Preamble
Since I rewired my layout I have provided for two controllers to be used.
Once the extension is built the fiddle yard will be up to 8ft away from the main operating position. To make operations easier I have introduced "cab control" where a train leaving the fiddle yard is under the control of the "main" operators controller.
A train travelling to the fiddle yard will be under the control of the fiddle yard operators hand held controller.
switching from one controller to the other
Time for the weekly update....
This week it's ROCK & ROLL!
First the ROCK..
The spoil heap next to the tunnel portal has been made, glued, stuck down and painted. Some Mininatur grass clumps have been added.
The remaining area has now received it's base of hanging basket liner.
On the other (Viewing)side I've added some vegetation growing in the crack between the rock, just to break it up a bit. It's a pity that this view will not be seen by the viewing public but here
Another quick but significant update.
Finally I have got all the base scenic features in place. I have just finished the hillside around the tunnel mouth. Significant meaning that there will be (hopefully) no more polystyrene balls floating round SWMBO's kitchen!
The whole lot being given a few coats of "Gloop of a different colour"! This time matt black emulsion being mixed with white filler to give me that grey granite/slate colour.
A fair bit of this will be covered with t
Time for the weekly update...
Mud,Mud glorious Mud! Nothing quite like it for.... Making basic scenery!
Using a recipe found on another forum I mixed a dollop of "Gloop"
That's Water, PVA, Polyfilla and cheap household emulsion in this case Wickes "Grizzly" a dark matt brown colour, It was a bit light when mixed up so I darkened it down with some matt black (Wickes Liquorice") to end up with something near what I wanted.
This "Gloop" was then applied by brush to the river b
Time for the weekly update!
Things are starting to turn green on Morfa Bach.
Some trees and grass tufts have been added to the tunnel end of the layout.
The plate layer's hut has been scratch built from Plasticard and fixed in position.
To the right of the hut can be seen the next batch of scree to be painted, I haven't mentioned what I am using for the scree, so for those interested it is budgie grit from the pet shop and crushed red slate from the front garden.
It just needs p
Another week has flown by and it's time for the weekly update on Morfa Bach.
Progress on the scenery at the bridge end of the layout, Hanging basket liner covers the east bank of the river and some rocks and scree have been fixed to the west bank area.A small boat salvaged from an old layout has found a new home too!
At the tunnel end.
A start has been made on adding some rocks and scree up the slope to track level. The tunnel is fixed in place and the new retaining wall made an
Getting towards the finishing stages now, that's if a model railway is ever "finished" there are always little jobbies to be done somewhere.
Morfa Bach is no exception and I shall still be adding detail and paint in 12 months time!
But, all work and no play is no fun, so, taking advantage of this weeks fair weather I dragged the layout out on to the back yard and posed a few locos wagons and coaches for some natural daylight pictures.
Here's a few of the many shots taken this afterno
More Woood butchering!
Unlike quite a few of my fellow modellers I do not have the luxury of a large workshop or heated garage, being limited to an 8ftx6ft shed, although heated and plenty of power points it definitely lacks much in the room to swing a cat round department! (No cats were hurt in trying to prove this theory!)
So, consequently I have to wait for suitable days to work outside in the fresh air. Today was exceptionally mild for early January so out comes the saw bench and w
As promised a weekly update on this project.
All the track is now laid wired up and tested. Rails and sleepers have been painted and a start made on ballasting the track.
The stone retaining wall is finished and painted. and the entrance to Morfa Bach Tunnel is in place.
The area below the wall is still under construction.
The sky back scene here is purely arbitrary as very little of it will be seen once the hill side, trees and undergrowth has been fixed in place.
Meanwhile, ba
Those that are good at carpentry look away NOW!
I've just spent a few days "wood butchering" the new baseboard for the long delayed extension to pen Y Bont.
setting the layout up has to wait for decent weather as It's too big with the extension to erect indoors!
Anyway here it is! the long awaited extension in place but, about 2years from finishing!
Looking towards the fiddle yard, track and turnouts just placed on the board for checking the "fit"
A little closer to the
By way of a little interlude from the "Two Dogs" project I dug my old Bachmann 45xx Prairie tank out of the top drawer and thought it was about time I did something with it!
When shopping for bits and pieces at the Warley exhibition I picked up a few sets of GWR cab side etched plates from Garry Wells at 247Developments.
Cambrian based 2-6-2T No 4560 being one of them.
The loco as it came to me second hand and a good runner was finished in BR lined green with late crest, whereas witho
Latest up date on the "Two Dogs" project.
Whilst I am waiting for motors and gearboxes to arrive from Scalelink I decided to do a bit of work on my own "dog"
The Dukedog arrived from the seller on Ebay nearly all built but painted in GWR green. As I wanted mine in BR black some real cleaning up was needed.
I tried paint stripper but found out that the loco had been stuck together with 2 part epoxy and NOT soldered!
So, Major strip down and reassembly using 70deg lo melt solder. I to
A little more progress! (and a bit it is!)
