Gill Head: Kirkby Luneside's neighbour

[Rowsley17D]

Many years ago in one of the mags was a series on the z dimension? and advocated having baseboards at virtually eye level!

[Physicsman]

Yep, always a compromise.

 

I would have loved to have the valley deeper than 90cm, but then I wouldn't be able to reach the viaduct.

 

Of course, if the room had been larger I could have built it with access from both sides. That would have been wonderful.

 

Water direction is as per the prototype. I could have followed your suggestion on KL1 as it was a fiction.

 

Agree about the station etc. I too admire those who can get hours of pleasure out of just a yard of plank, but I need a roundy roundy, even though trains are running in the background. Besides, station, goods yard etc - more landscape to model!!

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

1 hour ago, Rowsley17D said:

Many years ago in one of the mags was a series on the z dimension? and advocated having baseboards at virtually eye level!

 

There's a (very good, imo) book: "Model Railway layout, design and construction techniques" by Nigel Burkin, where he builds a multi-level arrangement, each level a different gauge. The base level is L-girder based, which was caught my attention several years back.

 

The top deck is at eye level for a six-footer.

 

I wouldn't want to have different levels in the same room, but imagine having the ability to have different layout rooms at different levels! "Oh, today I fancy playing in the 'Eye Level' room!"

 

 For a short ar5e like me, that's not too high!

 

Jeff

[Donw]

Christopher Payne and myself were keen propponents of operating from the front at exhibitions. Someone objected to his layout being too high. We were discussing this and came up with the wonderfull idea having the whole thing on a hydraulic system which could be raised or lowered to suit the viewer we even though of a seat for the operator to go up and down with the layout. Totally impractical of course but you cannot have a layout at the ideal viewing height for everyone.

 

Don

[Peter Kazmierczak]

"The Grand Unified Theory. It's called The Theory of Everything".

 

"Is that comprehensive?"

 

From The West Wing...

Edited April 15, 2021 by Peter Kazmierczak

[benjy14]

4 hours ago, Rowsley17D said:

Many years ago in one of the mags was a series on the z dimension? and advocated having baseboards at virtually eye level!

 

When I was designing my Union Pacific layout, having trains at eye-level was an essential part of the design. I ended up with three levels; a hidden lower level storage yard (33" above floor level), a middle level with the main feature point of the layout at 43" (Dale Junction in Wyoming), and an upper level of plain double track at 59" (to simply enjoy watching Big Boys thunder past at just below my eye-level). I also wanted to be able to see the trains coming head-on at the upper level, which I was also able to achieve. More details in my thread if you're interested:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/156031-dale-junction-in-ho-scale/&do=findComment&comment=4400445

[peach james]

8 hours ago, uax6 said:

 

One thing that I always find a shame, is that we have to have of railways so we have the fighter-pilots view. If you could work out a way to have a sightline from the valley bottom, so that you are looking upwards at the trains running over the viaduct, which your camera makes look real, then I think you will get the human scale well.

 

Andy G

I'm not sure if it made it into the UK as widely as it has over here- (at least I think I'm getting the right page/link, I can't see Youtube from here...)

It should be a video shot from the prospective of being a passenger in a coach pulling into Brookville eastbound to Montreal or Ottawa...

 

James

[Physicsman]

Returning to matters in hand, since I know some of you like to keep tabs on the nitty-gritty of a layout build, rather than just sets of "pretty pictures"....

 

I've fitted some 12mm ply board onto the area where the underbridge and road will be. This takes the base of the bridge structure to roughly the correct height to meet the road deck. As I said in a previous post, I'll give full details of the bridge build with diagrams and heights, for those of you interested, when I start the thing. Next week?

 

3 pics in this post. Another post coming up with work on the viaduct valley.

 

Jeff

 

 

[Physicsman]

Here are a few pics of the viaduct valley - it's just had another 4kg of plaster slopped onto the slopes.

 

I've also trimmed a small bit of ply, towards the top - it protruded a few cm above yesterday's mod-roc level and served no purpose. It might go a small way to opening up that end.

 

Jeff

 

 

[Physicsman]

I've started work on the underbridge, but tentatively in order to get a feeling for the thing.

 

Pics 1 and 2 show prototype views of the "front" view of the bridge.

 

I've measured several photos and published plans and come up with a scheme that gives a representation of the structure, that will be more than adequate for my purposes. Pics 3 to 5 show 4mm ply cut to size (front is 32cm wide by 9.2cm high, rear is 34.5cm by 9.2cm (it's on a slight curve)), with some of the front features marked in position.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

[Physicsman]

And here's a slightly different angle on the Bunker, for a change. It's not too often that I've crawled into the corner access from which this pic was taken, but since it's behind the underbridge I guess I'll be in there more frequently from now on.

 

It helps that I cleared a pile of junk out of the corner - some of which is now adjacent to the main line through the station!

 

Jeff

 

 

[Rowsley17D]

It's interesting how you can put a bit of model railway track into a large room and it becomes a reverse Tardis.

[Physicsman]

Another milestone - one of the lines is now complete round the layout, and the other will follow tomorrow. The last section was a 15cm stretch from the viaduct to the start of the reverse curve, across the join to lift-out fixed bit....

 

 

 

 

[peach james]

And now we loose Jeff for a week as he plays trains  extensively tests to ensure that quality work has been done !

[jukebox]

A gentle prod before you go too far, Jeff; remember to look at the prototype (even if it is just an influence, not a copy) and observe the ratios.  Think about where the track bed sits on the real thing, and what that means for the ratio of deck wall height - to arch - to road wall height.

 

Get those right, and you will generate the flavour of the original, and set your railway's geography firmly.

