reddiamond Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hi, thought it was about time I broke cover completely. I have been a lurker, just posting on the odd topic now and again for a while now. This topic tells the story about the latest micro layout that I have constructed. For the last four years I have been heavily involved with the Class 56 group (hence my screen name and avatar)helping to get 56040 back into some form of working order (though at this moment, it is out of service). After being a railway modeller for 25 years and the eyesight not as good, I decided that 12 inch to the foot was an easier scale to work with. Arnold Lane came about after a request from the groups Chairman, who asked if I could design and build a small layout that could go out with the groups sales stand and attend exhibitions to help promote the group and hopefully recruit new members. The group funded the layout along with donated items from myself. The layout had to be small enough to be transported easily and also tag on the end of the sales stand. Emphasis on the class 56 and other heavy feight locos being the obvious choice of loco to make up the running fleet. I had a baseboard top spare and was the ideal size of 4ft x 18inch. I then redesigned the track plan from and earlier layout that I had built on the same baseboard size. This was a 1970 based Scottish fuelling point and ex steam shed (Borders Reach, (still on the East Anglian circuit but, under new ownership). The layout was started last year on Good Friday and was booked to appear at the ModelRail 'Live' event in September so, I had to get a move on. here are some pics of the layout under construction and in its (almost)finished state. A small apology to any DEMU member who would have already seen these pics on the DEMU forum. Cheers Keith Wright The layout is booked to attend ,at Dereham 26th Feb 2011 Stowmarket 17th April 2011 DEMU Showcase Burton upon Trent 11th 12th June 2011 Shenfield 2012 (provisional booking) Details of the class 56 group www.class56group.co.uk 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
agentskj Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 a good start will follow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 The third picture shows how I was going to model the depot without it taking up too much space. I had done this before with the previous Sacottish layout too good effect. The beheaded old Hornby 56 being a good doner for the cabs. There is always someone who looks behind the backscene to see if the rest of hte loco is the other side. Arnold lane is actually based on a cartoon that features in our society magazine 'Gridiron'. The carton is titled 'BigEnders' and features the humourous adventures of Grid, Tug, Hoover, Bone, Syphon and the soon to be introduced character 'Fugly'. The name Arnold Lane is reference to Pink Floyds first single 'Arnold layne' (a you tube search will soon inform you further) and Arnold layne can be seen on the layout, see attached pic). The layout is DCC and is also fully lit with yard lamps and is best operated in the dark for the full effect. The fiddle yard is a simple Peco loco lift that sits under the terraced house (see pics). Trackwork is code 75 peco. use of RTR scenic items have been used where possible, mainly down to the time constraints though, much use of items found in the scrap box such as, the rail built barriers and backscene warehouses were used. More pics to come. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I recognise that shed in the first pic! Coming on nicely Keith. I take it that it will be in That Corner at Stow? steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 A nice sunny day and a trip through photoshop by a fellow group member produced these rather fetching images, followed by my own personal favourite shot and a genral view of the layout. Just a few repairs to do since its return from Barrow Hill, it was actually stored in the cooler group of 58016 for a while before it made its way back home, via a trip in the back of a 7.5ton lorry full of class 58 and 56 spares. I also plan to add a few more lights esp, some security lights by the warehouse. Will try and get some images taken under the layout lighting some time soon. Cheers Keith 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 I recognise that shed in the first pic! Coming on nicely Keith. I take it that it will be in That Corner at Stow? steve Hi Steve Oh yes, it will be in our corner. Anyone one on here form the Anglia region and is planning to come to our show inApril, make sure you come and say hello. We have a good selection of layout, a certain Warren Lane for one B) Other quality Deisel era layouts feature also. Cheers Keith 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1722 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Wow! This is a super layout! Very impressive. Plenty of ideas now running through my head for a further project... Love the dummy locos in the shed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Chris Just wanted to add these pics to show how the track was painted. I tend to paint and weather the track before any ballast is laid, I then weather the ballast in with the track after and usually with a lighter coloured mix. Ideally there would not be much ballast at all around the smallerfuelling points and depots but, I had to use what was easiest to hand which, in this case, was a tub full of ballast. In between the sidngs earth was laid, painted and weathered. This is used down to the fact that it is in endless supply and free, just needs a bit of time to process. The images also show how I mask off the switch rails using invisible tape and a fresh knife blade to trim. Even though i have electrically bonded the stock and switch rails, I still masked off the area to keep it from clogging from paint. Cheers 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
0O00 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Cracking little layout there!B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixteen 12by 10s Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I like it, the namesnothing to do with Pink floyd? Obviously not Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcastle_central Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Reddiamond, I like this little layout a lot. The use of the dummy loco fronts is very effective in creating that illusion of additional depth. I also find the method of entry from the loco lift under the terraced houses very nice. Hope to see more photos. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 I like it, the namesnothing to do with Pink floyd? Obviously not Gary Gary It is actually, mentioned in my second post. Some more pics. One request that came in was that the layout had to feature some 56 compressors somewhere, this was because the 56 group had to do a lot of work on the actual compressors on 040 to get them working and some very careful work on a JCB had to be done to fit them onto the loco back in 2008. We also had to change one last May the day before the Battlefield line diesel gala. They are our achillies heal as they still don't work properly. I was coupled up to 31130 waiting next turn of duty during this gala and made the mistake of piping the locos together, opened the taps and the 31 sucked all the air out of 040, took the next 20 mins to charge the brakes again. Anyway, I made use of the old Hornby 56 once again and carefully cut out the compressors and covered them partly with some tarp. Secong pic shows 56080 on the fuel point with the lights on. The LEDS under the fuel point will be changed for osme of hte LED light strips from Maplins, These are a lot smaller and less obtrusive when viewing under the canopy. This 56 is actually one of a small fleet of Hornby 56 that have been purchased for re sale for when we go out to exhibitions. They are all DCC, renumbered and weathered. Thanks for the kind words. Cheers keith 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 very smart modern image layout........ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimleygrid Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Excellent layout, loving all the type 5s on shed. The photo of the Mainline 58 is fantastic really good modelling, at first I thought that it was real and not a model! Is the brick building behind the depot scratch built? It is superb, reminds me of the office block at Colchester depot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Yes, the office block is a mirror image of the one at Colchester, it came from a previous wagon works layout that I had built. It was positioned onto the back of a heavily modified Peco loco shed, just like Colchster. I took some close up images of each panel of the office block and counted the bickwork to give me the basic measurements. This image shows the terraced house as a removable section and a pic of the hole it fills. This was done so access was easier to the fiddla yard and 3 way point underneath. It's base is made up of polystyrene sheets, cut and curved to shape. The house is a Metcalfe card kit. I had lots of fun adding all the small detail, including a football just in front of the goal and TV aeriel to the chimney stack. Shopping trolleys are the etched Bill Bedford efforts, paths and cobbles are from Scalescenes. Cheers Keith 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixteen 12by 10s Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi I'm not a great fan of MPD layouts, but this one looks rather good (and its nothing to do with the Floyd connection). Some care taken with ballasting and weathering, the track makes all the difference, and that shot of the 58 looks very “Nevardeskâ€. (Have I just thought of a new word?) Always good to support a group that owns locos, with a power unit of good pedigree. Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
workev2000 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I saw this at Model Rail live and thought it was good then. Nice to see how it was built up. Cracking job! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Hi I'm not a great fan of MPD layouts, but this one looks rather good (and its nothing to do with the Floyd connection). Some care taken with ballasting and weathering, the track makes all the difference, and that shot of the 58 looks very “Nevardeskâ€. (Have I just thought of a new word?) Always good to support a group that owns locos, with a power unit of good pedigree. Gary Gary I understand your feelings towards yet another depot layout, though this time there was little choice when the remit was to show off and promote the class 56. I do wish I had space, time and budget for a power station unloading point showing MGR trains being unloaded with 56's in slow speed mode but, even though the chairman of the group would have also liked to see something of this scale, it would have broken the group financially I would hope people see it as an exercise in small space modelling, rather than just anohter depot layout, that illustrates thet you don't have to model the whole depot building and loose vital siding space. This approach would work well if modelling something like Knottingley when viewed by the classic angle from the hill. Cheers Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs bunny Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Hi Keith Cracking little layout. Love the picture taken in natural light and with the sky added, you really do have to look twice. Really looking forward to Stowmarket, see you there Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classsix T Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Greetings Mr. Wright. I was starting to wonder when you were going to make an appearance! It would seem I've made a rod for my own back with the 58. I hope I can match that quality on the next one! I'll be getting nameplates but only days before the Dereham gig. Let me know which locos and when you want to chip them, I'll fit the plates before the show. Later, C. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1722 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Can I just asl how you made the dummy locos in the shed? Was it a case of butchering a donor loco? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddiamond Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Chris Yep, a simple case of trawling through the scrap box and finding two old 56 models and cutting their cabs off. I also trimmed the front of the bogies off aswell (including the wheels) and glued everything onto a piece of black plastic card. The idea came form viewing many images of depots from the outside looking in. All you would see is just the front of the loco and depot shed. This allows max sidings space in a small space. A full shed would have not been possible on 4ft x18 inch. heres a pic of it pre fitting onto the layout. Cheers Keith 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 great layout plenty of details in such a small space Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1722 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Chris Yep, a simple case of trawling through the scrap box and finding two old 56 models and cutting their cabs off. I also trimmed the front of the bogies off aswell (including the wheels) and glued everything onto a piece of black plastic card. The idea came form viewing many images of depots from the outside looking in. All you would see is just the front of the loco and depot shed. This allows max sidings space in a small space. A full shed would have not been possible on 4ft x18 inch. heres a pic of it pre fitting onto the layout. Cheers Keith Thanks Keith. Will have to be feeling very brave to try that one out although it looks the bees knees! What did you cut it with? Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_S Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 SNIP I would hope people see it as an exercise in small space modelling, rather than just anohter depot layout, that illustrates thet you don't have to model the whole depot building and loose vital siding space. This approach would work well if modelling something like Knottingley when viewed by the classic angle from the hill. Cheers Keith Great minds think alike! See here for details in our club section of this site; RMweb Knottingley WRD Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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