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Hello,
 
Recently I was made redundant and with my increased leisure time I have been looking at developing my skills and producing a layout - with this in mind I decided to set myself a challenge produce as reasonably possible a 'pocket' money solution to producing a layout that would be both fun to build & create, provide me with valuable experience in design & construction and latterly offer myself further scope of development.
Now being currently unemployed I am looking to working on this project on a tight budget with limited monthly input so have had to design in and ensure that what I start now doesn't conflict when I wish to continue the project further - for example the boards have their supports well away from areas that may be equipped with point motors etc.
 
Now as a fan of the Southern Railway, and more importantly the London, Brighton & South Coast I decided quite firmly that this project should be situated wholly in the Sussex area. Now I would describe my skill set when it comes to modelling as Novice/Intermediate - I have dabbled in various areas, scales & gauges so I am not entirely a new kid on the block. I am determined however to produce this project as much as I can by myself. 
 
The boards are 9mm plywood, cut roughly from an 8' x 4' sheet by Travis Perkins into smaller much more workable strips. I then worked the wood myself at home into two sets of 3' 6" x 1' boards and additional smaller boards to act as end, front & side supports producing this which is my first integral design board. I am very happy with the result - having only done a basic introduction to woodworking pre-GCSE level at secondary school and latterly for my GCSE's I did Design Technology I was relying heavily on my marking out & design plan to ensure that the pieces I was cutting were correct.

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Prior to assembly the boards were offered up roughly to make sure they would fit, and then were primed and put to one side and allowed to dry overnight. The next day I assembled the boards into the configuration that can be seen above - I was most surprised that despite my lack of practical experience the boards were not only level, but went together without a hitch - and even the join between then is pretty much bang on - there is a minor bit of packing that will need to be done to the front-most track of my plan - but it is really minor all that will be needed is some card to raise the level up a fraction. 

 

This will be the intended track plan:
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It is based heavily on the plan for Devils Dyke station nestled high in the Downs, link to disused stations page I have made one minor change to the track plan in swapping the location of the points leading to the run around loop and the bay platform over - however it isn't intended to be a direct copy more like a flavour of the location. There are some other changes I intended to make - mainly to suit my plans & requirements however none of them are really that radical the main idea of basing the location on the Dyke Station will remain the same. And issue I have been having is where to place the layout in a time period. I am desperate to do an LBSC era layout however I better feel that a grouping era layout would suit the level of stock & research I have done so will most likely go for that.
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These last two pictures are taken after I have printed the anyrail track plan at full-scale and positioned it on the board. Despite the size of the area involved it is quite possible to fit the entirety of the prototypical track plan into the area without too much compression which is a bonus - one of the changes I have decided to implement is that the catch point at the end of the run around look will be extended somewhat into a fully-fledged siding allowing me to shunt some wagons there out of the way. The terrier class engine is sitting in what will be the platform road in approximately the right location to run around its train and the half-built ratio signal kit is roughly marking out the end of the station platform as a pseudo starting signal. 

 

From my rough workings out I will be able to easily accommodate a 2-coach train and with some shunting a 3-coach train wont be an issue either which is very close to what the real station could handle. In keeping with the pocket money theme I had some spare Code 100 Flexi-Track available so have ordered from Hattons some Code 100 Pointwork (Electrofrog) for this project - all pointwork is medium radius so relatively generous for locomotives to negotiate. Initially my locomotives & stock will use tension lock couplers however locations have been marked out for the installation of electro magnets to be used with Spratt & Winkle couplings which I intend to introduce onto my fleet. 

Anyway I shan't bore you any longer - I can't wait for my track to arrive so I can get on & get some stuff moving up and down :D
I hope to do some semi-regular updates but until then thanks for looking & I am off to do some more research. Got a lovely ex LBSC Signalbox kit in my sights.

Cheers,

~ Gary

Edited by Matloughe
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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you for your interest Armin - hopefully I wont diasppoint.

A mini update - managed to lay the cork, and get the track fixed down into position. For this layout I have returned to using neat PVA glue on the cork to get it to adhere to the Plywood surface. The track itself just like all of my projects is pinned into position - because this is the only way I can genuinely ensure that the track will remain affixed to the board - I had considered laying it in neat PVA Glue or No More Nails however decided against it as I didn't want the ballasting stage to affect the rigidity of the track by applying water to it.

