davidge

Very nice layout - certainly given me some ideas, in particular in repurposing old stock. Call me mad, but I prefer your C44 before it was repainted! To me it had real character as it looked like it was rescued from (or more likely heading for) the scrap yard, and just needed some weathering to tone it down a bit.

Lovely layout ... just love micros! Very inspiring ... got my creative juices going again.

I am planning a micro layout in the 'James Hilton' style but cannot decide whether I will need to include any signalling or not. I've ready many threads and a couple of books (including Bob Essery's), looked at some actual signalling diagrams but still find it confusing so any advice would be most welcome. The scenario is a small south London single platform terminus and a yard at the the end of a single line branch that probably has a one or stations with passing loops further up the line. Era late BR/early NSE. Coloured light signals. Traffic: 2-car EMU/DMU for passenger trafic and short freight/parcels trains (e.g. Class 33 + a few wagons). The schematic is below. Total length of layout as shown by dotted box - only 1100mm (fits onto a Scale Model Scenery baseboard). A = single line in/out which also acts as headshunt (see below) for shunting between B and C B = platform C = yard D = short headshunt - probably hold a Class 08 or perhaps Class 33 for shunting purposes S1 to S4 show where signals might or might not be positioned - perhaps no signals are required at all! Typical movements: - EMU/DMU arrive/depart into/from B - Freight arrives into B and gets shunted to C by loco in D - Could have some subsequent freight shunting between B and C to assemble train - Loco arrives form A to collect freight - Freight departs to A from B or C (could have rule that all freight departs only from B but I don't think that would be likely as freight would then always need to be shunted to B first - but it may simplify things from a signalling perspective). Ideas I had: - assume there is an advanced starting signal further up A and visible from train in B (have banner repeater if not?) then ground signals at S1 and S2 to control shunting moves using A as a headshunt between the station and the advanced starter. Any train in B could depart if starter and ground signal at S1 allowed. S2 would allow freight train to depart to A (which would then have to obey the advanced starter once it got there. - starter with subsidery 'shunt on' signal at S1 but then how would departure of freight from C be controlled? Or perhaps I simply need a ground frame (yet another confusing topic) near the station throat? Any help would be much appreciated! Apologies if my terminolgy is somewhat dodgy...

Here is a link to my (very old) thread about my first APA box layout - East Barnes Lane Depot. (I've noew reinstated the missing photos).

The reason I ask is that my thread (from 2013!) ... It does not appear to be returned in searches and I want to edit it to restore the missing photos and subsequently refer to it from another thread I am considering about my latest modelling. However, when I manage to find the thread (using Google) and open it I cannot edit any of my posts even though I am logged in (there is no edit button) in order to reinstate the missing photos.

Me too...all over the place. I've tried Firefox, Chrome and Edge with all cookies and cleared and all I see are a lot (actually most) image links to a JPG or GIF with a 'throbbing' light blue background highlight. An example of the error that is returned when I try and view an image is: This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below. <Error> <Code>AccessDenied</Code> <Message>Access Denied</Message> <RequestId>HP9NJMFJB2A27YB6</RequestId> <HostId>uKUmeSVhdMz2Qd9HdEwUAWoDiM28yGlQGW3EHnFOOIGi8+/cxPHaYgbUC5hoE9coi98C7MTiJzg=</HostId> </Error> I can see some images but most I cannot - and I'm including recent posts not just old ones. I'm now considering abandoning RMWeb because of this - images are crucial to understanding and appreciating many posts and responses.

Yes...thinking about a goods depot and have started a few doodles. This will not extend the existing 'layout' but be a different scene which I can attach to the other end of the fiddle yard (see earlier photos of the fiddle yard and you will get the idea). Depot will be same era/setting and use Scalescenes bits and pieces as I like working in card.

Thanks all for very kind comments. As I said I still have some more scenic details to finish off - including adding some figures as it is looking rather deserted at the moment. I also need to work on rolling stock weathering, installing Kadee couplers and catching up on fitting DCC decoders - and of course 'playing trains' as this is being constructed as an operational 'layout' rather than a diorama. Only after that can I turn to East Barnes Lane Part 2 - a goods+PW depot - again in an APA box.

At night.... Front view: Helicopter views: General views:

Here are a few more photos. Still some detailing to finish off and stock to weather... Overall view posed with a 2-EPB so you get a sense of the size: Some views with and without various items of rolling stock: Couple of views from a helicopter: Next...night-time views....

JDW - no reason why you could not use a piece of perspex as you suggest - infact quite a neat idea for when it is not in use as the layout could then be on permanent display (other half permiiting) rather than just be wooden box. I hoping to post some more pics later this coming week as I have been working on the 'layout' quite a lot over the last week or two whilst we have been having this terrible wet weather

Summer nearly over so soon will resume the project shortly. Have made a small amount of progress over the summer months and will post some more pics shortly so wach this space....

Few more photos with a few bits of stock - work progressing - but slowly... Looking across the fueling point (still working on the roof, oil drums,signs, weathering etc.): The fuel tank: Looking inside the diesel depot: General view towards depot end: And towards the fuel tank end:

I was planning at some stage to use the APA box front side or a piece of MDF to complete the box for transportation but not by simply slotting it in down the slots that you can see in the photo. The reason being that I have extended the scenic part beyond the front slots (look at some of the photos and you can see a small fence there for example - and there will eventually be a small store and water tank as well). Currently I have two small pieces of MDF painted black that go in the slots to give some 'framing' to the scene (again see photos). I planned to do something similar for a front cover but attach it to two new small peices of MDF by some wood blocks as spacers so that it can in effect 'slot in' but extend over the front of the APA box. Yes, if the scenery in your APA box does not extend beyond the slots, you could simply do as you say and glue the top member to the front side and slot in it in place and then attach the screws to lock it in place. Currently to prevent dust getting in I am simply slotting a thin piece of card down the front and leaving the APA box lid on.

A few more photos of progress. Note that loco shed is not yet in place and will block the view of the entries from the fiddle yard. Still some work to do on the ballast. Overall views of complete 'layout'. Some further views from different angles. Inside the carriage shed at the back is a photo of one of my EPBs printed full size and stuck to the backscene. Apart from the carriage platform (Knightwing) everything else is scratchbuilt from Scalescenes textures. The railings on the carriage shed roof are those from the Knightwing carriage platform kit. I am also experimenting with some CG Textures photos of office blocks etc. as additions to the backscene to give a 'distant' townscape.