Leaderboard

111116_polbrock_IMG_1930_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. The Armchair & Pedant is now in place to hide the right hand exit to the fiddle yard on Polbrock. Of course it still needs a proper sign, but my printer inks have dried up, so until I waste yet more time on cleaning the printer heads and taking out a mortgage to replace the inks it won't be happening for a bit unless I get a print done in the local Boots or Happysnappy next time I'm down in town. The sign on the right hand end of the building is a left over from Brewhouse Quay, and by the way it displays the imaginary 'Marriott Dent & Foster Brewery' I've cheated with the backdrop here, it is part of the 4 foot long image file created for the backscene which has yet to be printed, and it has been super imposed behind the layout to see how it looks. I'm sure this will probably upset some 3 day old Daily Mail reading Rover 400 (with 'support stocking grey interior of course') driving ex-pats living in Normandy, in that I should be messing about with a computer to appraise what the backscene will look like in advance of physically producing a hard copy, for you I have a special unadulterated photo here with just a sheet of pale blue/grey card behind the layout like you'd like to see in a finescale mag (sorry it's not in B&W).. What is probably a rather dangerous level crossing will be protected with a warning sign in due course, and probably just behind the loco will be an old shed or platelayer's hut and maybe some more shrubbery to hide the transition between 3D modelling and the 2D backscene. Realistically this is probably about as far as I'm going to get with Polbrock before The Warley Show this coming weekend where it will be used as a prop to photograph some of the OO gauge new releases. Once that crazy weekend of modelrailwaymania is over, I'll be able to get this little layout to a stage of proper completion.

Good evening, The good news is...it's not the track...as this has been somewhat fashionable in 2mmFS circles of recent... I am referring to the quayside which has seen some work the last few days. First up, after repainting the water with a touch of black (thanks Will) I started the PVA layers. The first coat was applied thinly and after leaving to dry overnight, the second was applied. No problems with misting...but it didn't really start to take on the water effect. I guess it will take a number of passes at it. However...the thing that was bugging me, was even though I had redone the water and cut around the verticals of the quayside, there was still a slight gap between the wall and the water ...and it bugged me... :angry: more so, each time I looked at it... :angry: I knew that once the water was redone, when I got the camera in for a few close up shots...the gap would appear and I would regret it...so it had to be addressed. Cue quayside...which I was never really happy with. So, rather than try and fill in the gap with filler, repaint etc and reapply PVA I decided to strip off the verticals and reattach a new vertical face which will be worked with dry brushed paints and gunge...before tyres and new ladders are added. Whilst doing this, I did happen to cut into the PVA layers so I had to remove these...but this was straightforward and dare I say it...akin to the same pleasure of removing a long slither of sunburnt skin in one move So, new retaining wall in place, water retouched and then the base painting and PVA layers can start. A few pics to put the above in context... First coating of PVA...slightly scary...will it go cloudy or dry clear?... New wall in place from plasticard... And from the other side...need to tidy that near corner junction....

Good afternoon, me again...back to back posting This posting is twofold really... Firstly, my Dapol BR Blue bubble finally arrived today from Hattons...well 2 of them actually, due to a mix up between Hattons and myself. It will go straight back as I prefer to keep the money for the Blue Grey version...when you are ready DD.. I have been awaiting this model for some years now so I guess my part built worsley works 121 etch...will remain par built. It really is the one bit of rolling stock the line needs so forgive me for plonking it straight OOTB on the layout to see if it feels at home. Secondly, I have been meaning to set up the layout along its length in our external terrace as we now have a bit of extra space and I wanted to 'slot in' my 2011 diorama effort to see how it looked, afterall my entry was a testbed for scenery, lighting, fascias and of course building the viaduct. You have to try and imagine stretching the diorama the 11" along the 3.3 metres length as that's really the feel I would like the layout to have. A hell of a lot of trees, with a small branch/freight line running between them. I am hoping to restart this in January 2012 and give the layout a good crack next year and see what I can get done before 21 December 2012...or whatever that doomsday date is. Until then, a few pics and I am heading back to the far North of Scotland... Dapol Bubble at Coombe Junction halt... And a closer view... Overall of layout 3.3 metres in length... And with 2011 diorama 'slotted in'... And a little closer...I know that the branch line doesn't align!... And from the other side...just to give a feel for what I am aiming at... EDIT...Forgot to add this one yesterday...this is a front end on view showing 'implied proscenium arch' using the lighting beam... The beam is just enough to let the viaduct breathe a little...

Thanks Will - agreed...nothing worse than knowing where a problem is...even if others don't notice it. Thanks also Tom...Sure thing...send that PM...tempting this 2mmFS stuff isn't it?

I used the Geoff Jones tiebars too and agree about them working; bet I'm a bigger numpty than you, Nick......

try the Geoff Jones tiebars even a numpty like me can get them to work

Hi Rich, I'm not sure if this will work for your loose heels and in such a small space (or even that my slowed mind is actually adressing your problem), but a common method to allow the rotational moment in ply and rivet tiebar joints in 4mm is to use a flat-headed rivet (brass so it acan be soldered) in a close fitting (but clearance hole) in the tiebar (like http://www.newportmrs.com/TFC/Frecclesham/October%202011/Tie%20Bar.jpg - but next scale down from Senior!) Cheers Jan

I'm no expert Rich, but I've just made my first 11 turnouts operational, and with a bit of fiddling they seem to work ok. The homemade TOU was retrofitted after construction, and though your operating system would seem to be wire in tube in routed channels whereas mine uses Cobalt motors fitted below the board, I think there could be some compatibility. My switches have rightangled springy dropper wires soldered along the length of the blades; the solder joint is about 3mm long, so quite strong. The droppers drop into brass tubes attached to a slider bar, and small plastikard wedges stop them slopping about while allowing rotation within the tube. While my tubes extend through the board and attach to a tiebar below the board, it would be possible to use short tubes set in a plastic tiebar in your channel, I'm sure. In fact, with shorter tubes you won't have the problem I had to start with of tubes rocking slightly under load, which I solved with a different method of attaching them to the tiebar. When I build the second board of my layout, I may well use this system myself. This is my first layout, so my advice may be absolute rubbish; feel free to ignore. Good luck with it anyway!!!