Ouse Viaduct

[10800]

Consolidated video of Scaleforum 2019 

 

 

[Re6/6]

On 01/10/2020 at 18:34, 10800 said:

........improving how the curved boards at the ends were supported so as to give better height adjustment and reduce set-up and break-down times. But then other global events happened, and with lockdown and the layout being stored in different places not much has happened since.

Good news folks...Balcombe will be back, albeit in a couple of years time as we've had bookings for two large shows in 2024/5.

 

As Rod posted, we had problems on the first outing with the levelling of the curved boards due to the uneven floor levels in the hall. This will be cured as new steel underframes are being fabricated to sit rigidly on the steel trestles which will give a continuous flat base for the boards.

 

The 'acres' of greenery will be completely refreshed since three years of storage has taken its toll. The steel lighting gantry has been simplified.  Baseboard connections will be improved without the need to crawl underneath to do the fixing and associated wiring will be brought to baseboard edge obviating the need to crawl about underneath. I'm getting no younger!

 

Both station platforms are to be replaced as the originals have slightly warped over time. Apart from getting the thing finished the other objective is reduce set-up and take down times by around 50% if that can be achieved. 

 

Still much to do but we do have two years in which to get it finally finished.

 

Progress reports will be posted from time to time if they're considered interesting!

[10800]

With hindsight I wonder why the inter-board wiring connectors weren't fitted nearer the inside of the boards in the first place! I can only think that we were a bit more sprightly then, or maybe we needed to keep the inside board faces flush for transportation purposes. Then along came the signals and the control cables between their electronic boxes of tricks; these cover long distances so rather than daisy chain across many boards I decided that separate looms would be more convenient, bypassing the intermediate boards. Not a bad idea as such, but it added to setup and breakdown time. I'm now going to expand the inter-board connectors to include the signal cables, and mount the terminals on the inside faces of the boards. I don't like loose flying leads - they get caught on things! - so I will do short jumper cables to connect the boards electrically. The only cabling that will stay 'external' will be the DCC control point connectors which use telephone type plugs and sockets anyway, and which are already at the inside faces of the boards.

 

So this hopefully can enable most of the setup to be achieved without John or myself having to bend down! (Now we just need a footbridge to get in and out of the layout!)

[Re6/6]

7 hours ago, 10800 said:

(Now we just need a footbridge to get in and out of the layout!)

We do have my old boat cushion that slides pretty well on floors but one does have to get up and down onto the floor to use it!

Edited June 9, 2022 by Re6/6

[roythebus1]

A lovely layout and well done. A couple of slight errors. One is the steam-hauled freight (Q1 and hopper) running without a brake van. Totally wrong unless shunting or working in an engineers possession, there's nowhere for the guard to sit! with the first hopper appearing to be a an air-braked wagon, the whole of the train would be unfitted as the Q1s only had vacuum brake. Maybe some closer coupling on the passenger stock wouldn't go amiss if possible? 

[10800]

Hi Roy

Thanks for your comments. Re the Q1, point well made (or it was a very short possession!); and of course shorter coupling on coaches would be desirable. At the time some trains with close Kadees we couldn't run because the uneven floor affecting the track profile was causing them to decouple, especially between Bachmann and Hornby vehicles where the coupling heights differed to start with. The Brighton Belle was running with its original fixed couplings. Closing the gap between corridor connectors is also on the list.

[Re6/6]

First test set up of the new steelwork for the curved scenic section support just to make sure that the geometry was correct prior to the angles being welded! Being a quite large layout we have encountered problems due to uneven floors of some exhibition halls giving peaks and troughs at board joints. This will keep the whole section flat.

 

[KeithHC]

Just as a matter of interest what shows have you been invited too.

 

Keith, bought up next to the Brighton line.

[Re6/6]

Hello Keith,

 

They're at Fareham on 5/6th October 2024 and Bristol on 2nd/3rd/4th May 2025. A way off yet, but they do give us time to finish the thing off!

