chriscleveland Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 With the boiler shop and carriage shed flat packed I’ve taken the opportunity to make Ropleys longest restoration project have some progress. I have added more new planks and under coated the Newley installed doors to the PMV 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowley 47521 Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 3 hours ago, chriscleveland said: With the boiler shop and carriage shed flat packed I’ve taken the opportunity to make Ropleys longest restoration project have some progress. I have added more new planks and under coated the Newley installed doors to the PMV That PMV is superb Chris. Very well captured. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted September 20, 2021 Author Share Posted September 20, 2021 With Ropley having been up bridge to bridge for a few hours as the most it’s likely to be up in that length this year i though doing a photo shoot was in order. Here we see 37905 arriving into Ropley for a train bound to Alton 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted September 20, 2021 Share Posted September 20, 2021 Stunning work Chris, so full of detail and atmosphere. More pics please. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 Work it to begin on Ropley’s most forgotten baseboard as the line heads out of the station towards Alresford 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowley 47521 Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 Very good Chris. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted November 20, 2021 Author Share Posted November 20, 2021 The Alresford end of the layout is now starting to take shape quite nicely 13 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 Another project I have started is looking at rebuilding the internals of the wheeldrop shed. The shed will finally get a proper floor and will also be different to the other sheds as the metal girders will be fixed and the girder roof will lift out as this shed keeps damaging the lights when lifted out l. Details will happen properly at a later date when I make or acquire some new parts to go within and know I won’t catch anything when cleaning the track. Plenty going on and I’ve now built over 50 trees and sorting locos out as some have never been properly tested. Unfortunately swanage is causing me issues so need to find an alternative chassis rather than the Dapol plastic one 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Another project down. The wheeldrop shed not has a floor girders all replaced and painted and the steel frame fixed with lift out roof girder trusses. I like this idea so much more as I can finally detail the walls. Still need to add detail into the sheds as well as the lights again. I have now decided to turn my attentions to doing this idea to the main shed too. so time to do some research as I would also like to redo all the internal details but the layout of the shed in this timeframe is limited in photos 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowley 47521 Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Really good work Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 With the layout down I have decided to start ticking some of the Loco jobs list off from running it in the winter. Here 30506 and 30828 are having work done to get them working better going forward. These two are mainly going in the headshunt in the timeframe but do come up into the yard from time to time. Getting 30828 working at last will be good as it is only one of a few locos I’ve never been able to move. More updates soon I hope as I will try and get back into it again. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted April 24, 2022 Author Share Posted April 24, 2022 Ropley might have been quiet as of late but I can assure everyone lots of small projects are slowly coming together. Here we see a view through the trees on the hill down into the yard and an 08 arriving with a warwell wagon which will be part of another upcoming project. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted June 3, 2022 Author Share Posted June 3, 2022 Another loco project completed ! Mid Hants railway resident loco Thomas has now been built. Thomas is my first loco I’ve cut up and made from plastic that is operational using a DJ models J94 as it’s chassis 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted June 3, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2022 Or 'Dave', as it tends to be known on the railway... you've got the look spot on I reckon, the tell-tale Hunslet bits in the right places. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Morgan Posted June 3, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 3, 2022 Very good. Here it was in March 2000 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted June 26, 2022 Author Share Posted June 26, 2022 Another day another project. One thing I have learnt making Ropley is long have gone the days of just buying a train and putting it on the tack and playing with it. Although some start like this they eventually reach the workbench. Here mhr resident ivatt 41312 has reached that stage. Out of use in the timeframe means out will come the cutting tools to empty that coal bunker and build an empty one for the loco. As can be seen from the photo I’ve added it’s protective hat to the funnel which is common to see on out of use locos to stop the bad weather getting into the loco. Ivatt was also causing me issues at its last show so only being a static I have decided to remove its motor and wiring to clear that short and make shunting easier with the loco not fighting the shunters. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted June 26, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2022 My favourite loco of the MHR fleet. She was in service today, as it happens (I was in Alton box) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted July 31, 2022 Author Share Posted July 31, 2022 Not much has been going on with Ropley as i need to work out what i need to get hold of for my next projects. I've mainly been working on stock as i tested every piece out last time the layout was out and to my disappointment some of the fleet are not fit for purpose mainly my locos under restoration so trying to find a way to get around this. Swanage seems to be the hardest as west country's are so expensive and i really don't fancy chopping up a new Hornby model and spares are just as bad 😐 trying to find a chassis has never been so tough as i think this is the only way around it to replace the airfix kit chassis. Luckily other engines are getting there and some are just a case of weight so i need to find a way to weigh them down. I've attached some of the photos from last time the layout was up as i don't seem to have many posted on here 😀 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted September 5, 2022 Author Share Posted September 5, 2022 I’ve been debating what to do with the front of the layout for a while and decided it’s time to take action. Been having another play with trees and decided that the whole front of the layout needs a change to give it the view you used to get when the woodland walk was there before the kings cross bridge and to sort out the area as a whole as this was done in my earlier days of modelling I’m already liking the idea of looking through the trees 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 (edited) At last I feel like I’m getting somewhere again. I’ve found my modelling mojo and it’s time to really start pushing the layout forward again! I’m loving the idea of scenic blocks and the plan for redoing the water tower board is in full swing. Below shows some of the work progressing and a bonus is I’ve found more of my fencing. This means the first photo will be the last with the old fence on as I will remove a large part of it, not all of it and replace it as the second photo shows. I’ve also straightened out the path as I’m adding the new fencing as I’ve seen a drone video over Ropley and noticed I got it wrong by curving the path. The hardest thing is finding photos of the embankment area a lot has changed like kings cross footbridge, removal of trees, removal of woodland walk, car park being redone, relocation of miniature railway, signal boxes added, new park and the list goes on. even now the yard has changed massively this makes it so hard to model at times but I’m up for the challenge Edited September 10, 2022 by chriscleveland 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Morgan Posted September 14, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 14, 2022 Some photos from 2000 that might be of use: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted September 17, 2022 Author Share Posted September 17, 2022 The hill continues I might be a bit ahead of the posts but thought I never really do mini updates as I do projects. First time Ropley has had a saw taken to it in years. This was to remove the roundness of the hill to make it look more natural. Definitely makes a big difference in my opinion 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 As well as working on the hills on the layout my attention has also turned to finishing more of the loco fleet. This mainly consists of renaming and renumbering as all the locos I can get moving that are displayed as under overhaul or awaiting overhaul are done until I can find new chassis for them. gala visitor dominion of New Zealand is seen drying in its varnish coat after a rename and renumber from fellow classmate commonwealth of Australia 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriscleveland Posted September 29, 2022 Author Share Posted September 29, 2022 Wow another project completed and I’m over the moon with it. Here we see lord Nelson and Cheltenham at Ropley. This wasn’t easy as both locos have had a respray and all transfers added as well as varnish coats. I can say I’ve surprised myself with how they have turned out. I also am extremely happy that the greens have turned out slightly differently by the ways I varnished them to make Cheltenham shine a little more to Nelson as Cheltenham entered service later on. I wasn’t a fan with Cheltenham to start with but after all this work out will make lots of appearances going forward. Nelson has always been a bit ambitious to my modelling skills and a Loco I really wanted to get right and looking at it now I can’t be happier as Nelson now gives me a full fleet of very nicely running engines for the operational fleet in the timeframe I’ve modelled the layout in. With the motivation on working on the layout at an all time high I better get a shopping list together for the next projects watch this space as my next orders are already in waiting for me really can’t wait to get Ropley up in full so some running and above all finally make some videos 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted September 30, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 30, 2022 Cheltenham would be freshly ex-works in your period wouldn't she? Her ticket runs out at the end of this year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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