Danny's OO Gauge Modern Image Layout

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Can you all tell that I like DRS locos  

 

Yeah I found this aswell, just wanted to see if you had any similar problems...

 

Yes the Megafrets do derail sometimes. It's quite disappointing because they are really good wagons. It does put me off running them sometimes too because sometimes I just can't be bothered re-railing the whole train and loco etc. Although sometimes they do run quite well. I can't quite work out what goes on.

 

Good start Danny. It's always good to get everything running the way you want before starting the scenery. Looking forward to see the progress over the coming months!

Cheers

 

Thank you. I really appreciate it. A few things have changed from when the above photos were taken. These are all from last year. I have added some more sidings next to the yard, extended one siding in the depot and created a third line into the depot shed. This allows for a larger capacity of locos to be on the shed at once. I will show the changes as we go along. Thank you for all of the support.

 

blimey, they do exist!

 

im going to have to eat some humble pie now, i genuinely thought you had an over active imagination when you came out with your wishlist wants and how you were going to buy 2 of this and 2 of that but looks like i was mistaken!

 

good luck with the layout and be careful with those sidings next to the edge of the board, Dapol 68s don't bounce as i found out  

 

Haha Jim. In fairness I understand that it might be unbelievable from others point of view. Thank you for the support. I really appreciate it. A very good point about the edge. That does need a piece of board or something to stop the locos from falling onto the floor with it been so close to the edge. Did you manage to repair that 68?

 

Finally !
Good to see, looks like fun !

 

Thank you for the support. Glad that you like the layout. I like running all of the DRS locos. Probably the best decision I made was modelling Gresty Bridge depot rather than anywhere else. It fits in perfectly with the locos that I buy.

[big jim]

Not repaired the 68 yet ,on my to do list!

[rob D2]

We all have different parts of this great hobby that interest us more than others - your thing is DRS and locos.

 

I don't see any DRS stuff down here in Wiltshire so for me it's EWS, DB, bit of colasand a bit of freightliner....that creates the interest In The current day

[bensanchez43310]

DRS locos are nice, you could say as I'm in London I get abit of them all with ews and db, colas, freightliner, drs and then the odd dc rail and the odd gbrf appearance...

 

Ben

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Not repaired the 68 yet ,on my to do list!

 

Good luck Jim. Let us know how it goes.

 

We all have different parts of this great hobby that interest us more than others - your thing is DRS and locos.

 

I don't see any DRS stuff down here in Wiltshire so for me it's EWS, DB, bit of colasand a bit of freightliner....that creates the interest In The current day

 

Couldn't agree more. Years ago I was a lot more into Freightliner and their locos. Sadly though because their fleet mainly consists of 66s and 70s I had already acquired a lot of them by around 2010. At that point I had bought the main 66s and 70s that were available so their was really nowhere else to go. I then started to become more and more aware of DRS and the huge variety of traction that they have/had. This has definitely kept me occupied. So many locos and liveries across several classes. Really enjoying building up the DRS fleet.

 

DRS locos are nice, you could say as I'm in London I get abit of them all with ews and db, colas, freightliner, drs and then the odd dc rail and the odd gbrf appearance...

 

Ben

 

They really are. I have to admit I do like the new liveries. The full DRS "swoosh" livery and Basic livery are both very nice. You are very lucky with such a variety. Near me in Yorkshire it's mainly Freightliner 66s and 70s with occasional DRS, GBRF, EWS/DB and Colas locos.

[MatthewEWS]

Looking really good so far, great range of stock. Following with interest!

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Looking really good so far, great range of stock. Following with interest!

 

Thank you very much for the comment and the support. I really appreciate it.

 

I have got some big plans for this layout. Really excited about what's to come...

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Hi all, 

 

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of updates on this thread. I returned to uni in September and it has been pretty full on. Although I am pleased to say that I have finished for Christmas and not much uni work will be taking place over the holidays. 

 

So back to the trains...

 

I had a bit of a running session on Friday night. So I would like to announce the arrival of six new locos! Last year I bought six Class 68s from batch one. These are 002 and 005 in DRS livery, 006 and 007 in ScotRail livery and 010 and 014 in Chiltern Railways livery. These locos look and run brilliantly but their is one problem that I am still having. This is issues with the couplings. So on Friday night 006 and 014 were paired up to work a light engine movement. It was basically a test run for the couplings. Both locos performed faultlessly with regards to the couplings during a thirty minute running session. Both locos duly returned to Gresty Bridge to stable overnight. Sunday night saw the same pair perform on their first mainline revenue earning train. This was the 6U76 & 6U77 Mountsorrel job. After ten minutes in disaster struck and one of the couplings came off causing the locos to derail. After the couplings were refitted and locos re-railed the same thing happened again around five minutes later. I am going to clean the track and see if it's mucky as their must be a reason why the locos performed fine on Friday night but then derailed on Sunday night. I am hoping that the track is mucky which possibly caused the locos to jerk which caused the couplings to fall off. 

 

A bit late due to uni work taking over, but better late than never. The RHTT season began operation for the 2017 trains on Friday too. DRS 47501 and 47802 are on hand at York covering both circuits meanwhile 47810, 47813 and 47853 were dispatched from Crewe Gresty Bridge to Stowmarket to work this years Anglian diagrams. This is to cover for unavailable 57/3s which are currently out of service at Gresty Bridge. 

 

47810, 47813 & 47853 been formed up on Crewe Gresty Bridge awaiting the green light to leave the depot. 

 

 

A view from the opposite end of the depot shows DRS 66411 & 66412 as well as a Northern Belle liveried 47 stabled on shed awaiting repairs. 

 

 

Shunting about. After the three 47s departed for Stowmarket their was availability to move some locos from the main headshunt over to the holding sidings beyond the shed building. DRS 57301, 57303 & Northern Belle liveried duo 57305 & 57312 were duly formed up, left the depot and shunted back into the sidings beyond the shed. These locos are all in active traffic and are awaiting further duties. 

 

 

Chiltern Railways silver and grey liveried 68010 & 68014 sit in the headshunt awaiting mainline running tests. 

 

 

Some more exciting news! I have bought several new locos over the past few months. This includes a couple of Limited Editions, a rare loco and three very bright and popular locos that a well known member drives. 

 

There are big things ahead for the layout in 2018 with regards to locos and stock. For many years the two main operators on my layouts have been Freightliner and DRS. I have already put steps in place for this to change. I feel that I need to expand and add some variety to the locos and stock that is operated on the layout and this is exactly what I want to do. Just what new locos, stock and operators remains to be seen...

 

Finally for this update, I have some locos, stock and accessories that I wish to sell. I will list the items below. Please message me if you would like to buy anything, for further details and the opportunity to negotiate on prices. 

 

x1 Heljan DRS Revised Liveried 47810. In good used condition. A respray and not the ViTrains/Rail Exclusive Limited Edition model. DCC Fitted. Please note that their is a thin layer of film over this loco which can be seen when looking at the loco. £160. 

 

x1 Bachmann Freightliner Powerhaul liveried 66416. Brand new, unopened, unused, never run or taken out of the box. £127.50. 

 

x3 Hornby MK2 Virgin Trains liveried coaches. Numbers 5801, 5787 and 9507. All have working lights fitted. Brand new, unopened, unused, never run or taken out of the box. £93. 

 

x6 Dapol EWS Liveried MCA Wagons. All numbered 500221. Brand new, unopened, unused, never run or taken out of the box. £140. 

 

As mentioned above I am open to offers/negotiations on prices. Please note that the above prices exclude postage and packaging. Payment through Paypal please via the friends and family option. Message me if you would like to buy anything or to make offers/negotiate. 

 

I hope you have enjoyed the update. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

Edited December 12, 2017 by DRS Crewe On A Mission

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Please see the correct selection of photos. Somehow the last post has attached the same photo. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Good evening everyone, 

 

Firstly I am sorry for the lack of updates on this thread. I was in my final year at uni last year and I returned to uni in September so it has been quite full on. I was also working alongside attending uni and writing assignments etc, so I haven't had much time to do any work on the layout or move any trains let alone post anything onto here. However I hope that this year I will have the opportunity to post more updates on here. 

