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Eastwood Town - A tribute to Gordon's modelling.


gordon s
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1 hour ago, Siberian Snooper said:

There were a couple of chaps renewing the welding bay extraction vent, when one dropped a spanner across the busbars ans caused a pretty spectacular fireworks display, followed by a fire which caused the aluminium vent to melt and it had to be done again.

 

Sorry for the topic drift.

 

 

When I was gainfully employed by Southern Water we had an incident one night at a remote pumping station on Southampton Water. The Isle of Wight is not self sufficient for water and at the time,although undoubtedly more now, had to have eleven million gallons of the stuff pumped over daily from the mainland.

 

Obviously quantities of this magnitude had to have enormous pumps, indeed the biggest we had on SW, and some pretty hefty electrical gear to go with it, and being old it featured copper busbars. On this particular night we had a break in there and I, along with others, got an alarm call to say that the pumps had failed.

 

When we got there what a scene, it was like a bomb had gone off. They had tried to crowbar the busbars, had obviously shorted the lot out and judging by the aftermath had started quite a fire. Someone must have hurt themselves in all of that, there must have been a hell of a bang!

 

Again apologies for off topic, and yes we called them busbars...

Edited by PhilH
Freudian slip..mainline for mainland...
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15 hours ago, gordon s said:

Pretty simple really, but as always ever willing to hear if you have a better method.

 

I, along with many others, stick the Templot plans onto the cork and build the track directly onto that.

 

The sequence is the same; stick Templot plans to ply and cut out the road bed, attach road bed to boards with risers etc, glue chamfered cork to road bed and stick Templot plans to this.

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5 hours ago, Regularity said:

I thought Eastwood was ECML, not WCML?

(Homophone joke.)

 

Oh b*gger, what do I do with this.......;)

 

Memo to self. I must paint track properly.....

 

nevard_100223_eastwood_IMG_6389.jpg.462a9958222c830b133495da43a2e11b.jpg

 

Pic copyright courtesy of Chris Nevard.

Edited by gordon s
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Very  nice

And a proper engine....

A bit of oily/greasy drip weathering along the end of the sleepers will transform it (red leader can explain that better than me..)

 

Baz

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7 hours ago, Phaeton said:

I've just spent a few enjoyable hours getting to page 168, I'm sure it was only 166 when I started, what can I say I'm dumbstruck, but in a very very good way, you have my admiration Sir!


Sincere congratulations and welcome to the madhouse......:drink_mini:

 

You’ve just condensed 10 years of my life into a few hours.

 

Jeez, doesn’t time fly....:D

Edited by gordon s
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On 11/01/2020 at 16:46, gordon s said:

 

Oh b*gger, what do I do with this.......;)

 

Memo to self. I must paint track properly.....

 

nevard_100223_eastwood_IMG_6389.jpg.462a9958222c830b133495da43a2e11b.jpg

 

Pic copyright courtesy of Chris Nevard.

 

 

Been at the CMRA the past 2 days (One show that still gets better every year) had very little time to vies the layouts but the way modellers paint and weather their track and ballast varies greatly, its an art in its own right and one which is hard to master. The one thing I noticed a few years ago when looking at the real thing all the differing colours had a final overall same colour of  weathering. I think the figure painters call it shading

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On 11/01/2020 at 16:46, gordon s said:

 

Oh b*gger, what do I do with this.......;)

 

nevard_100223_eastwood_IMG_6389.jpg.462a9958222c830b133495da43a2e11b.jpg

 

 

Make it your desktop background picture and drool constantly.

 

I do. I'll see your Coventry and raise you a Leeds...

 

736078525_Shap_BW_MaidenLane(AYork).jpg.53ff9066d405418625bb17f59ad47007.jpg

 

Picture by Andy York

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What a dope....:D

 

Posted a pic of the same loco....Doh!

 

It should have been this one.

 

IMG_4051.jpg.870f9a8a0d8dbbfb569ea1c0aca6c7d4.jpg

 

I've had the pair of them since 2007 and never gave their history a second thought, but having read this this morning, perhaps it should be renumbered....

 

Not a great association with 24 people losing their lives.

 

On 17 April 1948, locomotive No. 6251 City of Nottingham was hauling a mail train which was in a rear-end collision with a passenger train at Winsford, Cheshire. In the first major accident for the newly formed British Railways, 24 people were killed and thirty injured.

