rob D2 Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Good work ! that tunnel with tiny clearances would make a great scenic break for any layout 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrowroad Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 A few more photos. I'm not sure of the exact date of these but they after after the last set. Pride of Whatley is new in these photos. 16 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 (edited) Some really nice shots there again Robin. Very interesting to see the early photos of Pride of Whatley. I've got a Judith Edge kit that's been sitting on my workbench for the past 10 years that needs making up. The only problem is that this loco is unique and has some considerable detail differences from the other Steelman locos that I'd like to reflect in the build. There has been so much on my workbench over the Christmas period, I don't really know where to begin! There has been something of a Yeoman 'take-over' on Whatley recently so I thought I'd start with what is currently on the workbench and then work backwards. I know that there is an impending release by Dapol, but I thought that I should finish the Intercity Models JHA that I have had kicking around the workshop for the past year or two. I bought a stack of Intercity Models kits from a fellow DEMU member a couple of years ago and I got the main body completed on one of them back in 2019. The first thing I will say about the kits is that they finish up into really lovely models, as attested by the finished example that you can see in the photo below that was assembled by DEMU member Jeremy Davison. Looking at the Dapol model (which is superb in many ways) I'd say that the level of detail is definitely comparable and probably better than the Dapol model in several areas (especially around the hopper doors). That said, there are also shortcomings of the kit (but not many!) most noticeably the recessed D-shaped panel with the handbrake wheel is not deep enough. The reason that I bought the kits initially was to try and get a bit closer to the process of etched kit construction and hopefully to learn a bit more about etched kit design in order to be able to feedback to my own projects (e.g. the PGA PG013E kit I am developing that you can see a styrene version of in the pic below). Well, what have I learned? By the time that this kit is fully finished it will have taken me close to 100 hours of modelling time. Sadly, as much as I have enjoyed it, this is just too much for a single item of stock that needs to run in rakes of 20-odd vehicles. It's fine for a shunter or one-off item but for mass-produced vehicles it isn't going to work. This is the principle reason why I have switched to Styrene and 3D printing for the PGA kit. The speed of assembly is just much, much quicker. The second thing that I have learned is that when joining two plates together, whilst through-tab construction is strong, it requires so much cleaning up that I don't think there is any advantage to it. In most cases you can get away with a half etched line on one part, that the edge of the second part slots into and a fillet of solder can be run along the join. There is no way that I would now design a kit using this method of construction. Especially not one that needs making up in bulk. And finally, the last thing that I have learned from this (which I probably already knew) is that whilst it is possible to fabricate absolutely everything using etched brass it is not always desirable. I cite the bogie as an example of this. It's absolutely beautiful with loads of separately fitted brass bits and bobs. But it would be so much better if it just had cast cosmetic side frames on a working sprung 'inner' (as per Stenson Models excellent range of brass bogies). It has taken me a full weekend and two evenings to assemble the pair from all of the bits and after all of that I found that the instructions call for you to 'prise apart the sides and insert the wheelsets'. Of course, the soldered up bogies are far too rigid to do this without distorting them. It was then very difficult to 'fettle' the running without further recourse to distorting the shape. Yup... lots learned about how to engineer a model bogie! I think the key point is that function is sometimes more important than form and having a bogie run well and that can be reasonably easily disassembled for fettling is more important than having one that is engineered as per the prototype. So why bother? Well, I had gotten far enough with the kit that it seemed sensible to finish it off and have a pair of outers that I can run with the forthcoming Dapol release. To that end, I will attempt to colour match to the Dapol wagons which might require me to re-paint and finish Jeremy's excellent model (I feel really bad about this as he has done such an amazing job on it). It will probably require me to sort out a set of transfers for the wagon as well as I think the Fox ones have the wrong blue (too light). I think I have most of the artwork that I need though from the transfers that I did for the O&K boxes for this though. Phew, that was a long update. More to follow on the other subjects soon. Guy Edited December 28, 2023 by lyneux 14 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post lyneux Posted January 25, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) No time to write up all the stock I did over Christmas and New Year so that'll have to wait for another time. Planning for the extension is moving on apace. The extension is essentially two new 6ft boards inserted front and rear of the oval to elongate it. Attached is a small sketch that shows how this