“WASHBOURNE”

[F-UnitMad]

Wow this Thread has got deep all of a sudden!! 

Bring back Hilda, or trains.

 

Or both....

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

10 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Well, I don't know who this Mr Thompson may be or how he got about so much but I'm largely of Irish descent myself.

 

Now I know we're discussing tolerance etc. with perfect equanimity but admitting that may be a step to far ................ 

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by Malcolm 0-6-0

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

9 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Wow this Thread has got deep all of a sudden!! 

Bring back Hilda, or trains.

 

Or both....

 

 

Yes, one does enjoy the bountiful abundance of Hilda.

[Northroader]

We have to beware of overexposure, so as it’s a miserable old morning here, let’s go from a Great Leap Forward to One Step Beyond....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N-uyWAe0NhQ

 

[Mikkel]

Oh, excellent! A favourite of mine.

[Flying Fox 34F]

Nothing like a good fix of “Madness”

 

Paul

[Nearholmer]

Waiting for the Great Leap Forward https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=billy+bragg+great+leap+forward&view=detail&mid=67BE3D71F5664ED24AFD67BE3D71F5664ED24AFD&FORM=VIRE

[Northroader]

Right, here we go. I’ve now got the new Washbourne roughed out, with the happy clatter of little wheels rolling along, and essence of ozone wafting up. Its dedicated just to British Isles operations, and this shows mainly in having a raised platform and chaired bullhead track. All the track and the one point is reclaimed Peco, and with the track I’ve nicked the web between the sleepers to increase sleeper spacing slightly, as I feel the Peco track as sold has rather narrow spaces, presumably to have more modern appeal.

Dimensions first off, 43” x 14”, or 1090mm x 355mm, and the back corners have a 4” radius curve. Fairly standard antediluvian construction, ply top on softwood frame base, topped by cork underlay for the track.

There’s a straight through single track main line, alongside a passenger platform, with a siding off it in front. I’ve got a run off at each end as I like the look of a through run as explained nearly a couple of years ago, but although the one end goes into a cassette fiddle yard, the other will only end in a short loco “pocket”, as there’s no length for anything more, and really the layout is essentially a terminus. Incoming trains from the fiddle yard can have the loco detached to lurk in the pocket, then shunt with a second loco out of the fiddle, that is, unless the loco in the pocket hasn’t mysteriously reappeared in the fiddle yard end. (Will The RMweb Ethical Shunting Committee force me to leave in disgrace?) There’s also a siding at the rear, entered straight off the fiddle yard, originally to form another short length for aiding shunting, but as tracklaying progressed, it became clear I could make it longer, and it’s now very useful for stabling passenger, npccs, or goods, sets, besides shunting. Basically what you’re looking at is an Inglenook, with passenger accommodation and a spare “pocket”.

For structures  I have a station building on the platform, and a signal box in front, placed where it can block a view of the hole into the fiddle yard. The box is perched on a ply pad to allow it clear the linkage behind which is operating the point. Next moves are ballasting and general surfacing, and obtaining a hardboard sheet to form the backscene support.

 

I’m not dropping my pregroup setting, I just thought my “Big Four” stuff deserved an airing, and perhaps it might get somebody’s juices flowing.

in other news, I’m looking at carrying out a campaign change of the coupling links on the rolling stock, reverting from the single link described back on page one, to the more common three link type. With the short curves I originally had, they were necessary to stop buffer locking, but curvature has been eased no end, mainly at the request of the six wheelers, and buffers can be trusted not not to start going round behind each other, and the three link is better with this way of going on. 

[Donw]

11 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Right, here we go. I’ve now got the new Washbourne roughed out, with the happy clatter of little wheels rolling along, and essence of ozone wafting up. Its dedicated just to British Isles operations, and this shows mainly in having a raised platform and chaired bullhead track. All the track and the one point is reclaimed Peco, and with the track I’ve nicked the web between the sleepers to increase sleeper spacing slightly, as I feel the Peco track as sold has rather narrow spaces, presumably to have more modern appeal.

