Ifield Green (LBSCR) - A fresh start.

[Matloughe]

Hello all!

I hope all are well? I have decided to take the plunge; i am selling off the majority of my 4mm stock and items as it no-longer holds my interest (apart from a small number of items that are special to myself) and I am going to embark upon a 7mm scale project.
I have been dabbling in 7mm since about 2012 on & off and acquiring stock & items when on special prices with a view to completing a layout 'at some point' or 'in the near future' well now that time has come; during the pandemic I had converted my Garage/layout room into a home office and the layout was stored. Then I was furloughed and on my first day of furlough I was told that my services were no-longer required and work finished there & then. 
After a week or so I finally ventured back into the garage to put the office stuff away and tidy up with setting the layout up and it was at this point I dropped the layout and caused damage to the scenery and electrics in a fit of frustration I finally decided that enough was enough and I was switching to O Gauge - and this brings us to today neatly.

So having found alternative employment I am now looking at starting the O Gauge project; I am planning to utilise my existing boards which consist of three 3' 6" x 1" boards arranged end to end to give me an overall length of 10' 6", with a 7' scenic section currently - its ironic as the boards were built for an O Gauge project and ended up with 00 on them for speed/expediency in 2013!!

I am slightly torn between two plans either an extended version of Halstead that fitted in 5' x 1' or the second plan which has really caught my attention was in Railway Modeller in May of Trevarno Station on the Helston Railway. Frustratingly I have a Linux computer and it just does not want to play ball game with AnyRail for track planning so I have currently been on the floor with a roll of lining paper and compasses and pencils trying to plan both plans out for what I want in the limited operational area - I am also trying to figure out if I can fit a run-around loop in the width available in a freelance light railway BLT as a third option.

Layout-wise I am very much a novice, I am aiming for an LBSCR/Southern Railway flavour possibly as a light railway or even a preserved line - I just want to enjoy the modelling experience rather than focus too heavily on historical accuracy with this layout as I want it to act as a lead into another perhaps larger project further down the line (if you'll pardon the pun). I'm not adverse to constructing new boards for the layout and having a more expansive project - but I have limited funds if I buy new wood for boards I wont have anything up & running anytime soon. I understand that 2' wide is a better option for 7mm rather than trying to cram stuff in.

 

Stock-wise I have three locos, an exLima BR Blue Shunter with wheels that don't like Peco point frogs. And Ixion Hudswell Clarke and most recently a Dapol A1 Terrier "Fenchurch" I have a smattering of kit-built wagons built and several yards of track and peco points.

 

Sorry for no photos or anything exciting but I am just in the preliminary stages of designing. And am trying to hone in on what is best to do within my budget available.

Anyway enough rambling, I hope everyone is well, stay safe and keep modelling!

Gary

Edited March 6 by Matloughe
To better reflect the changing project as it develops.

[47606odin]

Welcome to the big scale, be wary, it’s addictive 

[thirty2a]

yes, very addictive ! enjoy, we look forward to your progress... 

[brossard]

I made the leap and conversion to 0 about 4 years a go.  All Dapol's fault of course.  My 00 stock has all gone too, I haven't the time (despite being retired), energy or resources to keep two scales going.

 

I think my advice would be to assess the availability of stock before deciding on an era and region.  RTR wagon wise, there are some good offerings but limited choice if you want anything more than PO wagons.  For RTR locos, Dapol's are excellent and very reasonably priced.  However there isn't a lot of choice.  Minerva locos are also excellent but with a focus on GWR and some duplication with Dapol.  Heljan's steam locos seem to be all GWR, but there are some useful diesels.  Heljan's prices seem high to me but they do come on sale from time to time.

 

If you are up to it, there are a great many many kit wagons, coaches and locos to be found.  I've built a lot of wagons, for myself and friends - too many really I suppose.

 

Happy 0 gauge modelling.