Some pictures,

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An overview of the layout, although not yet wired up the M7 has been assisting me in testing the insulating sections work correctly.
Alignment is maintained using two 20mm bolts with washers through the board and small catches on the front & back assist in keeping the sections firmly together. The G Clamps are currently holding the backscene in rough alignment pending the purchase of another clip for the top. Because I was working in the sun I was using the dust sheet to keep direct sun off the rails so they didn't expand too much. 

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Shot along the length of the layout illustrating the curvaceous trackwork (All Peco Code 100 Streamline), the coaches are sitting in the bay platform/goods siding and the M7 is on the run-around loop. Some minor adjustment is needed however it didn't look as bad in the flesh - perhaps the camera highlighting issues. :D

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M7 helping me with Testing, well its not a 'Southern Layout' without illustrating a SR engine early on! Nothing special just an out of the box Hornby loco. I am a little torn on the time of the layout - I really want to do a 'Southern Era' layout perhaps hinting at the Pre-Grouping past, LBSC hints in architecture, perhaps signalling & kit rolling stock. Could also be used as an excuse if its right after Grouping for the odd 'Brighton Stock' that hasn't been repainted yet...

Thank you for browsing, next items on my list is to wire up the track. I have drilled holes through the boards to take the pins of point motors in the future and also added feeds to switch the polarity of the frogs of the points. I am currently considering building a control panel to operate the layout from - either on the boards itself or on a fiddle yard board. Another interesting idea which I am looking into is potentially how difficult it might be to modify a Dapol GW signal to represent an ex LBSC one - The post itself would need some details removed however the signal arm is the main issue if its possible to remove it or modify it to make it look vaguely Brighton. All things to be addressed in the future. Now time to put the kettle on.
Cheers!
~ Gary

 

 

Edited by Matloughe
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  • 3 weeks later...

Good Afternoon,

Its been a few weeks since the last update; work has been progressing to some extent. The layout has been moved up to the spare room and assembled; continuing the theme of getting on and doing things myself without outside help - the entire wiring has been completed. Although my soldering isn't amazing (infact it looks quite cumbersome, cruel close-up incoming) the work itself was undertaken with a 15w Weller Iron that we've had for quite some time down the shed and some flux that looks old enough to have seen use by family members post war!

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I should state that my pictures at the moment aren't that great at times as they have been taken on my mobile phone as my digital camera isn't working at the moment, so I apologise for that. As a project the layout so far has been entertaining, I have practised skills that I have only touched on in the past - and the result is I have a fully working model railway. Believe me I was surprised when I powered up the track for the first time and the worst running loco I could find strolled away along the track with no issues. However I have no reached what I consider to be one of the more daunting aspects of the model: Scenery.

 

Don't ask me why or how but I dislike doing the scenery aspect of models - possibly because in the case of this particular plan I am unsure as to where to place items. This is where the layout will either succeed or flop. Also please excuse the Hornby plastic platforms & skaledale buildings - these are down purely to give an impression of the buildings that I am intending to build.

 

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At the real Devils Dyke the bay platform on the left of this picture was used as the goods yard as well, the pictures I can see show LBSC open wagons & vans deposited in the siding - as I said this is where the layout either turns out like the location it is based on... or is it a more generic impressionist terminus - open to suggestions here. Where the coal wagons are sitting on the right-hand side I was considering putting a platform for loading vans/cattle wagons etc - possibly with the station platforms behind the buffer stops. And for coal wagons to be stables on the siding located on the other board perhaps... not sure. 

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The platforms will extend much closer to the board join then the Hornby ones - this will allow a maximum 3-coach train and the engine will have to push the coaches back in order to run around. I have been considering buildings and come across a delightful signalbox kit from ABM Railcraft based upon Grange Road Signalbox which I hope will add some character and get to remove the horrid skaledale one currently visible, might look at a Myers style station building to go with it as well... i know it'll fit in the space I have ;-)

Other things I have been looking at is rolling stock, got my eyes peeled for a Ratio MR Suburban Bogie Brake coach which with the duckets removed, painted SR Green will look passable to exLBSC Billington stock, Cambrian kits for LBSC open wagons etc are on the shopping list - which I am trying to reign in. Not to mention a Bachmann E4 in Southern Livery when it arrives :D
So far on this build the layout has cost approximately £50
£20 went on Ply for the Boards - of which I still have some left to build a control panel & other bits as required.

