Waddlemarsh - somewhere southwest of London sometime before today

[Gwiwer]

A few weeds, a few flowers and a bit of overgrowth behind the platform. 
 

[Gwiwer]

Question:

 

What do you get if you combine Noch Laser-cut Minis, Heki, Woodland Scenics, Skale Scenics and superglue with a spare ten minutes?

 

Answer:

 

A hedgerow to protect the railway from its neighbours. It hasn’t always been there - honestly - it only went in this afternoon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PeterBB]

On 25/06/2022 at 19:22, Gwiwer said:

A few weeds, a few flowers and a bit of overgrowth behind the platform. 
 

Flower patches impressive and a great neat hedge.

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeterBB

[Gwiwer]

It’s been warm of late. The room isn’t ideally ventilated. So not much has happened until today. 
 

I started building the street lights for the road bridge - a job done outside to avoid filling a warm room with fumes from the adhesive. 
 

The Ratio “Modern Lamps” kit must be the easiest ever to build. All that’s needed is to cut two parts from sprues, rub down any flash and stick them together. 
 

 

But if you wish to go to the next level and make them into working lights ….. 

 

First bore a hole right through the clear lamp unit. I used a 0.7mm bit in the pin vice to ensure two wires would fit; my preferred 0.5mm was too small. 
 

 

This hole should be as central and straight as possible. 
 

 

Then bore out a larger but half-depth opening on one side; I used a 1.3mm bit 

 

Then take a pre-wired nanoLED and feed the wires through the hole.  
 

 

Before seating the LED unit into the clear plastic block apply a pin-point of adhesive to the hole. I used Revell Contakta Pro. 
 

Ease the LED into the block until flush. 
 

 

 

Now stick the two parts of the kit together. If the hole was correctly located the wires will be clear of the post arm when the unit is offered up to the moulded bracket. 
 

Go away, make a cuppa and allow a good bond to form. 
 

When you return apply adhesive along the top arm of the lamp. I found it helpful to use a soft brush as an applicator here rather than the plastic nozzle on the bottle. 
 

Secure the two wires along the top arm as tidily as possible. 
 

Once more allow a good bond to form. It helped that today was 26C outside meaning the adhesive went tacky quite quickly and the wires could be held with tweezers until fixed. 
 

Repeat the process with the upright post and again secure the wires tidily. 
 

The result should look like this 

 

 

I shall now leave these a day or several before applying “silver” paint and detailing the lamp head to ensure light only shines downwards. 
 

After which fitting and wiring-up will complete the job. 
 

Watch this space. 

 

[Gwiwer]

It’s been rather warm indoors for comfortable modelling. But in the slightly cooler conditions today I did manage to build and fit the board crossing by the signalbox

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Two sections of track have received what I expect to be their final weathering 

 

The headshunt and the goods line gained a colour wash topped by weathering powders. These were oversprayed with water to allow them to liquify and run in before the rails were polished again. 
 

The 02 has also gained more grime. 
 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Gwiwer

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

M7

O2 shirley?

[Phatbob]

On 01/09/2022 at 05:00, St Enodoc said:

O2 shirley?

 

[Gwiwer]

More little details. The conductor rails break at the board crossing with the line-voltage power cable now in place to connect the ends. In practice these are often paired but the reality of modelling and compromises of scale limit me to singles. 
 

Still odd bits of weathering and tidying up to do but the overall impression is there. 
 

 

 

A gap has also been cut in the conductor rail across the turnout to the unelectrified yard. Had this been an electrified line a length of conductor rail on the nearside would have ensured continuity and run-off ramps included to prevent collector shoes colliding with the rails. As it is the need is to prevent trains emerging from the yard striking the conductor rail so it is gapped with a feeder cable now fitted. 
 

 

[Gwiwer]

Something a little different. Away from its Thames Valley commuter runs (maybe replaced by one of those new-fangled diesel units) 61xx large Prairie 6167 ambles in with a freight from Acton Yard. 
 

[Gwiwer]

Waiting to go ……

 

[Gwiwer]

Having been away on Holly Daze nothing has happened recently bar some dust settling!

 

A visit to Camborne saw the addition of the first of two Standard 5MT locos due. 
 

Straight out of the box and un-detailed 73051 leads a rake of Bullied stock towards Waterloo while Q1 33032 waits its turn to enter the yard with vans. 
 

It won’t get the road until E4 32494 has cleared the departure road though. 
 

Southern steam a-plenty!

 

[Gwiwer]

On 14/07/2022 at 17:39, Gwiwer said:

The result should look like this 

 

 

I shall now leave these a day or several before applying “silver” paint and detailing the lamp head to ensure light only shines downwards. 

Remember these lights?

 

They have now been painted. Three coats of Humbrol “Metalcote” 27002 for the posts and two of Humbrol acrylic 256 for the lamp heads. 
 

The downward-facing sides which include the LEDs are of course not painted!  
 

I am now literally watching paint dry before fitting them. After which some considerable ingenuity will be required to conceal the wiring as the bridge was built before these were considered. 
 

