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West Kirby Town: Parcels traffic has increased.


Dmudriver
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I've just wasted about 2 (very enjoyable) hours going through this and must congratulate you with what you've achieved so far :)

It's on my follow list.

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Rod,

Lose the grass mat. It doesn't work in 7mm scale. I suggest you look at Gordon Gravett's book "Modelling Grassland and Landscape Detailing" published by Wild Swan. Unlike the small scales, there are no shortcuts to creating realistic landscape (or anything else for that matter) in  7mm scale.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

Hi Chris.

 

Yes, you're right.  I've only got it because it was lying round in the clubroom unwanted so I thought I'd see what it looks like.  I suppose I thought it might speed things up.  The best I can say is that it's green: other than that, I'm not impressed.  I've got Gordon's book and I'll be studying it.  

 

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

Rod

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Hi Chris.

 

Yes, you're right.  I've only got it because it was lying round in the clubroom unwanted so I thought I'd see what it looks like.  I suppose I thought it might speed things up.  The best I can say is that it's green: other than that, I'm not impressed.  I've got Gordon's book and I'll be studying it.  

 

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

Rod

There is also an excellent article by Giles Favell of "The end of the Line" fame in Model Railway Journal 238 published this month. My own humble efforts can be seen on Cwm Bach at:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/80426-cwm-bach-a-south-wales-branch-line/page-19 Post 453

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/80426-cwm-bach-a-south-wales-branch-line/page-28 Post 698

 

Regards,

 

Chris

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Rod,

There is an excellent by Giles Favell of "End of The Line" fame in Model Railway Journal 238 published this month. My own humble efforts on Cwm Bach can be seen at:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/80426-cwm-bach-a-south-wales-branch-line/page-19          Post 453

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/80426-cwm-bach-a-south-wales-branch-line/page-28          Post 698

 

Regards,

 

Chris

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Chris.

 

Yes, you're right.  I've only got it because it was lying round in the clubroom unwanted so I thought I'd see what it looks like.  I suppose I thought it might speed things up.  The best I can say is that it's green: other than that, I'm not impressed.  I've got Gordon's book and I'll be studying it.  

 

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

Rod

Try laying static grass on top of the green mat. I've done this and the green matting provides a good base colour.

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Hi all.

 

Some indication of things to come!!  At the Leigh Show on Saturday I bought a portacabin from Greenwood Model Products and a fuel tank from Skytrex.  I've built the portacabin, including the interior walls and doors but have left the windows until I've painted it.  I bought an MMP one some time ago and have done the main shell (it features in some pics) but that will be a slow job as it's so detailed.  This is much quicker.  With the fuel tank, I've just made the tank up: no pipes or ladders fitted yet, but the photos below give an idea how it will look.  the first is a view from outside the layout:

 

post-7571-0-68465100-1430422339_thumb.jpg

 

and the second from on the layout, showing the cabin with the tank in the background:

 

post-7571-0-91941200-1430422354_thumb.jpg

 

The cabin will eventually sit with the legs in the polystyrene, up to the plates on the legs.  The problem with close ups is that they show the faults and here the edge of the roof isn't vertical.  I hadn't seen it before!!  I'm going to put some plastic strips along the edges to hide the mitred joints but I have seen pics of cabins with reinforcing edges so it will be quite prototypical.

 

The next pic shows the tank, awaiting pipes and ladders.  The ground needs building up under the edge alongside the track:

 

post-7571-0-99900400-1430422365_thumb.jpg

 

The next pic is a more general view showing them in position in relation to the sidings:

 

post-7571-0-93675600-1430422374_thumb.jpg

 

And finally one to show off the flower beds (which can also be seen in one or two of the pics above - obviously some of the staff have time on their hands!!!  I picked these up at Doncaster a couple of months ago: they've been sitting on the (unfinished) platform up to now but I think they'll look better here:

 

post-7571-0-65405300-1430422389_thumb.jpg

 

It looks like the roof isn't sitting straight in one or two pics, but it does.  At the moment it's not fixed down - until I've painted inside and maybe added a couple of tables, a clocking-in machine and a kettle to name but a few things.  Though whether you'll see them is another matter as I won't have lights inside it - well, not yet at least!!

 

So, that's it for now.  More soon.

 

Rod

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HI Craig.

 

Thanks for the comments.  The totem came from a bloke/firm that was at the Nailsea show last year but I just cannot remember his name.

 

I'm pretty sure Two Tone Green ( a member of RMweb) asked me the same question and found out through his contacts at the show.  It might be worth contacting him.  I can still see the stand in my mind, but not the name.  Sorry!!

 

Rod

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Hi Rod, hope you are keeping well, the scenery is coming along very nicely, quick question, on your image below, where did you get the WKT Station Totem Board from ? 

 

Thanks in advance

Craig.

 

post-7571-0-99900400-1430422365_thumb.jp

RaiwayRod had one on Ramchester. He may be able to help?

 

Paul R

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Hi all.