£30 went on track & points because I had some streamline track left over from a previous project.

So I am reasonably happy so far with what I have achieved given the level of investment and my skills in assembling the layout, I am looking forwards to undertaking more work on the layout firming up details & giving it a character of its own. Thank you for popping in to see the progress (such as it is glacial) hopefully the next update will see some actual scenic work firmed up and started rather then just track & bareboards. Thanks again.
~ Gary

 

 

 

Edited by Matloughe
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HI Gary, sorry to hear about your circumstance changes. Does this mean "Bishops Park" is no more? If so, it's a pity as it looked to be progressing well... :(

All the same, I do like the look of this new project & the size is very appealing; the short train capacity also meaning the stock list should be achievable - over time!

I do hope you're able to progress further with this. :)

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Good Evening Rich,

Not to worry, "Bishops Park" still exists - is currently folded and stored in the corner of the room. I am planning a mini-update on it in the near future after the completion of the 3rd Rail (when I get around to it) and the addition of some 4th Rail. However even working on this layout has taught me a great deal already, like Electrofrog points are definitely a must and not something to be shy of in the future. If Bishop's Park gets finished is another matter... I am hopping to get this BLT layout to some stage of completion then turn back to Bishops Park - but I was considering depending on the success of this venture if to make a Bishop's Park Mark II on a slightly bigger scale baseboard wise but keeping the BR(S)/LT Mix I am planning. :-)

Yes this project is a very nice size for what it is turning out to be - especially as so far its 100% built by me and I am going to be including some features unknown to me such as Point Motors... so exciting times ahead. Although the irony is the layout is wired for DCC yet the prototype was one engine in steam... :D

Hopefully the next update will be more exciting with some actual scenery appearing. 
All the best,

~ Gary

Edited by Matloughe
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Well that's better news than I was thinking! :)

Have to say, I'm impressed with the design of this layout, the trackwork flows very nicely & it's not too overcrowed, but in a surprisingly small space.

I hadn't heard of ABM Railcraft, they do look rather good - I wonder if they'll be doing ex-LSWR structures...?

Looking forward to seeing progress. Any thoughts on what you're going to call 'it'?

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Hello Gary,

 

It's great to see your spare time being used to produce something positive. I'm also loving the way you have managed to create a feeling of space to the track plan in the dimensions you have given yourself. I am thinking less is going to be more with this plan, it would be very easy in the space available to add to much (mainly buildings) and loose the feeling of space in the track plan. I think sticking to the building placements of Devils Dyke will be the way to go.

 

Cheers

Simon

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Nice little layout hope to see some more progress soon.
Just been building a couple of canopy kits from ABM railcraft, quite good kits, shame the card is a bit thin, strengthened mine up a bit, also decided to replace the canopy supports, but still nice kits, especially for SR / LBSC layouts.
LBSC wagons, built a few of those from Cambrian nice kits again, take a look at Smallbrook studio as well, got a few nice kits there, picked up an LBSC van whilst I was away.

 

Keep up the fine work!

 

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  • 1 month later...

Thank you for your interest & comments; sadly I haven't done much to the layout as of yet. Have had a busy time of interviews/training courses & family life and these have just got in the way of chilling with some hobby time. Some work I have done recently is I started & finished painting the back scene. Using match-pot paints from B&Q (Other retailers are available) for £1 I covered the back scene with two coats of sky and I also gave the ground a cover of coca brown - which has dried with a slight purple tinge on the cork; but proper brown on the back scene where it is on there by mistake - how strange.
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Some work that I have been working on is themes for the layout; planning items. Such as how does the fiddleyard/layout intermesh - I had planned a road bridge over the track which has latterly ruled out and am going to go with the 'traditional' tunnel mouth - and this has stalled progress somewhat; I had been working on the hill formers in cardboard but it then occurred to me that the hill formers will now need to be based off of the tunnel mouth now. So I have also been studying the station at Devil's Dyke and decided on the building layout which I have mocked up with Hornby Skaledale items & platforms. There will be a small station building - am possibly looking at the Wills Timber Station Building; and likewise have settled on the ex LBSC Signalbox which will be platform mounted, which hopefully will look something similar to this:
 

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But hopefully much more effective...

