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Park Road Loft Layout


fishytrains
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  • RMweb Gold

Finally made it home for Christmas. The arches are on the layout in their rough final position. However, I have found it rather too cold to go in the loft, not helped by the fact that I have been unwell for the past few days! If I can I will position the arches properly in the next two days, before returning to Kuwait for the next three month stint. If not, I will do this at the end of March, when I am next at home.

 

I also now have 6 Hawksworth coaches, courtesy of an internet offer.

 

My big problem is that I am now thinking of switching the main focus of the layout from steam to diesel around the 1970's. This is the period I became interested in trains and traveled a lot by train during this time. Having built up a large stock of steam related items I am considering keeping these and running them as steam specials. Possibly with the branch as still steam hauled. Decisions!!!! Part of my thinking here is that I have an mix of locos from different regions as I like a variety of steam locos and having a "preserved" part to the layout would cover this mix of brands.

 

Plenty of time to think this all through though. My list for work on the layout keeps getting longer and working away from home doesn't help with this at all.

 

Happy New Year to you all anyway.

 

Mike

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  • RMweb Gold

Well I finally managed to spend sometime up in the loft today. Sorted a few things that needed attention. Also had one failure. My Class 37 has a short circuit somewhere. It might be to do with the DCC chip, but I am not sure. This will have to be sorted next time I am home. I also took some more photos. The first shows the area which will become Digby Junction. Platforms need to be made, as does a shelter for the right hand platform. In the station are the Class 108, the 3MT pulling three of the Hawksworth coaches and a Jinty on the freight in the goods yard. The mainline is to the right of the picture.

IMG_4710.jpg

The second picture shows the right hand side of the viaduct I was building whilst away. This is on the Walnut Grove side of the layout. The area under the arches will become a water feature of some sort. I am still deciding between a river and a canal. Obviously I also need to build the leg supports, instead of using bits of wood!

IMG_4711.jpg

The third picture shows the left hand side (Digby Junction) of the viaduct. This part will be fields. Underneath the arches can be seen the branchline - at the moment I am not sure whether to hide this from view or leave it as it is for ease of access. Behind is the other mainline track, which could be passing over the top of the branch - which could be in a tunnel. The most likely option, in which case there would be a hillside visible.

IMG_4712.jpg

Next up is Class A3 60043 "Brown Jack" trying out the viaduct. A bit of work is needed to make sure that the trains can cross freely and easily, but first will be the wiring, then the completion of the viaduct! It is likely that I will renumber and weather this loco at some point in the future.

IMG_4713.jpg

The screw and wooden block will need to be disguised at some point in the future as well. If I go down the tunnel route for the branchline this will be easy to do!

Final photo for now is the rear of the train leaving the high level by Walnut Grove and moving onto the viaduct. Looks like some mighty big spiders have been at work on the rear coach!

IMG_4714.jpg

This is the progress for now. Next lot will be at the end of March when I will have to get the soldering iron out to wire up the track at this point. I will also need to invest in a booster, as the layout is now too large for the original power supply to cope on its own. If this is completed fairly quickly, then I should be able to complete the viaduct, just need to decide what to do with the branchline, which also needs to be wired at this point. As I only have a week at that point there may be no photos, but I will see.

 

Mike

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

Whilst I am not able to work directly on the layout I still find time to think about various issues and try out different things. One thing I have been thinking about is the question of a back scene, or rather several different ones. At the moment I am considering creating something myself, for the town section I have thought about a High Street disappearing from view. The question is about getting the perspective right. For the country sections it is a case of having something that portrays countryside but sits behind what I model. Still plenty of time to think it through, but it will have to make a start at some point.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whilst I am not able to work directly on the layout I still find time to think about various issues and try out different things. One thing I have been thinking about is the question of a back scene, or rather several different ones. At the moment I am considering creating something myself, for the town section I have thought about a High Street disappearing from view. The question is about getting the perspective right. For the country sections it is a case of having something that portrays countryside but sits behind what I model. Still plenty of time to think it through, but it will have to make a start at some point.

Mike.

That last post sums up what I´ve been thinking of doing for the past 2 years even down to the high street disappearing from view.

I´m going back for a long weekend this coming Thursday (taking in the Stafford show) so hope to get some suitable images sorted.

Keep up the good work.

Andy.

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  • RMweb Gold

Andy

 

Good luck with the suitable images. I am researching the drawing of perspectives on the internet at the moment, in the hope I can create something useful and usable. I can see what I want in my mind, just need to commit to paper!