[Gwiwer]

No further progress to report on the lighting but a nice little scene was captured this morning.  
 

D602, fresh from the paint-shop in blue, awaits the road with empty vans for Acton Yard. The duty shunter grumbles idly to itself. The bee-keepers are at work and the departmental “yellow peril” has dragged two more coal wagons up the merchant’s siding for unloading. 
 

[Gwiwer]

Those pesky street lamps are finally being fitted. Well the first two are. I built five in all intending two for each side of the road plus a spare. 

The wiring isn’t connected yet. Some can be seen lying about the track. 

Also seen is brand-new arrival D57. The first Heljan “Peak” to join the collection; all the others are Bachmann or (in one case) a pre-Bachmann “Mainline” model. 

The “driver’s eye view” along the road is not available to viewers; it can only be seen as shown by using the slim width of the phone held against some bookshelves. 
 

 

 

 

[PeterBB]

Really good.  Looks like a busy surburban area in terms of the bridge.

 

[brushman47544]

Looking really good now. You’ve managed to fill the limited space you have without it looking overcrowded.

 

Not sure about the hi-vis bicycle though. Did that bright yellow exist as a paint colour in your layout timeframe, let alone be used on a bike?

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, PeterBB said:

Really good.  Looks like a busy surburban area in terms of the bridge.

 

 

51 minutes ago, brushman47544 said:

Looking really good now. You’ve managed to fill the limited space you have without it looking overcrowded.

 

Not sure about the hi-vis bicycle though. Did that bright yellow exist as a paint colour in your layout timeframe, let alone be used on a bike?

Thank you kindly. 
 

The bright yellow bike can easily be repainted and toned down. It’s part of a set all of which are in use on the layout but none, so far, is weathered. 
 

Some of the bridge traffic hides small imperfections in the modelling. Things move from time to time to give a different view when the bridge is in shot. 
 

Speaking of the bridge the other two lanps are now fitted. These have required some ingenious routing and hiding of the wires (which are not yet all hidden) and the one at the bus stop is going to give me shadow problems when ever the room lights are on as can be seen here. 
 

That light is needed there for both the bus stop and the top of the steps to the station. The fifth lamp might find a home halfway down those steps. 
 

In other news I am toying with the idea of placing the substation building where shown in the first image below. It is assumed that the grid, wires etc which would normally be in an adjacent compound are off-scene beyond the bridge. The building fills some space and would supply the electrified passenger line. 
 

 

[Rich_F]

On 08/10/2022 at 11:53, Gwiwer said:

No further progress to report on the lighting but a nice little scene was captured this morning.  
 

D602, fresh from the paint-shop in blue, awaits the road with empty vans for Acton Yard. The duty shunter grumbles idly to itself. The bee-keepers are at work and the departmental “yellow peril” has dragged two more coal wagons up the merchant’s siding for unloading. 
 

 

Loving the weathering on the little Ruston. Have one exactly the same livery so might try a similar style!

[Gwiwer]

Some weathering on the O2. A little washout, rusted coal rails and water / rust marks here and there. Plus Woodland Scenics coal rather than plastic in the bunker and a crew added. 
 

 

 

Edited October 20, 2022 by Gwiwer

[Gwiwer]

What to do on a wet Sunday? 
 

Start on the point rodding of course.  Just placed at this stage and the first of three runs but it should be easy to fix down and weather. 
 

The rodding will crank as shown to pass under the platform before emerging again farther along linking to the three points which are under signal-box control. 

 

 

[5BarVT]

Hi Rick,

 

Will look good.  Much easier to route rodding under a concrete platform than a solid one.

 

Is it too late to adjust the crank in the picture?  As it is, it will just waggle the rod through the platform from side to side rather than pull and push.

 

Paul.

[Gwiwer]

2 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Is it too late to adjust the crank in the picture?  As it is, it will just waggle the rod through the platform from side to side rather than pull and push.

Not too late at all. I was going by the illustration on the instructions but did think the crank elbow should be the other way around. 

[Gwiwer]

The first run of point rodding is complete. Three rods now side by side. These have been very challenging to build as most joins are end-to-end with a cross-section of around 1mm.
 

The slots to connect parts around the cranks are also very tiny and at the same time those cranks have to perch on tiny lugs. I found it helpful to use a square of wet-and-dry as a base plate for the cranks. 

 

The job has been painted then weathered allowing for the normal deposits of black grease around the rollers and cranks. 
 

[Gwiwer]

Moving swiftly along. 
 

The facing point lock has been fitted - although not yet connected back to the main rodding run - to the turnout on the Down Passenger line which also gives access to the goods yard. 
 

Prototypically the lock would abut the tie-bar but as I was unwilling to disassemble the Peco spring mechanism this will have to do. 
 

More very fiddly assembly including persuading the linkage to go through the tiny gap between rail and sleeper base. That’s never been a problem for the full-size railway!  
 

As yard points on non-passenger lines don’t necessarily require locks this will be a one-off and left visible. At the other end, which is almost off-scene but just visible, I shall use the deflector ramps from the kit to cover the locking and represent the rodding back to the signalbox.