I spent4 hours yesterday afternoon making and fitting the bridge handrails from 2mm brass square hollow section and 30thou brass wire.
Next job is painting the handrails, note that I have managed to tone down the blue cast seen in my previous entry.
In the background is the basic Wills kit I am using for the bridge keepers cottage.
More as and when
Cheers!
Frank
Some progress,not a lot, but some progress!
I have almost completed the bridge, it still needs some more colour dry brushing as I'm not satisfied with the grey, It seems to have a blueish cast to it, so more work is needed here. Handrails need making and fitting.
The main purpose of this entry though is to show where it goes on the layout.
Over on the right hand side!
I had to get the bridge built and the track laid on it because that sets the datum for the height of the rest of the
This locomotive is amongst some of the oldest models I own.
It's a Bachmann GWR/BR Manor class synonymous with the Cambrian section of BR Western region.
I was looking round for some quick fix modelling jobs to do over the Chrismas/New year period so decided to do a bit of an upgrade on this....
I had already done some work to it 11 years ago when I bought it new, It's already had new name and number plates and a few other jobs done but, just look at that chimney!
Absolutely terr
I haven't updated this blog for a couple of weeks because I didn't have much to show until now.
I've been doing some work on the small halt for the layout the result of which can be seen below.
The halt is based on the one that existed at Gogarth Halt, the first stop for a train heading north bound up the Cambrian coast line after leaving Dovey Junction.
The platform is just long enough to accommodate one coach as per the prototytpe.
The shelter is also based on the same l
Better late than never! It's been over a week since the last update mainly because the amount of work done and worth showing has been a bit short this time, Jobs to complete this first section of Morfa Bach now coming close to the end.
At the Morfa Tunnel end some more vegetation has been added, and the fixed distant for the next section has been installed.
The fixed distant was built up from a mix of MSE and Ratio parts.
More rock scree has been laid at he rear of the siding and also in t
PENMAENPOOL MPD.
Now that Morfa Bach is nearing completion it's time to consider my options for board 2 of my new modular layout.
This board (whatever the final decision) has got to fit next to Morfa Bach to provide a continuous run from fiddle yard to fiddle yard.
Yet more scenic boards could be built, making the layout more flexible for exhibiting.
One option I am considering for module 2 is Penmaenpool MPD.
Unlike most small steam sheds Penmaenpool was not located at a terminus, ne
Thank goodness for some decent weather so work can be continued outside on the East fiddle yard for my new Cambrian modular layout "Steam on the Cambrian".
Those who have read my first post on this subject will know that the layout requires two such fiddle yards, one at each end of the modules.
Both fiddle yards will consist of a three road turn table so that complete trains can be turned at each end without having to lift off any stock or cassettes.
Today's progress on the east fiddle yard i
Sorry that I have not updated the blog for a couple of weeks or so, I have been busy getting Pen Y Bont ready for Midland Railex (more about that in a future entry)
OK so, what have I been up to? Well quite a bit actually but nothing of real substance to post here until now.
I have acquired yet another ex GWR locomotive (not saying from where or what it is yet!) all I will say is that it is a RTR job from Bachmann.
Anyway I digress (as usual!)
I have made a start on adding extra detail and
Now that I have committed to building my new Micro layout "Morfa Bach" and the baseboard frame is built I have now turned my attention to some "Wood Butchery" in miniature!
One of the features I wanted to include on this new layout is a Cambrian wood trestle bridge.
So, with inclement weather preventing wood butchering outside I have started wood butchery on the kitchen table!
I have made three trestles and started work on the deck. Here's a quick look at progress to date.
If the entry title sound familiar, then it is!
Some time ago on the previous incarnation of RMWeb Neil Ripley of Walker Marine fame produced a model of a burnt out BR brake van.
I was inspired by his modelling to have a go myself. Here are the results.
Progress on Morfa Bach has been slow to stop just lately, I have realised that the original plan (not drawn to scale) was going to turn out a little bit too cramped, so, I am having a rethink on the buildings.
The track plan is not going to change though in fact I am toying with the idea of introducing a narrow gauge (009) line to exchange with the standard gauge siding. (Nothing definite about that yet so it may or may not happen.)
The bridge keepers cottage will be staying as will the sho
Still not done anything much on the two dogs project. Been rather busy trying to finish a load of loose ends between now and Christmas.
One such project is this Dapol BR standard brake van kit that was started several months ago after being bought some 12 months before that! As you can tell I tend to take time to get a "Round Tuit"
I remember these kits when they first came out made by Airfix cica 1962 I Think.
Now, considering the moulds and tooling used for these models are getting on for 5
Progress at last!
After the disaster of a few weeks ago with the "Dukedog" chassis and motor failure another attempt was made on getting a working chassis.
I had to wait until the Warley National model railway exhibition (where I was assisting a fellow CHMRC member with his layout operations) to purchase the necessary parts from Comet Models.
I chose to use their GB5 gearbox and Mashima 10 series motor, (Shown below)
Assembly is straight forward, The bearings are soldered i
