Henley-on-Thames - GWR in the 1930's

[Neal Ball]

This looks pretty fabulous to me. My old Hornby ones are still in the UK at mum and dads ready to go to Hattons as a PX.

 

Sept 2023: I am having issues finding some photos from the server outages. Instead, here's a running board!

 

 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Neal Ball

[sjrixon]

Too tempting....

[KNP]

There'll be one appearing on Little Muddle.....!!!

[Neal Ball]

Progress update:

 

still slow! But progress none the less. It’s all about the unglamorous side of model railways, in as much as I spent a day wiring up the circuit breakers. But it has now meant I gave had trains running. 

 

More ore details and photos soon!

[Neal Ball]

This looks great - how many do I need? Lol

 

 

The large Priarie is the subject of today’s “engine shed” https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/news/the-engine-shed/large-prairie-mk2f-big-boy

 

Due for release in August or September this year - design work started in 2017

[81C]

I do hope they have the correct front pony truck wheels with 10 spokes when they are release. 

[Neal Ball]

19 hours ago, 81C said:

I do hope they have the correct front pony truck wheels with 10 spokes when they are release. 

 

Ah! Good spot, didn’t we have that a while ago with another loco?

 

Progress over the last couple of weeks has centred around the electronics, loads of work with the soldering iron.

 

i have added more Gaugemaster DCC autofrogs and these are all lined up neatly on the edge of the board. 

 

 

 At the same time I have sorted out all the Power Districts and these are all protected by these circuit boards. I used them when the railway was at Felpham, but this time I am trying to be nearer with my wiring at the same time changing the way they are set up. They protect each section from short circuits. If there is an issue in one part, the rest of the railway keeps running.

 

 

At the same time I have installed a Dapol home signal just before Mill Red bridge - it was always there, but this time works! It’s at the end of the accessory power district, although Dapol have since changed the instructions to say it really needs to be 12v DC, not 16v AC.

 

Perviously, I had used a resistor to reduce the light from the lamp - but of course that means the motor didn’t work. It’s now too bright, but works! I need to dull the lamp down with some paint.

 

 

That’s it for now. Further updates to follow.

[Neal Ball]

May 23rd update!

We are currently away on holiday - basking in the sun outside Cartagena, Spain. About to light the BBQ outside the new (Spanish registered) Motorhome.

 

The layout is coming on nicely and just like Kevin at Little Muddle, I have been looking at LED strips for the lighting. The ceiling in the railway room is quite high and has fluorescent lights, which are not the best. I reckon a roll of LED lights on plastic trucking suspended from the ceiling with a proscenium in front to direct the lights down. Further progress and a new loco when we get back at the weekend.

[81C]

Neal It was the Star class that had Kohler design (not so) clever style 12 spoked wheels which he insisted were correct I've 3 pairs if you need some.

[Neal Ball]

11 hours ago, 81C said:

Neal It was the Star class that had Kohler design (not so) clever style 12 spoked wheels which he insisted were correct I've 3 pairs if you need some.

 

Of course, Yes and Hornby then replaced them / or you had to replace them yourself! I remember now.

 

[81C]

They just sent out the wheel sets for self fitting, I have always wondered how many Stars constantly derail because of badly gauged axles

where the owners haven't used a gauging block.

 

[Neal Ball]

3 hours ago, 81C said:

They just sent out the wheel sets for self fitting, I have always wondered how many Stars constantly derail because of badly gauged axles

where the owners haven't used a gauging block.

 

 

Hopefully the people who have swapped them over are savvy to that sort of thing :-)

[Neal Ball]

Significant progress over the last two days:

 

The track is is now laid in the fiddle yard, giving me 5 roads - Two are loop lines, if needed, with the remaining 3 being dead end of at least 2.1m. There should be plenty of space for my 5 carriage trains.

 

It all needs to be wired up and the one remains road for locos to be laid.

 

Im also going to add a further section on top with probably 5 roads for loco storage.

 

Hopefully there is plenty of space for all the trains I need to run.

 

Ignore the mess behind - although it does mean I gave loads of track left over. I’m probably going to bin the code 100 and keep only a few bits of code 75.

Edited May 31, 2019 by Neal Ball
Spare track

[Neal Ball]

I’ve also been working out a timetable / train sequence.

 

It works out that in compressing the Mill Lane sidings, I’ve snookered myself for space to store the through passenger trains! Plus, I seem to gave an imbalance of stock. The 1936 shews a departure at xx time, yet I have no stock in the station!

 

Its all work in progress. As soon as I gave the definitive arrangement I will post it on here.

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

I’ve also been working out a timetable / train sequence.

 

It works out that in compressing the Mill Lane sidings, I’ve snookered myself for space to store the through passenger trains! Plus, I seem to gave an imbalance of stock. The 1936 shews a departure at xx time, yet I have no stock in the station!

 

Its all work in progress. As soon as I gave the definitive arrangement I will post it on here.

It's a buqqer isn't it!