will work. Two of the existing curved boards that currently just have plain track on them will get re-purposed as scenic boards along with a new straight scenic board. The curved fiddle yard board with the 'throat' point work will then get rotated 120 degrees. In the past week, I've been playing around with Templot to try and produce a track plan that 'flows' nicely. Much of the point-work at the real location uses long B or C switches at either 9.25 or 11.25 degree crossing angles. Given that I am working to the DOGA fine standard (OO gauge with 1mm flangeway gaps), trying to reproduce prototype turnouts is pointless (sorry, couldn't resist!) as for a start they will be necessarily shorter in OO by something like 3-4 sleepers than the prototype. With the additional need for compression, I have chosen to use mostly B8 geometry to represent the flat bottomed turnouts as this seems to give a reasonable compromise and hopefully retains some of the 'look' of the BV-9.25s that are used throughout at the prototype location. This is the same geometry that I used for the existing flat bottomed track which i was pretty happy with. At Whatley, most turnouts are based on a straight geometry (but not all) and I have curved some of the turnouts to fit the plan as necessary (Templot is pretty handy for this). A big thanks to Colin Craig, whose flat bottomed track templates have been very useful (as published in DEMU update a few years back). Colin, Phil Eames and other DEMU members have also been helpful in answering many of my questions on flat bottomed track on our DEMU London Area Group Friday night Zoom calls. I have really come to appreciate the value of being in a friendly society like DEMU during lockdown. Lots to learn about so many subjects and many people willing to give their time to help. Thank you everyone (you know who you are!). I printed out the template yesterday and stuck it all together. I had to push the sofa and table out of the way in the living room to lay it down on the floor. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the departure siding takes 21 PTAs + loco and the reception siding 19 PTAs + loco. That will be enough room for more or less scale length trains. The run-around is a bit shorter but can be used for shorter rakes (maybe 17 PTAs?) coming out of the quarry (as per Jo's operating notes on P1 of the thread). The front of the layout will include the stream Fordbury Water. This snakes along next to the tracks and should make for interesting foreground detail with a bit of wildlife perhaps too. I've included a straightened-out aerial shot from Bing Maps. Just laying out the plan on the floor was revelatory. The extension makes the layout feel so much bigger than it was previously. Hopefully we will be able to finally do justice to the large block trains 'moving the Mendips'! Guy EDIT 28/12/23 - Restored Photos Edited December 28, 2023 by lyneux 28 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwich Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Awesome work Guy - looking forward to seeing this develop! Kind regards, Will 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_crisp Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Awesome Guy! Looks like you've got a nice flat surface to work straight off... and the sofa looks like it'll hide the fiddle yard well 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitbull1845 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Wow that looks great.. Good luck with it.. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 I feel like I should’ve tidied up now before revealing the interior of a messy house on Rmweb! Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham108 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Are IKEA marketing flat-packed model railways now? Graham 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Ah, romantic meal for two with candles...in the quarry ! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clink junction Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Amazing, makes my 9ft westbury sidings seem inadequate now though!! Keep the updates coming, I’m loving watching this develop. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
50033 Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Can’t wait to see this develop. Only seen the layout once at Stoke mandeville some years ago, but wow guy just wow. I’ve got 25 ARC pta’s and a Dapol DCC sound 59 on order if you need a spare operator in the future 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaGrange Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 (edited) On 25/01/2021 at 11:02, lyneux said: Doesnt matter - trains on the living room floor is always fun Edited February 18, 2021 by LaGrange Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted February 18, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 18, 2021 (edited) 33 minutes ago, LaGrange said: Doesnt matter - trains on the living room floor is always fun Laminate/tiled floor is best - less fluff to worry about. Waits for Guy to mention his pussy And it is hard on the knees when doing some shunting.... Edited February 18, 2021 by newbryford 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flagman Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 This layout is fantastic, I've seen some pictures on the PTA thread but i've only just found this and look forward to following progress. This is the era i model and just how i remember it when stopping for a look whilst on the way to Westbury. Unfortunately i didn't take many photos and these examples are not the best quality but are hopefully interesting anyway, taken 13th April 92. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 Great photos.... and you got D5222 in action! Quite a rarity as most photos I've seen show it out of use. Guy 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post lyneux Posted July 24, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 24, 2021 Here's a short video that I made for Lydd Rail this year. Hope you like it! 37 1 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_crisp Posted July 25, 2021 Share Posted July 25, 2021 Great video Guy! Love the intro Railfreight Today theme tune and the layout is looking fantastic Will 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne 37901 Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 On 25/07/2021 at 17:54, dj_crisp said: Great video Guy! Love the intro Railfreight Today theme tune and the layout is looking fantastic Will I agree, a great choice of theme tune. Can I ask how you managed to find it, or was it simply recorded off the programmes? Cheers, Wayne Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 What a superb layout, I has to look thrice to see if it was a model or real. Superb work, I remember my dad taking me to Westbury in the mid 80s to see the Foster yeomans as I called them. We saw all 5 that day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted July 27, 2021 Author Share Posted July 27, 2021 Thanks all for the comments! The intro music is called Sporting Chance by Zach Laurence. Thanks to this thread for the reference: I managed to find a copy online and added it as the sound track. I think they get royalties through YouTube for using it as the YouTube software seemed to identify it as a copyright 'hit'. After being busy with work, thing are finally quieting down and I have some time to focus on the layout this summer.... phew! Guy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEARJAMMER Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Wow...... how the hell has this layout/topic avoided me, i'll be following this with interest. I'll also be looking forward to seeing it at an exibition one day. I go in and out of Whatley quarry on a regular basis so this is all very interesting, its interesting to see how somethings have changed yet others are still the same to this day. I notice in some of the pics that mainline locos are going under the road bridge and into the main quarry..... ive only been going into Whatley for the last 18 months-2 years and ive never seen this happen, the closest i have seen is a Freightliner class 66 go under the bridge and venture as far as the HGV weighbridge, but it quickly went back to the depot side, the 08s were regulars when the US Switcher 120 was out of use, but No120 is pretty much all i see in the quarry these days, which is fine, the shear size of the thing and the noise it makes is always a pleasure. (same applies for No44 at Torr Works) Were mainline locos regular into the quarry? And what is with the class 25 in some of the pics, ive never seen or heard of one visiting the line before? I doubt todays scene in the quarry is of any use to you but if they are let me know, i have plenty of photos. Oddly ive never made the time to walk out to the road bridge and view the depot, i must put that wrong to rights one day. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post lyneux Posted November 7, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 7, 2021 (edited) Hi Gearjammer. Thanks for stopping by! You are right about how things have changed at the quarry over the years. I'm aiming to reproduce it in around 88-92... the end of the 56s and the introduction of the 59s. As you can see from the excellent photos that others have posted (especially Robin), there were big changes made just before this period so everything will look fairly new (not too overgrown). It's should still be easily recognisable though. Locos going beyond the bridge was not uncommon in this period. In the Rolling Stone video (https://www.video125.com/products/rolling-stone) there is footage of a 59 on the quarry side of the bridge (from memory). The 25 was used for a few months as a switcher in the early 90s when the Steelman "Pride of Whatley" was out of action and before 120 arrived. Apologies for not posting much recently but I have been flat out working on the extension (3 more scenic boards) which will take the layout all the way up to the tunnel entrance (a compressed depiction of the reception and departure roads). Most of the tedious woodwork has been done to cut space for the stream into the two scenic curved boards. I'm now just doing a little bit of ground work with polystyrene before a base covering of sculptamold. I have lots of photos of the location but I'm always in need of the occasional angle that I don't have. For example, I'm working on the culvert just next to the wagon depot at the moment (as you can see in the picture below). I realise now that I don't have a clear photo of the pipe or tunnel as it comes out of the ground although EWSJo tells me he thinks it is a box-like concrete structure. A good photo of the little transformer/substation on the other side of the tracks from the culvert entrance would be useful too. Here are a few pics of current progress. Guy Edited December 28, 2023 by lyneux Re-added pictures 21 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_crisp Posted November 7, 2021 Share Posted November 7, 2021 Hi Guy The layouts looking great! Will 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRUNFOS Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 Any updates available????????????? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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