dmustu Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Welcome to the development of my layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Apologies for the first post, have got it working now. WMPTE Land (Will have a name when i can think of one) by dmustu original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:56 am Hello all. Finally got round to starting my first proper layout. It is approximatly 2'6'' by 7'10'', OO gauge. It will be set in the 1974 to 1984 period, although stock from earlier and later times will appear occasionally. Based on nowhere in particular, it will be set in a west midlands looking urban enviroment, a sort of mini walsall, but I have not made my mind up on overheads yet. The layout consists of a main line, goods line, 4 road loco stabling point, and a 2 platformed station, with one bay and one through platform, and 4 hidden sidings, 3 at one end, 1 at the other. Track will be a mix of Peco & Hornby code 100 for the hidden bits, Exactoscale fasttrack, C&L flexi track, and tillig points on the senic bit. All this will be powered by a MRC Prodigy Advance 2, with tortoise motors for point control. So far the underlay for the track has been laid, showing the track layout. I used some packing material for the underlay, similar to laminate floor underlay, as it was given to me for free. It was easy to cut, and could be curved without any problems. Only thing is it looks a little to thick for a rationalised secondary railway which is the sort of feel I want the layout to have, but I think it would be ideal for a 100 mph main line. Still, will have to see further down the line. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Forevagrey on Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:36 am watching this one with intrest __________________________________________ Comment posted by ian on Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:22 am It's getting crowded in WMPTE land! Always nice to see someone else modelling the area. Room for one more on top... __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:56 am ian wrote: It's getting crowded in WMPTE land! Always nice to see someone else modelling the area. Room for one more on top... There's always room for one more on top, especially the top deck of a fleetline! Maybe, with all this west midlands based modelling, we can make birmingham a fashionable place again, where people are in awe of the wonderful accent. Then again, railway modelling and birmingham have never been fashionable! Never mind Still, back to the job in hand, have cut the track for the layout and placed it on to get a peek at how the track plan looks. Next will begin the task of wiring, track laying and point motoring. Also, i tried experimenting with the exactoscale fishplates. I cut the rails about half way down, and glued a fishplate to the sides of the rails. Although the result looks ok, I think the gaps too big, so i'm not sure I will do this around the layout. I could always cut the track all the way down and use the fishplates properly, but then I will have twice as many droppers to solder, and I dont think I can be bothered to do that, especially as i'm not great at soldering! what do you think? __________________________________________ Comment posted by ian on Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:11 am Perhaps just use the fishplates with no cutting. That should suggest the join without the extra work. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:51 pm ian wrote: Perhaps just use the fishplates with no cutting. That should suggest the join without the extra work. Not a bad idea. Might give it a go. Started a bit of wiring on the layout. Soldered some droppers to the track in what will be the hidden sidings. Went ok but think I could do with some different solder. The stuff i'v got i have had for several years, 60% lead, 40%tin. It took ok to the rail sides, but I think I need some flux, or solder with flux in? My solder did not flow very well over the join and it looks a bit of a mess. Its ok for the hidden bits, but not for the senic bits. Can anyone suggest what type of solder might be better, pref available at maplins because I can pop in on my break at work. Any other tips on the soldering process will be much appreciated too. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Austerity94 on Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:12 pm Hi there, Looks interesting. Something urban will be a nice change from the number of extremely busy 'sleepy' branch line that I see. Just one question at the moment: what are the tables that you're using for baseboards and how have you joined them together? It's an idea that may be helpful to me. Thanks. Regards, Alex. __________________________________________ Comment posted by ian on Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:16 pm dmustu wrote: Can anyone suggest what type of solder might be better, pref available at maplins because I can pop in on my break at work. Don't get the modern 'lead-free' stuff as it melts at a higher temperature. Any thin 'cored' electrical solder should do. I got a huge reel last year from Wizard Models their code is esolder and at ??????‚??9 it should last for years. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Mark Forrest on Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:21 pm dmustu wrote: Also, i tried experimenting with the exactoscale fishplates. I cut the rails about half way down, and glued a fishplate to the sides of the rails. Although the result looks ok, I think the gaps too big, so i'm not sure I will do this around the layout. I could always cut the track all the way down and use the fishplates properly, but then I will have twice as many droppers to solder, and I dont think I can be bothered to do that, especially as i'm not great at soldering! what do you think? 100_2583.jpg Excellent, another West Mids based layout On some of my rail joints I've filed a small V into the rail head with a small needle file rather than cutting into the rail. As for your soldering; I'm no expert but - make sure rail is clean, I tend to add some liquid flux even if the solder has flux in it and keep the end of the tip nice and clean too. Keep up the good work. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Phil on Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:46 pm Yessss !!! Another Wumpty layout !!! Keep it up. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:03 pm Austerity94 wrote: Hi there, Looks interesting. Something urban will be a nice change from the number of extremely busy 'sleepy' branch line that I see. Just one question at the moment: what are the tables that you're using for baseboards and how have you joined them together? It's an idea that may be helpful to me. Thanks. Regards, Alex. For more info on the baseboards look here - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=23956 Must admit I have not got round to sorting anything to bolt them together. Will probably use a couple of coach bolts, put through holes drilled through the frame, or something similar. The tables seem to hold together well with out anything keeping them together at the moment, although one of them did move when i kicked it while starting the wiring. Not on purpose by the way. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:11 pm Mark Forrest wrote: dmustu wrote: Also, i tried experimenting with the exactoscale fishplates. I cut the rails about half way down, and glued a fishplate to the sides of the rails. Although the result looks ok, I think the gaps too big, so i'm not sure I will do this around the layout. I could always cut the track all the way down and use the fishplates properly, but then I will have twice as many droppers to solder, and I dont think I can be bothered to do that, especially as i'm not great at soldering! what do you think? 100_2583.jpg Excellent, another West Mids based layout On some of my rail joints I've filed a small V into the rail head with a small needle file rather than cutting into the rail. As for your soldering; I'm no expert but - make sure rail is clean, I tend to add some liquid flux even if the solder has flux in it and keep the end of the tip nice and clean too. Keep up the good work. I think that may be exactoscale fish plate experiment No. 2 __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:30 pm A milestone has been reached. The first powered movement of a loco has taken place. Wired up the hidden sidings, using copper tape under the baseboard to solder the droppers to. Despite having a little difficulty in soldering the droppers to the track, I found soldering to the copper tape quite easy, altough some more practice is required. __________________________________________ Comment posted by eetype3 on Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:13 am No need for OHLE; just base it on the Cross-City Line in your chosen period and that's it, no OHLE, job done - and an excuse to run Peaks and Hoovers __________________________________________ Comment posted by mines a pint on Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:30 am dmustu wrote: ian wrote: Perhaps just use the fishplates with no cutting. That should suggest the join without the extra work. Not a bad idea. Might give it a go. Started a bit of wiring on the layout. Soldered some droppers to the track in what will be the hidden sidings. Went ok but think I could do with some different solder. The stuff i'v got i have had for several years, 60% lead, 40%tin. It took ok to the rail sides, but I think I need some flux, or solder with flux in? My solder did not flow very well over the join and it looks a bit of a mess. Its ok for the hidden bits, but not for the senic bits. Can anyone suggest what type of solder might be better, pref available at maplins because I can pop in on my break at work. Any other tips on the soldering process will be much appreciated too. those fishplates are a load of faff! - I tried and tied but never got a good looking joint, I've heard a good method is to fix the fishplates, then cut the rail, but just make a nick in it through the rail head to near the top of the fishplate. it should look ok and provide the satisfying 'clickety clack' sound. The etched 'soldered on' fishplates are much better for 'real joins'. