Midland in Tewkesbury

[Tricky]

18 minutes ago, rcf said:

Inspirational modelling but if it was me II would be worried about starting detailed modelling at the front of the layout and having to stretch across it to model the rear and risk causing damage to the work already modelled. Amazing work though.

 

Regards Rob

Thanks Rob. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem to gain access to the rear as it’s all small enough to just pick up and move around. The backscene is permanently removable partly for this purpose. 
Anyway, I just fancied doing a bit of ‘light weight’ stuff at the front. A bit like chocolate; a little of what you fancy and quick gratification!!!

[rcf]

13 minutes ago, Tricky said:

Thanks Rob. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem to gain access to the rear as it’s all small enough to just pick up and move around. The backscene is permanently removable partly for this purpose. 
Anyway, I just fancied doing a bit of ‘light weight’ stuff at the front. A bit like chocolate; a little of what you fancy and quick gratification!!!

 

13 minutes ago, Tricky said:

Thanks Rob. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem to gain access to the rear as it’s all small enough to just pick up and move around. The backscene is permanently removable partly for this purpose. 
Anyway, I just fancied doing a bit of ‘light weight’ stuff at the front. A bit like chocolate; a little of what you fancy and quick gratification!!!

I wish I could get some chocolate like that!!

[bgman]

3 hours ago, Tricky said:

Where do you by Vallejo paints?

 

I am lucky as there are two shops locally, one is a very well stocked one in Newton Abbot and a game shop in Exeter with the full range.

 

There are a couple of on line shops I have also used in the past 

 

https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/products/paints/vallejo-paint  and  https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/products/paints/vallejo-paints

 

both tend to have good stocks, maybe use the search engine to see if there are any stockists local to yourself ?

 

G

[lezz01]

2K technologies has the full range on Ebay but there are many more outlets just search Vallejo it should also bring in Life colour and mig, between those three you should find everything your heart could desire paints, weathering and effects wize. You will wonder how come you don't know about this but almost all of those ranges are aimed at the military modeling fraternity. It only recently life colour has started producing paint sets aimed at British railway modelers but they all do sets for structure modeling and weathering, the "wall", "Rust effects" and "aged wood" are very useful as are the "rope" and "Black" sets. There are also sets for railway weathering from more than one manufacture some are all paints and some are wash and pigment based all of them are outstanding and don't get me started about the ground cover products and water effects. The guys at Hornby Magazine are starting to promote and use them over the past few years but the military modeling fraternity are way ahead of railway modelers scenically! .......but, and it's a big but, they are generally working on a much smaller canvas than railway modelers do and the products can be expensive to our eyes. I have a foot in both camps, as many of us have, or some of us anyway and both disciplines have much to offer.    

Regards Lez.     

[colin penfold]

2k technologies  are brilliant.  They also have their own website. No connection etc.. ..

[Tricky]

On 23/04/2020 at 15:32, lezz01 said:

2K technologies has the full range on Ebay but there are many more outlets just search Vallejo it should also bring in Life colour and mig, between those three you should find everything your heart could desire paints, weathering and effects wize. You will wonder how come you don't know about this but almost all of those ranges are aimed at the military modeling fraternity. It only recently life colour has started producing paint sets aimed at British railway modelers but they all do sets for structure modeling and weathering, the "wall", "Rust effects" and "aged wood" are very useful as are the "rope" and "Black" sets. There are also sets for railway weathering from more than one manufacture some are all paints and some are wash and pigment based all of them are outstanding and don't get me started about the ground cover products and water effects. The guys at Hornby Magazine are starting to promote and use them over the past few years but the military modeling fraternity are way ahead of railway modelers scenically! .......but, and it's a big but, they are generally working on a much smaller canvas than railway modelers do and the products can be expensive to our eyes. I have a foot in both camps, as many of us have, or some of us anyway and both disciplines have much to offer.    

Regards Lez.     

Hi Lez,

 

I agree the military fraternity have a lot to teach us. I follow a few diorama builders on Instagram and some of the stuff they turn out is incredible. Mig comes up quite a lot. I’ll check them out - it’s been on my to do list for too long! 

[Tricky]

Butchery in the sun!

 

Sounds a bit like an Agatha Christie novel...!

 

I think it's the right thing to do. I kept looking at it thinking is it/isn't it too high, so went for it. I can always raise it up again but I think it will better. 

 

I took about 35mm off. Not much, but enough I feel. Once I get past getting the turnouts to work and all the track tested, I'll crack on with some major structures.

[lezz01]

It looks fine to me Tricky. Another name to add to the three I gave in my last post is AK Interactive. They have a good many products bundled for railway modeling using washes and pigments in smaller sets. I might add that I have no connection with any of these companies other than as a happy customer. Knowillage unshared is knowillage lost I say.   

Regards Lez  

[Tricky]

Off topic with this one I’m afraid....

For another project it has been speced for me to use EPDM foam underlay. It’s self adhesive backed to stick it down to the ply baseboard. Does anyone have experience of this and if so, what does one use to stick the track down to the foam? 
If I’ve marked the track and C&L templates out on the baseboard, how do I then make sure the track goes down in the right place once I cover up my markings with the foam? 
 

[Tricky]

Today I have finally got round to trying to wire up the tortoises. for an electrical ignoramus like myself, the instructions seem to have been written by an alien from another planet. Apologies in advance: I'm sure these questions may have been asked and answered  somewhere on here or indeed good old YouTube but I've searched and not found the answers really so here goes:

 

I have installed the Tortoises themselves and also the layout wiring bus back to the NEC connection. Red/brown to one rail, black/blue to the other. The unconnected black wire I'm holding feeds the crossing and so isn't connected anywhere yet. I have also been supplied the decoders to try operating from the NEC handset. 

