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Showing results for 'Templot' in blog entries.
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I originally wanted to build a photo/shunting plank, if you've seen "Jinty's" YouTube video (such as the 08 sound decoder demo) you'll have seen how fantastic a straight piece of track can look with sympathetic scenery. Well, I thought I'd better put a couple of points on the track so at least the trains can shunt about a bit. Something like this: But then I thought if I'm going to bother doing that, if I put two more points in, I get an actual "station" with run round loop and two sidings. So I came up with a layout that would fit the baseboards, with about 3 wagons on the left hand siding, four on the right, and a loop that can fit 4 and a brake van. The first thing I did after the delivery of the baseboards was to lay out some Peco track on the templot track plan and some stock to see how it looks. The first thing I didn't like was the siding in front of the run round loop release on the far right. I don't know why, but when the loco was behind the stock, it just looked wrong. So I think I'll change the crossover direction so the loco release is towards the front, and the siding is behind. Not really typical, but not really a howler either. This also means I can extend the left hand siding. (I won't keep the end dock from that picture as that's not really how they would work).
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Well the Chesworth team took their place in the hall at the Horsham club's Open Day and despite it being April 1st did not make fools of themselves. The Wednesday before there had barely been any track laid, but after an extra "long Wednesday" (March 29, being the fifth Wednesday of the month, was supposed to be just an evening session) all the rail was down on the two baseboards so far constructed. This meant we had something to show for our work since January even if we couldn't actually run anything yet. Just before the doors open at the Horsham MRC Open Day Despite not running trains we still had a day's worth of visitors to talk to, and none of us had much of a voice by 4 pm. We had a rolling Powerpoint show on a TV next to the layout (well actually Libre Office, your blog author is a Linux fan) which gave a hook onto which we could attach what we were trying to do and we found we had two different audiences. The model railway enthusiasts, including our neighbours from Dorking who had brought along a layout, were more interested in the track (PECO Code 75 bullhead), the points (British Finescale kits) and the method of baseboard construction. The other halves and curious locals were far more interested in the local history aspects we aim to bring to this layout. The above picture is shown because it shows something that immediately grated with us. On the previous Wednesday we were laying track at a pace brisker than the number of weights available and glue drying time allowed, so improvisation was required. The result was that we failed to see a bit of a kink in the through line. Not bad enough to cause running problems but irritating none the less. That will be fixed in April. Meanwhile at the Open Day we had the opportunity to populate things a bit and happily it looks like we have the proportions right for a Colonel Stephens style wayside station. The trackplan is that of the K&ESR's Frittenden Road with just a little bit of shortening so it would have been disappointing if that wasn't the case. The coal wagons, steam lorry and Bodiam station building are all the work of club member, Malcolm Covey. The building is work in progress, as is the Stephens railbus set in the other pictures. The reason for choosing British Finescale point kits over PECO's completed offerings is that points can be bent to fit the location. The whole trackplan, including the future plans, has been drawn up in Templot and using Templot print-outs the BF point bases can be made to fit by cutting through some of the webbing holding the sleepers. The result is that nice flowing curves through a turnout without introducing a straight section are achievable, and it doesn't have to fit PECO's geometry The April Open Day provided an early target for this project, one that meant we had to roll up sleeves and get on with it. Yesterday provided us with another target in the form of an invitation to the Dorking show in late September. The team is increasing in size so that is an achievable target. What it means is that the sort of light railway trains we envisage will have to run through something passing resemblance to the Sussex countryside of 100 years ago and not over bare boards. It's doable, and it does focus our April efforts onto wiring, point control and filling the gaps on the framework. Tune in next month for how well we've done.