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Phil on Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:44 am Hmmm Don't recall WMPTE buying any ex DB class 216s / 218s You'll be telling us next there was a diesel depot at Perry Barr for em !! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:03 pm Phil wrote: Hmmm Don't recall WMPTE buying any ex DB class 216s / 218s You'll be telling us next there was a diesel depot at Perry Barr for em !! WMPTE ordered a fleet of DB 218s, fitted with 'blue square' multiple working, so they could be used push-pull with the dmu's to speed up cross city line services. The loco's were built and almost ready to be shipped, when the government cut the subsidy and the plan was shelved. That blue and cream livery was origionally for the WMPTE loco's, but DB ended up using them instead. Not alot of people know that. Funny you mention Perry Barr, was thinking of basing my station building on Perry Barr. And my layout does have a small depot. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Phil on Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:28 pm Phil wrote: Hmmm Don't recall WMPTE buying any ex DB class 216s / 218s You'll be telling us next there was a diesel depot at Perry Barr for em !! dmustu wrote: WMPTE ordered a fleet of DB 218s, fitted with 'blue square' multiple working, so they could be used push-pull with the dmu's to speed up cross city line services. The loco's were built and almost ready to be shipped, when the government cut the subsidy and the plan was shelved. That blue and cream livery was origionally for the WMPTE loco's, but DB ended up using them instead. Not alot of people know that. Funny you mention Perry Barr, was thinking of basing my station building on Perry Barr. And my layout does have a small depot. You've also got that cold storage place on the downside too, well you did have years ago when trains were painted proper colours !!!! Oh no - thats me showing my age again __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:14 pm Not a great deal going on with the layout at the moment, with work commitments and all that. Made a start on attaching wires to the point motors. So far, have done the peco motor and 4 of the tortoise motors. Just another 3 to go. Spot the deliberate mistake Having used 10cm lenghts of wire for the droppers and the peco motor, I decided to use the same length for the tortoises, forgetting that they are much larger. The terminal blocks the wires are attached to were supposed to be attached to the underside of the baseboard, but the first 3 motors i did wont reach. Will just have to hope the terminal blocks will hold the wire while suspended in mid air (dont want to re-do the wires) I have to say tho, I was a bit worried about soldering the tortoises, but have found them quite easy to attach the wires too. I hope they are as easy to install and set up. So, at the moment the layout has more resembalence to a work bench, and progress is a little slow. Just one quick question, have also started to cut holes in the baseboard for the point motors. I have drilled a series of holes and then knocked through with a chisle. Is this the best way to do it? __________________________________________ Comment posted by eetype3 on Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:01 pm It worked for me, but I used 9mm ply for the tops. Break-off any sharp bits and clean up with a file and you should have no problems. I used offcuts of normal brown parcel wrapping paper with slots cut in it for the motor's operating rod, to fill the hole under the track; once ballasted, there's no evidence of holes at all... Saves faffing about filling the holes with foam or polystyrene __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Aug 11, 2008 5:19 pm Hello all, starting to make a little more progress, not that you'd tell, mind. Got all of the wires attached to the point motors, and been drilling and banging away at the boards, creating holes for the point motor's, frogs, droppers and signals. Then I remembered I have a peco inspection pit to install, all bl**dy 29.7cm of it. Still, its given me chance to catch up listening to a few albums, when I can hear the music over the noise. Only another 28.7cm to go....... 2 of the 7 sets of point holes. __________________________________________ Comment posted by eetype3 on Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:05 pm I've also got Peco inspection pits installed on my layout (see my workbench thread). I cut a slot to suit and simply dropped them in, securing with PVA. If you're careful you can slide the bases onto longer sections of Peco rail (Code 75 in my case), hence avoiding unnecessary joints; I managed a double-length pit and the length of the siding either side by sliding the sleepers out from under a metre length of Peco flexi, sliding the rails through the Peco pit mouldings and then sliding sleepers back on either side. It's easier if you paint the pit bases, rail chairs and rail sides before attempting that! My recipe: a glass (bottle...) of decent Cabernet Sauvignon, pre-painted Peco base sections and Planet Rock on the radio One thing I forgot to do was to fit lighting in the sides of the pits; consider slotting the baseboard appropriately alongside the pit and installing 12x2mm white strip LEDs (Maplin, pack of 5 for about ??????‚??3 plus 680-ohm resistors for a 12V supply, about ??????‚??1 per pack) through the pit wall to represent fluorescent striplights and wiring them up before reinstating the surrounding groundwork. Wish I'd thought of that six months ago... The pits aren't quite scale depth (about 2 scale feet too shallow), but they do suit most baseboard tops... __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:38 am eetype3 wrote: One thing I forgot to do was to fit lighting in the sides of the pits; consider slotting the baseboard appropriately alongside the pit and installing 12x2mm white strip LEDs (Maplin, pack of 5 for about ??????‚??3 plus 680-ohm resistors for a 12V supply, about ??????‚??1 per pack) through the pit wall to represent fluorescent striplights and wiring them up before reinstating the surrounding groundwork. Wish I'd thought of that six months ago... The pits aren't quite scale depth (about 2 scale feet too shallow), but they do suit most baseboard tops... Not a bad idea, I had not thought about this. Had a look on the maplins site but could not find what you describe. Closest I could find is this - http://www.maplin.co...Search.aspx?cri ... ce=15&SD=Y __________________________________________ Comment posted by fgt on Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:18 pm dmustu wrote: eetype3 wrote: One thing I forgot to do was to fit lighting in the sides of the pits; consider slotting the baseboard appropriately alongside the pit and installing 12x2mm white strip LEDs (Maplin, pack of 5 for about ??????‚??3 plus 680-ohm resistors for a 12V supply, about ??????‚??1 per pack) through the pit wall to represent fluorescent striplights and wiring them up before reinstating the surrounding groundwork. Wish I'd thought of that six months ago... The pits aren't quite scale depth (about 2 scale feet too shallow), but they do suit most baseboard tops... Not a bad idea, I had not thought about this. Had a look on the maplins site but could not find what you describe. Closest I could find is this - http://www.maplin.co...Search.aspx?cri ... ce=15&SD=Y Maplins search engine is a bit naff at times - I think dmustu means these - http://www.expressmo...FOR_12V_DC.html - I couldn't find them at Maplins either. __________________________________________ Comment posted by jim s-w on Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:32 pm Just found this thread - great stuff Do you realise that Brum in the early 80's had both the 140 and 210 units on trial? Have you thought of Kings Norton as a rough area? No OLE back then Cheers Jim __________________________________________ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 WMPTE Land (Will have a name when i can think of one) by dmustu original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ Comment posted by krhgcrr on Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:30 pm Hi I can remember seeing a Class 142 heading down to Bromsgrove a few times for testing on that nice 1 in 37 incline! I aways wanted a model of Kings Norton but will just have to dream! cheers Keith __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:45 am Hurrah! Finally got all the track laid, and all the droppers soldered to it. Now, just got to do the wiring and point motor's, etc, and hopefully will have trains running before christmas (no promises tho) __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Aug 29, 2008 4:30 pm As I had a couple of spare hours this afternoon, I decided to make a start on the wiring. As I had already connected droppers to the track, I decided to stick the DCC bus to the underside of the boards and solder all the droppers to it. Apart from getting the copper tape tangled up and stuck to itself a couple of times, and a sore finger from accidentally touching the hot part of the soldering iron all went pretty smoothly, and didn't take as long as I thought it would. The DCC bus. Then came the scary bit. I plugged in the controller and switched it on. Every bit of track has power During the testing, something odd happened to my prodigy advance2 controller. Although it was supplying power to the track, the loco's stopped responding to the controller. I got out my old Lokmaus2 and plugged that in instead, and everything worked fine. Has this happened to anyone else? Still, the next step, and the bit i'm more nervous of will be fitting, wiring and programing the the point motors and point decoder, controller problems permitting. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:44 pm Hello all, started with the point motors, but having a few problems, have posted a question in the help section - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=28914 HELP! __________________________________________ Comment posted by josh993 on Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:26 pm what locos/dmu's do you have then??? sounds intresting __________________________________________ Comment posted by Coalpits Bridge on Thu Sep 04, 2008 12:55 pm Hiya. What buses have you got to set the scene? Suggest the following: WMPTE Corgi OOC MCW Metrobus Mk.1 (Post Office) " " BMMO D9 (ex-Midland Red) EFE Daimler DMS (ex-London Transport) " Daimler CVG6 (ex-Coventry) " Leyland National Mk.1 Midland Red Corgi OOC Leyland Leopard/Marshall (NBC Local Coach) EFE Leyland Leopard/Alexander Y-type (ex-Stratford Blue). Be prepared to pay an arm and a leg at swapmeets though. Also suggest obtaining a kit for an Midland Red S16/S17. Hope it helps. Kevin __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:23 pm Coalpits Bridge wrote: Hiya. What buses have you got to set the scene? Suggest the following: WMPTE Corgi OOC MCW Metrobus Mk.1 (Post Office) " " BMMO D9 (ex-Midland Red) EFE Daimler DMS (ex-London Transport) " Daimler CVG6 (ex-Coventry) " Leyland National Mk.1 Midland Red Corgi OOC Leyland Leopard/Marshall (NBC Local Coach) EFE Leyland Leopard/Alexander Y-type (ex-Stratford Blue). Be prepared to pay an arm and a leg at swapmeets though. Also suggest obtaining a kit for an Midland Red S16/S17. Hope it helps. Kevin Thanks for the list, I do not have any midland red, but could do with getting a couple. I do have quite a few WMPTE busses tho. In addition to the ones you mentioned, i also have a Volvo Alisia (ABC Models), Willowbrook bodied Leyland Lepoard (EFE) and Scania/MCW Metropolitan (Britbus). What I could really do with tho, is a MCW bodied Fleetline, which WMPTE had in their thousands during the 70s and 80s. I know you can get a kit of one, by Paragon I think. Anyone with an intrest in the busses of the area might find this site useful - http://www.westmidlandsbuses.com/4436.html To answere josh993, Most of the stock is the typical mix of RTR diesels from the 70s and 80s that are currently available. DMU wise, i'm still hoping that someone will produce class 116/117/118 to modern standards. If they can justify producing the much shorter lived class 105s, then a suburban set must surly be viable, and will save having to put up with the lima one..... __________________________________________ Comment posted by jim s-w on Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:50 pm dmustu wrote: To answere josh993, Most of the stock is the typical mix of RTR diesels from the 70s and 80s that are currently available. DMU wise, i'm still hoping that someone will produce class 116/117/118 to modern standards. If they can justify producing the much shorter lived class 105s, then a suburban set must surly be viable, and will save having to put up with the lima one..... Hiya Its on the list to do etched sides for these if you are interested and can wait. Cheers Jim __________________________________________ Comment posted by ian on Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:59 pm dmustu wrote: Thanks for the list, I do not have any midland red, but could do with getting a couple. I do have quite a few WMPTE busses tho. In addition to the ones you mentioned, i also have a Volvo Alisia (ABC Models), Willowbrook bodied Leyland Lepoard (EFE) and Scania/MCW Metropolitan (Britbus). What I could really do with tho, is a MCW bodied Fleetline, which WMPTE had in their thousands during the 70s and 80s. I know you can get a kit of one, by Paragon I think. The EFE Leopard is an abomination - it makes the sins committed by RTR manufacturers look insignificant in comparison. The MCW Fleetline is indeed a Paragon kit - its getting WMPTE decals that is the problem. There are details of everything relating to 70s & 80s WMPTE and Midland Red available in model form on my website. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Coalpits Bridge on Tue Sep 09, 2008 10:35 am You could get away with the EFE Leopard/Weymann, by simply placing it nosing out of a bus depot. Metcalfe Models do them, and they did a kit of Midland Red's Digbeth Coach Station in Birmingham, so you could us that if you have one. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Sep 15, 2008 12:47 pm Hello all. I cannot believe it. Finally got the Layout up and running. All point motors work, everywhere has power! After getting the 1st board done, along with a few short circuits and burnt fingers, I decided to wire all of board 2 in one go. I had to use an 8 pin plug from maplins to get the power from board 2 to 1. Wiring the plug was easy as it was all screw terminals. The Plug. I stuck it to the underside of the board with double sided sticky tape. The underside of board 2. Next came the task of wiring the socket. This was not so easy, as the wires has to be soldered to it. I found the solder did not take to easily to the tabs on the socket. I think I could have done with a more powerful iron for this ( I have a 15w iron ), plus the tip has got a bit knackered. Still, it all worked in the end. Once attached, I covered the wired up tabs of the socket with some electrical tape to protect them a bit. Once this was ready, it was just a case of connecting the points wires to the decoder, the bus jumper wires to the copper tape, and plugging in. Board 1, ready to go! All plugged in. I think I will need to tidy the wires up a bit, although i'm not quite sure how yet. I have to say I feel a real sense of achievment at getting this far with the layout, bearing in mind I had never wired a point motor in my life, before starting this project. It works . Although not all of the electrical stuff is done yet, i need to put in a proper connection for the controller, and install the signals, but I think I will hang up my soldering iron for a bit, and start some senic work for a change. I sent the trusty roco DB215 for a test run, being the 1st loco to traverse the whole layout. A clip is here - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lQZzuYZqm5g A thanks to all who have helped so far, please keep watching. __________________________________________ Comment posted by DonB on Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:31 pm Did you see the ALDI offer posted here.....viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29496 ? If your soldering iron really is on its last legs, must be worth a look. HTH. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:13 pm DonB wrote: Did you see the ALDI offer posted here.....viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29496 ? If your soldering iron really is on its last legs, must be worth a look. HTH. Thanks for that. Will have to brave a trip to see what they have. In the meantime I have been playing, erm, I mean testing the layout and some stock, and trying out the camera with taking pictures of the layout. Some pic's are a little fuzzy, but on the whole they seem to have come out ok. Also had a go at a couple more youtube video's. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z8F0G_FdIiA http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FBwiE3LdSno __________________________________________ Comment posted by stubby47 on Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:18 pm Hi, What are you using for underlay, please ? Ta Stu __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:11 pm stubby47 wrote: Hi, What are you using for underlay, please ? Ta Stu I dont know what the underlay is called. Mrs dmu works in the local museum and she got me some from there. They use it for packing objects, as its a UV stable material that should not degrade, like regular foams, will ask her what it is called/where they get it from if she knows. here are the last few pics before I stop playing and get on with some senic work. First jobs on the list are to paint the rail sides , then erect the platform faces once i'v decided what to do with them. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:53 am stubby47 wrote: Hi, What are you using for underlay, please ? Ta Stu Its called Jaffa Foam. should be able to get it from most packaging/stationary suppliers. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Jonty on Wed Oct 15, 2008 6:20 pm hi, Really like the look of those Tillig Points, where can i get them and can they be joined with code 75 easily? thanks Jonty, Nice layout by the way! __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:19 pm Coming on well!!! Danny __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:42 pm Jonty wrote: hi, Really like the look of those Tillig Points, where can i get them and can they be joined with code 75 easily? thanks Jonty, Nice layout by the way! Hello, I got the points from international models. Link here - http://www.internationalmodels.net/acat ... ck_21.html They match up to code 75 very well. Only thing I found is that the tillig fishplates were a little loose when used to connect up the C&L finescale track. Although they are more expensive than peco, i'd recomend them to anyone, they look good and are p*ss easy to to wire for DCC. I have not had much chance to do anything with the layout till this week. So far I have done the laborious task of painting the rail sides of the track with dark rust colour, erected the platform faces and made a start on the loco shed. You'll have to excuse me for the poor colour in the pictures, took them this evening in poor electric light. I really must get myself a proper work bench, and stop using the layout! Two views of the platform faces. The shed so far, from the front of the layout. As you can probably tell, joining the two halves of rear wall did not quite go according to plan The other side. The big hole is to accommodate a side extension. At the moment I cannot decide wether to paint the shed grey or leave it blue. I have never spray painted anything before and dont want to mess it up. Still, in the meantime I have the platform surfaces to do (not quite sure how yet tho), and have just got some switches to control the signals, so I might install them soon. After all this hard work, time to relax with something nice....... __________________________________________ Comment posted by Jonty on Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:20 pm Hi, thankyou for the information on the points... much apreciated I have a Pikestuff shed as well, i left mine blue and stuck a plastikard British rail sign on the side of it. It looks good with a bit of weathering! One other good part to these sheds is the ability to easily detail the inside... I have recently made some fixtures and fittings and placed a pack of TMD workers in there with some express models lights...VERY REALISTIC! if you want pictures just pm me! thanks and great layout! Jonty __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:44 pm Hello everybody, not to much to report, but back into work tomorrow so I doubt i'll get much done over the next few weeks. I have built the side extension to the shed, this was a little tricky to build, as the side extension should run down the entire length of the shed, but I made mine about half the length it should be, so it does not foul the hidden sidings. So far though, I dont think it looks too bad. I test fitted the extension to the shed. I have not attached the extension to the shed yet as I still cannot decide on weather to paint it or not. Decisions decisions You'll also notice that I have covered up the large crack in the rear wall by using what is supposed to be a support post. I dont think it looks out of place, and is a damn sight easier than filling it. Finally, I have painted the baseboard grey where the shed will stand. It's actually Dulux 'Perfectly Taupe' emulsion tester, bought for 99p from wilkinson. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Supaned on Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:55 am Stu , That shed looks quite neat. Reminds me of Didcot LIP - maybe you could sneak a couple of photos of Didcot shed next time you're reviewing around Foxhall Junction? __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Nov 28, 2008 2:51 pm Supaned wrote: Stu , That shed looks quite neat. Reminds me of Didcot LIP - maybe you could sneak a couple of photos of Didcot shed next time you're reviewing around Foxhall Junction? The ticked may be stamped, but.......... Anyway, not a great deal has been done on the layout recently, partly down to having a week off work with the flu, but have still got some done. After much indecision, I decided to go for it and paint the shed grey. I popped down to halfords and bought a can of car primer spray paint. I used a cardboard box in the garage as a spray booth, and spary painted some scrap bits of plastic for a practice before tackling the shed. As all seemed ok on the practice run, I then did the shed and hoped for the best! I was suprised by the results, not only did the shed look good after 2 coats, I found it suprisingly easy to do The only downside was somehow painting a bit of fluff on to the roof of the side extension , still, at least the roof is behind the shed, so it is not too noticable. I have also painted the interior of the shed grey, and the interior of the side extension magnolia, and fitted doors and windows. I plan to illuminate the interior of the building, which I will do in due coarse. I have also been drilling holes in the layout to accomodate switches for the signals and lights, and for the wiring for the platform lights. Finally, I have made a start on surfacing the platforms and making some cable troughing. to make the troughing, I am using mounting card, scored every 1cm, then cut into strips 4mm wide. This will be painted before sticking to the layout. __________________________________________ Comment posted by DavidBelcher on Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:03 pm dmustu wrote: That blue and cream livery was origionally for the WMPTE loco's, but DB ended up using them instead. Not alot of people know that. Now you mention it, the colour scheme on that DB loco does remind me of childhood bus journeys to and from the middle of Wolverhampton (before the days of umpteen colour changes and at least 4 different operator names/logos)! David __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:12 pm Hello all, slow progress with christmas and all, but still managed to get some done. Work has been progressing on the platform. Using 1mm mounting card, I have put supports in for the platform surfaces, and also used it to make the surface structure. I found doing the platform surfaces this way a little tricky, i'm not sure if plastic would have been better to use, but the card was easy and quick to cut, and it seems to have done the job ok, taking into account the builders lack of expertise in this department (its the first time I have built platforms!). Once the surfaces had been put on and stuck down, I covered it with fine grade sand paper, the aim being to replicate a tarmac surface when painted. Once this was done, I drilled some 6mm holes where the platform lights are to go, tnd test fitted them, along with making sure the wires for them were able to pass through the 10mm holes I drilled for them in the baseboard. Thankfully they did! After this, the platform surfaces were given a coat of 'dirty black'. Recently, one ot these has joined our household.... ....and has contributed to the platforms by adding one of her hairs to the platform surface. It was invivible, untill the surface was painted and had dried, and now lies on the end of the platform, stuck there forever Still, its not to noticable. For a first attempt at platform building, so far I dont think they look too bad. Next step will be to paint the flag stones a suitable colour, add the white line and some weathering, to the platform faces in particular. __________________________________________ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 WMPTE Land (Will have a name when i can think of one) by dmustu original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:22 pm Hello all, had a bit of a session yesterday afternoon and made a start on the 12v dc circuit for the signals and lighting. Having previously installed the signals and platform lights, I set to work on connecting them all up. To control the signals, I decided to use the express models rotary switches. Being pre-wired, and at only about a fiver each, you cannot go wrong. Only thing with them is, is that the shaft for the switch is quite short, and is not long enough to pass all the way through the hole I drilled, so at the moment the switches are rigged up on to the outside of the frame, with the wires passing through the hole I drilled for the shaft of the switch. This will do for now, till I can find a way of making the shaft longer, or a better way of mounting them on the layout. I made the 12v circuit in a similar fashion to the dcc bus, using copper tape to solder the wires onto. I have one positive and 2 negative strips, one negative permantley on, for the signals, and one controlled with an on-off switch, for the platform lights, etc..., so that these can be turned off when not needed. Gladly, all seems to work well. The route indicator on SY3 signal is wired to the switch on the point motor, so it will automatically illuminate only when the point is set in the right direction. The wiring on the circuit board for the signal will not allow the route indicator to light up when the signal is red, making operation very simple. I also got the platform lights working, and tried a photo in the dark, but it did not come out to well. Also tried one with the flash, not to good either, but it shows them working. Will have to practise my night time photography! Next job will be to put together the exit signal for the depot, install lights on the depot building and install the 12v circuit on the other board. __________________________________________ Comment posted by sjl1973 on Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:27 pm Nice work, what make are the signals? Simon __________________________________________ Comment posted by krhgcrr on Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:43 pm Looking good, I take it you know the real SY3 signal is loacted on the up line at Barnt Green (NE-SW route South of Birmingham) cheers __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:42 am sjl1973 wrote: Nice work, what make are the signals? Simon The signals are made by Traintronics. Probably the best place to get them is Bromsgrove models, as they are about a pound cheaper than anywhere else. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:58 am krhgcrr wrote: Looking good, I take it you know the real SY3 signal is loacted on the up line at Barnt Green (NE-SW route South of Birmingham) cheers I sign that route, so of course I know, honest! Got some more done yesterday, started installing the 12v onto the other board, and got the ground signal for exiting the depot wired and working. It was a bit of a fiddle to get it wired but it is worth it. The signal is wired to the point motor, so that it changes when the points change. I know this means that the signal will be 'off' when a loco arrives on to the depot, which is not technically correct, but I wanted to make the signalling as automatic as possible. Only thing I should have done is to paint the light guides in the kit before putting the signal together. Its a tight fit inside the signal moulding, and as a result there is some light bleed into the unilluminated aspect on the signal. It looks worse in the pictures than it does to the naked eye, but I glued the signal moulding together before realising, and it will not come apart, so I will just have to live with it __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:07 pm Got the shed illuminated. I have used a self adhesive strip of white LEDs, and a couple of depot wall lamps. All bought from express models. They were all very simple to install. Now to switch the power on and hope for the best. It works! __________________________________________ Comment posted by Supaned on Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:40 am Looking good Stu __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:58 pm Got the rest of the depot lighting done. Decided to use the express models depot lights in the end. Hopefully i'll be able to pack the soldering iron away for a bit, as I was starting to get fed up with burning my fingers on the iron. Still, its all good practice, and i'm finally starting to get the hang of this soldering lark, and I think the results are well worth it. Next i will start on some senic work, and get the track ballasted, which i am quite looking foward to. __________________________________________ Comment posted by jazzythumper on Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:09 pm Thats looking awesome at night, very atmospheric! __________________________________________ Comment posted by jameshilton on Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:04 pm This one in particular looks great __________________________________________ Comment posted by Melee on Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:29 pm Hi! Loving the lighing! I think lights can really make the scene, and the aerial shot there wreally shows it off nicely! great work! regards Lee:D __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Feb 27, 2009 4:59 pm Hello all, I have finally made a start on some ballasting, although a small one. I'd like to know what you think. I have used some Riko granite ballast bought from Beatties in the pallisades in birmingham about 15 years ago! I have just put the ballast on a small section of track to see what it looks like. It is not glued down yet, just brushed into place. I think it maybe a little to coarse, but I cannot make up my mind. I was thinking of just using this ballast on the main line, and possibly buying some finer ballast for the goods line and depot, possibly of a different colour too, what do you think? __________________________________________ Comment posted by jim s-w on Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:04 pm dmustu wrote: Hello all, I have finally made a start on some ballasting, although a small one. I'd like to know what you think. I have used some Riko granite ballast bought from Beatties in the pallisades in birmingham about 15 years ago! I have just put the ballast on a small section of track to see what it looks like. It is not glued down yet, just brushed into place. I think it maybe a little to coarse, but I cannot make up my mind. I was thinking of just using this ballast on the main line, and possibly buying some finer ballast for the goods line and depot, possibly of a different colour too, what do you think? Since you ask I would say it is too course. Try Carrs 4mm light grey - code C1163 I wonder how many brummie modellers are into the hobby because of the layouts in Beatties window? Cheers Jim __________________________________________ Comment posted by Pugsley on Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:15 pm I'd say it was too coarse as well. Consider using something from the Green Scenes range, their N scale ballast is spot on for 4mm scale IMO, and it doesn't change colour with PVA like the Granite stuff either. __________________________________________ Comment posted by DavidBelcher on Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:31 pm dmustu wrote: Hello all, I have finally made a start on some ballasting, although a small one. I'd like to know what you think. I have used some Riko granite ballast bought from Beatties in the pallisades in birmingham about 15 years ago! Crikey!That makes me feel old! I bought my first Parkside wagon kit (a BR 'Shochood' open) from there when I was in my teens.... David __________________________________________ Comment posted by Supaned on Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:06 pm Stu , I agree that ballast is a bit on the coarse side - if you think about the size of real ballast a stone will generally fit in your fist. I suggest using Woodland Scenics "fine" ballast , available from your not to cheap but convenient Ned Book Dungeon on Stevenson Street / down the ramp at Manchester. Failing that , if you see some, N gauge ballast works just as well... __________________________________________ Comment posted by krhgcrr on Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:10 pm Certainly like the inside of your TMD shed, with the office windows showing it makes it look very good. well done... Wondering where mine goes wrong now after seeing yours! cheers Keith __________________________________________ Comment posted by Crabfat on Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:33 pm Just caught up with this thread and am impressed so far. Im really glad that I came upon it because I have the SMD and tortoise setup which I am nearly ready to install. Good work, keep the updates coming. Chris __________________________________________ Comment posted by Phil on Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:01 am jim s-w wrote: I wonder how many brummie modellers are into the hobby because of the layouts in Beatties window? Cheers Jim I was hooked waaaaay before I found Beatties, but it was a regular haunt Jim. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Mar 01, 2009 4:40 pm Thanks for all the comments and input. Think i'll get some new finer grade ballast, and save the old riko stuff for filling some wagons, or a future O gauge project, in another 15 years time! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:03 pm Supaned wrote: Stu , I agree that ballast is a bit on the coarse side - if you think about the size of real ballast a stone will generally fit in your fist. I suggest using Woodland Scenics "fine" ballast , available from your not to cheap but convenient Ned Book Dungeon on Stevenson Street / down the ramp at Manchester. Failing that , if you see some, N gauge ballast works just as well... Went to the Ned Book Dungeon on Stevenson Street as its the only place I have had chance to get to and purchased some Woodland Scenics ' Grey Blend'. Looks a damn sight better better than the Riko stuff, although doesn't have the same nostalga as anything bought from Beatties all those years ago! What does everyone think to the new stuff? __________________________________________ Comment posted by eldavo on Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:09 pm Looks good. Whack on that PVA. Cheers Dave __________________________________________ Comment posted by rodney021 on Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:11 pm Just caught up with this excellent thread the night shots are looking really good where did you get the lighting for the shed from i could do with getting some of that for my small shed ? Also i noticed you stated that you sign the redditch branch so do I as I'm a guard for London Midland just wondered if i knew you without realising it ? keep up the good work __________________________________________ Comment posted by Grimleygrid on Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:33 pm Nice work. Love the lights, especially in the depot. __________________________________________ Comment posted by Melee on Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:58 pm Hey, The ballast is looking great there Nice one regards Lee __________________________________________ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 WMPTE Land (Will have a name when i can think of one) by dmustu original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ Comment posted by jim s-w on Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:50 pm I agree Much, much better Cheers Jim __________________________________________ Comment posted by Maybach52 on Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:42 pm That depot is looking good. The Pikestuff kits are great for "kit bashing". Just in the middle of one myself. You have also made my mind up regarding the lighting. Top job! Can you tell me were you got the "interior details" from? Thanks. Bob. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:05 pm rodney021 wrote: Just caught up with this excellent thread the night shots are looking really good where did you get the lighting for the shed from i could do with getting some of that for my small shed ? Also i noticed you stated that you sign the redditch branch so do I as I'm a guard for London Midland just wondered if i knew you without realising it ? keep up the good work The shed lighting comes from express models, the exterior lights are their 'Depot Wall Lights', the interior lights are LED strips, all top products. The only part of the cross city I don't sign is the redditch branch, working for cross country, I go straight on at barnt green and down the hill to bristol. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:10 pm Maybach52 wrote: That depot is looking good. The Pikestuff kits are great for "kit bashing". Just in the middle of one myself. You have also made my mind up regarding the lighting. Top job! Can you tell me were you got the "interior details" from? Thanks. Bob. The interior stuff is a pack of Werkstattzubehor (Workshop Accessories) by Noch. They are pretty good, if a little pricey. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:59 pm The layout is still progressing, all be it at a snails pace! The better weather has ment spending more time in the garden hacking back the bramble's, and I also made the fatal mistake of purchasing Mariokart for the wii, to which I am now addicted! Still, despite this, the ballasting is largley done on the one board, and i'v also made a start on some senic work. I decided to have a go at some hanging basket liner scenery, between the platform and depot headshunt. It is still not complete yet, but overall i'm quite pleased with the result so far. Trying to model waste ground is harded than I first thought tho, it took me ages to decide how to fill the area in, and i'm still not sure if it is looking a little too overgrown at the moment, so some more hacking back in model form still may take place. __________________________________________ Comment posted by jameshilton on Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:42 pm Wow this is coming on really nicely __________________________________________ Comment posted by DavidBelcher on Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:40 pm Coming along very nicely, the weathered signalling equipment cabinets are a good touch. Is the retaining wall an off-the-shelf product and if so, who makes it? Might be just the job for a similar feature that my own layout needs. David __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:27 pm DavidBelcher wrote: Coming along very nicely, the weathered signalling equipment cabinets are a good touch. Is the retaining wall an off-the-shelf product and if so, who makes it? Might be just the job for a similar feature that my own layout needs. David The retaining walls are certainly off the shelf. I do fancy having a go at scratch building some based on the ones at Five Ways station, but this will probably never happen! So I opted for the next best thing, as a temporary (permanent) solution, till I get round to building my own. They made by Merkur, and I got them from international models, and a link is here - http://www.internationalmodels.net/acat ... ls_40.html __________________________________________ Comment posted by DavidBelcher on Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:39 am dmustu wrote: DavidBelcher wrote: Coming along very nicely, the weathered signalling equipment cabinets are a good touch. Is the retaining wall an off-the-shelf product and if so, who makes it? Might be just the job for a similar feature that my own layout needs. David The retaining walls are certainly off the shelf. I do fancy having a go at scratch building some based on the ones at Five Ways station, but this will probably never happen! So I opted for the next best thing, as a temporary (permanent) solution, till I get round to building my own. They made by Merkur, and I got them from international models, and a link is here - http://www.internationalmodels.net/acat ... ls_40.html Cheers Stu - with the appropriate stone-coloured paint they would do nicely for my Yorkshire-based layout. Although now I've moved its fictional location from the Calder Valley to York itself maybe I should be aiming for engineer's blue or yellow "Scarborough" bricks instead? The signalbox is in yellow brick, and I've kept a stone finish for the main station (apart from the walls and the Minster, there are some more recent stone buildings in the city centre, e.g. the Yorkshire Museum near Lendal Bridge so there is a precedent). Hmm. Need to go away and do some thinking/scratching of head.... David __________________________________________ Comment posted by boltonwanderer on Wed Apr 22, 2009 10:47 am hi, nice layout, can i ask what you painted the rails with __________________________________________ Comment posted by sjg1964 on Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:45 pm Like the thread - all it needs now is to let a yob loose with a spay can and its complete!! - no don't do it - weather yes, vandalise no, I have seen others go the whole way and it looses it Keep it up Steve __________________________________________ Comment posted by Grimleygrid on Wed Apr 22, 2009 2:45 pm Really coming on now and looking very nice indeed. Keep the updates coming. __________________________________________ Comment posted by poindexter on Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:20 am Excellent informative thread. love the depot building and yard lighting Guy __________________________________________ Comment posted by EWS60008 on Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:39 am Astonishing work you have done there mate! Keep up the great work . One question though, do you have any video footage of trains running on this work of art? . __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Apr 27, 2009 2:23 pm boltonwanderer wrote: hi, nice layout, can i ask what you painted the rails with Precision Paints 'Dark Rust' and a small paint brush. A somewhat labourious task but the results are worth it. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Apr 27, 2009 2:28 pm EWS60008 wrote: Astonishing work you have done there mate! Keep up the great work . One question though, do you have any video footage of trains running on this work of art? . __________________________________________ Comment posted by EWS60008 on Mon Apr 27, 2009 4:23 pm Thanks man! . I've just rated it 5 stars and I have subscribed as well. Keep up the great work fella . __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue May 19, 2009 10:42 am One area that is proving a little tricky to sort out is the senic break for the hidden sidings behind the shed, and hiding the point motor for the 'main line' hidden sidings, as it encroaches onto the senic part of the layout. In order to hide this, I decided to hide the motor with a building, so I had a go at my first scratch built building. I wanted to build one of those quite anonomous brick built relay type buildings that are fairly common around the network. It is not a copy of a particular building, but is based on one of the many similar looking buildings around the Oxford and thames valley area. It is built form some Wills brick embossed plastic sheets from the scrap box, and the roof is made from left over parts from the diesel shed. It still needs some finishng off, but otherwise is largley complete. Only thing is that I had to cut the roof at an angle to provide clearance for rolling stock coming out of the sidings and to allow some access to the point motor. When up against a backscene, it may look a bit like the roof is sloping downhill, but I could not see a way around it. I have also got some ballasting and some senic work done on the second board too. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:00 pm Tidying up the layout a bit, decided to have a quick play and take a couple of pic's, although the light was a bit poor. Also did a quick video - __________________________________________ Comment posted by big T on Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:49 am Im really enjoying this thread and watching the layout develop! The illuminated shed is a winner! Keep up the good work - can't wait for some nice blue and cream Metro's/Fleetlines to appear! __________________________________________ Comment posted by witherbrowsclass90 on Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:51 am wow this is great - it looks so lifelike i love what youve been able to do ina small space __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:57 pm big T wrote: can't wait for some nice blue and cream Metro's/Fleetlines to appear! I would love to have some Fleetlines on the layout, but there is no rtr birmingham fleetline models, which is a real shame. There is a kit, but when I last looked for one you would be looking at ?‚??50+ for it. And then you've got to build it. Still, there will be a wmpte Metrobus appearing shortly - http://www.westmidlandsbuses.com/ As I cannot see point for the fiddle yard on the main line, I thought it would be a good idea to make an indicator so that I know which wat the point is set, as I can never remember, and sent my 47 over the points while they were set the wrong way! I used a Peco PL13 accessory switch mounted on top of the point motor, and a couple of green LEDs. Thankfully it all worked first time. - Not any senic work going on at the moment, I still have not been brave enough to ask the future in-law to cut the hardboard for me. Also, on seeing that howes have their dmu sound chip in stock, I went and ordered one, as i fancy taking up a rolling stock project for a change. I'v just got to decide wether to have a go at installing it in a Bachmann 108 or a Hornby 121 (which will be much easier). __________________________________________ Comment posted by jim s-w on Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:45 pm dmustu wrote: big T wrote: can't wait for some nice blue and cream Metro's/Fleetlines to appear! I would love to have some Fleetlines on the layout, but there is no rtr birmingham fleetline models, which is a real shame. There is a kit, but when I last looked for one you would be looking at ?