A change is as good as a rest.....

[Colin]

It's been a while since I did any real work on the layout, but now I have a couple of exhibition invites the time has come to press on with another set of buildings. The station board was set up today and this is the result of a few evenings' work on some Wills sheets - a vaguely Midland station building and a small goods shed. Next up will be a matching ground frame or small signal box (which will be sited on the next board along).

I didn't copy an actual Midland building as I couldn't find one that suited my requirements; I wanted a fairly anonymous brick structure with not too much in the way of decorative features, so I ended up making a small building "in the Midland style". The goods shed includes detail from the old Peco "Ericplans" LMS plan book, but I fought shy of those intricate MR windows!

The buildings aren't finished - much remains to be done with regard to small details and general tidying. More pics to follow when I've made a bit more progress! 

Photos were taken in less-than-perfect light conditions in my lounge, so please excuse the dubious quality!

[Geoffrey]

Like the new buildings very much.Have you given any more thought to the loop? . Looking forward to the next outing.

[Colin]

Like the new buildings very much.Have you given any more thought to the loop? . Looking forward to the next outing.

The loop is receiving due consideration and will probably go ahead.

 

(I'm thinking of adding a second platform, so trains can cross - the current arrangement has too many limitations).

[Colin]

Just thought I'd add some pictures of the layout in "Midland" mode, as I've now tidied the relevant buildings up a little, added a couple of figures (and yet another dog) and bedded them properly onto their bases. I chose the name "Cranwell (Midland) having forgot the rather well-known RAF base - it's not an attempt to place the layout anywhere in that particular locality!

The MR goods shed in particular is very different from the corresponding WR and S&D structures, so even the most casual observer will hopefully notice when the "Big Change" has occurred at a show! Light conditions in the layout room were a bit variable today so please excuse the quality (or lack of it!)

Another little niggle I finally fixed concerns the coal staithes - I finally got round to making them a permanent fixture rather than having them sit on a rather silly removable card base which never seemed to lay quite flat.

Next exhibition is Stowmarket on 26th April, it is intended to give the WR stock a rest and go S&D and Midland for the first time ever, as long as I've weathered enough of my LMR stock in time.

 Any RMWebbers, please do say hello - hang around for more than a couple of minutes and you'll probably be asked to do some operating.........

 

[Ramblin Rich]

As you said, a big difference! I take it the goods shed wall actually sits on the platform & is shaped to fit the ramp - is so, it's a clever bit of positioning!

[Geoffrey]

Nice pics.Hope all goes well at Stowmarket.See you at Gravesend.

[D1059]

I love how you say

 

'a few evenings' work on some Wills sheets'

 

I could spend months trying to get something to look that good and still not manage it - well done

[Colin]

I love how you say

 

'a few evenings' work on some Wills sheets'

 

I could spend months trying to get something to look that good and still not manage it - well done

Wills sheets are great for smaller buildings - they need almost no bracing for a start. I find I can get the basic shape of a building done in a matter of a couple of hours, but finishing off the window and door apertures can take much, much longer. as for getting the roof to fit snugly AND look reasonably square, that really can try the patience! My scrap box is full of odd shaped bits of Wills slate or tile sheets....

[Colin]

As you said, a big difference! I take it the goods shed wall actually sits on the platform & is shaped to fit the ramp - is so, it's a clever bit of positioning!

You're quite right, Rich - the goods shed was carefully shaped to rest on the platform. The main part of the building occupies an identical "footprint" as the other sheds. It's all a bit undersized, but I didn't want the goods shed overshadowing the other buildings.

[jamest]

 

I love how you say

 

'a few evenings' work on some Wills sheets'

 

I could spend months trying to get something to look that good and still not manage it - well done

 

 

I was thinking the same thing!

 

There is something great about individual buildings on a layout that you will not have seen before - even if you do think they are simple and 'non-specific' - its a great skill to have and one I must practice more!

 

Some great looking pictures above, thanks for sharing.

 

Regards,

james

[D1059]

Wills sheets are great for smaller buildings - they need almost no bracing for a start. I find I can get the basic shape of a building done in a matter of a couple of hours, but finishing off the window and door apertures can take much, much longer. as for getting the roof to fit snugly AND look reasonably square, that really can try the patience! My scrap box is full of odd shaped bits of Wills slate or tile sheets....

