Gresty Bridge

[Heinz57]

On 13/05/2020 at 02:08, saxokid said:

Any new updates on this interesting DRS depot build??

 

Small Update 27/05/2020

 

Dear friends and followers, my apologies for the quiet time over the past few months. How time has flown since December!

 

I have done a small amount of work on the layout over the past couple of months, sadly nothing worthy of an interesting update for you guys and certainly nowhere near as much work as I'd have liked to. By and large work on the layout dried up over the winter and festive period as it normally does at that time of year. As we approached February/March time I was hoping to resume work, however the COVID-19 pandemic soon seen to that! I'm a HGV driver delivering to supermarkets so work started to get busy and lockdown has prevented me from getting supplies.

 

I haven't got any photographs to share what I have done, as I say there's nothing really worthy of an interesting update. I have completed all the road markings around the car park, access drive and of course Gresty Road itself. I have started work on the grass/wasteland area too (but on reflection I don't think I'm truly happy with it so far, I'm having a think on this but might take it up and try again). I have also made some good progress on the stores building.

 

By and large work on the layout is currently on hold for personal commitments. However I am hoping to resume work as soon as I can, get the above tasks completed and of course post an update.

 

As always thank you all for your continued interest in this project and I'm sorry there hasn't been much to report over the past few months.

 

Stay safe,

 

Matt

[Heinz57]

Onwards and backwards!

 

Dear friends and followers, once again it has been a while since we 'last spoke' I hope you all are staying safe and well.

 

Since the last update I started to gain a lot more time and motivation to work on the layout. The first thing I have done is spent a bit of time scratch building. Firstly we have the new stores building  constructed and painted. I just need to add the skylight windows in the roof. Unfortunately the only photo I have is prior to masking tape being removed so you don't get the full effect...

 

 

I have also built the 'Malcolm’s Motorhomes' and 'Top Hand Car Wash' establishments which share the same brick building on Gresty Road opposite the depot. Unfortunatly I don't have any photos of this.

 

And now the layout itself, hmmm, yeah about that...

 

In my last update I mentioned about probably not being happy with the grass/wasteland, indeed I wasn't. So one day I went into the garage and had a good long look at it and thought about how I can make it better...

 

Then this happened!...

 

 

I was very unhappy with the layout, everywhere I looked I could find something I wasn't particularly happy with, and there were a few parts that weren't as accurate as I wanted them to be. The pointwork wasn't quite right, the car park, wasteland, driveway, road and bank; all key areas were not 100% as good as I wanted them to be. So I decided to scrap the layout and rebuild it.

I have reworked the plan and taken an accurate (or as accurate as Google Earth can be) satellite image of the area from (you guessed it) Google Earth, scaled it to size using anyrail and a bit of mathematics that made my brain hurt and had it printed out 1:1 scale. From here I've been able to work everything out a bit better. Last weekend the new boards were constructed and Gresty Bridge version 2 was born...

 

 

For this version I will be using handmade SMP track from Marcway Models of Sheffield as it is the only way to get my track design 100% accurate. This change to fine scale will be a journey into the unknown for me as to date I have only ever used code 100 readymade track!

 

I am still awaiting on the custom pointwork to arrive, so for now progress on the rebuild might be rather slow. I will of course update with any major progress.

 

In the meantime, thanks for your continued interest and support in my project!

 

Matt

[Heinz57]

Return of the Mack Matt

 

Dear friends and followers, I hope you are all keeping safe and well.

 

When I last updated I really didn't think it would be eight months before I posted again, but unfortunately here we are. Let me apologise for that!

 

When I first dismantled version one of Gresty Bridge, I intended to have the boards built, track laid wired and working, with hard standing completed and essentially have the layout in the same place it was before I dismantled it by September of 2020. A tall order, but something that at first didn't seem impossible. The boards were completed within a week or so of my last post on here. Unfortunately my hand built point work took longer to arrive than expected and didn't arrive until late August. Around this time I changed careers, plus we were plunged into another confusing round of tiers and lockdowns both delaying work on the layout. I managed to get the track laid and wired by the end of September/early October. After this time work in the garage all but dried up and I didn't touch the layout until about two weeks ago - I didn't even test it! My get up and go had got up and gone!

 

But its back now though and I am eager to get stuff done on the layout (we've heard that before!). I have glued the backscene images to some board and fixed them to the layout, got the boards bolted back together and after a quick troubleshooting session had a mini running session this afternoon.

 

I haven't got any 'in progress' photos as most of these were on my old phone so I have sadly lost them. So what you see here is everything I have listed above on a handful of photos I took today...

