The Ffarquhar Branch

[WhitehouseFilms]

Ok, I have been thinking about it for a while and I think I have a rough idea on how the conversion to Romford/Markits wheels can be done to get my Tri-ang Jinty 'Thomas' as well as my Nellie 'Percy' running. Correct me if I've gotten this wrong.

I change the axles of the Tri-ang model to the RMA165HK & RMA165HP axles. Then put fibre washers on the outside of the axles so the wheels don't short against the chassis. (Or should I put bearings in instead?)

​Then attach the wheels to the axles and quartering them accordingly before fixing them in place using the screws on the axles. Then finally screw the Tri-ang side rods to the wheels.

 

That's roughly how I think the process goes but as I said before please correct me if I've gotten it wrong. This is a method that I really need to learn properly so that my replicas are accurate to their original counterparts. 

Edited April 15, 2017 by WhitehouseFilms

[St Enodoc]

Maurice Deane also built Hampstead Moreton, a fairly conventional (for its time) coarse-scale 0 gauge outdoor layout. It easy Railway of the Month in RM some time around 1970.

August 1970. Coarse scale 0 gauge, stud contact.

[andyram]

Just found this thread. Great to see someone replicating the Rev W Awdry's work. I think you have made a fantastic job. I hoped get to see it at an exhibition one day. Time has prevented from viewing your video yet but I look forward to doing so.

[Ragtag]

I also just stumbled across this - lovely looking scenery. Any more photos?

[WhitehouseFilms]

Lets see. These the last photos I took of the layout as it is currently in storage now.

My old railway room is being renovated into a new living space but a new room and workshop is being built now so we should see the layout back again later in the year. 

You will notice that Thomas isn't in these latest photos. That is because he is undergoing a new chassis instalment. The old Reidpath chassis was good and all but proofed to be difficult while carrying out operation during exhibitions. So I contacted my friend Gavin Rose, known here as Knuckles, and asked if he could design a new chassis that would fit the model. He kindly agreed and Thomas was posted out in February. There are some of the last Images of Thomas' model before he was sent off. 

In the meantime, the Ffarquhar Branch has been currently been operated mostly by Toby, Percy, Daisy and Mavis, mainly to relieve great amounts of stress that had been getting while at the University. Best prescription any doctor can give. Right now 2 spare models of Thomas are being made as well as a spare Percy made from a Tri-ang Nellie.

Should have progress of the builds either here or on my blog so keep an eye out incase anything new pops up. Also some items to help improve the layout's operation is also being sorted out. During the Cultra exhibition I had a point motor failure which needs replacing, Thankfully it was one of the fiddle yard ones so it shouldn't be too hard to fix. With that in mind the wiring for the layout needs sorted out completed as I must confess the wiring underneath the layout is like a spider's web, so as soon as the new building for the layout is made that will be the first thing to get sorted. 

Edited November 12, 2017 by WhitehouseFilms

[LNWR18901910]

I once considered an N-Scale version of the NWR Mainline (Tidmouth-Knapford, of course).

[WhitehouseFilms]

I have thoughts of replicating that layout in 4mm but that time will come around one day. For now I'll stick with the Ffarquhar Branch.

As mentioned my old workshop is now renovated to come a new living space for my grandparents so a new workshop has now been built for me and my layout to move to. As soon as I get the layout moved in, some new additional features will be added which will provide great use for the lines operation. 

These mainly take place in the fiddle yards. The first is an additional siding in the quarry track. This is so I can have Toby stored in one siding while having the stone trucks or Mavis on another. This was also added on the original layout when Daisy and Mavis joined the loco fleet. On the original, another siding was added in the passenger and goods lines but room to have this was not possible but after doing some test runs shows that the operation can be carried out without it. But a small shelf will be needed to store the spare engine (Duck) so that if an engine should fail he will be ready to take over or to appear with a special saloon train after the lines operation before the operation starts over again. 

 

Extra rolling stock has also been gathered for the layout. These mainly consists of a siphon milk van (K's kit) and a mink van (Ratio) for the quarry train. Other stock includes a spare cattle wagon, brake van (Parkside Dundas) and mineral wagon (Dapol). A Ratio open wagon which will form the livery of the troublesome character 'S. C. Ruffey' which the Reverend made a model of for his layout. It and the mineral wagon will be part of Percy's goods trains. Talking of whom, the loco required a third rebuild as some areas of it did not suite the original style that the original model has. It's current form feels much more closer to the 'Real' Percy and I don't think I could go any further with this model.

 

I will have more photos of the layout once everything gets sorted out with the new workshop which should be sorted in the next week or so. In the meantime I will see about sorting out the photos here so that everyone can see the layout for them selves. 

[OnTheBranchline]

Here's something wrong with your pictures mate.

[RJS1977]

No, it's a known issue with the hosting site which has been discussed at length here and on other forums.

