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Chuffnell Regis


Graham T
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2 hours ago, Graham T said:

It would take more than a visible plan to fool anyone into thinking I know what I'm doing!

 

I think you've already shown us that you do!

 

Plans are a good starting point. But I feel if we stick too close to them, we could end up missing out on spontaneity.

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4 hours ago, Alister_G said:

 

That's pretty much what we all do mate, there's nobody (apart from Pendon) who teaches this stuff.

 

If you look back at early pages of my Bakewell thread, you will see just how awful I was. You are already doing better than that by some degree!

 

Al.

 

Thanks very much Al, that's a real compliment!

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4 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

Agreed.

 

The best time I've found to draw a plan is when everything is nailed down !

 

And even then it's still liable to change :D

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Here are a couple of views showing most of the track now temporarily fitted together and in position.  I'm still waiting for a couple of points to arrive before I can finalise the crossover for the run-round loop.  I've tried running a coach through all the possible routes, at a fairly high scale speed, and it seems to run nicely everywhere; but it doesn't like the road leading into the central of the three tracks along the platform so much; I assume because of the reverse curve.  But I don't think trains will ever actually run into that track from outside the station, as that central road will only be used for running around either a passenger train at the platform, or a goods train in the third track away from the platform - so that should be ok.

 

The pannier is sitting where the 55 foot turntable will be, and the engine and goods sheds are both in what (should be) their final positions.  There will be a cattle dock next to the siding at the left of the baseboard.

 

I have a cunning plan for the goods yard area.  You might be able to see that it's lower than the station itself (by 9mm); I will use layers of 2mm cork sheet so that each siding, as you move away from the platform area, is gradually lower than the next.  So the leftmost siding will be 7mm lower than the three roads running parallel to the platform.  Hopefully that makes sense - it does in my head anyway!  I thought that might make the ground look a bit more interesting than if it was completely flat; we'll see...

 

 

image.png.3d0849380ea88090232e1fa7811ac51b.png

 

 

image.png.8499619703c61603997365a6657cc6f3.png

 

 

Edited by Graham T
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There's been a lot of sticky business at Chuffnell Regis over the last couple of days.  All the layers of 2mm cork sheet are now glued down, with the intention of creating a gradual slope from the platform area down into the goods yard.  I've put the track back in place, and all seems to be well, with a coach run up and down all the sidings without any issues.  Now to mark and drill for the point motors, then bodge some more soldering and glue the points down.  

 

I can't fix the lengths of flexitrack down yet, as I'm waiting for bullhead rail joiners (twiddles thumbs), and I doubt if those can be fitted very easily once the track is actually down.  In fact, I suspect they won't be very easy to fit even before the track goes down...

 

The second photo might give a bit more of an impression of the slope across the goods yard.  There again, it might not!

 

 

image.png.df796da01fab72217aec351c6aa55e65.png

 

There are still a couple of small fillets of cork that I need to glue down under two of the points, as you can see.

 

 

image.png.3110c442b69c8c29e21e99819a7fdbc7.png

Edited by Graham T
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I’m having far too much fun looking in on the progress of your layout and the layouts of others to do anything on mine (excuse number 76) :lol:

 

Joking aside, I think you’re doing a great job and look forward to seeing it progress :good:

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Thanks Chris.  I must admit I also have those "meh" days when I can't really be bothered to do anything to the layout.

 

Particularly when there is soldering involved...

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Laying the track leading into the goods yard proved to be quite a challenge, and produced some fairly choice language, it has to be said.  The problem was in the short piece of bullhead track linking the point on the main running line to the first point in the goods yard proper.  I thought I'd be clever and use N gauge track joiners, as I'd read somewhere that they work well with bullhead track and are a lot less obtrusive than the regular Peco joiners.  They do indeed fit nicely onto the bullhead rail section, and all was going well until I had everything in position, droppers threaded through the baseboard, and started to glue everything down with PVA.  Once I applied the weights I left everything to settle for a while.  When I took a look at things later I noticed a big gap between the rail sections, between the point and the short section of bullhead track.  No problem I thought, I'll slide the rail along through the chairs a mil or so, so that the gap is balanced at each end of the short section.  That's when the rail popped up out of the N gauge joiner.  And of course everything was glued down then.  Cue much cursing and scratching of head until I finally managed to bodge it all back together.  It doesn't look great to be honest (and no I'm not going to post a photo!)  But stock seems to run over the section ok, and as it's leading into the goods yard nothing will be moving over it very quickly, so hopefully all will be well.

 

In an attempt to salvage something from the mess I decided to repaint the light stone on the lamp hut, as I thought it looked too yellow.  So it's been re-done with a mix of Tamiya paints.  The (unfinished) pagoda hut is next to it, painted in Humbrol light stone.  I think the Tamiya mix probably looks better, but would be interested to hear what others think...

