Popular Post LNER4479 Posted June 22, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 22, 2021 (edited) Well indeed. Even if the trains are laid low by a gremlin then there should always be something moving on Grantham ... So, by way of catch up, the Grantham scenic boards are now set up for further work. A not inconsiderable task in terms of shuffling other boards about. It's a touch crowded in the chapel at the moment. A chance to set up the new Nottingham loco + train to spur us on. Anyhow... Turning to the road system, this is the 'town' board where, thus far, local vehicles have been restricted to shuffling from the back to the front, following a sort of clockwise 'bow tie' shape. You'll have to take my word for it at this stage but first job was to motorise two more of the road 'points' to give options for where vehicles can go. One of these is at the bottom of station approach where vehicles can either turn left to go under the bridge or sort of straight on before picking up the route back into the 'fiddle yard', as demonstrated here by the green lorry. Bottom centre, you can see the now three centre-sprung switches to change the points. And here is the other end of the station approach road which, with a little bit of extra carpentry, is now to feature a turning circle by the main station buildings. The usual pieces of 1mm card are being installed, leaving the gap in the middle for the guide wire. But we can't have things too simple can we? These close-ups show a further 'point' being installed. As set, it'll route a vehicle on to the turning circle ... ... whereas set like this, it'll allow a vehicle to run straight on past and towards the goods yard towards a yet-to-decided method of returning vehicles back again(!) Here it is with all the guide wires in place, before the covering card road surface is stuck down. Here's another close-up, this time showing how the two routes cross. A gap (obviously) has to be left, large enough such that the guide magnet doesn't get attracted to the wrong wire but not too big such that it wanders and loses direction. As (I think?) we're on a new page, here's the link again to the video, which might put some of the above into better context Edited June 22, 2021 by LNER4479 22 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted June 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2021 7 hours ago, LNER4479 said: Been busy. Story to follow. Is there a way to get rid of or disguise those sticky-out bits at the front? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Sim Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 10 hours ago, LNER4479 said: Been busy. Story to follow. You’re right I am getting delirious. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 7 hours ago, St Enodoc said: Is there a way to get rid of or disguise those sticky-out bits at the front? Not really - they are rather essential to how the things work! A vehicle with a front overhang would provide some disguise but also bring its own issues. I could try painting them mid-grey to match the colour of the road surface, that might be worth a try. At the end of the day I will cheerfully admit to the road system constituting a heavy gimmick factor, with exhibitions in mind. We're trying to make it as convincing as possible in terms of vehicles going from A to B with a purpose rather than just going round and round in an aimless circle - they do go too fast, especially on fresh batteries! But most of the time it's about the kids shouting 'look Dad - the cars move!', followed by the Dad pontificating about how it works - and usually getting it completely wrong. Now that IS entertaining! 5 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 You've got a red lorry, where's the yellow lorry? 1 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 All in good time ... I might have a cunning plan 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Ah, so the next series is Blackadder in Grantham..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted June 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2021 Where are the buses??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 Buses? BUSES?!?! You took the train in them days ... On the other hand, that all might be part of the cunning plan ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) On the other hand ... Find me a kit for one of these and we might be in business ... (from the following website: http://www.leylandsociety.co.uk/blog/blog0046.htm) And from the look of the first picture in the link below, we definitely need buses! http://www.tracksthroughgrantham.uk/recording-the-railway/spotters-corner/how-we-discovered-springfield-road-bridge/ Edited June 23, 2021 by LNER4479 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr.king Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 27 minutes ago, Barry O said: Where are the buses??? Drawing lots to see which ones get to sit on the bridge, surely? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Fox 34F Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 4 minutes ago, gr.king said: Drawing lots to see which ones get to sit on the bridge, surely? 27 minutes ago, LNER4479 said: On the other hand ... Find me a kit for one of these and we might be in business ... (from the following website: http://www.leylandsociety.co.uk/blog/blog0046.htm) And from the look of the first picture in the link below, we definitely need buses! http://www.tracksthroughgrantham.uk/recording-the-railway/spotters-corner/how-we-discovered-springfield-road-bridge/ You can have a bus on South Parade, (Spittal), bridge, but none wedged under Springfield or Harlaxton Road, please? Looking around Anbrico produced a Whitemetal version of the Leyland Lion in the photo. ABC models produced a die cast model and Alphagrafix did a cardboard version. You could always upgrade to a 1938 Tiger TS8, EFE produced one. One important point, Lincolnshire Road Car only had a handful of Double Deckers before WW2. I’d have to check to see if any would have been at Grantham during the layouts time frame. Paul 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 Thanks Paul, Double deckers are a no-one due to low bridges in any case. I wouldn't want one any way. Thanks for leads on bus kit options. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Teague Posted June 23, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 23, 2021 I wonder whether you had considered using one of these old Merit Hobby kits for a Maudslay 1927 ML3 bus? It's obviously not the same as the bus in your picture, but its equally, not too dissimilar. I am thinking of building one to run on my Faller system. Tony 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack P Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 15 hours ago, LNER4479 said: Not really - they are rather essential to how the things work! Spitballing here; would it be possible to turn the mount around and have the skate behind the axle, under the vehicle? It would then push instead of pull, and be mostly hidden. I suppose the only concern might be that the front wheels/axle might misbehave? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted June 24, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 24, 2021 8 hours ago, Jack P said: Spitballing here; would it be possible to turn the mount around and have the skate behind the axle, under the vehicle? It would then push instead of pull, and be mostly hidden. I suppose the only concern might be that the front wheels/axle might misbehave? it is the way it is to get the front wheels to track the wire in the road. Turning it round causes a few problems.. we tried it on the road system on Headingley Tram Depot (and we had artics as well as double decker buses!) Baz 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dragonboy Posted June 24, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 24, 2021 Surely if there’s a cunning plan about buses in the making then it’s bound to look like a turnip Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Turnip? Not sure anyone does one of those in 1:76. Maybe one of these repainted a browny-grey? 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr.king Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 I assume, rightly or wrongly, that the skate for the road system needs to be ahead of its pivot point in order to have the freedom to do the best job of detecting and following the buried wire - but does it need to be physically ahead of the wheels too? Obviously, for the simplest possible mounting, it would be ahead of the wheels and attached to a very simple (and unrealistc) whole axle that steers into the bends. Next simplest would be an arrangement of track rods and steering arms ahead of the wheels, connected to a skate projecting forwards. Might there be a third option of placing the skate between the wheels , largely hidden, but still in front of its own pivot, connected by links to the steering wheels? 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandbridgejct Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 41 minutes ago, gr.king said: Obviously, for the simplest possible mounting, it would be ahead of the wheels and attached to a very simple (and unrealistc) whole axle that steers into the bends. That sounds like a bogie. Could you have a 4-2-2 bus? Maybe you could adapt that nice D class to run on the road? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Buses are a bit like GWR locomotives, they all look the same to me. And they're often green. 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted June 24, 2021 Author Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) I knew it was a bad idea to invite a conversation about buses ... Thanks for various suggestions and help. At the end of the day, Grantham is a model RAILWAY, not a model road way! In other words, I'm not going to spent weeks and months getting everything all realistic, to scale etc with the road vehicles when there will always be a list as long as your arm for the railway-related items. The road system will always be cheap and dirty in that respect, just an added feature (gimmick if you like) with exhibition visitors in mind. So long as the road vehicles GO and they're reasonably reliable (ie don't routinely career off the road or run out of power) then I'm with Dr G-F just posted - a bus is a bus (so long as it looks reasonably vintage). The road system was, nonetheless, built in to the layout from the start, as it occurred to me from Day 1 that there were roads close to the railway where road vehicles would be seen running so it seemed like something worth doing, with the vehicles moving about, as I mentioned earlier, with a reasonable degree of purpose. But that's as far as it goes! I might paint the top of the skates grey though ... Edited June 24, 2021 by LNER4479 3 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted June 24, 2021 Author Share Posted June 24, 2021 11 minutes ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said: Buses are a bit like GWR locomotives, they all look the same to me. And they're often green. ... and often on a bridge. Ours will run over a bridge (and underneath two more) but - hopefully - shouldn't be stationary on one. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr.king Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) I'm not sure where any suggestion of a bogie comes into the things I described. On a simpler and more manageable level, how hard could it possibly be to build that Merit / Peco Maudslay bus kit with a front entrance instead of rear, a curved fillet piece in the upper corner opposite the half cab, and no luggage rack on the roof? I'm sure that a suitable pair of "Lincolnshire" transfers could be arranged. From public viewing distance I imagine that most would find it hard to tell that it was not the Lincs Road Car Leyland type in the earlier picture. Edited June 24, 2021 by gr.king Inserted missing word 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted June 24, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 24, 2021 8 minutes ago, gr.king said: I'm not sure where any suggestion of a bogie comes into the things I described. On a simpler and more manageable level, how hard could it possibly be to build that Merit / Peco Maudslay bus kit with a front entrance instead of rear, a curved fillet piece in the upper corner opposite the half cab, and no luggage rack on the roof? I'm sure that suitable pair of "lincolnshire" transfers could be arranged. From public viewing distance I imagine that most would find it hard to tell that it was not the Lincs Road Car Leyland type in the earlier picture. Ah! But if some puffer nutter can spot the wiggly pipes on an A3 are not correct then a bus spotter will have a apoplectic episode if it is the wrong type of bus. 7 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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