Brixington Town 2.0

[dale159]

Coming along well great video

 

David

Thank you for your kind comments David, much appreciated.

 

 

In response to sub39h's comment on the YouTube video about my NSE 117

 

 

As I said in the comments I bought it like this so I can't comment on the details of the respray but it does look very nice.

 

It has had its second DMBS converted to DMS with a sliver fox kit presumably by whoever painted it and finished off with Southeastern Finecast glazing.

 

All I have done to it is;

Swap the Lima motor chassis for a Hornby 121 chassis, this is a straightforward job only modification is to file the motor end of the Hornby chassis flat to fit inside the 117 flat inner end.

 

I also replaced the Lima wheels on the trailer cars with Hornby ones and the exhausts with some form Peter's spares which are available on eBay. I have also just bought some class 101 footsteps (Hornby spare X5830) which I am yet to fit.

 

Under the converted brake compartment I have cut the moulded step boards away and replaced with some in the correct places made from some Evergreen styrene strip.

 

The motor runs wheels without traction tyres so you can hear it slipping in the video, hopefully cured with more weight over the motor.

 

Given time I need to replace the couplings with smaller Bachmann ones or I may experiment with a wire loop or something similar, one day I might get around to fitting lights.

 

Currently in bits in the garage amongst other items of stock is another 117 which I have fitted a silver fox DMS kit to, it will be painted blue grey and passed off as a Laira based 118.

 

Dale

Edited March 26, 2017 by dale159

[sub39h]

Thanks very much for taking the time to post photos. It looks great

[dale159]

Hello everyone!

 

I'm still alive!

 

Nothing to report on the layout since last post I'm afraid, haven't had a lot of time to spare on it recently and to be honest I've again run into a bit of a mental block as to which bit to tackle next.

 

I think I ought to make a start on the station platforms which once done will then enable me to start ballasting, I am going to use Peco concrete effect side with a plasticard top, I have just been out measuring the lengths to work out how many pack of platform sides I'm going to need.

 

Unfortunately the track has buckled in a few places given the recent heatwave, probably best seen to while its still hot.

 

Also this length of track has had something dropped on it from the shelf above which has dented both rails and so will need to be replaced. Silly me gave all my surplus track to the local club after I finished laying before this happened but I have pinched a piece back again.

 

Rolling stock wise I have been working on my other Lima 117.

Similar to the NSE one it has had the second brake compartment removed with a Silver Fox kit (I did do this one) and as such has had a full respray into Blue Grey even though it was Blue Grey to start with. Once finished it will be passed off as a Laira 118 as seen in the Devon area up unto Sprinterisation.

 

In the last 3 months I have also been assisting my Friend Andy (Crompton48 of this parish) refurbish and rewire his layout Exford TMD for a return to the Exeter exhibition on 1st & 2nd July after which I should have bit more time to spend on Brixington Town.

 

Dale

 

 

 

 

[dale159]

Hello again!

 

An excellent weekend was had at Exeter 2017 assisting with Exford TMD, here are a few photos I took.

 

As said before, we have spent about 3 month leading up to the exhibition preparing Exford for a return to the circuit after about 5 years in storage where many of the card buildings had become irreparably damaged by snails and other such creatures

 

Overview of the new arches, the bridge support has also been relocated to a more realistic position against the wall from between roads 3 and 4 where the green foliage now lies.

 

The layout has also been totally rewired DCC only with Andy the owner having bitten by the DCC bug since the layouts last appearance at this show in 2012, many old Lima locos have been retired and replaced with new versions where these have come out since.

 

Going DCC has enabled us to fit these Gaugemaster illuminated buffer stops.

 

The layout is set in the 70s so lots of rail blue, diesel hydraulics and some of BRs one off prototype locos such as Kestrel and Falcon, but as the weekend progresses things degenerate into a 'run whatever you like' mentality

 

 

My stock is a bit more modern ranging from 80s rail blue towards large logo, BR sectors and privatisation, I could have gone silly and brought lots of really modern stuff but to respect the layout I stayed sensible and kept just about everything blue.

 

 

Ooooooops

This pile up caused by a loss of infra-red signal between the two halves of the Dynamis, the Handset modified the same way as my own to use an external 6v supply so no need to worry about batteries, and indeed to use my own locos I simply brought one of my own handsets along.

 

 

My NSE 117 also put in an appearance but as it isn't DCC fitted yet so it could not go on Exford. Happily The EXE Model Railway Society had another 5 members layouts at its disposal one of which was Yappington (1960 Southern steam era and not DCC) so while the owner was looking the other way for a moment.

