Update
It's been a while...and there's a few things to share.
Firstly, my circumstances are changing, namely that after 5+ great years here in Barcelona we have decided to relocate back to the UK next year...at the end of the boys School year. It's proving too difficult for us to work in Spain and it hasn't been helped by us arriving 3 months before the economic crisis hit...which as you are aware is hitting Spain very hard.
Following a trip to London 10 days ago, I had an interview
Update
Good afternoon - Various bits of progress this week on the layout, and with 'The Outlaws' just arrived back in town for another week, things may move a little slower during this period.
First up, trackwork. The first track laid was to the 'mainline' which is the one that folds up/down to increase/minimise the width of the layout. The sleepers that had been pre-painted in the last entry were laid with easitrac white adhesive (it sets pretty rapidly) and a few brass lost wax sleeper
....I wish he would just get on and finish something...
Firstly, my plans for 2012 will prevail and I am still aiming to try and complete Kyle by the end of this month and spend most of this year back working on coombe junction - moorswater as I would like to make some progress again on my main layout.
This is an introduction of something that has been simmering for a while (since that 4CEP landed) and whilst I have started to collect some rolling stock to set aside, the layout is prima
Update
Good afternoon - Wiring has continued on the layout and most of the droppers are now in place, just the turnout to wire. Then I need to work how I am going to connect them all. No pics of this as its relatively boring and nothing has changed much visually.
Whilst this has been ongoing, to relieve the pain I have been working up ideas for the cassette(s) You may recall I was going to make them 500mm in length with an extension piece at each end as the 4 CEP needs 600mm length.
Good evening,
Time for an update on PWIAB. In short, the original idea was for the layout to be exhibited in May 2014...but this was far far away so it has been brought forward to May 2013
After much sketching again at 35,000ft en route to UK recently for our week in sunny changeable Cornwall, thought was given to the baseboards as I wanted to get these underway before crimble. Particularly, lessons learnt from Kyle when it used to reside in a boxfile. This time a decision was made not
Good evening,
Small update to show progress on some rolling stock.
One of the (many) mistakes made on Kyle was leaving the rolling stock until last minute...03:00am in the morning before the show fitting DG couplings is not my idea of a 'good nights sleep' before an exhibition So this time I hope to try and tackle rolling stock building, weathering and the fitting of couplings in tandem with the layout build. Famous last words...
Whilst I await for a track package to arrive from Sh
Good evening,
An update on how the layout faired and some initial thoughts on my future modelling plans...
Yesterday, PWBIAB was launched at the BHMRC exhibition 2013, a one day exhibition which I exhibited KIAB at in 2010.
Time had run out on me last week, a mixture of work commitments, the untimely demise of the office laser cutter and a general over optimistic approach from me on how much I could get built between bcn and london. That said, I had committed to ChrisR (the exhibitio
Update
Me again
With the rolling stock on one side awaiting chassis etches from Shop 2, thoughts turned this week to the trackwork...namely how I was going to tackle the third rail. Firstly, I would like to thank Nick Bastable for all his help to date on this (note to self: add Nick's name to the list of beers now owed to UK citizens)
I think conventional ways to construct the juice rail have normally revolved around soldering a length of rail to evenly spaced pins drilled in the sl
Update
Good evening - The electrics are continually slowly...but I am trying not to rush it and make a complete dogs breakfast as usual.
One thing that had been troubling me for a while was how to deal with the turnout control for the layout.
Normally, I use good old fashioned wire in tube as namely my sparks skills are pretty basic, I am still on DC operation and the folding track section at the rear of the layout looked as it it would not be suitable due to the need to be folded 90
Good morning,
Many thanks all for your interest and enthusiasm for this new project.
Whilst it was originally timetabled for May 2014, Chris, the BHMRC exhibition manager read my proposal, liked it and floated the question whether it could even be ready for May 2013... Let's just say (I know you might be dropping into this Chris) that it could be a distinct possibility...as I have been working on Kyle again and prepping CJM for its next phase...
This week, in between trying to award
Update
A very good evening,
Almost six weeks into my new job now, my weekends of commuting and re-adjusting to colder climes, I finally found time to do some modelling this evening. I must confess, although I had snuck a small basic kit of tools in my luggage when I first arrived, it took another few weeks to work out what to tackle here. Its going to be pretty limited too, as soldering irons and nasty smelling glues or paints will probably upset my landlady...so, with her gone for Chris
Update
Good afternoon - some more progress this week in terms of trackwork and fascia.
Firstly, the start of the sole turnout on this layout and remainder of the siding(s) has been started. More easitrac sleepers were prepped and prepainted as previously described and individual sleepers were then cut, trimmed and stuck onto a B8 turnout template on the layout. It was only when I dug out all my turnouts jigs and bits I realised that I only had vee crossing jigs for B7 type turnouts ... s
Good evening,
With only 9 days to go, I seem to have found myself in a worse position than in 2010 when I exhibited KIAB
A dose of bad luck in that the laser cutter at work broke (and has just been reinstated today) has meant that a few things won't be done in quite the way I had envisaged them, however am trying my best to get a reasonable display on show.
