Dukedog Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Thanks for all the "Likes" and comments folks, it's nice to know some of you are reading my waffle! Just adding another couple of pictures that were taken at the same time as my previous entry. Another picture showing some of the "Baccy" sea weed and the river bank. The long reeds/grass needs trimming now that the PVA holding it down has set. And....... A wide angle shot of the complete (almost!) module. Still more detail to add. Thanks for looking. Cheers! FRank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted September 5, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 5, 2012 Frank, it wouldn't matter if you were woffling (you're not), given the quality of this layout. Absolutely superb - you are giving me ideas for a second layout!! The wide angle shot is exquisite. More please! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerner Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 The shot of the Collet goods on the bridge is excellent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 5, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 5, 2012 Looking at those pictures I cannot wait to get back up there. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 The old Cambrian was a lovely line. You are bringing it back to life nicely. No doubt an Xmas letter has already been posted up the chimney for a Dukedog.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 Well i did manage a few hours on Penmaenpool MPD to day. Tried to run a loco and found and electrical fault! Traced it down to a copperclad sleeper that I hadn't gapped propperly. The rest of the time was spent working on the engine shed itself. Almost compete now, needs the smoke vents, windows, barge boards and a few other bits to finish before painting Here's a couple of shots taken in a bit of a hurry this afternoon. The shed is designed to lift off it's base so I can clean the rails and so on when required. The pictures were a bit rushed and I don't think the top half of the shed is fully home in these pics. But as it's just a WIP posting they will do for now. More as and when Cheers Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 Another update! Time to think about fiddle yards, I need two fiddle yards for "Steam on the Cambrian" one at each end of the modules. I thought about various types, Traverser, Cassettes, fan of sidings and so on, but, non of these did all I want to do. I need to be able to turn trains round at each end quickly and safely without over handling the stock. My solution to the problem is this... A three road turntable. Shown here under construction. The turntable is 30inches long and just about accommodates a loco and two coaches. Here's the same thing a few weeks later... Now I have the choice of making the fiddle yards open to view or totally screened from the viewers. What makes it awkward is that the turn table overhangs the front of the fiddle yard board by about 6inches when being swung round so screening is going to be awkward. I started a topic elsewhere on RMWeb to discuss this and the jury is still out! More once I have something to show that's worth showing! Cheers Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 21, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 21, 2012 More once I have something to show that's worth showing! Cheers Frank You definitely keep showing us some stuff that's worth looking at Frank. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcampbell Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I've always thought a train turntable the best FY for exhibitions where trains need to be turned quickly. Yours looks very neat and strong. However I would suggest one thing - make some kind of end-gates! You really don't want the trains falling off the free end, or when turning the table. A wooden bar across the ends on a strip of wood either side bolted to the sides of the table as hinges, folding up like the bow door of a car ferry, could do the job? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 22, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 22, 2012 Very nicely executed Frank. At that size they seem fairly stable but for larger sizes the room to swing and stability is an issue which affects 0 gauge more. However with three link couplings it does help if you can turn trains quick. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 I've always thought a train turntable the best FY for exhibitions where trains need to be turned quickly. Yours looks very neat and strong. However I would suggest one thing - make some kind of end-gates! You really don't want the trains falling off the free end, or when turning the table. A wooden bar across the ends on a strip of wood either side bolted to the sides of the table as hinges, folding up like the bow door of a car ferry, could do the job? Hello Michael, Thanks for the comment much appreciated. You raise a valid point re, stock rolling off whilst turning the tracks. However, I do have some ideas in mind on how to prevent this and your suggestion is one I have already thought about. The picture above is very much a WIP and as you may appreciate is not the finished job. I will keep you all posted on progress. Cheers Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Multimedia Modelling! The foul weather over the last day or two has driven me indoors to do some bench work for the new layout "Steam on the Cambrian" in particular the Penmaenpool MPD module. Why Multimedia? Well, the diversity of materials available for railway modellers to use is quite amazing from solid timber through to today's Hi Tech stuff like 3D printing. The last few days