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About this blog

An O Gauge BR Branch Line Terminus Model Railway set around 1980 in or about Somerset. Ish.

 

The lock-down diorama kind of got out of control.

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Entries in this blog

SIgnals

Banner Repeater Kit Build - 7 (Paint)

The plan was to paint the white first, but then I put the tape the wrong side of the line, so black it is. The good news is nothing fell off, the bad news is it's probably just waiting for an inconvenient moment. Doubtless someone will be along telling me I'm doing this all wrong, but some more photo searching seems to show that having a finial may only apply for BR days, and perhaps only then when the signal is much taller than I'm making. So I'm going for a cap, following GWR practice, so it c
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Heading Towards The Trees

More fiddly stuff that leaves it looking like not much has happened.  Finally the signal wires etc are done. Painting signal wires that you can barely see is a new form of masochism, but worth it. I tried Dark Earth, Dark Rust and Grey before settling on ... yet more Sleeper grime (with random bits of Dark Rust). The spring cover things are back on the points. I've added clay to bring the cess up to the crossing level, so hopefully it looks like that's the walking route. Paint etc needed when it
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Stone. Loads Of Stone. Walls.

And so to the excellent tunnel mouth and stone walling from Invertrain. The first thing was to paint everything grey (a match pot from B&Q). I kind of assumed the plaster would suck the paint right in requiring many coats, but it just needed the one. Not the greatest photo, the flash on my phone is way OTT, but here's the bit I tackled first - the tunnel mouth. After the grey had dried I got out my chalks (did I mention I love chalks now for weathering). Basically I 'drew' wh
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The (Entirely Unnecessary) Ground Frame

For the gronks little siding I'm putting in a ground frame. This completely un-prototypical in the circumstances, but I thought it would be fun. My excuse is that's how access to Bristol Bath Road depot was done. This is a Wizard/MSE kit of a Saxby & Farmer frame. I didn't actually know quite what I'd ordered since there's no picture on the site, but I guess that adds to the anticipation. It's a very nice kit, the base folded up simple with minimal cleaning up. The etches for the
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Actual Track Laying :-)

So the point motors arrived,along with some switches, cable, pins and PVA. Though not the cheapest motor, I've gone with Peco 'Twistloc' ones, mostly because installation is simple and doesn't involve quarrying a huge hole in pristine baseboards. More in a bit. The first operation was to position the double slip where it goes for real. Unfortunately Wine has decided it doesn't want to pay with Anyrail at the moment, there's two versions of a library in use by different packages at the same time,
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Scenery

Lockdown II - The Extension

So, here we are again! In what is rapidly becoming a habit I got to wondering what I might have planned for Soddingham had it been 'finished'. Extending the standard gauge layout cannot be done as there is nowhere to go. However, the idea of an O-9 (as in 7mm scale on 9mm track) 'feldbahn' supplying some exotic quarry product to the main line appeals (Youtube strikes!). In order to keep the goods shed this would mean another set of points on the Long Siding (at the front, only partly laid to dat
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The Camera Lives!

Not the world's most exciting post, but the camera mentioned yesterday does indeed still breathe. So here's a couple of snaps that make things look so much better. Bit of work to do at the north end...
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SIgnals

Banner Repeater Kit Build - 7 (Paint 2!)

That's the thing painted! Some tidying to do, and some chalk to apply to the woodwork, but that's essentially it. The back 'glass' of the case has had some white applied in a thin coat to see how it goes. When it's gone off I'll see if another coat is needed, to which end I've plugged it in as per the photos. The lamp tell-tale is definitely getting blocked, the post being white makes it worse. Eyeing up the SR van kit now, well more being glared at it, but that means.... gulp...... tidying the
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Big Signals

I've also dug out the mostly built bracket signal. Plan A (yet another one) was to disassemble the signal and re-make it with the bracket on the left, but to be honest I really don't think that would go well, so much has to be re-done. A new kit is too much dosh to justify. So, it's going to be wrong, but I'm blaming a re-signalling at some point in the early 60s where it was decreed stuff should be reused if at all possible, so the signal is 'wrong' because signals.
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The Pointless Points Get A Point

Some more bits turned up, so time to make a start on getting the home-brewed points to work. First thing was to add a second tie bar. This isn't cosmetic, it really is needed to keep the gauge correct over the sliding chairs. I know everyone has their way to do tie-bars, this is the way I went, unobtrusiveness being the main aim. Working would be good too. Basically all I do is make two 's's out of wire stripped from some scrap twin-and-earth, with one longer arm and the other squashed flat with
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Scenery

Yard Fence/Barricade.

I think I mentioned earlier that I fancied having some heavy duty fencing alongside the reception road run-round. In these 'interesting' times it's proved unviable to get hold of just two lengths of bullhead rail to make it as I envisaged, but that may have been a blessing. I have a length of flat bottom rail which I vaguely considered using, but that was a no go since although it bends nicely left and right so to speak, up and down without twisting isn't easy. I can't help wondering if bullhead
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Not Only Signals, But Also...

On the signal theme, the LEDs arrived from Layouts4u and much to my relief the wires are long enough to reach right down inside the pole. Another happy accident! These are supplied with the resistor at the other end from the LED which is great for signals, buffer stops and the like where hiding a resistor would be tricky. So, chopping the resistor off temporarily, the wires were twisted together (makes them more rigid, but still flexible) and poked down the hole where the lamp fits - and out fro
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Wiring Frankenstein's Monster

Back to the layout, and it's do all the wiring time. In the absence of four point motors (unavailable anywhere!) the cables have been placed so all that is needed is to fix them whenever they can be. Starting at the far end and working towards the control panel the cables were made into a harness using small ty-wraps (and tape when I ran out of them). All the cables were idented with masking tape, with branches popping in and out as required. When the control panel was arrived at, all the leads
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And...Ballast!

