Market Lavington (previously Neely)

[Revolution Mike B]

Famous last words “It’s very doubtful I’ll start it before Taunton”……..

 

The last two evenings I’ve been up in the loft moving purlin props and building a frame for the new fiddle yard. The new fiddle yard is actually for the proposed extension and is 18” longer than the main section of the layout.
 

The frame is deliberately too low for the fiddle yard, hence the 2x1 on top of it, as the end boards are lower than the fiddle yard and need to sit on the frame too.  
 

 

 

I bought some second hand code 80 track for the fiddle yard from Tom Curry and I’m going to reuse the points from the front of the layout (they’ll need packing to raise them up to meet the code 80) as it’s daft to waste them. 
 

I’ve got some Finetrax coming tomorrow to have a look at it and if it’s worth the hassle, I’ll order the lot. 
 

I’ll reconvene over the weekend and get everything built so that I can have a tidy up. 

[Revolution Mike B]

I thought I’d draw up the layout boards to show how the redesigned layout looks.

 

 

The original layout is depicted by the large rectangle to the left with the newer wider fiddle yard boards running along the back and extending past the original length. The extension is at 90° to the last ‘original’ board and has a senic section of 7’6” before it disappears under a bridge and returns along the back using the old fiddle yard boards. This has been designed so that if I want to, it can be extended by another 4’ when it’s out at an exhibition. There will be some ‘scenic fillers’ to give the layout more depth and to hide the fact that the running lines will be near to the corners in order to get a better track alignment. 
 

 

 

 

[GWRPhil]

7 hours ago, Revolution Mike B said:

I thought I’d draw up the layout boards to show how the redesigned layout looks.

 

 

The original layout is depicted by the large rectangle to the left with the newer wider fiddle yard boards running along the back and extending past the original length. The extension is at 90° to the last ‘original’ board and has a senic section of 7’6” before it disappears under a bridge and returns along the back using the old fiddle yard boards. This has been designed so that if I want to, it can be extended by another 4’ when it’s out at an exhibition. There will be some ‘scenic fillers’ to give the layout more depth and to hide the fact that the running lines will be near to the corners in order to get a better track alignment. 
 

 

 

 

Really  great to see the work on the layout progressing and the card drawings bring an extra layer to that. Will be really great to see it out on the exhibition circuit. 

[GWRPhil]

@Revolution Mike Bdo you think you might go beyond a 4ft extension for exhibitions or would that be the limit?

[Revolution Mike B]

2 hours ago, GWRPhil said:

@Revolution Mike Bdo you think you might go beyond a 4ft extension for exhibitions or would that be the limit?

There’s two limiting factors Phil. Firstly, the shape and size makes it an exhibition managers nightmare, and secondly, it needs to fit in my van! Oak Road is bad enough. 

[Revolution Mike B]

Code 40 track is poles apart from the Peco stuff I’ve been used to in N Gauge, but it’s rather fiddly! I definitely need to get the assembly jig. 
 

 

I’m not sure about the 500mm lengths though as it’s going to be near on impossible to create the smooth curves that I’m aiming for. I’m also not keen on lots of droppers…..but I may have a plan. 

 

Back up in the loft and the fiddle yard frame is finished and painted.

 

 

The end board lines up perfectly but I forgot that the board connector blocks were mounted to the side of the baseboards meaning I can’t pug the flippin’ things in!! Luckily, I’m replacing them for something simpler so I can mount the new connectors in a different place. 
 

Im going to get the fiddle yard boards finished off tomorrow and move the whole layout back so that it’s in the correct position. Then the fun starts……

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Revolution Mike B

[Revolution Mike B]

Final update for the weekend as we’ve got a busy week coming up with work and then a 313 Railtour next weekend along with a trip on the London Transport Museum’s 1938 stock. 

Just some bracing and the two tops to go on the last of the fiddle yard boards and then I can start working out where the track needs to go. The Anyrail plan is only a guide because nine times out of ten, the curves are too sharp, or nothing lines up as it should. 
 

 

I’ve had a bit of an awkward moment where the mainline needs to deviate from the ‘Melksham Branch’ - the points are going to be sitting right over a board joint (see above where Anyrail doesn’t always go to plan!). I’m going to have to do this as I go so that I can get a decent alignment for the junction, and get the track round the mainline curve without it looking ridiculously tight. This will mean building the track bed wider than it needs to be and then cutting it back once the track is laid. A bit of a faff but needs must! 
 