Dimensions first off, 43” x 14”, or 1090mm x 355mm, and the back corners have a 4” radius curve. Fairly standard antediluvian construction, ply top on softwood frame base, topped by cork underlay for the track.

There’s a straight through single track main line, alongside a passenger platform, with a siding off it in front. I’ve got a run off at each end as I like the look of a through run as explained nearly a couple of years ago, but although the one end goes into a cassette fiddle yard, the other will only end in a short loco “pocket”, as there’s no length for anything more, and really the layout is essentially a terminus. Incoming trains from the fiddle yard can have the loco detached to lurk in the pocket, then shunt with a second loco out of the fiddle, that is, unless the loco in the pocket hasn’t mysteriously reappeared in the fiddle yard end. (Will The RMweb Ethical Shunting Committee force me to leave in disgrace?) There’s also a siding at the rear, entered straight off the fiddle yard, originally to form another short length for aiding shunting, but as tracklaying progressed, it became clear I could make it longer, and it’s now very useful for stabling passenger, npccs, or goods, sets, besides shunting. Basically what you’re looking at is an Inglenook, with passenger accommodation and a spare “pocket”.

For structures  I have a station building on the platform, and a signal box in front, placed where it can block a view of the hole into the fiddle yard. The box is perched on a ply pad to allow it clear the linkage behind which is operating the point. Next moves are ballasting and general surfacing, and obtaining a hardboard sheet to form the backscene support.

 

I’m not dropping my pregroup setting, I just thought my “Big Four” stuff deserved an airing, and perhaps it might get somebody’s juices flowing.

in other news, I’m looking at carrying out a campaign change of the coupling links on the rolling stock, reverting from the single link described back on page one, to the more common three link type. With the short curves I originally had, they were necessary to stop buffer locking, but curvature has been eased no end, mainly at the request of the six wheelers, and buffers can be trusted not not to start going round behind each other, and the three link is better with this way of going on. 

 

 

Very nice. I do rather like three links myself. The the days I took a layout to exhibitions  I did't find it annoying even for a two day show. It also gets up close and personal with the stock. I look forward to seeing more.

 

Don

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

I’m not dropping my pregroup setting, I just thought my “Big Four” stuff deserved an airing, and perhaps it might get somebody’s juices flowing.

Not the stock, but the layout certainly does. In fact whenever I look at this and Englefield in particular, this thought always keeps drifting back through my mind - "   Atlas Plymouths in 4ft - you know you want to...." 

 

I am officially giving notification, Sir, that you are a Bad Influence!!!  

[F-UnitMad]

2 hours ago, Donw said:

 

 

Very nice. I do rather like three links myself.... It also gets up close and personal with the stock. I look forward to seeing more.

 

Don

Agree with that - I got into British O because after using Kadees on British HO stock (yes, HO, not OO) I actually wanted to get back to prototypical couplings for UK stock, i.e. 3-links - but having tried them in OO many years ago, knew I wouldn't cope with them in those small scales now, so 7mm it would have to be.

[Nearholmer]

Even I, devotee of tin drop-link couplings, would opt for three-link if going slightly more "scale". I quite enjoy the realism of using bits of bath-plug chain to couple-up when I play with my larger scale narrow-gauge trains.

[Donw]

One tip for anyone using three links. I use a steel wire ( as sold for wire in tube is fine) for the business end of my uncoupling hook. Being stiffer than brass or NS wire it can be thinner and thus less likely to jam between the hook and the links.

 

The other tip is I found when exhibiting children were so much better than me at coupling up.

 

Don

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, Northroader said:

unless the loco in the pocket hasn’t mysteriously reappeared in the fiddle yard end.

You could put different numbers on each side and turn it end for end while we're not looking.

[Donw]

With a need for a possible very compact layout to fiddle around with I started wandering through this most inspirational thread I have only got as far a page 7 because the the engaging saga of Nearholmer's Broom cupboard, domestic negotiations coupled with the interjection bt James' spouse  has been chuckling away. Thanks you gentlemen for a cheering read. You know I can no longer remember whether the broom cupboard issue was ever resolved.

