Waddlemarsh - somewhere southwest of London sometime before today

[Gwiwer]

Fate has taken another turn.  On Sunday or Monday I contracted something nasty and spent Monday night in considerable pain - which I likened to being stabbed from inside the stomach - and then quite some time wondering which end might be best posed over the porcelain.  We called NHS111 after there was no improvement for several hours, only worsening pain until briefly relieved by one means or another.  There is, apparently, something going the rounds which is viral but produces symptoms akin to food poisoning.  It's the last thing I needed after spending much of the year so far a long way from well.  It is also the last thing I needed in terms of taking more time off work as I have now been away more than present so far this year.  

 

I return tomorrow after spending most of three days in bed or on the sofa.

 

In short that means nothing more has been achieved on the layout other than determining a need for more IRJs which will be addressed in the next couple of days.  Once I have those (and enough other bits to make a worthwhile order) I shall continue.  

 

The saga drags on.  I'm over this year.  Is it too much to ask for a couple of days in good health and time to get on with some modelling?

[Gwiwer]

A quiet day with no reason nor inclination to venture out into the weather has seen a little progress made.  

 

The left-hand half of the layout is now wired according to a plan offered privately and includes common-return wiring.  At present there are red and black wires trailing all over the place but ..... 

 

Once everything works as it should I can embark on a tidying-up of the wiring before connection the point motors (more wiring!) and signals (even more wiring!!).  Lighting will follow later.  I have encountered one problem.  The least-accessible point on the layout has shed its frog switch and that in turn has lost a couple of wires.  It may well be possible to by-pass that switch as the rails are all insulated beyond but Sunday evening is not the ideal time to pull out the soldering iron and rig a couple of spur wires.  At least I know what the problem is here.  

 

So far all other bits on the re-wired end power up as they should.  

[AndyID]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Once everything works as it should I can embark on a tidying-up of the wiring

 

 

I just sent for a roll of adhesive hook and loop (aka Velcro) for that purpose. Very inexpensive here on Ewotsit. I'll probably staple one side to the framing rather than rely on the adhesive. Should let me make changes without cutting a lot of cable ties.

 

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by AndyID
Predict this.

[Gwiwer]

Work continues slowly as time permits on the wiring-up and testing.  So far most has been good but a persistent dead-spot on one point had caused me some furrowed-brow moments.  It was wired according to the plan I am using and tested with the meter.  Nothing.  It is frog-switched and the spur wires beneath the blade hinges are clipped and removed so it isn't shorting.  

 

I took another look today.  I was still nowhere near enlightenment when something went "PING" and most of the rails popped out of the plastic base and distorted.  The beast was declared scrap.  A replacement is already in the mail.  Once that is fitted everything should finally work on the main part of the layout and I can move on to correctly wiring the crossover unit which, along with a three-way point, are all that remains to prevent smooth electrical operation.  

 

 

[Gwiwer]

A bullet has been bitten.  

 

The electrfrog double-slip has been replaced with an insulfrog one.  I fitted a full set of metal joiners at first to see what would happen.  One short arose.  After re-fitting IRJs on that side everything works.  Every move.  Every direction.  No stalling on the plastic frogs.  

 

There was one other point which had a dead spot.  I traced that to poor blade contact and having not installed frog switching because of its location at a dead end.  With the rails thoroughly polished that too now works.  

 

There will be a few on-off switches required in order to permit the required traffic movements.  Those will be easy.  A break in the feed wire to the required section will see to that.  And there will be a couple of spots at which I hand-off control of one movement from one control dial to another.  It's still a lot less fuss than wholesale conversion to DCC!

 

So now it is time to re-ballast the disturbed areas, fill in the holes around point motors, generally tidy up and move on to the crossover at the other end.  This has its own wiring diagram which should allow me to get it done and dusted with less dramas.  

 

All the remaining wiring is under-board so can be done at any time.  Now that trains run to my satisfaction the rest of the above-board groundwork and scenery can begin.

 

At this point I wish to record my sincere thanks to AndyID of this parish for his very considerable time and input in helping to resolve the electrical issues.  

[Gwiwer]

A little crude using a hand-held phone while the other hand controlled three trains at once but here is evidence that trains move!  
 

 

[Gwiwer]

The electrical mysteries continue. 

Meanwhile I can make progress on the scenic side of things. Working more or less from the back to the front the first feature will be the creation of Waddlemarsh Halt. 

This will just (only just!!) accommodate a standard SR 4-car train although 2-car would be more common. 2-Bil and 2-EPB types will be the norm with others turning up or running through from time to time. The sidings allow for up to 6-car trains. 

Not finding anything readily available to represent SR “Exmouth Junction” concrete slab platforms I have invested in some 3mm foam-board sections. These have been coated in neat PVA brushed evenly and coated with a fine sand which was first used for the unpaved platform areas in the final version of Treheligan station on my previous layout. 

Also not having any work bench means the task was performed in the kitchen while no-one else was looking. 

One brush is used for spreading the adhesive.  A second brush is used for sweeping up the excess sand. 

