Christleton Junction - 1986 - Gateway to North Wales

[Mol_PMB]

I hope you're making good progress through the jobs list before reassembly!

 

Here's a couple of photos I found on Flickr to give you some inspiration. Boh nosey diesels with rakes of Mk2s, but a few years apart. Second one is of interest mainly for the brake coach.

 

 

 

[61656]

4 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I hope you're making good progress through the jobs list before reassembly!

 

Here's a couple of photos I found on Flickr to give you some inspiration. Boh nosey diesels with rakes of Mk2s, but a few years apart. Second one is of interest mainly for the brake coach.

 

 

 

Amazing that the mk2c was around in i/c livery for so long. I assumed it would have been quickly phased out. 
 

And as for progress, see below!

[61656]

An absence of posts does not mean I haven’t been busy putting off some pretty epic hard work! The boards are definitely moveable, not portable. They are certainly not an easy single person lift. With them all finally out I got on with sorting out some dodgy walls - loose plaster, mould, water stains. 
 

 

Bright white walls and the lower shelf being removed will hopefully make quite a difference in the shed corner. 
 

With the layout apart, there’s been a good opportunity to have a good head scratch and think about what I want to change, whilst I still have the opportunity. There are a few things I’ve done along the way that aren’t really good enough. 
 

One of the boards I made in something of a hurry is at the West end where the Warrington lines curve away. Regular readers will know that I already had intentions to sort out the fiddle yard access and include a rat run from the carriage sidings. Regular visitors will know that the curved mainline was far too close to the edge of the board. In for a penny, in for a pound…

 

 

The front section of this board will be rebuilt properly. Fortunately none of the baseboard alterations effect the point work and wiring, so the disruption should be short lived. 
 

With the carnage by now well out of hand, time to add some 6mm hardwood backscenes, ready for application of a 12m long photo of overcast sky (from scalology, service recommended, end result tbc).  
 

With each board on the floor, you get a completely different view! I have tried and failed to rotate the photo. 

 

 

6mm backscenes were going to be too tight for the already too tight baseboards to fit in place (I needed to invent new swear words to get the alignment dowels apart), the end board has been shortened by about 20mm, which makes no difference to the fiddle yard but a world of improvement overall. 
 

 

I’ve run the backscene along the whole wall into the Holyhead end, but the sky will curve (ask Einstein) along the profile of the Warrington lines. It’s going to have to be a little lower in front of the Holyhead yard. 
 

 

Next I have to refit the south end junction board back in, which involves a new backboard and proper alignment of the curved double junction which I sensibly laid across a baseboard joint. 
 

I’m having a brief pause, as during the room neatening I removed the 80’s fire surround, which creates an additional 40mm of potential space. This is right where the platform was too narrow, so whilst it will mean rebuilding my arched retaining wall, it’s probably the right solution. 

[EuroMST]

Good to see you back from your room refurb hiatus! Looks like the boards are going back together OK. The gloomy and cloudy backscenes will certainly add to the feel of Northwest England! :-)

I hope you get the trains running again soon, I am missing the running session shots. My plans are on hold until the Spring, although I have cleared some of the detritus in the garage. An unexpected eye operation has forced a temporary halt to playing trains and planning the layout, but hopefully can get back to my snail like progress in the New Year. 

[61656]

11 hours ago, 61656 said:

Amazing that the mk2c was around in i/c livery for so long. I assumed it would have been quickly phased out. 
 

And as for progress, see below!

Actually, looking again, I think it’s a mk2a or mk2z, as the end door doesn’t look like a wrap around. I think there were only 2 of these, so there’s a 50:50 chance that it’s the one you can see at Christleton. 

[61656]

10 hours ago, EuroMST said:

Good to see you back from your room refurb hiatus! Looks like the boards are going back together OK. The gloomy and cloudy backscenes will certainly add to the feel of Northwest England! :-)

I hope you get the trains running again soon, I am missing the running session shots. My plans are on hold until the Spring, although I have cleared some of the detritus in the garage. An unexpected eye operation has forced a temporary halt to playing trains and planning the layout, but hopefully can get back to my snail like progress in the New Year. 

I am trying to hold back on the temptation to rush into get trains running again. My aspiration was Christmas so that I can ask Santa for a pair of choppers, but I think there may be an engineering overrun!

 

I can certainly say that taking your time is no bad thing. More planning should be less rework later. 

[5BarVT]

3 minutes ago, 61656 said:

More planning should be less rework later. 

Agreed.  Interesting how the model world follows the big railway in this respect too!

Paul.

[61656]

2 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Agreed.  Interesting how the model world follows the big railway in this respect too!

Paul.

At least I don’t have to attend a review chaired by me!

[St Enodoc]

12 hours ago, 61656 said:

At least I don’t have to attend a review chaired by me!

You'd know you'd get the right outcome though.

[BenW]

You mentioned lighting circuits ealier in the thread re. the proposed alterations - is this for building /yard lighting on the model or a bespoke solution for lighting the layout as a whole?  If the latter, experience has taught that it's best to get it in now rather than hope to find a way to cobble a rig together after the layout is back together.  You did ask for people to mae suggestions....

[ISW]

On 13/12/2021 at 23:16, 61656 said:

 

 

Next I have to refit the south end junction board back in, which involves a new backboard and proper alignment

Is that there backboard made of 'hardboard' or 'fibreboard / MDF'? I will have a requirement on my layout, and I happen to have a stock of hardboard in the garage, but I'm sure it'll 'warp' with time (don't ask Einstein!) so maybe MDF is better? Or should I consider alternative materials?

 

Ian

[61656]

So I didn’t quite get the layout back up and running again in time for Christmas, but it shouldn’t be too long now. The main boards are all back in and awaiting their backscene prints, and they all seem to work electrically. 
 