 

I've tried Wills sheets before - but all I end up with is something that looks like.............................a bunch of Wills sheets glued together, rather than a building

 

I've also tried card/brickpaper and card/plasticard over the years, but it never works. Then all these ready to plant resin castings started coming out and I just gave up as I could never get anything to look as good as that

[Colin]

I've tried Wills sheets before - but all I end up with is something that looks like.............................a bunch of Wills sheets glued together, rather than a building

 

I've also tried card/brickpaper and card/plasticard over the years, but it never works. Then all these ready to plant resin castings started coming out and I just gave up as I could never get anything to look as good as that

I took a look at your layout thread yesterday and had to do a couple of double-takes to remind myself it was N Gauge. If all your buildings are indeed ready made resin, you've done a super job making them look as if they've been there, slowly deteriorating, for many years. I'm not a big fan of Skaledale etc myself as I prefer to scratch build, but every now and then someone shows just what can be done with ready-made structures and one day I may have to rethink my philosophy! (If that makes sense.) Edited March 11, 2015 by Colin

[D1059]

I took a look at your layout thread yesterday and had to do a couple of double-takes to remind myself it was N Gauge. If all your buildings are indeed ready made resin, you've done a super job making them look as if they've been there, slowly deteriorating, for many years. I'm not a big fan of Skaledale etc myself as I prefer to scratch build, but every now and then someone shows just what can be done with ready-made structures and one day I may have to rethink my philosophy! (If that makes sense.)

 

Thanks - not everything is ready made - its a combination of ready to plant resin (eg the small oil tanks, bus depot (albeit chopped in 2), office block), plastic kits or kit bashed (large oil tank, signal box), scratchbuilt (goods shed - but made by a friend) and laser cut card (warehouse). Giving everything a wash of acrylic, dilute, gunk helps unify the differing build methods.

[Pete the Elaner]

Inactive thread for over 3 years? Fortunately the layout itself far healthier.

Kempston is only a month away. I'll have a chat tonight to get another operator & I'll also get the sequence cards updated before the show.

[timbowilts]

Just found this thread a year after its last posting.

An absolutely fabulous little layout, I like the different sets of buildings enabling the use of different stock.

What is the current state of play?

Tim T

All packed up ready to move to Felinfoel, the home of tinned beer

[Colin]

Hi Tim, thanks for the comments.

 

The layout made its final appearance at the Chelmsford show earlier this month - it is shortly being handed over to the Kempston MRC who will give it a good home. I made the decision to dispose of it because a) I want to build something else and don’t have the room to store it and b) the baseboards are just too heavy and unwieldy for an old bloke with a dodgy back! I’m just glad that I didn’t have to scrap it, hopefully it will go back out on the road after  the club have made a few changes.

I am removing a building or two and some small details for use on my home layout - any future 00 exhibition layout is highly likely to feature  a return to urban grot and third rail, you have been warned.....

[Baby Deltic]

Nice to have a play at Chelmsford. I still think it should have been named South Pimlicombe when running S&D. 

[Pete the Elaner]

1 hour ago, Colin said:

Hi Tim, thanks for the comments.

 

The layout made its final appearance at the Chelmsford show earlier this month - it is shortly being handed over to the Kempston MRC who will give it a good home. I made the decision to dispose of it because a) I want to build something else and don’t have the room to store it and b) the baseboards are just too heavy and unwieldy for an old bloke with a dodgy back! I’m just glad that I didn’t have to scrap it, hopefully it will go back out on the road after  the club have made a few changes.

I am removing a building or two and some small details for use on my home layout - any future 00 exhibition layout is highly likely to feature  a return to urban grot and third rail, you have been warned.....

The boards are not that heavy.

While Colin did the bits people see, I did the wiring...& after several shows, I am very pleased to say it was the most reliable DC layout I have ever operated. There is ample extra wiring to do more with it too, like operating signals & lit buildings.. which I always wanted to do but Colin would never let me .

Our task at the Kempston club tomorrow night is to sort out the store room to make way for this. After that there are some issues with the layout which need sorting. Nothing major, just the type of things which need attention after a show.

After this, we need to set it up & run it on a club night to get ideas of how members would like to develop it.

 

The best thing from the club's point of view is that Colin is keeping some of the buildings, so we have to do some modelling to re-complete it.

[Colin]

14 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

The boards are not that heavy.

 

Iain, remember you're not an old bloke with a dodgy back..... yet!

 

It was fun while it lasted, but now it's time for a trip back to south London!