 

Essentially Photobucket decided they didn't want people to be able to post photos there and link to them elsewhere, so they disabled linking to all photos that were already on there.

 

Short of moving all his photos to a different host and changing the links in all his posts, there isn't a way of fixing it, I'm afraid (other than paying a 'hosting fee' to Photobucket, which is little short of blackmail).

[BernardTPM]

There are possible fixes for this:

 

One for Firefox

 

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/photobucket-fix/?src=cb-dl-created

 

And one for Chrome

 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-embed-fix/naolkcpnnlofnnghnmfegnfnflicjjgj?hl=en

[DavidB-AU]

There are possible fixes for this:

 

One for Firefox

 

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/photobucket-fix/?src=cb-dl-created

 

And one for Chrome

 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-embed-fix/naolkcpnnlofnnghnmfegnfnflicjjgj?hl=en

I tried this on both Firefox and Chrome. Still not getting embedded images.

 

Cheers

David

[Corbs]

He's deleted them from his photobucket.

[WhitehouseFilms]

Yeah I deleted my photobucket page when I saw what they had done and so I've moved to a different site to get my images shared. I'll get them fixed again when I get time.

ATM I've got a lot happening right now but I can provide you all with an update on how things are going for the layout.

Last week saw the layout moved to it's new home in my new workshop but some work will need to be done with it, mainly the track. there are some areas on my layout where the track curves quite tight. This was to try and keep it to a minimum radius of 18 inches but it seems to have gotten a bit tighter. Also the crossover tracks to the two baseboards have also have some issues which will need redoing again. So the main task to do it to lift the track and relay it again. I'll see how balsa wood does as a roadbed as I've heard some good reviews on it and use Javis scatters for the ballast.

This will have to be done over Christmas as the layout has been invited to take part in the North Down Model Railway Society's Exhibition in April next year as well as taking part in Cultra's show next November. Theres a lot of work to do so we'll see how we go. 

[LNWR18901910]

Yeah I deleted my photobucket page when I saw what they had done and so I've moved to a different site to get my images shared. I'll get them fixed again when I get time.

ATM I've got a lot happening right now but I can provide you all with an update on how things are going for the layout.

Last week saw the layout moved to it's new home in my new workshop but some work will need to be done with it, mainly the track. there are some areas on my layout where the track curves quite tight. This was to try and keep it to a minimum radius of 18 inches but it seems to have gotten a bit tighter. Also the crossover tracks to the two baseboards have also have some issues which will need redoing again. So the main task to do it to lift the track and relay it again. I'll see how balsa wood does as a roadbed as I've heard some good reviews on it and use Javis scatters for the ballast.

This will have to be done over Christmas as the layout has been invited to take part in the North Down Model Railway Society's Exhibition in April next year as well as taking part in Cultra's show next November. Theres a lot of work to do so we'll see how we go. 

Why not just upload your pictures direct to here?

[RJS1977]

 

This will have to be done over Christmas as the layout has been invited to take part in the North Down Model Railway Society's Exhibition in April next year as well as taking part in Cultra's show next November. 

 

Not to be confused with the North DownS Model Railway Circle, whose next show is in March!

[Legend]

Why not just upload your pictures direct to here?

Didn’t think you could do that.

[WhitehouseFilms]

Right thats the pics now fixed so you can now view them again. Sorry for the delay but it took some time to know which ones was which. 

[Nearholmer]

You just have to contact Steve Flint, with a view to getting this layout in RM.

 

Not only does it lead straight back to the original RM article, and before that to Deane, whose track plan the Reverend 'borrowed', but it 'presses the button' on the 'operation above prototype fidelity' discussion that Mr F explores in his latest editorial.

 

Keep at it!

 

Kevin

 

PS: the way you've snuck the circuit off-stage behind the station is, if anything, even more effective than the original. It simply isn't noticeable in the overview photos; one wouldn't know that this was a circuit.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Nearholmer

[WhitehouseFilms]

You just have to contact Steve Flint, with a view to getting this layout in RM.

 

Not only does it lead straight back to the original RM article, and before that to Deane, whose track plan the Reverend 'borrowed', but it 'presses the button' on the 'operation above prototype fidelity' discussion that Mr F explores in his latest editorial.

 

Keep at it!

 

Kevin

 

PS: the way you've snuck the circuit off-stage behind the station is, if anything, even more effective than the original. It simply isn't noticeable in the overview photos; one wouldn't know that this was a circuit.

 

Funny enough I was going to see about getting it in the 2019 December issue because doing that will make it 60 years since it first featured in RM.

I'll send Steve an email later in the week and see what they say. 

 

Talking of the RM article, I may have mentioned it at the start, that was my only source of reference as to knowing how to build the layout from scratch and what was used to make it. Various pics and a home video of the layout in The Thomas the tank engine Man' Documentary were also by means of reference. 

