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

[nharding99]

 

The left hand elevated section is coming along. I've used an asymmetric wall to hopefully help disguise the fade to the terraced back scene. Just a note on that, the plan is to remove those 3 furthest left backscene terraces and plonk some terraced houses and a shop (from the Farish range). I'll most likely be doing a bit of shopping at Warley! Some details still to be added of course (street lights etc). I thought I'd add a billboard or two in that triangle between road and wall so a quick mockup is staged there. The roads aren't finished yet, still haven't completed my road surface experiments (thanks Freight Connection for the hints). In the foreground will eventually be retaining walls.

 

Moving back to the railway side of the fence, the plan is to have catenary (without the wires modelled) on the mainline and to leave the goods yard unelectrified. I will need one gantry, the rest will be Dapol single masts. Shown here is the NBrass gantry, temporarily sited. The left hand line and the converging line that the unit is on represent the electrified lines. The bit of unballasted track is there pending whatever uncoupling solution I use. I'm finding that neo magnets (in conjunction with EasyShunt couplings) are tricky to plant at the right depth. Placed at baseboard level they grab and derail weighted trucks, sink them a mm or two and they are too weak. I could always revert to the Dapol magnets but they are big and wouldn't look as neat

 

 

Still so much to do

Edited November 4, 2018 by nharding99

[Zomboid]

Overhead line. Always a winner in my book (shame about not having the wires, but I wouldn't want to take that on in N either).

Edited October 22, 2018 by Zomboid

[nharding99]

A few shots showing this week's progress. I have been planning and temporarily adding some of the station fixtures. I plan to add a bus stop type shelter. The idea is for some sort of mashup based upon the Severn Models etched brass kit (it's currently too narrow for a railway shelter so I'll have to widen it somehow, possibly with another kit of the same type).

 

 

I have added an overall shot so that you can see how the layout will eventually look, many items posed while I think about building placement and how exactly the road will work on the right hand elevated section. The building that you see is intended as an engineering works, it's something I made some time ago, a cut down and anglicised Heljan kit with Kestrel boiler house and chimney.

 

 

 

 

Have a great weekend everybody!

Edited October 29, 2018 by nharding99

[nharding99]

 

Progress has been a little bit slow over the last couple of weeks (work, family, the usual stuff) but I have managed to work on the bridge and retaining walls on the station side of the layout. I decided to go down the Metcalfe route in the end. The result is far neater than my own efforts at scratch building. I did vary it a bit by removing the Metcalfe arches and created a straight wall. 

 

I have also added an embankment and started to put down some static grass. That's the first time I have done that for real, you can see that I've missed quite a bit on the right hand side so that will have to be built up and further developed. I also should have masked the track when I built the embankment, there are a few bits of plaster on the track. I'm thinking that I will try a few gentle washes of ballast and track colour to fix that.

 

It seems suitably dark in the tunnel so that is good. The top section is removable. In the end I decided to use a couple of dowels as plugs and the section just rests on the baseboard and slots in quite snugly. It's quite secure (unless I decide to tilt the board at steep angles which I wouldn't do anyway during normal usage). Next jobs:

 

• Decide upon uncoupling magnets and install

 

• Build the stairway down to the platform (I'm thinking of using the Ratio lattice footbridge as a basis)

 

• Build/paint the road 

 

• Complete the elevated structure on the other side of the layout

 

• And a few hundred other things 

 

That's all for now!

Edited November 10, 2018 by nharding99

[TomJ]

I’ve had the same issue with uncoupling - didn’t want the big magnets in view. In the end I found that if I take out the sleepers and make a gap in the cork I can put them in at a depth where they still work. I then cover the magnet with micro strip to represent the sleepers. Once painted and ballasted they’re almost invisible. So much so I need some other clue as to their location for shunting!

[nharding99]

I’ve had the same issue with uncoupling - didn’t want the big magnets in view. In the end I found that if I take out the sleepers and make a gap in the cork I can put them in at a depth where they still work. I then cover the magnet with micro strip to represent the sleepers. Once painted and ballasted they’re almost invisible. So much so I need some other clue as to their location for shunting!

Thanks TomJ. I think there has been a NGS journal article about this within the last couple of years. I'll see if I can dig that out. I don't have a cork layer but same principles should apply. It's possible that weaker neodymium magnets would work. I'm not sure of the science here and how strength is measured and how that would work. In any event I'll keep trying it out on a test plank. I think the next thing to try is the standard Dapol magnets and see how well they can be disguised.

 

Thanks again!

