Jack374 Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) So then...a new project! This idea has been in my head for a good while, and has come to the fore because recently I've felt I need an exhibition quality layout that isn't a small plank! There are (should be!) pictures of the plan below, and in my mind offers lots of operational potential in a relatively small space. The main feature is the left hand two boards, where there will be a working ballast loader and a spent quarry face. The middle boards will have a through station, passing loop, shed and fuelling point and the start of a stabling road and a reversing road for the quarry. One of the fiddleyards, the main one at 6' long, will be behind the quarry siding, with the other behind the stabling road/reversing headshunt. So, some pictures! First up the two plans I sketched up in Penultimate on my IPad, one the track plan, the other a 3D representation. I will have the siding in the 3d drawing, also a crossover from the stabling siding to headshunt. As mentioned in the thread title, I'm trying out laser cut boards. They are 5.5mm ply cut on my school's new laser cutter. I'm drawing the boards in 2D design, and I've only got one to show as I can't find times when I and my tech teacher are free to cut them. Each board will be 3'x 2', and there'll be 5 boards giving a total length of 15'. The two fiddleyards will have wells for the traversers in them. First the underside, showing the tab construction method, holes to save weight and two braces made from softwood, as the board is too flimsy without them... And the top: That's all for now, I need to lay some form of underlay and await the other boards now. Thanks for looking! Jack. Edited June 28, 2018 by Jack374 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Evening... So tonight I've drawn the plan onto the first board. You can't see it very well as it's in pen, but I've tried to adjust the picture enough to make it clearer... I'll be saving me pennies now for some points! I need 4 code 75 peco ones, and I'll scratch build 2 with ply sleepers and plastic chairs (if I can be bothered!) Thanks for looking, Jack. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftwinguk Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Hi Jack, Sounds like an interesting plan you have there. Liking the laser cut boards very much. Will be following .... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Looks good Jack.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Lovely baseboards, they really are a work of art. Interesting plan too, a little out of the ordinary and there looks to be plenty of operational interest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 On your next boards, would it not be better if you made two more pieces like the centre brace to replace the two soft wood bits Yes it would! But when I cut the first two braces, I also cut 4 other pairs! I would and will add them on in new boards, but I've already cut the rest now, so it'd be pointless. Jack. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 Evening all, Today I've had an enjoyable day at Stafford exhibition, loads of great inspiration on show and it was great to put faces to some RMwebbers. The highlight was Charlie Petty wrecking the DC kits/Realtrack/C Rail stand because a customer asked for a loco at the bottom of the shelf, and he practically pulled the shelf down! Doh! I also spent most of my money, the majority at C&L's stand, but on Peco track and accessories for the layout. I've now got everything for the first board, and I just need to buy some 5mm foam. Here are the points layed out in the rough-ish position: I now need to make a back scene before track laying, but that shouldn't take too long. Hopefully I'll be spurred on and do some modelling now! Regards. Jack. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Evening, At the weekend I decided to make the backscene for the initial board, and I can now gauge where I can laser cut the upright bit and the holes for the 'fingers' to slot in. I've also added a chipboard platform, obviously to be enhanced with edging etc.: This pic illustrates my method of construction; MDF with softwood brackets: Nothing else to report, other than that my 5mm foam board is on the way after winning 5 A3 sheets for £7.00 on eBay, so track laying will follow shortly! Thanks for looking, Jack. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Hi Jack, great to meet you at the weekend, the boards look really good, bet you cant wait to get started now you have the track. Looking forward to seeing this develop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Cheers Andy, it was great to meet you too. The foam should be here this week, and I'll update this thread and my workbench thread later to show what I've done with my points as I've modified them a bit. Jack. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Evening all, The foam for the layout arrived today, so track laying will commence shortly. I won it on eBay, 5x sheets of WestFoam 5mm black foam board...essentially grey foam (the sort I want) sandwiched between card. The card can be taken off to leave some 4mm foam behind: The points have been modified and made to look slightly more realistic too. I started by cutting the two timbers either side of the tie bar to length, as these are elongated to accept a point motor. Then I took off the box that houses the spring, and chopped the excess plastic from around the sleepers, and skimmed the top of the box too. It was then secured with the metal lugs and a smear of superglue: So, track laying will commence shortly, then we'll get some trains running! (After wiring, and the control box, and point levers, and.....the rest of the layout..... ) Thanks, Jack. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Evening, Firstly thanks for the likes, much appreciated. This week I've been stupidly busy with school work and parents evening (), but at school I've managed to cut out another board. Tonight has been spent glueing this together: This is how I'm storing them ATM, but soon (this week while I'm off), I'll put them flat and start track laying. Hopefully I'll get much more done now! Thanks, Jack. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Nice Baseboards Jack, very nice indeed. I'm looking forward to the track laying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Cheers Andy, track laying has officially begun! Today the foam has been (wood) glued and stapled onto the first board, it took 2 sheets of A3, so I should just about have enough in the pack of 5. The points are just placed in position, I need to route the manual rods before securing them... Also the second board now sports a platform, chipboard as before: I'll add the backscene this week and get some foam/track down on that too! Thanks, Jack. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Evening all The first track has been laid, this being the front line with the 2 points; one off the loop/from the fiddleyards, and the point to the siding. I'm progressing slowly because of the time the glue takes to dry, and my lack of weights! So, a few piccies: This one shows the track is straight: And some with a couple of locos on Half of a FNW 150 (I'll use to gauge platform clearance) accelerates past 47790 'Galloway Princess'... And 47790 with 66532 sit stabled: I'll get a move on so I can play trains now! Thanks, Jack. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Looking very good Jack, love the 47 mate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Evening... Recently I've been plodding on laying track, and have now finished the wooden sleepered track on the first board. Here's some pics of the track laying nearing completion, with an engineer's train in and unloading, and 57007 stabled: Track panels unloaded: And after laying the last piece last night, tonight I've sprayed the track 'sleeper grime' colour (Railmatch). Now I'll add droppers and then ballasting can begin! Some pics of the painted track. First 47790 (again!) with the resident 'gronk' and a rogue MHA: Then a royal visitor! (Not really....an ECS move with 67017 up front) That's all for now! Jack. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Realy coming along well Jack.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitbull1845 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) Hi Jack, The layouts progressing well. The 57 and 47 look good. Edited March 5, 2015 by pitbull1845 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Realy coming along well Jack.. Hi Jack, The layouts progressing well. The 57's look look good. Cheers gents! Scott, it's news to me I've got more than one 57!! Jack, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Looking forward to more now cheers neil.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Evening all, Not much visible progress has taken place because of 2 other layouts and a workbench, and school! However I have been beavering away slowly and have finished track laying on the first (middle) board and have nearly prepared the second scenic board for track laying. Some progress should happen this week as I'm on holiday, and I'll get In the garage and finish the woodwork when the weather perks up! So, a couple of locos and an MPV posed on the board, the MPV is on the newly layed concrete sleepered track, the other two are stabled and then a pic to show I've got the track straight...very straight if I say so myself! Just a last note...I've revised (slightly) the original plan and there now will not be a depot, but instead there'll be a double track fuelling point. The original depot siding will be one track, and the long siding nearest the wall/fiddle yard will be the other track, but will still be full length to stable locos. I'll sketch it up soon, or just wait till I sketch it on the board. Thanks, Jack. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Hi Jack, Very neat tracklaying mate, and some really nice Stock pics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Looking realy good Jack.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Cheers Andy and Neil. Just a quick pic. to illustrate what I mentioned earlier...this is a revised plan with only the fuelling point shown. Jack. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now