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nest

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  1. nest

    MGWR E Class - Part 1

    By nest,

    Afternoon all
     
    The loco for the Irish Project has arrived and I have began to make a small start. It is an etched-brass kit produced by Studio Scale Models. The instructions seem pretty comprehensive which considering that I've not attempted a kit before, is terribly helpful. Not one for making things easy for myself...
    The loco itself I've found to be quite attractive in the photos I have seen. They were small 0-6-0 tanks that worked across most of the MGWR system. After the grouping into the Great Southern Railways, the locos were re-fitted and classified Class 551 or Class J26. My model will be based on how it appeared during the MGWR period. Aside from anything else, the livery is quite attractive.
    I'll be posting updates in the construction as and when it happens.
    Attached is an image I found on a google search (no copyright infringement intended) and it shows the livery and general outline of this rather attractive locomotive.
     
    Nestor
  2. nest
    It's been a while, apologies all round. This is a breakdown of all my modelling activities since my last posting
     
    I've been keeping myself relatively busy a few little bits and bobs. My main focus at the moment has been track construction. This is moving slowly onwards and I'm hoping to complete the first section (photo below) by the end of next week. I'm also hoping to start construction on the baseboards relatively soon. The track is being built onto Balsa wood which will then be laid onto the baseboards. I will go into more detail on the layout in a further posting.
    With this, I've been having a go at re-wheeling a few wagons. I'll be doing some more to these in the coming weeks so watch this space.
    I'll also be making a start on my 12in Nielson kit from High Level this week. I need to get some wheels and I'll be all set to get going with it
     
    I had a bit of fun this afternoon by adding grass to my little photo track. I also gave the rails a light paint job and am quite happy with the results. This little plank has provided me with many opportunities to practise a few little skills.
     
    Finally, as a way of giving myself a bit of a kick up the modelling backside, I made my second trip to Pendon Museum on Saturday. Unlike my previous visit, I left my house a lot earlier meaning I had a fair amount more time to spend taking it all in and enjoying the scenes. I've now also signed up as a friend of the museum. Whilst I'm unlikely to every produce anything quite to their calibre, the museum will always be something to push me in the right direction
     
    Below are pictures of the track for the new layout being put together, the photo track and finally a few from Pendon
  3. nest

    Passing the time

    By nest,

    Evening all
     
    I've had a busy couple of weeks and have had very little time for modelling unfortunately. I have however managed to squeeze in a little here and there.
    I've started plans for another layout project to satisfy my British needs whilst I'm still going with my Irish thing. It will be a mostly industrial themed layout set in deepest Sussex on my imaginary South Downs Light Railway. I'll do a separate blog post about that another time with a track plan as well.
    To satisfy my modelling needs this week, I re-wheeled a wagon a had sitting about (given to me many years ago along with a lot of other stuff, again, a blog post for another time).
     
    I also started on some point work which may well be included in the above project. By started, I mean I laid the templates...it really hasn't been a good week or so for modelling...
     
    Here are some photos of the work
     
    Nestor
  4. nest
    Hi all
     
    Back to my Irish thing now.
    Since my last post on the subject, I've taken up the previous lot of rails due to the inside/outside chair kafuffle. Once I took up the rails, I decided to ballast the sleepers prior to relaying the rails. This allowed for a slightly easier ballasting process. The rail width is not an issue due to my gauge providing the correct width.
    There is a little bit in the middle which needs adjusting slightly but this is not difficult.
    It's all progress!
    Here are some photos of the current state of play
     
    Nestor
  5. nest

    A slight distraction

    By nest,

    Hello one and all
     
    After a slight gap in progress in anything remotely modelling related, I've finally been getting on with something.
    Next week, we at the Brighton MRC are holding a 'show and tell' evening. This will give our members a chance to show off their modelling skills and also hopefully provide an opportunity for some discussion and sharing of skills and techniques. My personal contribution to this is an example of handbuilt track in P4. It comprises of a small piece of straight track of about 20cm long. I will adding scenic detail to it (ballast and some grass etc). The purpose is to show that it's worth building one's own track and also to give myself something to practise my own skills on.
    It is built using Ply sleepers from the Scalefour society, chairs from C&L and code 75 bullhead rail also from the Scalefour society. It isn't perfect but as I said, this is essentially practise for the future as I am currently planning a layout to follow on from my Irish detour. I'll discuss the future project some other time but as a quick prelude, I will say that its firmly back in my comfort zone of Southern light railway steam.
     
    Attached are a couple of photos of the track.
     