 

Mike

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  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

Home for a few days so hopefully, once the weekend is out of the way, I will get to do some more work on the layout. The main job is more wiring of the track bus. Two new arrivals today. A pull-push set to go with the M7, although I will at some point have to add the extra "gear" to the M7 to make it appropriate to the task. The other was the SB5 power unit to add some extra power to the layout. Just got to figure out how to use it! 

 

Hopefully some further updates as the week progresses. This may even include my attempt at perspective drawing to create part of the back drop. As I did this whilst away and without checking the dimensions it may not fit!

 

Mike

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  • RMweb Gold

So far things are not going to plan. The wire I need to complete the power bus is not available, so I will have to wait to do that when I am back home in the summer. Although the back scene I draw in Kuwait looks good, on the layout it is overscale.  :fie:  So back to the drawing board on that one!

 

Off now to try and achieve some success - if that is possible! More later.

 

Mike

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  • RMweb Gold

After a slight hitch I now have the NCE SB5 power pack up and running. It is obvious that the track needs a clean, which it will get in June when I am next back. That is also the point at which I am likely to get more work done on the layout - well possibly, as all my plans invariably end up getting side tracked. Mind you I don't like wiring and even less the soldering, which is partly why things keep getting put on hold. That said I know that if I don't sort it out I will be frustrated with the poor running instead!

 

Mike

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  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

I have been home for two days and finally made it into the loft today. Spent a bit of time cleaning track and fitting track cleaning pads to some rolling stock. Had a look at the class 37 and the short circuit seems to be to do with the engine. Not sure where, so will have to find someone who might be able to take a loom for me. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get the wire I need so that I can get some more of the wiring done. Had a good look at the track around the main station on the layout, at present, this will need to come up as will the track around it and be replaced, it is older track and makes the running much less reliable. That at the moment is a future project, but we will see!

 

More progress soon.

 

Mike.

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  • RMweb Gold

Finally made a little more progress. Not helped by the warm weather, lack of necessary wire in my nearest electrical wire suppliers and having to look after SWMBO after she had an operation. Unfortunately it is wiring, so no photos to show progress yet.

 

Mike

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Guest bri.s

Hope swmbo gets well soon .

and it's a nightmare for a progress report when your doing the wiring lol

 

Brian

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  • RMweb Gold

SWMBO is getting better, but still manages to find other things for me to do. Hopefully with the poor weather forecast for the weekend further progress can be made. The trouble is I don't like wiring and so can be easily distracted!

 

Mike

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  • RMweb Gold

Finally managed a couple of hours on the layout today. However, the problems continue. Today the soldering iron decided not to work, so I will probably have to replace this. Therefore no more wiring could be done. Instead I worked on some more of the scenery, and had a go at increasing the amount of foliage, as shown in the next two photos.

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I have also done a little backscene work. The first is an attempt at perspective drawing, which is not really to scale. The second is a start on painting the walls, but I ran out of blue paint!

42DAF8AF-3018-48C1-A218-025E2BCDE63E.jpg

8C4506D0-C7FA-4C0A-8333-0AFA691587FA.jpg

 

Mike

Edited by fishytrains
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Guest bri.s

Looking good , nothing better than doing a but of scenery , I always try braking up the different jobs so I don't get too annoyed by doing one kind of job for too long especially the wiring lol.

 

Brian

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

Brian, I agree with you. Not a lot of progress on the layout as I have had to redecorate the lounge. I have been working on one of the viaducts and will take a photo of progress when I get a chance. I now have a tortoise slow action point motor to install and try out and still a load of soldering and track cleaning to do. However, I also have a family holiday coming up, so progress will again be limited. :threaten:

 

Mike

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  • RMweb Gold

As promised a couple of photos.

The first shows an aerial view of the vegetation done a couple of weeks ago. The far left has yet to be treated in the same way, but provides a good contrast and shows the improvement.

IMG_4716.jpg

The second photo shows the work I have been doing on the viaduct. 

IMG_4715.jpg

There is still a long way to go, I am currently debating how to continue the left hand side, where it goes over the top of the branchline. I am toying with the idea of continuing the viaduct, but leaving the middle for the single track branch to pass underneath. It maybe that this will be the impression of the viaduct, depending how it works out. The base of this part of the viaduct will be in a river or canal, still trying to decide which. There will be a second viaduct in front of this one, but I need to complete this first. Which means I had better get back to it!

 

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

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