Trinity Road - 4'x2' urban project in N Gauge

[nharding99]

In some ways it's been a frustrating week! I've managed to lose my platform shelter, I've spent about 4 hours looking for it. The layout has to be stored on top of a storage unit when not in use, it's easy to have something slide off if it's not glued down. I've no idea where it has gone.  I've also managed to yank the NCE power cable out of the connection panel and done some damage there so need a new panel. Also one of my sound fitted DMUs is dead so I'll need to diagnose that. Furthermore I damaged one of my retaining walls but that's not a biggie and can be repaired or disguised.

 

On the positive side, I've made progress with the goods yard and the river/stream (done some woodwork to lay the foundations and have developed the over bridge). The only carpentry remaining now is the backscene which I've been putting off a bit but I'll need to tackle it fairly soon. If I can get that right then I know it will improve the appearance no end.

 

Here's a quick video showing a short engineer's train and an 04 shunter running past the colour light. I find the signal changes very satisfying... The novelty may wear off but I could spend all day watching it change from green to red to yellow to double yellow to green. You're lucky I didn't video the whole sequence!  

 

 

The shunter by itself (and the same with other other short wheelbase locos) doesn't trigger the signal change. I understand that that is fairly prototypical and with the shunter's wagon added everything is fine. So I'm happy enough with that.

 

I think that's all for now. Thanks for reading!

[toolongtoremember]

This layout is really coming on well! I saw the other layout like this at Warley this year. You're making some lovely characterizations of the plan to your own specification and it is looking well! 

[nharding99]

First post of the year so if it's not too late then Happy New Year everyone!

 

Progress has been slow over the holiday period and I don't seem to have found much time for developing the layout in the new year. I have however completed a building. This is intended to be a 1960s supermarket for the street on the right hand section.It's a kestrel kit with some added detail. The roof still needs a bit of work.

 

 

I have also added the upper walls to the stream bridge although these need re-planting because long locomotives do catch the inside wall on the inner curve. 

 

 

Hopefully I'll have more to share soon 

[nharding99]

Right now I'm looking at the factory positioning and would welcome a few opinions...

 

 

I'm reasonably happy with the factory - I do want something in front of that long retaining wall to break it up a bit - but my concern is that even in the grimy 1960s the chimney might be regarded as a bit low in height in terms of polluting the road above.

 

Looking at some photos on Google it would seem that many chimney towers are much higher than the one I have. Modelling pragmatism may lead me to just leave the chimney out.

 

I'd welcome any opinions...

 

Many thanks

 

Nigel H 

[sf315]

Nigel

Looking good put the chimney coming out of a smallish building but same height as others. on the other side of the set you have it looks to near the brook to me. This will give you a bit more height as you’ll be able to raise it up.

Thanks Steve

[nharding99]

Nigel

Looking good put the chimney coming out of a smallish building but same height as others. on the other side of the set you have it looks to near the brook to me. This will give you a bit more height as you’ll be able to raise it up.

Thanks Steve

 

Thanks Steve, I guess you mean something like this... https://www.osbornsmodels.com/faller-222202-n-scale--boiler-house-16293-p.asp

 

It shouldn't be beyond me to scratch build a lower building.

 

All the Best

Nigel

[sf315]

Yes,but by putting it through the roof you can raise the overall height of the chimney up you could mount the chimney on a taller base then.

[nharding99]

Yes,but by putting it through the roof you can raise the overall height of the chimney up you could mount the chimney on a taller base then.

 

Thanks Steve. I've created a kind of lean-to base which extends the chimney and leans against the boiler house...

 

[nharding99]

I have added more detail to the street scene opposite the station forecourt. Terraced housing and shop are now in place, as is the "milkman" scene!

 

The backscene is a trial print and fit, it's something that I have created using Photoshop. The real one will be higher and will use a more robust supporting structure, currently it's backed with card and blu-tac-ed in place.

 

 

Down on the platform the waiting shelter has been glued in place.

 

 

Progress has been a little slow, the next "big" job will be the backscene.

 

Cheers for now!

 

Nigel H

Edited January 27, 2019 by nharding99

[Colin]

Just picked up on this thread, very impressed with your progress so far! After 40-odd years of modelling mainly BR Southern Region exclusively in 00, I have recently started work on my first ever N scale layout, which is of a similar size (approximately 5’ x 2’). I look forward to seeing how the layout develops.

