RMweb Gold young37215 Posted April 2, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2018 The last few days have resulted in progress at Garelochead in that the points have been motorised and the platform finally constructed. There are still a couple of tight areas on the platform edging which need filing down to avoid contact with trains but otherwise the platform is complete. Scenic work on it will have to wait, I want to concentrate on Crianlarich for now. Half built platform Guaging of Garelochead platform Garelochead platform progess to date My Megapoints network to control Garelochead, Arrochar and Ardlui has been extended to over 21m and all works perfectly. Crianlarich and Garelochead points are motorised which means I can operate one side of the layout standing at the Control Panel. I will motorise the points at both Arrochar and Ardlui in the near future so that all 4 stations can be centrally controlled. The semaphores still need automating but that has to wait for now; laziness means I get a lot of SPAD's! Running continues to prove the track and electrics. At the last count, I have soldered in excess of 200 wires to the track so far; I do hope this pays a dividend in the long run because I find it a thankless task. 37039 crosses the first bridge north of Crianlarich with 7B02 37022 waits at Arrochar with southbound 1T24 27032 shunts an engineers train at Crianlarich 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted April 3, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 3, 2018 (edited) Nice to see more progress. Can I ask what you are using for your platform edging. I'm guessing one of them is Slater's or Wills coarse stone. Edited April 3, 2018 by BoD Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted April 3, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 3, 2018 Nice to see more progress. Can I ask what you are using for your platform edging. I'm guessing one of them is Slater's or Wills coarse stone. Your guessing is pretty good, Arrochar is Wills coarse stone and is the only platform that is not made of Peco concrete edging. Neither of these are truly prototypical but they are close enough for my liking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold scottystitch Posted April 4, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2018 Even without scenery, these shots are evocative. Great progress. I'm enjoying following this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted June 24, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2018 I have begun the re-numbering of my Bachmann coach fleet to Scottish Region numbers. I have also decided to remove most of the ScotRail transfers because this style of branding only started to appear towards the end of my 1980 to 1985 timescale. One rake will be left with ScotRail transfers and the revised coach numbering that was implemented on from 1983 onwards, the remainder will be unbranded with original numbers. Stripping the old numbers and transfers with a fibreglass pencil was easy enough but on the weathered coaches this also removed the weathering which now requires re-blending. Using RailTec transfers, I have renumbered most of the fleet with coaches based at Glasgow Cowlairs or from pictures of the WHL where I have identified the coach number. 24 coaches in total to do, 18 await renumbering. BSK with old number removed awaits a new SC number Weathered SO renumbered with patches for blending very evident SK renumbered as SC 25296 So far my efforts to re-blend the weathering have proved unsuccessful. I am not sure if this is down to applying acrylic paint on top of enamel or simply my lack of experience/competence at this activity. Railtec state that their numbers are best sealed using acrylics rather than enamels which I am more familiar. Clearly I need to test out a few different solutions to find which works best. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I have begun the re-numbering of my Bachmann coach fleet to Scottish Region numbers. I have also decided to remove most of the ScotRail transfers because this style of branding only started to appear towards the end of my 1980 to 1985 timescale. One rake will be left with ScotRail transfers and the revised coach numbering that was implemented on from 1983 onwards, the remainder will be unbranded with original numbers. Stripping the old numbers and transfers with a fibreglass pencil was easy enough but on the weathered coaches this also removed the weathering which now requires re-blending. Using RailTec transfers, I have renumbered most of the fleet with coaches based at Glasgow Cowlairs or from pictures of the WHL where I have identified the coach number. 