Leintwardine, Teme Valley Light Railway

[Hesperus]

As a teenager I used to enjoy my annual visit to London, and once I was allowed to wander by myself, an annual visit to Wheels of Steel near to Bond St tube station. On one of these visits I came away with a small selection of 0 gauge course scale wagons to go with my dads old Hornby tinplate. It has never really been used properly but building this http://www.rmweb.co....fore-hogswatch/ last year pushed me over the edge to have a proper go at something bigger than 4mm scale.

 

Jim Read's layout http://www.rmweb.co....endt-challenge/ showed me just how good code 100 flatbottom rail and cardboard sleepered track could look so I ripped some 00 track apart and built a couple of points and some plain track with the aim of having a go at a layout. I wanted to set it in Leintwardine where I used to live. Now Leintwardine never had a railway but with the Bishops Castle, The Shropshire and Montgomeryshire, The Cleobury and Ditton Priors and the Golden Valley railways surrounding the area another decrepid light railway would suit the charicter of the area very well.

 

A few days swearing at the fantastic tool that is Templot and rewatching the videos taught me enough to do this

 

 

 

Which on two lightweight baseboards should fit in this former CD rack

 

 

 

Here is progress so far, the diesel is currently my only loco and was the result of a few false starts with steam engines. It is far from perfect in many ways but cost very little and does run so restored the modelling mojo enough to continue. It also scratched a modeling itch that was planted by an article in an early issue of BRM where someone chopped down a Triang dock shunter to something like this in 4mm. The itch came back when an article by Neil Rushby of this parish was spotted in Oct 08's Railway Modeller of similar surgery being performed on Knightwings industrial shunter

 

 

 

 

 

The board is Kingspan but will be suitably braced as I know is not as strong as the blue or pink stuff, it was free though. Wasn't there an idea for a challenge to build an 0 scale layout for less than £100?

 

EDIT.  Trackplan found but other images still MIA after the great forum crash. Seeing what I can find for anyone still looking at this.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Hesperus

[BrushType4]

I can just see in your picture you've used box files for storing your stock. Looks like a good idea.

[hayfield]

Hesperus

 

Nothing wrong in building a layout on a restrected budget, In fact being a modeller rather than operator, I admire those who make their own models.

 

I have built an SECR 4 wheel coach (in 7mm scale) out of plasticard along with a loco body, but never have migrated to 0 gauge. And find building trackwork very satisfying. If possiable use Exactoscale or C&L track parts, as in 7mm scale turnouts realy come to life and chair detail is very noticeable.

[David Siddall]

Modelling on a restricted budget? I 'resemble' that remark ;-)

 

Really looking forward to seeing how you progress what must be close to the ultimate in 'compact and bijou' 7-mil layouts!

 

David

[Dava]

Good example of thrifty modelling, I do like the look of those card 4 wheel coaches. I see another Jim Read style layout in the making! Just about every component of my little 7mm layout has been recycled from previous layouts or scrap materials, except the AND plasticard coach I started tonight after failing to get to Wakefield MRX owing to M1 traffic.

[Hesperus]

Thanks for the response guys, I can't promise that this is going to be one of the worlds great layouts but it should be a bit different. I've had a rethink and flipped the layout round to put the platform at the front so a small station building can help to hide the exit, the tracks will be disappearing under a couple of arches of Melverley station bridge (sorry no pics online).

 

Free boxfile tip, set up a stationary recycling shelf at work and encourage everyone to put any serviceable leverarch/box-files/ring-binders etc that they would otherwise bin onto it so they can be used for archiving and when it inevietably overflows encourage people to take them home for re-use, thats where mine come from.

 

I've got a bit done to the layout today but not as much as I hoped. Something that was bugging me was how to attatch the two boards together? There's no gap between the board surface and the framing for coachbolts and no room on the side for split hinges if I want to get it in the case.

 

Then I remembered about these handbag clasps that Mrs Hesperus gave me for a project that I never finished

 

 

So a quick check with the multimeter confirmed electrical conductivity and a tickle with the iron had a wire on the back of each. I clamped the two board ends together and drilled through with a 5mm bit then used a 19mm spade bit to make clearance holes. The wires were fed through then the clasps pressed in with the vice, I'll glue them in once I'm certain that I havn't messed anything up.

