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About this blog

Local BLT for local people (and Grockles.)

Entries in this blog

It’s Got Legs and It Knows How to Use Them...

It’s Got Legs and It Knows How to Use Them...

Bloody hell, for the first time ever the whole layout minus fiddle yard is together, supported entirely on the leg units. Only took 11 years. As you can see from the thumbnail there was a degree of shock about this.   All the boards. Each modular board is 3’6” long, with the two larger station boards individually sized.   The classic view from above the signal box. Vs reality   Side by side, I didn’t get quite the same angle, but close enough. O
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More Grass!

More Grass!

I finally got a couple of hours to play with the scenic board and both my grass machines. I have the WWS large one and their detail one, since they had a sale in summer.  Here is the back corner of the board in 2011, basic ground cover done. I always intended a strong mix of texture on the line side to reflect wartime manpower shortages.  I started by making a “shaggy embankment” mix, made of 1mm,2mm, 4mm and a few 6mm yellows to reflect autumn colours, there are 4 different shades and
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Prototype Pictures- Unseen Demolition Photos

Prototype Pictures- Unseen Demolition Photos

Having joined the 21st Century a bit more this month, with the heady speeds of fibre broadband arriving at home and a wireless printer scanner to go with it, I decided it was time to scan my only set of pictures. Some context- The station building was demolished some years ago over a weekend in slightly dubious circumstances, the site is still just empty (very annoying.) A friend happened to be passing and took these shots from inside the fence with permission. They show a lot of detai
Station Painting- Tones and Stones

Station Painting- Tones and Stones

Having got the basic shell done I guide coated it in Army Painter “ Skeleton Bone “ intending to use the beige as the base for my mortar tones. This was all I had done when we last saw the buildings in my previous entry. Most of my painting on this was done at night, since that’s the only time there is peace and quiet in my place since lockdown. One of the key things I was looking to reproduce from the prototype is the very grey granite used on the stonework, vs the more brown “local” stone
After 10 years “Kingsbridge” Gets a Station

After 10 years “Kingsbridge” Gets a Station

I realised this week it has been over 10 years since I started this layout, which was a bit terrifying. Life has a way of making things take longer than expected and the model of the station building at Kingsbridge is no exception. Thanks to those of you who have been with me since the beginning and all the commenters along the way, you have all helped keep me moving forwards, even if the pace has been a bit non existent! Last time we left the building at the elevations stage, I matched the
 

Kitbashing Kingsbridge Station Part 1

After 6 months of trying and failing to get anyone to make a laser cut kit from my Autocad files I have decided to take matters into my own hands and sort the station once and for all. I saw Ratio now produce a William Clarke style station building, which I thought might make a starting point for my kitbash. They also make an etched roof light, so I gathered my raw materials.     This approach would surely meet with Mr Clarke’s approval as he was essentially an early proponent of design and
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The Platform Now Arriving is Attempt Number 2

Managed to steal an hour or two today to get this done, ready to install a station building and the engine shed. The back scene is next but budget is lacking, I could afford the sheet of 9mm MDF for this job. This allows me to keep the whole platform as a separate piece that I can complete at home then drop into the baseboard ready for final tinkering. I chose 9mm because it allows for a close to scale height after taking into account my clunky non fine scale track and won't look too low from ty
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Taking Control- Team Digital SMD84 Decoders & NCE Powercab

<p>Hello again! This layout is nearing its seventh birthday, which came as quite a shock to me when I realised. With that in mind I am now determined to get it to a point where I can run trains. I made a crash list of jobs that needed doing, top of the list was to finally sort out the control system and point wiring.I had despaired of ever getting any of this working in a coherent way and it was one of the many reasons the layout ended up in transport boxes in my workshop. Having toyed wit
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Conflattery Will Get You Anywhere

As it was my Birthday this month, celebrated by going to the WSR and visiting the Taunton members day (thanks Tim and team) I had some money to spend, so I bought a pair of GWR Conflats, in this case the Peco version. My reasoning was that in Autumn 1943 many local families were evacuated from the training area around Slapton, some of whom would have taken advantage of the railways removal service if they were travelling outside the local area. Service personnel from other areas would also be re
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A Python For the General.

Wow, its been a long time since I did a blog entry!   I recently decided to start work on Kingsbridge again, as it has been living in crates in my workshop long enough. Sorting through the spares box and rolling stock I came across a Python kit from Chivers Finelines. This was the second one I bought, as my dog, then young, had chewed the first one the minute it arrived on the door mat. I have since trained my excellent postman to leave the parcels somewhere else and trained my dog not to eat
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Toplight 57ft Full Brake

Continuing with rolling stock, I won 3 Cavendish coach kits on the usual auction site, £25 for a 70ft compo, 57 FB and a Siphon H. There were one or two bits misplaced, but nothing serious. These kits are still available in improved format, from Ultima. I thought I would start with the full brake. Here it is still in the box, carefully glued back together by the seller.   I laid out all the components, these use printed sides, which saved me doing the lining out and the lack of relief is
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Weathering A Mathieson PO Mineral Wagon- Look No Airbrush....

Thanks to the dreaded SQL I am typing all this again, so pardon me if I am not totally detailed or spelled right!   Inspired by the Pendon mineral train In MI4 I decided to do some work on a Mathieson Models PO coal wagon. This is how I did it, using easy techniques and no airbrush. I have one but its a pain cleaning it all in the middle of the night and using the brush mean I can work in the living room. The pristine model, better scale dimensions and brake gear than the other manufacturers
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Two years and 1 day after I started...