 

All the scenics will be refreshed with around 30 trees needing to be made! Regarding stock, the priority will be building the 6-PUL, 6-PAN, 6-CIT and a 4-PUL (an oddity that ran on the Central Section for a short period in the mid 60s).  https://sremg.org.uk/emu/4pul.shtml

[Re6/6]

With great help from 'Brinkly Works', we will be able to run something similar to this when 20002 is completed!

 

 

 

[KeithHC]

On 06/07/2022 at 10:01, Re6/6 said:

Hello Keith,

 

They're at Fareham on 5/6th October 2024 and Bristol on 2nd/3rd/4th May 2025. A way off yet, but they do give us time to finish the thing off!

 

All the scenics will be refreshed with around 30 trees needing to be made! Regarding stock, the priority will be building the 6-PUL, 6-PAN, 6-CIT and a 4-PUL (an oddity that ran on the Central Section for a short period in the mid 60s).  https://sremg.org.uk/emu/4pul.shtml

Ah Bristol my local show one put in the diary already.

 

Thanks

Keith

[Re6/6]

You're welcome. Look forward to meeting you then!

[Re6/6]

Etches for an ex- Belle Pullman car for the 4-PUL have arrived from Worsley Works. Etches have been commissioned from Allen for the kitchen car. These came from redundant 4-RES sets.

 

 

 

Ctsy Kevin Robertson from 'First Generation Southern EMUs'

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Re6/6

[Oldddudders]

Interesting headcode?

[Re6/6]

Indeed Ian! One would assume that the stencil was put on back to front because it's definitely a '3'!

[Re6/6]

[Re6/6]

Restoration work on Balcombe is well underway for its first proper public showing next year at Fareham on 5/6th October and then at Bristol on 2/3/4th May 2025.

 

The layout had been put into storage for three years and had suffered considerably, so there was much to refurbish. During storage in an outside insulated shed nearly all the static grass had dropped off. The reason for this was that I had used strong hold hairspray, as was the norm at the time. A big lesson learnt there was that hairspray is for 'one night only !' not a few years in dampish storage. For future work, Peco or WWS layering spray will be used. Being a cheapskate, all the dropped off fibres were swept up and seived, ending up with an ice crean container half full (new replacement cost around £30!)

 

The layout was 'finished' in a rush for Scalforum 2019 with a lot still left to do, let alone repairing and refreshing all the storage deterioration.

 

I'll be restoring and finishing off the scenics of which there is rather a lot of static grass work and many copses and individual trees to build. I'm fabricating additional steelwork support for the curved sections to give a guaranteed flat base so that no board joint is directly above any supporting trestle which could give a potential 'ski jump' due to the uneven floors in many exhibition halls.

 

10800 is our group 'Fuhrer' has organized all the planning and designated all the necessary tasks to be done by individual team members who are the best at the type of work that they do. 

 

Tim (Captain Kernow) has taken on the not inconsiderable task of making a large quantity raised lineside raised troughing, the distinctice SR wire and concrete post fencing and the telegraph poles. Additionally he will be making various lineside buildings. CK has designed the troughing work and commissioned York Modelmaking to laser cut it all but it still has to be built. It will be required for around 50% of the track (15 metres+)

 

A joint testing train  in 1965. The amount of tree work required can be seen. The raised troughing and fencing is shewn along with the telegraph poles.

 

Rod (10800) is doing all the major rewiring work and a lot of track rebuilding in the fiddle yard and repairing the damaged juice rail of which there's quite  lot!

 

Nick (Brinkly) has taken on the building of all the Bedford sprung bogies and Brassmasters torsion bogies which will give us top quality high speed running. I was fortunate in acquiring the Eileens residual Bedford etches at auction so that we have sufficient of them which will be fitted with Black Beetle wheelsets for all the express passenger stock.

 

Brian (Taz) , our coach builder, is building a 6PAN set of etches from Worsley Works.

 

4LAV.. Brians work ..built from W.Works etches and Hby 2BIL & 2HAL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Re6/6

[Re6/6]

A better view of Brian's work.

[MPR]

Speaking of Scaleforum 2019, John...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KeithHC]

On 21/12/2023 at 13:30, Re6/6 said:

Drove down that road a couple of weeks ago. I did not get airborne on the hump back bridge over the Ouse…….. Looking forward to seeing this at Bristol.

 

Keith