[nharding99]

Just picked up on this thread, very impressed with your progress so far! After 40-odd years of modelling mainly BR Southern Region exclusively in 00, I have recently started work on my first ever N scale layout, which is of a similar size (approximately 5’ x 2’). I look forward to seeing how the layout develops.

 

Thanks Colin and good luck with your project. Is there somewhere that you are sharing progress?

[Colin]

Thanks Colin and good luck with your project. Is there somewhere that you are sharing progress?

Not yet, but I’m thinking about starting a layout thread. Everything’s been quiet over the Christmas period but I hope to restart work on the layout soon.

[nharding99]

So, about those AM4s... This is how far I have got.

 

 

I have started to clean paint off the shells of some old mark 1 coaches. Note to self, try to avoid those with white paint on the inside in future.

 

The Electra graphics have arrived and look impressive. I'd like to try to add handrails to the cab ends (3D printed from N Train). The handrails were painted a distinctive orange in the days of green livery.

 

Gresley bogies are on order from the NGS.

 

I plan to motorise one of the centre cars (the TC rather than the motor brake which will have the pantograph mounted). Does anyone have any recommendations? What have other multiple unit builders used? I'm aware that the class 158 chassis can be shortened as per Grahame Hedges' articles. I don't want to go down the Green Max route as the wheel spacing always seems a bit short to me. Has anyone ever used a class 150 chassis for this length of unit? That would be DCC ready which would suit me.

 

This is a long term project but I'm hoping that it might become the jewel in the crown :-) 

 

Thanks

 

[sf315]

Nigel

I use the class 170 or158 chassis and do them exactly as Grahame Hedges article as he showed me how to do it. You get a good reliable running and good hauling chassis. Most of my southern EMU stock is done this way. 

Thanks Steve. 

[nharding99]

Some more progress on the goods yard. A couple of run-down line side buildings have been glued in place. In general I  seem to be working from front to back!

 

 

I couldn't resist posing a few wagons...

 

 

The retaining wall has been extended with it's downward gradient ready for the road. The factory with chimney is now in its likely final location.

 

 

We are now 9 months into the project. Although things have been a little bit slow this year I'm reasonably pleased with progress. Still alot to do though :-)

[nharding99]

There have been more developments in the goods yard... I have added concrete infill up to the rail for the conflat area. This has removed an awkward looking step.

 

 

Further across the good yard, more detail has been added including a loading gauge and some yard clutter (oil drums etc). The small engineering factory (Electro Infinity Engineering Ltd) is now glued in place. There is a weigh bridge and office with signs of intrusion from nature (overgrown grass)... I think that a few more outcrops of will grass will be added in due course.

 

 

 

That's all for now :-)

 

[nharding99]

 

Some build progress on the AM4 units (aka class 304). I think that the cab ends will look better when fully painted and jumper cables fitted. As ever, close-ups are a little cruel.

 

Gaps still need to be filled.  You can see that I have started to fix handrails, though I will need to add transfer lining before those are permanently fixed. Matt varnish should eventually tone down that shiny look.

 

I have fitted Gresley bogies. I wasn't happy with the front bogie being positioned too far back so those front bogies have been cut out and positioned further forwards (not so noticeable on the connected ends).

 

I haven't yet sourced a pantograph (Dapol spares would be ideal but they are rarer than hen's teeth) and I haven't yet sourced a power chassis, nor front buffers.

 

In the real world, I believe that this is the first train I would have travelled on ca.1965!

 

 

 

[MrSimon]

Hi, don't know if it help: last time I was in the model shop in Eastbourne they had one of the Taylor MU motorising kits in the second hand box.  It had been there about a year so you might still be lucky.

Cheers

Simon

[nharding99]

Today my wife went shopping and asked me to finish off the vacuuming. This was a good idea, I vacuumed the whole layout because I hadn't operated any trains for weeks and the scenery had left quite a bit of debris on the board and amongst the tracks. I may be in trouble later but hey ho :-) After a good clean up the trains ran well

 

Here are some noisy DMUs crossing at the station:

 

 

 

The 101 probably needs to have its volume reduced a tad, both are fitted with sound. It's good to take a break from building!