 

Anyway onto the layout. In terms of stock in particular locos their is another big year ahead. Last year I acquired a few locos to add to the layout but not many when compared to previous years. As yet I haven't introduced these particular locos to the layout or thread as they are a part of bigger plans for the layout which I hope to give some particular locos more of a purpose and use. Currently I am focusing on my plans for the layout for the coming years as well as equally considering existing stock that I own and the purpose of all items. Many people will know that originally I began modelling with Freightliner locos and some DRS locos, but currently my Freightliner feel is really small when compared to my DRS fleet. So with Vitrains, Bachmann and Dapol producing so many DRS locos in recent years this has lead to a new and a change of direction for the layout as a whole, which is very exciting in terms of the future of the layout. In comparison Bachmann have only produced a small number of Freightliner locos thus meaning that my fleet has only increased by one Freightliner loco. With so much DRS stock I feel that with the amount of locos I now have either active or as yet unused/stored that I need to have a clear sense of direction with where I am going in relation to wagons and coaching stock to work with them. I am currently putting plans together to reactive some of my stored DRS locos. Initially my aim is to reactive some stored locos which have previously seen used but have then been stored before introducing new stock to the layout. It seems logical to make use of the stock I have already opened and gain a direction from their as to what can run with what. This leads me into a fleet update.

 

2018 saw some of my stock been sold. This was a decision made to improve the layout as I felt that some stock lacked purpose and wasn't right for the direction that I intend on going in. My aim is to continue the growth of my DRS fleet with the addition of some new wagons and additional locos to really create a strong mixed fleet of locos as per the real life FOC. This will mean that my main depot area on the layout will be remaining as a DRS depot and mainly for DRS stock, although I have some exciting plans for some new operators which will of course see them incorporated onto the layout and these locos will no doubt turn up at Gresty Bridge even if it's not exactly prototypical. Further to my mention in regards to new operators at the moment I have plans for three new operators to introduce to the layout. I already have some of the new locos for said operators and I am adding to those fleets as and when I can to diversify the layout. There could also be an additional operator or two joining the layout, which really makes current times exciting for the layout as I am heading into a new direction which I haven't explored before. My plan is to create and model an area in which these locos can feature as a "hub". So somewhere in which is the case in reality where these new operators can be found together and that work with some of the same stock. That way I can model something prototypical whilst incorporating existing and new stock into the layout to add to the variety. I have not 100% decided on a specific area/location as of yet or to the extent that it will be modelled, although I do have some ideas in mind. 

 

Onto the stock that I have sold last year and intend to sell this year. Last year I sold: 66411, 66412, 66416, x2 66434, 66532, 97302, 97304, three VT MK2s, three ScotRail MK2s and six EWS MCA wagons. This year I currently have for sale: 37025 in BR Large Logo livery, 37425 in DRS Compass, 37602 in DRS Compass, 37605 in DRS Compass, 37706 in WCRC Maroon, 60011 in DB Red, 66416 in Freightliner Powerhaul and a DRS 47810 non runner for spares and repairs. If anyone is interested in buying any of these locos then feel free to send me a PM. All are in OO Gauge. By selling some of my current stock it allows me to focus on existing stock as well as the new stock that I would like.

 

I just wanted to post this update to let people know that the layout is still very much ongoing and that I do have some very exciting plans for it which will add some new and very different dimensions than what I have ever had before on previous layouts as well as this one. As and when I have news and updates I will post on here. Initially my plans are to reactive some locos, repair some locos and give some locos some maintenance in preparation for new duties. 

 

I will post another update soon. 

 

Thanks for looking. 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Hi everyone, 

 

Hope you are all well? 

