garethashenden Posted June 5, 2016 Author Share Posted June 5, 2016 Alternatively, how about a re-think. Loose the overbridge and ramp. Move the track back to the retaining wall and disguise the exit behind a building or structure of some sort at the front left corner. The increased space in front of the track would be the yard at track level, the yard entrance is assumed to be somewhere in front of the layout. You could also have a sector plate and kick-back storage siding under the house yards..... Well that's quite a different layout. The grand scheme is that if this works out and assuming I eventually have more space, I would add the mainline tracks in the foreground with a station to the left. Aside from the angle of the road and the back left hand corner everything is pretty much as I want. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Not NLR, although next to it, and a golden opportunity to model a very famous house. K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 I've started!!! A baseboard: Not enough glue on the ballast: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightbe Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 How are you affixing the ballast? A really easy way to do it--especially for your chosen order of construction--is to paint on undiluted white glue in 6" sections, dump some ballast on, and then immediately vacuum off the excess. Catching it with pantyhose or something. Upsides: No clumps, no fear of ballast shifting, neatness, and poses little threat to steel rail Quentin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Downside? An uncomfortably gritty sensation about the nether parts. K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 How are you affixing the ballast? A really easy way to do it--especially for your chosen order of construction--is to paint on undiluted white glue in 6" sections, dump some ballast on, and then immediately vacuum off the excess. Catching it with pantyhose or something. Upsides: No clumps, no fear of ballast shifting, neatness, and poses little threat to steel rail Quentin That's what we did on Empire Mills and what I tried to do here. I just didn't use enough glue. I did a couple of sections this afternoon and used more glue, they came out better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHertsGER Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Not NLR, although next to it, and a golden opportunity to model a very famous house. K Let's hope the baseboard is not 'Lopsided'... I've started!!! A baseboard: Not enough glue on the ballast: ...clearly not... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 As I had mentioned, I laid two more sections of sleepers. The first point and the longest plain track. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 The first two lengths on rail have been laid. I did the first one yesterday and the second today. So far so good, but it's just plain track and that is easy. It's been pointed out elsewhere that a goods yard like this would be paved in some manner, probably setts. I will do that, once the track is finished. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Smeeton Posted July 1, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 1, 2016 Or ballasted with ash. Regards Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 I've got back to this and just about finished the tracklaying. Two point blades and two closure rails are all that's left. I'm about to start the wiring and the turnout mechanisms. Since there are only two points, I'm going to try Blue Point switch machines. They're very similar to Tortoises, but are driven by a push rod rather than an electric motor. Those are on order and should be here in a couple of days.Here are a bunch of recent pictures. The ground around and between these tracks will be filled in with setts, with ash ballast around the points and entrance. Hope to have trains running by the end of the weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightbe Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Looking very good! Speaking from experience, those Blue point machines are excellent. Quentin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Smith Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Agreed about the Blue Points. I used cut down hollow aluminium knitting needles for push/pull rods. The spring steel operating wire is very hard and required hard-wire side cutters to trim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Dark Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Coming along nicely! Did you use Carrs Butanone to fix the chairs to the sleepers? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d600 Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 Hi very nice little layout your building there track work looks good can't wait for the scenery to start. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Coming along nicely! Did you use Carrs Butanone to fix the chairs to the sleepers? I used Tenax-7R, but I've used butanone in the past. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Bufferstops! The North London seems to have used wooden bufferstops, rather than rail-built ones. It looks like the bufferbeam is the same as NLR wagons, 8' long and curved ends. The rest of the dimensions are estimated, but look right.Everything is made from basswood, either 1/4"x1/8" or 3/16"x3/16". I cut out the parts for one, made sure they looked right, then cut out the parts for the other two. I then stained all the parts and glued them together.Parts for one:All the parts stained:The first one installed:The other two:All Three: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 Procrastinating on finishing the track has lead to me starting on the scenery. The bridge at the left seemed a logical place to start. I used foam board as a base with Slaters brick sheet. The abutments are 0.080" clad in brick. Two pictures, raw and painted with yellow ocher. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHertsGER Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Let's hope the baseboard is not 'Lopsided'... ...clearly not... My apologies if my earlier remark had missed its mark...if you recall 'The Lady Killers' the house owner was nicknamed 'Mrs Lopsided' by one of the gang, largely as a result of the oddities of the house (plumbing being one). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 I have started with the setts. Originally I had planned to lay them flat with little detail. After thinking about this for a while I realised that that wasn't the best way to do it. It occurred to me that with the horses and all some drainage was in order. In the space between tracks 1 and 2 I decided on a gutter running the length of the sidings. I am using Wills setts, and each sheet has two sides with larger curbs. I cut these off and used them, three wide, to form the gutter. It is laid on a sheet of plasticard with the outer two rows of stone elevated on 30 thou strip. Once this was finished I started cutting the setts to fit. I have so far cut two sections and fitted them to the gutter. I have also cut a piece to fit between the rails on the first track. It will need to be narrowed slightly to provide the adequate flangeway clearance.None of this is yet attached to the layout and probably won't be until it has been painted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 As I've been working on the setts I've been thinking about the front center of the layout. This area has always been a bit up in the air as to what would go there. It could be more setts, it could be dirt, or it could be something more substantial. I had originally tried to fit in an end loading dock, so that I could have an excuse to feature loaded machine trucks, but there wasn't sufficient room. It has occurred to me recently however that I could have a platform, or at least part of a platform, at the front of the layout. It would have a ramp down at the right hand end, and maybe a small crane at the left? With this on my mind I mocked it up from foam board and card. The curve isn't quite right and it's too close to the track, but it gives an idea.The layout was originally conceived as having the four track mainline off scene but immediately in front of what is on scene. That's still what I have in mind, but if that is the case then this may not be the best place for the platform. I would appreciate input on the looks, realism, and practicality of putting the platform here. It would be quite some time before the layout is expanded, and it may never happen, so that may shape things as well.Here is the overall scene currentlyWith the platform in place And from the other endWhat do you think? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted December 11, 2016 Author Share Posted December 11, 2016 Following some discussion on Scalefour Forum, I have decided to use DAS clay instead of the Wills setts. The problem is that the Wills setts work fine on straight track, but don't follow curves well. This rather ruins the whole effect. With that in mind I made a 6" section of track on a piece of foamboard to experiment with. I used a cheap paintbrush deprived of its bristles as a tool to press out the setts. Here are the preliminary results. The clay has not yet hardened, so it still needs to be painted but I feel that this is definitely the way forward. Not a quick process, but I am pleased with the results.Here are a few pictures. Some of them look quite rounded in close up pictures, I may have pressed the tool in too far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted December 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 11, 2016 I liked the look of the Wills setts, but as you say the part in between the points looks a bit odd. The DAS clay approach lifts it to another level. Any chance you could include the tool (ex-paintbrush) next time you take a photo? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted December 11, 2016 Author Share Posted December 11, 2016 I liked the look of the Wills setts, but as you say the part in between the points looks a bit odd. The DAS clay approach lifts it to another level. Any chance you could include the tool (ex-paintbrush) next time you take a photo? Here you go Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted December 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 11, 2016 Thanks! I couldn't quite picture the modified brush but now I get it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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