give them a try, and I liked them even more - especially since one 3mm diameter Neodymium magnet is enough to operate a pair of couplings, albeit without much margin for positional error.     Teeny weeny! I drilled suitable holes and the magnets fit in. They're rece
Will Vale

Will Vale

0
Will's workbench

Dirty limpet: Bruninghaus springs mark 3

The first set of springs I made was a bit too heavy, so I picked up some finer strip. Using 0.75x0.25mm allows the correct four leaves, and looks reasonably close to scale:     They are less wonky than they look in the picture, honest - I think it's because the picture is much too wide-angle!   These are really easy to make - if you cut one length of Evergreen strip (as above) into four, you can stack the pieces and build four complete springs flat on the workbench. The end brackets are
Will Vale

Will Vale

3
wiggoforgold's Diddington blog

A name and a layout scheme (trackplan to follow).

The new layout has a working name "Fen Drayton". The real Fen Drayton is a few miles East of St Ives; there was never actually a station there, though I think there was a proposal.   The proposed layout is a double track through station. It uses the 'bitsa" station approach, so that the bulk of the platforms at the St Ives end of the station are offstage, and part of the lay-bys and the entrance to the goods yard at the Cambridge end are also off stage. I propose using a cassette fiddle yard a
wiggoforgold

wiggoforgold

0
The Grime Street Blog

Leeds 600, detail pics at Tramway Museum Society's Clay Cross store.

Today I managed to visit the TMS store at Clay Cross, this is located in the former Midland Railway Goods shed near Clay Cross junction.     Purpose of the visit was to get some info and detail pics of Leeds 600, for a preserved vehicle, pictures of 600 are quite few and far between, I'd particularly been struggling to find any info on the boxes on the roof, interior and the rear of the advert boards. So a few pics for posterity.               Big thank you to all who ma
Red Devil

Red Devil

4
Liphook & District MRC Blog

Progress

All has been quiet in the blog front for quite a while; however activity is carrying on.   On Weyford the last few weeks have been taken up with running sessions; we want to confirm the types of running sequences that will be carried out before the daunting task of rewiring the station, station approach and yards start. The layout will be dismantled next week and the first of the boards taken away for close attention courtesy of John; plus any others who are good with a soldiering iron!   Th
Claude_Dreyfus

Claude_Dreyfus

7
coombe junction - moorswater

coombe junction - Display height and backscene...

Update - After about 6 months of neglect due to the Boxfile Kyle layout I now turn my focus again to Coombe Junction. My renewed enthusiasm for it is twofold: Firstly, of disappointment that I had to withdraw it from the impending 2FS Golden Jubilee Layout Competition and secondly, after exhibiting Kyle, I realised it had been over 20 years since I had last exhibited and it was thoroughly enjoyable (albeit) a little stressful at times   Ironic then, that Coombe Junction was never conceived w
bcnPete

bcnPete

9

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