 

A little update with regards to stock on the layout. I have sold most of the above stock which was listed as for sale. Funnily enough 37602 and 37605 went to their new home in Crewe, not far from Gresty Bridge depot, so that's a fitting end to their time with me and on the layout. Initially I wasn't going to offer these two for sale but I had a lot of money tied up in just two locos so the money from those will allow me to invest in some new stock for the layout. Besides even I have to agree now that I have too much DRS stock and that's why in general I am thinning out my overall collection. I have been working a lot recently on the layout mainly in relation to getting some of my stock back in use and up and running again. I also received an exciting delivery last week which is going to be instrumental in the layout for the future, including the majority of the locos that I own. I am also hoping that their is going to be another delivery arriving later this month or maybe next month with some more excellent items on for the layout. 

 

I only have two items left for sale from the above lists. These are DB Schenker Red 60011, fitted with DCC Sound & Weathered and BR Large Logo 37025. Both in OO Gauge. 

 

A couple of niggles with 60011. The red tail lights do not work at one end and one horn has come off of one end of the loco and therefore has been lost and is not included in the sale. Originally last year when I listed 60011 on Ebay it was for £360 because it has a "full fat" DCC Sound Decoder fitted which I assume is Olivia's Trains sounds because that's where it was bought from. It is also lightly weathered to represent prototypical day to day grime that most modern locos have. I have now reduced 60011 to just £212.00. This is an absolute bargain despite the couple of faults as the sound decoder is worth £100.00 alone and the weathering £25.00. Alternatively if you want it even cheaper I will accept a best offer of £200.00. This model is literally new, as it has seen little use both the loco itself and the sounds. Good, smooth runner. 

 

I also have a BR Large Logo 37025 named "Inverness TMD" for sale. This model is brand new and has only been tested to ensure it works. Complete with Limited Edition certificate and the original box. Good, smooth runner. All lighting functions correctly. One small niggle is that one aerial has been snapped off of one of the bonnets at one end of the model. It therefore doesn't come with the model as it has been lost. For sale at £200.00 but I will accept a best offer of £185.00.

 

*Please note the postage charge for each model will be £10.00. This is for Royal Mail Special Delivery service.

 

*Please also read full Ebay descriptions before buying. 

 

Here are the Ebay adverts.

 

37025: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachmann-OO-Gauge-Class-37-0-37025-Limited-Edition-in-BR-Large-Logo-Blue-Livery/163628202244?hash=item2619003904:g:KxgAAOSwCXhcKkXy

 

60011:  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-OO-Gauge-DB-Schenker-Red-Class-60-60011-DCC-Sound-Weathered/163628200807?hash=item2619003367:g:4IIAAOSwQltayoIM

 

Thank you for looking. 

 

There will be a full layout update soon. 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

On 28/12/2019 at 21:37, Eddie R v2.0 said:

Any updates for the layout Danny? 
 

Cheers

 

Hi Eddie and to everyone else who follows my thread on the layout, 

 

I hope you are all well? 

 

Thank you for your interest in the layout. It's excellent that people are interested in the development of the layout, especially for me because I don't consider myself as a massive modeller and I have nowhere near as much knowledge and skill as others on here, or in the hobby in general. 

 

Firstly an apology, I did mean to post some updates on this thread last year but I was at uni so I had a limited amount of spare time, thus the lack of updates. However I have now finished uni and their has been some work on the layout this month. Thank you Eddie and to everyone else who follows for sticking with me and been patient. I really appreciate it. 

 

So without further a do the first update of 2020...

 

A close up of one of the pair of 'active' DRS 47s I currently have. 501 & 802 were bought and pressed into service in 2012 and were two of my first DRS locos. From January 2020 the pair have now gone on hire to Rail Operations Group to act as intermediate traction for the haulage of new locos, coaches and wagons around the layout. Currently the plan is to keep them both in full DRS Compass livery but both have been transferred to the GROG pool. I was going to wait until Accurascale delivered Europhoenix/ROG 37608 but I decided that I couldn't wait until Q4 to begin introducing new stock.

