Popular Post birdbath Posted July 18, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) *** Please see page 6 for some replacement photos to view with this description *** After years of using this forum as a source of inspiration, I thought it was about time I put something back in and described my efforts to date. Welcome to Guide Dog Bridge. Period is late 80s-mid 90s and location a mix of Midlands and North West. This is about the time I got into railways seriously, with sectorisation liveried locos and stock mixing with BR blue. Privatisation is being mentioned, but for now it's just a wacky idea that probably won't come to anything... This is actually the third start at a layout since returning to railway modelling after getting on the property ladder and embracing being a 'grown up'. The first attempt showed my ignorance and suffered from some poor planning. The second was much more ambitious and ran round the loft perimeter, measuring over 20ft long on each side. A further house move put an end to that and in truth it was too ambitious. I'd go into the loft, get totally overawed by the whole thing and wonder what I'd started. The present effort was started around 4 years ago. It measures 10ft X 7ft overall and occupies the spare bedroom. There's a crawl under section across the doorway, which can be easily lifted out if needed. Design work was carried out on the PC using AnyRail, which I found excellent. The library of track components mean you can arrange point work to avoid baseboard joins and cross bracing. The curves on the main lines have had some transition added, which I think helps avoid the set track look. There are three 5ft X 2ft boards forming an L shape, then three other smaller boards. See diagram. Construction is from 12mm ply, with sides and cross members being 4in deep. Sides and cross bracing are glued and screwed together round approx 20mm square posts. Tops are more 12mm ply. Most of this was cut to order by my local timber merchant, effectively giving me a kit of parts to assemble at home. The separate boards are fixed together with metal dowels, as I think is common practice. To ensure decent alignment, I clamped the board ends and drilled them together with a pillar drill prior to assembly. Legs are made from large section softwood, with adjustable feet supplied from the same people as the alignment dowels, Station Road baseboards. The legs are fitted to slots on the inside of the ply sides, between the corner posts and another section of the 20mm square section. Everything is clamped together using bolts and wing nuts. Once assembled and levelled out with the adjustable feet, the track plan (which had been printed out full size by a friend with access to a plotter) was stuck to the tops. Now you can start to see what it's going to look like. It's also probably time for a celebratory drink, once you've put away all the woodworking gear! Returning to the plan; the main elements are a continuous run double track main line, with depot along one side and an off-scene storage yard round one of the ends. One end of the storage yard is modelled, suggesting the start of a fan of sidings at one end of the depot. Whilst the 'diesel depot layout' may be something of a cliché, it suits me and it's my train set! Track work is Peco code 75. I've modified the points to get rid of the over-centre spring mechanism as this wasn't required with my choice of motors. C&L chamfered cork strips are used to form the track bed. These come as half width and are stuck down with the inner edge to the centreline of the track, which is plotted as an option in AnyRail. The track was laid across the board joins as if they weren't there, then when the PVA glue had set, sleepers across the joins were cut out. Copper topped strip was slid in place, pinned to the board edges and the underside of the rails soldered to it. Finally a dremel was used to cut the rails. I've found this to give excellent running across the joins and has stood a trial disassembly/reassembly without any trouble. You can tidy up the appearance with some bits of plastic sleeper and ballasting. Points are motored using Traintronics TT300s. These have a DCC decoder built in and also include switching for frog polarity, which I've taken advantage of. Although not cheap, I managed to negotiate a bulk order discount with a friend and our regular model shop. With this discount, they work out much cheaper than using tortoises and buying accessory decoders. They're also much simpler to install, quieter and physically a third of the size. So far I've had very few problems. One decided to pack up, which was eventually replaced by the manufacturer after a bit of a fight. With the track work completed, it's time for 'thorough testing'. Or alternatively, a right good session playing trains. It amounts to the same thing! When I get round to it, I'll write a bit more about the rest of the construction, operation, stock, whatever else. For now, here's a plan and some pictures to give a rough idea what it's like. Layout Plan. Overview. Lift out section in the foreground, fiddle yard in the background. Line up on shed, as a 47 passes on a metals trip working. A busy moment on the fuel line. A blue 31 runs onto the shed, while a parcels passes on the main line. 31 hauled ballast passes the back of the shed. S&T workers make use of the cable troughing and prevent the location cabinet from falling over. 47 waits the signal off the headshunt, while a 26 passes with the speedlink trip. Edited December 28, 2022 by birdbath Replacement photos added to page 6. 52 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 No kettles? I beg to differ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted July 18, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 18, 2016 A cunning plan, well observed and beautifully executed. I particularly like your ballasting and ground textures - the variation from the main lines across to the loco sidings is really effective. Integrating the fiddle yard with the imagined hinterland is a cracking wheeze and has freed up a nice length of main line. Bonus points for not filling it with platforms Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted July 18, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 18, 2016 Well the inspiration certainly worked that's a really nice layout with subtle weathering and nice cameos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted July 18, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 18, 2016 So agree with Flying Pig, a really amazing feeling of space for just 10' x 7'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
