Fishplate Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 Ballasting looks great Miss RRH 12 hours ago, MrWolf said: Looks like I'm making dinner then! How did that go???? 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortuga Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 (edited) That is some nicely ballasted track. Are you going put a line of finer ballast down the sides, between the ballast and the grass to represent the finer material? Not to detract from Miss Hood’s work, just the change from ballast to grass looks a touch too abrupt to my eye. Edited November 25, 2021 by Tortuga Clarification 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin S-C Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 10 hours ago, MrWolf said: Matilda II sneaking up, Tom and Jerry style, on an unsuspecting Junkers 87 which is minding its own business in the station yard. No doubt the crew are checking the bus timetables. 1 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 27 minutes ago, Martin S-C said: Matilda II sneaking up, Tom and Jerry style, on an unsuspecting Junkers 87 which is minding its own business in the station yard. No doubt the crew are checking the bus timetables. Which raises a question - as buses traditionally come in threes, whereas bridges tend to be solitary animals, which bus does one aim for? Unless, of course, the bridge in question is a viaduct, so they all fit on... 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin S-C Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 Providing the Ju87 crew have enough fuel for the long wait then all three buses will come together. Its very efficient on bombs but wasteful of aviation gas. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 7 hours ago, Fishplate said: Ballasting looks great Miss RRH How did that go???? She's most flattered. Cooking is one of those basic life skills that all men should learn, preferably before they leave school. It also earns points with the female of the species - here's someone who doesn't need a replacement mother. There's too many blokes live on takeaways and pot noodles - or "Chaviar" as Miss R calls them. 3 5 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 4 hours ago, Tortuga said: That is some nicely ballasted track. Are you going put a line of finer ballast down the sides, between the ballast and the grass to represent the finer material? Not to detract from Miss Hood’s work, just the change from ballast to grass looks a touch too abrupt to my eye. Neat Ballasting was her department. It's down to me to make with the arty stuff. The edges of the formation will be feathered off with a fine dust / ash / general muck mix and I can then finish off the grass / weeds along the edge of the track. The same thing will be done where the mileage siding abuts the livestock pen areas. When the ballast glue has finally dried, I'll make a start. I've used the finest and lightest colour ballast I could find so that (in theory) when the glue darkens it, it will look more like the locally quarried stone. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 3 hours ago, Nick C said: Which raises a question - as buses traditionally come in threes, whereas bridges tend to be solitary animals, which bus does one aim for? Unless, of course, the bridge in question is a viaduct, so they all fit on... An excuse for more bombers. That is a win in my book. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 2 hours ago, Martin S-C said: Providing the Ju87 crew have enough fuel for the long wait then all three buses will come together. Its very efficient on bombs but wasteful of aviation gas. There's been very little military movement around here lately. I suspect that they've all called a truce and gone off down to The Kangaroo Inn. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 I can send reinforcements... say like a Stuart, or a Valentine or a Crusader. Just squawk on channel 16......I'm listening? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 Just in case I have moved the reinforcements, with the added bonus of a Grant, ready for quick loading if I get a shout….. Armed forces here at Little Muddle ready to assist Even the Squadron Leader has got his Camel out of retirement! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin S-C Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 I bet that's given it the hump. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 All this is making me tempted to build a wartime layout... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 14 minutes ago, Nick C said: All this is making me tempted to build a wartime layout... I've been trying to avoid that! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 1 hour ago, KNP said: Just in case I have moved the reinforcements, with the added bonus of a Grant, ready for quick loading if I get a shout….. Armed forces here at Little Muddle ready to assist Even the Squadron Leader has got his Camel out of retirement! I really must get the Matilda finished and weathered! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 2 minutes ago, MrWolf said: I've been trying to avoid that! Yeah, it's probably too much of a cliche! The current plan is for my new cameo project (for which I must start a thread...) to be set in 1946 - I think post-war gives more flexibility if I want to run occasionally with my usual 50's stock, wheras during the war doesn't. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 I wouldn't say that it was a cliché as such. It's more that if you want to build a wartime layout, you have to do as much research on the military aspects as you do with the trains. Very often, people don't and it shows. The wartime layouts that are good are really good, for that reason. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 The best deterrent to a bus invasion of my layout is the fact that the B4368 ends in a scale 300 foot drop off the edge of the baseboard by the boundary wall of Aston Hall.... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 so you are adding ROAD CLOSED AHEAD signs then. The bit next to the ballast was the cess typically ash and cinders I believe and was intended to act as drainage. However it was also a convenient safe path for workers. These days drainage purpoe seems to have been forgotten rather than being lower than the sleepers it can be found to be at the same or higher level. Often old bits of rail and other stuff has been dumped there. I dont know if they still have linemen who would regularly walk the length they were reposbile for and for their own convenience if nothing else keep brambles etc. at bay Don 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 17 minutes ago, MrWolf said: The best deterrent to a bus invasion of my layout is the fact that the B4368 ends in a scale 300 foot drop off the edge of the baseboard by the boundary wall of Aston Hall.... Ah, the road exits the layout at 47¼’” (give it take a few thou) above the nearest gravity-resistant surface, then? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 Another very sound reason for not having any track near the edge of the baseboard. Locos and stock may not fly off the edge at 200mph like in our train set days, but you can knock them off a lot easier. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted November 25, 2021 Author Share Posted November 25, 2021 41 minutes ago, Donw said: so you are adding ROAD CLOSED AHEAD signs then. The bit next to the ballast was the cess typically ash and cinders I believe and was intended to act as drainage. However it was also a convenient safe path for workers. These days drainage purpoe seems to have been forgotten rather than being lower than the sleepers it can be found to be at the same or higher level. Often old bits of rail and other stuff has been dumped there. I dont know if they still have linemen who would regularly walk the length they were reposbile for and for their own convenience if nothing else keep brambles etc. at bay Don It's something that I have taken note of when walking disused lines where all of the ballast has been recovered. Beneath it is always a good layer of ash and small stones that is seldom waterlogged. In related news, my resident ballast tamper wants to have another go tonight. Who am I to say no? 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rowsley17D Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 26 minutes ago, MrWolf said: In related news, my resident ballast tamper wants to have another go tonight. Who am I to say no? Methinks some flowers, choccies or a nice meal meal out might be called for very soon. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 33 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said: Methinks some flowers, choccies or a nice meal meal out might be called for very soon. Just for cooking one meal? 1 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rowsley17D Posted November 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2021 4 minutes ago, Stubby47 said: Just for cooking one meal? Ballasting! Bless you. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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