 

Don

[Northroader]

It did get quite surreal at that point, Don, so I’m quite proud of it, and I don’t know if it was ever resolved satisfactorily, either, it could be it’s now a Zoom meeting area, or a hot tub?

I’m really pleased to hear you’re thinking of doing some modelling at long last, I do try to put in links to whatever I enjoy seeing, so if you follow all those, you’ll find some good ideas, I’m sure.

For now, test running is going on, this week the platform faces have been shaved back for some stroppy horsebox footboards, and I've modified a 2-2-2T to track better.

[Nearholmer]

The Broom Cupboard was removed during a bout of stealth layout extending, while the rest of the family were in Norfolk at the seaside, about two or three years ago.

 

Oddly enough, after all the preceding angst, it’s removal caused no disharmony whatsoever, so somehow I must have been ‘in credit’ at that stage.

 

I do need to make-good the shadow of it though.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Nearholmer

[Northroader]

 

Heres a look at the “pocket” yard, which is now open. It’s 14” (355mm) long, 12.75” (325mm) wide, with two 13” (330mm) cassettes. There’s the main board at Washbourne to the left, with the cassette plugged in to the main. To the right we’ve got my American Englefield board. These two layouts are back to back, with the pocket yard being shared between them, but the main lines don’t quite line up, and I don’t intend having a through run between them. You could say why not have them facing, sharing a common fiddle yard, and two outer pocket yards, which would be an overall gain in length? Well, it just happened like that, my brain doesn’t act that quick, and having two fiddle yards does give a bit more space for ongoing projects (unfinished work) The rear unplugged cassette is for the Englefield line, and draped across it in a sensuous pose, is an ATLAS Plymouth, temptingly poised to go switching on the American line, (Jordan’s breath coming in short pants, and is that a moan of repressed lust I hear?, it will be when I can find some Kadees)

The front cassette plugged in has the largest size of engine permitted, a three axle tender engine, and this is to act as an appetiser for a short excursion I fancy describing.

[Mikkel]

A pocket yard, I like that. Also interesting to have it in the middle between two layouts, even if they aren't connected. Food for thought!

[F-UnitMad]

10 hours ago, Northroader said:

draped across it in a sensuous pose, is an ATLAS Plymouth, temptingly poised to go switching on the American line, (Jordan’s breath coming in short pants, and is that a moan of repressed lust I hear?, it will be when I can find some Kadees)

Oi..!! I'm not that bad!! ......am I..??  

 

I did notice the Plymouth first, though.....

[Donw]

Well now with two separate fiddle areas you can store stock for each layout in cassettes in their own yard. If it was a combined yard you might have more space but pound to a penny the 'other' layouts stock cassettes would be getting in the way. So I think the shared pocket will work quite well.  

 

Don

[Northroader]

One minor victory to record, with the test running going on, I’ve converted the horsebox set to three link couplings on each vehicle, bodged up out of .030 brass rod. The curvature is now easy enough that I can propel using the buffers without them locking, and the pull takes up one vehicle at a time very nicely. One thing about the horse boxes is that they have quite a varied range of weights, which affected the propelling with single links, now it’s far more certain. What’s the GCR slogan? “Forward”!

[Nearholmer]

As you know, I'm  a great fan of single link (aka "drop link") couplings, but if vehicles are different weights, and couplings are at subtly different heights (inevitable with my mix of wagons, ancient and modern), propelling moves sometimes do result in a light vehicle launching skyward as it gets squeezed between loco and heavier wagons.

[Donw]

I have seen photos where that has happened in 12inch :1ft. As for the differing weights I bet it made quite a difference between empty and loaded particularly with a lively horse.

 

Don

[Compound2632]

46 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

propelling moves sometimes do result in a light vehicle launching skyward as it gets squeezed between loco and heavier wagons.

 

30 minutes ago, Donw said:

I have seen photos where that has happened in 12inch :1ft. 

 

Ideal for ultra-compact micro-layouts: