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Big jim’s Garage conversion and layout thread


big jim
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Put the wood down for the middle level of tracks, corked it and laid the tracks

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The high level line can go over the top on a single track steel bridge

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The branch line can continue up and over the mainline to a small station overlooking the gorge, I’m going to cut the board back along the blue line then when I eventually do the scenery I will have a big drop down from the station to the gorge bottom, the heritage and narrow gauge line will come out of either a pair or single tunnel portals through the rock face below the station 

369EECC4-9B14-4336-8633-FB1825D6C3D5.jpg

 

I may set the viaduct up with the curved bit in the middle As in the picture so when it exits on the left hand side the bridge will be facing the mainline tracks so I can fit the curve in to come back over the door section 

A4D04F4F-FE95-4930-9BD5-EE6A839FC475.jpg

 

 

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Had a quick 1/2 hour in the garage before work, mocking up bits and bobs again

 

I was thinking about the oil terminal I had planned for the corner then realised I’ve got a lot more ‘nuclear traffic’ than oil wagons so I thought about turning the area into a holding and storage sidings for flasks etc as I have (I think) 5 FNAs, the drs support coaches, 6 PFAs as well as the accurascale big flask wagon in order 

 

if I swap the bridge for the double track one I have I can run the branchline to the left and have the siding entrance to the right 

229BCD26-3A3C-4ECA-A83E-2E596DE6297A.jpg

 

then have the branchline climb a little bit higher to the terminal single platform station while the siding continues to a head shunt at the lower level, line to the left could be flask unloading facility, loco shed for internal shunter next to it and a fan of sidings to the right 

55DEBEA4-72CC-4866-BDF6-C7225F462BC9.jpg
 

Will Cut down the high level board which is sitti a good 3 inch higher than before

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single platform on the mountain plateau

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then I had an idea of what about a fernicular railway down to the bottom of the gorge!

8CAAD932-3085-44E7-AE57-80F8C35BF720.jpg

 

The other thing I’ve done is bought the scale scene folly kit download, instead of the big castle the other side of the gorge I may put it in the branch line side but higher up again on another plateau, not sure yet, I also downloaded extra matching brick paper to make town walls should I decide to leave it as originally planned and have it the other side of the gorge

 

ive got a week off work now apart from one night turn so hopefully I can crack on with getting the remaining boards secured and put some of these ideas into motion 

 

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Looked at the removable section again, I mocked up a dropping section, a hinged out section and a lifting section

 

i think I’m going to go with the lifting section as the hinged open one interfered with the sofa, the drop down one is still a possibility if the lifting bit doesn’t work

 

first it was securing the legs and corner fillet baseboard securely 

E38417D8-995D-48D0-86A8-7749C4878CCA.jpg

 

The removable section is wide enough for 5 or 6 tracks now, it will have raised hinges on small blocks on the right hand side so as to not damage the track ends when lifted to open

D24DCB99-FAF2-4EFB-8512-20581204E4E4.jpg
 

I may run the dual gauge track on to the removable section and put the splitting track on there, from there the NG track will need to climb up back to the high level again so I’ll have to put the start of an incline up on the removable section but I can’t see it being too much of a problem 

 

Next up, what do we think of this idea for the stone viaduct, have a central cast iron section over the river bed area, the sides are generic so the oval top railings are too big for OO so I’d cut them off and replace with something smaller (and obviously move the sides up to the top) 

153DD0E2-8F85-4BF1-B35D-AD814D4302DB.jpg
 

Opens out the view of the bigger viaduct 

DC66AF8F-6893-4368-B702-E66B6FED2926.jpg

 

030FFFB7-A03E-4072-B1B5-B769C6E24471.jpg
 

 

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45 minutes ago, LongRail said:

Jim if you have a hinged sections the hinges will need to be top of the boards so the track moves away as it opens upwards


that’s the plan, I’ve ordered some long thin hinges from amazon that will sit on small blocks on top of the boards, just waiting for them to arrive sometime next week and I’ll get them fitted, also waiting on spray mount glue for the cork and some big round dowel to cut into outer legs for the raised sections so everything is pretty much on hold now until that lot arrives

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17 hours ago, big jim said:

 

 

Next up, what do we think of this idea for the stone viaduct, have a central cast iron section over the river bed area.

 

Opens out the view of the bigger viaduct 

DC66AF8F-6893-4368-B702-E66B6FED2926.jpg

 

Hi Jim.

I've agreed with this above but here's why. It will look very much like Viaduct Number 54 over the River Weaver in Cheshire. Picture here. Apart from the better view of the bridge behind it gives a wider watercourse.

 

Best wishes.

 

Cam

Edited by CameronL
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  • RMweb Gold

I didn’t realise you could get the clearance with them sat on the top of the board, as I say I was going to raise them a centimetre or so to get the rail clearance at the hinge end but hopefully seeing your pic I won’t have to 

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15 hours ago, big jim said:

That’s a great example, the river will hopefully look more rural than that part of the weaver though! 

Glad you like it. Having canoed and walked the Weaver in the past I can say that it is a thoroughly "tame" river - it was turned into a navigable watercourse with locks etc. to ship salt from Northwich to the River Mersey and then the Manchester Ship Canal in the 18th century. Still, if you did model your river like that all those people riding on the funicular could go boating when they got to the bottom.

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Jim a few more pictures which hopefully will show the detail (thumb partially obscuring the viewfinder for part of the photos)

I have an alignment dowel on the other side to ensure good alignment, I had to adjust the far end by extending the hinged section  with a piece of plate to move the joint to a straight section as opposed to just onto the curve, this makes a massive difference and trains can travel over this section at speed now

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  • RMweb Gold

Hinges arrived earlier in the week, first day off today to have a play about, seemed to have got it first time 

 

put them on blocks to help it clear the rails when opened 
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047AA7EC-69EB-480E-878B-0B2AD8B50DDE.jpg
 

8223F610-18F5-4CC1-AB09-4794F7A7D180.jpg
 

E45050C7-FE32-4D14-8A26-FE6C2589F577.jpg
 

now it’s a case of getting the tracks onto it and over the other side, got some pcb to attach to the edges of the boards and lifting section, then find someone in crewe who after lockdown will come and solder rails to it for me 

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Fixed down the back upper level this evening, have used dowels at the front edge and screwed to the batons along the rear wall, then I put the higher level on dowel legs (just 3 for now) to get an idea of how it will look.

 

 I bought that bit forward a bit so the line nearest the wall won’t be in a tunnel for the whole of one side so I may need to cut the outside edge of the high up bit back a bit so the oo9 line can run round the outside of the outcrop while the oo gauge goes through a tunnel onto the viaduct 

68014F24-21DB-4FF6-9450-0C2AA669758A.jpg

 

8D5968C1-43E9-4966-B977-D384BA6A2084.jpg

 

Had a look at the viaduct and the laser cut pieces from the last post, bit the bullet and cut the noch viaduct back by one arch on one side to line up with the (now painted black) ironbridge

E6DD4845-789B-4786-BF2B-04A0D71E5D0F.jpg
 

looking at the pieces on the narrow gauge bridge I’ve decided im going to put the bridge deck along the top of the laser cut bits, a couple of MM down, basically along the top of the oval holes then put a hand rail on top of that so the oval holes are below bridge deck level 

 

 

A9D51503-7D9D-4499-A3FF-A3968D73A5DA.jpg
 

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Imagination time again, 66789 head light engine over the ironbridge while Bridget heads over the dual gauge track with a couple of GVT coaches 

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over all view of the viaduct 

B1C3B854-3553-429F-99CA-AC595A3BCAD2.jpg

 

And a view from the river bed up to the ironbridge with 66789 passing over

12E0BB70-0D17-4317-B2E5-E0BC45831E4C.jpg

 

planning a day in the garage tomorrow to crack on with getting track up to the lifting section and maybe the last of the higher level boards in place so I can bin all my offcuts and have a tidy up in the room 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

Back round to the town side of the layout, took the big piece of wood off and cut it down, firstly so the top curve could be used on the lower level to make a new fillet to allow the heritage line to continue in a complete loop 

49A92AD8-6B97-494B-B952-6D8F04CEED8B.jpg
 

Then the upper part was put back in place But with the front sitting cut off and sat at a lower level 

9DE21068-7807-4B7C-8201-8C817B1C669B.jpg

 

What will happen then is the narrow gauge line will climb up the outer edge of the board and up and over the main lines, it will then come back along the wall, over a tressle bridge back across the doorway, I may make it Loop back round as per the original plan to join up with the bit where the track will drop back down to ground level 

279313B6-14D3-44A4-9B15-F939BBF9EF11.jpg

 

then onto the lifting section, trying something out here, it may work or be a dogs dinner but it’s worth a try, instead of soldering the rails to PCB I’m going to have a try at encasing the track to just above sleeper level between the rails and to the top of the rail in epoxy resin

 

first up I secured the rails at the inner end and made a dam out of white tack 

B50368B7-9BA3-46A3-92F5-A5C3E6097490.jpg
 

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I then poured the resin in place allowing it to flow below the sleepers, and up to the rail top on the outside, and now it’s a waiting game, let it cure over night and have a look at it tomorrow afternoon with any luck, hopefully it’s then just a case of running the dremel across the join and hoping the track stays in situ!

9F97FD7F-5CED-4080-A848-ECEF238E373F.jpg

 

 

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Well it appears to have worked, couple of days curing, cut down the joints with a dremel and with a little bit of gentle persuasion it opened up nicely with the track going no where 

DBDE1B25-9FD7-49E9-AABE-A69980B57395.jpg

 

7FBED2C4-68CE-4FCC-89A2-0901DCDD2791.jpg
 

the other end is still loose so I can position the track when I’ve lined up the fixed bit, glued down the narrow gauge incline 

BA50795A-4EE8-4291-9778-A4C42C61AFE0.jpg

 

Then began to fix down the crossover matrix which will allow me to run on just the lower level should I choose to, also placed the racer point in position to get the idea of how the narrow gauge will separate from the heritage line 

00EB2176-C5CE-4FFC-9EEC-EE22D6D81A16.jpg

 

This is the first bit of non plain line I’ve started to fix down so it’s taken a bit of working out where the insulated fishplates go, I think I got it about right then realised that the points I’d earmarked for it had been modified on the frogs (so they were always live I think) so were unsuitable as I would have had shorts once I tried to wire them up, unfortunately having gone through my points I only had one non modified point and more strangely only 3 left hand points, the other 20+ I have are all right handed so I’ll have to get 3 more over the weekend from trident trains 
2D993868-4F60-48F3-8FEC-D8B11EE7F669.jpg
 

A quick look at the mill, I think the station on the low down cut off bit looks quite good, I can get away with 2 tracks in front one heading up to the mill the other heading off to the left at a shallower angle and back round the loop, the main reason being I think I may have to limit the L&B loco and long wheelbase coaches to the loop as I don’t think it will go round the 1st radius peco curves unlike the Bachmann Baldwin 

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triangle above the mainline toward the mill and back round the loop

D17AFB34-84AD-4022-A0EC-5379414461C2.jpg

 

as for the mill, I sat looking at it after I took the pics and I do think that area will look better as the castle on top of a mound with the mainline going into a tunnel below it and the NG running through the walls and round the back of the main battlements

 

The one bit I forgot to photograph was the NG line heading off towards the lift up door section on a laser cut lattice bridge (which I have 4 of), the plan with that is it will hinge in the opposite direction to the existing board, that was then going to terminate in a small 1st radius loop at what was going to be the castle, however it’s more likely now to be the mill!

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Pics of the some of the work I’ve done the last couple of days

 

layed the dual gauge track between the lifting section and gorge, it’s very tight but class 37 and 47 will go round ok, class 66 come off though 

C0D9F1D8-F1FC-4015-89E4-A6BD94B6603B.jpg

 

784FAF45-9874-4AD8-98D7-2949C5485D55.jpg
 

203355B9-A5D9-4953-8E8A-E143F3D642C3.jpg
 

it enters the gorge further back than planned so the bridge will have to be at a slight angle to the ironbridge but I think it will look ok

26E9F6AA-8C73-4E59-9363-639EC5994FB1.jpg
 

6FE2783D-2CE0-4AE0-8631-281ADA70A0BC.jpg
 

the question is do I keep the bridge straight or have the curved bit at the end?

 

im liking the curved section so the dual track can go through a tunnel as opposed to splitting before the tunnel mouth 

AD06E1D4-74C8-4EDA-A023-D1919EBC0ED4.jpg

 

98416765-0E59-4EE6-9CE0-CEABCF9385E8.jpg
 

The next thing I’ve done is extend the board at the rear of the layout, because of the kitchen unit doors I’ve had to put the boards on top of the existing boards, screwed through to the existing batons 

0CE42360-12CA-4CAD-9FAD-A261DD44A226.jpg

 

The 2 boards are not screwed down properly yet and I need to add a frame, just a single screw in the corner to hold it in place 
B5B061D2-54BD-4E12-ACED-330B52F20B88.jpg

 

Got to fill the corner below the new board, The curve I’ve cut is a 3rd radius where the preserved line will go round into a short tunnel 

771F75AB-500B-4384-A841-FF1B98EAE213.jpg

 

Back to the narrow gauge track, this is the triangle above the mainline 

BF854610-28FF-4C10-B426-7E40F31F4C40.jpg
 

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The right hand side of the triangle will be slightly lower than in the picture 

8292AFCB-F9A2-4AEB-A6B0-262051F70B19.jpg
 

Annoyingly I’ve lost 3 narrow gauge points in the layout room somewhere for the triangle, I’ve got 3 more coming though, if I find the others I do have a use for them but I’ve had every cupboard and drawer open to try and find them but I’m totally at a loss as to where they are!

 

the points arrived for the mainline crossovers today so I’ll get them in place over the weekend hopefully 

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Well I can’t find the missing 009 points, thing is i know when I bought them (beginning of feb) and none of my pics since that date have them on show, ie the triangle mock up shows the 2 existing points I had so I don’t think they even made it to the garage, annoyingly I do remember putting a parcel/letter ‘somewhere safe that I won’t forget’ at the start of the year but I can’t remember where that somewhere safe I won’t forget is! 
 

anyway a little side distraction project courtesy of shapeways

 

009 class 70 

71D02444-0FF8-49E7-9815-FD05CB348264.jpg

 

kato N gauge chassis 

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And with its big brother 

FDA92593-162D-4F1D-93FE-C966016028DE.jpg

 

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ive already given it a prime and hand painted the colas yellow and orange on it by hand, got to rub it down slightly in places and reapply the colours with finer less course brushes, the synthetic ones I’m using are a bit coarse really, then it’s the fun of masking off for the black to go on

 

 

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And so a 2nd coat of the orange and yellow

2ADF14E8-AEFD-434E-941F-15F8FB495F36.jpeg.7d206f6b94020c6b65ceabf44801ea04.jpeg
 

then masked off for the black

4607580D-D719-4FA2-B1FA-7BF9F68CA940.jpeg.4c3301ea0142884aa29753a84d6c3e1a.jpeg

 

and on with that from a spray can this time, , leaving it overnight before removing the masking, saying that I did take a little piece of it off earlier and it has bled a little bit but nothing a touch up with a brush won’t sort out, hopefully the rest is ok

DDC9EECF-DAB9-4312-8838-A8E2D5DD11D8.jpeg.71aceb587b8c1fa71d8e3ba81662f138.jpeg
 

might get back to doing a bit on the layout tomorrow too

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold
14 hours ago, mozzer models said:

Hi Jim

I find giving this type of 3d print a coat of Halford filler primer 1st helps smooths the finish


that’s what I’ve used, I’ve unmasked it now and rather than the black bleeding through it’s actually the black has lifted in places when I’ve taken the tape off, it’s nothing horrendous and it’s actually easier to ‘fill the gaps’ in the black with a brush than try and paint The light yellow over the black!

 

only thing is I can’t find any black paint in my collection of tins, will have to pop to hobby craft later and get some 

 

 

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