 

 

[Tomsontour]

Hello Nigel 

 

Just a quick one seeing this has prompted me to start my own version of trinity Road well a more countryside based version but the board has been built hopefully have track down soon, just a thank you for showing what's possible in limited space, look forward to the next update

 

All the best

Matt

[nharding99]

8 hours ago, Tomsontour said:

Hello Nigel 

 

Just a quick one seeing this has prompted me to start my own version of trinity Road well a more countryside based version but the board has been built hopefully have track down soon, just a thank you for showing what's possible in limited space, look forward to the next update

 

All the best

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

 

That's great to hear. Hopefully you have been paying attention to Lymebrook Yard, the exhibition quality layout that is the basis of my layout. Do share your progress with us all and good luck with that. If I ever do produce a follow-up layout then I would do something more rural, just to contrast the urban scene of this one. I do have a love for the Cambrian Coast which goes back to my university days, I'd like to do something relating to that one day. There's no rush though. I'm wondering if countryside might be a bit easier actually, less buildings to think about and put together? Anyway, best of luck with your project and thinks for your interest, it is quite flattering and is appreciated.

[nharding99]

Just a quick update...

 

I discovered last weekend that the headshunt was "dead", some kind of electrical breakage. I found that a wire had detached from the power bus. That has now been fixed and I have spent some time making all of the connections to the power bus more robust (mainly with some dabs of solder).

 

I have added the road/ramp that descends to the goods yard. I used a bit of spare balsa wood for that.

 

 

I'm currently working on a low relief factory that will be sited next to this ramp at the rear of the goods yard. Early days yet, I'm sure that cutting out the window slots will be fun! In general the philosophy is to try to add some individuality by not using off-the-shelf kits for everything. I decided quite early on that I didn't want a "Metcalfe city" (good as many of those buildings are) and I'm trying not to have a "Kestrel city" either, I already have 3 Kestrel structures so I want to add greater variety now. To make things consistent I'm trying to ensure that all foreground modelling uses plastic structures, I may use some low relief card as I back on to the back scene.

 

 

Speaking of the back scene, I have an offer of help from a friend who works in the furniture-making business to help me with some carpentry. That should ensure that I don't botch it up!

 

That's all for now! As ever, thanks for reading.

Edited March 2, 2019 by nharding99

[nharding99]

The industrial building at the rear of the goods yard is taking shape. Also in view are some spare conflats (currently on offer at a well known Liverpool/Widnes retailer).

 

 

 

This is the second building I have scratch built (the first being the station building).  I tried a slightly different approach this time, I created layers (some stiff card with a couple of layers of plasticard embossed brick. I need to get a bit straighter and more accurate with my lines but I think it will pass muster. You can probably spot the deliberate mistake (misaligned window aperture which was mistakenly cut out and has been refilled. I'm hoping I have done enough that it won't be too visible.  I need to add a simple roof and the top section will be painted to represent a stone or concrete layer. The whole building is, of course, yet to be painted.

 

I'm thinking that the building will be branded as a mail order company - "The Global Catalogue Company" - a nod  to Great Universal Stores in Ardwick, Manchester. That will also justify the conflat traffic.

 

Cheers

Nigel

 

 

[nharding99]

 

With the paint still drying and the roof still to be added ,The Global Catalogue Company building is nearing completion.

 

It will be easier to get the roof cut to the correct profile when the back scene is in place. My slightly wonky walls and window aperture cutting mean that this is more of an impressionistic piece than a scale engineering masterpiece but it is unique and is hopefully evocative of a Manchester goods yard building.

 

Not pictured here I have also been doing some terra-forming (I felt that certain parts of the layout looked too flat at the front so I have gone back to basics and added some small mounds with plaster bandage.) Nothing too drastic but once I have re-scenicked (is that a word?) that area then I think it will look a little bit better.

 

That's all for now.

 

Nigel

 

 

[nharding99]

I have made some progress on the right hand side of the layout...

 

The river area has seen the addition of walls and plenty of foliage. There's some damage to the retaining wall that needs fixing or disguising and the wall needs extending slightly to the edge of the board.

 

 

As I mentioned last time, I have added a couple of mounds near the signal box,  just to help break up the overall flatness. As they say, every little helps.

 

 

On the area above the bridge I have extended pavements, secured the supermarket and added fencing. The space in the middle of the grassy area is awaiting the delivery of an apartment block courtesy of a Chinese seller on a well known auction site. So I imagine it's literally on the slow boat from China. In the foreground I needed some sort of industry so decided on a timber merchant (memories of North Rode timber in my home town). I've started to put together a 2 storey shed using some leftover parts, balsa wood and plasticard. I need to square it up a bit better by adding some cross bracing. 

 

 

I think that's all for now. Thanks for reading.

 

Nigel