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It's been a busy month for the still small team working on this layout. The first two baseboards have been built and the trackbeds cut out. As these tasks were done by two people and the pieces only came within touching distance on club nights, the process of fitting track bases to the open frames will happen in March. The construction of the baseboard frames using the sandwich technique has delivered light and strong baseboards. However some modification had to be made to the design to achieve the rounded corners desired. This shot is taken from what will be the viewing side. The fiddle yard will be to the right and the backscene will be given a curve on the grounds that the sky has no corners. A more detailed view shows the construction details better We've gone for DCC Concepts supplied baseboard aligners though stopped short of the super-deluxe version that also bridges the electrical track bus. The track beds were marked out by reversing the Templot design and printing it back to front. That meant the paper templates could be stuck to the underside of the ply leaving the working side pristine. Ballast and paint covers a multitude of sins, but the concern was more about difficult to remove glue splodges. Templot can print the lines for the edge of the ballast and the total width of the track bed including the cess. The decision has been made to model the cess as photographic evidence suggests that track work on the Colonel Stephens lines was still generally in good nick in our late twenties period. Ten years later things might be different, particularly on basket cases like the Selsey Tramway. The same technique will be used next month to cut the cork underlays representing the ballast and then track-laying will start. The kit building school One of the aims of this project is to create an opportunity for members to develop and hone new skills, and the most enthusiastic take up has been from our junior members. We bought a selection of Parkside (from Peco), Cambrian and Slaters wagon kits and three of our juniors have taken some and built them under supervision. Club rules require a responsible adult to attend alongside our juniors, and that adult has also been the one supervising when things like knives are used. We think that is probably better. These wagon kits are very good. The pieces fit together well, Parkside probably best of all, and some pleasing results are being obtained by these young and inexperienced builders. The first coat of paint was applied before the picture was taken. So from left to right, Midland Railway 8 ton van (Slaters), RCH 1923 seven plank (Parkside), LSWR 10 ton van (Cambrian) and GWR open (Parkside). And the average age of the builders is not even in double figures. Planning for scenery Some more detailed work has been done planning for the scenic treatment on the first three boards. The plan currently looks like this: Developments since last month are, firstly, that we have found a suitable prototype for the farm building. It's actually not far from the centre of Horsham and is today surrounded by the houses put up on what were the farm's fields in the 1960s. We found this atmospheric picture posted on the internet by our local newspaper The spire of St Mary's Church can be seen in the mist behind, so avid followers of our summer game will also know that Horsham's cricket ground where Sussex played at least one county game a season until a year or two ago, is also in that direction. The Historic England website has a picture from the 1920s of the farmhouse from the front which is viewable via this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/BL25327/004 The image on that website shows the farm with a clapboard front but today that has been removed and the original medieval framing with plaster infill has been restored. We in the club are not architectural experts but this farm does look to be a typical hall house found all across the Weald in Kent and Sussex. As such it fits our aims. One challenge it, and various other buildings planned, will give us is how to reproduce the local Horsham stone roofing. This is made up of sandstone slates 4 or 5 cm thick, so a bit over 0.5mm in 4mm scale. More on this next month. In our researches we found something else unusual which is now the subject of experiments in how to make a model. On the outskirts of Horsham, one road over from the real Wimblehurst Road, there was a "Wood Hoop and Broom Merchants" in the 1920s. The brooms were besom brooms, or witch's brooms to most of us, and they were made on site. The birch twigs for the sweeping bits were collected locally, presumably, in the form of coppiced branches some ten to twelve feet long, and were stored on stacks the size of haystacks. The completed brooms were bundled up in dozens or possibly double dozens. We have a photograph but unfortunately not in a form I can load up here. If we can solve the issues of how to represent this works in 00 scale then it will be a very unusual addition. Next month The club has an open day on April 1st (we've heard all the comments already, thanks) so March's two long Wednesdays will be dedicated to seeing if we can get a bit of track laid for then.