 

More progress.  I've now primed (Halford's grey primer) the portacabin and the tank, together with the latter's pipework.  Pics: first, the view from the tanker discharge point.  This will be on the far side of the walkway which crosses the tracks to the sidings.  I didn't want the walkway blocking by a tanker, that's why it's there, not for any particular H&S reasons!!

 

post-7571-0-96687100-1430770804_thumb.jpg

 

Next, the view from the other end of the area.  The portacabin, as I've said before, will be let into the ground as far as the baseplates - once the ground is done!!  I've fitted plastic strip to represent the reinforcing strips on all the edges and they do a good job of hiding the joints.

 

post-7571-0-81217500-1430770820_thumb.jpg

 

Next, a view of the tank.  The fact the ground needs building up underneath is painfully obvious!!  The pipes and ladder are just posed in position - I'll glue it all together once the individual bits are painted.  The area where the tank ends meet the sleeve need filling a little: the sleeve is fractionally bigger than the ends and, whilst I tried to get the misfitting area at the bottom of the tank, I didn't succeed.  It shouldn't take too long, though.

 

post-7571-0-71104700-1430770830_thumb.jpg

 

Finally, an aerial view of the area.  It's coming on!!

 

post-7571-0-02249700-1430770845_thumb.jpg

 

What the pics from the railway side do show, though, is that I need to get Photoshop or something similar to get rid of the background!!  Another job!!

 

More soon.  I don't know if it will be the groundwork or the painting of these items: I'll see how the mood takes me!

 

Rod

Edited by Dmudriver
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Isn't there a photo editor on RM web?

 

I have never used it so I don't know.

 

I have the monthly Photoshop subscription from Adobe and I got a half price deal that included Lightroom. I think I pay about £8 ish a month

 

Paul R

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Isn't there a photo editor on RM web?

 

I have never used it so I don't know.

 

I have the monthly Photoshop subscription from Adobe and I got a half price deal that included Lightroom. I think I pay about £8 ish a month

 

Paul R

I think this is it....

Never used it but it looks useful.

Jon F.

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HI all.

 

I've been quiet for a while again, but it's not because I've lost my modelling mojo: it's partly because my archery mojo, cookery mojo and german-lessons-mojos have also been demanding time!!!

 

I've had a couple of operating sessions, done a bit of work and had some real frustration.  The work I've done (minor stuff) has included extending the 2x kickback sidings in the fiddle yard.  Only by 2" or 3" but enough to get the 131, 50 and Coal Tank plus observation saloon in - and there's room for a van or a tanker (more later!!).  So this is how they fit in:

 

post-7571-0-65509600-1431974174_thumb.jpg

 

And the CT plus OS can just get out - viz:

 

post-7571-0-74157200-1431974184_thumb.jpg

 

Close but they don't touch!!  It's unlikely they'll all be there at once but I know I can do it if I have to.

 

The frustration ......where to start?  It was all to do with the Down Inner Home signal - this one, to remind you:

 

post-7571-0-07422100-1431974193_thumb.jpg

 

This controls access to the 2 platforms via one crossover (26) to platform 1 and via 2 crossovers (26 and 24) to Platform 2.  [The ground signal controls access to the sidings.]  The signals are interlocked with the points and can't be cleared until the appropriate route is set.  In theory, at least!!  

 

I found that, when reversing crossover 26, both signal arms cleared together and the signal switches on the control panel had no effect at all, other than correctly lighting the theatre indicator.  Reversing crossover 33 (the trailing one just behind the signal) lowered them to danger (as it should), but that needs to be normal, anyway.  I then found that operating XO (crossover) 24 also reverted them to danger but still the signal switches had no effect!!  

 

I thought the problem was probably caused by one of the microswitches on a Tortoise motor having broken but before I took those off and started stripping them down, I thought I'd check all the wiring.  Control panel and matrix board first: nothing (well, 2 wires pulled off the matrix board by me being clumsy going under the baseboard!!).  Got under the base board and checked the wiring to XOs 33 and 26 - nothing.  Then to XO 24:  the wiring looked all in place so, as with the others, I gently pulled each one and one came out of the chocolate block!!  Somehow the screw had worked loose and the wire from the microswitch was not in contact with anything although it was still in the chocolate block.  Screwed it back in tight, tested the points and signals and it all worked correctly again!!!

 

I don't understand what was happening circuit-wise - and I've spent some time trying to work it out!!  However, the main thing is that it's all working properly again and I was right in my assumption that it was to do with a Tortoise microswitch.  Fortunately, only a wire from one so I didn't have to take any off or strip them down.  It took me hours, though, to find it and I think I can say I found it frustrating (to put it mildly!!!!!)  It did prove, however, that a logical approach to testing things does work!!

 

I mentioned a tanker above.  The reason for that is that I've decided the diesel fuel should be delivered by rail, so I'm going to try and get a Heljan Class B tanker.  All the Esso ones seem to be sold out but there are (or were yesterday) some Regent ones still available.  However, Regent became Texaco in 1967 so I'll have to check if there were still any Class B tankers still with Regent livery in the late 1970s.  I suppose I could always replace the logo!!

