Popular Post Woody C Posted March 11, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 11, 2021 (edited) Hi, Longtime member, occasional commenter and now recently retired! Gives me the chance to do all that modelling that was in my mind! One of those modelling things on my mind was an 009 layout. I have dabbled over the years and built something similar in the early 90's to the 2 foot square layout that was a project in Scale Model Trains back in the 80's if anyone remembers that magazine and the project they had. I even went as far as fitting a DDC decoder into a Roco H0e 0-6-0 diesel back soon after Bachman launched their EZ Command controller back in the noughties and it worked much to my amazement! However, move on a few years and not a great deal has happened with my 009 modelling. There is an 00 gauge terminus layout which is fairly advanced, a basic n gauge UK layout, an even more basic USA one and some 0n30 in a box awaiting its turn! There is also my military and truck modelling! You would think I had enough on my plate with all those projects but I have had that itch to build something in 009 just for the fun of watching trains go round in a scenic setting. Started the baseboard back in May of 2020 and although in lock down I was still working so the project did not move that fast. However now with retirement there is more time although the 'Chore Jar' appears to be getting fuller as Mrs Woody finds further non model railway jobs that also need doing! Possibly at the risk of upsetting anyone here who is into prototypical modelling I thought I would post some pictures of what I have achieved so far - it is still a work in progress and is stage one in a two stage project with a further similar sized board to be added to double the size of the layout. You will see the two spurs ready to lead onto the second board. The track plan is a loose interpretation of one in the Peco plan book mainly because I liked the look of it! Size wise the board is 40 inches by 22 - and if you need the metric there is no doubt a handy app somewhere that will convert it! Intention is to run it DCC but with the ability to switch to DC if needed. First off is the 'drone' view which sets the scene and probably explains things better than my words do. Baldwin hauling a goods train emerging from under the bridge. The bridge, as shown in the Peco Plan book, is the Wills Occupation bridge kit. The strange thing was that despite the plan book showing it and even listing it I had to make my own abutments to get the clearance required for rolling stock. One of those phots where you suddenly realise that a locomotive really needs a crew! However, I guess the crew have stopped the train and are now having a break - that's my excuse anyway. Moving a bit further round the track passes the quarry which could be sand or chalk or perhaps something else that requires a different colour to be applied to the quarry face but that is yet to be decided. If anyone is interested there are more details on my blog at https://woodysmodelingdiary.blogspot.com/ and unless I am thrown out of the forum I will post some more photos later on. In the meantime I hope this is of interest! Woody Edited December 31, 2022 by Woody C Added pictures that had been lost. 24 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Bravo! Small and perfectly formed 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 (edited) Hi, On 12/03/2021 at 15:10, Edwardian said: Bravo! Small and perfectly formed Edwardian your comments are very much appreciated and a big thank you to everyone who has 'liked' Strangely enough this layout has somewhat amazed me in the speed of progress. Normally my modelling achievements are measured in astrological terms such as a comet returning from its deep space journey! It is nice to make progress and this weekend saw some n the loading facilities for the quarry. What comes out of the quarry is still open to debate but whatever it is can theoretically be loaded onto the railway. In building the necessary equipment I just started with a few pieces of plasticard, some rod and strip and a few H beams. What came out at the end of a few evenings work would probably me at home in Tony Beets bone yard if you watch the Gold Rush TV series! At the real risk of upsetting anyone with any engineering knowledge or experience of loading or health and safety legislation plant this is what I produced. The theory is that the material is loaded into the auger which then puts it into the hoppers that are over the track. No doubt in real life the auger would be unsuitable and the hoppers collapse but then that is the beauty of railway modelling - you sometimes just have to put real life to one side! Given an airbrushing of Tamiya earth paint and then a thin coat of a Vallejo light blue the plant then got a treatment of suitable rusty weathering powders just to make sure it had that old and neglected look to it. A further dab of weathering powder in the various hoppers covers a multitude of sins with joints in the plasticard! This what it looks like on the layout. Still need to make some concrete blocks for the steel feet to rest on but I do like it! You may also spot that there are some point levers loosely in place which need some 'civils' to get them bedded into the scenery. If I knew what I was doing I would have put them in place when I laid the track and before ballasting. The train posed under the hopper is made up of an old Roco diesel that I added a DCC chip to some years ago and the tipplers are also Roco. I recall buying them from a model railway shop in Bala on the industrial estate which I believe was the former site of Bala station. Although a little hazy I seem to remember that the gentleman who ran the shop was either German or Swiss and he wore a white lab coat as he tended to the massive layout that was the major part of the shop. Someone once told me the shop was an excuse for the layout which sounds good to me! Not sure if anyone here recalls that shop? Just to end with two images from the other end and side of the layout. Many thanks for looking and hope you enjoy. Comments/thoughts/ideas/criticism are always, well almost always welcome! Woody Edited December 31, 2022 by Woody C Added pictures that had been lost. 12 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 On 11/03/2021 at 18:50, Woody C said: the 2 foot square layout that was a project in Scale Model Trains back in the 80's if anyone remembers that magazine and the project they had Yes indeed, "Western Mining Co". one of those projects that Chris Ellis the Editor was really good at. I never got round to making my own version, although I did make a 4ft x 2ft version of his contemporary "Warren Branch" N Scale layout, with Fleischmann Piccolo track, but that never progressed beyond bare boards. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 18 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said: Yes indeed, "Western Mining Co". one of those projects that Chris Ellis the Editor was really good at. I never got round to making my own version, although I did make a 4ft x 2ft version of his contemporary "Warren Branch" N Scale layout, with Fleischmann Piccolo track, but that never progressed beyond bare boards. Thank you. That does bring back good memories and I still have the original magazines which I really need to bring out of their hibernation! At the time that magazine was so different from other railway magazines available with projects and layouts you felt that you could actually build yourself and so well written and illustrated. The Warren Branch was one I always wanted to build but never got round to it - maybe one day as I now have the USA stock that I could not afford back in the early 80s. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 37 minutes ago, Woody C said: I still have the original magazines So do I, the complete set of Airfix "Model Trains" from 1980 & 1981 - some are so well-read they're falling apart - in fact I've actually replaced a few of my original copies with less-worn examples picked up at exhibitions!!. After 1981 Airfix pulled the plug on it; Chris left and the title staggered on a bit without him, but he went on to independantly produce "Scale Model Trains" & lastly "Model Trains International", which re-used the cover design of the original Model Trains. It was Chris's writings in M.T. that got me interested in American railroads & Short Lines in particular, and also O gauge. Years later I got in touch with him & he sold me his Atlas O Plymouth switcher that featured in the May 1981 M.T. I have added DCC & my own Short Line name over his decals, but I'm imensely proud of it:- Apologies for the thread hijack & nostalgia trip!!! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 If I were fortunate enough to own the shunter with the history it has I would be immensely proud too! Thank you for posting the wonderful picture and having now located my box of MT magazines I will have to make time to reminisce and find the article your shunter featured in. Thank you also for the history of MT. I recall it turning (which must have been the point that Chris left) from an excellent magazine to one where each issue suddenly seemed to have page after page each month on the 16 ton mineral wagon. Great if you were interested in the multitude of variations of this wagon but somewhat boring if you were not. I missed out on Model Trains International. I think we seem to forget sometimes a World without the internet where unless you saw it in a newsagent that actually stocked it, (and many did not) or someone told you about it you were completely unaware it existed. By the time I found out about it I just could not justify anymore magazines. I better stop reminiscing or I might start on about Triang Super 4 track actually seemingly having nearer to scale sleeper spacing then other track systems currently available. Time for some other reminiscing on the TV and dip into another episode of "Life on Mars" then think about the next things to do on my layout - just for the fun of it! Woody 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share Posted March 27, 2021 Greetings, Not achieved too much on the layout this past week but got a few hours in today (Saturday) on this weekend where some of us will be confused on Sunday morning wondering where an hour of valuable modelling time has gone! Yes it is that time when the clocks go forward and traditionally less time is spent model making and more on being outside. Progress on this layout may therefore slow further in the coming months but in the meantime I can at least report that the point leavers and buffer stops are now fastened in place and the quarry siding area has received some detail. Firstly the ballast was toned down by using some of the original plaster mix which was left over and had set hard. This was crushed and then used almost as a weathering powder. In addition the sand ballast acted like sandpaper so it was possible to use a chunk of the plaster and rub it along the ballast to produce a powder which adhered to the ballast. A small scrap pile was created using parts from left over kits and some balsa cut up to form a small pile of timber. The scrap pile was given a coat of matt black paint and then dusted with rust weathering powder and the balsa wood given a wash of dilute black paint. Various grass tufts, vines and similar products were randomly placed around the scene and it all ended up lile this. Then it was time, just for the fun of it, to run a train. Probably one to get me thrown out of here with a WHR loco and L&B coaches but it works for me! Thank you for looking. Woody 13 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timken Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 Great compact yet interesting layout! Excellent. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 12 hours ago, Woody C said: I'd be tempted myself to lower that loading chute a bit, to be closer to the wagons. But the overall layout does look great. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted March 28, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2021 13 hours ago, Woody C said: In addition the sand ballast acted like sandpaper so it was possible to use a chunk of the plaster and rub it along the ballast to produce a powder which adhered to the ballast. Clever. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 6 hours ago, F-UnitMad said: I'd be tempted myself to lower that loading chute a bit, to be closer to the wagons. But the overall layout does look great. Thank you for the compliment - very much appreciated. With regard to the loader I would agree it should be lower however I did construct it at that height to get a loco under it which at the time for a reason I no longer can remember, made sense! From a technical view, if it was not condemned by the HSE, the chances of it working are remote and the likelihood of it collapsing into a pile of rusty metal high! As with all my modelling, things may change in the future! As I write this, Top gear is the TV with the three presenters in a Scottish quarry with some real quarrying equipment that looks very inspirational............. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 8 hours ago, Timken said: Great compact yet interesting layout! Excellent. Many thanks Timken for your compliment. It is very appreciated and it is nice to know what fellow modellers think of your efforts. Last night, on one of the rare occasions that Mrs Woody ventured into my modelling making domain - the Room of Doom - she did actually say 'That's nice and small, I like that'. I almost fell off my chair...... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangoOscarMike Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 On 28/03/2021 at 00:16, Woody C said: Then it was time, just for the fun of it, to run a train. Probably one to get me thrown out of here with a WHR loco and L&B coaches but it works for me! No, it's fine. "Just For Fun" gives you carte blanche! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted March 29, 2021 Author Share Posted March 29, 2021 21 hours ago, ian said: Clever. Thanks Ian - much appreciated and here is a picture of said process in progress - excuse dirty fingernail - the result of ineffective cleaning having done one of Mrs Woody's gardening chores and a desire to make progress on the layout once that chore was completed! Now properly cleaned I hasten to add! Whilst talking of hints and tips I will present the first of a series of probably one, Woody's Words Of Wisdom or a Woody's WOW for short! One of the issues that seems to come up on a regular basis when ballasting near to points using the traditionally diluted pva method is the fear of gluing up points so that they do not move. I make no claims for the originality of the following but having many years ago read in a car DIY magazine (remember the days when opening the car bonnet revealed an identifiable engine with components you could access and actually work on without the need for a laptop) that spreading petroleum jelly on the door seals prevented the door from freezing shut when wet in freezing weather. It worked for me and as my mind works in strange ways and as I was also building a layout around that time, I applied a thin smear of the jelly to the point tie rods on the layout as I laid them. I was pleasantly surprised when upon completing Operation Flood, as my ballasting activities usually become, and the glue had dried, the points remained free to move! I did it on this layout with similar success. Woody and success - No, those words just don't go together! The photo below illustrates the point and ties all the above together (pun intended) and will also no doubt bring tears to the eyes of anyone with soldering skills! I will await to see the reaction to this Woody WOW and whether my presence on this forum will still be tolerated! PS, other brands of petroleum jelly are available. 3 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Williamson Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 WOW! But, alas, your post came 18 month too late for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 Greetings, After a rest from most model making activities over the Easter break, but having to show willing in the garden, normal service as they say has resumed! Not a whole lot of progress but the last couple of days have seen some Woodlands Scenic trees installed. I should be making my own but I did want to see what these products were like. For the price I was happy. They will never be a scale rendition of a silver birch but neither are they a pipe-cleaner on steroids as some pre made trees can look. I did use the base that they are 'planted' in once it had been disguised in the existing scenery which is handy as I can take them out to re apply foliage in the future. Other developments include some vehicles and sheep. The vehicles are Oxford diecasts and they need a coat of matt varnish to stop them looking as though they have just been entered for best paint work at a car show but I am impressed by the detail and finesse of these vehicles. I have no idea of the origin of the sheep either their species or manufacturer but as I have put no date or location to this layout I am hopefully of not being called out for making a husbandry error! In my collection of 'I can't remember getting that' items I discovered a Corgi RB19 Face Shovel. Probably far exceeds the needs of this quarry but with some weathering it will hopefully give a little interest to the area. The quarry itself is becoming qite busy from the point of view of plant. From the ever helpful drone image the layout looks like this. Still more to do and a need for some figures and some road signs are probably next on the list but overall this project is giving me a lot of fun! Thank you for looking. Woody 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted April 7, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 7, 2021 Ooh, husbandry error! Lambs are in the fields now and those trees have far to much foilage on them for this time of year... (OK, I'll get back in my box now. ) 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 In best Captain Mainwaring mode, 'Well done Ian! I wondered who would be first to notice that!' A good point though! Shows how you can forget about reality when creating your own World. I could however, in my inevitable way, offer a variety of thoroughly comprehensive and compellingly ill thought out explanations regarding the husbandry issue that would make the average politician look almost amateurish. My top one is that I have 'future proofed' the layout as it is likely that the model trees will loose their foliage over time due to build quality issues eventually bringing them in line with the lambing season! Maybe I should just remove the lambs, but where's the fun it that! Now where's that copy of Farmers Weekly????? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 6 hours ago, Woody C said: In my collection of 'I can't remember getting that' items.... Phew - not just me with a collection like that, then!! in a similar vein I sometimes have "I don't remember owning that" moments with rolling stock, when looking at photos of my old, long-gone layouts.... That could just be old age, though.... 