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Gilbert,congratulations from the antipodies on such inspirational work.The impact of the layout takes me back to my first sighting of David Jenkinson's Little Long Drag more years ago than I care to remember.Yours has the added appeal of being ECML!

Ron.

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What a difference a week makes!:O

 

I can't quite get over the difference in such a such a short space of time since I was down at yours last Monday....glad to see the layout is almost joined Gilbert, at least you can watch the trains go buy, even if there isn't the infrastructure in place.

 

Have you and Tom wired the new section of layout yet, or is it a case of waiting until the tracks finally meet before wiring the last section? :)

 

Great to see a cracking update :)

 

Tom

 

Hi Tom,

 

Yes, it's great to see exactly what it is going to look like at last. The plan now is that I will lay the final connections to join up the fiddle yard, and Tom will carry on wiring. There's still plenty to be done, but we shall just keep plodding along till it is done. I hope we can get boards 4 and 5 wired up tomorrow, as 5 in particular is very easy. Board 6 will take a bit more working out, as it is quite complex. Laying the rest of the fiddle yard should be quite easy if I've got the geometry right. I'm just hoping that I can position the turnouts so that its easy to get the motors either alongside or directly underneath. Some no doubt won't though, and they will take a disproportionate length of time do. All part of the joys of railway modelling.

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Coming along nicely Gilbert, Norman's trackwork is absolutely superb, and I can see, in my mind's eye, how it will look when the platforms and station buildings are in place.

 

With regard to the'unprototypical' trackwork south of Crescent Bridge, how about ballasting it and then build a representation of the old sheet store (which still exists and is now 'Furnitureland' or something IIRC) which could act as a scenic break? That way you wouldn't have to pretend that those lovely flowing points are not actually there!

 

Look forward to seeing it in the flesh sometime soon.

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Been messing a round a bit with the camera, but even after reading the instructions properly :( I'm still struggling. Here's a shot of a train entering the station on the down main. It was intended to do two things. The first was to show the severity of the dogs leg curve straight after Crescent Bridge, and the second was to recreate the first train I ever saw entering Peterborough from the South some 55 years ago.

post-98-0-91371200-1300014522_thumb.jpg

 

The problem is that it really needs to be taken from the other side, but it is then back lit and I can't get either sufficient light or a correct exposure to cope with that. Anyway, there it is for what its worth. I suppose I could have noticed and moved the glue bottle before taking it too. I shall keep trying, but not today, as we'll be having a blitz on the wiring.

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I don't know what camera you have Gilbert, but clearly the metering is being overridden by the bright backlit conditions. There should be an option on your camera for either Evaluative or better still spot metering. If you can select spot metering then focus on the dark train and it will set the aperture etc based on that part of the pic and not the bright window behind.

 

There may also be an option of focusing on a dark area of the pic and holding the shutter button down half way which will also lock the exposure. Still holding the button down half way, you can then frame the shot and finally press to take the pic....

 

Good luck!

 

The layout is looking bloomin' brilliant no matter what the camera says anyway....:)

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I don't know what camera you have Gilbert, but clearly the metering is being overridden by the bright backlit conditions. There should be an option on your camera for either Evaluative or better still spot metering. If you can select spot metering then focus on the dark train and it will set the aperture etc based on that part of the pic and not the bright window behind.

 

There may also be an option of focusing on a dark area of the pic and holding the shutter button down half way which will also lock the exposure. Still holding the button down half way, you can then frame the shot and finally press to take the pic....

 

Good luck!

 

The layout is looking bloomin' brilliant no matter what the camera says anyway....:)

 

Thanks Gordon. I've had another go using the functions which seem closest to what you recommend, but still with little joy. Perhaps I should buy a better camera.....

 

Anyway, here are a couple more shots. First is a Gresley 3rd built by Ian Willets and painted by Dave Studley. I asked for a faded finish to this, because that's the way I remember them, and I'm very pleased with the result. This coach starts with Comet sides, but all the rest comes from Ian's stock of parts, mainly MJT I think. Sadly, it really does show up the deficiencies in Hornby's models.

post-98-0-88164100-1300100718_thumb.jpg

This one was taken in natural light, as the sun is streaming in this morning.

 

Next though is another attempt to show the severity of the dog leg curve at the South end. This is taken as if standing on the Up platform.Unfortunately, it is back lit again, and this is the best of several efforts. Perhaps I need to get some spot lights to cope with this sort of problem? When Messrs Wright and Barnwell have been to do photo shoots they have used seriously strong lighting.

post-98-0-05991200-1300101096_thumb.jpg

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Which A3 is that - 60105 or 60090? Have you had a chance to try out Empire of India - at the head of the lizzie yet?