Nothing to see here!

 

So back to Brixington town I am hopeful of doing something to it this week now that I have purchased the required number of Peco platform edges.

 

 

Dale

Edited July 5, 2017 by dale159

[ess1uk]

Great updates

[Turbo_Tim]

My NSE 117 also put in an appearance but as it isn't DCC fitted yet so it could not go on Exford. Happily The EXE Model Railway Society had another 5 members layouts at its disposal one of which was Yappington (1960 Southern steam era and not DCC) so while the owner was looking the other way for a moment.

 

Not to forget the other visitors to Yapperton during the last hour of the show.

 

[dale159]

Not to forget the other visitors to Yapperton during the last hour of the show.

 

 

 

I know who did that! Not guilty!

 

Dale

[dale159]

Quick Platform update

 

One of the electric bay platforms has been secured down to the layout and I am now working on the opposite one.

 

The first one faces the operator so hasn't been weathered but the second one will be.

 

Sides are painted with concrete with the coping stones on top in Rail grey, with a white line along the edge to be carefully added at a later date. All paints used are Railmatch acrylic.

 

The second platform has had the same treatment but as this one will be public facing at exhibition has been weathered up with some frame dirt painted on and then wiped off with some kitchen roll, I think this is the first weathering of any sort I've ever done and I'm quite pleased with the results. Again white line to be added later.

 

Dale

Edited July 14, 2017 by dale159

[dale159]

Another Platform update.

 

Having painted and weathered another batch of platform edges I have now installed the front and rear most platforms.

 

I had intended to start on the second electric platform opposite the one I installed last week. The end ramp of this platform is quite close to the toe of a point so ensure the correct clearance between train and platform I intended to use a Mk3 coach entering the platform via the crossover.  So I powered up the layout, changed the point on the control panel and it was at that very moment that there was a 'ping' sound as the wire fell out of the tortoise motor, the most awkward one as its about 2 inches from the frame of the board (so close it prevented said motor being installed the opposite way around) and as such after removing the motor and reattaching the wire I was unable to locate it back into the hole in the point.

 

In the end I resolved the problem by using some single core wire stripping about an inch of the insulation of the end, this was then fed down through the tie bar where I reused the piece of insulation to connect the 2 bits of wire together

This was then drawn back up through the point and located back in the hole, Result!! (motor screwed back into place before removing wire)

 

 

And so back to platforms

 

Before arriving at that solution with the point motor I installed bay platform at the front nearest the public viewing side. Clearance not so much of an issue on this one.

 

I also cut down a piece to go across the end.

 

Having then sorted the point I could set to work on the rear platform.

I have kept a slightly larger clearance all the way along this platform with the right hand curve toward the far end, Shouldn't be too noticeable from the public viewing perspective especially after the station is built up.

 

Mk3 showing inside clearance.

 

More priming and painting the remaining 20 or so piece before installation.

 

Dale

Edited July 17, 2017 by dale159

[dale159]

Quickie update, just two photos.

 

All platform sides now installed

 

I am looking at doing some sort of Parcels or Newspapers or MLV loading platform along this short siding as a extension of the main platform.

 

I need to fine tune the platform edges in the far end of the board before I can start ballasting.

 

Dale

[dale159]

Today I have started ballasting.

 

At our recent exhibition the club received a donation of a large potato sack weighing about 25 kilos full of brown ballast so I have acquired a 1 litre ice cream tub full which I figured would be sufficient for Brixington Town.

 

To lighten the colour up a little bit I bought a small bag of Woodland Scenics medium grey ballast which I mixed in.

 

To minimise the amount of ballast lost between board joints and to prevent them being glued together in the ballasting process I inserted these lengths of ply.

 

And so the ballasting began, starting with the 2 3rd rail bay platforms.

 

After gluing,  I am using 50/50 PVA and water and a few drops of washing up liquid, this meant I could remove the drawing pins that had been holding the track down.

 

Then the 2 main through platforms.

 

The last bay platform.

 

And a few inches on the corner board which will be visible beyond the scenic break and disguised with a station building over the top.

 

So I'm going to give that lot about 24 hours to dry. Some minor tidying up is required removing ballast on sleepers and ensuring clean running with a coach.

 

 

 

Dale

[d winpenny]

Looking pretty good

 

David

[dale159]

Back to ballasting today.

 

Having given the ballast 48 hours to fully dry I set about the arduous task of clearing the excess ballast way from the sleepers and sides of the rails, using a Lima mk3 with deep flanges to check my work.

