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Holtwood Light Railway


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Just moving the contents of the blog over to this thread as easier to update here and get any comments or advice. Started this layout in April 2018

This is a layout to keep going with modelling while my main 00 layout is in storage. Limited space in current house means I cannot build anything larger.

 

The Box - April 2018

 

 

For a few months I had being on the look out for a small box of robust construction, ideally with handles, a lid that would fit in with the rest of the lounge furniture and not look to obtrusive. A lucky find in Hay on Wye led to the purchase of just such an item. The depth of the box was important, it is about 100mm deep on the inside. I wanted to build a small model railway, being a 00 modeller and having a few 009 items of stock, 009 was the obvious choice for scale.

 

The size of the box is small but not impossible. I wanted it to have section control, point motors and lighting. The only item that would be outside of the layout would be the controller, but everything else would be built into the lid.

 

Several purchases of balsa wood and other models followed.

 

I want the layout to basically be packed with detail

 

I want it to take me a long time to build it with care taken over the design and build.

 

 

The box.jpg

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The Plan - April 2018

 

So what to build in a layout that is small and in a box, that will look as realistic as I could possibly make it.

 

The running line would be a loop
There would be a passing place
A station
A pond
A station yard
A small goods yard?
A house
A garden with a potting shed
A road bridge
A bridge over a stream
A small scrub land field
A road
Running line on an embankment
Lights
Trees and other vegetation

 

Quite a list but I reckoned that I could fit it all in.

 

I drew up on some tracing (baking paper) my design for the layout and also the design for the baseboard layers.

 

I also discovered setrack 009 points that were much smaller than my streamline ones and this would aid the track layout.

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So to build the layout up in layers I made the unusual step of selecting balsa wood. Usually I would use plywood and softwood for a model railway But with the depths I was trying to achieve it was simply not possible to go for any other wood. I also only had a bike for getting planks of wood back home on.

 

The bottom layer is for the pond constructed of 3 lengths of balsa wood. The next deck up is for the road and the stream bank, with the planks being laid at 90 degrees to the layer below and clamped and glued with PVA. Then there is a frame layer of 10mm / 10mm strip to conceal the wiring. I can't put the wiring at the bottom as there is a box of wood in the way. Nor do I want to use the bottom layer of the box itself. The next deck is for the main running line which sits 15mm higher than the pond and stream.

 

I started constructing a panel for the point motor and section switches using scrap balsa wood but this basically was not robust enough, plus I needed to get access to it for maintenance. After building it and soldering the wires to the switches and sending the other ends to terminal blocks I decided to scrap this panel and start again using a dark 5mm ply on some scrap dark 25mm/25mm hardwood that I got from a reclaimation timber yard. I wanted this to match the box colour as near as possible so it wouldn't stand out.

 

I had another critical look at the trackplan and realised I would struggle to fit in a third point for a siding so decided that I will scratchbuild the point blades for this and have it as non operational. Despite providing a switch and a push button for section control of this part of the layout. The push switch will be reused for the lights which will all be on the same on/off switch.

 

After some of the solder connections came adrift on the seep motors I decided to make an access hole in the bottom layer of the balsa wood layers in case they come adrift again.

Balsa wood.jpg

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Wiring

 

I tapped some u shaped nails into the balsa second layer to act as a wiring conduit and started running wiring round from the point motors to the switch panel.

 

I added a capacitor discharge unit as I don't want to burn the point motors out.

 

I started adding wiring for the track supply (only 6 wires now required)

 

I picked up some eye loop screw things for tidying up the wiring and also picked up some 6mm PE spiral and started tidying up the point motor wiring. The plan being that in the box lid there will only be a two to three wiring bundles on show.

 

The next wiring to add will be for the lights. Any resistors will have to go into the lid. Planning for two lamp posts and 1 light in the house, plus possibly a fire in a barrel in the garden.

 

Basically I can't glue the top deck down until all the wiring is in as maintenance access is from only a couple of points at the sides (only 10mm high between the decks).