[Neal Ball]

Progress update:

• Fiddleyard is now complete - track down and all wired up and tested.
• Guagemaster Autofrogs - another batch of 9 arrived today which should see the last of the fiddle yard points wired up.
• Lighting - huge improvement! - I now have lighting gantries across the layout, supporting LED strips (€3 per metre) - that was this afternoons job, it needs another strip of Bright White in order to complete.

I'm feeling now that I have caught up with the disruption of moving and am almost there - to the point that I can now run trains and start posting again on RMWeb.

 

Still need to do:

• Scenery needs upgrading
• Trees need to be replanted
• Backscene needs to be added.

Then I can continue the work from where I left off at Felpham.

 

Further update soon....

[Neal Ball]

7 Autofrogs wired up

 

Plus new loco tested - sound fitted GWR Rood Ashton Hall. Merely running round the layout hauling 4 carriages 

[Neal Ball]

Hall class loco departing Henley on Thames en route to Twyford 

 

You can’t really see in this photo, but the LED “warm white” is very yellow.

 

 

 

[Neal Ball]

It's been a back scene day today!

 

2 sheets of 5mm ply cut in half, to give me a back scene of 12 inches / 300mm, will be enough to get down towards the station. Another couple will complete the job.

 

Back in the UK I used white emulsion, with tester pots of blue in order to get a light blue / almost cloudy (not not overcast) sky. Tester pots don't exist in Spain. In the main everyone paints their walls white. So I am resorting to a childs blue acrylic pot (@60 cents), but its a very vibrant blue! so isn't taking much to give a very blue sky - still really too blue.

 

Generally a sky is more white cloud than blue, so if copying my approach, use more white!

 

This is the first coat, drying out overnight.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Neal Ball

[Neal Ball]

Todays trains of choice - both passenger trains & both sound fitted: Rood Ashton Hall and Caerphilly Castle.

 

Although the former managed to find loads of dirt. It turns out that it has such a large speaker in the tender, resulting in the weight being removed. Its too light on its feet!

[Neal Ball]

Todays update:

The lighting gantry is finished - but I definitely need to follow the lead set by Kevin at Little Muddle and add a row of the Bright white LED. However, operating with only the LED on makes the fiddle yard area very dark - but cooler than burning Fluorescents in the heat over here! New job to do: Fiddle yard lighting!

 

Backscene: looks much better and finishes the layout nicely. I just need two more, by the loco shed and station. Screws have been filled and will be painted tomorrow.

 

And then I ran some trains, which very quickly found which bits of track need attention!

 

The fiddle yard is now complete and has an upper deck for loco storage:

 

 

 

 

  

 

There is one section of track at this end of the fiddle yard that is causing issues. The area immediately in front of the camera will need to be relaid.

 

Edited June 21, 2019 by Neal Ball

[Neal Ball]

This is a general view of the railway room, shewing the lighting gantry. Two wooden "goal posts" sit across the railway, with the lighting track suspended underneath. The lighting track is fairly heavy grade plastic channel from LeRoy Merlin (equivalent to B & Q)

 

The final photo is from the station end, shewing the whole layout.The underside of the lighting track and the LED's are evident in this last shot. 

[Neal Ball]

Finally some railway shots:

 

Today's locos: 4-6-0 No 4073 Caerphilly Castle; 4-6-0 No 6011 King James I and 4-6-0 No 4014 Knight of the Bath

 

Caerphilly Castle bringing in a train from Paddington

 

 

Knight of the Bath (aka Friday Night) is seen departing Henley on Thames.

 

 

 

Caerphilly Castle seen coming off the turntable, having been turned. This is still a manual process of leaning across the layout. I need to make up the MERG circuit boards to get the controller working.

 

Also in this shot can be seen the tracks that will run behind the back scene. These of course are the tracks that at Felpham ran under the station.

 

 

It looks as if the shed staff are giving Caerphilly Castle some attention in the photo below:

 

 

There is still a lot to do, but its gradually getting back to the condition it was in before we moved.

 

More update soon....

 

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Finally some railway shots:

 

Today's locos: 4-6-0 No 4073 Caerphilly Castle; 4-6-0 No 6011 King James I and 4-6-0 No 4014 Knight of the Bath

 

Caerphilly Castle bringing in a train from Paddington

 

 

Knight of the Bath (aka Friday Night) is seen departing Henley on Thames.

 

 

 

Caerphilly Castle seen coming off the turntable, having been turned. This is still a manual process of leaning across the layout. I need to make up the MERG circuit boards to get the controller working.

 

Also in this shot can be seen the tracks that will run behind the back scene. These of course are the tracks that at Felpham ran under the station.

 

 

It looks as if the shed staff are giving Caerphilly Castle some attention in the photo below:

 

 

There is still a lot to do, but its gradually getting back to the condition it was in before we moved.

 

More update soon....

 

Friday night... hadn't heard that one before. Reminds me of my late grandad, who had a bath once a week whether he needed it or not.

[Neal Ball]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Friday night... hadn't heard that one before. Reminds me of my late grandad, who had a bath once a week whether he needed it or not.

 

Thats why the loco was known as a Friday night apparently!