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Much progress, but no pics - sorry!

 

The last few weeks have seen completion of the canal basin (block work), canal siding at grade, foundations for the tunnel, and as of tonight, completion of the trackwork around the entire loop, so I can at last run a train continuously, should I so desire. The entire station area is screwed down and levelled/canted, as is the route across the bridge, and the rest will not take long now, to finally fix and level. I will start ballasting in the next few days.

 

However, the Silver Lady is still not ready (the mechanicals are done by DJB but the rest awaits attention - I hope to collect it in August). I also tried to add a LocoWorks inertia system to my Harlech Castle, but it left it soundless. I have yet to contact LocoWorks to find a solution, but in the meantime, I tried to revert to the original set up, without the inertia chip, and can no longer get any sound, although I do have movement. I have tried all the possible variations of connections with no luck, so will have to contact Roundhouse for a solution.

 

My train-mad nephew and his parents arrive Monday, so at least I will have a continuous loop on which he can play, but with a loco with no sound, and one, manual live steamer. There is a servo problem on the RC live steamer, which I have had no luck in solving. 

 

Apart from a few completed buildings, one bright spot is that I do have a number of lovely items from Owd Bob, with which to make the scenario a little more interesting, despite its bare state.....thanks Bob!!

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Cracking stuff!

 

i had a Harlech Castle for a while (sold to buy tinplate!) but the sound effects got on my nerves, and I barely used them, so a silent one is probably a mercy.

 

I can imagine that might happen when the novelty wears off! But, I solved it - hooray! I thought there were only 3 sockets into which the two jacks must fit, and tried every combination with no joy. Today, I sat down with a cuppa and a fag, and had another look. Turns out there are four sockets in the RC receiver (so hard to see due to the front axle). A few minutes playing around with different combinations again, and I now have an all-singing, all-dancing loco. 

 

Anything to please a hyper-active 11 year old.......

 

All track screwed down and levelled/canted up to the junction with the canal siding this morning. Too hot to work out there now, so I will finish it tonight. And then find the effing camera (lost in one of the current Mrs Storey's various bags, since we arrived back from Spain).

 

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Really great evening, after all the domestic chores were done. Sat down towards dusk, at our patio, with a glass of Bordeaux's finest plonk, sweat pouring from brow, and watched my noisy Harlech Castle go round and round and round - the first time I have been able to do that for about seven years!!

 

Takes just about two minutes for a full circuit, at a realistic speed, and as the loco dives behind bushes, through the incomplete tunnel, and round the back behind the, still raw, soil mountain, you can still hear it and eagerly await its re-appearance at various points. Bliss!!

 

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Great to hear you have got something running Mike:) A fag and a bottle of falling down water and the lovely weather you have had seems like pure heaven to me, looking forward to seeing some great pics' :drink_mini:

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  • 3 weeks later...

At last, the 19.48 show! (although it is actually 22.55 as I type, but the photos were taken at about a quarter to eight - does that count?).

 

Some pics for your perusal - note one of Owd Bob's old signal boxes, to which I will apply some further TLC soon, and a couple of his coal wagons in the coaling siding for the engine shed road (the shed part being built at the moment). You will see some ballasting applied in parts, whilst I experiment with the right mix. The apparently grey, road repair tiny chippings, that I liberated from various dis-used piles over the years, turn brown when mixed with cement, and the first few yards looked like the wild west. I have increased the cement portion over successive sections, and it is looking a lot better. But I will use Owd Bob's weathering and colouring techniques, when the weather allows, which I hope will give the impression I am seeking.

 

Despite the energy-sapping heat waves that have hit us here (it was 41 C today, and won't go below 26 C tonight), I have managed to get stuff done in the early morning or late at night. During the heat of the day, I have now converted the couplings on four wagons, repaired two coaches (although they need further work) and have another in the repair bay (the dining table), and I have de-installed the electronic gadget in the Harlech Castle, and got it back to working condition, until I sort out whether there is a way to wire it in and retain the sound functions.

 

All track now screwed down around the large loop, and the first hauled train (as opposed to the loco running on its own for testing) ran last night, when imbibing heavily with friends - yes, those ones who pretended that a model railway was for nerds or children. They would not let me have the controller back until the battery ran out on the loco. I think they wore out the horn......