 

 

Cheers

 

Scott

[Physicsman]

16 minutes ago, jukebox said:

A gentle prod before you go too far, Jeff; remember to look at the prototype (even if it is just an influence, not a copy) and observe the ratios.  Think about where the track bed sits on the real thing, and what that means for the ratio of deck wall height - to arch - to road wall height.

 

Get those right, and you will generate the flavour of the original, and set your railway's geography firmly.

 

 

Cheers

 

Scott

 

Scott, not quite sure how to respond to that comment.....

 

Underbridge ratios so engrained in my head I could draw a scale model from memory.

 

Viaduct dimensions and ratios never to be forgotten.

 

Cutting angles and wall positions researched and followed.

 

Ballast shoulders, cess width and the like allowed for.

 

I've learned my lesson from KL and KL2 - it is MUCH easier to follow the prototype than to make it up.

 

Hope all is well in WA. Good to hear from you.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

2 hours ago, peach james said:

And now we loose Jeff for a week as he plays trains  extensively tests to ensure that quality work has been done !

 

James, you're more likely to lose me for a few days because of imaging the moon.

 

Weather has been great here - and no moon until a day or so ago (now a crescent). Frustrating!

 

J.

[Physicsman]

Now that the boards are fixed in place, sections of the cutting can be permanently attached. ALL major boards and the sections on top of them are screwed from BELOW, so that if the whole kerboodle needs dismantling I won't have to do a total demolition job, as with KL2. There are a few exceptions, but that's only for non-important bits - like the road ply beneath the underbridge that would be removable as part of the main board.

 

Pics show 3 of the cutting "hillocks" adjacent to the reverse curve, along with the completed track link-up. I can't fit the other side of the cutting - permanently - as yet, as I need ease of access for griming and ballasting.

 

As Scott alluded to, it's a case of continually thinking ahead, and with the best will in the world it is easy to overlook things. Attention to detail over a prolonged period can drive you crazy!! I'm currently re-watching the 1963-67 series "The Fugitive". Poor old Richard Kimble was having the same problem on a daily basis, but in his case a single mistake could mean capture and the electric chair. The modelling stakes aren't THAT high....well, not quite!

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Physicsman

[Physicsman]

I've just set the telescope tracking on the moon for - maybe - a bit of imaging in 2-3 hours.

 

In the meantime, here's a couple of pics with the right-hand-side cutting hillocks just sat in place. The area to the right will extend right across to the underbridge when I have the opportunity to do something with it, so this current view is very false. However, it is as it is at the moment...

 

Jeff

 

 

[Physicsman]

I had a successful 90 minutes of lunar imaging last night and I'll post a couple of pics on here tomorrow, assuming somebody wants to see them? 

 

I've grimed the viaduct today, pics attached. Bit smelly, bit messy, but the grime covers up the white DAS shoulder and I can shortly start ballasting the thing. I'll wait until the grime has hardened - tomorrow - before I rub the rail tops down. And I'd rather not breathe the after-effects of the spray, even though it's now 4 hours since it went on.

 

Jeff

 

Edit: I won't forget that there are missing sleepers to be filled-in!

 

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Physicsman

[PeterBB]

Look forward to the moon pictures.

[jacko]

On 17/04/2021 at 16:43, Physicsman said:

 

James, you're more likely to lose me for a few days because of imaging the moon.

 

Weather has been great here - and no moon until a day or so ago (now a crescent). Frustrating!

 

J.

last week I managed an hour on the Whirlpool galaxy and 2 hours on the pinwheel galaxy. Still have a lot to learn - especially manipulating the data in GIMP (free photoshop equivalent).  One big obstacle (that will be resolved when I get my CMOS camera) is the battery life on my Canon. In freezing temps they only last about an hour and I only have one spare so that limits me to 2 hours collecting at the most just now.

 

Graeme

[Physicsman]

Morning Graeme.

 

I've been thinking that the last couple of weeks, with the moon out of the way, would be good for DSOs. Best of luck with the galaxies. It's something I'd consider moving into at some stage, but the moon and planets are a handful at the mo.

 

I've previously imaged Jupiter with a monochrome ZWO and a filter wheel. A real faff and then needing derotation in WINJupos. I use a 290 monochrome for the moon, and decided to buy its replacement colour equivalent, the 462, for a bash at Jupiter and Saturn later this year.

 

In the meantime, Saturday's mosaic of the Theophilus-Nectaris area of the moon was among my best yet. One 39 image mosaic processed, another underway - will see what I can post later.

 

Jeff

[jacko]

With Jeff's permission I'll post my two galaxy images up. These are my first real attempt at deep sky imaging so they're a long way off the quality found in magazines but as a start I'm quite pleased with them. M101 - the pinwheel galaxy is just west of the star MIzar in the handle of the plough. M51 - the Whirlpool galaxy is in the constellation Canes Venetaci although it's just east of the last star in the handle of the plough. Neither of these are more than a small smudge in my telescope eyepiece so I'm always amazed at what the camera sees. 

 

Graeme

 

[Physicsman]

Lovely pics from Graeme, I'll put some moon ones on here later. It may not be tonight as it's clear outside at the moment so I may be taking more data.

 

Back to railway matters, I've started fitting DAS shoulders to the cork underlay on the reverse curve. Pic 1. Takes a while to do, but a couple of metres in an hour isn't bad. The shoulders allow a lovely deep-filled-looking transition off the rail onto the cess. Once this section of curve is completed - the DAS/PVA mix takes a day or so to harden - I'll do the cess region. Then I can grime another few metres of track.

 

I've fitted a back-board to the rear of the cutting, backfilled it with rubbish and covered the top with mod-roc. It will get a plaster coat and I think the added depth improves things. Also gives a better backdrop for the walling that goes over the top. Pics 2 and 3.

 

Jeff