24 coaches in total to do, 18 await renumbering. BSK with old number removed awaits a new SC number Weathered SO renumbered with patches for blending very evident SK renumbered as SC 25296 So far my efforts to re-blend the weathering have proved unsuccessful. I am not sure if this is down to applying acrylic paint on top of enamel or simply my lack of experience/competence at this activity. Railtec state that their numbers are best sealed using acrylics rather than enamels which I am more familiar. Clearly I need to test out a few different solutions to find which works best. Not wishing to be a 'pain', .... but .... SC25296 was numbered as such [1], but had modified (I wonder how?) B1 bogies [1] not the commonwealths on your model, and was withdrawn by 1983 [2]. It seems that none the SC prefixed Mk1 corridor seconds in [1] had commonwealths. Unbelievably, there were no SC prefixed Mk1 corridor seconds at all in 1978 [3]. However, you have a selection from 1974 [4] that were SC prefixed and had commonwealth bogies, vis SC26039 to SC26054 inclusive. These had all been transferred to the eastern region by 1978 [3]. SC4251 was also numbered as such [1], but had B1 bogies [1] not the commonwealths on your model. Again, it was withdrawn by 1983 [2], and none of the SC prefixed Mk1 open seconds in [1] had commonwealths. You could use SC4076 [3] that had commonwealths but which was transferred to the southern region by [1] [1] - RCTS coaching stock book of 1981 [2] - Ian Allan coaching stock book of 1983 [3] - RCTS coaching stock book of 1978 [4] - RCTS coaching stock book of 1974 Now I don't know if historical accuracy of coach numbers really bothers you, (it's 'your' railway after all) but at least I thought I'd let you know. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) Really OT, and sorry for that, but I can't see the title of this thread without thinking of this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/64518788@N05/7970202428 Edited June 24, 2018 by pH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The last few days have resulted in progress at Garelochead in that the points have been motorised and the platform finally constructed. There are still a couple of tight areas on the platform edging which need filing down to avoid contact with trains but otherwise the platform is complete. Scenic work on it will have to wait, I want to concentrate on Crianlarich for now. Running continues to prove the track and electrics. At the last count, I have soldered in excess of 200 wires to the track so far; I do hope this pays a dividend in the long run because I find it a thankless task. 27032 shunts an engineers train at Crianlarich Ops 007.JPG Just back from Scotland and the layout looks good except the usual problem that the platforms are much too high, maybe 3mm too high. The peco platforms marginal for modern image (1970s) England even when used with underlay but yon scots are nae soft sassenachs and dinnae mind a wee step up intae yon carriages. West Highland Platforms should be about level with the bottom of diesel loco buffers. Sassenach ones a wee bit higher maybe level with the buffer centre line. Highland ones are so low they need boxes for people to stand on to step up into trains. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted June 25, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 25, 2018 Not wishing to be a 'pain', .... but .... SC25296 was numbered as such [1], but had modified (I wonder how?) B1 bogies [1] not the commonwealths on your model, and was withdrawn by 1983 [2]. It seems that none the SC prefixed Mk1 corridor seconds in [1] had commonwealths. Unbelievably, there were no SC prefixed Mk1 corridor seconds at all in 1978 [3]. However, you have a selection from 1974 [4] that were SC prefixed and had commonwealth bogies, vis SC26039 to SC26054 inclusive. These had all been transferred to the eastern region by 1978 [3]. SC4251 was also numbered as such [1], but had B1 bogies [1] not the commonwealths on your model. Again, it was withdrawn by 1983 [2], and none of the SC prefixed Mk1 open seconds in [1] had commonwealths. You could use SC4076 [3] that had commonwealths but which was transferred to the southern region by [1] [1] - RCTS coaching stock book of 1981 [2] - Ian Allan coaching stock book of 1983 [3] - RCTS coaching stock book of 1978 [4] - RCTS coaching stock book of 1974 Now I don't know if historical accuracy of coach numbers really bothers you, (it's 'your' railway after all) but at least I thought I'd let you know. Ian Thanks Ian From my perusal of the Platform 5 Coaching Stock books I was aware of the issue. Whilst I have not checked I suspect that most of the steam heat, vacuum braked coaches in operation on the WHL during the early 80's were B1 fitted. RailTec's transfers also limit the my re-numbering choices and given that I only have 6 B1 bogie fitted coaches out of 20 and a reluctance to buy additional B1's, I have little choice but to accept the anomaly. I have a number of other compromises such as: running trains as load 4 rather than the typical summer loading of 6 coaches, using CK's rather than Mk2 BFK's to provide first class accommodation, a lack of buffet facilities None of these cause me any loss of sleep, my aim is to represent rather than precisely replicate WHL operations. If there are people out there who want to swap their B1's for my Commonwealth's then I would happily do some swapping. Failing this I have plenty of other tasks that are causing me greater headaches! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted June 25, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 25, 2018 Just back from Scotland and the layout looks good except the usual problem that the platforms are much too high, maybe 3mm too high. The peco platforms marginal for modern image (1970s) England even when used with underlay but yon scots are nae soft sassenachs and dinnae mind a wee step up intae yon carriages. West Highland Platforms should be about level with the bottom of diesel loco buffers. Sassenach ones a wee bit higher maybe level with the buffer centre line. Highland ones are so low they need boxes for people to stand on to step up into trains. David I completely agree with your point and recognise that ideally I need a solution to the platform height issue. I don't want to use cork as a track underlay but it appears to be the easiest way to eliminate the platform height issue. However it causes me additional work that with everything else going on I do not feel inclined to undertake. The perfect solution is to find a way to trim 3mm off of the Peco edging but I cannot see an easy way of doing this so, at this time, I have the issue unresolved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAndy Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Hello. With regards to platform heights, there are wildly different examples around the whole rail network - however, from the official Standard Structure Gauge information diagram, the correct height from the "top of rail level to the surface of the platformed area should be - 940mm" That translates to 37" in old money and just under a metre in new. Scale wise in 4mm, it calculates to a smidgeon over 12mm from rail height to platform surface. I think the Peco platforms and their separate walling allows for some sort of track support - more than likely their own underlay. Personally, I've laid all the trackwork on Glasgow Queen Street down onto cork tiles, so when I've been looking at using some of the Peco concrete platform walling, I've had to trim the bottom of it down by a couple of mm, to get the right height. It's fairly easy to cut down using a small saw, but I used my Dremmel with a plastic cutting blade - pretty easy to do and saves a load of time on scratch building. I did also measure a prototype on the network and that worked out to be bang on 3ft, so I reckon you would be somewhere near around those measurements. I have seen photos, as no doubt most of us have, of platforms in various parts of the country, where steps are needed to get into a train, so it's always well worth visiting the prototype or looking at photos to gain an impression of platform height. Hope this helps cheers Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Thanks Ian From my perusal of the Platform 5 Coaching Stock books I was aware of the issue. Whilst I have not checked I suspect that most of the steam heat, vacuum braked coaches in operation on the WHL during the early 80's were B1 fitted. RailTec's transfers also limit the my re-numbering choices and given that I only have 6 B1 bogie fitted coaches out of 20 and a reluctance to buy additional B1's, I have little choice but to accept the anomaly. I have a number of other compromises such as: running trains as load 4 rather than the typical summer loading of 6 coaches, using CK's rather than Mk2 BFK's to provide first class accommodation, a lack of buffet facilities None of these cause me any loss of sleep, my aim is to represent rather than precisely replicate WHL operations. If there are people out there who want to swap their B1's for my Commonwealth's then I would happily do some swapping. Failing this I have plenty of other tasks that are causing me greater headaches! That's all fair enough ... We can't be 'totally' accurate, that's just being silly. As I have a number of the 'earlier' RCTS coaching stock books I thought I'd at least give you the 'option' of alternate numbers. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted June 26, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2018 Really OT, and sorry for that, but I can't see the title of this thread without thinking of this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/64518788@N05/7970202428 Likewise. It should be titled v.4. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 (edited) Hello. With regards to platform heights, there are wildly different examples around the whole rail network - however, from the official Standard Structure Gauge information diagram, the correct height from the "top of rail level to the surface of the platformed area should be - 940mm" That translates to 37" in old money and just under a metre in new. Scale wise in 4mm, it calculates to a smidgeon over 12mm from rail height to platform surface. I think the Peco platforms and their separate walling allows for some sort of track support - more than likely their own underlay. Personally, I've laid all the trackwork on Glasgow Queen Street down onto cork tiles, so when I've been looking at using some of the Peco concrete platform walling, I've had to trim the bottom of it down by a couple of mm, to get the right height. It's fairly easy to cut down using a small saw, but I used my Dremmel with a plastic cutting blade - pretty easy to do and saves a load of time on scratch building. I did also measure a prototype on the network and that worked out to be bang on 3ft, so I reckon you would be somewhere near around those measurements. I have seen photos, as no doubt most of us have, of platforms in various parts of the country, where steps are needed to get into a train, so it's always well worth visiting the