 

 

Once I was happy with that I knocked one of the boards together to see how it looked, It'll be glued and clamped together to get it a bit closer to square but first it needs to loose a few mm here and there so that can wait till tommorow.

 

The coaches are a kitbash from this kit http://www.amazon.co...lery/B0006N6PIM rather than scratchbuilt, I'm hoping to use the loco body on a homebrew 0-4-2T chassis using Hornby 26mm drivers with every other spoke removed. I'm learning lots of new skills attempting it but progress is positivley glacial.

 

 

I built the brake first and used some slaters wheels that I bought years ago which look fantastic but won't stay on any track which is also fine with my courser stock so they're going. The 5 compartment did have Lima wheels but they were too small so they're both getting Cambrian SM32 plastic wheels with balsa wood centres once I've made the axles.

 

They both need a bit more work before I'll be happy with them but I'm waiting to have somewhere to run them incase any serious surgery is required.

[PatB]

That's an awfully interesting kit. A cheap source of light railway coaches if ever I saw one. OK so they're 1:45 scale rather than 1:43.5 but I doubt if that would be noticeable in a freelance setting. Being models of Japanese prototypes, I assume they'd be designed for 3'6" gauge but that's nothing that couldn't be sorted fairly simply.

 

Great find.

[hayfield]

Thanks for the response guys, I can't promise that this is going to be one of the worlds great layouts but it should be a bit different. I've had a rethink and flipped the layout round to put the platform at the front so a small station building can help to hide the exit, the tracks will be disappearing under a couple of arches of Melverley station bridge (sorry no pics online).

 

Free boxfile tip, set up a stationary recycling shelf at work and encourage everyone to put any serviceable leverarch/box-files/ring-binders etc that they would otherwise bin onto it so they can be used for archiving and when it inevietably overflows encourage people to take them home for re-use, thats where mine come from.

 

I've got a bit done to the layout today but not as much as I hoped. Something that was bugging me was how to attatch the two boards together? There's no gap between the board surface and the framing for coachbolts and no room on the side for split hinges if I want to get it in the case.

 

Then I remembered about these handbag clasps that Mrs Hesperus gave me for a project that I never finished

 

 

So a quick check with the multimeter confirmed electrical conductivity and a tickle with the iron had a wire on the back of each. I clamped the two board ends together and drilled through with a 5mm bit then used a 19mm spade bit to make clearance holes. The wires were fed through then the clasps pressed in with the vice, I'll glue them in once I'm certain that I havn't messed anything up.

 

 

Once I was happy with that I knocked one of the boards together to see how it looked, It'll be glued and clamped together to get it a bit closer to square but first it needs to loose a few mm here and there so that can wait till tommorow.

 

The coaches are a kitbash from this kit http://www.amazon.co...lery/B0006N6PIM rather than scratchbuilt, I'm hoping to use the loco body on a homebrew 0-4-2T chassis using Hornby 26mm drivers with every other spoke removed. I'm learning lots of new skills attempting it but progress is positivley glacial.

 

 

I built the brake first and used some slaters wheels that I bought years ago which look fantastic but won't stay on any track which is also fine with my courser stock so they're going. The 5 compartment did have Lima wheels but they were too small so they're both getting Cambrian SM32 plastic wheels with balsa wood centres once I've made the axles.

 

They both need a bit more work before I'll be happy with them but I'm waiting to have somewhere to run them incase any serious surgery is required.

 

At a quick glance they look like Peco narrow gauge coach sides, Peco also do Narrow Gauge coach parts (doors and a selection of windows) which are said to be a tad big for 0-16.5. Might be worth a look

[Donw]

Nice to see someone doing some modelling and having a go. However regarding the use of SM32 wheels for the coach. These may be to coarse scale standards with quite deep flanges. If you can afford finescale wheels if would be better.