 

 

Here is my point work from Marcway and backscene image of the 'MornFlake' factory that overlooks the depot. This photo was stiched together for me by a friend from several photos I took at the Gresty Bridge open day a few years ago. I still can't get over how good it is. The picture above really doesn't do it justice. When you look at it in person it really is stunning, she has done an absolutely amazing job of it!

 

 

Here is some of my DRS fleet during today’s test session. Note in the background that I have done the embankment. I did this prior to track laying using polystyrene cut/filed to shape and then covered over with plaster cloth.

 

And finally my latest additions to the fleet...

 

 

Two of the new Bachmann 20s. One will need re-numbering and both weathering. But these models are absolutely fantastic. We've waited a long time for Bachmann to release these but they were very much worth the wait!

 

That’s about all for now. The next update will feature the starting of the groundwork/hard standing. Plus hopefully a building finished! Most importantly you won't have to wait six months for that update, let me promise you that!

 

Thanks for looking and once again to the regular followers my sincere apologies for the delay in this post!

 

Matt

[Psiborg]

It's good to see this progressing Matt, keep at it mate!

[ikcdab]

Looks really good.  It's amazing how much difference the trackwork makes. I also use SMP and I build pointwork with C&L components. Your track looks so much better in version 2.

Well done.

[Scooby71]

It’s looking really good now Matt.  That backscene is superb.  

[Psiborg]

On 20/03/2021 at 19:12, Heinz57 said:

And finally my latest additions to the fleet...

 

 

Two of the new Bachmann 20s. One will need re-numbering and both weathering. But these models are absolutely fantastic. We've waited a long time for Bachmann to release these but they were very much worth the wait!

 

Those Choppers look awesome, which one were you thinking of renumbering it as?  I think 20305 "Gresty Bridge" seems the most appropriate.  I captured it at Barrow Hill Roundhouse in 2016

 

 

Simon

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Psiborg

[Heinz57]

Yeah mate, it will be renumberd to 20305. We also saw it at Gresty open day the same year

[Psiborg]

14 minutes ago, Heinz57 said:

Yeah mate, it will be renumberd to 20305. We also saw it at Gresty open day the same year

You're not wrong...

 

[Heinz57]

04/04/2021 - Short and Sweet

 

Very quick update today folks, I have started the hard standing...

 

 

 

The bridge has been recycled from v1 of the layout (probably the only building that is being reused), it is in place but not glued down yet.

 

The hard standing itself is made from 3mm cork and is over halfway done, I need to do the crossing over the tracks and of course between the rails. There are also some imperfections that need tidying up here and there. In a similar fashion to v1 of the layout I will use cork to 'raise' the car park area up, as it sits slightly above track height. Pavements will probably be done from plasticard.

 

Finally, note in the second photo that I have sealed up the 'up and over' garage door by building a stud wall behind it, I have insulated it with 100mm foil backed insulation board and finally lined it with ply. This should hopefully make the room a deal warmer for the winter!

 

Thanks for looking, see you in the next update

 

Matt

[Psiborg]

That wall sounds perfect.  It's a pity I can't do that in my garage 

 

Simon

[Heinz57]

23/05/2021 - Check In

 

Hello everyone,

 

Its been two months since I last posted anything. Over the last couple of months work on the layout has once again ground to a halt. This time its nothing to do with work or other commitments in my life but purely down to the fact that insperation and motivation on the project has all but gone.

 

It is on that note that for now I have put the project on hold, and for now I won't be doing any work on Gresty Bridge. I have been working on the layout since 2018 and I have progressed very little, the amount of work I have completed could have been done within a couple of months. I know I was on and off at times, however I feel that I could have progressed further if the interest was there and I didn't keep finding things I wasn't happy with or just wrong.

 

Gresty Bridge will be stored away for now and I will revisit the layout at a later date. For now I am looking into a new project which I expect to start within the next couple of months, so keep an eye out for that one!

 

Cheers,

 

Matt

[andytrains]

On 07/03/2019 at 16:49, Heinz57 said:

07/03/2019 Latest Additions

 

 

Like this one Paul?

 

 

68019 in Trans Pennine livery is the latest addition to my DRS stock, purchased on Sunday at the Mansfield Show, when I was operating Shaun's (Scooby71) Drabford. It is pictured here having a quick test at the show on the Kirkby Stephens layout, it caused quite a stir having one of the most modern locos running around on a steam era layout! I'm not sure if any of those guys are lurking on here but thanks again for testing the loco on your layout, most appreciated!

 

Thanks to all for your kind comments on the layout, glad you like it!

 

Matt

I bet the pigs were impressed!