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Wednesday 18 January became the official start date of Horsham MRC's Chesworth project. That night there was a presentation - a complete Powerpoint jobbie beamed onto the wall with one of those computer driven projectors - to the whole club membership, and the following Wednesday work started in earnest. (Horsham club meet on what are called "short Wednesdays" and "long Wednesdays" in St Leonard's Church Hall in Horsham. Short Wednesday meetings are from 7pm to 10pm (clear up starts around 9.30) but on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays the meeting starts at 2.30pm and it at these "long Wednesday" meetings that most layout work is done.) The first long Wednesday projects on Chesworth concentrate on stock-building. Chesworth is intended to be set in the period from 1925-30, chosen as being a century before when the layout is aimed at being on the exhibition circuit, so rolling stock needs to be suitable for that period. It is amazing how much "steam era" freight stock available as RTR is therefore unsuitable. About half the kits available as PECO Parkside or from other kit-makers are from the post-1930s period too. However the first batch of wagon kits have been sourced and constructions started. The keenest constructors are the club's youngest members, which is heartening to say the least. Warhammer seems to be providing the early learning experience in the same way as Airfix did for the retirement generation. Photos of the results will appear in a later posting. Trackplans and Baseboard Design Your blog-writer has got to grips with Templot. The result has been to turn the outline Anyrail plan shown in the introductory blog into a working document that can be printed actual size. Templot also breaks the link to commercially available geometry which may or may not be a good idea. The purpose of the initial proof of concept layout is to test whether British Finescale's Finetrax kits can be used simply as crossings and switches. Elsewhere on rmweb there are postings from people who have done that but we need to try that for ourselves before over-committing to that approach. Currently the Templot plan looks like this: Turnouts are either A5 or B7 and there are no complexities such slips or diamonds. To begin with though only one of each will be required and the A5 in the yard of the small passing station has been deliberately kept as a divergence from a straight track as a familiarity test before attempting to put a curve through the neighbouring B7. Your blogger has worked with Wayne Kinney on developing the Finetrax range for 3mm finescale so there is a high degree of confidence in that product. The plan is also to use open frame baseboard construction. The scenic treatment requires some streams and rivers so although there will be no gradient changes other than the one required for gravity shunting, the ground to the side of the tracks will have to go both down and up. A flat baseboard is therefore unsuitable. A design has been drawn up for the framing of the first two boards. Next stop the timber yard Buildings For the proof of concept layout we will require three buildings. The station building will be based on Bodiam (K&ESR). This has the advantage that it is still standing and is accessible thanks the the K&ESR heritage line. It is also an easily recognisable Stephens design. Outside the station, and forming a place for the eye to rest and stop continuing into the fiddleyard will be a country pub. The plan is to recreate the Dog and Bacon which is on the edge of the last little handkerchief sized bit of Horsham Common, and close to the junction with the real Wimblehurst Road which will be the station name on the layout. The difference is that our pub will not be the Edwardian pebble-dashed pub of today but the row of three wooden cottages that held the pub in earlier years. A Wealden hall house style farmhouse is also desired, but at the moment no suitable candidate has been settled on. Work on Bodiam has already started, and drawings for the Dog and Bacon are being prepared. Lastly An idle conversation led to the suggestion that a coal merchants steam lorry might look good in the goods yard next to some guys bagging up a heap of coal dumped from a wagon. By coincidence a member saw an unbuilt Keil-Kraft kit at a swap-meet a weekend or two later, parted with a couple of coins and then put it together. That prompted another member to recall his grandfather had actually driven one of these in the 1920s for a local coal merchant. So all is looking good.
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Introducing La Belle Sauvage
Lacathedrale commented on Lacathedrale's blog entry in A Pre-Group Minories
That P3 crossover gave me no end of headaches trying to work it out on Templot @Richard Jones - not to mention the pair of overlaid single slips just below the ash pit on the throat. A photograph from around 1880 shows that this line was either never implemented or removed shortly after. I have highlighted in red where it would have been - -
Hand built track options?
hayfield commented on Traintresta's blog entry in Cowcross Street - City Widened Lines, sort of...
If you look at my workbench there are plenty of writeups on Track building, also the Track building and Templot section is a newer category than the , signalling and infrastructure which has earlier topics If you bought the turnout kits rather than chairs they should have slide chairs in them, instructions are included if requested -
Hand built track options?
Izzy commented on Traintresta's blog entry in Cowcross Street - City Widened Lines, sort of...
If you look through the hand built track & Templot section here you will I think find plenty of help with regard to basic bullhead construction using chairs. @hayfield has just added a thread which is probably all you need. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/168596-easy-and-cheap-built-turnout-point/ -
Hand built track options?
Siberian Snooper commented on Traintresta's blog entry in Cowcross Street - City Widened Lines, sort of...
My advice, if you've not handbuilt several turnouts, is to start with copperclad construction as this will get you into a method that suits you. It's also easier to adjust, if you get things a bit out. You can use these in the fiddleyard. I start by constructing the V, then add the straighter of the two stock rails, then the curved stock rail, don't forget the SET in the curved rail for the switch, marked on the Templot template. I then add the switch/closure rails. Finally, I add the check rails, some add these before fitting the stock rails, using the checkspan gauge. -
Hand built track options?
Traintresta posted a blog entry in Cowcross Street - City Widened Lines, sort of...
