Backtor

Been a couple of weeks since i've posted an update in here. First things first the layout will be going to the Modern Image O gauge Exhibition at the end of March so there's a bit of pressure on to get stuff finished off! But we're making headway on stuff now. We're ticking jobs off but also adding jobs at the same time; First off we've now finished laying the track in the fiddle yard at the tunnel end. Still to construct the bridge end, but that wont take long now we've got all the timber. Between myself and Al we've also acquired a fleet of PCA tanks off a friend to help bolster the fleet of wagons available for the layout during exhibitions and running. These are the skytrex ones we've got a rake of 9 built with kits to complete another 4. 60092 is also a new addition to the fleet, this has had sound fitted, drivers & just needs the weathering and its good to go. We're almost two boards complete now, bar the odd extra details; We're just awaiting a loader kit to appear from one of our friends to allow us to progress onto the Fuel Point board, but we've had a mockup building that Al made out of foam, and couldnt resist this cheeky photo of the 08 with the PCA's poking out of it. I've attached a copy of the MIOG Poster below but I believe Al has created a thread for the exhibition. Where all the details for can be found here All the best. Cameron

Just a quick snap of 31466 which tonight has rolled off the workbench. Sound fitted & Weathered to its end of life condition as it was in Early 2000. 31466 is seen counting down its final few weeks before storage, whilst working for EWS seen preparing to depart with a single PCA tank bound for the wheel laith. Fitted these with some Northumbrian Painting Services figures to finish it off. Regards Cameron

Happy new Year to you all! Whilst its been a busy one over the Christmas Period, New Year was a little quieter whilst me and my little boy somehow managed to test positive for COVID and are now serving an isolation sentence! There was a bit of progress before Christmas as my Uncle managed to help get the Transverser at the quarry end of the layout up and running before we got struck with the dreaded virus! So in between feeling rough I've been chipping away at this. We've opted for an 8ft overall fiddle yard, with 6 roads to store trains on, with a total length of 76inch. This will give us a decent length of train but wont be too small that you'll think that looks un-prototypical. Or at least I think anyway? Plan is to have another Transverser at the box end of the layout, but this will be a smaller 4 road one, which will simply for storing a couple of sets of stock, and turning back locos that are running round trains to go into the quarry. I've managed to lay 4 tracks so far, and 3 of the stabling roads. Its a been a bit slow going due to having to stop every so often to rest up, or halt due to my Son sleeping!! It needs some supports putting on, to help support the weight when its been slid across to the closest road, as the weight of a £500 loco and stock tipping off the edge doesn't excite me in the slightest!! I've also had an interloper on the layout in the form of 60092! I couldn't resist posing it for a quick shot on the layout. Hopefully have a bit more to report over the next week or so as there isn't much else to do in Isolation for the next 5 or so days before I head back to work! Please excuse the mess in the background photos that's another mission whilst I'm off is tidy up the Railway room/Workshop area to allow me to work a bit better!! Kind Regards, Cameron

Bit more fuel point work has commenced we’ve now got the hard standing in place so you can see what it’s gonna start looking like once it’s completed. Also added more trackside details at the bottom end outside the box etc, We posed some early 80’s behind the box to see what it would look like. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. Regards, Cameron

I’ve spent the last few evenings finishing up the greenery and weathering the track and the addition of another Dapol Signal going in along with more ballast. Alongside that I’ve also started to add signs and trackside detailing. I’m hoping over Christmas to make some more progress with a few days off but we shall see! Cheers for now!

Not much progress in the last couple of weeks as I’ve been waiting for modelling supplies and that tied with being on nights at work somewhat curbs my enthusiasm. I’ve carried on working with the grass and now made it along to the stops, including fitting s couple of tree’s and thicker foliage. Regards, Cameron

A bit more progress this week mainly at the same end. I'm sure you'll get fed up of seeing this end of the layout. But we're making sterling progress. Ballasting on this board is now complete, we've also added the green to the boards and filled in the gaps between the rocks that were originally green. The first few layers of Grass & and bushes have started to go on, and I must admit i'm pleased with the overrall look. Regards, Cameron

Been fairly quiet this week, but we’ve had another working party on the layout. Al’s bridge that was posted above has now been fitted in position, and along with the brown paint now added to give the depth of onto the rock faces. We’ve also started adding Ballast and it’s really starting to finish the scene off. Regards, Cameron

Julian, They’re Resin/White metal chassis. They were made by Impressionist models. He only did a run of them. And I had them all off him. They’re MHA’s that run on a skytrex chassis. Regards. Cameron

I must admit I do like the look of the more modern liveries that Heljan have done this time, but as much as I like a good 60, I’m afraid they’re too modern. I might be tempted by another triple grey one at some point in the future. Regards, Cameron

Another working party with Al last night resulted in a rather productive evening. Bridge at the stabling end was fitted into place, so we can start adding the hills in to fill it all in and complete that end ready for covering and filler. We've also started adding trackside detailing in, cable trunking ducting & lineside boxes. Alongside this we fitted the first of the Dapol semaphores signals into place. With the Box that Al has been building its really starting to come together and create the scene we set out to create. That tied in with the layout lighting thats now in place it really does finish it off. I've attached a few photos so you can see what we've been up to! Until the next time..

