West Highland Line V4, a 1980's West Highland Line layout

[ISW]

7 hours ago, young37215 said:

I need to improve my video technique so back to pictures. 37011 heads 0707 Mallaig Junction to Mossend freight into Crianlarich where it is passed by 37026 on the 0836 Glasgow to Mallaig, 20184 then joins 37011 to make a double header south of Crianlarich. 

 

Something you could try is one of those cheap 2cm cube cameras available on TheBay. The video quality is not that great (quite grainy) but the size allows for placement on a wagon, or lineside. Both give very realistic views of trains. This might help improve your technique (?) for quite a small outlay; the camera cost me £6.15 including postage.

 

[young37215]

14 hours ago, ISW said:

Something you could try is one of those cheap 2cm cube cameras available on TheBay. The video quality is not that great (quite grainy) but the size allows for placement on a wagon, or lineside. Both give very realistic views of trains. This might help improve your technique (?) for quite a small outlay; the camera cost me £6.15 including postage.

 

Thanks Ian but I fear the problem is not the technology used but the User. I am using an Iphone 6s to create the video footage and the quality of well shot  video it produces is excellent. My major problem and the reason for so much wobble on the videos so far, is down to me having one hand on the controller and the other on the Iphone. The outcome is poorly shot video and poorly driven locos, the obvious solution as far as I am concerned is two people with one on the controller and the other videoing. 

 

I do like the thought of decent video and will produce more of WHL4 once I have found a better way to do so. I also like the idea of fitting a small camera like the sugar cube you suggest to the top of a loco and creating video from the running line much as Waverley West does. Once I have mastered the basics of videoing I will be giving the sugar cube some further thought.

 

Final pictures from my latest running, 37178 brings the 1245 Mallaig to Glasgow into Crianlarich

 

 

 

 

[BR37414]

Wonderful layout mate! What did you use for your ballast?

 

I've been struggling with using the red or grey ballast on my Highland based layout.

 

Keep the pictures/videos coming, really enjoyed catching up on your progress!

 

-Alex

[young37215]

7 hours ago, BR37414 said:

Wonderful layout mate! What did you use for your ballast?

 

I've been struggling with using the red or grey ballast on my Highland based layout.

 

Keep the pictures/videos coming, really enjoyed catching up on your progress!

 

-Alex

 

Thanks for your positive comments. Ballast is from Geoscenics, £12 per KG delivered in the UK, it is the best that I have seen for Scottish modelling. Some years ago to coincide with Model Rail Scotland, George Dent did a review of ballast suitable for Scottish layouts in ModelRail, I am pretty sure he concluded that this was the best he had found.   

 

1https://www.geoscenics.co.uk/n-gauge/red-n-gauge-ballast

 

 

[BR37414]

6 hours ago, young37215 said:

 

Thanks for your positive comments. Ballast is from Geoscenics, £12 per KG delivered in the UK, it is the best that I have seen for Scottish modelling. Some years ago to coincide with Model Rail Scotland, George Dent did a review of ballast suitable for Scottish layouts in ModelRail, I am pretty sure he concluded that this was the best he had found.   

 

1https://www.geoscenics.co.uk/n-gauge/red-n-gauge-ballast

 

 

 

Thanks for that info. I will definitely look into getting some. 

 

-Alex

[young37215]

A day of fun spent with friends operating WHL 4 resulted in some better quality video material proving that one person driving and a second videoing is the way to go.  

 

 

The day also saw a visitor from a future era. The loco or maybe the driver, seemed confused by the old fashioned semaphores.

 

 

 

 

 

[meanach]

What is the white tower of medieval witch craft i see before me ? To be fair most west highland drivers are scared of signals ! 

[young37215]

A little after 37026 departed Crianlarich for Oban 37011 arrived from Fort William with a Sighthill bound freight

 

 

[young37215]

21 hours ago, meanach said:

To be fair most west highland drivers are scared of signals ! 

 

Based upon the SPAD in the attached video, there is evidence to support your assertion. On the basis you were doing the videoing, I think we can safely hang responsibility for this one on Doug!

 

 

 

 

[Dougjuk]

I might have to put my hands up to that one, put it down to needing more training.  Maybe the week after next  !!!!

 

 

Doug

[blueovalcraig]

This is brilliant.  I pass these stations regularly for work. Really should stop and take in the views sometime 

[young37215]

10 hours ago, blueovalcraig said:

This is brilliant.  I pass these stations regularly for work. Really should stop and take in the views sometime 

 

Thanks, if you pass the line regularly I can imagine that it is easy to take it for granted. Being several hundred miles away makes visiting a challenge.

 

I managed to upload a further video which reveals a flaw in my my track laying. About half way across the viaduct there is a high point at the track joint causing the loco and coaches to bounce very slightly. The video is the first time that I have noticed the issue which does not cause any problem with running. As yet I am not sure what, if anything, I will do about it.