I have purchased two sets of the C&L Finescale point kits, the 'just the plastic bits' versions. I think I need to get in touch with Phil at C&L as I couldn't see any slide chairs nor were there any instructions (which I was expecting) before I really get cracking, but tonight I set about making a point using a template printed from templot. I must admit, I have never done this before and my immediate response to not seeing some of what I expected was to flee back to the idea of making trackwork using copper-clad construction, but I really would like to have a go at this type of construction so that I can take advantage of the look of bullhead trackwork. This layout is really taking a long time to come together, I started the benchwork nearly 15 months ago and still have some bits to finish up before track can really go down, but I was hoping that making a point would spur me on to do that. I have some pretty specific ideas about things I want to do with this layout after several false starts on other layout projects so I feel pretty frustrated at present, because bullhead track was one of my 'must-haves'. Had Peco introduced a comprehensive range of bullhead points (specifically curves) and were they not priced so highly, I might have just bought what I wanted from them, but my budget and the lack of a complete bullhead range of points, and my desire to model OO-Sf lead me to point construction. Further complicating things, I need to travel into nearby Sheffield tomorrow so the temptation to pop by and by some copper clad sleepers from Marcway is right at the forefront of my mind but I am trying to remain patient, not something I consider myself good at being. -
J17 - Attempting a 3D printed boiler
Captain Kernow commented on Fen End Pit's blog entry in Fen End Pit's Blog
Superb results indeed, well done! This new technology is incredible and old farts like me can only look on in amazement at what can be achieved. Your point about etching brass etc. back in the 1970s and comparing that to 3D printing today is a valid one, but on the other hand, we each of us grow up and form the basis of our modelling skills in a certain 'era'. In many terms, I think that this then defines our 'modelling comfort zone'. As such, I am comfortable to built an etched kit that someone else has produced although I know that I don't have the skills to master even the old-fashioned (pre-computer) way of producing the master artwork (having seen a friend successfully master this back in the 1970s). I haven't yet built any kits where 3D printing is a major component, the opportunity or need hasn't yet arisen, but presumably superglue is indicated as the most suitable adhesive (5 minute epoxy is more in my comfort zone). As for mastering the software required for CAD or even things like Templot, my personal modelling time is relatively limited and coupled with a basic inability to readily grasp computer and software related matters, I know that I would begrudge the time needed to learn and achieve anything meaningful in these fields, so I have had to accept that I must leave this 'brave new world' to others and perhaps grovelling ask for any related assistance, as and when I might need it. Good luck with the project! -
The original track plan had to be discarded as it was in too poor a state due to being used for constructing the baseboards. So during this last week I printed out and pasted together another full size track plan. This will be pasted to the baseboards and used to position the turnout along with laying all plain track in situ. First task was to make sure the new track plan fitted… Hmm overall the fit was not too bad but there were a couple of very minor tweaks to be made. I’m putting the slight misalignment's between the two track plans (the one used to cut the plywood and the new one) down to the difficulty in pasting all the sheets of A4 together. Also even though I’ve calibrated our two printers there seems to be a very slight twist in the printouts from them both. Only a very small difference but over such a large area it has had an effect. The above photo shows state of play a few days ago with the three sidings at the front having cork underneath and the new plan glued in place ready for track laying to start. At this stage the rest of the plan was only taped in position in an effort to check the fit before cutting the cork underlay. After redrawing a couple of areas to get the track to get a better alignment, with inspection pits and the rise up the coaling stage ramp, it all fits a lot better. I discovered that Templot has the ability to print out the cess at the track edge. This assured me that I’d cut the plywood for the mainline track bed to the correct width which should allow a small shoulder on the ballast. Phew! I’m not too concerned about the rest of the track as most of the shed area will be reasonably flat with possibly no shoulder to the ballast edge. As of this morning the entire track plan is now secured in position. Due to the size of the baseboards I think most, if not all, of the turnouts will have to be built on the bench. This may cause a few minor problems with track alignment if I lay too much plain track first. So bearing this in mind I’ll have to get to grips with turnout construction pretty soon. Two areas I need to think about soon are: How am I going to lay the track within the running shed? Is it to be embedded within the running shed floor or laid on top? Also, before I lay too much track, thought needs to be applied to cable runs for applying power to the track, as well as how many power sections to create which will help diagnose any electrical shorts that I’m bound to experience with DCC. For now though I feel the need to stain some timbers…
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Could I use some Phosphor Bronze Rail?
Yan posted a blog entry in Rospeath Lane - BR(WR) Engine Shed
A couple of days ago I tweaked my back which has hampered progress on baseboard construction. To keep a modicum of momentum going on this project I looked around for some light duties. I’d been kindly given some used Phosphor Bronze track, unfortunately as it’s mainly in short lengths I’ll not be able to use it for standard 60ft sections of track. It would be a shame to discard them so I started to mull over how to justify their use. I vaguely remembered reading something about the GWR using shorter sections of track prior to standardising on 60ft sections. Then found, in Stephen Williams’s book Great Western Branch Line Modelling - Part One, that after 1929 the GWR started to use 60ft rail sections on the main lines replacing the previous shorter 44ft 6in sections. After a little further research on the internet I discovered a good article by Stuart Hince on the Templot site http://templot.com/martweb/pdf_files/gwr_track_panels.pdf which confirmed this and also describing how to create these 44ft 6in sections in Templot. So how could I justify 44ft 6in sections of track on my model? My thinking is, in my fictitious twist on history, when this area was being redeveloped in the 1930s any reclaimed 44ft 6in rail was reused by the thrifty GWR in the construction of the sidings. After all, these sidings might not have seen much traffic so would be on the rusty side which phosphor Bronze track can depict. The thought then was, do I have enough rail? This prompted me to open Templot and use Stuart Hince’s article to redraw the three sidings at the front of the layout with 44ft 6in sections and 18 sleepers in each. The track bases were of thin plastic with 3 bolt chairs and not in the best of condition. Also as my preference is to use 1.5mm thick plywood sleepers I stripped all the rails off the bases. The rails were then laid on the revised plan of the sidings matching each 44ft 6in section. . It looks like there are enough, especially as I found another short section of track when emptying the turntable storage box. Next task will be to clean all the rails as they have been heavily weathered. Excellent, this might not be prototypical for 1959 but it might have been possible… -
After spending the last 9 months annoying everybody over on the hand built track and Templot forum, the newest part of my loft layout is coming together at last. Most of the track is held down by screws for testing while some turnouts are already glued into place. I have used Peco bull head flexi with turnouts made from EMGS track parts and jigs. A lot of fine adjustments will need to be made I am sure of that. I will update my thread "Goods train at Blandford" down in the basement that is the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway Group from time to time as it seems the best place for it. Finally, after many years of wanting to build Blandford Forum I have started. A bit of a rubbish picture but cant do multilayer shots so out of focus. Thank you for looking. Paul.
