Jump to content
 

Somercombe

  • entries
    55
  • comments
    52
  • views
    18,772

About this blog

Trials and tribulations of building it.

Entries in this blog

Was it a waste of time ?

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.

JZ

JZ

Wot I dun wile RMweb wuz down

Mostly working actually. But I did spend a little time on Somercombe and now I have a week of annual leave starting tomorrow, I hope to get more done. Firstly I purchased a granite pestle and mortar from Tesco for the princely sum of ??7. Then, in return for a helping hand, I got hold of a tubfull of fine coal from one of my neighbours. Some of this has been ground up and graded, first through a cheap metal tea-strainer to get the dust out, then through some 1mm mesh for something that can be u

JZ

JZ

Ponderings

I am beginning to wonder whether to keep this blog up, or whether to go back to the old style and put it in layout topics. Personally I find the blogs a great way of updating progress and the latest are always at the top of the pile. But I don't seem to be getting as much feedback as before. Sure, people are reading it, but there is just not the comments there was before. And looking at other's blogs, it seems that this is the case across them all. I do enjoy reading other's comments and critici

JZ

JZ

Next project or two.

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

JZ

JZ

Changes. Now with added photo's !

About time too, I hear you say.   First up, we have the brewery kit. Yes, it is a big kit. Bought it many years ago because I had a plan for it. And now, all these, years later I have a use for it. The bridge is only resting in position, It will be level. And a loading bay between the main buildings. I will be putting floors into the building to give it some strength and so it doesn't look like an empty shell. I have yet to decide on a name for it, but I have a few in mind: Starkey, Knig

JZ

JZ

Another visitor to Somercombe.

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

JZ

JZ

New motive power at Somercombe

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

JZ

JZ

Let there be light.

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

JZ

JZ

the promised photo's

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.

JZ

JZ

A few details about Somercombe

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,

JZ

JZ

Is it that long ?

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

JZ

JZ

Back to the brewery

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.

JZ

JZ

Upgrading my ED

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

JZ

JZ

The Beast.

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

JZ

JZ

All wheel drive for Lima ED.

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.

JZ

JZ

More beer please !

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

JZ

JZ

just to clarify things

I am in the process of copying over my Somercombe thread. I will be editing post on the way so things may seem a bit fra g me nt ed. But bear with me, I havn't gone and pulled it up and started again.

JZ

JZ

Ground signals

Built my ground signals yesterday and got them painted up and fitted last night. For the position of them and the type I am very much indebted to Beast 66606 for his advice. These have been made using the Ratio kit. I still need to fit operating cables, but this will done when the main signals have been built and placed. The same goes for point rods. Here we have the calling on signal at the exit to the yard.   Next we have the triple signal which controls the movement to the bay, down main

JZ

JZ

Little done on layout, but nevertheless an update.

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

JZ

JZ

First entry in yonks

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

JZ

JZ

More on my ED

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 .

JZ

JZ

etc

The fiddle yard in pictures.     Longest loop will take a loco + 9 coaches, the shortest, loco + 3. 4 sidings in the corner, the longest of which will loco + 5 and the shortest an M7 + 3.Julian.     With all the track down now, thoughts turn to the scenics. With money in short supply this month due to my combi-boiler breaking down , I am getting on with the areas I do have the parts for. So I decided that to do the station area next. Finished building the goods shed(Ratio) and the mo

JZ

JZ

etc

Spent this morning wiring up the tortoises, yet to power them though. Checking for shorts and that the frog polarities are correct. Put the feeds in for the headshunt and private siding and the next section of mainline. This is where I hit a snag. I can do some shunting in the yard. Spent a happy hour or so playing when I could be doing something else.   Let's hope tomorrow work can continue instead of play.   No more pic's at the moment, but progress continues. Spent this morning putting

JZ

JZ

ad infinitum

Work continues on the bridge. Abutments finished on the town side.       Note the use of prototypical 1960 stock. A bit more track laying done over the weekend. Starting to think about the layout of the goods yard. Only three sidings. One through the goods shed and cattle dock. Another will be for the coal merchants and one for.......well, just as a siding.   The track on the left of this picture is from the previous aborted attempt.   Looking up from the station throat. Agai

JZ

JZ

continued

Track laying starts afresh. Put in the crossover between the platforms. This will enable trains from the branch, not modelled, and the local train from Salisbury to run around before shunting into the bay. Laid a single line around the curve back to the doorway as well today. This will dissappear into a tunnel(now there's a novelty). Maybe get the second line through the curve tomorrow after work. A few of shots of progress so far.   M7 sitting on the crossover.   View down through t

JZ

JZ

×
×
  • Create New...