 

The only other item of note was that the 'kit-bash' LBSC Arc-Roof Driving Brake Third Pull-Push coach is now on its bogies and as can be seen in the above photo and is very satisfying to see the model progressing - however still hasn't answered my main question of time period - I know I can get away with the buildings in Green & Cream either as Southern or early British Rail - however I haven't as of yet decided on a time period. I have got a Cambrian ex SECR 2-Plank Ballast Wagon on order which will be in SR Livery when completed - so hopefully in the near future can get some ballast down & the ballast wagon perhaps 'posed' for an official photograph with some scenery in the background... we can but wait. 

Thank you for continuing interest, and hopefully will not disappoint in the future.
Cheers,

~ Gary

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Hi Gary,

 

Just came across this thread.  Sorry to read of your job situation; hopefully something suitable will come along soon.

 

Like this layout - nice simple design, and very helpful outlining of your thinking too.

 

Once the job situation is sorted out, would it be worth looking at the 'Smallbrook Studio' close-coupled LBSC four wheeler set as a branch train?

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

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Thanks for your kind words Alex, 

 

I try not to post anything until there has been a change; I know the thread will go quiet for a little while until I can get some more scenery sorted out. I am struggling somewhat with the three sidings, on the prototype I am now loosely following all freight was concentrated on the one siding/bay platform and consisted of literally a set of coal bins to store coal and that's it. I keep wondering if perhaps I should shift some of the freight to another location, such as the end of the run around loop opposite the station building etc for some form of loading platform for vans or agricultural items (not specifically livestock but they could be accommodated) 

 

Smallbrook are on my list for some rolling stock yes. I was reading a book and discovered a complete Stroudley 4 Wheeler set incorporated within a train behind an E2 passing Honour Oak Park on the fast lines heading away from the Capital in 1929 - and the coaches appear to be painted in Southern Green Livery - likewise I found examples of exLBSCR Coaches in their umber livery complete with "LBSC" lettering at around the same time - so I can to some extent play about with liveries intermixing stock that generally we think would not have been seen together. Only work I have done today really (apart from having a play) is sorting out compartments for my kitbash Arc-Roof Pull-Push set. 

I find it useful to plan out ideas and have them set in my mind long before I come to do them - this allows me to think about them and change if needed or if another aspect will clash to have a rethink of both aspects rather then get to the stage where it is all coming together but yet doesn't quite seem right.

Many Thanks,

~ Gary

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  • 1 month later...

Good Evening,

 

Just a mini-update; no pictures as there is nothing worth sharing as of yet. Had some good news on the job front; working a reasonable amount of hours per week - not quite full-time but not as bad as before so earning some cash again which has allowed me to restart work on the layout. Spent some time this evening working on the layout managed to assemble a Wills tunnel portal for the exit of-scene on the left; I have also pinned some Peco platform edges into place to give some definition of the platform. Some work which will be undertaken is that the bay platform will be cut back approximately six inches - this is to allow more space for a station building which if it remains as it is would be rather hemmed in. 
 

There has been some changes in the plan, the idea of copying Devil's Dyke has seemingly taken a bit of a back seat and the whole idea of the layout being an impression of locations is being brought to the fore. With this in mind the platform line on the right hand side of the board will be extended to form a 'through route' so the station can either be operated as a terminus or as a through station. The idea going through my mind is a fictional station on a fictional ex LB&SCR secondary route through Sussex; the company had a large network of secondary lines in the counties that it served. And I have taken cues from several stations on the vast network, from Balcombe, to West Grinstead, Devil's Dyke & other stations. I have also been thinking of a name for the model I quite like the name "Charlwood Road" thinking of the area north of the Mid-Sussex route today perhaps an early pre-grouping plan to link Guildford to the Brighton Mainline via Dorking, Capel, Charlwood Road & Tinsley Green/Gatwick. Its the rough plan to be in the 'Southern Railway' period allowing me to run stock from pre-grouping (just) and some BR(S) stock on the basis that there were several locations where pre-grouping stock was seen in their pre-grouping liveries for several years after 1923, and also several noted locations where SR Signs remained long after nationalisation. 