 

I am really excited about this development and it's something I have been waiting to put into action for a while. As many people will know my main interest is in DRS diesel locos, but over the past few years I have bought some additional DRS stock but some other stock for new operators on the layout, thus the start of ROG operating Class 47s to deliver and transfer new stock is the beginning of a new chapter for the layout and I am determined to make it the most exciting yet. I have plans to considerably expand my layout in terms of depot areas and sidings to facilitate new stock, to reinstate some old stock that has already appeared on the layout and  to continue buying new stock to give the layout a lot more variety without just focusing on the operations of DRS. 501 & 802 will be used by ROG for the foreseeable future as they will support the delivery, transfers and movements of new stock that will arrive on the layout. 

 

A Dapol Network Rail Yellow JNA wagon will act as a barrier vehicle for the delivery and transfer of new stock. I have decided to use one of these wagons because the couplings are quite flexible and allow a good amount of movement for the stock attached to manoeuvre around curves and corners, but without any stock derailing.  

 

Then you will see what the first new delivery is...

 

Meet the fleet announcement one: Great Western Railways MK3 Coaches x5. 

 

 

 

I have tried uploading more images but the website is saying that it will only allow me to upload 10MB. Not to worry, I can carry on explaining what's happening. So just to clarify their are another four GWR MK3s behind the first in the rake in the image above. 

 

So after coupling 501 & 802 transferred the five new GWR MK3s from Portbury to Old Oak Common GWR Depot for staff training/familiarisation and testing. Since then the DRS 47s double headed the same rake of coaches on a test run. These are the first MK3s I have operated on this new layout so I wanted to check and see if the wheels on the coaches were all ok and if the MK3s could handle the layout of my track. Safe to say, the MK3s ran faultlessly, which I was quite shocked about considering the number of points I have on some lines and the fact that the coaches are very light. I'm very impressed with them and Hornby have done a brilliant job at portraying the GWR Green and the silver on the doors. For £30 each they are a bargain. 

 

That's the first of the new stock now on the layout and delivered for testing. I have to say I am really pleased that I have bought some different stock especially some passenger stock, as many will know I mainly buy diesel locos, so these coaches will provide some variety. I am really taken with the GWR Green livery and personally I think it's one of the best current liveries worn on a passenger train. Following the addition of GWR MK3 coaches to fleet I can now confirm that further GWR stock will be arriving in due course. 

 

There you have it, my first ever rake of MK3 Coaches are delivered and are undergoing testing. I will give further updates in due course with the addition of other new stock and some changes that I have made to the layout. 

 

Thanks for looking. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

On 28/12/2019 at 21:35, Eddie R v2.0 said:

Any updates for the layout Danny? 
 

Cheers

 

Hi Eddie, 

 

Also I forgot to add, sorry for the delay in replying. Hopefully now that I have finished uni I will have more time to reply and post onto this thread. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

On 23/01/2020 at 07:10, Eddie R v2.0 said:

Thanks for that. Good for you Danny. It’s not easy getting time to work on the layout, I work shifts so can go weeks with little progress. 
 

cheers

 

Eddie

 

 

It is difficult isn't it trying to make progress in between everything else. I have made some good progress in the past few weeks which I will show in the next update/s on this thread. I have been doing some work on quite an important section of the layout which has only been recently added. It's important because this particular area/space will see a lot of use in the future with the stock that I have planned to occupy it. 

 

Watch this space. 

[gc4946]

Well done on graduating from uni!

It's better to test run the layout first with a wide range of stock so that any adjustments can be made to the track before fixing down for good. 

I wonder if you're considering purchasing a GWR 800 to run on your layout and check track clearances

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

On 26/01/2020 at 09:44, gc4946 said:

Well done on graduating from uni!

It's better to test run the layout first with a wide range of stock so that any adjustments can be made to the track before fixing down for good. 

I wonder if you're considering purchasing a GWR 800 to run on your layout and check track clearances

 

Thank you very much. 

 

Four years hard work, but it was worth it. I came out with a first overall which is 70%+. I think I got 72%. I really enjoyed it as well. There are many days where I wish I could go back. 

