Invernevis based on Fort William in N Gauge

[David41283]

Good evening everyone,

 

With the layout set up fully I've been giving everything a really good run. A few loose wires have been secured and a few locos have been adjusted to ensure smooth running.

 

Celebrity 26's 26001 and 007 prepare to leave. The rear coach of this service is an observation saloon.

 

 

Overview of the station area

 

Class 26 shunts vans

 

26040 idles in the siding.

 

Vans are loaded in the dock

 

A class 24/1 arrives with an oil train, while a class 27 waits to depart.

 

37425 leaves the station, passing the signalman's bike.

 

24117 heads for the goods yard with a brake van.

 

47643 has just arrived from Glasgow.

 

The shunter prepares to uncouple the 47.

 

Cheers

 

David

[David41283]

Just for fun, Invernevis 2017!

 

I don't have nearly enough appropriate present-day stock to pull this off properly....

 

67 rests after bringing in the Caledonian Sleeper

 

The new Colas 56 hauled BP tanks pauses at the station.

 

Nearly - not quite the right kind of GBRF 73 for the sleeper!

 

A DRS 37 heads the autoballasters ready for engineering works.

 

Cheers

 

David

[Revolution Ben]

 

Hi David,

 

That's wonderful, so atmospheric. Thanks for posting.

 

Some of the detailing is particularly fine. Where are the blue parcels trolleys from?

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

[David41283]

Hi David,

 

That's wonderful, so atmospheric. Thanks for posting.

 

Some of the detailing is particularly fine. Where are the blue parcels trolleys from?

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

 

Hi Ben,

 

Thanks for the comment.

 

The Brutes are from Etched Pixels, ordered a couple of years ago at the same time as the 24/1 conversion kit. They are incredibly small etched kits with fold up castors, a false floor etc.. after a trial go with a soldering iron and all the details I decided I would simplify them somewhat, so these are a very basic representation.

 

In the same order, I also ordered a couple of sets of etches which fold up into 2mm scale desktop PCs! I haven't found an application for these yet!

 

Cheers

 

David

[37114]

Great to meet you on Saturday David, really enjoyed this layout at Minehead and have to say it is really nicely executed.

[jamest]

Hi David,

 

Good to chat again and see the layout in the flesh on Saturday. Really impressed with the setup - lights, legs, fiddle yard, point control, etc. Really shows off your hard work well.

 

All the best,

James

[mudmagnet]

Sorry didn't get chance for a chat at Minehead.

 

Layout looks very goodnight the flesh though.

[David41283]

Thanks for the comments chaps, we had a great day at Minehead. Loads of interest in the layout, so much so I spent most of the day talking to people.

 

Next up for Invernevis is Thorncombe TRAC show in November.

 

Cheers

 

David

[devonseasider]

Next up for Invernevis is Thorncombe TRAC show in November.

 

Anything to report, David ?    Did the layout behave itself?

 

[David41283]

We had a great day at Thorncombe on Saturday for Invernevis' second outing, it's a lovely show and we were well looked after. Everything went well, and a couple of new items of stock performed OK. 

 

Here are a few photos I snapped before the doors opened.

 

 

 

 

 

And finally a couple with the (rather huge) trophy for "Best in Show", (which I suspect is what Graham is alluding to above!) Thanks Graham. I am pleased with how the layout has turned out, but I do feel that many people's fondness for the prototype certainly makes a difference in these sort of public polls.

 

 

 

It looks like I've now got a couple of exhibitions lined up for 2018, details to follow once paperwork is exchanged.

 

Cheers

 

David

 

 

 

[David41283]

Hi everyone,

 

The Railway Modeller/Peco stand was just next to us at Thorncombe a couple of weeks ago. Andrew Burnham (the editor of Continental Modeller) was manning the stand and spent a bit of time in the afternoon taking photos of Invernevis, a few of which I've posted below with his permission. It was very kind of Andrew to take the photos and send them to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

David

[Signaller69]

Nice set of photos David, and congratulations on the "Best in Show" award, at least it's not likely to get mislaid!

[Revolution Ben]

 

Hi David,

 

Some wonderful photos there, and let me add my congratulations on winning the best in show award.

 

I tend to agree that some visitors will vote based on their fondness for the prototype, but that does not detract in any way from your achievement since you still have to create a convincing, scenically balanced and attractive model. And you clearly have!

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

[jonas]

Wow, stunning photos. Love this model, it just looks ‘right’.

[bridgiesimon]

very well deserved 'best in show' even though you beat me by one point hehe. Really enjoyed seeing this stunning model and chatting briefly during a short escape from my layout.

 

Best wishes

Simon

[David41283]

Thanks everyone.

 

Looks like the next outing for Invernevis is a show in Holt, West Wiltshire in April 2018.

[Cjhancock]

Hi David41283 

what is the overall size of this layout with the fiddle yard attached, as i'm looking at building a small layout that's no bigger than 4x1 scenic as my first proper layout. Many thanks in advance.

[David41283]

Hi David41283

what is the overall size of this layout with the fiddle yard attached, as i'm looking at building a small layout that's no bigger than 4x1 scenic as my first proper layout. Many thanks in advance.

 

 

Hello,

 

The scenic section is 130cm x 30cm (about 4ft 3in x 1ft) and the fiddle yard is 120cm x 30cm (4ft x 1ft) so the overall area of the layout is 2.5m x 30cm or around 8ft 3in x 1ft when in use.

