Brew Lane - going on a diet - An N gauge shunting puzzle on a Billy bookcase

[Black Sheep]

So, some progress this week.

 

The base and backboard was already finished, I've cut a piece of acrylic (left over from the sides of brew lane) to sit between the two plywood skins, this will be painted underneath to give a quick and easy impression of a canal, the top skin / trackbed has been cut to size and the first bits of track laid.

 

I think the point switches are going to be tucked amongst the scenery, perhaps hidden by a plasticard packing crate with just the lever sticking out.

 

Need to get it running first and then start playing with DAS...

 

[Black Sheep]

A bit more progress tonight, 

 

The canal has been created by painting blue and green onto the baseboard and spraying brown onto the underside of some acrylic sheet (originally bought to encase the original Brew Lane) and glued down, this helps to brace the 5/6mm ply that's been used. 

 

 

 

Track has now been laid, and bridge and retaining wall marked

 

 

Some points don't throw fully and need a trim to the tie bar, trying to work out how to route the MERControl wire in tube system and how to protect it when applying the DAS clay for cobbling the area - although I'm thinking of chickening out and cinder / ash coating it. 

 

Also need to wire it and test the hands free uncoupling. 

[Black Sheep]

So, on to wiring up and I think I should give up

 

Two separate sections of track that I've melted the sleepers on right in the centre of the thing so I need to strip some of the track off to re-fit it 

 

Unfortunately the track was originally fitted before the board went in

[Black Sheep]

You can never find an engineman around here when you need to! 

 

 

I suspect they've been invited in for the afternoon pint allowance, the locomotive is on tracks, what's the worst that could happen? Health and safety is still being invented. 

 

As you can see, the layout has changed significantly and has switched to the Inglenook layout which is easier and quicker to build and I want to get back on sorting out couplings before starting out on Milliedale-on-Sea.

[Black Sheep]

Added a chimney and boiler house as it looked a bit odd without them so I've been scouring for the now continued Metcalfe factory & boiler house kit, one of which was found down the back of a radiator in my local model shop

A bit of personalisation late and it looks good in place. 

 

 

Need to do something about the corners of the buildings at some point 

[Black Sheep]

Been working on stock for the layout and fitted half with the Dapol couplings.

 

We've got one 16t mineral wagon, one private owner 7 plank, one ex cattle wagon (used to transport the casks apparently) a hopper (spent grain), worthington box wagon (not sure why that's so far from home) and for some reason a benzole tanker

 

should make things interesting given that it must always be shunted with a barrier wagon.

 

 

Just need to work out how to fit the couplings to the loco

[Black Sheep]

The sun always shines in Milliedale

 

 

Bye bye plywood sky

[Black Sheep]

Looks like Beeching's axe has fallen on Brew Lane and it's board has been removed from the shelf in the lounge and it's moved to the layout room. 

 

the brewery buildings are destined to find their way onto Milliedale-on-Sea but I'm not sure what's going to happen to the layout itself. 

 

Any preservation groups in the Manchester area interested?