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Shap212Coronation46251_TW.jpg.0a0bf899b6f1a5df72f7c01536636bf6.jpg.fdc7c5b7d19ac1fc3ee17273780a4ebc.jpg

SNAP! (photo by Tony Wright)

 

Personal one for me this one, Gordon as I went to university in Nottingham. It was bought for me - upon request - as my 21st birthday pressie as a Model Loco kit which I subsequently made up and painted. She's been a runner for over 30 years now so a great thrill to at last see her in action on Shap.

 

I wouldn't over-worry about locos with sad associations. Besides,  you'd have a hard time remembering yours - '51 was unique as the only one with full footplating to receive BR maroon!

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Shap is another must see layout that has evaded me. Possibly because I don't go to many exhibitions......:D

 

As kids we went back home to our grand parents in Glasgow every summer, so often travelled on The Royal Scot. For a young trainspotter, it was the highlight of my holiday and used to spend the whole journey scribbling down numbers. The trip up Beattock and Shap was a joy to behold and of course, once out of Glasgow Central, I had my other love, Glasgow trams.

 

After much nagging of my father, I did manage to convince him it would be great to go up the East Coast from Kings Cross once and that was another great trip. Actually being on a train thundering through Wood Green and into the tunnels beyond was something you never forget, particularly as every other time it was up and over the main lines and onto the Hertford North loop.

 

Both my loco's were built from DJH kits and I'm embarrassed to say they have probably run less than 20' in nineteen years. They have sat in a display case most of that time, so I really want to get this layout up and running and enjoy seeing them in action. I suspect that after all these years I will need to clean and lubricate them both, but that will be a labour of love....

Edited by gordon s
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4 hours ago, gordon s said:

What a dope....:D

 

Posted a pic of the same loco....Doh!

 

It should have been this one.

 

IMG_4051.jpg.870f9a8a0d8dbbfb569ea1c0aca6c7d4.jpg

 

I've had the pair of them since 2007 and never gave their history a second thought, but having read this this morning, perhaps it should be renumbered....

 

Not a great association with 24 people losing their lives.

 

On 17 April 1948, locomotive No. 6251 City of Nottingham was hauling a mail train which was in a rear-end collision with a passenger train at Winsford, Cheshire. In the first major accident for the newly formed British Railways, 24 people were killed and thirty injured.

 

I've seen the nameplate, does that count as a cop?

 

Mike.

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On 15/04/2011 at 20:13, gordon s said:

Eastwood 2 is underway although work so far has been slow and interrupted by bouts of swearing and visits to my GP. After much pleading I have managed to get them to pull the date forward another week, which may not seem much, but when every hour takes two and every day seems like three, to have a week taken out is a little like a lottery win. Thursday lunchtime and it will all be over, one way or the other......:D

 

Thought it would do no harm to pull up the modified plan of the new lower level. The loop is now complete and trains are running. The stairwell access boards are the next in line so they can be attached to the loop whilst access is easy.

 

post-6950-0-52476900-1302892981_thumb.png

 

This pic shows the loop pulled well forward. It's probably 3'-4' from it's final position, so these are the tightest curves on the whole layout at 38".

 

post-6950-0-77256500-1302894009_thumb.jpg

 

post-6950-0-79791800-1302894019_thumb.jpg

 

I must say I had some fun during the week running a new loco with a wheelbase of 4-12-2. Thankfully it made it's way through all the turnouts without problem, so I can assume everywhere else will be OK. Eastwood has an alter ego when locos from across the world may put in an appearance. Whilst working I spent a lot of time on short trips abroad. Enevitably there were hours to kill and before long, I had a schedule that included model shops, particularly the two in Mississauga, hence the parallel stock of US and Canadian loco's etc. When I first heard this loco on YouTube it was love at first sight. Not only did it have a rare wheel formation and looked big and powerful, it sounded like an A4 as this particular loco was fitted with Gresley conjugated valve gear. That was it, I was smitten......

 

post-6950-0-87659600-1302894294_thumb.jpg

 

post-6950-0-98769300-1302894290_thumb.jpg

 

So that probably brings you up to date. Once the stairwell access points to the loop are complete and attached, I will be able to push on with the whole loop. I should have said earlier that parts of Eastwood 1 have gone to meet their maker. The traverser is no more and as of today, half of the early spiral has gone. Strangley I have no regrets, as working at a more suitable height has made things more enjoyable and once this disc is sorted, I expect to move on with the lower level and then the fun will begin.