has seen me using wood, Plasticard and brass, to name just three materials in use at Dukedog Towers. First of all wood. This is the coal stage for Penmaenpool MPD. Built to photographs this coal stage is made from Balsa and chopped down coffee stirrers, glued together with PVA. Looking at pictures the stage was two sleeper lengths wide by two sleepers deep. estimating that a scale sleeper would be about 36mm long gave me the rough size for the model. Looking again at photographs I could not see any access steps anywhere so have not included any. The model was painted with Humbrol enamels mostly Grey, brown, black and light grey.I have never seen any pure brown sleepers so the usual "sleeper grime" colour was not used. Next up, the water tank, also for Penmaenpool MPD built from Slaters Plasticard. This is attempt No2 at modelling this tank! I was quite surprised to lean how small this tank was. The original tank was made from wood and the size was 12ft 6ins long. This tank must have been replaced before the grouping though by this, a standard Cambrian item. I eventually found the correct dimensions from CC Green's book Coast lines of the Cambrian railways Vol2. At 13ft 6 long by 5ft wid and 4ft 6in high it is very small for a shed tank holding about 2000gallons of water. Hardly enough to fill a GWR tender loco! There is also a distinct lack of a water crane at the shed so, I assume that this tank only supplied the sinks and toilets and washing out the ash pans and boilers. As I said the model is built from Plasticard with coffee stirrer planks for a cover (stops dead seagulls getting in!) Painted with Humbrol enamels. Job Done! Finaly for today! The third modelling material to be used Brass! A start has been made on the down advanced starter signal that stood in front of the shed a Penmaenpool Although not finished I have included this job as part of this posting just to illustrate another modelling media. The signal is being built from a mix of Ratio, MSE and home made parts and will be fully working when finished. So, that's the state of play as at 19:00 hrs today! If the weather is grotty over the next day or so more progress will be possible I hope. I will keep things updated as and when. Cheers! Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Hi Frank, I have had several looks at this and again it is looking really good, will the shed be fully detailed inside? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Hi Frank, I have had several looks at this and again it is looking really good, will the shed be fully detailed inside? Hi Andrew, Hope you are well. The interior of the shed will have some detailing added but as direct viewing into the shed from the viewing side of the layout will be restricted I won't be going over the top! I may or may not have working lights inside. There will be the usual fitters benches and tools a few oil drums and that's about it! I will post progress as it happens, I spent most of the day yesterday just making ONE of the big smoke vents! oh, those louvres take some time! Cheers Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Is that a Cambrian Signal or GWR, I am thinking the latter from the Round Pole? I have three Cambrian signals to build for Llanfyllin and am wondering where to start Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Is that a Cambrian Signal or GWR, I am thinking the latter from the Round Pole? I have three Cambrian signals to build for Llanfyllin and am wondering where to start Hello Terry, The signal in the picture above is a GWR steel round post signal as per the prototype at Penmaenpool. Cambrian signals are a mixed bag from what I can gather. Some were wooden posts similar to the GWR square post type and I have seen Cambrian signals on slotted precast concrete posts. There are several pictures in books and the internet, but someone like Mike (stationmaster of this forum) may be able to help with Cambrian signalling. I assume you already have pictures of the signals at llanfylin. Signalling, especially pre grouping is not my strong point but as I said Mike or Beast are the experts here. Cheers Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 27, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 27, 2012 Is that a Cambrian Signal or GWR, I am thinking the latter from the Round Pole? I have three Cambrian signals to build for Llanfyllin and am wondering where to start I would start by looking for pictures to see what was there plus the signalbox diagram (on the SRS site) to confirm what was there. Then I would try to 'test' what I've found against dates to see what's needed for the period I am modelling and once I know what's wanted i would search for sources of it in the scale I am using. Having had a quick go at the first the first bit the platform Starting Signal was Cambrian right up until closure, the Home Signal was replaced by a Wr standards bracket sometime between 1958 and 1964 and I can't see the Advanced Starter clearly enough on photos to identify what it was in post-war years but photos seem to indicate that it was still Cambrian in the 1930s. (with due apologies to Frank for going OT) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingsignalman Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 If you fancy something other than a round post here is the Penmaenpool up inner home signal with backing signal for moves into the station siding. It is a GWR wooden post signal provided when the GWR remodelled the station in 1936. The photo was taken on 13/7/1978 and the couple are walking along the site of the track. The signal was later replaced by a tubular post home and distant but I don't know where they came from. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Thanks, Apologies to Frank for hijacking thread. Will start new thread in s & t forum Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 If you fancy something other than a round post here is the Penmaenpool up inner home signal with backing signal for moves into the station siding. It is a GWR wooden post signal provided when the GWR remodelled the station in 1936. The photo was taken on 13/7/1978 and the couple are walking along the site of the track. The signal was later replaced by a tubular post home and distant but I don't know where they came from. Thanks for uploading the picture. I notice though that the post and bracket are GWR(?) wooden square post whereas the main arm looks like a steel type. Was this usual practice? and did it happen the other way round? (ie, A tubular steel post with a wooden arm?) Just wondering that's all. Cheers Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 28, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2012 Thanks for uploading the picture. I notice though that the post and bracket are GWR(?) wooden square post whereas the main arm looks like a steel type. Was this usual practice? and did it happen the other way round? (ie, A tubular steel post with a wooden arm?) Just wondering that's all. Cheers Frank Both arms appear to be the early type of steel arm with a small corrugation on top and bottom edges. The later type of steel arm had the edges 'turned over' giving a flush flnish to the front and they date from - as afar as I've ever found - c.1947 (they are definitely pre 1948). Steel arms, of both types were retro-fitted to many wooden signal posts as the original arms wore out, the only exceptions were the centre pivot type of short arm (which were still being installed new in the 1950s) and the large repeater arm used as the low mounted arm on tall signals which gradually vanished as the tall signals were eliminated and which had probably disappeared by the early-mid 1960s. With the exception of centre pivot arms timber arms were not used on signals with tubular steel posts as far as I have ever been able to establish from signals I saw or saw photos of. However there was another exception to this in that the earliest (?experimental at that stage) tubular steel signal posts were erected new with timber arms and one or two photographs of them exist in contemporaneous magazines (and presumably somewhere among the GW official negatives??). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 Moving on from the last entry in this thread. I have now completed the advanced starter signal for Penmaenpool here it is ready to "plonk" on the layout. I could have just as easily gone out and purchased a RTP job from Dapol, but, as Dapol do not yet do a round steel post lower quadrant signal I made my own. The signal is a mix of bits from Ratio, MSE and home made items. Here is a couple of pictures showing the construction and what bits came from where. The top bit! And, the "below ground" bit! TBH the hardest part was fitting the coloured glazing discs to the spectacle plate! Watch out for pictures of the signal installed on the layout as and when I can get a round tuit! Cheers! Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted October 3, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 3, 2012 Very nice Frank signals alwats bring layouts to life. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Time for another update and more pictures! Over the last couple of weeks I have been busy building the engine shed for the Penmaenpool MPD module. The shed is scratch built from Slaters Plasticard and some Evergreen sections. Without to much waffle here's the latest pictures showing progress. If you think that the shed is leaning to the left, It is! It wasn't until I had uploaded the images to Flickr that I realised that the shed had not been pushed firmly "home" on it's base and by then it was too dark to retake any more. As these pictures are just WIP i will leave them for now. Here we have a closer look at the viewing side of the shed complete with water tank and the back of the fitters office (shed!) You can see here that the upper half of the building is not all the way down on the brick wall which is a fixed section on the baseboard. The top is removable for track cleaning and maintenance, I was just in too much of a rush as usual! Another shot from a different angle. The roof of the fitters office is in the foreground, The water tank and coal stage can be seen as well as the back of the "Down" advanced starter signal. Penmaenpool shed was quite unique with the large louvred smoke vents and those slats took a fair bit of time fitting! There is still loads to do in this area, the shed itself needs some more details fitting and the interior details making and fitting also. Scenery wise, you can see one of my methods of making the landscape, The profiles can be seen on the back of the module, whilst at the front I have started the landscaping using profiles with screwed up newspapers covered with a card lattice and a top coat of torn up news paper. On top of this will be a coat of "Gloop" then the ubiquitous hanging basket liner before the final vegetation and trees go in. So as you can see I have my work cut out if I want to get it out to exhibition next September! Cheers all and thanks for reading Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWales Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Frank, that's just the kind of top quality and keenly observed modelling that we've come to expect from you! Superb! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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