 

For better access to the bay platform at the front of the board it was removed and turned around (large screwdriver required to break the PVA that had dribbled down the board join). I also took this opportunity to patch up any areas I'd missed or removed too much in the clearing process, and give the rails a good clean.

 

Left - clean track, Right - dirty track.

 

I then turned my attention to my cassettes, Having changed over from dome headed to countersunk screws, because of clearance problems with 3rd rail shoes, meant I had to revise my original method of powering the cassettes which was with a wire soldered to a washer that was then trapped under the screw head.

 

Rummaging around in a box of bits I found the last six inches of the real of copper tape used in various places around the layout.

 

Having originally attempted to solder the wires straight to the Aluminium angle I quickly realised that was a non starter so having found the copper taper I figured that if I stuck strips of tape down to the piece of ply under the Aluminium angle the wire could be soldered to the exposed part of the tape, the electrial connection being made with the pressure of the Aluminium being screwed down on top.

 

Completed Job.

 

More ballasting to come over the weekend I suspect.

 

Dale

[dale159]

Bit more done this afternoon.

 

I have moved onto the centre of the three scenic boards.

 

Before ballasting the points I cut away the lugs supplied for mounting Peco motors to give a better appearance.

 

I decided I would like to have a Barrow crossing at the end of the electric platforms but as the there was no clear place for one with all the points I have shortened one platform by about 2 inches to accommodate one, but still it will go right over the middle of the crossover, not sure how prototypical that is, original platform length was where I have marked 'PL' above the double slip (before mod in previous picture).

 

Some more ballast down, glue drying, don't be tempted to prod and poke to see if its dry yet!

 

And with that glue drying

 

The first lengths of 3rd rail have now gone down.

 

Can't do much more until that glue dries and then its more clearing and scraping ballast.

 

Dale

[dale159]

Progress has not been as planned since last post,

 

After letting the latest round of ballasting dry, I found myself having to patch up few areas where the glue had not reached, then when I came to scrape away the excess in places, again I found most of these hadn't stuck and so up the hoover they went.

 

I have also found with ballasting that all of the points I have done have been glued up solid and I am having difficulty freeing them up again.

 

On a happier not I have installed my parcel loading platform

 

I wasn't quite sure what to do across the end of the track having bought some brick plasticard, in the end I stuck with a regular bit of platform.

 

And ballasted (still drying as I type) with a wall mounted Peco buffer stop, after taking this photo I have found a small piece to fill the corner to the left of the buffer stop.

 

Behind this ramp will form part of the parcels platform I have cut away the moulded sides of the concrete platform edge at roughly the same level as the back of the ramp read for when the top surface goes on.

 

More gluing, ballasting, waiting for glue to dry and freeing up points to come!

 

Dale

[dale159]

Quick one from today

 

A bit more ballasting has taken place and my friend Simon has been around and helped by freeing up all the points.

 

The parts for the barrow crossing cut from some spare Wills tongue and groove board left over from another project.

 

I'll leave that glue drying until my next day off on Wednesday and see where we go from there.

 

Dale

[dale159]

Couple of items since last post.

 

After a bit of a running session last week with my friend Simon, he suggested my parcels platform could be extended by replacing the end ramp with another straight platform edge, so this has been done. 

 

During our running session we uncovered a few odd problems mainly due to lack of use, one slightly bigger problem was with some of the main platforms, having gauged the platforms to clear mk3 coaches unfortunately 3 of the platforms are too close to the track for the conrods on an 08. We found the easiest solution was to flex the platforms away from the track without breaking them away from the glue.

 

After that I have ballasted the remaining 4ft board all in one hit, still drying.

 

And a recent addition to the fleet.

 

Dale

[deltic9014]

Hi Dale

How have you found the Pacer to run? My brother has one which runs OK... when the wheels are clean. It seems to pick dirt up very quickly and the slightest bit causes it to stall. My current plan is to wire the two cars together so that both motors can be fed from all the pickups, and possibly install some extra pickups. Let us know how you get on with it.

[dale159]

Hi Dale

How have you found the Pacer to run? My brother has one which runs OK... when the wheels are clean. It seems to pick dirt up very quickly and the slightest bit causes it to stall. My current plan is to wire the two cars together so that both motors can be fed from all the pickups, and possibly install some extra pickups. Let us know how you get on with it.

Hi,

 

That particular 142 is as bought and it runs ok, but my ballasting still needs a little more refinement around the points.

