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Yet another GWR BLT.


magpac
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Following the freeing up of a spare room in the house, I finally decided that this (below), was not enough.

 

20210719_102639.jpg.a6e84e2367c084170a2704ce0fc543ea.jpg

 

So everything has been packed up, and the back room has been rearranged to this.

 

20210810_182928.jpg.75aa9e02a9b06dc2e6ef3f9fca50d3d1.jpg

 

20210810_182953.jpg.565f914d707cac29f0803396548cba29.jpg

 

And I spent the day in the garage making donuts.

 

20210811_174630.jpg.1e8ef2effe47db1b84976b91e922be1c.jpg

 

So that I have these

 

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To eventually make this:

RoomPlan.png.c35a658d3836197a541b51dc5240dcbc.png

 

The frame work for six 1200mmx600mm baseboards have been cut, 142 holes for wiring and lightening of the frame are complete, though I'm not sure my back, drill or hole saw will ever forgive me. :D

 

Over the next few days there will be a trip to the hardware store for some ply to top the boards, and some paint.

 

I've already had an offer from my brother to bring over some extra Peco flew track and scenic items. Although for now, the plan is just to get the baseboards complete and confirm the layout plan I have in mind will fit and work.

 

But it has begun. 

 

Edited by magpac
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The orange section in the plan is a future removeable extension to allow round-and-round operation.

 

I doubt the Castle and Cornish Riviera Express, or the Manor and the Mark-1's will ever call at the station-which-doesn't-have-a-name yet, but it would be nice to see them running.

 

 

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5 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

Excellent! but what on earth are you going to do with all those doughnuts? 

 

No idea, I already have 3 other tubs of small offcuts of wood! 

 

I should offer them to the wife, I'm pretty sure they should be gluten-free......

 

Mark

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16 minutes ago, magpac said:

 

No idea, I already have 3 other tubs of small offcuts of wood! 

 

I should offer them to the wife, I'm pretty sure they should be gluten-free......

 

Mark

 

I was going to say that they look like vegan donuts.

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2 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Never mind the donuts, this is progress!

The good kind of progress I hasten to add, not the kind where your local branch station is bulldozed and replaced with a Tesco's.

 

Leek Station was closed in 1970 and is now a Morrisons :(

 

There has been rumblings that the Churnet Valley railway want to extend the line back to Leek though

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leek_railway_station

 

Apologies for sending your thread off at a tangent so early on

 

 

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1 minute ago, Bogie said:

I bet they taste better than a vegan donut!

 

We get some pop-up-shops selling gluten-free donuts in some of the shopping malls here in Brisbane, and the donuts actually taste pretty good. They are a bit "lighter" and more "airy" than the glutinous ones, but taste-wise, there isn't much difference any more.

 

My wife and both daughters eat predominantly gluten-free, after both girls were tested and showed up a gluten intolerance. When we started out on that diet, everything tasted like cardboard, nowadays, things are a lot better.

 

 

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30 minutes ago, magpac said:

When we started out on that diet, everything tasted like cardboard, nowadays, things are a lot better.

Daughter sometimes needs to eat gluten free (not actually intolerant) so I tried some M&S triple chocolate biscuits.  Taste just as good, maybe not as soft and crumbly but as I prefer my biscuits with a crunch I thought they were better than ‘normal’ ones!

My (personal) learning point from that was “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.” !

Paul.

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32 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Don't get too far ahead with baseboard construction until you've got the plan fully worked out!

 

You might be building stuff that has to be taken apart again and/or that restricts the plan.

 

 

Well, I had the plan mostly worked out, and had already tried it on the top of the cupboards.

 

But, then I just looked at the track plans in your signature, and I'm starting to wonder if I can adapt Fernhead to fit with the planned baseboards! I think I can make it fit ok, just by moving the carriage siding point a little to the right, and shortening the station to only take 4 or 5 coaches.

 

The baseboards have to be modular/removeable, as unfortunately, we are in a rental property.

 

 

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1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

Daughter sometimes needs to eat gluten free (not actually intolerant) so I tried some M&S triple chocolate biscuits.  Taste just as good, maybe not as soft and crumbly but as I prefer my biscuits with a crunch I thought they were better than ‘normal’ ones!

My (personal) learning point from that was “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.” !

Paul.

 

We've both tried the vegetarian trip, both at around the same age. Due to the memsahib's intolerance to certain fruit acids, she wasn't getting a balanced diet and it made her ill. I just got bored of it. That said, we do still enjoy a lot of meat free food. My theory is that we evolved originally to eat whatever we could get hold of and you didn't get to spear a wild boar every day. We just aren't designed to eat too much processed food. 

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3 hours ago, magpac said:

 

Well, I had the plan mostly worked out, and had already tried it on the top of the cupboards.

 

But, then I just looked at the track plans in your signature, and I'm starting to wonder if I can adapt Fernhead to fit with the planned baseboards! I think I can make it fit ok, just by moving the carriage siding point a little to the right, and shortening the station to only take 4 or 5 coaches.

 

The baseboards have to be modular/removeable, as unfortunately, we are in a rental property.

 

 

Looking at other track plans can be a very dangerous pastime when you’re trying to make your mind up! :smile_mini:


You need to have a clear idea of what you really want - and on that subject, you are talking about a BLT but your plan above shows orange outline boards completing a roundy round. Which are you going for?