prototype or looking at photos to gain an impression of platform height. Hope this helps cheers Andy The maximum figure is 915mm with a tolerance of 25mm for existing platforms and 915mm +0mm -25mm for new. Buffer centre line is between 3' 3" and 3' 4 1/2" so around 1mm in 00 above the maximum height of the platform. The underframe of coaches should be above the platform even on maximum height platforms, the little wooden steps by coach doors should be above platform height. See pic of Ft William taken last week. Many West Highland platforms are lower than this, plenty of pics on on Google show this, level with the bottom of the buffers. Many Highland platforms are even lower. see pic of Inverness last week. Edited June 26, 2018 by DavidCBroad Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted June 26, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2018 There is no question in my mind that I need to reduce the platform heights on WHL4 by about 3mm. How I go about this given that the 4 station platforms built to date are all heavily glued I am not clear. Nevertheless I have to find a way; whilst I can live with some licence on coach numbers, this is a step too far. One more issue added to the seemingly never ending list of 'to do's'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted July 3, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) Evidently I could not live with incorrect bogies as I have purchased 6 B1 sets from Hattons to replace most of the Commonwealths. Hopefully I can recover some of the B1 costs by selling the Commonwealths on Ebay where they seem to command a decent price. Whilst replacing the bogies I have taken the opportunity to add a few passengers and paint the table tops in the SO and TSO's. The passengers are only the cheap Chinese HO ones from Ebay but at about £10 for a 100, they are excellent value and their being undersized is not noticeable once they are hidden away inside the coaches. Fortunately pre-Sprinter WHL trains in the 1980's were rarely full and standing meaning that I can get away with just a few people in each carriage. In addition a little more work has ben completed with sealing the new transfers using Railmatch acyrillic matt varnish on the re-numbered coaches. This is not yet perfect on all coaches but with the numbers secured, any visible imperfections should be sorted by a further layer of weathering. Edited July 4, 2018 by young37215 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Evidently I could not live with incorrect bogies as I have purchased 6 B1 sets from Hattons to replace most of the Commonwealths. Now you are making me feel ever so slightly 'guilty' at pointing out that the commonwealths were incorrect ... I hope I've not cost you too much! I had the opposite problem, Mk1 Buffet Restaurants (Lima) with B1 bogies that should have been commonwealths! I bought some from Replica Railways, but fitting was more difficult than I anticipated as it was necessary to 'raise the floor level' inside the carriage ends to clear the wheelsets. Hopefully yours will be plug-n-play. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted July 5, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 5, 2018 Now you are making me feel ever so slightly 'guilty' at pointing out that the commonwealths were incorrect ... I hope I've not cost you too much! I had the opposite problem, Mk1 Buffet Restaurants (Lima) with B1 bogies that should have been commonwealths! I bought some from Replica Railways, but fitting was more difficult than I anticipated as it was necessary to 'raise the floor level' inside the carriage ends to clear the wheelsets. Hopefully yours will be plug-n-play. Ian Ian You have no need for guilt, I feel pretty sure that the commonwealths would have worn me down over time. All that this has done is accelerate the timing of changing them which was financed by the savings against my expectations of the cost of airbrush repairs. I also feel confident that I will recover a sizeable proportion of the outlay by selling the commonwealths on Ebay where they seem to command a decent price. With a bit of luck selling commonwealths will finance the remaining B1's that will be required to finalise the fleet with historically correct bogies. An additional unplanned benefit is that the new bogies have new wheel sets whereas the commonwealth wheels were in need of a good clean so I should avoid that fun task! Unlike your experience, Bachmann bogie's are very much 'plug and play' where the job is a simple undoing of a single screw to release the bogie and then re-screwing the new one in place. Now I need my airbrush back so that I can start weathering the B1's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted August 13, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 13, 2018 There is no question in my mind that I need to reduce the platform heights on WHL4 by about 3mm. How I go about this given that the 4 station platforms built to date are all heavily glued I am not clear. Nevertheless I have to find a way; whilst I can live with some licence on coach numbers, this is a step too far. One more issue added to the seemingly never ending list of 'to do's'. Reducing platform heights by around 3mm has been occupying my attention because it needs sorting