 

I need to get an AC/DC converter unit for the lights.

Wiring started.jpg

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So continuing with the wiring. - Winter 2018/2019

 

I had posted a query on the forum about an AC/DC converter unit and someone suggested making a rectifier. Not made one before and it took an evening of working out which way round the diode had to go and soldering it all up in the shed at the bottom of the garden. Good chance to test out the new adjustable temperature iron something which I have wanted since getting in to my head that I want to start making brass etch and whitemetal kits.

 

Tested it out on a grain of wheat bulb and it worked first time 

 

Then continued with the wiring of the lights. Some people might be wondering why I can't do that at the end and its because of limited depth in the box itself. I have had to build the wiring into the frame as I can't bring it in underneath. I can't put the track down yet because the third level isn't constructed, I can't put the third level in because the wiring isn't in. Normally for the lights I would send in two feed wires and then have a terminal block splitter with the resistors for the lights near the lights themselves. In this case I want to have easy access to the resistors in case they go wrong or become unsoldered so I am going to add them to the tag strip at the top of the lid. All the lights will run off one switch after going through the rectifier.

 

I made two cutouts for the point motors in case they become unsoldered or need replacing.

 

The track wires are now in - Three sections (6 wires).

 

Waiting for the lights to arrive in the post 2 short lamp-posts for platforms, 1 normal size lampost and one bonfire (without smoke)

 

Tested the point motors ones a bit temperamental it does slide but only occasionally or if I give it a helping hand. Possibly a problem with the spring. Could swap round but might perserver with it at the moment

Wiring ongoing.jpg

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With the wiring 95% complete it was time to start working on the landscaping.

I might have made the pond and outlet stream a little too large so might put a bit more balsa wood in and re landscape the plastercloth which will give me more room and less water. All I want in the pond is a small jetty, rowing boat and someone fishing. Small bridge over the stream and a wilderness in the right hand corner filled with odd bits of junk (possibly an abandoned wagon or two). 

 

The building at the rear is nearly finished and I only need to add the gable ends, gutters and windows plus do a bit more painting.

 

Decided to build a low relief of a loco shed entrance on the back left, track doesn't connect up as too tight for points.

 

Decided to add a crane and a wagon turntable on front left, note that track won't connect up as too tight for points

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Work on the track started in the spring. Used small pins to keep it in place. Note I don't possess a work bench and everything has to put away when not being worked on - hence quite a bit of mess on the layout.

 

 

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Work on the landscape started. Used mesh that I had spare from somewhere, normally would use chicken wire but holes were too big for this application. Used plastercloth to build up the landscape. Work on the house at the rear continued with more painting. Work on the loco shed at the rear continued but might rebuild it as forgot to add the sloping wall for the roof. 

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I have been having quite a few problems with the radius of the back right corner which I put in a little to tight. The small 0-4-0 engines go round it fine but wagons were uncoupling and derailing. I am experimenting with a variety of different coupling types 'hand made hook and loop, chains, standard NEM couplings, greenwich couplings. Eventually I decided to take this corner up and cut a bit of it and try to make it more of a curve. To do this I took the sleepers out so I could bend it tightly. Part of this area is on a level crossing (I cannot fit in a road bridge) so sleepers will be hidden. Hook and loop, chain worked, Greenwich couplings struggled  (partly due to having them at varying heights) but some older standard couplings did make it round ok and  so did the the minitrains stock. All in all worth taking up and putting back down again

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  • 1 month later...

So I managed to fit in an evening of working on the model railway, jobs completed included putting brass plaque on the front of the box with the layouts name, painting the earth areas and the base coat for the water area. Started working on the ballast using some light brown / light grey mix and did some of the landscape scenery on one corner. Made a change from doing the wiring. Waiting for a dry evening so I can get the two wires soldered up feeding the bridge part of the layout after moving the track over slightly. Two lamps have stopped working annoyingly and the problem would be in the baseboard frame which is difficult to get to. Might have to run some strips round to get this to work.