Don

[Hesperus]

I know that building the whole layout to finescale standards would probably be better but most of my stock is vintage with wooden bodies, whitemetal w irons and course scale wheels. I've just made the other axle for the longer coach and pressed the wheels on. Once painted I dont find the overscale flanges to be a major issue but the tyres are too wide so once the balsa wood is glued into place and dry I'm sanding them down to a better profile. I'll put some pics up once I'm done.

 

Thanks for the Peco 0-16.5 tip John, I'll certainly consider them if I need more coachs in the future.

[woodyfox]

Great work Hesparus. I raid 'her' costume jewellery box for decent chain. One of the best thing about this hobby is the ingenuity of us all when it comes to adapting common items.

[Hesperus]

As promised, that coach with 4 wheels on

 

 

I had my old Hornby Caly Pug amongst the modelling things the other week and happened to put it down next to a drawing for a small Manning Wardle. Temptation to bring out the razor saw was high but as the little black pug was the only brand new 00 gauge loco I've ever had, I splashed out on this rather sorry example.

 

 

A mess was soon created

 

 

Which when added to some stripwood and 3mm steel bar became

 

 

I decided that the Hornby body wasn't going to work so found some balsa wood.

 

 

Then started the detailing with card, plasticard, more balsa, a bit of brass tube and a plastic bead that my daughter left lieing around. The buffer beams were too small for something else so can live on this.

 

 

 

and thats as far as I've got, The valve gear and wheels are a bit poor. I might have a go at a better chassis in the future once my skills or finances improve a bit. As a bonus that will let me put the bottom of the boiler back in

[Dava]

Good luck with that, I started my little Peckett the same way with a 00 'pug' chassis regauged. Lots of work....the basic problems are that the motor/gear combination is too low ratio so it runs too fast. Also the wheels are hard to quarter, true up and stay there. Its one way to get something running, but in the end I built a new chassis which took slightly more work but runs ever so nicely.

 

The same link to my gallery shows a hack-job on an Atlas Plymouth diesel which is much more successful - and obtainable from £20 upwards. Now being emulated by others!

 

Dava

[Hesperus]

Slow but steady progress here, the boards are done and most of the sleepers are down on board 2 with about 60% of the rail and wiring done on this board. If anybodys ripping up a 00 layout I'm up for buying code 100 N/S rail to save scrapping any of my decent bits of 00 flexi.

 

 

I'm off to see my dad up in Durham tomorrow and he wants to take me to the modelshop to choose myself a christmas prezzie, does anybody know a modelshop in the north east that will stock any 7mm stuff?

[Hesperus]

Progress has been a little slow this month, I've decided to join the fiddle yard cassettes to the layout with 2.5mm jack plugs mounted centrally under the tracks. Rebateing these into the insulation board cassettes shouldn't be too much of an issue, but rebating the sockets into the wood at the end of the layout caused a couple of sessions of cursing. I've got one in now though so I can use this to align the cassette tracks, then align the other exit track to the cassette.

 

Progress tonight saw the track layed up to the fiddleyard entrance, I felt a first train was required so alerted SWMBO, after a fit of track and wheel cleaning the infernal combustion loco screeched 6 inches or so down the track with a 3 plank dropside in tow loaded with rail and sleepers before stopping at the first point as my soldered rail joint didn't conduct electricity. After correcting this and remembering to make some short term wiring adaptions the train made it to the end of the line.

 

 

 

To celebrate I layed rail in one of the sidings but havn't got it working yet.

 

[hartleymartin]

You could try for a sentinel or another small diesel using a Bachmann On30 Streetcar power truck fitted with standard-gauge axles.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/75055-near-enough-o-scale-sydney-trams/?p=1144330

 

Frankly, I am surprised that there have not been more O scale motorisations of the Vulcan 2-4-0, as the kit has been around since the 1960s or 1970s.

 

You may find that the Linberg Models 1/48 scale San Francisco Cable Car kit has useful components with which to make coaches or tram engines. I've chopped a couple into a Sydney D class tram.

[hartleymartin]

Here is progress so far, the diesel is currently my only loco and was the result of a few false starts with steam engines. It is far from perfect in many ways but cost very little and does run so restored the modelling mojo enough to continue. It also scratched a modeling itch that was planted by an article in an early issue of BRM where someone chopped down a Triang dock shunter to something like this in 4mm. The itch came back when an article by Neil Rushby of this parish was spotted in Oct 08's Railway Modeller of similar surgery being performed on Knightwings industrial shunter

 

Knightwings industrial shunter? Can you still get those?