Thanks 37114, it’s been a fun project so far. Modelling the era that I grew up in. Took 60059 for a Spin out at Al’s garden layout tonight to give it the chance to stretch its legs. Loaded test run complete, it’s onto the next one. Here’s a couple of shots of it after darkness had fell.

Small bit of progress tonight on the layout, started to add a bit of colour onto the Filler thats above the stabling siding. It gives an idea of what its going to look like when its finished. This is only a base coat to start giving it some depth. Where the white bits are will be given a coat of brown & then we will be static grassing etc them to blend it all in.

I do believe the lack of my paint shop has been holding a few bits up for Al, So I’ve managed to grab an hour with some paint tonight to get a few bits hopefully over the line. His Coal Sector 26 & Orange SPT 101 have both had a fresh coat of orange on them.

Yeah it was pretty immersive. Shame I opted to sell the loco. I wish I’d kept it but hey Ho! You win some you loose some. Progress from tonight’s working party. Al bought a few bits back to try into place on the layout so we could start to plan cable trunking, signals & walk ways. First up is the signal box. Al has also knocked up the bridge for this end as-well which can be seen in the background. The bridge for the other end has gone in now and more ground work has gone in at this end finally getting this area something how it should look. This is the depot building and what will be the stores, and fuel point road the building was only placed so you could get an idea of what it’s going to look like. That’s all for now! Regards, Cameron

Just out of curiosity where is the fuel pump from? Regards, Cameron

Julian, I can't be held responsible for peoples card transactions! I'm glad you've enjoyed the videos, fingers crossed once this layout is somewhere near we can do some more. With having no working layout at the minute its a bit hard to record stuff! No real progress this week from me as i've been on nights at work, but i've received a parcel from Rob at Northumbrian Painting Services of some figures for the loco's/layout. Got to order a few more but I'm pleased with these ones so far, and the detail on the back finishes them off nicely! Regards, Cameron

Whilst stuff has been quiet on the layout front i've been busy fitting decoders to locos, and painting and detailing stuff up ready to go on to the layout when we get the chance. FIrst up a pair of 60's. These are of the original batch had I known that Heljan were going to do a RTR model of 60059 I probably wouldn't have chosen this loco. So seen here pictured are 60071' Ribblehead Viaduct & 60059' Swindon Dalesman' both now fitted with Legomanbiffo V5's Second thing i've been working on is the first of 2 containers that will feature on the fuelpoint/depot. This is a resin kit from Buzz Models, I have two. One that is an open kit and one that is a closed kit. Its intended that the one with the the opening doors will be kitted out as a stores container. Apologies for the messy background as it was just a quick picture taken while I was waiting for it to dry. That's all for now. Regards, Cameron

Hi all, Thanks for all the kind words, the buildings & bridge are looking spot on from Al, I can't wait to get them in position. I thought I'd carry on our update from yesterday with some more images. Once we'd finished the track modifications and I'd finished the wiring, Al had started work on putting the landscaping in, and you could start to see what the vision is going to finally look like. As you can see the bridge & tunnel mouth that Al was working on before be seen in situ, and starts to give you an idea of what that back area will look like. The plan is the gap in the back board will be filled in. This is just missing so we could gain access to work on without having to reach over the tops. We've also added the depot access road in from the bridge, that gives a rather nice vantage here; Now the wiring is mostly completed all bar the control panel, & point motors the we've started to give the track a coat of dirt, I think this starts to put a bit of depth onto the layout. Glyn has also started applying filler to the hills and stuff so we can start rock facing these and getting some colour on them. I've included a shot of a recently finished 37402. This loco is just awaiting me to grab 5 minutes to fit its decoder. Whilst I like the peco buffer stops, on the last layout we just simply painted them with a rust wash, and made them look overgrown, this time I wanted to try something a bit different. I took some inspiration from the buffers around the Peak Forest Area, (Mainly in the Cemex site at Doveholes where I work) for this and I think they've come out alright. I just want to add a rust wash to them to dull them down a bit as they're currently a touch on the bright side. That's all for now I've still got a couple of working weeks to catch up on but we're starting to see the light in the tunnel with all the base work, so we can start making it look pretty! Regards, Cameron