 

You're right. See something I didn't account for was the production in reality and consequently in model form of so many new models, some of which need wider radius curves, longer sidings etc, so now I am having some issues. But nothing that really can't be solved or worked around. I have done this with the latest area of track that I have reconfigured and pinned down this month, which I will show soon. 

 

Well you're right again. I am planning on buying some GWR IETs. I am not too bothered about the 800s that Hornby have produced so far and I instead I am waiting for Hornby to produce 802s in GWR Green and Transpennine Express livery. A slight issue I may have though is my longest loop line is used to store a long rake of IOA wagons hauled by my DRS locos. I could most likely fit two 802s in this loop line which with the curves on this section should be suitable for the 802s to run over. But then where would the IOAs go...

 

I have plenty of other sidings but I think some are too short and the others that are on my depot are longer, but it's my DRS depot and thus now for passenger trains. But again I couldn't forsee the amount of new stock becoming available when I built the layout in 2015. So I will have to keep making use of the space I have at the moment and see if I can make changes to the track layout as and when needed. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Hi all, 

 

I hope everyone is well? 

 

This update is regarding a couple of items I have for sale. Upon counting my stock over the past few weeks I have realised that I have some stock that I don't need. 

 

Available for sale are: 

 

37402 in DRS Compass livery. Brand new, in box, complete with all paperwork and packaging. I opened and briefly tested this loco last night and the loco runs smoothly in both directions, all directional lighting works as it should and all cab lighting works as it should. The price is £145.00, plus £8.60 postage. Total cost including postage: £153.60. 

 

47805 in DRS Compass livery named 'John Scott'. Brand new, in box, complete with all paperwork, etched nameplates and packaging. I opened and briefly tested this loco last night and the loco runs smoothly in both directions, all directional lighting works as it should and all cab lighting works as it should. The price is £150.00, plus £8.60 postage. Total cost including postage: £158.60. 

 

If you wish to buy either of these locos, payment is to be made through Paypal. Please do not pay via the family and friends option. Pay through the normal option. I am not bothered about paying for the paypal fees as I would like the buyer to have peace of mind that they are buying from a reputable person, from a private model railway collection. 

 

Postage will be via Royal Mail, Next Day Special Delivery. 

 

I am only not advertising these items on Ebay due to the high Ebay selling fees. 

 

Please private message me if you are interested in buying either of these models and then I will provide the Paypal email address to make payment to. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

 

 

[classy52]

Hi Danny,

 

I was searching RMWeb for something else and funny enough your thread came up in the list and had no idea you had this going lol.

I shall now follow with interest and as you know from our past conversations we share the same infinity towards DRS loco's/stock thus keep the updates coming.

 

Cheers

Steve

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

11 hours ago, classy52 said:

Hi Danny,

 

I was searching RMWeb for something else and funny enough your thread came up in the list and had no idea you had this going lol.

I shall now follow with interest and as you know from our past conversations we share the same infinity towards DRS loco's/stock thus keep the updates coming.

 

Cheers

Steve

 

Hi Steve, 

 

Many thanks for the follow and interest in this thread. I am posting my regularly to it now than what I have done previously and I have got another update to share soon. DRS is excellent for variety of traction because you can model anything from around 50 years old to nearly new which gives so much potential for a layout. Their are some really exciting things in the pipeline for the layout with regards to locos and stock and not just DRS, because I have been expanding the collection in many aspects including freight and passenger operations. With more stock arriving this year, it will compliment some of the stock I have already bought but not yet introduced to the layout very nicely and I am hoping as we get further into 2020 the layout in terms of stock will become bigger, more diverse and will serve a greater purpose than ever before. It's certainly a great time for the layout because we have been deprived of so many modern image items until recently. 

 

I bought the DRS magazine, by the way. Thank you very much for telling me about it because I rarely check the Key Publishing site and I would have missed out. It's a great read spanning the full 25 years of DRS and it even gets status changes to each loco fleet etc, which I always like to see, because I do like following fleet changes. 

