The Oak Hill Branch - LBSCR / SECR 1905ish - New layout starts on page 129

[RedGemAlchemist]

On 24/11/2022 at 22:02, BlueLightning said:

What's this? An update from Gary? Has he done some modelling for himself? Can't be! Oh but it is!! Remember when I used to post in this thread once a week? Me too, those were good times!

 

So a reminder of where we are! I am starting on rebuilding the layout, we have a framework built, and some nice display cabinets, but I still need to buy the ply for the baseboard top.

 

And we made a track plan, with input from here to help make it better, and I am quite happy with it now, a full size print out has sat on the framework since it was built, the track plan is below as I'm sure you have all forgotten it by now!

 

 

The plan is to build the layout with Peco code 75 bullhead, and I have been buying it from my shop (Shameless plug, don't forget I own a model shop!) and this seems like a great idea, until you notice the 3-way point, which Peco haven't gotten around to announcing yet! So there was only one thing for it! I needed to take all those Full Time Professional Railway Modeller™ skills, and build one, despite having never built a set of points before in my life!

 

Thanks to a donation of C&L parts from @Skinnylinny I was able to try doing just that. I started by printing out a plan for the Peco code 75 3 way point, and stuck some sleepers on it at the correct spacing, and cut them to length.

 

 

This was quickly followed up with the first rail being put down along one side, and the chairs glued. This was done by threading the chairs onto the rail, and using Butanone to glue them in place, firstly at the ends, then from the middle while holding the correct curve in the rail by hand

 

 

With the aid of some roller gauges rails started going down reasonably quickly (actually 2 days after the last picture)

 

 

and just to be sure, one of the ballast wagons I designed (still coming soon, life is full of distractions!), fitted with some Gibson wheels was used to test everything as well

 

 

And just like that (OK another 2 days later) all the fixed rails were in place, and it was time to start the scary part, making the switch rails

 

 

OK that was easier than I thought! (only a 3 hour time jump this time)

 

 

With that done, it seemed like a good time to see how it fit on the layout with the Peco track

 

 

I was very, very happy looking at this, and so it was time to get it finished first by adding the tie bars

 

 

and then the check rails

 

 

With that done, all that was left was to add some dropper wires to the frogs and get ready to lay the track.

 

 

I suppose I had best buy some ply so that I can actually get the layout built now! because that is all the track ready to go!

 

In the meantime I'll go back to doing everyone else's modelling 😛 and keeping myself busy at the shop. For those that haven't seen it posted elsewhere, we are doing another commission through Rapido, this time the LB&SCR E1 in LBSC lined black! The first time this livery has been done RTR. To paraphrase a thread title, black is the new umber! 😛 There's 2 different locos, and only 150 of each, they are already selling well, so just a gentle nudge to pre-order if you want one! (and there are less than 10 of the SECR brake vans left for pre-order!)

 

https://www.traintimesmodelshop.co.uk/collections/the-train-times-collection

 

Until next time,

 

Thanks for looking, and I hope you have enjoyed,

 

Gary

Glad to see the slow resurrection of Oak Hill continuing, my friend. Good luck!

[BlueLightning]

It's been a while, but I'm back! I finally did some modelling! and I think this is a rather exciting update personally.

 

This first bit of modelling I've done, which has kickstarted my mojo for the main layout again was a row of houses, and a shop that came into work, and I couldn't resist painting the shop to match my shop (yes I'm having a whole terrace on the layout for the sake of having a model of my shop, no I'm not sorry)

 

I've even managed to get an accurate interior in the shop (Who knew you could get Dapol wagons in 1905?)

 

I just need to visit Modelu and get a model of myself to stand inside, good thing I'm at Ally Pally on Sunday, and so are they!

 

As I said this led to a resurgence of mojo for the layout, and following a delivery this morning, we suddenly have baseboards! (nothing is screwed permanently yet, in fact the wood hasn't even been properly cleaned up yet!!

 

 

I already have all the track I need, so I guess it's time to get the boards finished, and get the layout built! Exciting times!

 

I have also finally launched (Ok not properly yet, still have some bit's to do, and new photos to take) my 3D printed kit website! WIth lots of stuff still to add (and not just Southern area), so check back occasionally https://www.oakhillworks.co.uk/

 

Thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

[ChrisN]

It is good to see you modelling again.  

 

When you get scanned will it be in full period costume?

[BlueLightning]

14 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

When you get scanned will it be in full period costume?

 

I would like to at some point, on this occasion, unfortunately not, just for a lack of time in arranging such things, next time I am going to cross Modelu's path I'll plan a bit better and have a costume ready.

 

Gary

[Schooner]

2 hours ago, BlueLightning said:

...and have a costume ready.

Very wise of you not to specify and keep your options open. Wizard, fireman, Roman...

[Skinnylinny]

...Batman... 

[MartinM]

or even the Joker? 😀

[Sophia NSE]

5 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

...Batman... 

Del Boy as Batman....

[BlueLightning]

Well I had hoped the baseboards would be finished and track laying to have commenced by now, but the weather had other plans, 2 days of rain followed by a long day at the shop has meant I couldn't take the boards outside for the final cuts to be made, hopefully the boards will be finished off over this weekend.

 

I have instead occupied the time by updating my AnyRail track plan for the layout, a few changed have been made since the plan got printed, mainly new buildings, I have also adjusted the tracks in the station to a prototypical 45mm centre as suggested by @Compound2632 some time ago. So some chopping of rails will have to happen, I feel a bit more confident about this having now built my own 3 way point.

 

So here is the (hopefully) final plan, ready for me to start putting track down next week:

 

You'll notice that since my last plan shown on here I have measured the goods shed properly and positioned it accordingly on the layout, and I should be able to get quite a nice amount of interior on display. I'm quite looking forward to making that, although I'll need to do a lot of research!

 

I've also moved the coaling stage to a new location (between the shed entrance line and turntable line) that gives it much more space for actually storing coal, I will be aiming to build something like this one from Three Bridges:

 

For those who are so inclined Here is a copy of the AnyRail track plan that you can have a play with (The free version will let you open it)

https://www.oakhillmodelrailway.co.uk/downloads/trackPlans/oakHillMk2.any

 

Thanks for looking everyone, hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

[Schooner]

Looking very tidy Gary. Nice use of the TT as a strong focal point to distract from the FY exit and bridge the platform and shed scenes, and I think that coal stage makes a lot of sense. Brittany has a healthy appetite - got her lunch piled up over her head!

[BlueLightning]

Thanks! I'm really happy with the plan Not sure how I'm going to handle the actual fiddle yard exit yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out (or someone on here will come up with something).

 

Those E1's really could be piled up high sometimes! Such as this picture of 113, in it's rather smart lined black livery

 

 

Would it be wrong to point out that 113 in lined black is one of the exclusives being done by shop? and that you can pre-order it here? No, good. 😛

 

Gary

[BlueLightning]

Well what do we have here, looks like some baseboards ready for building on (OK I still need to sand them, but I won't tell if you don't)

 

 

 

I used to be scared of all forms of woodwork, because I always felt like I wasn't very good at it, but this unit seems to have come out quite nicely, and the large lift out doors in the front work beautifully to get at the underside of the layout, and allow me to store some of my other layouts under there!

 

Guess it must nearly be time to get the track down then!

 

Thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

[BlueLightning]

The cork is down. The layout is starting to appear! A nice feeling after all this time!

 

[BlueLightning]

It's been busy recently, not much work on the layout, but I have managed to modify the points for the station area, so now all the track is ready to be laid!

 

Cutting into the double slip was rather scary, but it seems to have come out OK

 

Gary

 

[BlueLightning]

Track laying has commenced!

 

I started off with the fiddle yard, because, well why not?

 

From there I started to make my way out of the fiddle yard, starting with the modified points/double slip combination, this section also contains a transition from the code 100 of the fiddle yard, through standard code 75, and onto the code 75 bullhead of the scenic section.

 

and then onto the platform area

 

but that's enough for tonight, the kids are off to bed, so no more using the drill to put the droppers through the baseboard. More to come later in the week hopefully!

 

Thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

Edited May 15, 2023 by BlueLightning

[BlueLightning]

No update on the layout yet, but after taking a bit of a drive today, I have put a few boxes on it!

 

These are the first of my exclusive models that the shop has commissioned! the SE&CR 6 wheel brake van

 

I had to have a look at one on the layout, so the first one came out the box (and will be staying with me obviously)

 

Rapido have done a great job once again.

 

The shop has a few left, but not many, these should start shipping tomorrow!! It's all a bit exciting!!

 

Sorry for the shameless advert, but it's my thread, and I'm very excited!

 

Hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

[Sophia NSE]

On 22/05/2023 at 19:29, BlueLightning said:

No update on the layout yet, but after taking a bit of a drive today, I have put a few boxes on it!

 

These are the first of my exclusive models that the shop has commissioned! the SE&CR 6 wheel brake van

 

I had to have a look at one on the layout, so the first one came out the box (and will be staying with me obviously)

 

Rapido have done a great job once again.