 

It's 60105 David -it was the nearest one to hand. The first one I actually saw all those years ago was 60055, which is packed away in a box somewhere, and anyway it has a double chimney, so wouldn't be right for 1955. I'm still restricted on what and where I can run trains. we are getting it wired gradually, but it is a fairly slow process. Tom Wright spent hours under board 4 yesterday, and in the end just managed to connect all the plain track droppers, so we still have all the turnouts and the accessory decoders to do on that board. Board 5 is dead simple, just five straight lengths of track, but even that requires 36 connections to the bus bar, so at two minutes each over an hour will go. I must be patient :(

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Next though is another attempt to show the severity of the dog leg curve at the South end. This is taken as if standing on the Up platform.Unfortunately, it is back lit again, and this is the best of several efforts. Perhaps I need to get some spot lights to cope with this sort of problem?

Forget us lot clamouring for nice photographs! How often in your life have you spent a late afternoon squinting through the sun's glare in order to see the unmistakeable silhouette of an A3 passing through? Your photos capture the effect perfectly in my opinion.

 

Cheers for posting developments on this railway. I don't have anything constructive to add, but I really enjoy watching this come along.

 

Will

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I'm with Will on this: you'll have lots of time to perfect the good shots available! What you've posted so far is great. Whenever I lift a camera to the eye it never seems to capture the scene I see in front of me. All I can suggest is long exposures with the camera on a tripod.

 

The layout is looking really wonderful - I can see now how you can work processions of trains through and lose yourself in timetabling tangles!

 

As to the junction: can you introduce more 'fake' plain trackwork beyond that bridge? I'm presuming the left-most line under the bridge is not connected to the rest of the layout? Some more like this would easily fill that space and distract from the non prototypical junction. May also be a good spot for more posing of stock?

 

Finally, I have used a couple of Brilliant Baseboards on part of my own layout but I have reduced the number of cross braces to half what they suggest and built three boards out of the kits for two. This was after I noticed your problems of access under the board. I know its too late to suggest to you but I'm not noticing a huge difference in rigidity - certainly not when bolted to the wall or on some stout legs. If there is a need I add a half height strip of 6mm ply and glue in place. I also inverted the boards so the long side slots are facing the floor and I can then add these braces when the baseboard top surface is in place.

 

regards Raphael

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Looking fantastic Gilbert. Superlatives can't begin to describe how much of an inspiration this new layout is, already! :)

 

I presume the bridge is a scratch build - what's it made out of?

 

It's an Allan Downes job. I had a Roco girder bridge which I had picked up years ago. I think Peterborough was at the back of my mind even then. I asked Allan to incorporate the kit into something that looked as much like Crescent Bridge as possible, and this is what he came up with. The rest of it is Allan's usual card and brick paper. It sat up in the loft for years with no problems, but having brought it down to the new room some of the brick paper is beginning to bubble. Obviously it didn't like the change of environment. The new bridge will eventually replace this one, and will only consist of the bowstring girder and the supporting brick work at either end.

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I'm with Will on this: you'll have lots of time to perfect the good shots available! What you've posted so far is great. Whenever I lift a camera to the eye it never seems to capture the scene I see in front of me. All I can suggest is long exposures with the camera on a tripod.

 

The layout is looking really wonderful - I can see now how you can work processions of trains through and lose yourself in timetabling tangles!

 

As to the junction: can you introduce more 'fake' plain trackwork beyond that bridge? I'm presuming the left-most line under the bridge is not connected to the rest of the layout? Some more like this would easily fill that space and distract from the non prototypical junction. May also be a good spot for more posing of stock?

 

Finally, I have used a couple of Brilliant Baseboards on part of my own layout but I have reduced the number of cross braces to half what they suggest and built three boards out of the kits for two. This was after I noticed your problems of access under the board. I know its too late to suggest to you but I'm not noticing a huge difference in rigidity - certainly not when bolted to the wall or on some stout legs. If there is a need I add a half height strip of 6mm ply and glue in place. I also inverted the boards so the long side slots are facing the floor and I can then add these braces when the baseboard top surface is in place.

 

regards Raphael

 

Thanks Raphael. It is indeed just too late to change anything now, as the last board is very firmly in place. It's good though that you have been able to work round the problem. It does seem to be a very flexible system, in more ways than one!

 

That left hand track will extend further round, but won't connect to the main line. It's just there as a cosmetic thing really. That dock road always seems to have had parcels stock sitting in it, so I think I shall model a couple of kits with open doors and just leave them there. On reflection I also should have a bit of space to be able just to deal with running repairs and other such jobs, so I won't try to put in anything else, or to make it more scenic. Repeat 100 times " I must be practical". :D

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That left hand track will extend further round, but won't connect to the main line. It's just there as a cosmetic thing really

 

Hi Gilbert

 

Just a thought, I know you use DCC, would it be worth wiring these couple of tracks to the DCC system as a programming track?