Nigel

[MrSimon]

HI Nigel

 

I disguised the Dapol magnets with some of that really thin wood on the French cheese boxes, with a bit of ballast you can't see where they are (after the layout went in store for a bit I lost where they were!)

 

Cheers

Simon

[TomJ]

Thanks TomJ. I think there has been a NGS journal article about this within the last couple of years. I'll see if I can dig that out. I don't have a cork layer but same principles should apply. It's possible that weaker neodymium magnets would work. I'm not sure of the science here and how strength is measured and how that would work. In any event I'll keep trying it out on a test plank. I think the next thing to try is the standard Dapol magnets and see how well they can be disguised.

 

Thanks again!

Nigel

Even if not using cork base this should still work. Cut out the sleepers and put the Dario magnet in the gap. The magnet should be at the level of the sleepers or just below. If you use thin micro strip, paint and ballast it should be fairly well disguised even if these ‘sleepers’ are a little higher.

 

I’ve only used the Dapol magnets and they’ve always worked well. I think others have used tiny rare earth magnets which are easy to hide as well

[nharding99]

As regular readers will know, my layout is based upon Steve Farmer's Lymebrook Yard and so I thought it was worth a shout-out to remind everyone that Lymebrook Yard will be appearing at the Warley exhibition on Saturday (see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/112891-lymebrook-yard/?p=3367596).I see Lymebrook Yard as the more mature, better looking older sister  So go along and see it, as I intend to!

[sf315]

Thanks for the mention Nigel.

Hope to meet you over the weekend.

Steve.

[nharding99]

Thanks for the mention Nigel.

Hope to meet you over the weekend.

Steve.

I'll be there on Saturday Steve. Hopefully there will be a quiet enough moment where I can introduce myself!

[nharding99]

This week's update...

 

 

I have been working on the elevated section on the right hand side of the layout. The retaining walls ( à la Metcalfe) are now glued in place. The section has dowel plugs as per the other side for lifting off and track cleaning.

 

 

I have added a 4 aspect colour light signal ~(though not permanently fixed in position yet). This is my first venture into non semaphore signalling. This item is from CR signals and really looks the part. The base has been trimmed to fit the location. It's a tight fit, stock only just misses it but I didn't fancy the thought of an overhead gantry so hopefully it will be okay. A Heathcote Electronics MAS sequencer is on order for control of the lights. I plan to have it interlocking with one of the mainline points so some learning for me to do there. (Just a note for the purists that the loco pictured would not be controlled by that signal, the signal controls the line which passes to its right I'll install some dummy ground signals for the head shunt and sidings. I was using the loco to test clearances). 

 

 

The jury is out on the uncoupling magnets. Perhaps they ought to be buried into the baseboard surface a little deeper. They do seem quite prominent. They would possibly look better if they were painted to tone them down. I'll have a think about that.

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited November 22, 2018 by nharding99

[toolongtoremember]

We've both gone for the same signals from CR Signals, but I got mine working with blocksignalling control units. Interesting!

[nharding99]

I have been quietly working away on the control panel...

 

 

It is just about fully functional. The 6th lever will now be removed as I now plan to control the colour light signal with a sequencer and interlocking with the mainline fork. The presentation needs some work (permanent creation of a track inlay diagram and I'll probably paint the whole panel).

 

The passengers now have a means of getting from the station building to the platform...

 

 

This is a Ratio lattice footbridge which has been rearranged into a single staircase. It needs a bit of weathering but the scene is looking more believable now.

 

At the other side of the layout I'm trying out a laser cut bridge by KS Laser Designs. The appeal of this is that the detail is good and it is based upon an actual Manchester bridge in the Oxford Road/Deansgate area. So hopefully that will add some authenticity to my "South Manchester-ish" theme. I still need to complete painting. It was a tad on the low side so I'll add some foundation to it, the bridge sides would benefit from being raised a touch and I don't want any pantographs snagging on it when the AC electric locomotives arrive!

 

 

The road section near the station has finally been completed... I used some textured paint for this. It's verging on the edge of being a bit too lumpy for N Gauge but I think it does the job. I'd probably keep it smooth next time.

 

 

And finally, I thought it was time for some operating fun so here is a video of a DMU chugging around the layout. It's quite tricky to drive and record with smart phone at the same time, hence the slightly hesitant start :-)

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited November 30, 2018 by nharding99

[luke the train spotter]

I've enjoyed reading this thread so far and look forward to following it in the future. Great modeling and it's very well built too.

[nharding99]

Some late night modelling... I'm pleased with how the laser cut bridge turned out...

 

 

Painting it took some patience, lots of iterations with masking tape. I think it was worth it though!