[Hesperus]

I might go for a Sentinal steam engine at some point as a fairly simple scratchbuild. Diesels are a bit modern for this layout really although the new Ixion Fowler is very tempting.

 

The infernal combustion loco started life as a few bits of 25mm aluminium angle trimmed down, drilled for axles and bolted together. I did it just to get something running then found the dock shunter body while looking for something else.

 

Knightwing shunter here http://www.knightwing.co.uk/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1378878675.240&product=OO-HO_Loco_Kits&pid=160

[hartleymartin]

I'm guessing that you drilled the axle holes through the sides of the U-channel and then some suitable holes/slots to attach the motor to the centre section.

[hartleymartin]

I might go for a Sentinal steam engine at some point as a fairly simple scratchbuild. Diesels are a bit modern for this layout really although the new Ixion Fowler is very tempting.

 

The infernal combustion loco started life as a few bits of 25mm aluminium angle trimmed down, drilled for axles and bolted together. I did it just to get something running then found the dock shunter body while looking for something else.

 

Knightwing shunter here http://www.knightwing.co.uk/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1378878675.240&product=OO-HO_Loco_Kits&pid=160

 

I've although thought about going for a Sentinel Scratch-build. The post-war 100hp type on a modified Bachmann Streetcar Power-truck would be the easiest for me, as the pre-war types had a longer wheelbase.

[Hesperus]

The aluminium I had was L section, one each side for the frame and footplate and another at each end as frame spacers/ buffer beams. The front axle runs in drilled holes and the rear is in slots (drilled then sawn). This axle is held in by the motors worm which drives the gear from underneath, the motor being a tight fit between the frames and held in with superglue. It is not a good way to do it but it did work at first. Unfortunately it squealed like a pig when run so I adjusted things and broke it. The noise was coming from the motor all along, a dot of 3 in 1 stopped that but by then the chassis had too much slop in it to run.

 

Best of luck with your streetcar mech adaptions, I take it that the bodywork convertions have left you with spare mechs to play with? After reading about them a few of my less useful 00 scale locos are fearing for thier continued existance.

 

I came home from Telford with a new (to me) loco. Pics when I've taken some.

[hartleymartin]

I have already converted one mechanism and it runs well. I acquired a second-hand Tower Models 14" barclay and was amazed to see how simple the chassis is. They used 3/4" brass U-channel, but I am convinced that 1" channel would work just as well, if not better as the axles require spacers to stop the wheels from moving too far from side-to-side.

[Hesperus]

With the L section I use the part that isn't frames as the footplate but this does require better frame spacers than I've been using.

 

Hopefully I'll be able to get some time to work on things this weekend and post an update.

[Hesperus]

There has been some progress going on here honest.

 

All the track on the layout itself is down and mostly painted and ballasted. It does look rather dark but I'm hoping that the covering of weeds that will go over most of it should lift this a bit.

 

pics from this morning

 

 

 

The little Manning Wardle has just had it's chassis reassembled with brass tube helping to align the axles in the frame but it hasn't cured it.  I think a Jim Read style card replacement is in order.

 

The 3 wagons are all from card kits,  the bogie van and the brake are from Alphagraphix's Irish range and the open is available here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/47662-card-rolling-stock/page-7&do=findComment&comment=1260013

 

Some older pics

 

 

 

 

The Jinty was what came home with me from Telford.  It's on an old Basset Lowke chassis that was half converted to 2 rail.  I've finished the convertion and got it running.  Though in that photo it's sat on a Lima 4F chassis.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Hesperus

[hartleymartin]

You can hide the lack of proper valve gear with some nifty little "Slide bar covers" the little 0F pugs from Hornby use them. They were even used on larger locomotives where wind and sand were a problem. It is possible the easiest way to disguise the lack of proper slide bars.

 

 

Certainly if I ever scratch-build an 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 outside cylinder industrial locomotive I intend to do this.