 

Ian

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Gilbert,

 

Puts my effort to shame. Certainly a different league. Maybe I should try belting some of the golf balls instead !!!

 

Stuart

 

Hi Stuart,

 

Golf balls rarely do what they are supposed to, at least when I hit them. Stick with the railway - much less frustrating.

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Gilbert,

 

Puts my effort to shame. Certainly a different league. Maybe I should try belting some of the golf balls instead !!!

 

Stuart

 

Hi Stuart,

 

Golf balls rarely do what they are supposed to, at least when I hit them. Stick with the railway - much less frustrating.

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The last week has been spent tacking down the south end of the fiddle yard, and hoping that it would all join up properly. Fortunately it did. Here are a few shots of what it will look like. It all has to come up again now to finish soldering droppers and do some final fettling, but hopefully the hard work is now over.

post-98-0-07011200-1301305907_thumb.jpg

 

So, first here is the point where Norman Saunders' lovely track finishes and recycled Peco takes over. I might as well fill in that corner, you can never have too much storage space.

 

post-98-0-01866200-1301306132_thumb.jpg

 

Here's a general view looking from the end which had already been laid. I shall ease one or two of the curves when I pin it all down permanently. The good news is that there is nothing at all less than three foot radius. :D

 

post-98-0-72167900-1301306388_thumb.jpg

 

A bit closer up, and showing that very convenient alcove which allows two extra trains to be stored.

 

post-98-0-95170800-1301306494_thumb.jpg

 

Looking down most of the length of the fiddle yard.

 

post-98-0-99473500-1301306587_thumb.jpg

 

Another shot from a slightly different angle.

 

post-98-0-27972600-1301308157_thumb.jpg

 

And here's that alcove again. The rear train is a Gresley steel artic set, with a MK1 composite replacing the original vehicle. They were still being used regularly on Kings Cross- Peterborough diagrams in the late 50's.

 

post-98-0-99519300-1301308432_thumb.jpg

 

One more for now, again showing as much as possible of the full length of the fiddle yard. My track laying is not as wobbly as the camera makes it look, honest.

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I see you have adequate storage but how many different trains can you run at once? biggrin.gif

 

I would imagine this layout with a full timetable would be a very busy and noisy place. Heaven!

 

Hi Ian,

 

Two at once will be quite enough, especially when I'm on my own. However, I have very gradiose plans, which require storage of 19 main line trains, 6 local passenger services, 4 goods trains and 2 DMU's. Stored off layout will be a parcels train and a fish train, plus a number of wagons which can be made up into pick up or trip goods workings.

 

There are far more passenger trains, for two reasons. First that was the case during daylight hours and second I'm quite happy to have one loaded coal train, one coal empties, a class C and a class F/H. I can't do that with the passenger services though, as the formations were so individual. There's a list of them all somewhere earlier in the thread. I have to compromise with the unnamed express services, so there are 2 Leeds trains two Newcastle and one Hull/Doncaster/York, which will have to represent all of those services, plus one set which will be a "relief" service whenever one is required. I had firmly resisted sleeping car trains, but Bachmann may well have scuppered that resolution with their recent announcement.

 

Anyway, all this lot is supposed to run in sequence as per the 1958 summer WTT. So far I have established that I can just about store all the trains I want, and to the lengths I want. Locos will be stored off layout, using Peco loco lifts. When required they will be placed on a spur at either end of the fiddle yard, and then moved onto their trains. That's the theory anyway, we shall see if it can be done in practice.

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I really look forward to your posts Gilbert! Anything run yet?

 

Hi David,

 

It'll be a while yet I think. We still have 18 Tortoises to wire up on the scenic side, both to track and to accessory decoders. The lot I have just laid requires wiring of another 21 point motors, plus a lot more droppers, and then there are a few points which will see little use, and are in positions where it would be a pig of a job to mount a motor either above or below board. They will be hand operated, but still need wiring with microswitches. We have another day scheduled for tomorrow, so we will see how we get on then. It will be a year to the day since the baseboards went up. Very little happened for months after that, so recent progress has been rapid. I'm working on the basis that every time we get something done it's a bit closer to completion. It's less frustrating that way.

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What width is your fiddle yard boards Great Northern?Great looking layout not my era but still great to look at.

 

Thanks for those kind comments. The boards are three feet wide, which I reckon is really the practical maximum if you can only access from one side. How do I know that? I widened some of the boards on the last layout more than that......

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