 

John

[toplink@()1989))((]

4 hours ago, Matloughe said:

Stock-wise I have three locos, an exLima BR Blue Shunter with wheels that don't like Peco point

Hi Gary, regarding your Lima shunter, I have two and am having similar problems. When I brought it up on the GOG forum it was suggested that I widen the wheel back to backs slightly, but not on the gear side as it will cause the gears to stop meshing, I haven't tried it yet as I'm in the middle of a huge reshape of my modelling shed, ie, a new one.

 

Cheers, Pete.

[Matloughe]

Thank you all for your kind comments! I have been enjoying the journey so far; I really have enjoyed the tinkering - when the little ones have gone to bed I can get out the lining paper and draw the plan at full-size to get a feel for what will fit in the area - but its time consuming!

 

35 minutes ago, toplink@()1989))(( said:

Hi Gary, regarding your Lima shunter, I have two and am having similar problems. When I brought it up on the GOG forum it was suggested that I widen the wheel back to backs slightly, but not on the gear side as it will cause the gears to stop meshing, I haven't tried it yet as I'm in the middle of a huge reshape of my modelling shed, ie, a new one.

 

Cheers, Pete.

 

Thanks for the heads-up Pete! I will have a look at it; I was thinking of possibly replacing the body on the Lima chassis with something else - like the Skytrex Y6 tram body perhaps if I can sort out the running problems. I have ordered from 422 Modelling a LC&DR brake third body to replace a rather battered GWR Toad I bought second had a couple of years back that has rubbish bodywork but a good chassis as a quick & easy carriage for under £20. It'll be a good basis for starting with at the very least.

Kind Regards,

Gary

[jcarta]

7 hours ago, 47606odin said:

Welcome to the big scale, be wary, it’s addictive 

I wish somebody had told me that it's addictive..... several years ago.......

[brossard]

1 hour ago, jcarta said:

I wish somebody had told me that it's addictive..... several years ago.......

 

Well, I have found wagon kit  building to be addictive.  I told myself when I started that I would only build the stock I actually needed.  Didn't take long for that to go out the window. 

 

John

[pwr]

Never does!

 

says he looking at his piles of unbuilt kits

 

Paul R

[jamest]

Hi,

 

I am also being lured into O gauge and I have a similar length available as you - but I can go to 2' wide.

 

I need to clear some space, and probably sell some stuff, before I start for real but I'll be interested to follow your journey as well.

 

all the best,

James

[Matloughe]

Thanks @jamest - nice to know it isn't just me!

I've been working nights quite a lot and consequently not really been up for doing much. My doctor has signed me off due to having an injury on both knees so I have been having my thoughts turn to making some sort of layout/diorama. I've found looking on a well known-auction site a supplier who sells A3 sized diorama baseboard kits and I've bought two of them at a very good price - I am not quite sure if I should use one of them and a fiddlestick to produce a micro or even perhaps join the two of them end to end to produce a micro that is going to be almost 3x1 in size again with a fiddlestick.

The idea is to just get on and do something rather then talk/plan without actually getting anywhere.

Lets face it with lockdown 2.0 and being signed off... what else can I do - I've already got several yards of track and rolling stock/locos, wiring switches only thing I appear to be missing is solder and flux :-D

 

If/when there is some progress I'll pop it up on here. Thank you all for your kind comments.
Kind Regards,

Gary

[Matloughe]

Good Morning Terry,

 

There hasn't been much further progress - I have bought a few items for the layout such as a LB&SCR buffer stop and I have been looking at some laser cut low relief warehouse units from a certain online marketplace to use as a backdrop - but aside from that as strange as it sounds I haven't had the time to dig it out of the garage to make some more progress really. 

 

Reading back the thread I find it crazy i started this in 2020; since then I lost my full-time job then worked part time in two different supermarkets on night shift and finally in January 2021 i got a much better job in the education sector. 

 

I have got some ideas in the pipeline however so fingers crossed I might be able to make some progress over the darker winter months. At the moment I have diverted my attention to a small 4mm layout literally on a shelf for a 'quick & dirty' project. After that i'll probably look more seriously back in 7mm.