This blog is officially 2 years one day old today. I have learned many things over the course of building Kingsbridge. Content has been a bit slow in coming lately but I haven't given up on it but it will be a case of doing odd bits for the next few months. I have decided to concentrate on completing the main station board before going any further with the other boards as this should enable me to run trains on it and I have finished most of the secondary buildings. Just wanted to say a big tha
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The Station Board- Progress of a Kind...

Having had a successful test at Taunton with one Prairie shunting well all day I have started getting all the track works and building placement in the yard area sorted so I can fix all the track. I intended to do this today but the warming of the weather has dried out my contact adhesive! To start with a series of photos of the buildings, in place on the boards. All of these are designed to be fixed in with the yard covering filling the gaps.   An overall view from the king point   T
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Carriage Shed Painted

Well I got time this week to paint up the shed, here are the results with a brief pictorial stroll through the process. Having started with a black undercoat I put some rust tones randomly across the roof, looking at the pictures from the 50's.     There are 2 brown shades and a dark metallic in there. I wanted some faint rust visible through the grey base.     The base grey was put on with a heavy drybrush.     After 2 lightening tones on the grey I put more careful rust marks o
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A carriage shed at last...

Well, it has been a while since I did an update for Kingsbridge. I have not been entirely idle on this model, but progress has been limited to tweaking the track layout, adding length to the sidings, and trying to get the trackside structures done in case the sidings need moving before ballasting. With this in mind I bought the Ratio carriage shed kit, thinking of bashing it to resemble the corrugated structure on the branch. As soon as I looked at it I knew this plan was not going to work, the
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Stationary again!

I have been looking again at the platforms and have noticed a glaring error on the facing, I have made it stone all the way around, as it was in it's original guise. Further digging and picture checking has revealed that it should be brick from 2/3rds the way down the main platform right around to the engine shed. This was done during the re building work of 1916 when the bay platform was added, and I had missed it when building my platforms. To sort this out I decided the easiest way would be
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Stationary...

Its been a while since I updated the blog, so having restored my mojo with some work on a micro layout I thought it was high time I put some effort into Kingsbridge again. No station is complete without a platform, and my platform was far from complete! Regular readers will have spotted the rough shape in my last set of photos, made from a laminate of foam board, mounting card and leftover hardboard. In hindsight I should have done a single sheet of 10mm foam board for ease of construction but
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In which I temporarily admit defeat..

I had to take a difficult decision today. Despite great patience from the exhibition manager I have reluctantly decided not to debut the layout over the May bank holiday. The reasons for this are: The station building and platform is unfinished The control system is not finished- all switching would be via hand of god method. I have 2 chipped locos, but key items of stock are still absent, despite offers of loans from Kris I feel I will not be able to do justice to the traffic in my chase
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Taunton

]Went to the RM meet at Taunton today, a big thank you to the SWAG crew for organising it so well and to all the exhibitors for providing such high quality layouts. Thanks to all friendly RM web'ers for saying hi. What follows is only a few pictures, I am sure other more talented snappers will post a more complete set of pics. I did take shots of almost everything but not all were that good (my camera work, not the layouts!) so if I have not shown your work it is my lack of ability, not the asto
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Engine Shed

Following a long and highly informing (for me anyway!) discussion on the forums I have now done the basic carcass of the engine shed. There is still some fettling to do, I have to put the smoke channel in, as suggested by Kris, tidy up the corners and put on the roof, as well as the roof lights. I am fairly pleased with the progress so far but any improvement suggestions are welcome. This is the front view which compares fairly well with the prototype. Some compromise about lintel height was r
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Back Scenes 3, This Time It's Hardboard...

I have finally got the back scenes on, but not glued permanently. Aside from one or two spots where I need to put some strengtheners i.e. on the joints and ends of curves, I think it has worked out quite well. Here are the 2 station boards.   Its made a big difference to how the layout flows, now its on to track weathering and fixing, plus wiring the bus and point motors! I might even get to start the engine shed thanks to help from you all with the measurements.
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Yard and Goods Shed

I am amazingly a little bit ahead of schedule. I am sure this won't last! A few hectic hours work and another dent in my credit card completed the trackwork in the yard. I also did a temporary goods shed from the metcalfe one. Here's the track, which has all its droppers soldered on and is ready to paint and wire. It always looks so blocky and clumsy before painting but having seen the work involved I am glad i didn't have to build all those sets of points! The goods shed is a compromise,
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The Big Push Begins...

I have set myself the aim of exhibiting Kingsbridge this year. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing. Here's the job list I think it needs to be OK (not finished!) Complete station board, including the major buildings and structures. I might ignore a few secondary buildings if I run short of time Get the second loco converted to DCC with a digihat Complete the third scenic board Complete wiring of boards. build a control panel- stud and probe for now get backscenes printed build
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4561 Rides Again...

I have finally got round to sorting out some more little jobs. The first one was re-numbering and dirtying my Dapol 45xx. I got some Modelmaster brass plates that were great, and some fox buffer beam numbers finished it off. All that is left to do is sort out the disgusting rapido coupling and do the front and back dirty to match the sides. Any comments appreciated as I haven’t varnished it yet. The real 4561 continues to be on static display in one of the museums (Swindon?) but I am hoping fo
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