Edited November 13, 2017 by WhitehouseFilms

[LNWR18901910]

Have you ever thought about the Mainline engines? I did and I have. So far, I have done about two or three of them.

Edited November 13, 2017 by LNWR18901910

[WhitehouseFilms]

Have you ever thought about the Mainline engines? I did and I have. So far, I have done about two or three of them.

 

I have thought about modelling them but at the moment I'm happy with the branch line engines for now. I've still a lot more to do before I retire from the branch line and work on main line modelling. Don't know when that will be but for now I'm staying at Ffarquhar.

[LNWR18901910]

I have thought about modelling them but at the moment I'm happy with the branch line engines for now. I've still a lot more to do before I retire from the branch line and work on main line modelling. Don't know when that will be but for now I'm staying at Ffarquhar.

For me, Tidmouth - Knapford is what I'll be doing, and I hope you will someday.

[WhitehouseFilms]

Today a package arrived for me from Antics Online, a site which I often buy my model railway supplies from. Inside was some new pieces of PECO track which hopefully should resolve a slight hiccup in my layout's track. 

The Hackenbeck Corner suffers from a tight radius which often causes derailments to my engines and rolling stock. The same could be said for the crossover joint over the two baseboards. 

The plan is to take up the track and relay the main oval first and then the station and goods sidings last. One error which I made while laying the track in 2015, was to ballast the track with the PECO foam underlay in the tunnel which I had originally plan to lay on balsa wood. 

Once the track is taken up I will replace the foam in the tunnel and fiddle yards with Balsa wood or Woodland scenic's road bed. The PECO underlay will still be used for the main track as it's colour blends in well with the scenery. The track is not glued to it so if the time comes to relay it again the process will be quite easy to do. 

You can see here the test laying of the new track for the Hackenbeck curve. 

I'll start on the relaying over Christmas as right now I'm currently waiting for the arrival of a new member to my Ffarquhar fleet and wish to test run it before it goes in for repaint to it's destined livery GWR livery.

[LNWR18901910]

Lets see. These the last photos I took of the layout as it is currently in storage now.

My old railway room is being renovated into a new living space but a new room and workshop is being built now so we should see the layout back again later in the year. 

You will notice that Thomas isn't in these latest photos. That is because he is undergoing a new chassis instalment. The old Reidpath chassis was good and all but proofed to be difficult while carrying out operation during exhibitions. So I contacted my friend Gavin Rose, known here as Knuckles, and asked if he could design a new chassis that would fit the model. He kindly agreed and Thomas was posted out in February. There are some of the last Images of Thomas' model before he was sent off. 

In the meantime, the Ffarquhar Branch has been currently been operated mostly by Toby, Percy, Daisy and Mavis, mainly to relieve great amounts of stress that had been getting while at the University. Best prescription any doctor can give. Right now 2 spare models of Thomas are being made as well as a spare Percy made from a Tri-ang Nellie.

Should have progress of the builds either here or on my blog so keep an eye out incase anything new pops up. Also some items to help improve the layout's operation is also being sorted out. During the Cultra exhibition I had a point motor failure which needs replacing, Thankfully it was one of the fiddle yard ones so it shouldn't be too hard to fix. With that in mind the wiring for the layout needs sorted out completed as I must confess the wiring underneath the layout is like a spider's web, so as soon as the new building for the layout is made that will be the first thing to get sorted. 

My goodness, how the progress on the layout has grown...

 

You don't suppose there is the station between Thomas' branchline and the NWR Mainline, do you? I could model that in N Scale (mostly RWS with a hint of TVS Adaptation).

[LNWR18901910]

 

Today a package arrived for me from Antics Online, a site which I often buy my model railway supplies from. Inside was some new pieces of PECO track which hopefully should resolve a slight hiccup in my layout's track. 

The Hackenbeck Corner suffers from a tight radius which often causes derailments to my engines and rolling stock. The same could be said for the crossover joint over the two baseboards. 

The plan is to take up the track and relay the main oval first and then the station and goods sidings last. One error which I made while laying the track in 2015, was to ballast the track with the PECO foam underlay in the tunnel which I had originally plan to lay on balsa wood. 

Once the track is taken up I will replace the foam in the tunnel and fiddle yards with Balsa wood or Woodland scenic's road bed. The PECO underlay will still be used for the main track as it's colour blends in well with the scenery. The track is not glued to it so if the time comes to relay it again the process will be quite easy to do. 

You can see here the test laying of the new track for the Hackenbeck curve. 

 

 

I'll start on the relaying over Christmas as right now I'm currently waiting for the arrival of a new member to my Ffarquhar fleet and wish to test run it before it goes in for repaint to it's destined livery GWR livery.

 

As in...the model of Duck?