Bald spots can be rectified later using spray-on PVA. The sheets can then be cut to size and slab joins scored in them. I am hoping to create the uprights by similar means. 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Not an entirely successful day today. I fitted the end panel and glued the backscene to it. Only to have my thumb tear a hole in the sky. 
 

I have the ID Backscenes Premium self-adhesive prints to hand but the colours don’t match the earlier paper-print version I am using.  A Replacement paper version has been ordered. 
 

 

[Gwiwer]

The offending three-way point is replaced allowing reliable movement into and out of the “freight” side of the yard. 
 

The backscenes arrived during the week. I cut a groove in the cork tiles to act as a guide for the mounting board which has the photo-scene glued to it. I used MDF for the straight areas but the scene has to come around the same curve as the tracks meaning I had to find something which would take and hold the curve without creasing or bowing. The groove was filled with glue, the backscene placed into the groove and held for several minutes until secure. 
 

There are gaps and a couple of pegged areas but the bulk of that task is now done. 
 

I shall fit wood uprights behind the card later and also tie-strips to firm up the joins between card strips. 
 

In what is still a busy and chaotic scene a Crompton leads a short parcels rake from fiddle yard to goods yard. The running isn’t as smooth as it needs to be but this is still a work in progress. 
 

 

[Gwiwer]

Continuing with small steps forward one of the tricker pieces of the jigsaw has been resolving how trains on the passenger lines will exit the scene to their concealed reversing sidings.  The curve of the tracks around the corner of the room makes this more difficult than simply including a bridge at right-angles to the tracks.  And with the goods lines coming around in front of the scenery there is very little space to work with when the angles are factored in.

 

I investigated both a footbridge and a road bridge and had even looked at a road bridge with the road coming out across the goods lines then back over them closer to the yard.  There is space for the latter but not the angles for a road of useable width to turn the required corners.  In addition to which such a large feature raised some way above a flat-ground layout might look completely out of place.  

 

I settled for a cut-out in the curved back scene with the cut piece being fitted today.  The aperture is at the minimum height to allow trains through but is of necessity very wide because of the curve and the need to accommodate train overhang around it.  

 

The missing piece of printed scene will be added later as I have to give the mounting board 24 hours to adhere firmly and adjust to the curve.  The off-square cut in the print should be only a minimal problem as I have the matching piece to butt against it with the same cut line.  Above the train aperture will be cloudy sky and when that goes on the jagged edge to the board will also be tidied up  It was cut nicely but was found to be 1mm too low for some rolling stock so required trimming in situ.  Oops.  Another piece of print will be added later behind the passenger lines to give a sense of continuity.  

 

 

 

[PeterBB]

Interesting how we as modellers cope with being 'realistic' in minimal space.  We also measure things carefully and then often find that we have been too precise for the minor niggles on a coach or funnel just a wee bit high.  The effect will obviously work well.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, PeterBB said:

been too precise

Yes indeed.  The aperture was measured using a 2Bil unit as shown.  The 2EPB unit also clears and both do so by 1mm.  The rake of parcel vans seen in the image contains a Stanier one (not visible in shot) on which the air vents clipped the board.  Further tests showed that a few locomotives also just clipped the board.  

 

As it was not possible to remove as little as 1mm - and certainly not with the board already fixed in a fairly awkward spot and being asked to accept a curve - I did the best I could with about 2.5mm and the result was a bit messy.  

 

It should look rather better by lunchtime today.  

 

[Gwiwer]

The backscene became a jig-saw puzzle.  Such are the joys of using pre-printed I guess.  There are far more seams than I would like and they detract from the overall appearance but can be smoothed to an extent in image editing software.  

 

I am not sure about the trains appearing to run off the scene through the back of a house but I wasn't able to arrange it any other way.  And the other side of the aperture also requires more attention as there is a line where I don't want one between sky and scene.

 

However  .....

 

From top to bottom we see the "naked eye" view and all the joins in the printed backscene, then an edited version to remove them, a side-on view illustrating my point about the train running through the house and an overhead view giving an impression of where I am up to.  The two electric units run around the outer curves which are now hidden to reach the two reversing sidings which have been hidden for some time now via a short length of single track which acts as a crossover.  

 

Keen eyes might also recognise the dirty white fence placed along the base of the backscene.  It has been repurposed from Penhayle Bay and was originally the lineside fence above the loco shed and goods yard.  

[Joseph_Pestell]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

 

 

I am not sure about the trains appearing to run off the scene through the back of a house but I wasn't able to arrange it any other way.  And the other side of the aperture also requires more attention as there is a line where I don't want one between sky and scene.

 

 

 

Space there is clearly very tight. but would there be just enough space for a footbridge connecting a footpath running from between the houses? Some trainspotting youths or a photographer would, of course, be required in the absence of space for a bus.

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Space there is clearly very tight. but would there be just enough space for a footbridge connecting a footpath running from between the houses? Some trainspotting youths or a photographer would, of course, be required in the absence of space for a bus.