 

 

[young37215]

A few more pictures from Thursday’s running session which were taken at a  higher resolution than I typically use. The files are between 3 and 4 Mb each compared to the sub 1Mb that I take. The clarity differential is considerable but with posts limited to 10Mb, I could only have 3 pictures per post using the higher resolution settings available. Added to the fact that most pictures from my 1980’s era were originally taken on film, I am minded to stick with the lower resolution because the grainy pictures this delivers are prototypical of what was the order of the day back then.

 

View from above 37192 waiting to depart Crianlarich for Glasgow with a train from Oban

Interloper 37413 arrives at Crianlarich

 

37413 awaits departure

[young37215]

The last of the videos from last weeks session sees 37178 arrive at Crianlarich.

 

 

[young37215]

I plan to end up with 6 stations on WHL4 which will allow me to run a full working timetable. I have been trying to work out how the upper level will work and decided that only by seeing it place would I get the feel for what is achievable. 

 

Mallaig Junction yard will be a 4 road hidden fiddle area seen here on the floor being fixed to the baseboard

 

 

In situ, this sits on the upper level above and between Arrochar and Ardlui

 

Fort William station under construction

 

37022 and the Alcan hoppers had a run out to test the lower level trackwork that I had moved to accomodate the upper level. All works fine, 37022 is seen departing Crianlarich heading to Fort William

 

 

 

[young37215]

Duplicated post

Edited January 30, 2020 by young37215

[young37215]

By the time I finished work last night I had the Fort William station and Mallaig Junction yard new sections in place and created a rough scenic profile from polystyrene. I want to connect the new area with the lower section for some test running but still have about 10m of baseboard to install to join the 2 sections together. With the exception of Fort William station, all of the track is 30 year old Peco code 100 recovered from previous layouts which keeps the costs down. It is remarkable how well the track has lasted, it cleans up easily and I have only found a couple of points that have ceased to function properly.   

 

Fort William station takes shape

 

 

Mallaig Junction yard in situ

Ardlui station with polystyrene added from which hills will be crafted

Polystyrene placed on lower level where it will be carved to create what I hope will be a representation of the twisting section of line that exists running along the hillside on the bank of Loch Lomond between Arrochar and Ardlui.

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by young37215

[scottystitch]

That is great progress, and it's clear this will be a layout head and shoulders over many.  There's a lot to be said for a "system" layout.

 

Best

 

Scott

[young37215]

A further running session this week was partially captured on video by Doug Johnson. A variety of trains are seen as they pass through Crianlarich. Once again video shows a flaw that I had not spotted previously in that VDA wagons are just grazing the up platform which needs a little tweaking with a file to bring it within gauge.

 

 

 

[G-DIMB]

Can i just say you guys are really nasty people . Just when i make my mind up on what i want to do i keep coming back to this. I keep visualizing something set about 1987 and keep watching various WHL 37s on eBay. Heck some of the VI trains ones came up the other night for a good price, It took so much resolve not to press the buy now button! Must stay strong!!!!!

 

[meanach]

10 hours ago, G-DIMB said:

Can i just say you guys are really nasty people . Just when i make my mind up on what i want to do i keep coming back to this. I keep visualizing something set about 1987 and keep watching various WHL 37s on eBay. Heck some of the VI trains ones came up the other night for a good price, It took so much resolve not to press the buy now button! Must stay strong!!!!!

 

Don’t resist , turn to the dark side ! The draw of the west highlands is strong... and we are growing in number! ha ha 

[young37215]

A quiet few days with modelling efforts focused on several small projects. Fort William station has been extended by 300mm because the platform  was not long enough to take the 6 coach sleeper and allow the loco to run around. Before extending, the 6 coach train has minimal headroom to allow a run around movement.

 

A 300 mm piece of baseboard inserted between the two existing boards and additional track laid. The platform now needs extending by a similar length and reducing in height by around 3mm to reflect reality.

Trains are still running in between development work. A busy scene at Ardlui, southbound 27032 passes 37085 heading north. 20184 sits idle in the yard.

A quiet few moments at Crianlarich

I have been intending to add drivers to my class 27's for some while but was uncertain how to access the cab. Having been shown how this can be done, I have added drivers to 27041. One is a Bachmann driver, a much smaller fellow than the Springside chap at the other end. All I have to do now is put the loco back together!

 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by young37215

[BoD]

Still enjoying your work very much.

Can I ask about the platform lights at Crianlarich? Did you purchase them or are they home made?

[meanach]

I used to use the spring side guys but like you say , they are a bit beefy ! A better option is Northumbrian painting services drivers . 

[young37215]

14 hours ago, BoD said:

Still enjoying your work very much.

Can I ask about the platform lights at Crianlarich? Did you purchase them or are they home made?

 

The Crianlarich station lights are Woodland Scenics twin lamps ref JP5676 from their plug and play system. It is an expensive choice but the lights were the closest by a distance to anything else that I have seen to represent those at Crianlarich.