“WASHBOURNE”

[Donw]

Will you have a nice Scottish name for the station and what will the loco be?

 

Don

[Northroader]

I’m sticking to the trademark name “Washbourne”, Don, but it’s got the capability of getting a Caledonian flavour by becoming “Washburn”, and if I can last long enough to do the NER, it’ll be “Washbeck”.

The loco. is trying to be a GNoS “E” class, LNER “J91”, but I’m afraid it’s an awful bodge. I used a spare chassis for a South Wales 0-6-0T (all my finished stock for South Wales went in the Great Clearout) but the wheelbase is about 18” too long. Then Things happened during the superstructure build, dimensionally and square wise. Jonathan did a comment over on another thread this week about how you get more meticulous as you grow older, I’m afraid I’ve gone the other way.

[Donw]

well as far as I am concerned if you can get it to give the flavour of the original  it will be fine.

 

I have been looking through my ebook copy of Phillip Harvey's Amberdale  prototype accuracy is not a priority but what a wonderful creation and the buildings and horse drawn vehicles are superb.

 

You could have the station nameboard like one of those bus destination rollers where you change the name to suit the stock. Now thats given me a thought with a little OLED display and an Arduino plus a bit of coding  I could have a station name whatever was wanted.

 

I shall look forward to Washburn.

 

Don

[Northroader]

 

Theres these two camellias in pots either side of the front door step. What possesses such a delicate, tender flower to start blossoming in February, I’ve no idea, every evening we’re watching the weather forecast for overnight frost, and take them in the house, otherwise that lovely bloom will be turned to brown mush. This last week, they’ve stayed out all the time.

Back in November, I was putting together some strips of 10mm foamboard to make up a fiddle yard base, and was very disappointed to find the glue didn’t “take”, just staying wet and messy 24 hours later. It seems you have to store the stuff at over +5 C, so it’s lived with me on top of the chest in the bedroom for the last few months. Now it’s warming up, so mix a dollop with about three parts water and a few drops of washing up liquid, and go round the “Western Fringe” line ballast with an eye dropper. It’s now set rock hard.

 

 

Then dig out the foamboard, and try again… Result! That’s set nicely, so push on with the Washbourne fiddle yards.
 

 

So now we can definitely say its warming up, and we can celebrate Spring with Hilda.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16 by Northroader

[F-UnitMad]

2 hours ago, Northroader said:

....disappointed to find the glue didn’t “take”, just staying wet and messy 24 hours later. It seems you have to store the stuff at over +5 C, so it’s lived with me on top of the chest in the bedroom for the last few months....

You've had to live of top of the chest in the bedroom, Bob..??!! 

Is that punishment from the good Lady 'Roader?, after all you will keep posting pictures of Hilda... 😂😂👍

[Mikkel]

That's a nice spring announcement, it actually made me look out the window. Time for a walk I think, thank you!

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, Northroader said:

 

 

 

Has she grazed her knees or are they carpet burns?????

[Northroader]

Best not go there, Saint! (We’ll say dirt)

[Northroader]

Well, I had this baseboard ready, and I had a plan prepared which I had thought out before the house move. Then I put a station building kit together, which was a smart move, because it showed me that the baseboard needed to be wider. I had brought a few plain track panels with me, and since then I’ve been trying out various setups for through track and a siding. My original idea was soon junked, just seeing how it looked laid out on the board, with a loco, rolling stock, and the station interacting. How to get some interest in operation, coupled with a good appearance, was the problem. I’ve now decided to go for what is pretty well the standard basic small layout, which you can find scattered in various places across this web, all looking good and working quite happily. Just having plain track is out, and I needed two short points to form a crossover. Recent posts on the Peco setrak points thread have demonstrated that this can be done, so I’ve bought a pair and had a go.

 

 

it’s a matter of removing the sleepers from the diverging road, straightening the rails beyond the crossing, and refitting the sleepers. I’ve also added jumpers across the join at the heel of the point blades. Then trimming the two roads back to back to form a crossover. GOG standard for the width between straight double track is 45mm between the flangeways of the inner rails, but I’ve increased this to 62mm, mainly with an eye to the runoff on to the fiddle yard cassettes, which need the extra width when placed side to side, which they will need to be during a run round move. I also feel that trimming much more off the diverging tracks, bringing the crossings closer and narrowing the gap between the parallel tracks, could cause more problems.

