muddy water Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 (edited) Ok here is an update! The last photo is of board 16. This with boards 14 and 15 are the 'Country' section. 15 and 16 now have the cutting side and fields scenery. The bridge has been completed. We have various teams working together on the layout. Each one lead by an 'expert'. The S&T team are wiring the MERG system through out the layout.Currently on board 10 wiring in the servo control boards for the major junction. In front of them are the permanent way team laying the hand built track using C&L components.This is a hard task as the points are made to plans from templot and need to be accurate. Sometimes the S&T lads get carried away and wire up a board, only to discover that there is no track on the other side! Edited March 17, 2017 by muddy water 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted April 13, 2018 Author Share Posted April 13, 2018 We are currently laying in the third rail and starting to form the landscape. So far the embankment behind the station is in place and a card mock up of one of the road bridges is developing. Martin 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium njee20 Posted April 13, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 13, 2018 Impressive. Like the junction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted April 13, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 13, 2018 (edited) do Martin Do I detect a Mr Reeve top left in the last pic? Edited April 13, 2018 by Oldddudders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulr1949 Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 do Do I detect a Mr Reeve top left in the last pic? I couldn't possibly say, Ian, but - yes! I've been laying some of the conductor rail - and a fiddly job that is too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted April 14, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 14, 2018 I couldn't possibly say, Ian, but - yes! I've been laying some of the conductor rail - and a fiddly job that is too. I suppose that proves you haven’t changed a lot since we last saw each other - which must have been 1984! Others have been less lucky, I suspect. Great layout and great prototype, of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 Platforms are starting to appear. Martin 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted June 15, 2018 Author Share Posted June 15, 2018 Work continues with landscape carving, scrim covering, undercoating in black and fitting the last of the conductor rails. Martin 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 Now the main structure of the platforms are built, attention has turned to the detailing of the platforms, so a small test section was made using the Peco concrete sides and some plasticard top surface with some bracing. The platforms have a multi row paving stone edge, this was simulated using 20 thou plasticard scribed with an Olfa cutter. This was then laminated to the platform top on both edges. Because of the size of the area to cover, MEK was drying too quickly, so we got some D‑Limonene (Orange Terpene), a citrus based product which sticks plasticard but does not dry as quickly as MEK, giving a longer working time. Down the centre of the platform is a drainage gulley, this was made from 20 thou plasticard which was scraped out with a curved blade, probably a waste of time because it will be very hard to see at normal viewing distance, but at least we know it is there. This was trimmed to size and stuck onto the platform. Next a coat of primer, an area was masked off to show what has been done at each stage for reference. The primer also shows were I over scribed in places. This may be filled or developed as a crack! This left the space between the paving stones and gulley, which on the real thing is tarmac. So I tried out a new product to me, that of AK Interactive and their Terrains Asphalt acrylic. This is a fine textured product in an acrylic medium. I masked up the edges and spread it on thinly (20 thou) with a spatula, on the actual platforms for the layout I will paint the stones first before this stage. Does not take long to apply and a little goes a long way at 20 thou. You can smooth it some more if the spatula is moistened with water. With the masking removed it leaves a reasonable finish, although this does look like newly laid tarmac, that will change once I have coloured it properly. With a bit of playing around it is easy to represent broken of rippled tarmac, actually I made a mistake with this bit! Martin 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37038 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 That platform certainly looks the business - in fact, it would be the perfect basis for a diorama.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted August 6, 2018 Author Share Posted August 6, 2018 Thank you for the kind comments and likes. The platforms have taken on a small change, I pinched the idea from the St Michael's Hill thread using Slater's embossed rivet Plasticard. So a trial piece was started using this technique. Rather pleased with the effect it gives for the bobbled slabs. Progress has been made with a start on the town end road bridge, here the basic ply shell is being checked for fit. Martin 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulr1949 Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 Thank you for the kind comments and likes. The platforms have taken on a small change, I pinched the idea from the St Michael's Hill thread using Slater's embossed rivet Plasticard. So a trial piece was started using this technique. Rather pleased with the effect it gives for the bobbled slabs. Progress has been