 

A footbridge is intended.  I tried using the old one from Penhayle Bay (the Hornby R076 kit known to a great many of us) but it just didn't fit.  I also have a Bachmann resin one which is intended for the other end of the halt but which could have been cut and reconfigured - but again it didn't work.  So I now have a Ratio kit in the mail which may be capable of kit-bashing to meet the geography.  And if nothing else some Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage - which is dried plant material and looks credible as trees - can be stuck in strategic places.  

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

I am not sure about the trains appearing to run off the scene through the back of a house but I wasn't able to arrange it any other way.

 

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

And if nothing else some Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage - which is dried plant material and looks credible as trees - can be stuck in strategic places.

I think that a couple of low-relief trees, with or without the footbridge, would do the trick, Rick.

[Gwiwer]

In the midst of everything else work lurches on at the Waddlemarsh.  

 

Taking wise counsel on how best to screen the "train through the sky" entry / exit I have invested in a couple of Ratio SR Footbridge kits which are being bashed into a double-length span with one straight flight of stairs (when the kit is designed for a 90-degree turn) and the other side partially off-scene.

 

The spacing is incredibly tight.  Gaps of 1mm are called for not least because the kit isn't high enough when ground-mounted to clear trains passing beneath and I have had to squeeze some ground "risers" into an already very tight space.  

 

Not at all finished yet but here's the general idea.  Various trains used for gauging purposes and giving an idea of just how precise the locating of this bridge needs to be.  Users will be protected from passing trains by the SR concrete panel fencing shown in "as supplied" format.  

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

Makes a huge difference, well done.

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Some more bashing of the kits has produced a result I am happy enough with.  Instead of painting on the "missing" sections where the space is too narrow for the full kit I have judiciously cut down the width and built the kit hoping the effect does not detract too much.  Bits you don't see (but are visible from the overhead view) don't really matter; the slight irregularities and gaps may end up looking less obvious when it is coated in sand and weathered down.  

 

The long span isn't unique - they existed at locations such as Seaton Junction and Exeter Queen Street (Central) and no doubt many other places.  The unusual angle of the smoke deflectors likewise isn't unheard of in reality.   There is or was probably an "Exmouth Junction" style concrete bridge somewhere which had a flight of steps angled at 45 degrees to the span rather than 90 or 180 but I cannot think of one.  

 

What matters is that it does the job for me in this location and as plastic kits go it doesn't look so bad.  Space is extremely restricted; I even had to trim the lamp down to half-relief on the right-hand side so that it sits flat against the backscene in order to achieve vertical legs which don't foul passing trains.  

 

 

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Some more bashing of the kits has produced a result I am happy enough with.  Instead of painting on the "missing" sections where the space is too narrow for the full kit I have judiciously cut down the width and built the kit hoping the effect does not detract too much.  Bits you don't see (but are visible from the overhead view) don't really matter; the slight irregularities and gaps may end up looking less obvious when it is coated in sand and weathered down.  

 

The long span isn't unique - they existed at locations such as Seaton Junction and Exeter Queen Street (Central) and no doubt many other places.  The unusual angle of the smoke deflectors likewise isn't unheard of in reality.   There is or was probably an "Exmouth Junction" style concrete bridge somewhere which had a flight of steps angled at 45 degrees to the span rather than 90 or 180 but I cannot think of one.  

 

What matters is that it does the job for me in this location and as plastic kits go it doesn't look so bad.  Space is extremely restricted; I even had to trim the lamp down to half-relief on the right-hand side so that it sits flat against the backscene in order to achieve vertical legs which don't foul passing trains.  

 

 

I think that's spot-on Rick.

[saxokid]

Some good work here Rick

[Bogie]

Now that is clever!

[DougN]

Great Idea to hid the opening Rick. 

 

It is one of the things I find hardest to hide as the road overbridge/ tunnel opening is a little cleche'd the use of other features such as this is a great solution. Personally I am looking to have a forest of trees to hid the exits

 

[Gwiwer]

Footbridge update:

 

After some trial-and-error on the hidden side of the bridge I settled for a mix of Peco weathering materials to achieve the desired "rough" texture common to most well-worn concrete structures.  It wouldn't adhere with PVA nor hairspray, I didn't want to use that much poly-cement which might also have damaged the surface so I tried shaking the material over a layer of wet paint.  It holds.  

 

The entire bridge was therefore painted with a mix of three Woodland Scenic base colours stiffened with a goodly amount of gesso.  While that was wet I coated the visible parts of the bridge in the mix of "ash" and "cinders".  When dry I shook and then lightly brushed the excess off and saved it for another time.  

 

After I was happy enough with the result I then added some weathering powders including soot black around the smoke deflectors and some light rust and pale green to represent age and staining.

 

The camera has probably cut through a bit too much of the coating which to my eyes appears as a fairly even allover layer and is a reasonable approximation of the colour and texture I see on some 1930s panels at Twickenham station.  The eyes also don't see the weathering quite as strongly as the photos show - it appears more muted and realistic.  

 

The lamps are painted a mix of "unbleached titanium" and "Turner's yellow" picked out with a mapping pen and finally a piece of Woodland Scenics "Fine Leaf Foliage" is tucked in behind one lamp to conceal the remaining gap between bridge and backscene.  

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

It looks the 'Mutt's nuts'. Great job!