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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

In Go The Point Motors - Eventually...

There 's no photo to go with this really... Somewhere along the line the two curved points that these two motors drive had moved a bit - the heels were about 4mm from where the should be according to the marking out. This might not sound a lot, but when the hoes for the operating rods are 6mm it mounts up a bit and both motors would operate fine in normal position, but not quite do it reversed. Both needed their holes opening up by about 1mm. Lesson 1 : The Twistlock motors have to operate
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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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Ground Frame.

At last I can start moving on from point rodding and signal wires! Nearly. Until I start the other end. The pullies bit has had the wires threaded through and dollop of paint (still wet in the photo). The Signal is fixed in place and when the paint is dry the aforementioned pullies, wires and signals will be affixed to the other. If The Plan works it should be simple. Ha ha.   Starting to look past The Beam Of Doom, I've sorted out how the totally unnecessary ground frame will work. As
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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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Forgotten Paintwork

I forgot to paint the rails of the concrete sleepered section of track, and doing it after ballasting isn't easy - especially when you have to practically do a back-flip-hand-stand to get to the backs of the rails, which can be seen from the other end of the layout unfortunately. I've decided I don't like concrete sleepered track, one miss with the brush and it's there forever. With wooden sleepered track it doesn't matter! I used sleeper grime again, the various shades of rust would only look r
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Scenery

Fencing Clay.

With fence/barricade/thing now all nice and dried it's was time to place it. I'm not quite sure what's going to happen past the points yet, so there may, or may not, be more. When the glue finally decided to set clay was worked around the posts, spread on a little PVA for grip. At the back the ground falls away rapidly to the cess, which will be decorated to look like its kind happened over the years rather than any sort of wall or such. With the posts and back done the ground was skimmed with c
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Exponential Point Rodding

It seems like every time I look there's another bit I've overlooked! Hopefully though, the south end up to the signal box is now down. Good old geometry stuck it's oar in now and again, yet while not claiming perfection I'm happy with the results - a bit of paint will hide the anomalies. He said. In a hopeful sort of way. Oh, signal wires - that's going to be fun. Also, the banner repeater now has the correct black handrails. And the Bobby's Defender has arrived (from under the scarily high stac
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End

End Of The Road - On Here

Unfortunately this site has a member, posting under at least two identities, who seriously needs to get a life, seeming to think this his private empire to rule as he pleases. He recently started contributing, unhelpfully, to a two-man discussion thread under his other persona (though blatantly him from the start), right from the off trying to goad a reaction - stalking really. When one's contributions are belittled it takes away the fun. Hope you all get through these hard time in one piece and
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Electric String Time

So, now, to wiring it all up. Although it's all a bit of a lash up for now (until I get correct wire and know where I'm going a bit) I did still need to mount the point motor switches, as trying to use them dangling about seems likely to lead to cooked point motors as I fumble about with them. To this end I marked out the control panel with something representing the layout and mounted the switches. This will be re-visited later when I've worked out exactly what I want. Putting the 08 on the tra
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Cork, Cork, Lovely Cork!

Cork... I went for 3mm to allow a nice shoulder on the ballast where appropriate. Elsewhere cork goes pretty much everywhere, effectively raising the formation 3mm in general. Right Here is the posy controller I talked about above. When I bought it I thought it was pretty gimmicky, but did like the 'throttle lever'. However I'm quite converted now, it adds something having to brake to stop. I guess you can do this with DCC, but expense. All is now set for tomorrow's (hopefully) triump
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Catching Up On Stuff

It's been a few days of doing bits and bobs, the great leap forward being somewhat constrained by waiting for an order to arrive, in which the tunnel mouth for the supposed exit stage north should be. The bulk has arrived, except the tunnel mouth which is coming direct from the manufacturer. A lot of it is stuff that's for a bit further down the line, so just for fun I thought I'd list it... I was actually only looking for a single track tunnel mouth, in stone, with some stone walling but got a
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Buffer Stops Plan Works

Having had a good look at what is needed to light up the lantern on the Peco buffers, a coupe of holes were drilled, 1.5mm upwards for the LED to go in, and one the size of the 'lens' on the lamp (3mm?). A small hand-drilled hole, done with the pin vice, ensured the larger drill followed the correct path to Nirvana. Then, with a blob of Evostick on the wires where they go in, stick the LED in. I made sure it was facing outwards, but with hindsight having it facing the back might have
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Buffer Stops

Looking to assemble the first set of buffers properly, I couldn't help but think I can get an LED in that lamp moulding. Looking for coloured 'glass' now... These buffers, being a headshunt, the platform ones and the ones at the end of the run-round will get the treatment. The ones at the end of ordinary sidings didn't usually have them, so the lamps will be cut off them. Watch this space.   View the full article  
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Brick And Stone?

It has been noted that Soddingham has a mixture of somehow Midland looking brick structures and stone for the engineering side of things. Further research has shown that original earthworks were undertaken by the Thasteephill & Watbrakes Railway Company that went insolvent after the Foreman lost sixpence at a game of cards. Construction was completed by a bloke called Frank, who happened to have a job lot of red bricks going spare, on behalf of the Pennipincher & Cheapp Railway. No evide
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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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Scenery

Been A While...

Musicing has been occupying me somewhat over the last few days, but bits and bobs have been done. Wanting to do the claying between the two crossings at the station end I realised that the Curse Of The Point Rodding and it's associate Signal Wires could not be avoided. So a ruck of single stools was made, together with a set of buffer stops for the end of the General Goods road. The stools are mounted on squares of cork, as I've concluded the cork, when painted with 'Concrete', gives a good repr
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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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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 got it all
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SIgnals

Banner Repeater Kit Build - Done (At Last!)

So the last bit was cap for the post. The bits I found in the signals odd-and-ends bag turned out to not be what was desired. However, further rooting around produced a brass disc (I'm guessing a counter-balance weight) that was only slightly oversize. Filing this to fit, it needs to be a kind of dome affair going by the drawing, was not going to be easy. Then the little grey cells had a conference and Plan B arrived... I soldered it to a off-cut of the correct size post, then it was easy to fil
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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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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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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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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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Banner Repeater Kit Build - 5 (And A Bit Of Lighting)

So with the ripples of quantum uncertainty passed, back to the train set. The operating rod has been added, so the signal now 'works'. It's awfully cramped but it all went in. This was a bit of a pain with having to take it out each time to put the kinks in so it goes down through the centreline of the platform. It works nicely.  I'm thinking that drilling the tell-tale on the back of the lamp might have been unnecessary - no one can see it with the post in the way. I'll probably blank it.
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