In the meantime, I’m going to create some temporary running lines on the fiddle yard boards so that I can still play trains while I build the rest of the extension. 

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Revolution Mike B

[Revolution Mike B]

The fiddle yard boards are completely built and 90% painted now. I just need to finish them off and add the alignment dowels. 
 

White undercoat and emulsion for the underside first coat….

 

 

Anthracite grey for the sides, ends and tops….

 

 

I’ll probably give them an extra coat of paint at some point before laying the fiddle yard track. 
 

Talking of track, I’m now in possession of 20m of flat bottom code 40 rail in 1m lengths courtesy of Phil at C&L. Wayne is on holiday until next week so I can’t order the track base until then but that’s not an issue - we’re busy working on something exciting at work and we’ve also got the NGS York show coming up just under two weeks. 

Next job is to remove the track from the scenic boards and assess the track bed changes. Once that’s done I can get cracking on the Wallace and Grommet sketch and ‘bosh’ the track down at a rate of knots.  

This should be fun…..

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Revolution Mike B

[Revolution Mike B]

Update time.

 

Progress on the baseboards has been halted until I fit the window in the loft - it’s just way too warm! Just waiting for my roofer to come and remove the tiles as they’re a pain in the backside to get off without breaking them and then I can crack on.
 

In the meantime, another delivery from Wayne at British Finescale arrived…..

 

 

…..some CV10 points, two jigs and a few miles of concrete sleeper track base. The jig is tiny, and I’m beginning to think I should’ve got four or five of them to make assembling the plain track faster. I could print a larger jig but I’ve got so much else to do including getting the 377 project up together at work (shameless plug!), let alone the work on the loft.
 

I should also add that I’ve redesigned the track plan slightly to resemble a very cut down version of Westbury. The sidings by the station will now be occupied by Network Rail and allow for various shunting and reversing movements to keep things varied. The fiddle yard has had a few changes too which include 6 roads that run the entire length of the return straight and the main area. This means that two roads can be continuous running lines and the others can accommodate 40 wagon stone trains and diverted container trains (providing I can get enough traction around the curves). 
 

Now…….if anyone one fancies building 24 points for me…….

 

 

[shanks522]

Loving the new extension Mike, I think you’re mad doing it all in finescale but it’s going to look fantastic! Best of luck! 🤪

 

Graham. 

[Revolution Mike B]

Here’s the updated track plan….

 

 

I’ll need to be like the Wallace and Grommet sketch to get this lot down in double quick time!!  Oh hold on…I need to build the track first……

 

 

[Revolution Mike B]

Well it’s been absolutely ages since I’ve posted anything relating to either layout on RMWeb, so it’s time for a N Gauge update. 
 

I’ve had a rethink on the new layout and rather than waste time and effort trying to modify the existing one, I’m going to start from scratch with new baseboards. This means that Market Lavington can stay complete, which is just at well because it will be going to Taunton RailEx this year come hell or high water! 
 

Over the last month in between having a stinking cold and going away with work, I’ve managed to start rebuilding the end I’d ripped out. There’s a new bridge and  embankment, and I’ve started creating a new scenic break. It’s been slow progress but things are moving forward somewhat. 

 

 

Once I’ve finished the construction of this end, I’m going to get the station finished and then move up to the other end to relay some track, and modify the scenery for new over bridge. 
 

I’ve also bought a YaMoRC power booster from DCC Train Automation so that I can split the track and accessory buses. 
 

Busy Busy Busy! 

 

 

 

[Revolution Mike B]

Looking forward to the greenery going in……

 

[Revolution Mike B]

This looks way too ‘green’!
 

 

The colours are going to need to be toned down a bit as they’re very bright….

 

…..although some of it my be the wet PVA and the poor lighting in the loft. 
 

There’s not much I can do now until it dries out, which given the current cold spell, could take a few days. 
 

I won’t lie, I’m finding doing things in 1:148 a little challenging as everything looks way over scale and I’m still finding my feet with the different techniques. I’m sure I’ll get there but it’s not as easy as it is with 1:76.2 where you can more or less make anything look right without too much effort. 

Right….back to the day job! 