 

Sounds like good fiction to me, and if in doubt I am applying rule #1.

Many Thanks,
~ Gary

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It is based heavily on the plan for Devils Dyke station nestled high in the Downs, link to disused stations page

This has a lovely picture of the station when it was open. There is absolutely no habitation anywhere near the station. No wonder it closed in 1939!

 

Good luck with the project. It looks like an excellent way of filling unwanted spare time but I hope your circumstances improve soon.

 

Two things strike me about your plan:

 

1} A tunnel is a very rare feature at a rural terminus of a very minor line and is a bit of a cliche on model railways. I think it would be much better to use a building or bridge as a view blocker for the connection to the fiddle yard.

 

2) The real station was, as you say, one engine in steam. Rather than a signal box it had a ground frame and this would be a nice feature, which is rarely modeled. Wizard Models produce a good kit for a ground frames. The code for this is LS009.

 

I look forward to seeing more progress.

 

Ian

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Good Morning Ian, thanks for your comments. 

Yes my situation has improved somewhat thankfully, Devils Dyke is a rather attractive terminus. As you said the complete & utter solitude of it is rather attractive, and its a typical LB&SCR station well built & proportioned for its location. I do believe however the station has got a platform Signalbox - can see it on the pictures at the bottom of the Disused Stations website and I have my eye on the smallest of the ABM Railcraft card kits to purchase on next payday to give me another structure to build - assuming there is a distant signal I am calculating that the terminus had around ten levers to work the points (5), FPL (1), Starter (1), Home (1), Adv. Starter (1) & Distant (1) - and knowing the LBSC's favouring of saving costs I'd imagine the 'box would have been worked by a Porter-Signalman rather then a dedicated member of staff. 

 

I see your comments on it being cliche - to an extent I'd agree as well; however I don't mind being a little bit cliche, because this is what I am hoping will be my first proper 'finished' layout rather then abandoned mid-flow or mothballed like Bishops Park has been for the moment. I'll give it some thought however; considering the solitude of the location I would be open to suggestions for a view blocker - the topography of the location hints that leaving the station the line heads into a steep cutting which is what I was planning - just with a tunnel portal at the end of it to complete the 'exit' of stage :-)

Many Thanks,
~ Gary

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Hi Gary.

 

I'll be watching this one with keen interest. It's uncannily similar in design to my soon-to-be built O gauge SR terminus...which is becoming a through station too! I had no idea ther had been a station at Devils Dyke but it's encouraging to see the protoytipcal layout was very close to the one I had drawn up.

 

I won't have the room to set the layout up for through running at home so it will be operated as a terminus with a line that appears to continue. The idea is to make it a through station so that it can be connected to the fiddle yard at either end or possibly both ends when space allows, such as visiting firends. There is also the possibility of connecting with other O gauge layouts sometime in the future.

 

If possible, I'm going to try to keep the scene more urban that the exposed South Downs, though. It'll help me justify a more intensive service.

 

Are you adding a 3rd rail?

 

Jon

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello,

its been a quiet month hasn't it? Work has really been taking over my life - which is bad for the Summer Project which is now dragging on into Autumn & most likely winter (Hopefully might be done for next summer :-) ) 

The layout will firmly be set in Southern Interwar years as for adding 3rd Rail - I don't think so the idea is intriguing however for an electrified branch line so I will keep it in mind Jon - you've got my brain whirring around & around now. I look forwards to seeing progress on your layout - do you have a link to a thread we could see? Got to love all things Southern :D I dabble in O Gauge myself - although not got anything more grand then a yard of track on a plinth to test the compensation on the Wagon kits I built & the occasional jaunt of my Ixion Hudswell Clarke tank engine.

I do however need some help/advice from anyone who can offer it - this layout is going to be the first to use point motors; I've already pre drilled slots through the board to mount motors underneath & run the needed wires from the electrofrog points to power them. Now |I have bought some Peco PL10WE point motors with the intention to motorise both the run around loop & station throat points first (I also have the underside mounted base plates) now the gentleman in the model shop said that for the amount of points I wwill have motorised (5) that I shouldn't need a CDU but can take the power from the track to throw the points via a double throw centre off switch. Now will this cause a problem because the track is wired for DCC operation? I don't want a voltage drop on the track and the locos on it to go crazy & run off the end of the board etc and likewise the AC vs DC will it affect the solenoid motors.