 

I have a pair of FGW 142s of the later single motor type that have a 2 pin connector across the coupling, which was available as a spare a few years ago (part no. X8448) I had about 10 pairs as I used them to couple an entire 2+8 HST but I found them not to work with the HST so I took them off and fitted them to a couple of other 142s I have and gave a few to friends for their units, alas I haven't got any spares left and you can't seem to get hold of them.

 

I have been looking at ways of fitting a better motor with a flywheel and some better wheels but no luck so far. Perhaps one thing to give a small improvement with minimal work is to add more weight in the roof.

 

Dale

[dale159]

Afternoon.

 

I'm still alive and work is still progress very slowly.

 

Just one picture

Ballasting is as good as complete bar a few test runs and freeing up a few points.

 

I had to replace a small section of track on the inner through loop up by the top crossover when I saw that the rail had popped out of about 6 inches worth chairs probably as a result of my efforts to remove surplus ballast with a screwdriver.

 

I have finally got my carpenter friend who had agreed in principle to cut a grove in the wood for the second control panel as per the first one so when I get that back I'll be able to put it together and make a start on that. I'll also be changing the back of the original panel from a 3 inch to 4 inch length of timber to protect the breakout boards.

 

One thing I must consider alongside the track plan on this panel is signalling for the layout which also means its nearly time to think about the actual signalling on the ground as well, I have a few ideas but I think I need to put them onto paper and then perhaps present them on here or I might even start a separate thread in the signalling forum for some expert help.

 

Then other things to consider would be smaller lineside details like location cabinets, cable troughs and even 3rd rail feeder cables from fine wire.

 

Dale

[dale159]

Quick knock up on MS paint of my thoughts for signalling.

 

When I started the layout I was hoping to have a home signal with multiple feathers on the outer loop line controlling access to the station alas as it turns out I'm not quite going to have the space for it so it will be off scene.

 

Signal off platforms 1&3 bog standard 3 aspects.

 

I am in 2 minds whether or not to provide a signal for a route from this end of platform 2. 

 

From Platforms 4&5 again 3 aspects both with No.4 feather for moves towards the main line, and shunt signal with separate route indicator for the Engine Spur (ES) and the two Carriage Sidings (CS) maybe would these need one each?

 

And finally shunt signals to exit the Engine Spur, Carriage Sidings and Parcel platform with its protecting catch point.

 

Thoughts and other suggestions much appreciated

 

Dale

Edited October 17, 2017 by dale159

[Turbo_Tim]

So there are 2 double track mainlines leaving to the left with the sidings in the middle?

 

First thought: if you are trying to emulate Western Regiom practice then they tended to add extra arms to their junction indicators for the straight ahead routes on loop platforms. A prime example would be Platform 1 at Newton Abbot; the east end has a no.1 indicator for the only main aspect route (to the up main) and the west end has no.1 and no.4 indicators for the 2 available routes. So if you're feeling really keen you may want to add an extra feather to signals 1,3 and 4 (or you might not).

 

Second thought: The route indicators might be simpler in reality maybe an E and an S rather than ES and CS?

 

Any use?

[Turbo_Tim]

You might also want to place an additional position light on the line running from Platform 3 for shunt moves to reverse behind - there are lots of these at locations throughout Devon, Drew up suggestions whilst waiting for a train:

[dale159]

So there are 2 double track mainlines leaving to the left with the sidings in the middle?

First thought: if you are trying to emulate Western Regiom practice then they tended to add extra arms to their junction indicators for the straight ahead routes on loop platforms. A prime example would be Platform 1 at Newton Abbot; the east end has a no.1 indicator for the only main aspect route (to the up main) and the west end has no.1 and no.4 indicators for the 2 available routes. So if you're feeling really keen you may want to add an extra feather to signals 1,3 and 4 (or you might not).

Second thought: The route indicators might be simpler in reality maybe an E and an S rather than ES and CS?

Any use?

Thanks Tim.

 

Sorry for the slow reply, I understand what you are saying.

 

The thing with this layout is that it's half western region and half southern region so signalling principles might be looked upon differently between the two, that said the would signalling system would be controlled by a single signal box or panel so would more likely be Western region given that they are the operators of the through lines.

 

I agree with you thoughts for simplifying the shunt signal route indicators down to 'C' and 'E' of maybe I might change it to 'H' for Headshunt.

 

Dale

[rob D2]

I like those units, used to travel a lot on them in the Thames valley.

 

Will you be eyeing up the Bachmann class 117 when it comes out ?