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Hello John, Thanks for commenting. Thought I'd try all Peco parts (cheap, easily available) wish they did 1.5mm Check rail chairs. The Vee is standard Peco which went together spot-on at 1:6, the wing rails must be 1:8+ though, as I had to increase the bend to fit the Templot template (thanks Martin). I've been happy with C+L chairs/solvent/wood timbering in 4mm before, this time I ended up using araldite on all the chairs. I should have made longer Check rails, but they seem to do the job. The next one will be better.
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METAMORPHIC ROCK is ANY OF A CLASS OF ROCKS THAT RESULT FROM THE ALTERATION OF PREEXISTING ROCKS IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, SUCH AS VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, AND MECHANICAL STRESS, AND THE ADDITION OR SUBTRACTION OF CHEMICAL COMPONENTS. The underlying rocks of Bosemlin are plywood and deal and I am altering these by a process involving the application of a saw and drill slowly turning them into sawdust. Yes, I am still rebuilding the landscape at the River End. I shall bullet point the actions taken lest this episode becomes a lengthy description about cutting plywood. Although as the Corona Virus lockdown proceeds even reading such a diatribe could be a light relief from listening to politicians wittering on with excuses about why nobody in the UK has actually be tested and there’s only enough PPE for a St John’s Ambulance Treatment Unit in Hawick. Exaggerate? Me? Never! In fact I’ve changed my mind. I’m only posting photos. Each is said to be worth 1000 words. You decide. I am never sure where the actual junction at Boscarne is. That is to say which end of the lines. Here are the diverging lines. This is the final Templot. More about Templot another time. The approximate positions of the two river bridges. The actual height of the bridge is a bit more than half that allowed. The extra height allows more landscape flexibility. Bird eye view of the final curve alignments. Nothing less than about 38 inches. And the view from outside. It has taken me quite a while to extend the baseboards and devise the curve and also get it level. Still some woodwork to do at this end but the main elements are in. Quite a lot of the scenery at this end will only be properly visible from inside the layout. Thanks for reading. Stay safe! View the full article
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METAMORPHIC ROCK is ANY OF A CLASS OF ROCKS THAT RESULT FROM THE ALTERATION OF PREEXISTING ROCKS IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, SUCH AS VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, AND MECHANICAL STRESS, AND THE ADDITION OR SUBTRACTION OF CHEMICAL COMPONENTS. The underlying rocks of Bosemlin are plywood and deal and I am altering these by a process involving the application of a saw and drill slowly turning them into sawdust. Yes, I am still rebuilding the landscape at the River End. I shall bullet point the actions taken lest this episode becomes a lengthy description about cutting plywood. Although as the Corona Virus lockdown proceeds even reading such a diatribe could be a light relief from listening to politicians wittering on with excuses about why nobody in the UK has actually be tested and there’s only enough PPE for a St John’s Ambulance Treatment Unit in Hawick. Exaggerate? Me? Never! In fact I’ve changed my mind. I’m only posting photos. Each is said to be worth 1000 words. You decide. I am never sure where the actual junction at Boscarne is. That is to say which end of the lines. Here are the diverging lines. This is the final Templot. More about Templot another time. The approximate positions of the two river bridges. The actual height of the bridge is a bit more than half that allowed. The extra height allows more landscape flexibility. Bird eye view of the final curve alignments. Nothing less than about 38 inches. And the view from outside. It has taken me quite a while to extend the baseboards and devise the curve and also get it level. Still some woodwork to do at this end but the main elements are in. Quite a lot of the scenery at this end will only be properly visible from inside the layout. Thanks for reading. Stay safe! View the full article