Ah yes, ballast. Now there's a topic that can run and run. I guess everyone has their favourite, and favourite way of laying it. I spent a few years wondering around on the dammed stuff and a lot of layouts use a much too big a size. I guess it depends on taste really, and as with the long point timber saga earlier not everything scales. My choice was essentially based on the observation that you can hold a lump of ballast in your closed hand pretty much. While searching I stumbled on a spec she
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SIgnals

Banner Repeater Kit Build - 6

A finally, less the finial it is built. The hand rail is a a square, made from bits - I guess you could just bend it - but since the irons out anyway I like making it. The tape holds stuff nicely while you squint trying to get the uprights upright. The first one I built I misread the drawing and had four uprights, this time I've done it right with two uprights and the rear fixed just to the post. I've added the base, which is more to hold it together than a layout fixing. I couldn't face taking
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SIgnals

Banner Repeater Kit Build - 6

Not the most wildly exciting post, but the signal is now primed! A spot of tidying here and then the top coat. It looks like getting a finial before January isn't going to happen, so soon the next project starts. Much as I'd like to do the ABS guard van kit, I really need to get the three Parkside kits I have left over from an attempt at starting a model shop out of the way, to wit a BR 12T Tube, the inevitable BR sand wagon and an SR brake van. As Lady Provenance is delivering a spay gun on Wed
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Baseboard Building With Off-Cuts

A day sorting through bits of baseboards that started out life for one layout, got chopped up for use in another and are now doing it all again. Amazingly there's exactly enough! Had to stop when next doors kids go to bed, so it will be finished tomorrow. Even more amazingly, not one of the timbers fouls a point motor! This is in breach of the laws of physics and must be a mistake. And I had the loft so tidy... All done - creative carpentry rocks. No, sucks. Pretty chuffed that I
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Radio Control... ?

Over the last couple of days I've been checking out Protocab, a radio controlled battery powered control system that eliminates the need for power to the track. This appeals immensely - no track cleaning, no wiring and you get to drive down the rusty little-used siding without coming to a grinding halt. I'm happy battery life will meet my needs, and I like the idea of re-charging via the engines normal pickups (the induction version, at over £100, is not justifiable on a small layout). There's o
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Old Metcalf Kit

Amongst the pile of stuff I didn't sell back then was a couple of Metcalf kits, one low-relief front of a pair terrace houses and one low relief of the rear of a pair. In all this time I never noticed one is stone and one is brick. Ooops. I picked these up at the that garden centre, with the controller way back when Metcalf decided to abandon O gauge (bet they regret that now!). There's probably not a whole lot of point in doing a complete build as there's nothing tricky making these kits, the o
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Old Endings & New Beginnings

So this is where it ended, and this where it started. After just putting my soldering iron down to open the door to get my nice new shiny (but not very good) guitar I never went back into that side of the loft, except to round up all the 30 odd wagons (O gauge) I'd built, brass and plastic, to sell on eBay to buy a moderately seriously expensive (but gorgeous) new guitar. Not a yard of track had been laid. All that was left was a set of home made points (the Great Plan required about twenty sets
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The S&T Team Arrives

During earlier ramblings the subject of signalling got raised, and with progress at the point such things need deciding it's time to be decisive. The heart wants colour light signalling, because it's pretty really. Though there are some excellent brass kits for light signals at a pretty nice price (plus a few detailing accessories), working dummies (ground signals) working are .... £45 each! The head says that it's pretty unlikely such a location would actually be re-signalled, the head also rem
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More trees...

So the on-going tree project is .. on-going. The trees looked quite nice with just the green poly stuff, but driving round it looked not very typical of an English tree in summer, so I ordered some Gaugemaster 'leaves' in a summery dark green. I teased out the poly a bit more to get those fly-away ends so hated by hairdressers, then gave it a good spray with 20% PVA and then essentially tipped the leaves on - the more you put on the more sticks it's seems. It looked good, but turning the tree up
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Stuff Starts Coming Together

With the banner repeater done and installed (painted the hand-rails white for some reason, will have to change that), the far corner tree placed (but not fixed yet) and the footpath lamps in place all that needs to be done is: Fix bushes etc to hide the gaps; Put the foliage on the RBO (Ridiculously Big Oak) and plant it to the left of the tracks; Plant the other NSRBT (Not So Ridiculously Big Tree) on the right together with the tiny trees; Add some 'dry grass' and some dark
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Set The Controls To...

So while that sorts itself out, time to start wiring the double slip. Pretty quickly it became apparent that having somewhere to mount switches might be an idea! Well, I've got some ply - nope, too thick. Dammit, why have you never got some hardboard lying about like it always was (for some unexplained reason) back in the day. Eyes cast round the loft... oh look, the wallpaper pasting table. Reaches for saw... Above : I feel no guilt. I hate wallpaper. One control panel.
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Geometry. Curse it.

The point motor for the home-brew points arrived and was promptly fitted. Then the fun started. Fitting was fine, marking the fixing points in advance worked out just dandy, but the motor is non latching and the blades would not stay hard over. Damn. The reason, probably should have been obviously, was that the 'spring' in the point blades, which are quite long and made from flat-bottomed rail. Out came the desk-tidy tippler. This is a wobbly wheel and the other three aren't quite square anymore
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