 

The shop has a few left, but not many, these should start shipping tomorrow!! It's all a bit exciting!!

 

Sorry for the shameless advert, but it's my thread, and I'm very excited!

 

Hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

Hi very excited, I'm Sophia 😛

[Matloughe]

On 22/05/2023 at 19:29, BlueLightning said:

No update on the layout yet, but after taking a bit of a drive today, I have put a few boxes on it!

 

These are the first of my exclusive models that the shop has commissioned! the SE&CR 6 wheel brake van

 

I had to have a look at one on the layout, so the first one came out the box (and will be staying with me obviously)

 

Rapido have done a great job once again.

 

The shop has a few left, but not many, these should start shipping tomorrow!! It's all a bit exciting!!

 

Sorry for the shameless advert, but it's my thread, and I'm very excited!

 

Hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

After seeing the shameless advertising and remembering I have a P Class (or two) on pre-order I thought I had best support my (not so local) local model shop and take one of these strange wagons from the company to the east of the one true way to the South Coast...

They look great.
Kind Regards,

Gary

[BlueLightning]

39 minutes ago, Matloughe said:

After seeing the shameless advertising and remembering I have a P Class (or two) on pre-order I thought I had best support my (not so local) local model shop and take one of these strange wagons from the company to the east of the one true way to the South Coast...

They look great.
Kind Regards,

Gary

 

Thanks for the purchase!

 

Glad the shameless advertising worked, I did wonder if the post had encouraged a purchase when I saw your name pop up on an order, the first batch  (Clearly we need more staff on days we do this!) went in the post yesterday, first class, yours may have been one of them!

 

Gary

Edited May 25, 2023 by BlueLightning

[ChrisN]

Unfortunately these are too late and too far away for me.  If you moved into LC&DR territory, or had that old LB&SCR horse box................... 🙂

[BlueLightning]

13 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

If you moved into LC&DR territory, or had that old LB&SCR horse box................... 🙂

 

I'll see what I can do 😁

 

Gary

[BlueLightning]

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I wrote an update, and when I left you last, I had not quite finished laying the platform roads.

 

Well, as well as getting lots of break vans, I've done a bit more track laying! The platform road is done, as is the run around, and the goods yard (incorporating my hand made point) has appeared!

 

and I must say, I'm rather happy with this end of the layout

 

 

and until this morning, this was all there was, because I was stuck needing ash pits for in front of the shed, the main problem here being that Peco haven't introduced a pit for their bullhead rail yet. So finally this morning I wanted to see what I could do about that, and armed with a photo of the pits at Epsom shed, and some known dimensions, I fired up Fusion 360 and started drawing, until I had something that looked like this

 

Which doesn't look like much, until you star cloning it, and adding steps at the end

 

And then a few hours later, I had a section of inspection pit that I could test with actual rails, I wasn't sure the chairs would print, and was fully expecting to have to glue some C&L chairs onto the final model, but everything went better than expected

 

and so I printed another section, cut a hole in the basebord top (slightly off from the original placement as there is a support under the layout there) and sunk the pit into the board

 

The second pit is printed, however it was too late to cut the hole by the time it was done, so fitting that will have to wait until tomorrow, but now the shed area is down, it means that the last bit of track to lay is the turntable, suppose I'd best get an order into London Road Models at some point! Although that might be a while as I have my daughters birthday, and a car to MOT in the near future!

 

It's really feeling like it is there now! Trains will be running before we know it!!

 

Thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed,

 

Gary

[Edwardian]

Very nicely done, Gary, add it to the range? Looking good overall.

 

One question, ash pit or inspection pit?  I'd expect ash pits outside -which you now have - but you could have inspection pits inside the shed.

[Compound2632]

That looks like a very marketable bit of kit. Pits are tricky to do because they had special chairs that were not as wide as standard chairs on the four-foot side, as you've modelled, in order to give maximum width to the pit, which is all the more important in 00. 

[BlueLightning]

Thanks James,

 

It will be added to the range, and will be £12 for a 195mm long pit, and yes they are ash pits and there should be an inspection pit inside the shed, I suppose now that I can produce them myself I have no excuse not to do it!

 

This is the prototype I copied, I made the steps in the side of the brickwork smaller to give the pit a wider floor compensating for narrower 00 gauge, but I think I've managed to produce a reasonable likeness. (Full picture, Southern Sheds in Camera by Roger Griffiths, page 56)

 

 

Gary