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METAMORPHIC ROCK is ANY OF A CLASS OF ROCKS THAT RESULT FROM THE ALTERATION OF PREEXISTING ROCKS IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, SUCH AS VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, AND MECHANICAL STRESS, AND THE ADDITION OR SUBTRACTION OF CHEMICAL COMPONENTS. The underlying rocks of Bosemlin are plywood and deal and I am altering these by a process involving the application of a saw and drill slowly turning them into sawdust. Yes, I am still rebuilding the landscape at the River End. I shall bullet point the actions taken lest this episode becomes a lengthy description about cutting plywood. Although as the Corona Virus lockdown proceeds even reading such a diatribe could be a light relief from listening to politicians wittering on with excuses about why nobody in the UK has actually be tested and there’s only enough PPE for a St John’s Ambulance Treatment Unit in Hawick. Exaggerate? Me? Never! In fact I’ve changed my mind. I’m only posting photos. Each is said to be worth 1000 words. You decide. I am never sure where the actual junction at Boscarne is. That is to say which end of the lines. Here are the diverging lines. This is the final Templot. More about Templot another time. The approximate positions of the two river bridges. The actual height of the bridge is a bit more than half that allowed. The extra height allows more landscape flexibility. Bird eye view of the final curve alignments. Nothing less than about 38 inches. And the view from outside. It has taken me quite a while to extend the baseboards and devise the curve and also get it level. Still some woodwork to do at this end but the main elements are in. Quite a lot of the scenery at this end will only be properly visible from inside the layout. Thanks for reading. Stay safe! View the full article
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Metamorphic rock, any of a class of rocks that result from the alteration of preexisting rocks in response to changing environmental conditions, such as variations in temperature, pressure, and mechanical stress, and the addition or subtraction of chemical components. The underlying rocks of Bosemlin are plywood and deal and I am altering these by a process involving the application of a saw and drill slowly turning them into sawdust. Yes, I am still rebuilding the landscape at the River End. I shall bullet point the actions taken lest this episode becomes a lengthy description about cutting plywood. Although as the Corona Virus lockdown proceeds even reading such a diatribe could be a light relief from listening to politicians wittering on with excuses about why nobody in the UK has actually be tested and there’s only enough PPE for a St John’s Ambulance Treatment Unit in Hawick. Exaggerate? Me? Never! In fact I’ve changed my mind. I’m only posting photos. Each is said to be worth 1000 words. You decide. I am never sure where the actual junction at Boscarne is. That is to say which end of the lines. Here are the diverging lines. This is the final Templot. More about Templot another time. The approximate positions of the two river bridges. The actual height of the bridge is a bit more than half that allowed. The extra height allows more landscape flexibility. Bird eye view of the final curve alignments. Nothing less than about 38 inches. And the view from outside. It has taken me quite a while to extend the baseboards and devise the curve and also get it level. Still some woodwork to do at this end but the main elements are in. Quite a lot of the scenery at this end will only be really visible from inside the layout. Thanks for reading. Stay safe!
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Famous last words but, as I've fixed the County's roof in place yesterday, it hit the bridge both on the up and down lines right on the edge. I assumed that the chimney would be the most vulnerable but these must have been built to the extremes of the loading gauge. No problem will just have to raise the bridge which thankfully is also not yet fixed in place. As an express, the County will never stop at Berrington and Eye. I did check but it hits the loading dock which is built in the yard to tighter tolerances so no dropping off horse boxes! I set the platform edges in Templot when designing the layout and built them to that. It was still worth checking; I have a couple of 70' coaches to build that will go behind the County. They were marshalled on the Birkenhead to South West services. I think I might have to check the swing on these too for clearance as both platform are on curves.
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I downloaded Templot, what a great program / tool that is. Thanks.