Also I have just possibly realised that the Peco PL10WE doesn't seem to have a frog polarity changer does it? Will this mean I will need seperate micro switches - or should I just do away with the PL10's and buy the Seep point motors I originally was going to go with? 

Any help is much appreciated. Sorry for the lack of photographic updates but there simply isn't anything to show yet.

All the best,

~ Gary


 

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  • 1 month later...

Wow, the fantastic Summer Project is still carrying on despite it being well & truly winter now. 
 
Have had some progress with the layout, last time I left it I was debating if I should go entirely down a fictional location for the layout - whereas now I think I've settled more or less on a freelance attempt of a real location based upon my original plan of The Dyke station. I have done some dabbling with some scenic work experimentally having completed a Wills Tunnel Portal to mask the exit off the layout and have been dabbling with carving up some polystyrene to make hill formers after my experiments with cardboard wouldn't stand up to what was required. So please keep in mind this is very much a work in progress.
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Taken under incandescent light - the sky looks fairly neutral which is good. I need to remove that corner bracket in the future. The land here will be built up to about the height of the tunnel parapet and will fall away on the open ground to the left of the siding with the Guard's Van on. 

 

I also have started to build an ABM Railcraft LBSCR Signalbox based on Grange Road - is an intriguing little kit, I have decided that it will sit on my station platform just like the one at the Dyke Station hopefully it wont look too odd. I have another work in progress shot of the signalbox it has just been placed in its rough location for when the platform is completed. The SR Terrier and kit-bashed LBSC Pull-Push Driving Brake Third are posing in the background as well
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The camera can be so cruel the signalbox doesn't look quite so wonky in the flesh for other station buildings I have a Wills Timber Station shelter awaiting construction and am thinking that despite the rural location the building might be too small and so might add the timber station building adjacent to it to bulk it out a little - I haven't started on those buildings as can be seen in the picture above the platforms need to be finished with their bracing and surface added to 'plonk' the buildings onto. A final structure that is known to be making an appearance will be a grounded carriage body - based on photos of the prototype location it looked like a grounded short coach (4-wheeler or very short bogie stock) was grounded behind the station to act as a refreshment room for crowds visiting the Dyke. A similar coach will be in place here for the same purpose. 

That concludes our visit to the branch, hopefully more news much sooner. I have Point Motors, a CDU, Wires etc and am preparing myself to wire the layout up correctly and construct a control panel for the points so hopefully there will be a news post about that as well as further news with scenery progressing - and maybe even a purchase from Warley in the future - all exciting.

Thanks & All the Best!
~ Gary
 

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Having just caught up with this thread and also as an owner of another branch terminus, I am really pleased that you have'nt gone for a formulaic item and based your project on an exisitng or once existing location, with it seems some good looking rolling stock projects still to come.

 

BTW 'Devils Dyke' was featured in an old Model Railway Journal in the '90's-hope that may be of some help to you

 

Keep up the good work!

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  • 1 month later...

Hello there,

 

Mini update bite here. After what seems like an eternity finally seen some progress on the layout. I haven't been very well recently probably due to working all the hours work will send me in the run-up to the Christmas period. Plus a trip away for an anniversary and Warley - I have finally returned. I have been doing some terraforming on the layout and carving (rather messily) hills out of polystyrene sheets; as I have progressed I think I have managed to get more of a hang on the art of carving the stuff. The idea is for this to be the foundation and probably to skim the whole lot with plaster or poly filler for the final surface of the hills etc, that way any inconsistencies will look more natural after being skimmed with something and will help to 'seal' the foundation for further scenic work. 

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This is a shot from the station area looking towards the exit off scene, the idea is for the track to have the impression of being carved into the hills, on the right I am planning the hill to have a chalk-like face whereas as can be seen on the left is a much more gentle slope which will be grass covered. This is still a work in progress I need to increase the height of the hills towards the tunnel portal and I also need to remove the unsightly L bracket from the corner and replace it with a longer one that I have already obtained to go on the back. 
I have also been deliberating about possibly installing a fascia board with lighting - thinking of using LED strips in a warm white colour to give an even balance of lighting as well as sketching the idea for a set of legs to make the layout portable so exciting times ahead.