87023Velocity Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Cool looking layout, and only in 10x7! Like that shot of the 31/4 on the ballast. Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Stunning, really well executed, well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Very cool - any layout with Dutch, RES or DG liveries has my attention! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeT Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Must agree, good looking layout that looks bigger than it is... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben pez Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Lovely well built looking layout Cheers Ben Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan product fan Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 cool like it allot you picked the right time frame to model with a good deal of colours and great selection of locos to use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 It definitely benefits from not having a station shoehorned in. What's the play value like? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Looks great David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdbath Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 No kettles? I beg to differ! Well, maybe the odd one creeps on! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdbath Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 It definitely benefits from not having a station shoehorned in. What's the play value like? Interesting point. Ideally I'd like to have some form of shunting yard, oh and a station and some carriage sidings, and so on. However, In the end I decided that I'd rather try and achieve one aspect reasonably successfully rather than shoehorn in too much. The depot won the day as, like most of us I suspect, I've got far too many locos for the amount of stock! In terms of play value, there is a rough sequence. 4 sets of stock are on the layout at any one time. One going clockwise, one anti-clockwise and two in the storage loops. (two loops closest the main lines) When you're fed up of the two trains going round, one is routed into the third loop from the main line. It is replaced by whichever set has a loco on the right end from the two storage loops. The newly arrived train has a loco dropped onto the opposite end from either the yard exit line or the headshunt at the other end of fiddle yard. The line nearest the inside through the fiddle yard facilitates loco moves for this purpose. You've now got a free storage loop for the next main line train to occupy, being replaced by the set you've just put the loco on the other end of. And so it goes on. I think I worked out that after 64 operations, each set has gone round in each direction with different locos each time. To add to that, you can divert the speedlink trip into the depot yard to swap fuel tanks over and drop a stores van off, etc. Of course, all this goes out the window when anyone turns up with their new toy for a play! It's a trainset at the end of the day! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdbath Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 Thanks for all your comments and interest. I'll try and write a bit more about the layout tomorrow. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 The plan doesn't do the layout justice. Saw the plan thought meh but when you look at the pictures, totally different perspective on the whole layout and reading you describe how you loops it is really is effective for quite a small space, Lovely work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signaller69 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Very nice layout, curves don't look tight either for what is a fairly small layout, and nicely done scenics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gismorail Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 What a cracking layout excellent Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus 37 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Superb little layout. Really well thought out use of the space available. Excellent work. More pictures please..... Cheers Marcus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) I agree, great looking layout. But I've read the thread twice and you haven't as far as I can see (apologies and embarrassment if I missed it) explained the rather intriguing title. Edited July 19, 2016 by Kiwi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdbath Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 I agree, great looking layout. But I've read the thread twice and you haven't as far as I can see (apologies and embarrassment if I missed it) explained the rather intriguing title. It's a long running bad joke between a few friends, partly based round the once important east Manchester junction of Guide Bridge. All my layouts have been called Guide Dog Bridge. This effort is GDB3! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdbath Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) So, I'd got as far as the track being down and having extensively tested it/rewarded myself with a load of playing trains. Next job, which I was dreading, was to start ballasting. The track was air-brushed with a mix of various humbrol and railmatch enamels first. I did experiment with a woodland scenics rusty rail pen but wasn't really convinced by the affect. I'd have wanted to spray it all anyway to tone down the plastic sleepers. Next the ballast, a mix of various woodland scenics shades, was dry brushed into place. Great care was taken with this, particularly round the pointwork, leaving room for the tie bar to move freely. Once happy with this, the airbrush was used to spray on tap water. You must do this from sufficient distance that the air pressure doesn't blast the ballast out the way. But of course sometimes it does! With the ballast nicely soaked through, I carefully applied a watered down mix of copydex (with a drop of washing up liquid, just like everyone says!) using an eye dropper. This is the stage I find most tedious and leads to many a 'hobby review'. I found that doing a couple of feet at a time was about right to maintain sanity. After leaving for a day or two, vacuum up the waste and move on. Can't remember where I got the copydex tip from, maybe it was in the C&L instructions for the chamfered cork? But it's proved to be an excellent method. Unlike PVA, it dries quite rubbery and allows the track to flex a little. I guess this must make it a bit quieter running too. Finally, when the whole thing was finished, out came the airbrush again to tone it all down again with a light dusting of similar colours used in the first place. Once the railheads are all cleaned up and you've brought yourself down from the ceiling after all those fumes, it's time for another 'extensive testing session'. Edited September 9, 2016 by birdbath 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 What a great looking layout Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim76 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Yes great looking layout with simple but effective track plan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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