I do have my eye on a lovely laser cut kit of an LBSCR Signal box... I just need a layout to put it on first!!

 

Kind Regards,

Gary

[Matloughe]

Hello Everyone,

 

I hope everyone is doing well - I have been somewhat out of the modelling loop recently; my modelling "mojo" has been lacking somewhat and with everything that has happened over the past two years I had focused my attentions elsewhere - I took up Hex & Counter wargames as a solitare hobby which helped keep my sanity as well as focused on ensuring the family had a regular income coming into the house as my primary focuses and as a result everything else had fallen by the wayside.
However with the turning of the year into 2022 it has certainly felt like the winds of change were blowing through the house (and not from christmas brussel sprouts either!!) and as time has gone on I have returned to what has been my main 'hobby' over the past twentyish years. From my previous posts I had planned a mini-micro consisting of effectively two sidings and some sort of traverser/fiddlestick to serve them both as a 'starter' project to kickstart my interest.

Recently I had ordered a diorama baseboard kit from a well known auction site as well as a warehouse/shop pdf building kit to be the main building on scene for a project to get me back modelling. I was very grateful for the opportunity the past weekend to attend my first exhibition since 2019 and see Heaton Lodge Junction and other fantastic layouts and it has certainly got me thinking for how to start a project.

So my plan was to produce something effectively consisting as I said of the end of two sidings serving some sort of warehouse with its own loading platform and end loading dock - the baseboards I have are 80cm long, by 20cm deep and with a backscene of 15cm high. I also have a 40cm x 10cm Fiddlestick to act as of the rest of the world. With these dimensions in mind, the fiddlestick is large enough to accomodate a LBSCR Terrier locomotive and a 'standard' sized wagon - notionally using the BR 16t Mineral Wagon as my 'base wagon size'

I have produced a tentitive mock-up of what I have in my mind in Train Sim and have shuffled some wagons around using some suitable rolling stock to get a feel for the design before I continue my physical work. The rearmost siding is large enough to accomodate two wagons, and the front siding large enough for four wagons - the idea being to shuffle some cards for operation and move the wagons around to reach the goal that the cards represent.

 

I do need to tweak the mock up slightly as it is a little bit too generous on overall length but this does not detract from what is planned. As you can see I am looking at a pre-grouping time period, although I have pre-ordered a Southern A1X for myself! And I am looking at 7mm/scale as it just 'looks right' especially from my experience seeing the layouts as I said at the Bath & West showground the weekend just past.
As its half-term; I am hoping to make some progress on building the Diorama boards at least by the end of the holidays and then with something 'physical' I think progress with start in ernest. Until then - I will keep adding items to my shopping list for this layout; and I will look at getting them as/when I can. My goal is - as I have said before elsewhere; not to go further into debt with my modelling activities I am committed to clearing overdrafts and credit cards where I can so progress will be slow as I only have a limited 'budget' each month to buy things outright with. To be fair my Terrier pre-order is on credit card, but I have enought money stashed aside to clear it when its charged.

I hope everyone is doing well - I look forwards to seeing progess on your own projects.
Kind Regards,

Gary

 

[Matloughe]

Hello Everyone!

Whats this, two posts... within a year of one another - goodness gracious!
I did say I would try to make some progress.

Today was slow - after the usual half-term activities for a family of four - and then schooling my eldest on why challenging me to play various video games that I was playing before he was even born wasn't the greatest idea. I managed to crack open my baseboard kit I bought from eBay and I am very happy with it I have to say.
So I will say from the outset, I am not in anyway afilliated with the seller - I have just been impressed by their product if you want to know more or have a look at it yourself, drop me a message and I'll try and link you the listing so you can look it up yourself. So the kit consists of two modules, each of them are 40cm wide by 20cm in depth and 15cm tall back. And they come with some useful connectors to hold them together.

Its made up from 3mm MDF according to my calipers I used for measuring them, the connectors are good for holding the two boards together for a Diorama (as advertised) however I think for my purposes I will be looking for some clips or similar to keep the boards more securely aligned for running trains. I am aware I am using something not designed for this purpose and will have to beef things up somewhat - but as it stands it is perfectly useable I am also pleased the central crossmembers have cut outs which would be useful for wiring etc. It also provided an excuse while the boards were dry fitted together to ger Fenchurch out to get an idea of scale - and to make sure what is in the mock up on Train Sim does vaguely translate to reality.

So the next step is to grab some decent PVA/Wood Glue and stick the boards together and then take up some sort of option to seal the boards against further moiusture ingress. I am thinking of using plain Acrylic paint for this purpose. And on that terrible disappointment of very little progress I will leave you with what is possibly my favourite photo of Fenchurch from this evening.

 

If you want to know more about the board kits - please send me a message and I'll find the listing from eBay for you to take a look at.

Stay Safe!
Gary

Edited April 13, 2022 by Matloughe

[Hal Nail]

Worth Googling how to seal mdf. I'm pretty sure from when I was using it for shelving, I read somewhere that using the wrong type of paint merely adds moisture to it.

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Worth Googling how to seal mdf. I'm pretty sure from when I was using it for shelving, I read somewhere that using the wrong type of paint merely adds moisture to it.

I've used sanding sealer which is a penetrating lacquer.  It's very good on MDF as it seals it. The treated timber will require a light sand down prior to any further surface coatings as the sealer leaves a slightly rough surface. 

[Matloughe]

5 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Worth Googling how to seal mdf. I'm pretty sure from when I was using it for shelving, I read somewhere that using the wrong type of paint merely adds moisture to it.

When I've built things in MDF before I have just used either emulsion or Acrylic Paint with no ill effects during the interim. I think I also sealed one with PVA glue but that took ages to set and didn't take paint well.

I know a local (to me) DIY chain shop sells MDF primer, the smallest can (250ml) is almost £6! Which is a quarter of my monthly budget.

 

I'll do some more reading and see what's best, perhaps I'll have to just bite the bullet and pay out for proper sealer.

Kind Regards,

Gary

Edited April 14, 2022 by Matloughe

[Hal Nail]

3 hours ago, Matloughe said:

When I've built things in MDF before I have just used either emulsion or Acrylic Paint with no ill effects during the interim.

 

I dont know whether it really needs sealing or not - I merely thought worth mentioning those paints might not actually protect it from moisture in the long run (I'm not suggesting you will get instant problems using them).

 

I think part of the reason I sealed my shelves was to give a hard surface on the exposed edges so I could sand them really smooth, which wouldn't be relevant here.

[Matloughe]

On 14/04/2022 at 13:06, Hal Nail said:

 

I dont know whether it really needs sealing or not - I merely thought worth mentioning those paints might not actually protect it from moisture in the long run (I'm not suggesting you will get instant problems using them).

 

I think part of the reason I sealed my shelves was to give a hard surface on the exposed edges so I could sand them really smooth, which wouldn't be relevant here.

 

I went away and thought about this - I wanted to say thanks for your comments; I had a look at the brand of paint I was planning to buy and you were quite right it wasn't moisture 'resistant' shall we say. So I have plumped for a different Acrylic basecoat that is resistant - so far I have put it on the fiddlestick and provided there are no issues that jump up immidiately i'll then go and coat the main boards as it were. 🙂

 

So this evening there has been some minor progress; the majority of my O Scale items have been stored in the Garage which has in the past had a rodent problem. Now I am fairly certain that has gone away of its own volition (as well as an ultrasonic generator) and I have retrieved the last of my stock and the three(ish) yards of track out there - without too many issues raised from my Partner.
So this evening I took my track cutters to the track I had on hand, and by putting it all together I have come up with the following:

There is a 6cm gap from the end of the sleepers to the front of the building - I make that a gap of about eight and a half scale feet - probably a little too tight for a rail served warehouse but in an era before pallets where everything was hand bailed on and off its probably not entirely unreasonable of a width.