‚??50+ for it. And then you've got to build it. Still, there will be a wmpte Metrobus appearing shortly - http://www.westmidlandsbuses.com/ Hi Stu I posted this a while back on my thread. More thoughts on the Brummy Fleetline. My EFE leyland Atlantean turned up and while mooching around I also found Brit bus do a similar model. So time for some thoughts and comparison pictures. Immediately the Britbus one looks better detailed but there are differences that also make this a more likely candidate for a Birmingham Fleetline. The gap between the wheel arch and windows is better. the door is higher than the window tops as per the fleetlines and the area below the windscreen is much more like it. The windscreens are wrong on both and the upper front windows on the Britbus model are too tall. Both will need new indicator clusters. From the back the Britbus is still the best candidate. The upper window being a better match and it features the 'wings' behing the lower window. The lower window itself being vertical as per the fleetlines. The drivers window is too deep on the Britbus model but too shallow on the EFE. Given the models are metal and everything else the Britbus model has going for it, filling in a bit of the window will not be a problem I have a Paragon WMPTE fleetline kit to build and while its basically 3 big bits, theres a fair bit of work in there to get something good. HTH Jim __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:07 am Thanks for the info Jim, that looks like an interesting project, although I dont think I could be brave enough to put paint stripper and filler on a Britbus model, as their models always seem to be of very good quality, and are probably better than some model trains currently on the market. When your conversion is done, all you'll need to do is put a dcc sound chip in. Hopefully a leyland 680 engined one! __________________________________________ Comment posted by THEWORRALLS on Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:25 am Very interesting comparison there Jim, I must say I've never seen the Britbus vehicle before, but you're absolutely right - that captures the WMPTE standard much more closely (given a few nights' work) than the GMPTE with its fairly strong features. I'm somewhat glad I've changed modelling locale away from my native Brum, or I'd be looking out for fleet quantities of these to redecorate. __________________________________________ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 WMPTE Land (Will have a name when i can think of one) by dmustu original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ Comment posted by Phil on Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:57 pm Thanks very much for posting these pics Jim. I have pondered the possibilities but needed more than just the standard box view to commit. Now I am more unsure than ever !!! I will however be watching your workbench with increasing anticipation. Must sort out our class 116 trip too. Cheers __________________________________________ Comment posted by dan griffin on Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:41 pm just one thing, is that cat hair stuck to the end of one pf those platforms?? just kidding, really nice small space layout, look foward to the rest. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:51 pm dan griffin wrote: just one thing, is that cat hair stuck to the end of one pf those platforms?? Darn Cat Have been trying out the new sound decoder from howes. I have to say its pretty good, and will sound much better when I upgrade the speaker, and work out how to reduce the volume. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_cXDRjTqow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6V8vCQch6E __________________________________________ Comment posted by THEWORRALLS on Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:56 pm Howes decoder with a cat sound! Awesome, what traction's it going into? __________________________________________ Comment posted by Pete-Harvey on Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:29 pm It can not be as bad as Nick Gurney's Sea Gull. Pete __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:49 pm THEWORRALLS wrote: Howes decoder with a cat sound! Awesome, what traction's it going into? Might build a canal, and put the chip in a model catamaran sailing down it __________________________________________ Comment posted by THEWORRALLS on Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:58 pm Amazed none of the EE Type 4 men have mentioned 427 or 428 in their later manifestations yet __________________________________________ Comment posted by EtchedPixels on Tue Jul 07, 2009 3:28 pm THEWORRALLS wrote: Howes decoder with a cat sound! Awesome, what traction's it going into? Something that purrs along I assume ? (or maybe a Eurostar passing at speed .. mieeeaowwwwwwwwwwwww...) __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:30 pm For anyone who may be interested, I will be at the Battlefield Line this coming Wednesday (29th), driving the DMU. Wednesdays are usually pretty quiet, so if anyone's interested in coming along to the railway for a ride on the DMU then please come along and say hello. The first departure is 1130 from shackerstone. The 2 car class 116/118 unit will be in use. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/candj_simmons/ Layout wise, not much has been going on. I have started planning the overbridge and station building, and started to aquire some parts for its construction. I will update with pics in due course. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:55 pm Hello all, I have made a start on constructing the overbridge for the main road/station building. I have decided to do something loosley based on duddeston. I have cobbled together the first bits to see what it looks like on the layout. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:43 pm Not much happening at the moment, having to spend too much time doing stuff like fitting curtain rails . Have made a start on weathering the track, still have not totally decided on the final design ot the overbridge/station building end of things just yet. I have had time to play with the camera a bit tho - __________________________________________ Comment posted by Derbys12 on Wed Sep 02, 2009 6:56 pm Loving this layout and watching the progress too, looks great especially the night shots. Ref the strip lighting from express models, anyone may find its a damn site cheaper from maplin, where u can buy it by the inch and in different colours too!. Keep up the good work mate. I might get somewhere with mine yet!... __________________________________________ Comment posted by devious diesel on Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:11 pm Wow the 108 sounds great - could you tell me who the sound is done by . The layouts coming on a treat as well . Regards David __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:13 pm devious diesel wrote: Wow the 108 sounds great - could you tell me who the sound is done by . The layouts coming on a treat as well . Regards David The sound chip is from Howes, with the supplied speaker replaced with a bass reflex one from DCC Supplies (product code DCCS01-100). __________________________________________ Comment posted by krhgcrr on Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:11 pm I presume the Cl47 is a Bachmann fitted sound chip? Need to get a chip for my recently arrived cl47 but no funds at the minute __________________________________________ Comment posted by Rayden500 on Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:37 pm Hi WMPTE Land, Just a quick question, having read the thread and i must say its looking good. How have you wired the signal route indicator to the point and are the signals by traintronics? Regards Mark __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:59 am krhgcrr wrote: I presume the Cl47 is a Bachmann fitted sound chip? Need to get a chip for my recently arrived cl47 but no funds at the minute Yep, the 47 is the Bachmann factory fitted sound chip. I have also replaced the speaker in this to, with a bass enhanced speaker from DCC Supplies (product code DCCS02-100). It is about the same size as the Bachmann fitted speaker, but sounds about 100 times better! Rayden500 wrote: Hi WMPTE Land, Just a quick question, having read the thread and i must say its looking good. How have you wired the signal route indicator to the point and are the signals by traintronics? Regards Mark Yes, the signals are made by Traintronics. I have used Tortoise point motors which have 2 accessory switches built into them, the route indicator is wired into one of these switches, so it will automatically illuminate when the signal is cleared, and the points are set for that direction only. It's simply a case of running a wire from the 12v supply to the switch, then another wire from the switch to the signals circuit board. This would work with any type of point motor/accessory switch arrangement. __________________________________________ Comment posted by krhgcrr on Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:31 am dmustu wrote: Yep, the 47 is the Bachmann factory fitted sound chip. I have also replaced the speaker in this to, with a bass enhanced speaker from DCC Supplies (product code DCCS02-100). It is about the same size as the Bachmann fitted speaker, but sounds about 100 times better! I did wonder, after spotting it was 47404 which I knew was sound fitted yet the sound was far better than my Bachmann sound fitted 37 which has already been re-blown by Howes and still sounds c**p. Think I will have a look at one of these speakers you mention to try and improve my Cl37... cheers Keith __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:11 pm krhgcrr wrote: dmustu wrote: Yep, the 47 is the Bachmann factory fitted sound chip. I have also replaced the speaker in this to, with a bass enhanced speaker from DCC Supplies (product code DCCS02-100). It is about the same size as the Bachmann fitted speaker, but sounds about 100 times better! I did wonder, after spotting it was 47404 which I knew was sound fitted yet the sound was far better than my Bachmann sound fitted 37 which has already been re-blown by Howes and still sounds c**p. Think I will have a look at one of these speakers you mention to try and improve my Cl37... cheers Keith I also found that the 47 and the dmu sound chips were both set to maximum volume, which does not help with the sound quality. CV63 controls the volume, the range is 0 to 64 (64 being maximum volume). I set the 47 chip, with the smaller speaker, to 32, and the dmu chip, with the larger speaker, to 25. I find that the maximum volume is simply too loud and this can distort the sound, especially with the supplied speakers. Spending ?