 

 

The points are now in grey primer, and placed roughly in position for this view. The fiddle yard is on the left, and the stop blocks will be on the right, at the end of the board. I’m much more confident of having a decent little line now.

Edited April 21 by Northroader

[Flying Fox 34F]

Hello Bob,

I recall a small layout built by Richard Chown, where he mentioned not to have the common crossings too close together or even directly opposite each.  Causes derailments apparently.  I suspect you’ve done the right thing.

Paul

[F-UnitMad]

2 hours ago, Northroader said:

The points are now in grey primer, and placed roughly in position for this view.

Interesting. Without being told, I would not have guessed these are the Peco setrack points, even though I've been following that other thread about the modification as well. I realise it's work in progress, but they also look very different in grey primer as well..!! 👍

[Northroader]

I think if I got ‘proper’ medium radius points, Jordan, they’d damn near fill the length of the board, but these do look as if they’re  points as nature intended without being too toylike, and I thought doing a picture while they’re still in primer would help to pick them out.

You’re right, Paul, I remember seeing somewhere that having the crossings opposite would lead to derailments. It would be a messy job if you tried to do it with these.

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

Hello Bob,

I recall a small layout built by Richard Chown, where he mentioned not to have the common crossings too close together or even directly opposite each.  Causes derailments apparently.  I suspect you’ve done the right thing.

Paul

Yes. If you look into this using templates or real points, you'll see that if the crossing gaps coincide there is no checking function so wheels can go either way.

[Donw]

Increasing the 6ft way also shortens the distance to the fouling point making for a longer loop or siding.  Short stock also tends to go better over sharp crossovers compared to long ones.  Here's me telling that to  the king of shorties.

 

Don

[Northroader]

April looks like the month to go gallivanting out. There was the local railway modellers club show near the start of the month, just a mile down the road, then a week or so later off to Newport (Gwent) for the South Wales Gauge 0 group meeting, which also hosted an 00 line I was keen to see. Then today down to Taunton, for the RMweb SWAG get together. Good to see keen, friendly individuals crafting some really excellent model layouts, mostly ones I had read about on this web, and wanted to have a long look at, and others I haven’t even heard about. This was very worth doing, seeing techniques, sizes, modes of operation, you name it.

Not much of a haul from the traders, one second hand book to start to rebuild my old library, and some useful bits from the Squires stand at the Newport show. But then I have splashed out on a couple of points to speed things up. Perhaps just as well to keep spending down, as we haven’t yet succeeded in selling the old house, put on the market last July. We got near to completion on two occasions, once within less of a week of the agreed date, but it now seems as far off as ever.

May? It will have to be the month I Pull My Finger Out, and get something running.

Edited April 28 by Northroader

[Donw]

I like the progress on the layout but commiserations on the sales falling through. Seems to be happening round here too.

 

Don

[Caley Jim]

Cannot understand the English system of house sales. Up with us, can't say 'here' as we're in Portugal at the moment, contract is made when the offer is accepted. If either party pulls out they can be liable for any additional cost the other may have. 

 

Jim 

[Flying Fox 34F]

Out here in Romania, domestic property buying is more straightforward.  The seller has all documentation reasonably up to date.  A price is agreed and the buyer has to pay a 10% deposit to the seller.  The seller then has to clarify any outstanding debts are settled with the Utility companies and the local council, for which more paperwork is provided.  Then it is a visit to the local Notary office to ensure everything is correct and the sale is finalised.

However, if the buyer tries to walk away from the deal or the sale has not been completed within 30 days, the seller is entitled to keep the deposit.  
I hope you get the previous property off your hands soon.

 

Paul

[Northroader]

Springtime in Portugal? Nice one, Jim.

[Donw]

If you are buying there is nothing to stop you making a firm offer and paying a deposit. However a solicitor would advise against that. You could make an offer subject to survey (or anything else)  but for simplicity offers are made subject to contract which gives you time to find out that there is a planning application for something that would affect you it also protects you as no doubt the offer to buy your existing property is STC subject to contract.

One of the checks done during the Subject to Contract period is done by the estate agents to check your buyer either has a reasonable offer of a sale or money in hand. That suitcase of dodgy money just wouldn't do and could get someone reported for suspected money laundering these days.

 

Don 

 

 

[Andy Hayter]

I doubt paying a deposit would in any way change the position in the UK.

 

The sale is sealed by exchange of contracts, which is the very last thing that happens in the UK buying/selling process.  Until then parties can exit without penalty.

 

The situation in France* is very different.  At the start of the process, the seller provides a compromis de vent - a promise to sell.  Once signed, both parties are locked in.  The Compromis will often have some exclusion clauses built in - typically the buyer failing to get a mortgage will allow the buyer to exit without penalty.   They do however have to provide good evidence of having tried to do so.   Exiting under other circumstances outside of the compromis will usually involve the loss of the deposit or at least that portion that covers the costs for the selling agent and the legal costs incurred.  

 

* and from some of the comments elsewhere

Edited April 30 by Andy Hayter

[Caley Jim]

19 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

The sale is sealed by exchange of contracts, which is the very last thing that happens in the UK buying/selling process.  

Please, for UK read England and Wales. As I understand it, under English law, contracts are not exchanged until the date of entry, whereas under Scots law this is done at a much earlier stage, albeit after due diligence has been done by the buyer's solicitor. The date of entry is part of the contract and will be an agreed date in the future, hence the jeopardy for either party pulling out at the last minute. 

 

Jim 

[Andy Hayter]

I stand corrected and better educated Jim

Edited April 30 by Andy Hayter

[Donw]

Exchange of contracts in the UK  is usually a few weeks before Completion. It could be the same day e.g  A purchaser  not needing to sell another property buying say a piece of land, nothing much to be arranged. Where there is a chain the solicitors in the chain will each gain authorisation from their clients to go ahead and acceptance of the agreed completion date  and  agree with each other when to exchange contracts.  The solicitors will hold signed contracts  ready. On that day the first in the chain will exchange contracts to buy paying any deposit this will enable the second in the chain to exchange on their purpose and so on. Deposits will be paid. Usually the deposit on your  sale is used to pay part of the deposit on your purchase. This exchange of contracts works because the solicitors give an assurance to each other that all is in order.

Following this while you are panicking and packing like mad (plus trips to the tip) the solicitors drawn the conveyances. It is all very streamlined now with the Land Registry etc.  When We did all the legal work ourselves  years ago there things like 'Epitome of Title' to prepare detailing the owners over past years to show that ownership had been legally passed on.

 

In England and Wales you have a reasonable expectation of a purchase before you spend out on Surveys and searches but there is no guarantee of it going through. If  when you said I want to buy this it was binding you could be in for a shock. Perhaps a  good example is when we went through all the details with our solicitor the plan attached to the contract didn't include the bit of land they had bought from a neighbour to fit a garage in. Said neighbour had since passed away. That would have been expensively awkward if we hadn't got that sorted out. Exchange of contracts was postponed until a proper deed covering that had been obtained by the vendors.

 

Don

[Andy Hayter]

We had a similar situation.  The compromis declared no rights of way across the property but the notaire* found that there was a registered dispute with a neighbour who thought he had right of way to his enclaved property.  We could have legally withdrawn at no penalty but given the market at the time and our desire for this property decided to continue.  In accepting the dispute we became a disputer when it eventually came to court.  Judgement: No right of way existed because there was an alternative and shorter route to his enclaved property - but rather less convenient.  

 

*  Another difference between England ( see what I did there @Caley Jim) and France.  The adversarial legal system in England means that buyers and sellers have to use different solicitors whereas in France it is common but not obligatory for buyer and seller to use the same notaire - solicitor and conveyancing clerk during this process.  The most common reason I have come across for using different notaires is so that one party can use a notaire who can communicate in their mother tongue.  

Edited April 30 by Andy Hayter