 

My questions therefore are; what wiring do I need to do, to power the tortoises from track power (and, of course, switch polarity to the crossing) and wire the decoders? Advice as well on programming the decoders would be useful if I get that far! 

 

Many thanks for your patience!!!

[Compound2632]

38 minutes ago, Tricky said:

Today I have finally got round to trying to wire up the tortoises.

 

Not a sentence to be taken out of context...

[Tricky]

42 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Not a sentence to be taken out of context...

!

[MarstonVale]

Hi Tricky,

 

here he is a photo of one of my connectors.

the blue and yellow wires go to my switch8 controller which throws the point blades.

the red and black go to the track/bus wire

the green to the frog on the point.

 

it does matter which way the blue and yellow goes to the switch8 or other controller to throw the point  blades, but a quick test beforehand will sort that out,  good luck.

 

 

[Tricky]

14 hours ago, MarstonVale said:

Hi Tricky,

 

here he is a photo of one of my connectors.

the blue and yellow wires go to my switch8 controller which throws the point blades.

the red and black go to the track/bus wire

the green to the frog on the point.

 

it does matter which way the blue and yellow goes to the switch8 or other controller to throw the point  blades, but a quick test beforehand will sort that out,  good luck.

 

 

Thanks for the reply. Just to clarify then in my setting, my red and black are the same as yours, ie track feed, your green is the same as my black going to the crossing and your blue and yellow would go to the DCC turnout decoder? 

[meil]

15 hours ago, MarstonVale said:

Hi Tricky,

 

here he is a photo of one of my connectors.

the blue and yellow wires go to my switch8 controller which throws the point blades.

the red and black go to the track/bus wire

the green to the frog on the point.

 

it does matter which way the blue and yellow goes to the switch8 or other controller to throw the point  blades, but a quick test beforehand will sort that out,  good luck.

 

 

Those connectors are going to give you nothing but grief.

[MarstonVale]

That’s a Yes to tricky and to meil

 

 

[Tricky]

Did a bit of wiring on Tewks this afternoon and got it all going, apart from programming the tortoises to do as they’re told. I’ve posed a question in the DCC section so we shall see...

Getting something moving is always a milestone and will spur me on to take some ‘time out’ and do some of my own stuff! 

Edited May 29, 2020 by Tricky
Typo

[lezz01]

I have to say that is a very very nice 2F Tricky!

Regards Lez.

 

[Dave Hunt]

Enters stage left wearing pedant's hat - at the time in which it is portrayed, of course, the term '2F' would have been unknown and it would have been known simply as a six coupled goods engine. But you are right, Lez, it's a very nice model.

 

Dave

Edited May 29, 2020 by Dave Hunt
Da**ed predictive text!

[Tricky]

I had a truly whacky idea yesterday. 
 

I have become drawn towards the LBSCR, partly due to the charming Dapol Terrier, and partly because I actually live in LBSCR territory, with Tunbridge Wells West being ex-LBSCR and the Spa Valley Railway running through Groombridge. So.....how about I re-locate Tewksbury to somewhere local and change from Midland to LBSCR? A wonderful excuse to buy a Terrier and also pander to a desire to portray something a lot closer to home? If so, I’d have to invent a location and reason for the current track plan and river/canal I’ve already built.

 

Your thoughts?! 

[BlueLightning]

Fantastic idea Richard!!!

 

More LBSC layouts are always good!! Especially if you can have a word with Adrian and get it to Uckfield! (Just don't ever sell it, I could never resist an LBSC layout built to your standards!)

 

Gary

[Hal Nail]

27 minutes ago, Tricky said:

Your thoughts?! 

I keep envisaging an umber Terrier on china clay workings in the Bodmin area - the rather nice LSWR one is even less implausible.

 

My grandparents lived somewhere over the tunnel in Tunbridge Wells and we used to walk through Grosvenor park alongside the tracks to High Brooms past a gasworks. Come to think of it there was a coal yard right by the line at the entrance to the park too. Perhaps the sidings there used to be more extensive round the gasworks?! The stream there was always a very bright bauxite colour - one of those silly things you always remember.

[Tricky]

13 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

I keep envisaging an umber Terrier on china clay workings in the Bodmin area - the rather nice LSWR one is even less implausible.

 

My grandparents lived somewhere over the tunnel in Tunbridge Wells and we used to walk through Grosvenor park alongside the tracks to High Brooms past a gasworks. Come to think of it there was a coal yard right by the line at the entrance to the park too. Perhaps the sidings there used to be more extensive round the gasworks?! The stream there was always a very bright bauxite colour - one of those silly things you always remember.

Yes, there is a strong iron subterranean thing going on around here so a lot of springs run rust-red. Supposed to have healing qualities hence the early growth of the town due to the springs and wells. The line through High Brooms is the Charing Cross line to Hastings through TW Central. This was SECR as opposed to LBSCR, being joined to the LBSCR through Grove Tunnel to TW West. 
 

I’m cogitating about a suitable location...possibly a fictitious location for a brewery; lots of real ones of course used to be round here with the availability of Kentish hops. Perhaps a junction off somewhere near Groombridge/High Rocks? 
 

I’d also have to repaint the blessed backscene again!!!!

[Tricky]

59 minutes ago, BlueLightning said:

Fantastic idea Richard!!!

 

More LBSC layouts are always good!! Especially if you can have a word with Adrian and get it to Uckfield! (Just don't ever sell it, I could never resist an LBSC layout built to your standards!)

 

Gary

I would probably build it with a view to selling, if only due to lack of space. Start saving perhaps...?!

[Hal Nail]

7 minutes ago, Tricky said:

I’d also have to repaint the blessed backscene again!!!!

Couple of Oast houses and a rocky outcrop looking a bit like a toad... job done!

Edited June 7, 2020 by Hal Nail