Despite through running not quite being available, the two new all purpose unsung heroes of bulk freight did manage a few lengths up and down the front. My word they look and sound good! They are also supporting the layout’s first kadees…

 

 

 

Obviously they need to spend New Year’s eve getting very dirty with their tank wagons. 
 

Finally, in tribute to a phone that learns your spellings, Merry Christleton one and all. 

 

[61656]

On 15/12/2021 at 17:43, ISW said:

Is that there backboard made of 'hardboard' or 'fibreboard / MDF'? I will have a requirement on my layout, and I happen to have a stock of hardboard in the garage, but I'm sure it'll 'warp' with time (don't ask Einstein!) so maybe MDF is better? Or should I consider alternative materials?

 

Ian

It’s 6mm hardboard, mostly flat against a wall. I won’t be painting it so in a dry room it should resist the temptation to warp. I let it spend some time standing on its own to check it wasn’t straight just to being at the bottom of a stack. It’s slightly more forgiving than mdf, which is useful as straight is a concept you hang up at the door in an old house. The walls vary a lot over all 3 dimensions, so straight things often look wrong. 

[61656]

On 15/12/2021 at 15:02, BenW said:

You mentioned lighting circuits ealier in the thread re. the proposed alterations - is this for building /yard lighting on the model or a bespoke solution for lighting the layout as a whole?  If the latter, experience has taught that it's best to get it in now rather than hope to find a way to cobble a rig together after the layout is back together.  You did ask for people to mae suggestions....

Mainly street and building lights. The boards should come apart a bit easier in the future if I need them to. 

[61656]

A glimpse of things to come…

 

 

[61656]

It can be quite frustrating when you have a fairly decent working model railway and you decide to take it all apart! I have finally got to the stage though where I can see the benefit of taking a few steps backwards. I’d love to be watching the new 20’s trundle through on the tanks, but it’s pleasing to be making progress with improvements. 

 

Work seems like an eternity away, coffee is hot, there are still some good colours left in the Quality Street tin and the geometry of Peco points looks like it’s going to work well. 
 

“Now what we have here Watson, is a three pipe problem.”

 

 

 

[61656]

Some tangible progress, not least with the Quality Street. The 6 Holyhead sidings are all reconnected, including the spur round to the Warrington yard, meaning that there’s a continuous run once again. The whole lot is getting wired better this time, albeit not to every rail yet. 
 

I have the carriage sidings and rat run to the fiddle yard to lay, then I can relay the Warrington lines. 
 

[mallaig1983]

26 minutes ago, 61656 said:

Some tangible progress, not least with the Quality Street. The 6 Holyhead sidings are all reconnected, including the spur round to the Warrington yard, meaning that there’s a continuous run once again. The whole lot is getting wired better this time, albeit not to every rail yet. 
 

I have the carriage sidings and rat run to the fiddle yard to lay, then I can relay the Warrington lines. 
 

And a good view of Your under layout useful clutter this time 

Good to hear progress is good. Looking forward to seeing the trains running again.

 

Andy

[61656]

I should probably start with an apology for the horror show that is the curve into the fiddle yard in the previous photo. It looked great at a normal view, but you can see in the photo that it isn’t right. This proved to be the case with buffer lock on some of the longer wheel based loose coupled stock. 
 

Some realignment is underway. I find a length of peco flexitrack is useful for bending to a set curve to see the flow. The first picture shows how far away from my minimum radius of 600mm the track is. 
 

 

A much improved layout now in place, with the reconnection to the fiddle yard roads still to do. Fortunately there’s plenty of give in their alignment, so not a disaster by any means. 

[61656]

Some early action of the layout going back together. 

[mallaig1983]

Great video. Choppers sound great and I see you have stocked up on Kadee’s

[61656]

8 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

Great video. Choppers sound great and I see you have stocked up on Kadee’s

One pack each of #16,17,18 and 19 just to play around with…

[ISW]

21 minutes ago, 61656 said:

One pack each of #16,17,18 and 19 just to play around with…

As a cheaper alternative, you could also try the AliExpress versions. Just search for HP0787, or use the link https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32826383564.html. These are the 'long' versions, and there is a 'short' version as well. However, I prefer the 'long' ones as I can set-back the draft box from the bufferbeam.

I found them to be compatible with Kadee draft boxes #242, which are readily available on TheBay at reasonable prices. Just bear in mind that the AliExpress ones are 'centreset' whereas the Kadee NEM ones are 'underset'.

Obviously the AliExpress ones are no good for 'modern' stock with NEM sockets, but are suitable for pre-NEM stuff, like wot I 'ave.

 

Ian

[mallaig1983]

44 minutes ago, 61656 said:

One pack each of #16,17,18 and 19 just to play around with…

I think I have used #20 on my mk1s on the outer ends as I found that propelling through point work (large radius) incurred buffer lock. I’m 200 miles from the layout currently but will double check when I get home in a couple of days and correct if I’m wrong.

[61656]

41 minutes ago, ISW said:

As a cheaper alternative, you could also try the AliExpress versions. Just search for HP0787, or use the link https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32826383564.html. These are the 'long' versions, and there is a 'short' version as well. However, I prefer the 'long' ones as I can set-back the draft box from the bufferbeam.

I found them to be compatible with Kadee draft boxes #242, which are readily available on TheBay at reasonable prices. Just bear in mind that the AliExpress ones are 'centreset' whereas the Kadee NEM ones are 'underset'.

Obviously the AliExpress ones are no good for 'modern' stock with NEM sockets, but are suitable for pre-NEM stuff, like wot I 'ave.

 

Ian

Virtually all my stock has NEM pockets, so I’ll be starting with them initially.