 

Have you bought any new stock recently? 

 

Thanks for the support. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

[saxokid]

On ‎22‎/‎02‎/‎2020 at 01:47, DRS Crewe On A Mission said:

 

Hi Steve, 

 

Many thanks for the follow and interest in this thread. I am posting my regularly to it now than what I have done previously and I have got another update to share soon. DRS is excellent for variety of traction because you can model anything from around 50 years old to nearly new which gives so much potential for a layout. Their are some really exciting things in the pipeline for the layout with regards to locos and stock and not just DRS, because I have been expanding the collection in many aspects including freight and passenger operations. With more stock arriving this year, it will compliment some of the stock I have already bought but not yet introduced to the layout very nicely and I am hoping as we get further into 2020 the layout in terms of stock will become bigger, more diverse and will serve a greater purpose than ever before. It's certainly a great time for the layout because we have been deprived of so many modern image items until recently. 

 

I bought the DRS magazine, by the way. Thank you very much for telling me about it because I rarely check the Key Publishing site and I would have missed out. It's a great read spanning the full 25 years of DRS and it even gets status changes to each loco fleet etc, which I always like to see, because I do like following fleet changes. 

 

Have you bought any new stock recently? 

 

Thanks for the support. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

Looking good my mate...

[saxokid]

Any new updates on your layout build Danny??

cant wait to see some scenery builds...

Edited March 26, 2020 by saxokid

[classy52]

Hey Danny if you're going to do a TMD with concrete hard standing check out this video on YT, really interesting way of creating a concrete base using real concrete instead of fake materials.

 

 

[saxokid]

2 hours ago, classy52 said:

Hey Danny if you're going to do a TMD with concrete hard standing check out this video on YT, really interesting way of creating a concrete base using real concrete instead of fake materials.

 

 

You can make good concrete hard standing using plastic card and make it look as real as you can,its how many hours of time and research you put in helps...

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

23 hours ago, saxokid said:

Looking good my mate...

 

23 hours ago, saxokid said:

Any new updates on your layout build Danny??

cant wait to see some scenery builds...

 

Thanks mate. So recently I have added some additional sidings to the layout, using an additional piece of board to create and extension to the layout. I was toying with the idea of adding a town centre to said area but I decided against it just because I need additional capacity for stock on the layout. So in a way it was a shame to lose the last available space to more track but I have gained an additional 6/7 sidings which are ideal for stabling shortish trains e.g. DRS flask trains, test trains, RHTTs etc, so I will definitely make use of the space. So that's a positive. I am now thinking of adding some scenic items to my depot area seen as though I can't create a town centre scene. 

 

As with the rest of the layout I have already painted the MDF baseboards in a light grey to represent ballast for underneath the track, so I'm now thinking of how best to build the depot area up. It could be a case of adding some depot items and say some bushes and trees. But with the latter I don't want to go over the top. Gresty Bridge in reality is fairly tidy, so it could be that some bushes are added down the side of the depot shed, alike the Gresty Bridge headshunt down the side of the large shed, close to the mainline. 

 

I will post some photos when I can of my recent work, which involved using an old siding to create a loop line to access the new sidings. It does look quite smart, especially with a loop line running next to the two main lines. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

 

16 hours ago, classy52 said:

Hey Danny if you're going to do a TMD with concrete hard standing check out this video on YT, really interesting way of creating a concrete base using real concrete instead of fake materials.

 

 

 

Thanks for posting the video mate. 

 

I have to say the depot area looks really impressive and it's definitely something for me to think about in the future. A hard standing in the depot/shed area of a layout really improves the look overall and certainly makes the depot area stand out more. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

13 hours ago, saxokid said:

You can make good concrete hard standing using plastic card and make it look as real as you can,its how many hours of time and research you put in helps...

 

That's true and both ideas are very good. When you have used plastic card, did you watch videos on Youtube etc before you attempted anything or did you just buy some and have a go? I'm just trying to gauge how achievable it would be to get a decent enough looking result for a depot/shed area. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny.