Leaderboard

Hello. I thought I would record what has happened today as it once again didnt go exactly according to plan... What was supposed to be a quick couple of hours job to wire up the station lights on the goods shed end of the platform kind of turned into something that still hasnt quite been finished off.... The first thing is the original holes I drilled in the platform came through the underside of the baseboard directly onto one of the supports for the legs so I couldnt get near it to fit the socket for the lights! The only solution to this was to redrill the holes slightly to one side which I promptly did. Secondly I went to install the light sockets I made a while ago and couldnt find one of them anywhere! The only option was to make another one which I did and finally installed them both. Then there was the light for the goods shed which needed wiring up (as I was under the baseboards anyway) so I wired in the socket, plugged the goods shed in, then promptly blew up the LED in the shed! I found out that I wired it into the 12v supply instead of the 3v one!! The only solution was to take the roof off the shed (which was glued on!) and replace the LED which I did. Finally one of my station lights stopped working earlier and after a bit of investigation found out that the bulb had blown, this of course meant that I had to remove the brass fittings on the bulb and glue them onto another bulb which is as far as I have got so far. So there you have my day today! The thing is now its dark enough to take some nightime photos of the layout... Looking at my layout in the dark tonight has made me realise that it is all worth it... Missy

Whilst I await some decent weather so that I can order the materials to line out the new shed without them getting soaked I've been dabbling with building the North Box for the station. This is based on the old one at Birmingham Snow Hill, which was some 50ft by 10 ft and stood on girder stilts because of the restricted site. The basis of the cabin are some butchered sides from a number of the Hornby GWR Dunster Signal boxes, the windows whilst typucally GWR do not match those of the prototype but life's too short to get overly concerned with such matters. The photos give an indication of the work so far. The box was electrically operated so no locking bars to model just lots and lots of cabling. The photos I've managed to dig up show lots of cables slung beneath the box and carried down the side of the stairs. This shows the parts from the Hornby kit which are going to be used. I used four kits to get the necessary parts, I could have used fewer but that would have meant more joints. The windows from the remaining parts will be used on the South Box, whilst the level crossings I'll stick back on ebay. These are the parts, with all but one trimmed and butchered. The windows turned out to be finer than I thought, obviously thicker than etched ones, but with a little work thinning the back of the frames down quite acceptable. With the sides fitted to a new base, and some stregthening of the back wall. The only photo I have of the rear of the box, which because of the way it will be placed on the layout will be the public face of the box was unusual (well to me at least) in that several of the panels of windows were painted out. Perhaps even stranger whilst there is an obvious soil pipe for the toilet facilities, these appear to have been behind one of these painted out window panels (in this case the first one after the access door). And now it sprouts legs. I was concerned that the girders looked strong enough to support the structure, and having glued them in place (evergreen plastic mouldings), was becoming a bit worried that I'd gone over the top. cross girders start to go in. Final shot for this post. Most of the girders are in place. There are two cross girders to go in at the ends to give "X" bracing. Between the other legs were a series of cabinets with sliding doors for stores so far as I can work out, and a panel carrying cables. Braces also need to be added from the top of the legs to the edge of the Box. These will be fun to try and cut. The roof is loose for now to allow access to glaze the box after painting and because of the large number of windos to allow me to fit some kind of interior. Rovex

Greetings. I have been tracklaying tonight. The turnouts are temporarily fixed in place with tape,while the track is trimmed to length. The turnouts were subsequently removed and sprayed with undercoat and then the sleepers given a coat of sleeper grime mixed with matt black. The turnouts are awaiting reattachment. The Track was attached with double sided tape, on which fine ballast was pressed down between the sleepers to leave a minimalist ballast trackbed ( I overdid the other board!)

Hi I made a decision to use KD couplings because they can handle sharp curves without causing derailments. I have however had problems with the uncoupling because I have not been able to obtain the face magnets required. The point is a Peco Setrack Y point, but I intend to replace it with a Setrack Right Hand point, because this will allow me to ease the approach curve. Diane

Hello Mac. Well railway modelling is certainly a multi-layered hobby. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall during that club discussion! . I can see the point about even realism being subjective, but for me the difference lies in the intention: If someone is trying to replicate reality to perfection, then they are pursuing the "realist" approach - even if they are subconsciously making their own interpretations while doing so. Anyway, I like the geology map. That's what I call research!

Since when did HF Stephens follow usual practice! He used concrete pots to secure chairs on a passanger railway. Neither this or attatching sleepers to baulks is the usual accepted practice.