made with a start on the town end road bridge, here the basic ply shell is being checked for fit. Martin And work has started on the 13 signals needed for the layout. They are built from slightly modified Train-tech kits, with truer colour LEDs sourced by one of out electrical wizards. There are 2 3-aspect, 7 4-aspect, 2 4-aspect with route indicators (feathers) and 2 4-aspect which will be gantry mounted. Both of the 3-aspect and 1 4-aspect have got to the stage where they can be test mounted on the baseboard. This is an original head, a scale 2' 6" wide, which looked too wide for the layout, where most of the signals are "old" style. So 1mm was shaved from each side This is a "spare" head. The two 3-aspect signals are shown here, with the 4-aspect one behind. and one of the 3-aspect signals was tested. The other one is not drunk, just leaning gracefully. Unfortunately the photo does not show the true colour of the red aspect... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted August 8, 2018 Author Share Posted August 8, 2018 (edited) These are some photographs of the basic main bridge structure, mostly made from 3mm ply. This will be clad in various materials to represent those of the real thing that the model is based around. Martin Edited August 8, 2018 by Greengiant 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 Soil has started to appear on some of the boards. This is the last board at the London end where the track goes under the motorway just prior to entering the fiddle yard. These are the approach tracks to the station at the London end. We had a delivery of Polak static grass fibres, guess what we will be doing next week? Martin 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulr1949 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Meanwhile, work continues on the signals, more specifically, the gantry, which is proving frustrating as it is extremely fiddly! Work starts on the framework on one side The bottom crossbeam is added and the uprights are trimmed to size The second one is started Both crosspieces ready for the next stage Which is adding the diagonals And finally for now, the fiddly bit prior to assembly - adding the top horizontal supports. Meanwhile, the side supports were done earlier (and not subject to stage-by-stage photos) 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Now the weather has turned and we have had a bit of rain, grass has started to appear on the layout! Martin 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy water Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Looking good! 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy water Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 A taste of things to come maybe? 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy water Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 (edited) Have to get the mower out now! Edited September 5, 2018 by muddy water 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy water Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 The boards are stored in racking in the club house. This allows anything we have glued to the boards to still be place when we return next week! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted September 26, 2018 Author Share Posted September 26, 2018 Work continues building the main road bridge on the layout. Martin 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted October 8, 2018 Author Share Posted October 8, 2018 We were able to hire our village hall so we could assemble the whole layout and give it a shake down run. There are a few electrical tweaks to do then we can full on concentrate on the scenery. We have some thoughts on automating the control of two of the four circuits, this will only be used in times of operator shortage, lunch breaks etc. Martin 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted October 8, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 8, 2018 Your trackwork looks better than the real thing! My recollection of fast Chatham line trains on the Down Slow is they got a hell of a bang and lurch as they crossed those country end points. And of course the Fast/Slow nomenclature was always wrong. When we were doing Victoria Resignalling, there was an opportunity to reverse the terms, to make the roads leading to/from the Chathams the Fast Lines. But how to do it safely? When the nomenclature had been that way round for more than 20 years, changing it overnight was fraught with risk that the ganger might forget, and the current might be discharged on the wrong line, and that was a risk far too far. Perhaps our successors have managed it. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted December 9, 2018 Author Share Posted December 9, 2018 We are making progress with the main road bridge, once complete we can adjust and blend in the surrounding landscape. The capping stones are quite complex for this bridge, so we have gone the 3D printing route for these, this is the first try, just need to make them a little wider then we are good to go with these. We have also been experimenting with ways to produce the curb stones, tarmac path and block paving of the road bridge, so a laser cut sample has been produced and will be the method we will use. Next up is to design and cut the station canopy supports. Martin 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengiant Posted December 19, 2018 Author Share Posted December 19, 2018 Footpath sections for the road bridge have now been cut. One section had to be jointed I so used a manhole cover to help disguise the joint and form a self aligning joint. Martin 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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