BG John Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 I haven't quite finished the points yet, but thought I'd have a change and get on with the buildings. I sorted out what turned out to be a fairly small pile of surplus building bits and pieces, and bought a couple of Dapol kits to make the job quicker. I wish I could follow instructions. I almost managed it with the Dapol Platelayer's Hut and Coal Office, but got the windows the wrong way round, and the doors aren't flush like they're supposed to be. But when it came to the Dapol Petrol Station, I got totally confused. The roof ended up in one long piece, and part of the walls somehow got attached to a bit of roof from a Wills Barn, and the walls themselves got covered in roof from the Wills Water Tank. I suspect I'll have no better luck getting the rest of the building right! I did manage to build the little lean-to shed that was left over from my Dapol Loco Shed correctly though! I also managed to find the missing bits from my Ratio Coaling Stage, that had formerly been attached to a Wills Water Tank, and fitted them. None of these buildings are exact copies of the original buildings, but I don't think that matters. The Petrol Station roof is for the goods shed in the front right corner, and the building on the far right (from Petrol Station and Wills roof bits) is next to it in the photos, but not on the plan. I'll need to scratchbuild the goods shed walls, but I've got some doors and windows to go in it. There's a Dapol Bungalow on the way, that I can hopefully use for the other two office buildings. It's coming along quite well at the moment, and I hope to make more progress at the weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 Hi John Been to the post office - posted it off for you first class It arrived this morning. Thanks Rob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joppyuk1 Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 I haven't quite finished the points yet, but thought I'd have a change and get on with the buildings. I sorted out what turned out to be a fairly small pile of surplus building bits and pieces, and bought a couple of Dapol kits to make the job quicker. DSCF8074.JPG I wish I could follow instructions. I almost managed it with the Dapol Platelayer's Hut and Coal Office, but got the windows the wrong way round, and the doors aren't flush like they're supposed to be. But when it came to the Dapol Petrol Station, I got totally confused. The roof ended up in one long piece, and part of the walls somehow got attached to a bit of roof from a Wills Barn, and the walls themselves got covered in roof from the Wills Water Tank. I suspect I'll have no better luck getting the rest of the building right! I did manage to build the little lean-to shed that was left over from my Dapol Loco Shed correctly though! I also managed to find the missing bits from my Ratio Coaling Stage, that had formerly been attached to a Wills Water Tank, and fitted them. DSCF8084.JPG None of these buildings are exact copies of the original buildings, but I don't think that matters. The Petrol Station roof is for the goods shed in the front right corner, and the building on the far right (from Petrol Station and Wills roof bits) is next to it in the photos, but not on the plan. I'll need to scratchbuild the goods shed walls, but I've got some doors and windows to go in it. There's a Dapol Bungalow on the way, that I can hopefully use for the other two office buildings. It's coming along quite well at the moment, and I hope to make more progress at the weekend. It's called 'customising' and we all do it. Back in the day I had a reputation in the family of never making a plastic kit, be it train, boat or plane, as the maker intended. It made for some interesting models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 I've done the points. I won't say they're finished, as they need testing properly. I also want to close up the gap between the slip and Y, to reduce the siding spacing. It's a bit wide and takes up too much space on the narrow baseboard. I was hoping to start track laying tonight, but had better leave it until this is done. I've barely got enough track, and will have to use Peco flat bottom rail on copperclad sleepers in the tunnel/fiddle yard. Most of the buildings now exist in some form, but need a lot more work. I've got two more offices to start, but can't do that until the Dapol Bungalow kit arrives, hopefully on Monday. I've also got to start on the bridge, that won't be the single span of the original layout. The goods platform had a building in some photos, but not on the plan, so I may build one. The only extra building is the low-relief water tank. The original layout had a water crane with round tank, but I haven't got one. The water tank was originally attached to the coaling stage, so needed to find a new use. The 1950s road vehicles are just there to give a idea of the size, as I've got some 1920s/30s one on the way. It's starting to look as I hoped it would. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePurplePrimer Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Hi John That's looking really good You seem to have built a non folding version which strangely is exactly what Imhad planned to do Could you tell me a bit more about your baseboard construction please Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 I couldn't be bothered to make it fold, and the slip would be right across the join anyway, and it's complicated enough without having a join in the middle of it to worry about! The board is 18mm ply from an old wardrobe. Built originally for an EM layout I never started, then used for my first attempt at a "quick" OO layout, that I wasn't happy with and started converting to O-16.5, but also wasn't happy with. Then it was going to be a quick micro O gauge layout, that I also wasn't happy with. So I cut it down from it's original odd shape, and now I'm happy (I think!!). The backscene is shuttering ply that used to be the doors on the top I built for my trailer. It's well varnished and now well seasoned, but has a few holes that need filling. It's not the lightest board in the world, but is no longer as cumbersome as it used to be. It's probably more of a lesson in how not to do it, than something to copy! The points have been separated, and I can reduce the siding centres from 60mm to 50mm, which improves the yard at the front. Just got to solder it back together now. I'm not sure how I managed to get the 60mm spacing in the first place, when I was aiming for less! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 You have been watching too many up-cycling programs !!. Great use of things though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 You have been watching too many up-cycling programs !!. Great use of things though No telly, so I can't watch any! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Having moved recently moved our new village has a proper timber yard, more geared up to serve house building firms but happy to sell a few feet of timber to the locals, but as you say nice seasoned wood is far better and far better to re-use something rather than throw it away. Super bit of track building, pity you are running out of track. Is it rail or bases you are missing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Rail. The points were made from an SMP 3-way point kit, plus some of my stock of copper clad strip. The rail ran out with about a foot to go, so I had to pinch some from the plain track. So I have surplus bases, and a plan for them! My contingency plan was to make one of the sidings in baulk road, as I have Broad Gauge Society copper clad baulks I don't think I'll use, and can spare some bridge rail. But I don't think it's worth it for the amount I need. I've just got enough for the visible track, and have surplus code 75 flat bottom I can use in hidden parts. I've got no plans for anything needing code 75 bullhead rail, so wanted to clear it out, and I have! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Warts and all close up of the gap between the slip and Y point closed up. It looks better in real life! Now I can fix it temporarily in place, and stick down the plain track. Final testing may take a while, as none of my locos have run for many years and need a good clean, oil, and run in on the rolling road. With the plain track fixed though, I can get on with the scenery. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Most of the track is laid. Just got the loco shed road to do, when the glue is dry on what I've just put down. I'm stopping at the tunnel mouth for now, as I'm not sure what to do inside it. The original plan was a small two track traverser, but I think I may make short cassettes that fit inside the baseboard, plus some longer ones that stick out, so I have more flexibility. There's a problem with the slip, so it will need further investigation and tweaking. It's just screwed down for now, so it's easy to take up to work on. With the plain track down I can push rolling stock at speed over it, once it will take it at any speed! I've been rebuilding the station building from my first broad gauge layout into the cottage. It's a Wills kit for anyone who doesn't recognise it, but not (of course) built as Wills intended, and not rebuilt as they intended either! The roof used to overhang at the front, and the back was a bare wall, but fortunately I still had all the bits I didn't use, which is amazing as I built it 30 years ago! It will need a bit of filling where I've made changes, but it's probably come down in the world from being a lodge for a posh house. The footprint of the building is almost the same as that of the cottage on the plan, although the roof overhangs make it bigger. I've done some work on the loco shed too. The doorway was at the wrong end, but it's not now! I'm not going to post everything here, but I'm taking photos of most of it and will probably put it all in a new topic later. I just want to get on with building it at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparks Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I like what you've done with the Wills cottage. I had thought of bashing it into something along the lines of an 'absorbed' station like New Radnor, but yours has a hint of both a Brunel roadside station and also the West Somerset Mineral Railway stations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I like what you've done with the Wills cottage. I had thought of bashing it into something along the lines of an 'absorbed' station like New Radnor, but yours has a hint of both a Brunel roadside station and also the West Somerset Mineral Railway stations. In its former life it was based on the WSMR station buildings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Almost all the track is laid. I haven't done inside the loco shed yet, as I'm saving some rail in case major surgery is needed on the slip. I may use flatbottom rail on baulks in the shed to represent a pit if I need to. I've started on the "retaining wall" at the end of the sidings. I've no idea what it's supposed to be retaining though. It's a section cut from the one I was building to hide the fiddle yard on the original version of "Small, Broad & Totally Pointless". The Dapol Bungalow arrived yesterday, but somehow got mixed up with the remains of the Petrol Station. Again I was totally incapable of following the instructions, and it's turning into the other two offices! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 All of a sudden old un-built Airfix kits have increased in price on eBay, I wonder why !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 All of a sudden old un-built Airfix kits have increased in price on eBay, I wonder why !! As designed, they're not brilliant, especially with the windows being inserted from the outside, but they're a great basis for doing things fairly quickly without resorting to scratchbuilding. Any price increase on eBay isn't due to me. Hattons are selling new ones at a pretty good price, although the bungalow is actually one of their "pre-owned" ones, at £3 rather than the new price of £4.39. They're models from the 60s-80s period almost all my surplus stuff comes from, and I used to own them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePurplePrimer Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 Copycats :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 This is coming on brilliantly! Why on earth did Airfix kit instructions imply putting the windows on the outside??? Even at the age of eight I had worked out that it was a daft idea, and used to put them inside. Aaah! The tangy aroma of a "Airfix glue", applied far too liberally. Beats Bisto any day. K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 This is coming on brilliantly! Why on earth did Airfix kit instructions imply putting the windows on the outside??? Even at the age of eight I had worked out that it was a daft idea, and used to put them inside. Aaah! The tangy aroma of a "Airfix glue", applied far too liberally. Beats Bisto any day. K I'm quite pleased so far. It's nice to do something where I don't have to work to very high standards, so can get on with it quite quickly. Because they put the sills on the wrong side! I've been enjoying the aroma of Humbrol Liquid Poly. I did manage to spend one afternoon working outdoors, so I could share it with the wider world, but usually just keep it to myself in my office/modelling room. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 The windows certainly do look better when inserted from the inside, but now I need to add sills and lintels. Apart from the embossed brick, and a few bits of plasticard, this building is entirely Dapol/Airfix. It's the office by the bridge, but I'd have had to raid my stock of unused materials to put a gable roof on it like the original, so it's a bit of modern 20s/30s architecture instead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod.H Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I was curious how this would work with what I've got at hand - a pile of Kato HO unitrack & some modules.The R550-3.5deg curves their #4 points need if you wish to keep the roadbed continuous throws it a tad off and using a #6 dramatically eats up siding length. I probably went a bit overboard on the uncouplers, as I just placed them near or on the 'X's. With some tweaks, I can make it meet a modular standard (shift down a few mm, remove a bumper and make it a pass through). As for rollingstock. Well, as I model Victorian Railways, of cause I've got 4-wheelers - louver, cattle, grain & container flat - it's the locos that'd be the challenge as I possess no steam engines and don't believe that an appropriate tank engine exists. The smallest diesel I've got is a BR 08/11 or NS500. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I got it close to the original with Peco small radius points and flexitrack. I don't know how your points compare to Peco. I'd be inclined to make the front siding straighter and run it towards the front right corner, but it depends if you want to have a similar layout of buildings to the original. I think there are various approaches that can be taken with this layout. One is to try to copy it, as I'm doing, but using my surplus materials so there are detail differences. Another is to work on the innovation aspect, which is what ARW built it for. I suppose that means going way beyond current ideas and technology. Or just copy the track plan and do your own thing with it, but I think then it's wise to consider how you want to operate it and adjust the track lengths to suit. I can get seven 4mm wagons in the longest siding and six in the other two. I've no idea how complex a 7-6-6 inglenook puzzle would be to solve! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod.H Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 A Kato HO unitrack #4 point is about the same physical length as a Peco SL-91/2 and SL-191/2 with a different radius curve. However as it's an integrated roadbed design, they're intended for creating passing loops, yard throats, and crossovers on 60mm centers with the use of the additional track pieces included in the pack. So take the curve out and do this: It's more a thought exercise for me at the moment as I can't get my head around the concept of operating an inglenook puzzle. Though this may have more possibilities than anything else I've come up with for that space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePurplePrimer Posted July 21, 2016 Author Share Posted July 21, 2016 It's more a thought exercise for me at the moment as I can't get my head around the concept of operating an inglenook puzzle. Though this may have more possibilities than anything else I've come up with for that space. This is a great site that explains it all ... http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/Inglenook/inglenook-rules.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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