Milton Quay

[lash]

Not quite cured and still a little milky but I’m quite pleased . It could be a bit murkier but the muse shows through nicely and if the tide is just coming in I suspect the water would be clearer .

 

[lash]

So I’m leaving the water well alone tonight and letting it fully cure .

 

My plan now is to work on a truly cunning plan involving electrical connector blocks operate the cassette slidy fiddle yard . This is a bit of a mental block for me at the moment and if I can sort it then I hope I will have the impetus to finish the layout .

[lash]

Oh meant mud not muse in last but one post , predictive text being a bit arty this evening ,mind you a muse might be helpful in encouraging layout completion as a night off from poetry but she wouldn’t be swimming in that muck

[lash]

So this is the start of the cunning plan .

 

I made a rectangular cutout in the foam board and cork at the end of the cassette down to the Perspex . I cut down a two connector section of an electrical connector block to fit in the gap . The prongs will go into a similarly positioned connector block in the adjoining base board end .

 

This will mean making a small extension to the baseboard but with foam board and some wood battens for a firm connection that should not be too hard .

 

The result should be a neat location and electrical connection in one .

 

What could possibly go wrong .......

 

[lash]

Meanwhile a mere 5 months later I’m back modelling.

 

It’s been a brilliant spring and summer and I’ve been at the house in the Isle of Wight every weekend and more, we’ve had a great first year.

 

Had a great couple of hours working on the fiddle yard connections . Over the last few months I have extended the main board to accommodate these and the work this evening completed the first of three track connections including wiring to provide a feed to the slidy cassette on the fiddle yard.

 

The pics show what I’ve done including the connector on the slidy cassette .

 

[sb67]

Good to see a few more pics, I like your casstte idea. Glad to here you're enjoying your new house, I bet the Isle of Wight has been gorgeous during the summer, I really like it there.

Can you please tell me where you got the quayside bollards from? I'm going to need some for my layout soon.

Steve.

[lash]

Good to see a few more pics, I like your casstte idea. Glad to here you're enjoying your new house, I bet the Isle of Wight has been gorgeous during the summer, I really like it there.

Can you please tell me where you got the quayside bollards from? I'm going to need some for my layout soon.

Steve.

Steve it’s been a brilliant summer on IOW and we are looking forward to autumn with bracing walks on the beach and evenings with the woodburner . My weeks are spent in Newcastle under Lyme and so that should mean evening modelling time ,work permitting .

 

The bollards are by Langley who do loads of good quayside stuff

 

All the best and thanks for the encouragement

 

Richard

[lash]

Another happy few hours modelling this evening.

 

I completed the main board connections for the cassette and the slidy cassette itself . No great problems and after dealing with a dry solder joint test running with my blue Bachman 08 went well . A bit of fettling and cleaning and I’ll have the whole layout running ,and that is a pretty big thing because it means I have just scenics to do and a lot of that is already done and ready to install .

 

The other big thing ,and I know I go on about this being a learning layout for me , is my fear of soldering is no more . The results may be messy for the moment but after the last couple of days I know I can take on routine jobs with confidence .

 

Heading south for the weekend tomorrow but hopefully some scenic work next week , starting with the road bridge that will be the exit.

 

Would post pics but for some ufathomable reason they are displaying upside down !

[westerhamstation]

Hi Lash, good to see you posting again and that you are settled in your new home. Looking forward to watching your progress on the scenics. All the best Adrian.

[lash]

Hi Lash, good to see you posting again and that you are settled in your new home. Looking forward to watching your progress on the scenics. All the best Adrian.

Many thanks Adrian you are as ever most encouraging.

 

I’m posting from the middle of the Solent on a lovely evening with and lights from ancient tube train moving down Ryde pier, all rather nice .

[lash]

Managed to get one of last nights pics the right way up ,so here it is .Not a clue why my pics are going antipodean but technology is a blissful mystery

 

[lash]

More running and adjusting the cassette and connection to the main board .

 

Running quite a variety of stock class 33 and green Hornsby 08 on a short oil working and my lovely 2H. Some derailments at the join but getting there.

 

To boost my morale I added some of scenics as a mock up and taste of things to come.

 

 

 

 

 

[lash]

Finished the evening with a mock up of the overbridge . This is the visual disguise for the end of the scenic board based on Wills abutments with a Wills vary girder deck . I do not want it square to the baseboard edge so I’m working out the angles .

 

 

 

[sb67]

Nice photo's lash, good to see everythings coming along nicely.

Steve.

[westerhamstation]

Hi Lash, the pictures show the quay off nicely, I think this is going to be a really good layout. All the best Adrian.

[lash]

Hi Lash, the pictures show the quay off nicely, I think this is going to be a really good layout. All the best Adrian.

Thanks Adrian I’m quite pleased at the moment so more progress soon I hope .

 

One more pic from last night,I really like this one.

[lash]

Oh hell twinged a muscle in my back so modelling standing up.

 

Put together a the Wills vary girder bridge with 9 sections . Will leave it till harden then trim and prime tomorrow.

[westerhamstation]

Hi Lash, you shouldn't lift those heavy girders on your own. All the best Adrian.

[lash]

Primed the bridge abutment bits and the girder deck with my usual matt grey acrylic spray can . Don’t know what other people do but I always prime plastic ,apart from anything else it gives a really good idea of imperfections that need sorting as well as a great base for any paint treatment, washes ,dry brush and also coloured pencils which I use for brickwork.

 

Checked angles and built the abutments on sub bases then mocked it up again . Here are pics . Think an extra girder support between the wider spaced tracks might be interesting visually and maybe a large diameter mains pipe of some sort immediately below the bridge deck .

 

Here are some pics including a BR 2mt tank on parcels duty, I’m gradually going back in time with my pics ,blue diesels ,green diesels now late steam ,rather fun and I need to dig out my earlier stock I’ve stored somewhere safe . That might involve a trip into the attic which may not be a great idea with my back still a tadge tender after humping girders as Adrian noticed

[westerhamstation]

Hi Lash, I think the extra support is a good idea as is the pipe, which will help restrict the view into the end of the board.If you go into the attic don't forget to tell some one you are up there.

 All the best Adrian.

[sb67]

Looks good lash, I'd agree with the extra support and pipe. I'd also paint the fiddle yard board and cassettes the same as the main board, you could even ballast the track on them so they dont stand out from the main board. I've a similar size space to disguise on my layout.

Steve. 

[lash]

Thanks Adrian and Steve. Goood advice all round . I’ll delve into the odds and ends box next week to find some suitable bits and bobs ,I’m sure I’ve got an old Hornby girder support and some Knightwing pipes somewhere . I’m afraid I lack Adrian’s ability to make an utterly convincing model of Waterloo from toilet role tubes ,sticky-back-plastic ,old cotton reals and pipe cleaners ( with added detail from a stash of coffee stirrers )

 

Happy modelling all

[lash]

Managed some modelling every evening this week so nice to keep up momentum.

 

More work on the bridge and mocked it up with the girder support ( which I found where it should be, amazing)

 

[lash]

Worked on the canopy and few odds and ends and put together another mock up . Need to work out how to fit it all together.

 

 

[lash]

Just going off piste a bit I spotted this along with a few other railway signs and plates in an antique/ vintage shop in Ryde a couple of weeks ago and my partner Christine bought it for me as a pressy for the railway room when this is up and running . I love it but can anyone help with its origins . I reckon London Transport , the paint runs on the back look a bit familiar from a few years back ,but it could be BR southern region ,probably not old enough for SR but how would I know .

 

Any thoughts out there. My internet research has drawn a blank so far .