GVT 0-16.5 Layout - Chirk

[Northroader]

I think the Baldwins were built to the American approach of build them cheap and run them into the ground, then replace them. Certainly when intended for war service this would apply, so they were clapped out before coming up for disposal, which is why they were going cheaply. At the time WW1 had inflated labour and material costs, so they were the only realistic option for a railway operating on a shoestring, and whose experience was of British built locos which didn’t depreciate so rapidly.

[DLT]

 

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

I think the Baldwins were built to the American approach of build them cheap and run them into the ground, then replace them.

 

Quite so, they were built for a short, hard life.  But having said that, those that were up for sale would have been the better condition ones, and as they were still being built, many never made it to France.

[Jeff Smith]

3 hours ago, DLT said:

 

The answer to that is to remove the pony truck and run it as an 0-4-0.  On the model, the pony truck performs no function.

I built a tram loco that was "supposed" to be a 2-4-2, but under the skirts it was a rigid 0-6-0.

The Branchlines chassis is compensated with the beam between the rear driver and the pony truck.  The best way to rail the loco is on track with infill - the turntable should suffice.

[DLT]

On 13/08/2021 at 12:51, Jeff Smith said:

The Branchlines chassis is compensated with the beam between the rear driver and the pony truck.  The best way to rail the loco is on track with infill - the turntable should suffice.

 

Aha, thanks very much, I didn't realise that.  I has assumed that the pony truck in the kit was just there for accuracy.

 

Sorry I hadn't said so earlier, but that's a lovely job on the Baldwin; a kit I know quite intimately!

 

Cheers, Dave.

[Jeff Smith]

Turntable now finished and ready for installation when the layout actually gets built!

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Jeff Smith

[Jeff Smith]

Wood has been cut for a 3' turntable/fiddle yard which will be used on both the GVT layout and an On30 layout.  Both will need to turn either whole GVT trains or the On30 diesel railcar.  For the GVT layout it will also serve as the end of the loop the other side of the Hand Lane bridge.

 

Pictures shortly.

[Jeff Smith]

OK, just about complete.  The sliding surfaces are smooth ply on white board surfaced hardboard with a quarter inch bolt pivot.  The turnout is a Peco O-16.5.  I had sufficient plain track to build the layout but didn't want to use it in the fiddle yard.  Peco 00/HO code 100 seems to be only available in boxes of 25 over here so I bought 5 yards of Atlas code 100 - it saved me money but is about half a mm thinner so packing was required to match heights!  Track stuck with contact adhesive.

 

I decided to just rely on aligning track by eye so no indexing with door bolts or similar.  Electrical feed via crocodile clips and brass posts with dropper wire connected to the rails.  In use it will be used as a run around loop for much of the time.

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Jeff Smith
Re-used duplicate post

[Jeff Smith]

Just a few pics of the layout plan and to ask peoples' opinions about backscenes.  The layout will be viewed from the canal side looking across the GVT station to the GWR one.  The baseboard back edge will be the fence between the two stations.  I am planning about a 1ft backboard as in the sketch - the question is should it just be plain blue or a depiction of the GWR buildings.  I am a reasonable artist and could depict this but of course it would be less forgiving than trees or a distant landscape and only be correct from one viewing angle.

 

You can also see why the fiddle-yard approach is offset by 10 degrees to accommodate the angle of the platform.  In retrospect I probably should have used a RH point!  PECO geometry is I believe 10.5 degrees.....

 

In a change to the track plan I have moved a point to opposite the turntable from beyond the carriage shed to give me two sidings for shunting, maybe even to depict the end of a SG transfer siding.

[Jeff Smith]

Baseboards now built using 5.2mm ply underlayment and 1x2 bracing.  Glued and pinned, makes a remarkably rigid structure.  The two boards bolted together with 1/4" bolts.  Provision left to add another board should I decide to include the exchange sidings.  Once the point locations are finalised I will add cross-bracing.

 

A big decision will be what to depict on the back boards - a fuzzy view of the GWR station buildings (only correct from one viewpoint) or just light blue.....?

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Jeff Smith

[DLT]

Any news on this project Jeff?

[Jeff Smith]

It is a shame that some of the pictures in the thread have not (yet!) been restored.

 

I have been spending the summer in our second home in North Georgia with no modelling activities.  Will be returning to our Florida house in late September.  The boards are built, including the fiddleyard turntable.  All track is laid and wired, manual switch machines (Blue Point) installed.  Loco turntable installed.  Pictures will be forthcoming in September.......

 

Thanks for your interest!

[Jeff Smith]

OK, back in Florida, thankfully not affected by Hurricane Ian......

 

These photos show the two scenic boards bolted together, wired and tested.  Board to board connections via 8 pin DIN AV connectors.  Single DC feed with Blue Point manual switch machines with frog polarity switching.  TT wired with Polarity change switch and motor toggle switch.  Some rolling stock in place and bridge and waiting room mock-ups for visualization  There is provision for an additional board to house the carriage shed and exchange sidings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jeff Smith]

The bridge structure has been built from 1/4" ply (this and the baseboards use three layer ply for flooring underlayment) with strip wood and 20 thou styrene for the arch, the coping stones and projecting (string) courses, also for the platform edges.  This was my first use of DAS modelling clay.  Just starting the scribing - according to photos different stone styles have been used for the GVT and GWR bridges.