 

 

 

[franciswilliamwebb]

3 minutes ago, Revolution Mike B said:

I won’t lie, I’m finding doing things in 1:148 a little challenging as everything looks way over scale and I’m still finding my feet with the different techniques. I’m sure I’ll get there but it’s not as easy as it is with 1:76.2 where you can more or less make anything look right without too much effort. 

 

I had a bad case of that when I first switched to N but eventually 'got my eye in'.  Now I'm dabbling with OO again whilst still doing N it's getting confusing once more 😳

[Steadfast]

That looks great Mike. I reckon a bit of airbrush work to tint and tone the bushes and you'll be there. I find scenery in N, particularly greenery, is more about getting the overall look right, whereas in larger scales you may want to model individual leaves.

 

As soon as I saw the pictures I thought "yeah that looks right", and it reminds me of the embankment around Heywood Road Junction. This is sat on the chord between Hawkeridge and Heywood, waiting to follow an IET, and is exactly the scenery your work reminds me of.

 

Keep it up mate!

 

Jo

[Davexoc]

12 hours ago, Revolution Mike B said:

The colours are going to need to be toned down a bit as they’re very bright….

 

Try letting it down with a sprinkle of Woodland Scenics Fine Turf Earth. It should knock some of the brightness out....

[Stuart A]

On 26/03/2024 at 08:39, Revolution Mike B said:

This looks way too ‘green’!
 

 

 

Thing is, it's currently the focal point.  Once you've got scenics down in the foreground it won't seem as bad I think.  I think it looks ok- reminds me of how it would look on a hot summer's day, probably accentuated by the lighting..  And the tones don't look like some of the garish fluorescent ones you sometime see. 

[Revolution Mike B]

16 minutes ago, Stuart A said:

 

Thing is, it's currently the focal point.  Once you've got scenics down in the foreground it won't seem as bad I think.  I think it looks ok- reminds me of how it would look on a hot summer's day, probably accentuated by the lighting..  And the tones don't look like some of the garish fluorescent ones you sometime see. 

Cheers Stu. As with Oak Road it’s set in late spring so I may just get away with it. 

[Revolution Mike B]

The green stuff appears to be growing but I need to do something about that tree….it looks a bit bedraggled! 
 

 

I’m kind of stuck for a bit until this all dries out as I can’t risk soaking it any further otherwise it will end up warping and become a right mess. 
 

In the meantime I started airbrushing the old static grass, not that it looked bad, but just to make it look more late spring / early summer. 
 

 

A few blasts with some MIG Ammo bright green has broken up the uniformity and made it look a little more ‘fresh’ grass.

 

You can see here how it’s created a nice patchy effect when the grass grows at different heights.

 

 

I’d like to get the bridge end finished by the end of next month and make a start on getting the station looking like a station again rather than a construction site. 
 

No work on the layout over Easter as I want to run some trains! 

 

 

[Revolution Mike B]

Well running trains and not working on the layout has completely gone out of the window so far this weekend. 
 

First job was to start the static gras on the new embankment….

 

 

….and add some more foliage….

 

 

I also added a footpath, which is at the real location but on the south side of the line, rather than the north……

 

 

…….and then I worked out where I was going to put the scenic break and modified the outside of the baseboard so that the rising terrain could be supported properly.

 

I’ve also done a whole load of other bits and pieces like adding the security fencing, and starting the bushes along the back edge of the loops. 
 

it’s slow going as nothing wants to dry, and constantly adding more glue on top of already damp glue isn’t helping! 
 

Anyway, at least it’s all moving in the right direction. Tomorrow, I’m definitely having a day off. It’s Easter Sunday and Nicky’s cooking a nice roast dinner!! 

 

 

 

Edited March 30 by Revolution Mike B

[Revolution Mike B]

Well I’ve spent the whole weekend (apart from 3pm-5pm on Saturday watching Pompey) working on the layout. 
 

I’ve test printed the bridge for the scenic break and it’s a little too big - not to worry, CAD corrected and ready to print again when I get time. 
 

The rest of my time was spent trying to make the loops look overgrown, which in 4mm is a walk in the park. N Gauge however is a different ball game! 
 

 

The scenic scatter just looks like rocks in this scale, so I may strip it back and start again, although I have managed to recreate some buddleia….

 

 

….and just for good measure, here’s a JHA that I weathered a while ago to set the scene off….

 

 

I’ve got a busy week with work coming up so I probably won’t feel like doing much with my own trains until next weekend.