Having used Johnsons 'Klear' (original formula) for fixing virtually all of the ballast on Callow Lane, I've been having mild doubts about it's suitability in the long term to hold everything in place.
Whenever I've done any work in the vicinity of any ballast, I've often found bits of ballast coming loose, and the overall impression I've got is that the body of ballast is slightly brittle and fragile.
I'm keen that I don't get ballast coming loose for a pastime, when the layout starts t
I've virtually completed the point rodding on the layout now, having applied primer to the brass rodding last night and painted it today. The only parts left to fit are the rods to the cosmetic point tie bars (which themselves haven't yet been fitted) and the sections of rodding that cross the baseboard joint (these will probably be lift-out sections, as per Bleakhouse Road).
This is where the rodding will emerge from underneath the signalbox:
I've just come back from the Three Spires show in Truro (Falmouth MRC), and we all had much fun operating 'Engine Wood'.
This was a very nice show, and friendly hosts, and there were some other nice layouts present as well. It was particularly good to have the chance to have a good look at the lovely 'Treneglos' and meet 2Manyspams and his colleagues!
I found myself admiring the operational discipline of the 'Treneglos' team, in terms of the fact that you only ever saw locos on their lay
In my previous blog entry, I referred to the fact that the ballast on the main running lines on Callow Lane would be 'grunged up', with mud/cinders mixed in with the ordinary ballast, plus weed growth.
Since making that comment, I've been checking out some photos of goods-only lines in the area (North Bristol/Gloucestershire) in the period (1960s), in particular the former MR Stroud & Nailbridge branches (the Oakwood book by Colin Maggs), and I've noted that despite these being freight-o
More work has been done in the last few weeks on the ballasting. It should be borne in mind that although the ballast currently looks quite pristine, this is a goods-only line in the early-mid 1960s, and there is still grot, cinder/mud effects and weed growth to add. Some of the sleepers haven't yet been weathered and most of the rail sides will need more weathering as well. Also, the actual point rodding has yet to be installed.
The general method of ballasting the full-depth sleepers of th
I've made a start on the weathering of the track and ballasting on Callow Lane.
I would normally do all the track weathering first, which usually involves painting and/or dry brushing each individual sleeper, plus painting the rail sides and chairs varying shades of light/mid rust-brown/brake dust etc. This would then be followed by ballasting/siding grunge/weed growth etc.
My ballasting methods on previous layouts such as 'Engine Wood' and 'Bleakhouse Road' have generally involved paint
I've now finished P4 box vans numbers 7 and 8 in the current batch build for 'Callow Lane'. These are two Bachmann insulated planked vans, which have had the Bachmann chassis completely replaced with various components from Parkside, Bill Bedford and our very own Craigwelsh of this forum.
Notwithstanding the valid debate about the mouldings of the planked Bachmann vans, I had acquired a number of examples when the came out, and I wanted to use them on Callow Lane, (the OO layouts having enou
I've realised that I don't have enough P4 box vans for Callow Lane, so I've diverted my attentions from buildings and crumbling platforms to building 8 - 10 box vans to bolster the wagon fleet.
I'm using a variety of recent Bachmann items, purchased over the last couple of years as semi-impulse buys, plus some Parkside Dundas kits.
Currently on the workbench are a Bachmann planked BR 12t box van, which is having to have a virtually complete chassis rebuild, once I found that there was no
Those who recall my layout and workbench threads on the old forum may remember the adaptation of a Hornby 'Thomas' range resin 'bookshop' to a chip shop to serve on 'Callow Lane'.
I've now fitted part of the interior detail and a LED for interior illumination (the LED itself won't be visible from outside the building), plus some of the signs such as menus and a 'Closed' sign on the door. I've also done the main premises name board - 'Algy's Fish Bar'.
This is the interior dividing wall p
This is what almost 100 bases for point rodding stools look like before they are cut out of plasticard:
And this is what they look like after they have been cut out!
Here is a two-rodding stool mounted on a base:
....and with a 5p coin for size comparason:
This is the jig that I'm planning to use to space the rodding stools and their bases at the correct distance from the track (9mm) and from each other (24mm - for pre-Grouping round rodding):
Next up is to start dr
Cheltenham (St Margarets Hall, Hatherley) - 24/25 October 2009
This was a really delightful little show and very friendly too. I have posted some photos of the show in the main exhibitions thread here: My link
Tuesday 27/10/09
Here are a few photos taken on Bleakhouse Road last weekend at the Cheltenham show. These two were taken during 'happy hour' towards the end of the Saturday, allowing Re6/6 to run his new Bachmann 150 and give us a glimpse of what BHR might have been like, had it survived to the modern day...
Re6/6 has charge of the shunting at this time...
I'll add to this particular blog as and when, but more information on this and my other layouts can be found at www.eng
Callow Lane is my new P4 layout, which has been under construction for far too long now...
It is set in North Bristol/South Gloucestershire, and represents a small suburban goods yard in the Westerleigh area. There used to be an old goods-only branch running north-westwards from the Midland Railway's Westerleigh Yard, to a location called New Engine Yard. From here, colliery spurs ran to the pits in the district, amongst them being Mayshill and Frog Lane collieries.
Callow Lane is actual
Well, here's the first entry on my new blog. It's the first time I've ever had anything to do with blogs, apart from reading those posted by other people.
Like most other folk, I shall start posting workbench and layout progress here, as and when there is something significant to report.
The current layout project on-going are the construction of 'Callow Lane', my first P4 layout, set in the North Bristol/South Gloucestershire area and based on Midland and GW practice.
But in a surpr
My thanks to Brian (Taz) for bringing his new City of Truro for me to have a look at the other day. I really do like this one, and my resistence to getting one is wearing extremely thin.
I thought she would look good posing on Callow Lane, seeings as this is the only layout that is normally kept in a 'put up' state at home at the moment (for construction).
But no, I didn't do a quick P4 conversion job - we simply balanced the loco on the P4 track, and mighty fine she looks too!