The Phorpes Bricks wagon is at the end of the short (2 wagon) siding, where I had planned an end loading dock of sorts (ignore the skewed boards here, they are just placed together - I still need to get some toggle catches for them). But looking at it; the warehouse will have a small shopfront at the far end of that building which will mean it cant really move too far from where it is. And we've established there is only eight and a half feet of space from the warehouse to the platform edge where the small GWR 4-Plank is sitting. So I think I will have to go away and have a think about this siding.

The vague operation I have planned is that the long siding is the main one that has two wagon spaces and the short siding at the back has space for two wagons but only a loading/unloading spot for the rearmost one the idea is to put three/four wagons on the boards and shuffle a small pack of cards and shunt the wagons to how they are drawn one at a time.

Anyway, nothing particuarly exciting just more planning and mock-ups slowly getting there!

Kind Regards,
Gary

Edited April 20, 2022 by Matloughe

[Matloughe]

Happy Bank Holiday everyone!

I hope everyone has been enjoying their three-day weekend where possible; I know I have had a lovely time with the family - and it'll be back to earth with a bump tomorrow! I have managed to get some small amounts of modelling done; finished painting the boards. I have secured the track down and I even managed to start building a platform/loading dock.

So with the help of the modellers friend (Corregated Card) I took some measurements, swapped my knife blade, started drawing and cutting and made up a basic support frame of card and glued it together with some basic PVA. I made the platforms 28mm tall and to this I have added some 2mm thick card/fibreboard I purchased a couple of years ago to make counters for wargames with:

So of course I had to take the opportunity to place the two buildings I have for the layout on the platform - the platform itself needs the left hand side cutting properly - the offcuts are just positioned to cover the whole thing, I was too tired last night to measure and cut another piece out to finish the job. Having placed the buildings on here and measuring - the smaller right-hand side building which is supposed to be a shop but it is too deep and leaves too small a gap between the front of the building and the platform edge of a scale 3 foot 6 inches.

As we can see the gap is just too small - out of interest the warehouse building has a scale gap of 5 foot 7 inches from the face of the building to the platform edge. What I am thinking of doing is doing away with the shop/office building and moving the warehouse further to the right into the corner where it will become the 'main' building. I am thinking of aligning the left hand warehouse door roughly with where a wagon/van adjacent to the buffers of the front track would be so you could offload from a wagon or van straight into the warehouse.
Then further towards the left, nearer to where the second track ends against the end of the platform I am thinking of either building a small lock-up or perhaps putting a grounded van body on the platform to act as a lock-up.

 

So next jobs are to finish the platform, then look at getting some brick plastikard for the platform faces and to get the platform surface covered as well to make it look less like fresh snowfall! What was nice however, was my daughter had lots of fun this morning moving playmobil figures around on the boards and them taking a ride in the wagons.

I hope everyone is staying safe, and happy modelling!
Gary

[Matloughe]

Good Morning All,

 

I hope eveyone is well?
Firstly I should apologise that my previous efforts have come to naught. For some context it was quite difficult to get ahold of items in the post-lockdown time as supply chains were affected I wadsn't getting anywhere with my small sidings project and it was sidelined. The track was removed and the boards repurposed as initially an N Gauge Branch-Line Terminus and then latterly as a 00 Gauge Micro layout seen on this thread as Rusper Road.
Its funny, the end of two sidings in 7mm is an entire terminus in N Gauge!