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 11 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said: "I don't remember owning that" moments with rolling stock, when looking at photos of my old, long-gone layouts.... That could just be old age, though.... Yes had those moments too and not just with modelling stuff which can lead to interesting domestic discussions!. ' You must remember that deck chair?' 'Err no.' ' Well you sat on it yesterday!' 'Oh! That deck chair - why didn't you say!' Duck as flying pan and other catering utilities make progress towards me! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 Firstly thank you for viewing this topic and much appreciation to those who have liked and commented. Secondly apologies that since the beginning of April modelling has not just gone on the back burner but more akin to being put into the deep freeze with a 'Do not disturb' note on it! We all have times like this and on occasions it can be beneficial to do something else for a while. In my case I do have that itch to get started again. However the something else at the moment is a big revamp of the garden. Believing that April would bring about the benefits of warm weather we had last year I was somewhat shocked by the frosts and as for May - well April showers just moved month! Anyway part of the gardening revamp is to do with my Man Cave or Room of Gloom as I have christened it. I have nearly moved into it, that's the modelling part of me, Mrs Woody has yet to throw me out there permanently but who knows the future.....? So without turning this model railway forum into a garden landscaping forum this may illustrate the scale of work. Under that part built wall is an 18 inch deep trench dug through clingy clay to put power into the Room of Gloom - handy for heat and power when I get thrown out there - and moving those Yorke slabs was a course in how you loose your strength and get a bad back as you get older! That and laying about 200 block pavers as an edging strip to the grassed area - I just can not bring myself to call it lawn in fear of upsetting true gardeners - has taken me several weeks. The wall? Well actually I like laying bricks - not very good at it but it is very therapeutic and a bit like railway modelling as you get a sense of achievement when you stand back and view. I can understand why Winston Churchill enjoyed building walls in his time way from Downing Street. As an aside getting hold of cement and sand is causing problems and I have spent several days trying to get hold of basic materials. Something to do with national demand and a fire in a factory in the Midlands I am told! Anyway, hopefully sometime next month may see all this work finished in time to enjoy a glorious summer?!?!? However in times recovering inside from muscular pains and drying out after the latest drenching I have rediscovered my 009 Project of Woe which was hiding behind items now moved to the Room of Gloom. I started this in 2016 by buying one of Bachmann Baldwins in WD livery - excuse the derailed front wheel! A fantastic model but this one has had problems. It has blown two DCC chips so is now a DC only loco. Anyway the loco purchase led to a few WD livery wagons being bought and then as the various events to commemorate WW1 were in full flow an idea for a small layout to feature a WW1 setting came to mind. By August 2018 I finally got round to starting, after all how long would it take to build - it would all be over by Christmas or so I thought! There was a speedy initial progress, but as you can see the project remains woefully neglected. Also, there were and continue to be some constructional issues. However my break from modelling, my rediscovery of this PoW (Project of Woe) and a renewed desire to get on with my quarry layout that started this thread hopefully means progress will once again be made - after all its just for the fun of it! At least Chloe the cat looks hopeful! Or does that grey Baldwin look like an interestingly shaped mouse? 6 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Woody C said: an idea for a small layout to feature a WW1 setting came to mind. By August 2018 I finally got round to starting, after all how long would it take to build - it would all be over by Christmas or so I thought! I take it the irony is intentional... As for your work in the garden, I can see your secret plans behind it all - that stone slab path looks like the ideal place to run some large scale trains on temporary track in the summer months. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted May 21, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 21, 2021 I thought he was going to make the wall a little wider to provide a nice elevated trackbed... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted May 26, 2021 Author Share Posted May 26, 2021 On 21/05/2021 at 22:33, F-UnitMad said: I take it the irony is intentional... As for your work in the garden, I can see your secret plans behind it all - that stone slab path looks like the ideal place to run some large scale trains on temporary track in the summer months. I have to admit it was intentional! The last topic that I had to study for my O Level history was the First World War. I had a great history teacher, Mr. Stratford, who not only was a very popular teacher but had the ability to bring history alive which was unusual back in the 70s. His teaching together with Black Adder and the host of fascinating history programmes these days means WW1 is still a matter where I thirst for knowledge and have an even greater respect and regard for those who fought in that and other conflicts regardless of the behind the scenes politics. When I first started working I was with guys who had gone through Dunkirk and D day as well as the Far East. Occasionally at lunch time something might have brought about some chat about their experiences. All incredible but most of all humbling that these guys made no big deal about it. Sorry, bit philosophical! Something in the garden sir? Ohhhh suits you! Strangely enough, but not for Mrs. Woody's eyes or ears, there are plans in the back of my mind!!!!! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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