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Star Lane, Hooley - next show is Macclesfield in April 2024.


roundhouse
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  • RMweb Gold

With the recent bad weather the real Star lane has had flooding on the down Redhill line. Friday night we had to catch a bus home and last night we were delayed 20 minutes as the water on the track has now affected the signalling. Looks like it might be coming out of the ground into the cutting just north of the flyover.

 

Moving too fast heading North to get any photos.

 

Not sure if Mike would appreciate me adding some clear resin 'water' to the layout on Saturday morning when we set up at RISEX :no:

 

ian

Edited by roundhouse
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Delayed crawling through there this morning heading to London as well.  We were stopped at a red at Coulsdon South last night then crawled forward signal to signal at Merstham with authority to pass a signal at red.

 

Every time I pass under the flyover at Star Lane I think of this layout and hope to catch up with it "in the flesh" one day.

Edited by cromptonnut
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  • RMweb Gold

Delayed crawling through there this morning heading to London as well.  We were stopped at a red at Coulsdon South last night then crawled forward signal to signal at Merstham with authority to pass a signal at red.

 

Every time I pass under the flyover at Star Lane I think of this layout and hope to catch up with it "in the flesh" one day.

 

We slowed a little this morning heading North but nothing like last night. All the services heading South this morning were 20 minutes late. At least the Oxted line refugees have their trains back though to the North!

 

Hopefully all the adjustments made to the track on the model a few weekends ago will mean that we have full line running speed and no delays in entertaining visitors!!

 

Ian

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  • RMweb Gold

We had a good time with Star Lane on Saturday at RISEX.

 

We were surprised as to how much interest there was in the layout. Visitors liked the long trains some bring 12 and even one had 14 cars.

 

The layout went together well and apart from a few small issues, most of which we fixed very easily, the layout ran well apart from the operators errors.

 

We started off with green EMUs a few steamers and green diesels.

In the afternoon we swapped over to blue and grey stock including a 10 car Brighton Belle and a number of class 33s on freight and permanent way workings.

 

The new lighting brackets were also put to test with two different types. One type is too flimsy so Mike will be replacing them with the sturdier method.

 

The inside face of the layout will get a layer of ply and a few coats of paint as this is a bit rough and being circular is on show.

 

There is still plenty to do scenic wise but at least the layout is now proving reliable.

 

We will be having a few more working sessions to help Mike in the near future.

 

My photos didn't come out too well from the weekend but the video did so watch out for a few YouTube links when I get chance to add them.

 

Ian

Edited by roundhouse
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  • RMweb Gold

We had a good time with Star Lane on Saturday at RISEX.

 

We were surprised as to how much interest there was in the layout. Visitors liked the long trains some bring 12 and even one had 14 cars.

 

The layout went together well and apart from a few small issues, most of which we fixed very easily, the layout ran well apart from the operators errors.

 

We started off with green EMUs a few steamers and green diesels.

In the afternoon we swapped over to blue and grey stock including a 10 car Brighton Belle and a number of class 33s on freight and permanent way workings.

 

 

We all go to exhibitions to see better modelling than we can manage - if indeed we have a layout at all. Many exhibition layouts these days are bijou in size and quality, so a 4mm layout running 10-14 car trains, even with incomplete scenery, is a rare beast indeed - and third rail adds another unusual feature. This deserves every success because it is different and appeals on many levels.

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks Ian, I will pass on your comments to Mike.

 

The layout was built with the idea of running long trains than lots of scenery. It would be great to have deeper cuttings or a backscene but :

 

1 - it has to fit into a Mondeo estate car.

 

2 - we have to be able to see the trains when operating so a backscene would give the operators grief.

 

Mike will have the signals working aswell at some point in the future.

 

So far the layout has another show this year in Sussex but yet to be confirmed.

 

Next year it has one at a well known London location - again yet to be finally confirmed plus another very recent invite further North

 

Will post here once they are confirmed.

 

Ian

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  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

We had another work session on the layout yesterday.

 

More Woodland scenics were added but we still need to get hold of a warehouse full of the stuff to get enough bushes on it so this will be an ongoing task.

 

The two colour light signals are now working although there was an initial fault with one but this was soon sorted out.

 

Mike has also been busy working on fettling the track where we had a problem with 4 wheel wagons at RISEX and htis now seems to have solved the problem.

 

We also made a start on adding the internal ply fascia to the boards.

 

5 boards done so far with the remaining 7 to be completed on the next work session.

 

I also had a chance to run my Crompton and class 24 with a rake of bullied coaches. We did run other items but I only got chance to photo the Crompton  and 24.

 

Ian

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  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

Just under two weeks to go before the layouts next show, Tinkers Park down in Sussex not far from Haywards Heath so its a very short journey for the layout and a little longer for me.

 

Mike has been working on tweeking a few more areas on the layout particularly around Star Lane road bridge.

 

I am hoping ot do a little more work on the SER box.

 

As one of our team is having Chemo so unlikely to be at the show, we have drafted in another person who has helped work on the layout but not operated it at a show so no doubt he will bring some interesting stock to run on the layout.

 

I am hoping to have a few Bullied light Pacifics running. 'WIncanton' is currently being worked on so that should be ready to run on the day.

 

And of course not forgetting all the EMU's.

 

Ian

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  • RMweb Gold

That's day one of two over. A very pleasant day despite the odd shower but with the roller shutter open next to the layout we had fresh air coming into the building.

 

A couple more Bullieds. Tomorrow I will get do e shots of the EMUs.

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  • RMweb Gold

Star Lane has now been exhibited at three shows with Tinkers Park being the first one South of the Thames.

 

There is still plenty for Mike to do with one or two areas of track to tweak and more foliage to add. The two colour light signals now work but he still has to fettle the semaphores to get them working properly.

 

Yesterday we had up to four trains running at once which kept viewers entertained. However we were down to a bare minimum crew which is OK at such an event but at a very busy show it would have been hard work.

 

We even had a few resin kit built EMUs on loan to us for the day running. Photos to follow.

 

That's the last show for the layout this year but there is one yet to be confirmed for next year and another for 2016 so far which will give Mike some time to do various tasks.

Edited by roundhouse
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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

Yesterday we set the layout up in my parents garage. Not the best day to be working in there but with soem old sheets and curtains we blocked off the gaps so it did get a little warmer in there than it otherwise would have done.

 

No scenic works as such but using the Peco servo kit we got the two semaphore signals working. It was very straight forward to connect up to the Ratio rail built signals.

 

So now all 4 signals including the colour light ones now work albeit using a manual switch. Next task will be to try and get these working automatically.

 

Also  couple of extra section switches were added to one of the fiddleyard roads to give a little more flexibilty.

 

 

A short running session folloowed prior topacking the layout back into Mikes car.

Next time the layout will be set up will be at the Stafford show at the end of January 2015.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

This weekend Star Lane travels north of the Brighton mainline again, this time to Stafford.

 

We will have plenty of third rail traction this show  as Phatbob will be helping and he has accumulated a fair amount of EMU's. My stock is already with Mike as he will have a full car load of layout and stock to travel North on Friday afternoon whilst I will be travelling after work by train from the smoke.

 

Looking forward to working the layout for the first itme this year and with all signals now working plus extra sections in the fiddleyard to give a bit more flexibility.

 

Its still 100% DC as the plan to have one line DCC is yet to be impelemented.

 

Luckily all my stock being  DCC decoder fitted, works fine on DC although the class 33 sound doesn't work on DC for some reason.

Edited by roundhouse
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