before I go further with point motorisation and ballasting. I have two potential solutions, firstly cutting down the platform walls by 3mm and secondly raising the track height by 3mm with cork. The platform at Ardlui has been lowered. It has been a major challenge to find a way of doing this; fortunately a good friend let me borrow his oscillating saw which generates less heat when cutting meaning that the plastic melts less. Melting still occurs and the plastic needs cleaning up with abrasives once cutting is finished. Cutting accurately by hand is an imprecise science and I would not win any prizes for achieving a straight line of cut. Nevertheless I have managed to hack off sufficient to recreate the more typical height of a WHL platform whilst only having to replace one panel of platform walling through over cutting. The rough melted edges look crude but should mostly disappear when I get around to ballasting. Original platform height, 37026 pauses at Ardlui Lower platform height, 37039 at Ardlui At Arrochar I raised the track level which will work better than cutting the platform walls because raising the track helps create the correct gradient profile of the station. Initially I have just pushed the cork under the track; now that I can see that it works I will trim the cork to fit and glue it in place. Original height, 37192 pauses with an Oban bound service Lower height, 37026 plus ETHEL 1 with the northbound sleeper service Crianlarich is next up on the workbench for cutting down. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marly51 Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 I sympathise young37215 - a lot of work, but you’re getting there! Great layout! Marlyn Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted August 19, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2018 In an effort to keep up my motivation and avoid stalling when I hit obstacles, I usually have several projects on the go at once. One of these at present is the weathering of 3 Flangeway Mermaids I bought a few months back where aside from a final layer of matt varnish to seal everything down, I am largely finished. In my searching for reference material I have found several pictures of Mermaids on the WHL typically in sidings at places like Ardlui and Arrochar. I have never been that clear as to why Mermaids were used on the WHL given that the single line working meant that they could not discharge directly on to the rail whereas Dogfish or similar wagons could. If someone can educate me on this point I would be grateful. Ex works mermaids at Crianlarich Frames airbrushed with frame dirt Wagon bodies with several layers of grimy washes Wagon with additional dirt and dust/ballast residue added Completed rake of weathered Mermaids sit at Arrochar 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted August 28, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 28, 2018 According to Platform 5's 1982 Coaching Stock book, the oldest Scottish region TSO still in service was 3881. 1954 built at York and apparently still running as originally out shopped being vacuum braked and steam heated. The coach must have been withdrawn during the year as it disappears from the 1983 book. As part of my re-numbering activities I decided to model this in a dilapidated state as part of the rake used on the daily, round trip teatime service between Fort William and Mallaig. Apart from running a black wash into the door seams, I am finished with the work. The teatime rake, BSK, TSO and SK 3881 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 Great work on the weathering. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted September 5, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 5, 2018 In between the time I spend modelling, I volunteer on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway. Amongst the various coaches awaiting refurbishment at Winchcombe is an old Scottish region CK, a model of which I have on WHL4. I am not sure when the coach will get into the workshop for what will be an extensive re-build but I look forward to the day when it is restored to its former glory 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted September 9, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 9, 2018 (edited) Back to running again to see how the line has settled during the summer months. I have discovered problems at Crianlarich with several of the servo driven point motors where the pin that moves the tie bar has come loose at the point the servo arm attaches to the servo causing the arm to detach. I am not sure why as yet but need to sort this because the servo arm also drives the frog polarity switch. Otherwise nothing else seems to be wrong so I will now start weathering the track at Crianlarich. 37192 arrives at Crianlarich with the northbound sleeper 37264 departs Crianlarich with the first Oban service of the day 37039 awaits departure from Garelochead with the first Oban to Glasgow train of the day 37027 arrives at Arrochar with a Fort William bound freight 37027 awaits departure from Crianlarich 27034 departs Crianlarich with Grampus loaded with spoil Edited September 20, 2018 by young37215 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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