 

Of course a roundy round plan can still feature a BLT but, as you’ve already noted, there are lots of BLT models out there based on a relatively small number of prototypes. There were many more small prototype through stations and a lot of them were mesmerisingly charming…

Edited by Harlequin
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Taking a look at your rolling stock shelves you might be on the horns of a dilemma because you could well be thinking in small railway terms but you have some big trains that will look their best romping round a roundy and not sitting about at a country branch or seaside branch terminus.  And I think your planning has to either take that into account or you start reorganising your fleet (i.e. selling the things which don't fit the sort of railway you think you should build).   I can see a couple of ways out of your dilemma including a scenic fiddle yard at one end of the end to end layout but the thing which really needs some thought is the terminus (if that is what you decide you want at the other end)  plus a logical and credible idea to have a through line bypassing the terminus (which, fortunately, is far from impossible in my view).

 

But you need to get those priorities and options sorted before you can start on track plans and therefore before you start building any sort of 'baseboard' structure.  For what it's worth if I were starting with that fleet my by-passed terminus would be something akin to Plymouth Millbay but handllng short local trains only and my by[ass line would be taking freight trains and long passenger trains with big engnes to/from the docks (i.e. the scenic fiddle yard/carriage sidings.  But that is how my mind sees it and you can obviously have your own, very different, ideas.

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6 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Taking a look at your rolling stock shelves you might be on the horns of a dilemma because you could well be thinking in small railway terms but you have some big trains that will look their best romping round a roundy and not sitting about at a country branch or seaside branch terminus.  And I think your planning has to either take that into account or you start reorganising your fleet (i.e. selling the things which don't fit the sort of railway you think you should build).   I can see a couple of ways out of your dilemma including a scenic fiddle yard at one end of the end to end layout but the thing which really needs some thought is the terminus (if that is what you decide you want at the other end)  plus a logical and credible idea to have a through line bypassing the terminus (which, fortunately, is far from impossible in my view).

 

But you need to get those priorities and options sorted before you can start on track plans and therefore before you start building any sort of 'baseboard' structure.  For what it's worth if I were starting with that fleet my by-passed terminus would be something akin to Plymouth Millbay but handllng short local trains only and my by[ass line would be taking freight trains and long passenger trains with big engnes to/from the docks (i.e. the scenic fiddle yard/carriage sidings.  But that is how my mind sees it and you can obviously have your own, very different, ideas.

 

The available space of 10ft by 10ft is also going to play a big part in determining the size of station and the kind of traffic operating in/through it. The 9-coach express with 4-6-0 loco on the shelves will be difficult to fit in any design in that space, unfortunately. But not impossible - there's always a way!

 

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Thank you both for your well reasoned input.

 

As this is my first attempt at an actual layout, I am well aware that there are many things I don't know yet, and probably a lot of things that I don't know that I don't know.  And I think that includes the topics of which parts of the hobby I will most enjoy: operation, kit or scratch building, painting, weathering, etc. I have a 3d printer, and an interest in automation, which I am hoping will play a part in the development of the layout.

 

So the current goal, which I imagine will grow and change as things develop, is a small station, probably a terminus, though maybe a passing or junction that will allow me to develop the required skills to build something I can enjoy operating as "realistically" as possible within the current constraints of space, time and money. But I'm aware that I'd also be happy sometimes to sit and watch the trains just go by.  I'm quite sure that modelling reality will sometimes have to be suspended, as my brother will be bringing over Silver Link and a rake of teak coaches, or one of his other big LNER Pacifics to stretch their legs. They will be well out of place, but I'm happy with the concept of "A little bit of column A, and a little bit of column B"

 

I am aware I have had issues with avoidance behaviours in the past, which is one of the reasons I realised I have to make a start, even if the goal isn't quite clear yet, but I am looking forward to this developing, and as it does, shining a light on the aspects that I will find enjoyable. And if it proves in 6-12 months that it isn't quite what I wanted, I will be better prepared for the next one!

 

And I wish a good  day to all.

 

 

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Some progress has been made, the first three baseboards have been made up.

 

20210818_143459_2.jpg.f5f5241ae02a49651b63026e099e18b7.jpg

 

And after transferring them to the railway room, a very rough trial fitting of the plan was done, to ensure that it would fit without points being over baseboard joins.

 

Engine shed on the far left, signal cabin mid-left, goods shed at the back and station building on the right, fiddle yard off the back track on the left.

 

20210818_185051.jpg.0ef5aff8e72bb2d65a4627eba7b894a6.jpg

 

So tomorrow, I will remove the track and fit the legs to the boards. But given I had my second Covid jab today, I may just close the room up until the weekend....

 

 

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Just to add my thoughts,  the Devizes branch had regular 4 and 5 coach expresses between Paddington and Bristol, these were Star and Castle hauled.  Devizes itself was quite a large station, I can't remember whether or not there were other stations on the line, but if not I'm sure that a fictitious one could be added.  Or if you wanted to move upto Kings, there's the Kingswear line, Churston is/was quite compact, with or without the Brixham branch.

 

 

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And Here's a satellite view of it as it is today as the Torbay and Dartmouth Railway, very little change apart from the removal of the Brixham branch.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Churston+Ferrers,+Brixham+TQ5+0HZ/@50.3971004,-3.5557344,562m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x486d10a35c567cc3:0xf5238991055d78a9!8m2!3d50.393319!4d-3.545896

 

 

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