Anyway returning back to the present, last year I dismantled and refurbished the boards for what was my previous 00 Gauge layout 'Ifield Green', in a previous house some mice had got to it while it was stored and destroyed the scenery, wiring and trackwork on one board so it was scraped clean back to bare wood and then primered into a mid grey:

The layout is spread over three near identical boards with a top surface area of 3' 6" (1,066mm) by 12" (300mm) - I include the Metric on here as it was designed in Metric and I had to convert it to Imperial to assist my Grandfather who wanted to help build the boards with me. One board is the fiddleyard (at the far end) and has two end pieces and the other two nearer boards are the main scenic board. Giving me a scenic area of 7' (2,132mm) in length.
As an aside these boards were built in 2013 and makes them over a decade old, the spent many years in white primer and have never warped, despite being used for a 00 Layout for many years in various garages and outbuildings:

They were actually designed for a 7mm layout, which was meant to be an enlarged version of the 5' long layout Halstead:

 

So I have two competing ideas for the new layout one of them is the original plan of Halstead:

When I first started dabbling in 7mm, it was Halstead as a trackplan that drew me in - some photos here on Western Thunder So the basic idea if you can bare with me is the Tracks arrive at the top of the screen behind the Gaugemaster Box which is standing in for some sort of Goods Facility on that line. The main platform road is at the front with the open wagon sitting on and the Red Ixion Box is standing in for a station building. With a bay platform where the box van is.

The other competing plan, is more unconventional for me:


With two lines heading into the Fiddleyard, the Red Box is again deputising for a staton building, and a smaller siding at the front and a longer one at the back both forming the goods yard. I imagine a rather thin bridge with steps down being the entrance to the station for passengers. The Box van in the platform road is standing roughly where a set of three Stroudley Coaches would need to stop. This is good, because in a moment of weakness yesterday I ordered a set of three from Rails of Sheffield!!

Looking the otherway from the bridge.

 

In either plan I will need to buy a new point with a left hand or right-hand. The first plan would require the use of two locomotives to process all trains - and the second allows a run-around via the Fiddleyard which would probably be cassettes with setrack on. Please note the trackwork is very rough as I am only planning things out.

I'd like to hear suggestions should anyone have any as I am currently undecided. One thing is certain however. I am very keen to see both my Hudswell Clarke and my Terrier stretch their wheels!!


So thanks for looking from my and my crazy ramblings!
Happy Modelling!

Kind Regards,
Gary

 

[Matloughe]

Hello all!

I hope everyone is well; I have been busy the past month or so - not actual modelling so as to speak of but I have been planning in preparation for the better weather and being able to do more work in the Garage.

Firstly the stunning Dapol Stroudley coaches arrived, and have had their first run together - using the shorter coupling bars seen here. The track is currently in the 'Halstead' format as I still havent made a decision on which trackplan to use. Each day I find I favour one of the other but end up switching - this is fine for the moment as I haven't the money to order the last pieces of track needed to firmly make a decision on the layout yet.
I have managed to get the USB lights working correctly however - so the layout here is being lit entirely by daylight and its own cobbled together lighting rig. I am planning to finish the primer paint and to look at some acrylic paint in the near future too.

I haave also managed to make something move on the layout Here is a short clip of Ixion Hudswell Clarke pushing some wagons. The siginificance of this is that this is the first movement of this locomotive under its own power in about five years and it might be a little bit grouchy it soon shrugged it off and polished those railheads nicely.

A nice side-by-side view, again in the Halstead format. The benefit of using Halstead is that all trains get a complete run from one side of the layout to the other so you get to see much more model - it also feels much more open given the limited depth of the boards (12"/300mm) the downside is I would always need two locomotives to complete terminal operations as the train would need to be shunted to the bay road to release the train engine. Whereas the other plan I have could be operated by a single locomotive - probably far more in keeping of the light railway, running around via the fiddleyard.

I'll have to go away and have a think; I am trying to use what I have to hand rather than buy all new but I am not adverse to buying new it will just lengthen the time to completion. Perhaps I should go back and look at other inspirational layouts to me like Trebudoc. The only real constrains is a 3' 6" fiddleyard dictating overall train lengths and ideally I'd like to be able to accomodate all three of my Stroudley coaches in a platform - even if I only regularly run the two brakes in practice, so I could switch it up with a single Mark I if I obtain one.

 

Kind Regards,
Gary