 

Spear fencing has been added to the station overbridge. Just need to add the platform furniture and build a small bus shelter type waiting room and that part of the layout will be ready for "sign off"!

 

 

The yard crane that you see is just about completed now. It's a white metal kit which is not my favourite medium but it has scrubbed up quite well...

 

 

Next jobs will be to add the 4 aspect signal (I'm just ensuring that I understand the wiring required off scene), develop the goods yard and the right side elevated section.

 

Thanks again for reading!

 

Nigel

Edited December 3, 2018 by nharding99

[nharding99]

Just a quick update (hopefully you're not bored with this yet but I promised myself that I'd try to offer a weekly update where possible, it helps to keep moving the project forward).

 

The station now has more personality, this week I have added the overhead catenary masts, small bus shelter type waiting room, other platform fittings and people!

 

 

 

 

I suppose the platform numbers will need to be attached to the station lights (I hadn't really thought about that until now). I plan to add a "way out" sign to the walkway. The station is getting there though.

 

In the background you can see that I'm planning the concrete apron area for the goods yard. I'm currently cutting out mounting card for that purpose, I'm inevitably being a bit inaccurate with my cutting and am creating gaps that need to be filled. I'm wondering if it might be easier to roll out some DAS modelling clay as I can then get closer to the tracks without leaving gaps.

 

Here's a shot from the other side...

 

 

Not photographed, the MAS sequencer has been installed below the board. I think I have figured out the wiring for the interlocking. That's one of my next jobs (plant the signal and wire it up). I've lost the ladder from my colour light signal so I'll have to source a new one (any suggestions? Ideally an etch I suppose). 

 

That's all for now 

 

[carlw]

Nigel,

 

As a regular operator of Steve’s layouts you really have captured the feel of Lymebrook while making it look different and your own.

 

Are the mast’s glued in place yet, just to point out they would use a different type of mast to lower the wire going under the bridge.

 

Carl

[nharding99]

Nigel,

 

As a regular operator of Steve’s layouts you really have captured the feel of Lymebrook while making it look different and your own.

 

Are the mast’s glued in place yet, just to point out they would use a different type of mast to lower the wire going under the bridge.

 

Carl

Thanks Carl.

 

No the posts are not permanently glued in place. I'm always ready to be educated. Would you expect a supporting structure to be attached to the bridge itself? 

 

Many thanks!

[carlw]

Nigel,

 

This is the mast I was talking about. Image taken from N brass website.

 

 

Not sure on if they would be attached to the bridge, i suppose it would depend on the distance from previous masts.

 

Cheers

 

Carl

Edited December 8, 2018 by carlw

[nharding99]

Nigel,

 

This is the mast I was talking about. Image taken from N brass website.

 

129A6068-21F9-4C14-AD8E-A1CD5AF4472C.jpeg

 

Not sure on if they would be attached to the bridge, i suppose it would depend on the distance from previous masts.

 

Cheers

 

Carl

Excellent! You anticipated my next question (is there a suitable part from N Brass?). Thanks so much for the hints!

Edited December 8, 2018 by nharding99

[sf315]

Nigel

Looking good and as Carl says you’ve made it different from Lymebrook.

Yes you could attach the arm to the bridge or put a portal type structure just in front of the bridge and attach the arms to that. For portal structures have a look at pics of the lines around Stoke. Plenty of portals there, N brass do the nessescary kits.

Thanks Steve.

Edited December 8, 2018 by sf315

[nharding99]

Nigel

Looking good and as Carl says you’ve made it different from Lymebrook.

Yes you could attach the arm to the bridge or put a portal type structure just in front of the bridge and attach the arms to that. For portal structures have a look at pics of the lines around Stoke. Plenty of portals there, N brass do the nessescary kits.

Thanks Steve.

 

Thanks Steve. Yes I suppose the intention was always to put my own spin on your layout (different era, different structures, electrification). Also there aren't too many transition era electric layouts around and I've never seen a green AM4 in N Gauge (I have a cunning plan for that, however it will be a longer term project). My layout wouldn't be what it is without Lymebrook Yard though    - it has really helped me visualise what to do in the space available and of course I have totally adopted your track plan.

Edited December 8, 2018 by nharding99

[nharding99]

The engineers have been busy and have installed new (correct) catenary posts in front of the station bridge... These NBrass parts are a little fiddly but I think they look very good when finished.

 

 

This angle exposes the fact that I have a gap between the embankment and the wall so a bit of infill will be added there.

 

Just a quick update, that's all for now!

[carlw]

Nigel,

 

They look great. Well done.

 

Carl