    Nestor
  6. nest
    Afternoon all
     
    I'm frankly amazed there are not more drug abusers in model railway circles. I've spent this afternoon attaching rail and chairs to sleepers using butanone, a particularly strong smelling substance. If using this solvent, use in a well ventilated area for no other reason other than the smell.
     
    In all seriousness, it's nice to feel like I'm making progress on a layout after quite some time of idleness and distractions. Even if progress is still slow, it's still progress. It's also very gratifying to see one's scratch built track coming together. There is something tremendously ego boosting about seeing something you have made yourself coming together when compared to laying a load of set track down. I'm certainly not going to be going back any time soon.
    I've attached one photo for the moment and will upload more as and when I feel there is something to look at.
    You may notice the red screws in the wall. These are remnants of my first 'proper' layout, long since dismantled.
     
    I'll also do an entry on the E class later on in the week as I'm hoping to get a bit more done on this.
     
    Nestor
  7. nest
    Evening all
     
    Having now done some more research into parts to build 21mm track, I've found that some appear to be available. through the Scalefour society. This has led to what could be turning point in my relationship with the hobby; I have decided to join said society. This information turned several worried heads at my weekly club night earlier this evening. There is definitely a certain view of the kind of person who models to P4 standards. It is a view that, I have to admit, I subscribed to as well for quite a while. I have since come to realise it is, on the whole, a totally unfair view as our wonderful hobby is essentially built on a diversity of different approaches and track standards, there is no right way of doing things and no wrong way of doing things. For some, myself included, having something that is as an accurate portrayal of the real thing as possible is what it is all about. For me, I've come to believe that this has got to extend to the track as well. I will acknowledge that this isn't for everyone and there are too many wonderful layouts both on this website and out in the wider modelling world built to 00 standards to mention. It would be foolish to suggest that it is wrong to model in 00, I still do both on Sandhurst and at my club.
    Anyway, what my rambling is getting at is that if one feels the urges to do so, one should go totally finescale. For me, I think it would be silly to model an Irish layout in anything but finescale. This is due to the wider gauged rolling stock looking too out of place on 00 track for me. I realise I'm probably letting myself in for more than I have bargained for with all this, but I also know that I will be far more satisfied with an end result that suits my idea of how layouts should be built (or built by me at least).
    Whilst talking of letting myself in for more than I bargained for, I was kindly lent by our club chairman (Peter Wisdom) some books on loco construction as this is something else which I am going to need to be doing for this new venture. Like with track building, I am looking forward to this but I am also somewhat nervous about what I'll be able to produce. But at the end of the day, isn't that what all this modelling lark is about?
     
    Attached is a photo of said "light" reading...
     
    Nestor
  8. nest

    A brief history...

    By nest,

    Evening everyone
     
    I'm going to use this posting to go into a bit more detail about my new project, starting with the aforementioned entry into the MRC's layout challenge.
    Without further ado, a brief history of the line from Westport to Roonagh Pier, County Mayo...
     
    The town of Westport is small but a cultural and local hub. There is a market on Thursday mornings and the town has become a centre for music and art in recent years. This and the towns proximity to many beautiful mountain walks and the vast Clew Bay explain why a railway line was built in 1866. In 1894, a branch was opened from Westport to Achill island, presumably to further exploit the north side of Clew Bay's farmland. There were two towns on this line as well but I won't go into too much detail about them.
    Now, my idea is that another branch was built from Westport along the south side of Clew Bay. Once clew bay has opened up into the sea, there are two small but populated islands just out to sea. These are Claire Island and Inishturk. Having spent a day on each of these, I can safely say that they are well worth a visit for those who, like myself, are keen hikers. The islands are reached by small ferry to Inishturk and a slightly larger ferry to Claire. Both these ferries travel from the small pier at Roonagh. Here lies the first justification for my line. Roonagh sits at the southern corner of Clew Bay. To reach Roonagh from Westport, a railway would have to pass the villages of Murrisk, Leckanvy and Louisburgh (the largest of the three). It would also pass within very short distance of Old Head (where another pier sits, facing into Clew Bay as opposed to wilds of the Atlantic). Also of note is that Murrisk sits at the bottom of Crough Patrick, a mountain very popular with pilgrims.
    This line would have opened with the intention of connecting the above villages with Westport not only for passengers but also the vast amounts of farmland. Both Inishturk and Claire Island have much farmland. Both livestock and vegetables would have been sold at the Westport market and would have exploited the line. This part of Ireland is also heavy with peat so this may well have been carried by the line.
    My idea would be to have had the line open in 1895 only to close sometime in the 1930s due to dwindling traffic and the dreaded rise of the bus. This would have the line operated by the Midland Great Western Railway and then, from 1925, the Great Southern Railways. My preference would be model the line under MGWR. As the line is in Ireland, I plan to build the track at a gauge of 21mm as this is the closest one can get to portraying the prototypes 5ft3in in 4mm.
    As I have said before, to begin with I'll be making an entry into the MRC's layout challenge. The challenge rules limit you to 4 foot by 1 foot. I have therefore come up with an idea for a very long siding down to the pier at Old Head. I'm hoping this will give me the kick up the backside to carry on beyond this.
     