 

So, that's where I'm up to.  More operating sessions soon.  Oh, .... and there's the scenery to get on with, too!!

 

Rod

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Rod,

 

Both Tower and Rails claim to have the "ESSO Black without full branding"  versions in stock, so you still get the logo but not the   "ESSO PETROLEUM COMPANY LIMITED"    wording by the looks.

 

HTH

 

David

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Phew! Reading through that I thought I'd have a signal to fix! Glad it all turned out ok.

JF

Hi Jon. No, no problems at all with the signal operation. The light has gone out on the ground disc on the signal above but that's just a loose wire and is fairly easily fixable ("fairly easy" in the sense of getting the whole signal off the board). I can live with that, though. It never crossed my mind that the signals might be the problem!!

 

Rod

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Rod,

 

Both Tower and Rails claim to have the "ESSO Black without full branding"  versions in stock, so you still get the logo but not the   "ESSO PETROLEUM COMPANY LIMITED"    wording by the looks.

 

HTH

 

David

Hi David. Thanks for that. I hadn't thought about the part branded one before. I'll ring Tower this morning and see if they've any left - they're only 20 minutes by car from me if they do have one.

 

Rod

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Hi all.

 

Further to my last post, yes, Tower did have one and it's now on my layout!!  Here's a couple of pix of it at the unloading point:

 

post-7571-0-29796500-1432068132_thumb.jpg

 

post-7571-0-55284000-1432068140_thumb.jpg

 

Obviously, it needs weathering, and I'll add that to the list of jobs to be done, but more importantly, there is the question of how is the fuel unloaded into the storage tank?  The tanker is bottom discharge so I assume it's unloaded by gravity.  So then I assume I need a pump to get the fuel up the pipe at the side of the storage tank and into the top of the tank.

 

I could have the pump underground (yes, cheating, I know(!!) but the pipe from the discharge point to the tank does run underground) but I'd still need a control box above ground somewhere.  I assume it would be close to the discharge point but what does one look like?  Peter Clark does a lineside equipment box - here:  http://www.peterclarkkits.com/lineside-accessories.html  It's item LS2 - and I assume that would suffice.

 

However, if anyone knows any different, I'd be grateful to hear.

 

In other news, the reblown Zimo chips for my 115 are ready for posting to me so hopefully I'll be able to get those fitted soon.  When I do, I'll try and get a video done as there's some interesting stuff on them!!

 

More soon.

 

Rod

Edited by Dmudriver
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 HI all.

 

Another episode in the saga of the trials and tribulations (should that be "fun"?  :yes:) of running a model railway - specifically WKT!!

 

I've had a bit of a play an operating session this afternoon.  I've shunted the tanker around, ready for returning for reloading, and worked out a method of running round in the station throat without (I think) infringing any signalling regulations.  I've double headed the 131 with the 3-car 108 with the lights working correctly, i.e. the ones in the middle of the train unlit.  It does look good!!  And done a fair bit of shunting.

 

However, as seems usual at the moment, a couple of problems arose: one I've sorted but not the other.  The first was an old problem in that when I reversed the Mark 1 set out of the station area into the fiddle yard to start a session I was getting a derailment on the reverse curves leading into Road 1.  (This one is the optimum for this train: in others there's not really enough room for a train on an adjacent track to get past easily.)  I looked at it closely today and what I found happening was that the loco bufferhead, after depressing the soft spring on the buffer, was then sliding behind the corridor connection and jamming there, so that when the curve straightened out it forced the rear bogie of the coach off the track.  The solution was as shown in these 2 pics:

 

post-7571-0-86343700-1432240912_thumb.jpg

 

post-7571-0-81079600-1432240923_thumb.jpg

 

First, I superglued the buffers in the extended position but they were still behind the end of the corridor connection.  Second, I glued the 2 pieces of copper strip to the corridor connection but not to the buffers.  Being flexible, they bend slightly onto the coach buffer but stop the loco bufferhead sliding behind.  You can see where the loco  buffers have rubbed the paint off the strips.  It works really well and when they're coupled up, you can't see them.  Even from side on, uncoupled, they're hardly visible.

 

The second problem relates to the interlocking of the signals with the points (again!!!)  I found, by accident, that I can clear either of the signals to platform 1 without crossover 26 being set correctly - also the signals to platform 2 once crossover 24 is set correctly.  It looks like the microswitch on points 26 is not working properly after all.  So that means finding time for more crawling around under the board in the next few days!!!  I could, of course, just leave it because it does not look too obviously wrong.  However, I know it is wrong and it will niggle away until it's sorted, so I'll do it.

 

The chips for the 115 are at the local postal delivery office:  I'll get them tomorrow or Saturday.

 

More of my trials and tribulations soon.  Hopefully fitting the chips will be a doddle: watch this space!!!

 

Rod

Edited by Dmudriver
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