,

Off to Blighty in a few weeks to collect my heavily modified Silver Lady. Toot toot!

 

 

Belle End overall view Jul19 from West.jpg

Belle End East Jn Owd Bobs signal box.jpg

Belle End Jul19 ballast to bridge.jpg

Belle End station Jul19 some trains formed.jpg

 

 

PS - the canal siding and one or two others, are not joined up and laid properly yet, as I will need to move them out of the way when I do some further construction work around the canal, the tunnel and the village which will rise in the middle, higher than the tracks each side.

Edited by Mike Storey
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Always nice to see construction pics Mike:) Sorry i don't often scroll this far down the index list anymore:rolleyes: so many thanks for the nudge in the right direction. ;) I might go and run & pose all my left-over stuff on whats left of my line now..... you've got me in the mood for it :D keep up the good work and don't let this hot spell melt all your stuff and your  mojo.:D

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2 hours ago, Owd Bob said:

Always nice to see construction pics Mike:) Sorry i don't often scroll this far down the index list anymore:rolleyes: so many thanks for the nudge in the right direction. ;) I might go and run & pose all my left-over stuff on whats left of my line now..... you've got me in the mood for it :D keep up the good work and don't let this hot spell melt all your stuff and your  mojo.:D

 

Thanks Bob - I nearly lost one carriage I had kit-made many years ago - with its plastic sides and roof, it was actually melting and bulging in the heat! Heavily persisting down for a few days now, but then we get several days of normal temps, so I can get a real move on. More pics after that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My much modified Silver Lady (added SloMo and working whistle installed by DJB Engineering, added detailing from Locoworks and late BR paint and lining job and superb, heavy weathering by Berry Hill Works) awaiting collection from Matt next week. Really looking forward to steaming this up and running her in, with her working, simulated draincocks, all wheel suspension, added inertia and whistle, let alone the superb appearance! This is my last birthday, last Christmas, next Birthday and next Christmas present all rolled into one. I have been waiting years for this....

 

 

Silver Lady as weathered and detailed by Matt Acton.jpg

Edited by Mike Storey
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  • 1 month later...

Some pics of the latest updates over the last few months, beginning with installation of the lighting wiring and supports for the platform standards. I used standard 20mm electrical trunking to carry the wires (in parallel) and inserted wine corks with a hole drilled through, to support the lamp columns. The whole lot is then concreted over, with just the corks showing, to allow adjustment to vertical of each standard. I will then mortar up to the level of the cork.

 

It does require drinking a large variety of wines to establish the best cork width.........

 

 

 

 

IMG_0026.JPG

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  • 4 months later...

Well, over a frustrating few months, where rain was never far away, I have taken advantage of a few decent days we have had in the past few weeks.

 

This pic shows the near-complete canal basin, with part of the finally laid canal siding. I tried to get a pic of the laid platform surface, but the poor light defeated me. The tunnel has also been secured into its final position, and now awaits stonework and steps to complete. Then I can get on with building up the remainder of the side walls and get on with the village.

 

The surface of the canal basin was smoothed, fine cement, imprinted with a grid ( part of an old potato waffle maker I think) to simulate cobblestones. It has worked rather well.

 

 

IMG_0092.JPG

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Looking great!  Having moved house recently I’m planning my next 16mm line at the moment, and Belle End is providing some excellent ideas - thank you for the inspiration. Looking forward to seeing how your 16mm empire develops through the year.

 

David

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I’d like to think I’ll get to play trains in the garden soon, but at the moment a r/c model boat might be more appropriate.

 

(Actually, don’t take that seriously; we are sodden, but in no way in the awful situation of those unfortunates who are genuinely flooded)

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I’d like to think I’ll get to play trains in the garden soon, but at the moment a r/c model boat might be more appropriate.

 

(Actually, don’t take that seriously; we are sodden, but in no way in the awful situation of those unfortunates who are genuinely flooded)

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  • 1 month later...

Well, in this time of lockdown and with the good weather now upon us here, and now having got most of the decorating, maintenance and gardening jobs out of the way, I am ready to carry on with the railway.

 

But in this time of lockdown, I have run out of sand, cement and concrete...... will just have to make a few more kits.

 

Roll on 11th May (maybe)!!

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  • 2 months later...

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