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Especially with Templot being free I cannot see why anyone should even contemplate chopping up a C&L plan, all you will get is a plan with a series of doglegs, not necessarily spaced out evenly. For longer Radii get twp people and a piece of string. One person acts as the centre point and just keep lengthening it until the arc of the string matches the arc of the track. Or if you wish to draw a radii, tie a pencil to a piece of string, measure out the radius you require, pin the center point and draw the radius line. Unless you are a perfectionist it doesn't have to be mm exact. Or use a track setter, the radii is printed on it
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Does not come as a kit put as individual parts. I thought the EM Gauge Soc sold these bases, but I can only see the universal point and crossing pack. Certainly they are available from the Scalefour society, I buy then at their shows.The common crossing will work on a curved turnout, which you could easily use on a curved Templot template to your chosen radii (this is the hardest part done for you).I can always email a PDF if you give me details of radii and crossing angle. Curved turnouts are just as easy to make as straight ones. The additional switch and common crossing packs are good value at £2 each, most folk have the standard and slide chairs if track building, bridge chairs a bit dearer at £8.50 but thats for 100 which will last for ages, check chairs costs the same but enough for 10 turnouts, whilst the cost of some of these chairs add up you are saving money on not using standard chairs. Don't forget the functional fishplates both in plastic and brass. But you could equally make a decent turnout from the basic bits The additional switch chairs make one left and one right hand turnout, you are left with several half chair pieces, and if used , would be cost neutral with standard chairs, the common crossing chairs makes one of the following 1-5,6,7,8,10, if all used again will be cost neutral on the saving of cutting up chairs, Check chairs also are about cost neutral against chopping up standard chairs. A larger initial outlay but looks so much better and more or less cost neutral As far as the special chairs are concerned C&L were not in the game however Phil is in the process of updating his sprues 2 bolt are out now and 3 bolt in the next couple of weeks. each pack contains 250 standard chairs, 2 bridge chairs, 2 J (joint) chairs and 2 types of fishplate, 350 parts in all for £22. Dearer than Exactoscale, but the J chairs have not been modelled before, as have the 2 bolt bridge chairs and the reinforced fishplates
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Episode 7 – Looking to the future
DutyDruid commented on DutyDruid's blog entry in A different approach to model railway operation?
Hi Dave. This google search shows a number of pictures of Barry Slips, both real and model. With the exception of the photo of someone whose name happens to be Barry Slip, most of them are either here on RM Web or on Martyn Wynn's Templot site. I have been on the Missenden Modellers Weekends for both Track Building and Templot and I have produced a template for one of these formations in both Templot and Trax. All I need now is for the rest of my life to subside so I can sit down and make one up... Cheers Elliott -
With lack of points causing a bit of halt to progress I got to thinking about what exactly to do with the points I had made for a previous, never finished (or started, really) Soddingham. These were designed using Templot and it seemed such a waste not to use them, despite beng flat-bottom rail. The original idea was to put them in the headshunt to the left, with some concrete sleepered track, as an indicator of renewal coming to the station (so many depict defunct lines on layouts these days it seems!). While pondering how to do this a relatively plausible way I realised they are pretty much a 'Y' point. Downloading the appropriate Peco template confirmed this to be the case (using the highly accurate scientific method of holding the actual point up to the screen and scaling the PDF to match). The result is that I can reduce the 'Y' point purchase req. down to one. The plan was to put a short length of plain track between the slip and these points to avoid sleeper clashes, but when I offered it up cranial 'Templot' mode kicked it and became apparent that by extending the points first few timbers, and doing a spot of timber-shoving, a much more prototypical result would, er, result. So, the plan is : extend the first two point sleepers, using replacement sleepers (I have loads, and chairs, from back in the day); Extend the next two, possibly three, by removing the plain track sleepers and gluing extensions on; Shove the plain track sleepers to sort out the remaining 2 or 3 - the paper under the points, which is holding them together, is in the way for seeing properly to precise yet. The extended point timbers that formed part of an intended adjacent set of points will be cut off, as will the extended timbers for the hand levers which are now redundant. Also, I may well remove the lower (nearest to POV) sleeper from the slip and extend the remaining one 'above' so it is in line and removes the famous Peco bent sleeper syndrome. Ideally both should be replaced by a full width point timber - but, well, maybe. With all set to go I found my epoxy resin had gone off and my Plastic Weld (which holds the chairs to the plastic Peco sleepers brilliantly) had evaporated. Ho hum, replacements ordered.... I took the opportunity, since Eileen's Emporium had everything is stock, to order a load of layout wire as well. And getting right back to the beginning - these home-brew points (once the second tie bar is in place, and something for the point motor to use has been added) will be ballasted etc to represent newly-laid track - phase on one of Soddingham's journey to the 21st century. View the full article
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When in danger or in doubt... Progress on the fourth bite
Mikkel posted a blog entry in The Farthing layouts