 

Finally, many thanks to all of you who have PM'd me regarding my future surgery. It is much appreciated and has certainly kept my spirits up in times of great pain.

 

Just discovered this thread - instant jealousy that you got Gilbert's wonderful Allan Downes Buildings and fascinated by your American locos - I expect you've seen this, but what a fascinating insight into the UP in its heyday...

 

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Thank you for your kind comments and welcome to a thread that may never finish....;)

 

Gee whizz, that's a blast from the past....2011 and my comment re surgery was probably referring to my back problems. Months and months of agony were sorted in a few hours and touch wood, I've not had a moments pain since. Last summer I was playing golf three or four times a week and no sign of the problems I was dealing with before. Of course the rest of my back, knees and joints are all shot, but nothing from the surgical area....:D

 

Sadly all the layout went to that great tip in the sky......

 

I still have a motley selection of US locos, primarily because of their size. They just look so powerful. Deep in the back of my mind there is one little thought nagging me and that is when I come to run any of them, the platform clearances etc will prevent them running through ET station other than via the outer goods loop......:D

 

I had a big clear out a year or so ago and sold nearly all my US stock. The only things that are left now are six boxes of Broadway hoppers in Norfolk and Western livery, so you may well see some US locos with a long coal train shortly.....

 

Coffee and mince pies await, so I'll sit and enjoy the video after....

 

 

Edited by gordon s
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Six days have passed since the last build update and things are moving forward and we're in the back straight. The real problem is one of space and I now have three boards temporarily fixed together. The first with the crossover is now complete with all the wiring and ballasting completed. The centre one of the three is wired above the board and ballasted, but now needs the bus wires connected, so progress hasn't been to bad for once. The wet weather has helped with no golf on the horizon. I went to the AGM the other day and they said they'd had 19" of rain in December versus the norm of 6". Of course that means the water table is very high, so any additional rain just sits there and no action is possible.

 

I guess their loss is ET's gain, so onward and upward....

 

1866890706_DSCF0168(1).jpg.62e5324ad91a942dbf8561df5cfe65c0.jpg

 

882501552_DSCF0169(2).jpg.ff29fc81ffe5d963451bce3e8e229e1b.jpg

 

Photography can be cruel and whilst looking at the pics, I thought that doesn't look great, so I had to wander back upstairs and take a second look. Seems the track alignment between the second and third boards is out somewhat. What should be a nice smooth curve along the whole length is not happening and I'll have to do something with it. The outer track on the right is OK, but the inner three seem to have taken a mind of their own.

 

I certainly don't want to take up 12" of finished track as they are all painted and ballasted, so I'll probably pull up the cork and then take a nice smooth curve from the end of the second board.

 

It's all operator error and probably down to working in the evening with reduced light, not to mention a nice glass of red. Funny how these things happen, but unless you have the boards bolted together it's easy to find the curve slips slightly to one side. I'll let you know how I get on by the weekend....

 

DSCF0169.jpg.3b67597ea9a82c8fe515826dc0289fb9.jpg

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Sadly you guys need the rain much more than we do....:(

 

Whilst it’s not raining, the course is closed again, so it will be track lifting and realignment this morning. Thinking about it last night, the first thing on the agenda this morning will be fabricating a couple of double track gauges to help as an alignment jig and avoid this problem.

 

The other change to the build process will be to align two boards together first and then lay the cork strips across the gap and once stuck down, cut through to separate the two boards to ensure the cork underlay is aligned correctly.

 

The final element will be to bolt the boards together in pairs and finish them off away from the layout proper. It will mean moving 8-10’ of boards around, but it will improve the alignment overall. This will also mean the ‘fill in’ tracks can be wired and ballasted in the middle of the room, rather than bending over under the eaves.

 

Hopefully all will be sorted later today and we’ll be back on stream again......

 

I wish I could get hold of the person who thought it would be a good idea to add an ‘undo’ button on an iPad....:wild:

 

Did it again a few minutes ago and without looking touched undo rather than the ABC button and lost some of my response. Going back into the RMweb back up sadly took me back to the same place.....

 

Where do they get them from.....:D

 

Edit: Seems you have to shake it all about....:D

 

Thank you Google...

 

 

Edited by gordon s
Added undo solution
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3 hours ago, gordon s said:

Thinking about it last night, the first thing on the agenda this morning will be fabricating a couple of double track gauges to help as an alignment jig and avoid this problem.

I have used the Proses track-spacing jigs with success (usual disclaimer).

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