Hi all, I must admit i've been rather stagnant on the modelling front since late on in 2019. Myself and Al created a layout called Russell Street - of which the thread can be found here. It was very much a project that was done in fits and starts, as always life gets in the way. Myself and Al finally managed to complete it for the Modern Image O Gauge exhibition in 2019. After that it lay in the garage stacked up until Lockdown boredom set in, upon unpacking it after some 6 months or so it was discovered that it needed considerable work. We started work on stripping it out and myself and Al started a High Street project that we've yet to start posting about. (I believe Al might have posted some stuff on his work bench thread) I really struggled in lockdown much like everyone with having to shield to focus my attention and stuff on one project, and flitted between a bit of this and that. I then decided to sell up my O gauge collection and divert to HO, I eventually realised the error of my ways and started collecting O gauge stock again, but decided rather than going down the route of modelling in the standard BR Blue/Sector liveries that most people seem to go for, I went down the early 2000 EWS route (what I remember growing up). With this I obtained a pair of EWS 37's and there it started. Now a few months down the line and shortly after christmas last year I decided I wanted to create a layout to run this stock on. Hence born was Dovedale. It was originally planned to be a 16ft layout total including fiddleyards and everything. How-ever that quickly changed. We were lucky in the fact we had loads of track & points left over that we'd managed to salvage from Russell Street. As below you can see the new boards in place. It got to this point relatively quickly and then Al decided he wanted a garden railway, and it meant we could get back to modelling together, so attention was certainly diverted off this while the weather was nice! Once the Lockdown restrictions we're finally lifted it was decided that rather than just be 16ft we could make the layout into a L shape, and have a bigger fiddle yard which would give us the opportunity to be able to run trains rather than just locos on a stabling point. It was quickly decided that we would focus on a Freight only branch, and so Dovedale was born! In the photos below you can see the inspiration we've taken from Peak Forest. I was initially worried that a curve would be too sharp for stuff to go round and would look very toy train like, but as we finally decided on a track plan I think it added to the interest. I've attached a couple of images of the initial track plan although this did change as we got further along; The initial idea was to have a loader facility and a locomotive stabling point with cripples etc, the initial track plan was quickly changed and incorporated a double slip to lengthen the stabling sidings and the Sidings were altered and an additional point was added to give a headshunt under the bridge; We've progressed a lot further past this point, but I don't want to overload it all in one post, So I'll be back with more update pictures soon. Thanks to everyone who stops by and leaving comments the feedback really is appreciated. Myself and Al, have certainly learnt a lot whilst building this layout and improved our skills. We also have the addition of Glyn my uncle who has been a thankful addition as he has been able to assist us with all his modelling & joinery skills.

Cheers John, was originally intended to be a road, but we decided that the bridge was far too wide unless we wanted a Dual Carriage way going over the line, which wouldnt be in-keeping with the rest of the layout. Thanks to Al for keeping this updated. Its getting there slowly. Years of it being sat not being worked on are now paying off.

I've now updated the Traders list on the first post. Also delighted to announce that Dapol & Heljan will now both be in attendance over the weekend too. Shaping up to be a great weekend for everyone who has an interest in this area of the hobby. I'll keep this thread updated as and when we get more updates.

Modern Image O Gauge (MIOG) 1st Exhibition; Saturday 2nd November 2019 10:00 til 16:30 Sunday 3rd November 2019 10:00 til 16:00 The exhibition will take place at ;- Alder Grange School, Calder Road Rawtenstall Rossendale BB4 8HW The Postcode for sat-navs is - BB4 8HW Parking is available free of charge at the venue, but is limited. Admission Costs- Adults - £6 Children under the age of 14 - £2 Children under the age of 5 - Free Layouts Attending Hyde Lane Apethorne Jnc Wick-end TGB Metals Ripple Lane Russel Street Durham Road Eaton Lane More Layouts will be added in due course Traders Attending - Buzz Models - Buffer-beam - Coastal DCC - DCC Supplies - Easybuild - Greenwood Model Railway Products - Grosmont Books - Made in Manchester - Northumbrian Painting Services - North Eastern Models - PRMRP Models - Peter Clarke Models - SBT Developments - Skytrex - Todmorden Model Supplies - Treemendus - Tower Collection More Traders will be added in due course. Manufacturers Attending - Dapol - Heljan Please note the list of layouts/traders confirmed above is far from the confirmed line up. We are still working hard to add traders to this list, and potentially sign up a couple more layouts. If you are interested in attending then please do not hesitate to contact me via PM or via our website. http://www.modernimageogauge.co.uk. We want this to be your one stop shop for Modern Image O Gauge! So please come along and help support this area of the hobby!

37156 looks very good if I dare say so myself! Can't wait to see it running on the layout.

This is a great looking layout with plenty of potential, just wondering is it planned to be an exhibition layout? or is at home layout only? Regards, Cameron