‚??6 or ?‚??7 on a new speaker is probably the best investment you can make to improve the sound quality, when you've already spent alot of money on a sound chip, it would be daft not to spend a few pounds more on a decent speaker to get the best out of it. __________________________________________ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Depot Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Glad to see this topic on here, enjoyed reading it in the past. Anyway looking forward to further updates. I think the track looks real good, the concrete sleeper sections are excellent, is it SMP? Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Glad to see this topic on here, enjoyed reading it in the past. Anyway looking forward to further updates. I think the track looks real good, the concrete sleeper sections are excellent, is it SMP? Keith The concrete track is Exactoscale 'Fasttrack'. A link to the products page is here- http://www.exactoscale.co.uk/4mmtrack.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 Hello all, after not doing much with the layout for a while I have made a start on the station/overbridge area. This will also be the senic break for the main line, giving the impression of a through line rather than a siding. The walls are wills sheet. Overall view. Eye level view of the station. Just of late I have found it hard to motivate myself to get some stuff done on the layout. I keep thinking about the next project (or three!), and have found it hard to resist buying some of the new N gauge stuff thats come out recently, for the next-but-one project. The quality of the new stuff is superb. I blame Dapol for my lack of progress! With work starting on the station, its about time the layout had a name. Some of the station signage, etc, needs to be added before the road goes on top, problem is, i'm rubbish at deciding what to call the layout. Any suggestions for a name will be most welcome. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
7APT7 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Hi Guys Love the progression of this layout as it slowly comes together. The LED lighting and the Signal light at ground level look great...Have you made these from scratch or can you buy them as a kit...? Keep up the progress and the photos... Regards Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hi Guys Love the progression of this layout as it slowly comes together. The LED lighting and the Signal light at ground level look great...Have you made these from scratch or can you buy them as a kit...? Keep up the progress and the photos... Regards Jamie The ground signal is a kit by Eckon. The other lights around the depot, etc, are all ready made products. Although I think its reasonably easy to make your own, i'd rather spend time doing other things, and my soldering skills are not that good! I have finally got round to making some progress with the layout. I have painted the brickwork for the overbridge/station structure. It was my first go at dry brushing and I found it easier than I thought it would be. There's not much more I can do at that end of the layout until I have sorted a backscene out, and repaired a dodgy joint in the track. With this in mind, I have turned my attention to the depot. Spured on by an article in Model Rail 138, I decided to have a go at the Cinder Ballast for the depot tracks, and fill the area between the tracks with Air Clay. To begin with, i roughly ballasted the track to give some texture, and then made a start with the clay. Before the Clay. And After. Overall View. Looking down the yard. I found the clay quite good for filling the space between the sidings, as its easy to spread and shape. I then used a paint brush to help push it into place and give the surface some texture. Only thing I'm not sure about at the moment is actually using it on the track itself. It didn't really spread, I had to wet the clay to soften it to make it spread. Avoiding getting it on the rails was quite difficult, and i'm not to sure about its appearence now its dry, although i'm sure it will look better when painted. I cannot decide wether to bother using it for the track itself, I might finish off the ballasting with a finer grade of ballast instead. Doesn't look like it did in the magazine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted February 26, 2010 Author Share Posted February 26, 2010 Work has been progressing on the depot area. I decided to not bother with the air clay around the track, as i could not achieve the desired effect, so I opted to ballast the track normally instead. before starting the ballasting, I painted the area's between the track with an undercoat of 'Roughcoat', to give a little texture, and then painted it 'Earth Brown' as a base colour. I have installed a foot crossing from Wills Wood Planking sheet, and have so far completed the ballasting from the crossing to the buffer stops of the 3 sidings. Once I have completed the ballasting, the track and surrounding area's will be weathered in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 18, 2010 Author Share Posted October 18, 2010 Long time no update! Its been a busy year, got married back in June, and with work and discovering the joys of a xbox (I am now addicted to Battlefield Bad Company 2), I have not had chance to get much done, but things have progressed a little since my last post back in February! Most of the layout now has a backscene, just some fibre board painted blue with the retaining walls attached. I'v still to do the awkward curved bit to separate the not so hidden sidings from the depot, but at the moment I have been concentrating on the station end of the layout. I made a deck out of card to form the road that goes above the station. While constructing this, I found out that using PVA to glue card together makes the card go wonkey (see pictures below) when it dries. Typically, the worst bit is where I want to put the station building, I dont want to redo the whole thing, so some creative thinking is in order. View of the road Poor foundations under the station building General view of the station area and backscene A brand new 150 departs past the retaining walls. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bayford Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 its looking really good what sort of track did you use? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 its looking really good what sort of track did you use? Its a bit of a mixed bag. C&L bullhead track for the depot area, Exactoscale for the main line/station bit, and the points on the senic part are Tillig. The track on the hidden bits is peco, including one hidden point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Hi Stu I remember this one from the old RMWeb! Looks like you've made some steady progress. I like the Metro & the Leyland National. All you need now is a Lynx and a couple of Fleetlines to finish the lot off., preferably something like 1268 and 6969! I'm looking forward to seeing this layout develop. Cheers Trev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
taytrain Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 very nice work so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bayford Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Its a bit of a mixed bag. C&L bullhead track for the depot area, Exactoscale for the main line/station bit, and the points on the senic part are Tillig. The track on the hidden bits is peco, including one hidden point. Cheers for the reply that c and l track looks nice Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 Not exactly work on the layout, but some sound I added to my 37 yesterday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqgK9mzoRrI Thanks for the positive comments, it helps spur me on to get the layout to some degree of finishedness (if such a word exists!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1977joey Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Not exactly work on the layout, but some sound I added to my 37 yesterday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqgK9mzoRrI Thanks for the positive comments, it helps spur me on to get the layout to some degree of finishedness (if such a word exists!) Hi Stu, That vid of the 37 is awsum. I actually saw 37 426 named 'Y Lein Fach/Vale Of Rheidol' at Aberystwyth in may 1986, i was only aged 9, makes me feel old lol! Seeing that & your provincial class 150/1 really brings back memories of that era. Great layout & pics/vids, keep up the good work, all the best, Mark. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmustu Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 Hi Stu, That vid of the 37 is awsum. I actually saw 37 426 named 'Y Lein Fach/Vale Of Rheidol' at Aberystwyth in may 1986, i was only aged 9, makes me feel old lol! Seeing that & your provincial class 150/1 really brings back memories of that era. Great layout & pics/vids, keep up the good work, all the best, Mark. Funnily enough I was there too! Aged 8 at the time tho, my grandma lived in Borth and we used to go and visit every year. I was chuffed when hereford model centre bought out the 37426 model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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