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Can anyone spot the mistake I made with the pond area! - A bit of replastering will be needed, that or remove the plastercloth back down to the bottom deck baseboard, followed by repainting. Pity Ive run out of brown paint.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So I spent a few hours over the weekend doing a few items on the layout.

 

  • I 'dug out' the offending plastercloth and tried to form a slightly deeper base for the pond / stream
  • I painted the stream / pond area a different shade of brown and then added some green shades
  • I painted the road areas with their first coat but need to return to the slope bit round the side of the building with some polyfiller
  • I built a small plank footbridge using a coffee stirrer purloined from work. (Note one of the posts uprights is supposed to be on an angle - its meant to be ricketty)
  • I built a small jetty (for fishing off) made from some bits of fence and matchstick.
  • I added some post and rail fence to the bottom right corner.
  • It finally stopped raining so I could get out in the garden and do the soldering (not allowed fumes in the house). Track all working again I tested with a train and it worked. Even better the new Greenwhich couplings didn't cause any derailments so I ran two Dundas kit builds behind my Joeff HOe engine (for the first time with no problems :) )
  • For some reason the lights all started working again!
  • I started the walls around the end of the culvert to the left of the pond.

 

 

 

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Ok so I had my first ever attempt at using scenic water. I lined the edge with mud scatter and some green. I think the result isn't too bad (the photo doesn't do it justice), maybe next time I will try some colouring. Its about 1.5mm deep. Brown paint on the edges will eventually be covered with thick scatter and scrub. Thanks for the suggestion of a weir wall, its down the end under the railway bridge.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Work on the layout this week included building a white metal crane kit. Fairly simple in construction I need to shorten the handle on the other side so it can freely pivot around. Going to have some small crates and boxes on this corner. Still have to paint the paving blocks.

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  • 3 weeks later...

So over the last couple of weeks work on the scenery continued. I had a chat with one of the people on Skytrex stand at Warley who gave me some painting tips for the crane so this can now be progressed.

 

One of the difficulties I have been having is space with the stock that I have built because when purchased it was on a flat sprune but when built it takes up more space. So I had the idea of installing an old cigar box in the lid of the bigger box for somewhere to store the rolling stock when not in use. I had to work out where tall scenery wouldn't inhibit it and that meant the switchpanel and other electrics had to move about. Have yet to install the latch (a jewelry box type) so the door and the all the stock doesn't fall out. Essentially everything will be resting on the cigar box lid once the main is closed.

 

I decided to use up all the remaining resin water and hardener which makes the stream / pond look much better. I have forgotten to add some plaster cloth on the left side.

I have put in a few more fences (I have actually done the bridge fence out of wire but not shown on these photos). Other base scenery scatter has been laid.

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Got the jewelry latch fitted to the cigar box and it holds everything in when the box is closed :D so very pleased with that. Picked up the latch from the squires tools stall at the weekend. The layout has much more space now than previously now all the rolling stock is out of the way.

 

Back to working on the loco shed now I can get to it!

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Surprisingly I managed to get this engine working. Its very old and has a bit of corrosion on the motor housing, I dare not take it apart since it still works and squeaks a bit. Ive had it since the early nineties but I think its from the early seventies as its an old Egger-Bahn locomotive. Annoyingly the newer Minitrains loco has a burnt out motor or something similar as not making any movement on its motor contacts. If anyone knows where I can easily source a new motor apart for from the manufacturer I would welcome some help.

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  • 1 month later...

Work continued today on the grass and ballast areas surrounding the track. Made the path, foot crossing to the station. A few fences and bushes added. Laid the base scatter and did some detail in the crane corner. Using bits out of the small bits box. Particularly pleased with scratchbuilt water bowser made out of some Hornby/ratio/wills spares and some wire. Started placing people about and found some bits of wall for making coal tip

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