 

A couple of things to bear in mind - it looks very small in an exhibition hall, but just over 8ft long feels big enough in your home! You also need to think about what it is going to stand on. At home it can go on an extended dining table without too much hanging off each end. If I use my exhibition trestles then the footprint becomes much bigger as the narrowest trestles you'll find would be 60cm or 2ft wide. I think legs which were much narrower than this may be a little unstable.

 

To give me room to move around in order to operate and uncouple I need a minimum space of 3m x 1m to exhibit the layout.

 

If you're looking for a practical home n gauge layout, you could consider a hinged fold-out fiddle yard, or you can get a surprisingly interesting "roundy" layout into 4ft x 2ft which doesn't need the separate fiddle yard.

 

That's probably a lot more info than you asked for! Hope that helps.

 

David

[Mike140]

Hi David41283

what is the overall size of this layout with the fiddle yard attached, as i'm looking at building a small layout that's no bigger than 4x1 scenic as my first proper layout. Many thanks in advance.

 

 

If I may hijack David's thread for a moment, you could always add what I call a "Behind the scenes" fiddle yard. This is what I did on my first N gauge layout. The lack of back scene allows more room to move when you're 'fiddling', although I would recommend having one of at least half the height of a coach... I've lost a few down that gap! It's worse than it looks in the photo!!

 

The tape measure below is measuring from the front of the 37s - they are parked in the same position - to 4ft. You could get a decent head shunt in there to allow a loco to enter and reverse in to a shed. A TMD would be ideal in my opinion.

 

This layout is only 8 inches wide, so you'll have 4 more inches to play with in width, that might just give you enough room for a refueling point right in the center toward the front, accessed via a head shunt from a 3-way point onto a wye (a bit further forward than the one in the photo I ran out of room) putting that road at an angle to add depth - a nice center piece - and a wash plant to the right at the end of the head shunt.

 

If you had only locos your yard roads won't need to be as long as mine (only about 6-8 inches after the points) which would give you more scenic space on scene. This yard is 4 3/4" wide, so you'll have 7 1/4" in front of that for your scenic space - loads of space in N!

 

An added bonus is, like mine, it can be stored on a wall out of the way but always on display and operated from the front or from the rear - better access to the fiddle yard - if you ever wanted to take it to a show.

Good luck!

[meanach]

Amazing photos . This looks just like the photos I’ve seen of the old Fort bill station . Lots of atmosphere . Look forward to seeing it on the exhibition circuit .

[David41283]

Hi everyone,

 

Just a few weeks now to my next outing with Invernevis. I am exhibiting at the West Wilts Model Railway Circle exhibition in Holt, near Trowbridge on Saturday 7th April.

 

Here is the show leaflet, attached with permission.

 

Cheers

 

David

 

handout.docx

[woodenhead]

I was looking at this thread this morning and quietly regretting having put my 4 McRats on EBay 7 days ago.

 

With the level of watchers I was sure they were all going to sell. But here I am at the end of the auction still with my Scottish fleet intact, it's a sign I think.

[David41283]

I was looking at this thread this morning and quietly regretting having put my 4 McRats on EBay 7 days ago.

 

With the level of watchers I was sure they were all going to sell. But here I am at the end of the auction still with my Scottish fleet intact, it's a sign I think.

 

I must have missed them! Ha ha. Seriously though, I think small diesels are ideal locos for a manageable layout.

 

My funds have been set aside for the "Highlander" set, with the 37 and Kyle line coaches. However this seems to have been delayed again.

[David41283]

Good evening everyone,

 

With Invernevis' third exhibition looming on Saturday I have had the layout set up for a test, clean and dust. Fortunately all worked with no tweaks needed. I have replaced a broken station lamp and filled in a few patches where ground cover had thinned a bit.

 

I have been working on some stock, having thinned down much of my privatisation era stock, I now have room to bring a few more wagons. With FW goods yard just a short distance from the station I hope to have a few more speedlink and trip workings reversing in the station in future.

 

I have added snowploughs to one of my 20's.

 

 

 

I have added a few more wagons to the fleet:

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, one of the first n gauge kits I had a go at, 5 years or so ago, was the Chivers OTA timber wagon. I enjoyed building and painting them, but found them a bit of a pig to run smoothly. I have had another look at them, as they are such an iconic scottish wagon, and have managed to knock together three which have working couplings and stay on the rails from the 6 that have been in my spares pile for the last few years. They're far from perfect, but they may get a run-out at the weekend.

 

 

Everything is now stacked by the door ready to load in the van and head off to Wiltshire tomorrow for the exhibition on Saturday.

 

Cheers

 

David

 

 

[David41283]

Hi everyone,

 

Long time no posts!

 

Invernevis is off to the Plymouth exhibition on Saturday, so this evening I have been finishing off a few mini-projects and getting a few new items of stock ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This little lot includes a couple of items I ordered well over a year ago, both of which turned up recently. The stock from the Highlander set has had a bit of light weathering, 37418 has had snowploughs fitted and more weathering.

 

The blue/grey coach is an "almost" BSOT, based on a Farish BCK with a butchered interior. The windows aren't quite in the right place, but it's a better bet than a tiny cut-and-shut conversion in my book.

 

I've also dirtied up my N Gauge society car flats and a couple of Dapol fish vans.

 

Cheers

 

David