This weekend when I fly back there to BCN there is still loads to do including finalising the wiring, finishing the fiddleyards
Good evening,
Unfortunately the title is not a comment on my financial status...its nice having an income again after 5 years of fluctuating circumstances, but those new Dapol releases are dangerously giving rise to impure thoughts
It of course refers to my rake of wagons which I began the other week and thought it would take me an evening or two to crack - how wrong I was, but building the first did throw a few issues up that I thought might be worth sharing.
I touched on before th
Good evening,
A bit of a quick entry this having arrived late from my evening's commute - when the train journey from Gatwick to Victoria takes longer than the 1hr 55 flight, then that really says it all
Haven't posted for a month or so but work has been progressing on the cassettes during the week days as this can be done relatively low key in my rented digs...no need for soldering, painting or foul smelling adhesives More on the cassettes in another separate entry soon I hope.
A
Good evening,
Work got in the way of LDN modelling this week so I managed to complete a small task originally started in BCN this weekend whilst spending 42 with the family.
Namely, the colour light signals. Firstly, does anyone know where I can get a small 4 way rotary switch from? The Gaugemaster one is too big to allow the hinged flap to fold and the other week at lunchtime I popped into a Maplin shop and asked if that had a small rotary switch to be met with "a Wot?"
Here's the
Good Evening,
Last night I managed to complete the new platform which replaced the first one ripped out...not sure I will ever get to make a layout where something doesn't get ripped out
The previous one was in card and was probably going to fall my usual 2mm approach of card carcass followed by a sheet of fine wet and dry on top to represent the apshalt, however I was looking to try something as an alternative to that.
My first thoughts were to use Scalescenes sheets which would be
Good morning,
In between working on Kyle, I have been doing a little further work on this project, sometimes sketching with an espresso and in this case a small model to test ideas.
I think I have said before that I am very interested how layouts present their public face at exhibitions, as a pet hate of mine is to see a fantastic layout...and beneath it, a fairly scruffy base or a piece of cloth tacked along like a washing line...
Firstly, lighting. The first outing for KIAB, I did
Good morning,
As promised, another update on the development of the cassettes and rolling stock to grace it.
Firstly, the cassettes...
For the first incarnation of Kyle, the cassettes were fashioned from easitrac and card and used sleaved brass rods beneath as a way of power and connection. In that respect they performed fine at the one day exhibition but I was looking to try something different this time from before...pic below...
Kyle Mark I cassettes...
Following Chri
Good evening,
A productive start to the New Years modelling as with the Landlady away all last week I snuck in 4 consecutive nights of modelling...never managed that in BCN The work centred on the ARC wagons from my last post but more on that later this week...
Tonight I wanted to talk about signals...but not semaphores as have been demonstrated excellently on here of recent by other 2mmFS modellers (you know who you are ) but colour light signals.
I needed two for this layout, to m
Update
Good Afternoon - There's been progress of sorts, but most of this week down have been down with man flu...and reading that Scaleforum thread hasn't exactly been medicinal
To begin with, the turnout is virtually complete, bar wiring and mechanism (more on that in another entry) Note to self: When using an item of rolling stock to check/test running through the crossing, remember to first check the back to back's are right Yep...it's a ridiculous as that...ages trying to tweak smo
Good evening,
Can't believe this time last week I was weathering the roof canopy, painting the track and adding brute trolleys to the ends of the platform
On reflection this week, I have been giving a lot of thought to the future of PWBIAB and indeed all my layouts with our impending move back to the UK. What is clear is that we will have to cutback big time on space requirements so some layouts will have to go.
Firstly, PWB and some upgrades to it will be: replace all the cardboard
Good evening,
A few more pics to share courtesy of Chris, (eastwestdivide) who kindly sent a selection through.
These show a bit more of the layout as I was conscious that my pics from the show tried to capture the overall presentation.
What is apparent and was commented on during the day is the lack of backscene. You may recall, that when I first started sketching the layout idea, I posed the question of a 'floating backscene' which was suspended across the back but was open at the
Good evening,
Two blog updates within a week
Whilst trackwork mods and sparx has been ambling along in BCN, whilst in LDN I have been working on the replacement cassettes needed. To recap briefly, a simple folding affair was made using a wilko hinge, some thin timber sheet and some brass strips, as per this:
Whilst the concept worked, they were too short as the 4 Cep needs a 600mm length cassette and to be honest, longer ones would mean other more interesting train formations.
Good evening,
Work has been progressing as and when I can mid week and weekends but with not long to go I start to wonder what compromises may need to be made to get things done...
With the laser cutter at work still out of action until some time next week (projected) I have trying to progress other bits and pieces. Last weekend I started to lay the pcb sleepers to make the connecting lines for the fiddleyard boards - slow progress and I will need to crack on with this the coming weekend
