Benjamin Brady Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 (edited) Good Evening, I've decided to create a new topic dedicated to Weaver Hill. Some of you shall know it from my other topic which encompasses many project. Anyway what is it?. It is a 4 track mainline situated somewhere in Britain, At the moment it has only been exhibited in a WCML guise it can be run in other regions. It's first outing in an ECML format should be at the GCR model event. The railway is set in the country. However it is not any old countryside that the railway runs through but rather the grounds of an estate. This is instantly evident in the fact that on the hill sits a folly and an obelisk, with an estate road running between these features. The idea behind this layout was to be able to sit or stand and watch the trains pass by. The main focus being that the trains running shall be those that can be seen at any mainline station today. The target audience for this model railway are the families that attend shows, they shall be able to see something that they can relate to in real world. The layout has evolved from a very basic model which was first exhibited in 2016 after being built in 4 weeks for the Trent Vale model railway show. Since then, there has been a lot of updating and changed made. Like everything there is always more to do. The most noticeable change in the year was the area above the hill, the first year we had a very crude looking obelisk with no follow however this has been changed and alter to create rather an eye catching piece. The next task shall be the updating of the tunnel mouths. It has been decided that these are now not grand enough and after a fact finding trip to Shugborough Hall it has been decided that we shall also go for a castle style tunnel mouth. One main item which shall be addressed for its next outing at Nottingham shall be the OHLE. The signal stanchions shall be replaced with the peco masts as these are far more robust than the peco ones. The scratch built mk3 portals shall be altered and FINISHED!!!! (a job and house move has postponed this, the soldering iron being trapped in a box somewhere) Also the wire itself shall be remade with one that is a lot finer. Anyway I shall leave you with a few photos of the layout and it's changes over time. Watch this space for updates and the alteration. Many Thanks Richard and Benjamin Edited Tuesday at 05:03 by Benjamin Brady 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 The first photo shows what the layout and obelisk looked like on it's first outing. Once again it is worth noting that from having an idea to a layout was the space of 4 weeks. We experienced much of the problems faced by oak road during the weekend and the stock would just not stay on the rails for love nor money. However a year on and with much work involving a lot of relaying and copper cladding we now thankfully have faultless running, at least Trent Vale 2017 was a most enjoyable outing with the layout. The next set of photos show the idea for the tunnel mouth. A little bit of history to the railway or at least our history. The railway was built as a double track mainline and had been quadrupled sometime late in it's history. This shall be reflected in the construction of the new tunnel mouths with the original portal (the inner lines) being slight grander than the second later addition, however the new portal shall be built in the style of the first. For those that are interested the layout is run in an Up/Down Slow lines Up/Down Fast lines principle. >Up Slow <Down Slow >Up Fast <Down Fast. It is signalled with 4 aspect LED signals from Matt Turner at Absolute Aspects. Benjamin Pictures of Shugborough copied from a google image search. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted June 8, 2018 Author Share Posted June 8, 2018 Good Evening, Since my last update the layout has been out again to Nottingham Model railway exhibition. We had a very enjoyable weekend even with the Snow. The layout it's self was not behaving during set up however on the Saturday morning almost right on 10am it was like a switch had been flicked and the layout ran faultlessly. Since then the layout has been back at home and work has been chipping away, slowly but surly. The Dapol OHLE mast have now been replaced with the peco ones along with their own wire, all we can say is what huge improvement these have made on the layout. Plenty more greenery has gone down and the lane has now been turned into the estate entrance road compete with the gate house. A few more figures and animals have been added just to add a little bit more. When you look at the very beginnings of this layout it is almost as if we have built a new layout now. I shall try and update you all with some photos before we leave for the GCR in a weeks time. Benjamin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 Good morning, Last night was a case of burning the midnight oil to make sure I achieved my goal for yesterday evening. Even Poldark had to be missed to make sure the target was reached. However I guess we can be thankful for catch up telly. The layout is really coming along now, even though it would not be in the league of your professional modellers on here it is a representation of a mainline, and after all at the end of the day we enjoy playing on it . Benjamin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted June 12, 2018 Author Share Posted June 12, 2018 Hello Another evening burning the midnight oil , ( mind you cannot do much else as layout in front room , ) All boards have updated OHLE , done the final update on scenery before the weekend , tonight adding boards to front to protect OHLE from little wandering fingers , as luck would have it , someone stuck there finger in the OHLE at the end of Nottingham show , bringing down the wire . Looking forward to the weekend , as this is the only time the layout is up and running , stored in a container when not at shows . Tomorrow get stock ready , and change over boxes back to West Coast , no East Coast this time . ( sorry ) See you all at the GCR . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share Posted July 27, 2018 Morning All Off to St Johns this weekend , supporting Air Ambulance , good cause . Running this weekend as pre 20000 the colourful era of the railways , but still in essence watching trains go by . The good old days off Cross country loco sets . with mainline Virgin loco diagrams , all in all hoping for a good weekend . Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 Good Evening all, We have returned from what has been yet another very enjoyable weekend away with Weaver Hill. This is the third time we have attended the Trent Vale model railway exhibition with the layout. We always receive positive comments about the changing appearance from the visitors who have seen it change over time. We are also reducing the amount to tweaking we now have to carry out at the start of the show. Most of the stock running faultlessly after a little re-gauge and a little track tapping. The next show for ourselves is Stafford in 2018. Collin and Terry both noting the progress and improvements that have been made to the layout over the years. The layout shall be back in its present day guise at Stafford after a weekend of what can only be described as playing trains. We back dated the layout 20 years to be able to run some of the early privatisation stock we have. There is as always plenty to focus on with the layout before the show. The area's of concentration shall be (hopefully) the addition of the castellated tunnel mouths along with a new and improved stable block area. The signals have also suffer from transit as we remove them after each show. However for Stafford these should be permanently in position with hopefully a changing aspect function in place. However with work commitments and storage issues with the layout these are jobs that hopefully shall get done but we are making no promises. The Weaver Hill Team. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMcKenzie Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Great layout there Benjamin. The track weathering is spot on. you've really captured that well and the two 90s passing each other in the last photo is right up my street. Thanks for sharing. All the best Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect Paul Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Fantastic layout, operating full length trains. We were also exhibiting one of our club layouts at the Nottingham show, and i had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with the guys behind the layout. What a friendly and helpful bunch of guys they are !!! Cheers, Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy water Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Great looking layout! What are the dimensions? How many fiddle yard roads do you have per circuit? DC or DCC? It looks like you have researched each train to make it accurate! Kissing horses! What next! (In the photo with the Dutch class 47) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted October 9, 2018 Author Share Posted October 9, 2018 Good Evening all, Thank you for the comments on Weaver Hill. The layout itself as you might of noticed from the photos has developed a fair bit since it's conception, and is still changing now with plenty planned. As we keep threating the tunnel mouths shall be updated for it's next outing. The model is 19ft x 9ft and is run with the vary basic DC system. The reason why; apart from sound we did not feel a layout with 4 continuous circuits with only 1 train running at a time required it, and secondly we are old fashioned. Each line only has 3 storage roads. This does mean at a show we can soon get through the stock, however I find that a lot of the time it is only ourselves as operators notice this the public most of the time are happy to see a Pendonlino 10 times. IN fact more often than not, swap this for a liner and it is greeted with ah that's boring. The stock is all based on stuff that shall be seen if you went down to a station today. We try and run the layout in a setting as close to the present day as possible. The main reason for this is so the families who visit the show have something to relate to. The could leave the exhibition hall, head to the nearest railway station and maybe see a 350 or Pendo. However we do have a soft stop for the late BR/Early privatisation period as this is the one I grew up with and every now and again this stock shall come out to stretch it's legs. Okay it might not look quite right passing LED signals and axle counters but we have fun. As for class 90's I have to restrict the amount I put on being my favourite loco I would have 12 of them, however I have to remember not everyone might share this feeling well maybe yourself David. The kissing horse and the whole idea for the stables just come from one of those chapters in your life, and one where women are involved. I used to see a lady who had horses and as a result spent a great deal of time around them. One of them was called Jazz (the dark bay with white socks) and he always used to nuzzle the others when in the field together and thus that tiny little scene depicts that. I am glad you all enjoy the layout. However in our own eyes there is still a long way to go until it get anything quite like some of the displays of modelling shown on here. It is very much a modern day Thomas train set. However it is what we enjoy. We are looking forward to our next show at Stafford in February and a return to Maccasfield in March. Benjamin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMcKenzie Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 I would be more than happy with 12 class 90s Benjamin . The more the merrier. It's nice to see you back dating now and again. But I think you are right that I am probably in the minority and it's nice for the younger generation to have something to relate to at show's. All the best and keep us updated as and when you make progress with your cracking layout. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy water Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 https://www.flickr.com/photos/37190-dalzell/17072555313/in/photostream Only 12 class 90s? You could get at least 18 if you double head the container trains!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted October 9, 2018 Author Share Posted October 9, 2018 Your right there, you can never to wrong with a pair of 90s. It's shocking I don't have a photo of a pair running. The best I can do is during the rebuild of the corner board I posed the Freightliner ones light loco. I'll defiantly make sure there is a proper photo next time the layout is out and populated with stick. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted January 8, 2019 Author Share Posted January 8, 2019 Good Evening All, Well with Stafford drawing close its all hands to the pump as always to get the layout ready and make any adjustments. The main development since it's last outing is the signals shall now work. Sensors have been added along with a module, this works on the passage of the trains. The signals reverting back though the aspects after the train is clear. This was done by a keen electronics member down our club. Cheers Dave. The current project is the reworking of the stables, we are building an access road to the location cabinets and moving the stables for this purpose. Hopefully with more details added to the stables before we pack up ready for the show. There shall be a lack of a dining room table for the next three weeks. Work is also continuing on stock, one that has been promised now to Collin for a year , it's all ready to go now. If I have time some of the revolution tanks weathered. During a lull in work it would of been rude not to take the opportunity to pose some stock on the layout. Moving away from its home fleet I've posed some Anglia stock on it for a change. The picture also shows the stable area and addition of a pway hut which shall see an rapid growth from weeds when placed and suitably vandalised. Weaver Hill Team 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted January 18, 2019 Author Share Posted January 18, 2019 Good Morning, Following on from my last post this board has now been completed. So it's back to the storage unit with it and time to dig the tunnel boards out. Not long now but with a week off all being well we should be able to have the last few jobs all done and dusted for the shows. Well we hope so anyway. The last few items of stock for this show shall also be getting finished off with maybe the addition of 91019. Maybe a small detailing project there. I've gone with an East Coast flavor for this next set of photographs. Weaver Hill Team 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share Posted March 5, 2019 (edited) Good Morning All, It's time to drag Weaver Hill out of storage for it's next show. It should be another enjoyable weekend playing trains at Macclesfield. There has not been any changes to the layout since we had it out at Stafford so there is very little to report. We had a great weekend at Stafford despite the poor running we suffered on the Saturday morning with plenty of packing under the layout to cure this. The IEP suffered running in it's 10 car formation and so shall be running as a 5 car this weekend. I attach two photos of the layout from the show. Benjamin Edited March 5, 2019 by Benjamin Brady 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share Posted March 5, 2019 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 Evening A good day had at the Macclesfield show ,Bit temperamental for the first half hour , then settled down ,had a lot of positive comments , same again tomorrow , Say hello if you are visiting , Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 Hello Weaver Hill now back , a few jobs to complete before its next outing , scenery needs touching up , and few little fingers kept appearing , how the fence stayed on is a credit to the superglue !!. We had a good weekend , , managed to run a few out of era trains for people , needed locos testing , even a Grand Central HST had a run , will post photos later of the show . Thanks 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxokid Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 On 05/03/2019 at 08:16, Benjamin Brady said: Lots of super detailing here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Great looking layout David 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted March 14, 2019 Author Share Posted March 14, 2019 Good Evening all, Well it has nearly been a week since we were at Macclesfield. As always it was a great weekend and we are looking forward to the next show. The main task since getting back has been to remove the signal modules to try and get them working for the next show. We have had to attend the last two shows with signals showing a blank aspect. I attach a few photos of the layout from the Sunday afternoon. When I took the photos there were only two trains running around, thus the lack of variety. I was on my own at the time so could not change the trains while snapping. Benjamin. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted March 14, 2019 Author Share Posted March 14, 2019 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Brady Posted March 14, 2019 Author Share Posted March 14, 2019 And for those interested the BEA A319 at Manchester Airport, along with a visiting Western on the layout. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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