 

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Another overview shot; I will get a piece of hardboard or similar to finish off the front of the layout & protect the polystyrene from damage once it is all sorted & formed how I like it. Any gaps or lines in the polystyrene will vanish after it has been skimmed and as you can see I still need to build the ground level up one more level towards the tunnel and a little bit more then that above the tunnel portal. On the rolling stock front I have obtained a Bachmann Wainwright C Class in SR Black with Sunshine lettering - it looks brilliant however possibly a little out of time period for a pre-war layout but hey the whole time period is flexible :-) The Pull-Push set is also progressing well a running mate has joined the Driving Brake Third and the two of them have both been mounted on Bulleid Bogies from Bachmann to ensure good running. At Warley I also took advantage of Dapol's wagon offer and got a number of Private Owners & other wagons as well as a couple of kits from parkside including a PMV which will be painted up as a Brighton allocated 'air control' piped van to run with the pull-push unit.

Anyway not too much excitement going on, thanks for watching.
Cheers!
~ Gary

 

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Evening,

 

Apologies for the lack of an update. Its been rather hectic recently and I've not had much of a chance to post or do much in the way of modelling.

However thanks to slipping a disk at work which has now rendered me unable to do much except drink tea and pop enough pills to rattle I thought I might as well use some of my free time to do a mini update. 

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The current state of play, I have designed and built new legs for the layout enabling it to stand freely rather then rest on the tables that I had used previously. These legs are made of 2"x2" wood, and feature adjustable legs of a design me & my grandfather made up. At the bottom of the leg there is a hole drilled up in the centre to take a long bolt with a captive nut rebated into the bottom of the leg. The feet are simple blocks with the head of the bolt rebated and fixed into it - the foot simply screws up into the captive nut in the bottom of the leg providing an effective means of adjusting the height of the layout - simple and home made - and it actually works which is even better. 

The legs need a coat of paint on them - but I've decided to do this when the weather is more amenable to painting outside. 

 

In other changes, the freebie from Railway Modeller last month the p-way wooden hut is gracing the end of the siding running towards the tunnel mouth - it looks rather effective; its still in the raw plastic I havent decided on its final location yet. A new station building is a work in progress and sitting in more or less its final location on the platform - it still needs some finishing touches adding to it however my back simply will not allow me to work on it further today so its simply 'plonked' in location in order to be photographed. 

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3/Matloughe/LBSC%20BLT/2014-02-13191757_zps37f16ecc.jpg

 

Its a very good match size-wise for the corrugated iron structure that stood at the Dyke station. The signalbox from ABM Railcraft is still awaiting its roof - I might tackle that tomorrow provided I have a clear enough head to make sense of the instructions & parts provided for the job. I apologise for the pictures they were taken on my camera phone as I couldn't hunt for my normal camera to photo it - plus the lighting isn't very good either. The next stage is to build the third fiddleyard board and to tidy up the wiring and add point motors. I've decided that all of the power & control will be housed on the FY board and simply be cables heading to the two scenic boards. 

 

I am quite happy with the size & weight of the boards it seems that I have stumbled accidentally onto the right construction method and rough dimensions to be manhandled by myself alone. In othernews, Bishops Park my SR Terminus looks like it will be dismantled - it hasn't been used since this project started and the track etc on that board is perfect for use in the FY of this project, In a way this is good as I still have plans for an SR Electric layout but possibly a slightly more modest one which I have planned - no doubt will also carry the name of Bishops Park :-) 
In that project the main issue I forgot to take into account is that sheer size of the boards when being unfolded, which stands at nearly 5' high and often this swing only just misses the lights etc in whatever room the layout is set up in. 
2014, onwards & upwards. Hopefully I will have this layout (which still is unnamed) in a more finished condition as time goes on - the only structural thing left to build will be some form of lighting pelmet but that is for another day as I already have a rough plan of how I am going to do that in place.

Many Thanks to all!
~ Gary

Edited by Matloughe
Replaced missing photos
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Gary, good to see you back, hope the back injury doesn't cause too much problems especially with work situation. Nice to see progress with 'Dyke' but a shame to hear about Bishops Park - I do hope you can reproduce something else along those lines sometime in the future.

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