 

 

image.png.fc193f255f127401b0e7b18dc08ac47c.png

Edited by Graham T
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After all the trials and tribulations fun of laying some more points and track, I thought I'd revert to something a bit less taxing on my minimal modelling skills.  So I've been slopping some acrylic paint on the track that's been laid so far.  Just a mix of white, black, and a little brown.  Then wiped off the tops of the rails with a cotton bud (although I think it will need more of a clean-up).  I don't think it looks too bad; I will paint the sides of the rails as well, of course.  That shouldn't take long - ha!

 

And once the ballast is down I may well mist over the whole thing to tie it all together.  I'll see how it looks first.  Anyway, that's still quite a long way off I think.

 

 

image.png.3e29c1d174b0b6ec18505fad26102df6.png

Edited by Graham T
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11 minutes ago, Graham T said:

After all the trials and tribulations fun of laying some more points and track, I thought I'd revert to something a bit less taxing on my minimal modelling skills.  So I've been slopping some acrylic paint on the track that's been laid so far.  Just a mix of white, black, and a little brown.  Then wiped off the tops of the rails with a cotton bud (although I think it will need more of a clean-up).  I don't think it looks too bad; I will paint the sides of the rails as well, of course.  That shouldn't take long - ha!

 

And once the ballast is down I may well mist over the whole thing to tie it all together.  I'll see how it looks first.  Anyway, that's still quite a long way off I think.

 

IMG20210609190253.jpg.1d99e9535cd06861f5b493ede097e900.jpg

 

That looks really good and makes a big difference doesn't it? I'm dreading the ballasting stage too.

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I think it will look good with the rails painted too.  Ballasting is going to take a loooong time.  But I have to get the wiring tested first, and also instal point rodding (when I've figured out where it should actually run, that is).

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I spent a couple of tedious, but ultimately quite productive, hours on painting track this morning.  A mix of black and earth brown acrylics, with a touch of red, brushed onto the sides of the tracks and the chairs.  I still need to go over the tops of the rails with some very fine wet and dry paper, but am quite pleased with the result.  With some light grey fine ballast I think it will look the part.

 

 

image.png.b3d0437821e9ec5bbd8937c44988aba1.png

Edited by Graham T
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Wet 'n' dry paper can scour the top edge of the rail, leading to the collection of dirt, which then hampers smooth running.

 

If you can use a piece of stiff cardboard, or even mdf.  And don't forget the inner edges of the rail heads too. 

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I got another Red Cross parcel from the UK this afternoon, so had some new toys to play with.  The points I was waiting for have arrived, so now I can figure out how to lay the track feeding the run-round loops at the end of the platform.  And I also got some hen's teeth Peco bullhead rail joiners!  I can't use them to join flexitrack to the points, as they aren't bullhead, so the fishplates will be mostly cosmetic.  I'm putting them onto the runs of track at scale 60 ft intervals.  Rather than cutting all my track into tiny bits, which seemed a bit daft, I've snipped the sleeper web where the fishplates need to be, slipped off the sleepers, put the fishplates onto the rails, and then threaded all the sleepers back on (which is also perhaps a bit daft...)

 

Anyway, here's how they look :)

 

 

image.png.1b53a375e96224efe08152ba55dcaabf.png

Edited by Graham T
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Two of the three sidings have now been laid, complete with fiddly little bullhead fishplates.  It feels as if I'm making some progress now.

 

 

image.png.b749b2e286c927de49caf92bec263c05.png

Edited by Graham T
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Progressing very nicely indeed.

 

I do like the staggered buffer stops. It is an interesting period feature for those of us who 'do' PWay, but something that is avoided where possible on the modern railway.

 

Not sure about GWR practice, but  I've noticed the lights on your buffer stop beams. I think they are very rare on sidings in steam days. Probably because they all had to be manually lit (and filled up) paraffin lamps.

 

Might be an interesting to wander through some appropriate time period pictures to see if you keep as is, modify or apply Rool 1 :D.

 

The link below is a good source if you've not discovered it before. The few that I skipped through in sidings were lamp free:  https://thetransportlibrary.co.uk/?route=product%2Fsearch&search=buffer+stop

 

Hope the above is of interest / help.

 

Looking forward to seeing more.

 

John

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For reasons best known to themselves, the powers that be at Chuffnell Regis hired local chancers Bodgeit and Scarper to do the permanent way work.  Probably the lowest bidder, or perhaps some brown envelopes changed hands - who knows.  Anyway, it seems that, against the odds, the rascals managed to do some reasonable work yesterday.  They nailed down most of the track in the goods yard, and two of the roads running alongside the platform, as well as the first point of the run-round loop.  And it all seems ok from the bird's eye view.  Today they will have their work cut out, as they will need to do some fairly careful planning and measuring to get the second point of the loop laid without making a complete hash of everything.  Hopefully the prospect of Sunday double-time rates will help them to focus.  We'll see...

 

 

image.png.dc5959d40c5b413dbfec8e7062a6ac9a.png

 

The various buildings are in more or less their final positions (according to today's version of the plan, anyway).

 

 

image.png.aaca99d42f7508aa3b5ff84f4cd3eb8c.png

 

Please excuse all the rubbish they've left lying about.  You just can't get the staff these days.

 

 

Edited by Graham T
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