When in danger or in doubt, get the model railway out. The fourth layout in the Farthing series is taking shape, a welcome relief from the lockdown blues. Above is a reminder of the trackplan. So complicated that it broke Templot. Only very advanced modellers can do that. A test piece to see what the new Peco Bullhead track is all about. I decided to give Peco a go as a change from handbuilt track. The chairs are wrong for GWR, will be interesting to see how much I notice it. One advantage of the new Peco track is that it’s voice controlled. You simply tell it where to go and it will lay itself. The layout will be operated as a micro on a daily basis, but I may add a further module for extended operation, or even a direct link to my "Old Yard" layout. The rear siding therefore extends to the baseboard edge, and is protected by a removeable buffer stop, knocked together from balsa in the stopgap style of the old N&SJR. The other stops are standard GWR, built from the Lanarkshire Models kit. In order to fit them on the Peco track, I had to carve off most of the chairs. Have others found a better solution? For replacement, I dug into my stash of C+L GWR chairs. Ironic, as I now have proper GWR chairs next to the Peco ones. Maybe I should slice up some Peco chairs and fit them instead. What a cruel close-up by the way, I need to get out the filler. I wanted some sort of 'inset' track for the front siding. Photos suggest that while proper inset track was certainly used in some GWR yards, more pragmatic solutions were preferred when feasible. This includes leaving the four foot unpaved, as seen in the bottom three photos here (all heavily cropped). That seems to have been a favoured solution where cartage vehicles needed firm ground to off-load or pass alongside the rails, but didn’t have to cross them. I haven’t seen this modelled much, so gave it a go. The outer sections of the sleepers were cut off to avoid the chairs fouling the paving. At this point I was seriously wondering why I hadn’t just made my own track! Here, DAS is being applied to the four foot. The rail was raised slightly above the edging stones to allow for track cleaning. Partly modeller's license, but also in compliance with one or two prototype photos. While not as elegant as proper inset track, I like how it creates a visual break in the setts. The setts were made using old paintbrush heads, fashioned to shape. The material is Forex, a.k.a. ’foamed PVC’ but apparently now without the PVC. The technique also works in DAS clay. The photo is a bit misleading as I used a ruler while pressing the setts, in order to ensure straight lines. A scriber was used to individualise a few setts and sort out mistakes. The material can be curved slightly if necessary. The method has pros and cons. You tend to get a fairly uniform look and it’s hard to avoid the occasional gap between the grooves when pressing down the brush heads. But with practice I found it speedy and tidy, and I like that it can be done away from the layout – especially as I have to work in our living room. Drainage channels were made by drawing a screwdriver tip along a ruler… …then pressing in setts as appropriate. This drainage channel was done differently, by simply pressing the setts deeper than the surrounding ones. The ground in front of standard GWR stable blocks was often paved with either cement or bricks. I went for red bricks, forgetting that one drawing I have says blue engineering bricks (better quality). I may repaint them, but then again I may not. For the entry to the goods depot, I used a Green Scene roller on blue foam as described in my workbench thread. The arched setts are a nod to the yard at Birmingham Moor Street. The Pooley & Sons weighbridge is a Scalelink etch. The weighbridge office is a temporary mock-up. The flagstone pavement was done using the same Forex material as the setts, with the kerbs and flagstones lined out in pencil and then scribed. My original plan was that the road the front would be laid with setts, but after encountering this thread I began to examine photos and realized that 1900s urban roads were very often laid with various forms of non-tarred macadam or similar. Here is Worthing South Street, captioned ca. 1900-1920. Even some parts of central London had streets like this. Sometimes such roads had gutters paved with stone, at other times setts were used or there was no gutter at all. Copyright Getty Images, embedding permitted. Call me a romantic but I like the dry, light and almost ethereal appearance that such roads exhibit in certain summertime photos of the period. I used sanding paper, painted with Vallejo light sand and ivory. It still needs some weathering and a good smattering of horse dung! For the GWR spearhead fencing, the initial plan was to use an old Scalelink etch - but it's rather fragile for a position at the front of the layout. So I used the Ratio GWR fencing. Photos suggest that the verticals should extend to the ground, beneath the lower horizontal bar. Never mind. The fencing sometimes had supports, may add those in due course. I wanted the fencing to be detachable, to allow for close-up photos and easy replacement if I break something. So far it rests in a groove lined with blue tack. If that proves a botch too far, I could try micro magnets. Some stations - e.g. Minehead – had a lovely display of enamel signs mounted on the spearhead fencing. I used those from Tiny Signs, cut with a scalpel, varnished twice and edged with a brown marker (in that order, otherwise the marker may discolour the sign). The signs act as view blocks, and also help draw in the eye to what will become a staff entrance. Here’s Charlie the horse admiring the adverts. He looks a bit out of focus. It must be the provender. In his opinion, the GWR always did mix in too much bran. Work to be done includes a scratchbuild of a GWR weighbridge office (the mock-up seen here is the old Smiths kit), and one or two other structures. The elevated rear section of the layout is a whole little project in itself, I'm hoping it will add further depth to the scene. Lastly, an overview shot. It’s all wired up, but I can’t operate it without a traverser. So that’s next.- 48 comments
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