 

[Jeff Smith]

Bridge, retaining wall, access stairs and booking office all finished and installed.  Platform painted but still to have gravel surface added.  For the booking office I actually used the foam board mock-up as it was accurate enough.  Cut the windows and door and covered in embossed brick paper - this was a bit bright so I toned it down with a grey wash.  The stairs were made from strip wood.

 

 

[Jeff Smith]

The layout has now been assembled on it's shelf below my P4 BLT.

 

 

The embankment behind the retaining wall opposite the booking office has now been built using cardboard, a mod-rock type plaster cloth and paper mache and painted green.  The Gaugemaster panel mounted controller installed powered by 110VAC/16VAC wall wart.  The layout relies on isolating points for multi-loco operation.  The turntable came with pre-assembled code 100 rail soldered in place - unfortunately the rails are not quite central, this results in running across the TT only possible in one position but either position being ok for turning the loco.  For indexing, as the loco skirt hides the rail ends I have installed a latch using close fitting brass tube and wire - two pieces of tube on the turntable allow indexing in both positions.  The fiddle yard/turntable is very easy to move and cause rail misalignment so I've installed a small carpenters clamp to hold in place - this is especially important when the point forming the FY end of the run round loop is in use.

 

Due to the shortening of the model from scale length the trains cannot be too long, however a realistic sequence can be achieved with wagons and coaches being distributed to the short sidings and turning the tram loco, then making up a train for departure.  The tram locos were normally turned at both ends of the line due to the BOT requirement to run cab first (not always followed), and completely ignored by the Baldwin which had no skirt for street running and was too long to be turned....

 

Many trains were mixed with passenger vehicles first then open wagons, van if included and guard's van.  Actually I think the van could be anywhere after the coaches.  A likely sequence would be - train arrival, let off passengers.  Tram loco could go to the turntable then run round and propel the coaches into the TT/coach shed siding.  Detach coaches then shunt the wagons and van into the exchange sidings.  The guard's van could be dropped on line leading to the loco shed, workshops etc.  This sequence is then reversed, the passengers picked up and then on its way....  A drawback I've just realized is although I can turn a tram loco train on the TT/FY, a Baldwin train will have to have the engine lifted and turned in the FY as it always faced the same way.....

 

So next will be ballasting and foliage.

 

 

 

 

[Northroader]

That layout is looking really attractive.

[Jeff Smith]

The layout is essentially finished except for point levers and a possible backscene of the GWR station buildings - still on the fence over this as it would distract from the layout and be only correct from one viewing angle.  Distant hills etc you can get away with different viewing angles but something so close as the GWR station building would I think be difficult.

 

However the sequence below shows Dennis on the FY/turntable with mixed train.  Arriving at the station to off load passengers.  Dennis on the loco turntable and then exiting after turning.  Running around the train.  Attachments were too large - see next post.

[Jeff Smith]

Dennis shunting the train.  My guessed sequence would be to drop the coaches in the coach shed road then shunt the wagons to the yet to be built transfer sidings.  Next retrieve the coaches then push back to pick up wagons and finally the brake van.  Pull forward to pick up passengers and depart.  This can all be accomplished on this layout with short trains due to the restricted siding length - but maybe someday the next board will be built.......

[hayfield]

Jeff

 

The layout is looking very good, a great bit of modelling

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Excellent @Jeff Smith.  Just one minor point: not sure the thread title should still say “proposed” layout any more 🙃.

 

As for the backscene, I must admit I’d never noticed the absence of one in photos of your P4 layout before, so my guess is it’s more noticeable in the photos than real life.  The tricky bit is where the station building touches the backscene - given that I’d  probably try a plain blue ‘sky’ backdrop first.  Just a thought, Keith.

[Jeff Smith]

16 minutes ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Excellent @Jeff Smith.  Just one minor point: not sure the thread title should still say “proposed” layout any more

Good idea Keith - now fixed............  Regarding the back scene, I left a few mm gap behind all the scenery in case I decide to do a drop-in back scene - I've tried sketches behind but not really sold on the idea....!

[Jeff Smith]

This one worked on my On30 roundy layout painted directly onto the back board.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Jeff Smith

[DLT]

Looking very nice indeed.

[Jeff Smith]

I needed some more 4 ton mineral wagons to go with the single white metal Peco one I have.  These kits are now 18+UK pounds so it was time to do some scratch building.  Although referring to the drawing in The Glyn Valley Tramway by W.J.Milner, I wanted them to match the Peco version which is actually quite accurate but does have a peculiar down slope on the top of the buffers.  So using various Evergreen styrene sheets and shapes, including 0.188" V-groove, I built 5.  I made a brass template for the chassis sides and axle boxes to ensure they were all the same for top-hat bearing location.  I will be fitting Kadee Whisker couplings and have attached the gearboxes with solvent.  These will need added weight eventually.  They are three plank but the top plank is fixed and the lower two form drop-sides on both sides.  Next I'll be adding all the iron work with 10 thou styrene sheet and strip.  I already had the wheels (from Peco kits) and top-hat bearings so cost will probably be about $5 each.....

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by Jeff Smith
added info

[Jeff Smith]

Wagons now finished, ironwork added with styrene strip.  Brakes added.  Gold lettering based on a photo showing some real serial numbers.  They will ultimately be heavily weathered and have removable granite loads.

I have hastily tried to reproduce an old photograph......the Peco white metal one is nearest the camera.