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L&B Layout in Narrow Gauge 009


bertiedog
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Hot glue does not like PTFE tube, nothing grips it at all. Moulding hot glue around it would work, but the wood blocks achieve the same, and provide spot support for the landscape surface as a bonus.

 

Lots of poly and ply going on the end now, to be followed by sawdust, ( from my bench bandsaw, a great resource), to provide the earth surface, with Tetrion to fill gaps and smooth edges. When dry it will be re-glued and flocked, in mixed greens, and various lengths, and then ballasting can start on the plain track, points last. Some bushes will be needed at the layout joint gap, seagrass with tea leaves and sawdust.

A large bag of dry used tea is stored away for use, also any old packs of dried herbs as well, all make good scatter material. I also have a bag of dried red Beech leaves, crushed and ground in various grades in a coffee grinder. Most other leaves work, but they must be heat treated in the oven to bake them dry.

 

The PTFE tube is 1mm bore, 2mm outer, and I was trying 0.8mm wire, but it is too stiff, so trying a pack of seven strand 0.5mm Stainless steel cable, which is very flexible indeed, and may need a short bras tube nozzle fitted at the point end to get the cable to the point operating arm. The reel of wire cable was a bargain, 30 metres for a fiver.

 

There is enough to do the signals with as well, running in the tube, or via eyelets. The run to the signal would be sprung with a coil spring to tension it, simpler than points runs.

 

Stephen

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Decided on the final point operation, tensioned cable run in PTFE tube. The cable only just exits the tube to be attached to a Nickel silver sprung bar, which in turn is connected to the Peco point by .3mm N/s wire. The .3mm wire runs in an extra tube if needed to guide it.

 

The N/s spring bar, .3mm x 1mm, is set by bending to tension the point to be set away from the cable end, and when the lever is thrown the cable pulls the spring N/s bar to throw the point.

 

An Omega loop is fitted at the lever frame end to provide play to prevent over pulling pressures.

The whole thing is neat, can be mounted along side the track without showing too much, and looks like point rodding anyway.

 

It was the find of the stainless micro cable that makes the idea work, it pulls well, but does not push like wire oes, but the real advantages is the cable in the PTFE tube can go around very tight corners unlike wire, still with no friction or drag, as little as 5mm radius!

 

Five units to make and lay, and no expensive bits!

 

Stephen

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Points now work a treat, the tensioned cable gives perfect operation. I had thought about the possibility of putting point motors on the cables at the lever end, but locking types do not seem easy to find nowadays, except for extremely expensive slow motion types. Might use Servos though, if I get around to more automatic operation when expanded to a fuller sized layout.

 

I may succumb to buying in the Station building though, Bachmann do the complete Woody Bay Station in resin cast, and it is a hollow type that can take lighting.Bachmann actually describe it as a narrow gauge station, rather than Woody Bay.

 

Comments were made about it being smaller than scale, more like 1/90 than 00scale size, but the most Bachmann and Hornby buildings are undersized in the same way. The smaller size will help with space, it still looks alright along side the coaches etc. It does need a bit of detailing, the windows need cross bars and there are lots of tiny details that could be added, along with seats and platform bits and pieces.

 

The brickwork, stonework, and tiles seem well moulded, but will need a bit more painting to get a more solid look, it looks a bit pastel in colour straight from the box. Lighting would work, along with an added gas lamp on the Platform side, not modelled.

 

The engine shed will be scratch built, much easier, and covers on track, with the other occupying the real line to Lynton, going round the shed. At present the engine shed covers two track widths and blocks access without being moved.

 

Starting the ballasting next, that ca be done in sections as other work is done as it takes a time to dry hard.

 

The landscape is being painted with a reddish pink matt emulsion as the base coat, two tins of Poundland special offer!..followed whilst wet with wood saw dust  to give an earth texture surface, then spritzed finely with wate rand detergent once dry, to take a coat of PVA/detergent for the static grass mixes to be done. Short mixed flock in the open and longer flock,  with occasional wild plants, on the verges under fences etc. The plants can be tuffs of hair or brush brissle, with added seafoam, plus tea leaves, then painted to taste......

 

Stephen

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Yes...... the Woody Bay Station will be ordered in, with some improvements as per the digital image, with window cross bars, Southern Poster boards with green edging, with miniature posters, plus a bit of work on the tiles. Also a wall lamp over the Post Box

It needs new chimney top tiles as well, plus a pair of etched brass SR seats. Also some fire buckets to go on the hooks. The small size seems to mainly be the length, the roof edge is correct, so just Bachmann making it more compact. It is all open inside for lighting, but may need black paint first to seal the light inside.

 

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Stephen

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I had better check the Bachmann resin cast building chimney size before ordering the correct chimney pots, as they may be 4mm scale, and the scale of the model is smaller. It does not need the finials Narrow planet do on Woody Bay as far as I can tell they were not used.

 

Continuing on the landscape surface, to ready the next section for the station base, which can only be done once it is here to get the exact size footprint.

 

Poundland have very nice emulsion paints in stock at present, 300mml or so plastic tubs, matt finish in grey, sage(stone), red brick, dark brown, most useful for landscape painting. The paint dries quickly, and is odourless, and takes PVA in it to add stickiness for adding texture mixes. All can be mixed with each other or any acrylic paint or varnish.

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As the building will be virtually complete, saving time, I will move on to the next section very soon, Chelfham Halt and Chelfham Viaduct, which will be part of the extension around the room to create a loop. The halt is easy, very plain, but the Viaduct more of a task, mainly in plywood, with a plaster finish. To match the space, it will be built mirror fashion, to match the curve. The line from Woody Bay towards Barnstaple will run for about three feet, via two overbridges to the halt, then the viaduct, which will be made to about 8/10ths the real scale size, 80% scale to fit available space.

I may cast the brick surfaces in moulds for each arch to save time, rather than carving the finished surfaces. The viaduct will be removable as a separate unit from the woody Bay section.

Stephen

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The Bachmann Woody Bay Station has arrived, fast Hattons and the Royal Mail combined. Building looks fine albeit small, I reckon at a guess about 1:90 except for doors etc., and the roof edge height being near correct. The trees will be adjusted around it to suit and not overpower the building size. It saves small on the board and gives it a more open look on the foot wide layout boards.

Bachmann market it as a narrow gauge station, rather than Woody Bay only, but no other line had such Swiss Chalet style Station buildings. The size of the nearby signal cabin will have to be reduced a bit as well.

Bachmann have provided Fire Buckets to go on the hooks as a separate item in the pack. Now the Southern Railway platform seats to find in etched brass I hope, I think Dart Castings may do some. It needs platform trolleys and a chocolate machine"the type you blow down" (Oh Mr Porter!), gas lamp above the post box, posters and window bars added.

The window bars are best done in white plasticard, and fitted with Crystal Glaze to minimise any marks on the glazing.

The poster frames need a coat of satin Southern Green, and Southern added to the top, and posters added, done on the computer printer.

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Blast it,.... On checking the net carefully, the Cheflham viaduct is all brick, a very light sandy colour, and Plasticard brick to do it at 1.6metrex22cm is quite a lot of sheets, maybe up to 35/40 in A4, so looking into vacforming the bricks myself.

 

I have old plastic brick sheets from defunct makers that could have dental plaster moulds taken, and then used as a mould to suck the front of a sheet on to to mould the brick finish. It could be done on 10 thou plasticard to economise, which could be glued to the viaducts wood ply core.

 

I may reduce the length as well, about 1.2 metre or so, and drop one arch or re-space slightly smaller arches to the same number as the real viaduct.

 

Stephen

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Another item to be built iis a simple automatic shuttle timer for the line to use with it in end to end operation.

 

I have the basic simple timer circuits, but must test to check they are fully adjustable and have timing. A little too complex would be to provide adjustable acceleration, it would need a processor to vary the output. I will fit a large value capacitor to damp the start voltage a bit though, and the running speed will be low anyway.

 

The circuit uses a simple 555 timer and a relay output, the relay is a 500ohm 12v type,  fully sealed, with double changeover switches. Should draw little current in operation, I will fit variable resistors to set the timer etc., instead of fixed ones. The stops are arranged in the usual way with diodes in line with the track on a split. They can have a switch across them to disable them for normal operation.

 

Stephen

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The Woody Station Station from Scalescene by Bachmann has certain economies compared to the real current station, two fire buckets against eight buckets!, no window cross bars, no ticket office hanging sign over the platform, poster boards have no green edging, plus minot finish details altered..

 

Despite scaling at about 1:90 the doors size are just about right against Stadden figures etc.

 

Does anybody know the approximate interior wall arrangements and the colours of the ticket hall? It can be guessed but It would look odd if far out!

 

I have traced the Monty Dart castings for the Chocolate Machines,,in a moved listing to Shire Scenes!

 

Dart Castings do etched brass LSWR seats, which look like the current type, goodness only knows what the L&B actually used. The same etched plate has barrows and carts on it as well. The luggage can be wood, hard oak blocks, sanded to size and shape of suitcases and trunks.

 

The gas lamps available on Ebay for 4mm scale look a bit big, I may try some of the N gauge versions, some marked as TT scale as well, as with the model a bit under sized, a large gas lamp would look completely out of place.

There are two, one over the Post Box and one over the Gents.

 

I have cut up some fine white Plasticard into micro strips to do the Windows Cross bars, they will be glued on with Crystal glaze, which does not show when dry if done carefully. Very fiddly job to do without marking the glazing anyway. The  Doors are correctly glazed, but the green is a bit odd, and should really be more olive green in shade.

 

Some of the stonework is a little less well painted than on the past scale scenes offerings. This easily re-touched in to finish, with acrylic or the Poundland emulsion paint in the right shade.

 

The Narrow Planet finials and chimney pots may be a problem, they were designed to fit a scale model of Lynton Station and are 4mm to the foot and may be too big for the Bachmann scale size.

 

Has anybody used them and could they measure the diameter? I will check with Narrow Planet myself on Monday or early next week,

 

Back to the detailing and making a base unit to fit to the layout, without showing any edges etc,

 

Stephen

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Here are a couple of the Booking Hall in 2003, before it got so crowded with stuff for sale. They're taken from the platform side of the building. The door in the first photo goes into the cafe, and there's a room beyond where the wall in the second photo sticks out. I set up and ran the original L&B Volunteers web site, but these are the only interior views of any use that I took.

 

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Well, that gives an idea, but I suspect that the Victorian finish and fittings were a bit more ornate, perhaps on the lines of the KESR at Tenterden in Kent. I believe it was converted to a holiday let at some point, so no doubt major changes may have been done. It is only going to show through the windows!, but if the lights are on it has got to look the right style. You almost expect Moore Marriott to be behind a grill and shutters selling tickets for the next train that's gone............

Bachmann were a bit short on the fire buckets, only two!

 

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Managed to find a couple of extra shots of Woody Bay in the 1930's, much more wooded on the area used as car park etc., and showing the bridge at the Lynton end, still to be modelled as yet. Views of that end seem uncommon.

 

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Stephen.

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A bit of extension and redesign for the Lynton end, the board is 5.5 feet long at present, but will be 7 feet, the extension having a shortened cutting and ending at the road bridge as an exit off board to hidden track. I will leave an engine shed along side the track to Lynton, just a small unit in wood, with water and coal stage.

 

The somewhat smaller than scale sized station building helps the design at the far end, it frees up a bit of space and with the extra board gives a sweeping curve through the cutting, which can be built in expanded poly, with a plaster coat. The bridge can be made from ply with a stone and brick finish, and is typical of the lines bridges in design, but with a bit higher archway to reach the road level crossing over it.

 

Got to order in some more ply for the extension and making a facia plate for the layout front, which can take the the controllers, switches and lighting controls etc., on a perspex panel in the middle. The power packs can go underneath the main board, keeping it one basic unit.

 

Stephen

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post-6750-0-52627400-1470070417.jpg

 

I notice from the 1935 shot along the Woody Bay station looking towards the Lynton end, the goods yard seems to have a fence across it, maybe to keep people out of the yard area.

 

I have marked it with red arrows, but I cannot see it on plans or other photos. Just curiosity but does anybody have and shots showing the old yard? I am not copying the layout exactly, just a flavour of the 1920/35 period in general, so the fence would not really matter too much, and I may leave it off.

 

Also the shot shows( others do as well) only the front two chimney pots are fitted with the large distinctive L&B tops, the rear being plain, as they are still nowadays. I had assumed they had been broken over the years, but it seems were always fitted like this.

 

Stephen

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A purchase from Ebay, which should cover all the points switching needs of this layout!....a Gem lever frame 4x4 with the electric passing contact switches in place, which in this case may not be needed as the points are manual operation by tension cables.

 

Nicely made in aluminium, not the cast versions. They can be mounted on a perspex plate on the front valance plate of the layout shelf. I will wire the contacts to chocolate screw strip connectors under the layout, ready to use if required. The frame base can be fitted between the  frame base and the board edge, with a bank of omega loops, or hairsprings, to provide for taking up play etc.

 

I am not sure if the passing contacts can be altered to permanent contact for lights etc., or switching items that remain live, like low current relays etc. i have a Four Gem unit already, but it is the non switched version. So now well catered for in lever frames

 

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Stephen

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The Station area is being boarded etc, and the Bachmann buildings look fine against the track and the layout width. The small size helps quite a bit.

 

Wood working today to do a 2 foot extension to the main board, with a permanent joint attaching it. Also the woodwork base for the lever frame etc, which will have a perspex top for a neater finish to the layout edge operations area.

 

Signal construction is under way, still thinking of simply using the lever frame, not sure about building a suitable slow motion drive with power or not. Servos are a bit noisy, but can have a bounce circuit added, solenoids are easy, but leave power on unless latching is used.

I will trial a motor driven screw, with stop switches.

 

Mechanically bounce is easy if the action is driven by a cam, as the cam can have wavy notches to simulate the bounces at each end of the action. Calling in experience with automata mechanisms here! It would need a half circle cam, with waves at each end, rotated about a shaft, with the ends of the half cam resting on micro switches to stop the action at the set position. The cam can be relatively large, with levers to scale down the movement to match the signal arm stroke.

 

I assume the signals are standard Southern practice in operation. Each signal site will have standard 3/4 inch hole, with a square plate over it, to mount it through the scenery, the square plate can be blended into the surface scenery.

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Also not mentioned much, other locos on the L&B, a contractors locomotive, maybe a Barclay 040, at Chelfham Station some time about the opening period. The viaduct is in the background of the shot, probably from a magazine article.

 

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I collect Strand Magazines and despite George Newnes owning the Magazine and financing the L&B Railway, there appear to be no articles about the line in the Strand, which did cover railway items. It is known that the editor disliked the Railway, he lived in the area like Newnes, and had forced changes to it's route, maybe he kept the line out of the magazine. It probably appeared in other Newnes publishing titles, like Tit Bits etc.

 

Some where I have an article on the L&B in the Windsor Magazine, (published by Ward Lock &Co), which used the title "Toy Railway", a  common nickname for the line at first. Trouble is, I have hundreds of copies, all 6 month bound, and finding an article is difficult if the binders did not include the index!!

 

Stephen.

 

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Thanks for the details, it will make a nice addition to the line if built. There must have been 3 foot gauge locos as well, as parts were built in that gauge to enable construction of the two foot gauge line.

Construction of the two foot extension all done, just the joint to arrange. and screw and glue together accurately, should not be a problem, with strengthening battens across the join, plus the edging plates. I have enough spare Peco mainline 009 to complete the board as revised.

 

Does any body have a shot of the bridge at the Lynton end of Woody bay?...just to get it reasonably right in appearance....

 

Stephen

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Digging through a few boxes of items long abandoned, I have found the remains of a 042 009 loco, very similar to the Bagnall. Not sure why it was stopped at the time, about 1970 or so, but may have been the lack of small motors at the time. It has disc wheels, no spokes, and is missing the coupling rods to the cylinders, and parts to the cab etc. I will clean up the various bits and see what it would take to get it running, starting with a small worm gear drive, which again in 1970 were difficult to find in small sizes.

 

The wheels are on the axles. but both sides live, so bushes will be needed for one side to insulate for pickups. I may have bought the loco as part built or made it, I cannot remember now.

 

The dome is plain, but a new one to match could be made, there is no chimney, but smokebox and wing tanks are there complete, as is the footplate and chassis block. All made in brass sheet or brass bar.

 

Stephen

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attachicon.gifwoody bay fence.jpg

 

I notice from the 1935 shot along the Woody Bay station looking towards the Lynton end, the goods yard seems to have a fence across it, maybe to keep people out of the yard area.

 

I have marked it with red arrows, but I cannot see it on plans or other photos. Just curiosity but does anybody have and shots showing the old yard? I am not copying the layout exactly, just a flavour of the 1920/35 period in general, so the fence would not really matter too much, and I may leave it off.

 

In 'Portrait of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway' (ISBN 0711013306) when describing Woody Bay Chris Leigh says 'The Southern Railway made no changes here, but concrete nameboards and a few sections of concrete fencing were installed.'  A post closure photo in the book shows the fence running at right angles from the corner of the station building across the yard access and it's 2 panels/gate/2 panels.  There are no dates given for when it was built.

 

HTH

 

Moxy

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