    This is the most I've ever gone into the history of a railway that I intend to build and I'm already far more excited by this than anything else I've built. Below I have attached a photo of a very rough plan for the Old Head layout.
     

     
    Ignore my scribbles around the plan as it's only very rough.
     
    All for now
    Nestor
  9. nest

    Just the beginning...

    By nest,

    Hello everyone!
     
    So, I've decided to start a blog.
    But why? I hear you scream with anticipation. Well I've realised there's a fair amount of modelling and railway related stuff that goes through my head and workbench that doesn't fit onto my Sandhurst thread. I figured that rather starting another thread for each of these, it would be better to consolidate every thing into one useful, easy to find, rambling blog. Sandhurst will continue to be updated but with purely stuff related to that layout.
    There are several things that will hopefully keep this blog flowing but the main one will be the beginnings (and eventual building hopefully) of a new layout idea that will take a considerable amount of time to get anywhere. This will be based on an imagined Irish prototype set in County Mayo on the west coast. Inspired by many holidays to the Louisburgh area over the last 20 years (the whole of my life), I thought it was actually time to consolidate all those ideas into a layout. The thing will begin with an entry into the Model Railway Club's layout challenge. The plan is to then extend this onwards and onwards...
    As this is all quite a major project that I have put far too much thought into, I will post a proper explanation of the idea in a future posting.
    The blog will cover other things as well, such as my track building attempts, (very) occasional updates and comments on the layouts I'm involved in at the Brighton Model Railway Club and one or two other things.
     
    So here it begins...
     
    Nestor
  10. nest

    New year, new modelling...

    By nest,

    Afternoon all
     
    With 2015 fast approaching, my start date for my new project is growing ever closer (that being "some time in January track building will start"). What I look at as a prompt to being arrived in the post this morning. This prompt arrived in the shape of a back-to-back wheel gauge and rollergauge, both naturally for 5' 3" gauge track (21mm). This may not of course seem like much but from my point of view marks the beginning of this new project. I MIGHT even make a trip to B&Q this afternoon to look at some wood.
    With a new year also comes everyone constantly asking if I've made any resolutions. Normally my answer is a firm no but this year is shaping up to be different. last night, I started writing my editorial for my club's newsletter which, surprisingly enough, I edit. In it, I waffle on about new modelling projects for a new year. Whilst writing this, I realised this will the first year where I begin with the intention of building something to a set time and to a state of being finished. This, to me, pretty much constitutes a new years resolution. At least now I will have an answer to that eternal question.
    Certainly from my modelling point of you, I'm very much looking forward to 2015.
     
    Nestor
  11. nest

    Planning and templates

    By nest,

    Evening all
     
    As I've mentioned in previous blog postings, the MRC is running a layout challenge that limits the builder to a board of 4 foot by 1 foot. I'm using this as an excuse to start my new Irish Broad Gauge project. The layout will be as simple as one can get with only one line and no points. When finished, it will be extended to form a more complete layout, buts that not going to be for quite some time. It's based on a long siding from my imagined Westport-Roonagh line (see one of my earlier blog postings) down to the sea at Old Head. It was originally going to be based around the pier that does exist at that location but I decided against this in the end as I don't think 4x1 is enough space to portray the structure realistically. Instead, the layout will very much be an 'end of a siding' affair running along side the country road to pier.
    I've spent today marking out the plan on my nice little 4x1 board. I made some quick templates on Templot (I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it now) and laid them out. This is quite a good way of seeing how the finished thing might look. I've tried to give the track a gentle curve rather than having a straight diagonal across the board. This looks quite pleasing to my eye and I'm satisfied enough with the plan that I will hopefully start building the trackwork before the end of the month. I need to get hold of something to use as underlay before this can start however (anyone ever tried Mounting Board??)
    Attached are a couple of photos of the current state of play. You might spot what's left of Sandhurst in the background. I'd be lying if I said I shed a tear taking it apart (see my thread for discussion on THAT subject!)
     
    Nestor
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