Waddlemarsh - somewhere southwest of London sometime before today

[Gwiwer]

Connected, painted and weathered. 
 

[TheSignalEngineer]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

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

It's a pity the spring box isn't designed in the shape of an FPL as it is in exactly the right position. I am planning the rodding runs for my layout which has about 10 points which can be used by a passenger train in the facing direction. 

I intend to use the easy way out and put a ramp over them. If I do leave any without a ramp I am going to try painting the centre part of the spring box in the shape of an FPL and put the rod straight up to it.

[Gwiwer]

58 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

I intend to use the easy way out and put a ramp over them.

There are two more facing points almost off-scene at the other end.  Access is more restricted and whilst they can be seen they are part of the crossover access to the fiddle yard. They will have ramps with representational rodding to the adjacent signal box. 

[Gwiwer]

A few more touches and I think we’re done for this area. 
 

Facing point rodding and locking at the Down end also showing the newly arrived class 73. 
 

 

At the “London” end I have used some modeller’s licence. Rather than attempt to fit rodding beneath the bridge I have made use of the surface-mounted motors here and simply cabled them back to the ‘box as power-operated points.  The SW Division had some of these from quite early on both electric and pneumatic so why not? 
 

[Gwiwer]

It has taken many hours of extraordinarily fiddly work. And it will take a little more yet to reduce the intensity to the ideal dim yellow.  There is also some corrective re-wiring to be done. But five minutes ago I threw a switch and the first of the station lights …..

 

 

 

….. worked!!!!

 

Not bad for Ratio kits which are definitely not designed as working lights!!! 

[Gwiwer]

That’s more like it! 
 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

More lights have been wired in. Careful inspection will reveal there is still some wiring to hide or disguise but it’s definitely getting there 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

The station lighting is complete. Eleven Ratio kit lamps (with one spare as a reserve) have been painstakingly drilled, fitted with nanoLEDs, painted, weathered, fitted with SR “target” name signs and wired up. 
 

To say I am pleased with the result would be putting it mildly. 
 

There could be more lights but I shall leave it there; the waiting hut has a dummy one outside and none inside and there might be lamps above each platform entry point. But for my purposes this is enough. 
 

All lights are on a single circuit fed from the 12Vdc accessory output on the controller. They are switched using Peco PL-22 switches, the feed runs through a step-down unit to 9V then through a Kytes voltage regulator to 3V. Finally the lamps are wired in twos or threes via a Kytes distributor block. 
 

Add an illuminated Bachmann unit or two and ….. 

 

 

 

[brushman47544]

That is really atmospheric with the platform and train lights. Fantastic job.

[RFS]

The lighting does look very atmospheric. Have you managed to do something to the lighting in the 4-CEP motor coach, as mine are all very dim compared to the trailer coaches. 

[Gwiwer]

On 15/11/2022 at 22:17, RFS said:

The lighting does look very atmospheric. Have you managed to do something to the lighting in the 4-CEP motor coach, as mine are all very dim compared to the trailer coaches. 

Thank you. Nothing has been done to the internal lighting of the unit. Careful viewing of the image (at least on my devices) shows exactly what we all know namely that the motor coach lights are less bright than the trailer ones. 
 

In a perfect world the headcode panel would also have the same incandescent glow; that icy-blue light is totally wrong. 
 

Meanwhile two recent arrivals await the road out of the yard returning light engines to, perhaps, Stewarts Lane or Selhurst. Dapol class JB (later class 73) E6007 in early “electric” blue contrasts with classmate E6031 in standard “rail blue”. I leave to your opinion which, if either, matches the prototype shade. Looked at singly they both look fine but when together like this they both look slightly wrong.
 

Hmmmmm. Is that just a trick of the digital rendition of scaled colour??? 

 

[Gwiwer]

Standard tank 80120 has the road with a van train under the watchful eyes of the signalman.
 

This is the move from the goods yard link via the Down platform to the Up line which creates the need for starting signals from both platforms. The third signal visible is that for the independant goods line. 
 

 

[SRman]

The lighting really adds to an already great atmosphere on this layout, Rick. Lovely modelling.

[Gwiwer]

Pure “Southern Electric”. 
 

There is only one taker for the evening train tonight. 
 

[Gwiwer]

As the 2-Bil shot has gained a lot of attention (almost 10,000 views on Facebook for one example) I have now added a view of 2-Hal 2630 coming the other way. This one has its front-end coupler removed; several comments on Facebook suggested it was only the coupler which gave it away as a model to first glances. 
 

 

[Gwiwer]

A few weekend views. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[PeterBB]

This is all phenomenal especially bearing in mind the available space in which to build.

[Gwiwer]

Empty milk churns are loaded for return to the Cornish dairies. There’s always someone reading the paper when work’s to be done 🤣

 

[Gwiwer]

I occasionally receive requests to show the fuller extent of Waddlemarsh and how it fits into the room. The room, remember, is also a bedroom, workroom and library but is only around 12’ 6” by 10’. A fairly standard British bedroom. 
 

So here we are. Firstly a “drone” shot to yse current technology. Taken by standing halfway up the stairs to the cabin bed. 
 

 

The a quite literal over-view from up on the  bed itself. The main fiddle yard is out of shot bottom right and there are two sidings for the electrified passenger line between the backscene and window. 
 

 

Moving on to the main ten-road fiddle yard this rests on top of a large desk / workstation set-up beneath which is a small part of the library, the computer and the angle-poise lamp to illuminate this area which is beneath the also-visible double cabin bed

 

 

A view from the fiddle yard along the station side of the layout. 
m

 

Followed by the reverse-view looking in from the operating area which is carpeted and uncluttered floor about 5’ sqaure. 
 

 

Finally a view captured by placing the phone in the narrow opening seen above right between the backscene and the “bits” drawers. This looks better than it once did now that I have trees planted to hide the control panel. 
 

[Graham T]

That's an impressive illusion of space that you've created.  And also well done on squeezing so much utility into quite a small room!

 

[Gwiwer]

A small flurry of activity occurred on the Merchant’s Siding this afternoon. 
 

Standard 73051 has been selected for this year’s special duties and received the headboard and a special oil-round. 
 

The discs are set for Brighton - West London Line. Because that will take the train past North Pole. 
 

 

[Mike Buckner]

Returning to this thread after a few months, I am blown away by what you have achieved.

 

Truly excellent!

 

 

[Gwiwer]

16 minutes ago, Mike Buckner said:

Returning to this thread after a few months, I am blown away by what you have achieved.

 

Truly excellent!

 

 

Thank you. 
 

It seems to be the way that after a lot of time and “unfinished look” that it all suddenly comes together. 
 

No layout is ever truly finished but this one is now at a mature stage where I can run it to my satisfaction and set up some good scenes for the camera 

 

In the new year most energy will turn to the new OO-9 / OO project. This will be on a single board which can be driven to shows in the back of a small car (Vauxhall Corsa)

 

 Without giving too much away this will make use of more parts recovered from Penhayle Bay and will incorporate lessons learned from building and operating the tiny Boghouses N-gauge layout. And, as all my layouts do, it will feature water scenes. 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

The “Standard” duly hauled its booked Santa Special train today. Pullman comforts for those aboard; same old grime and toil for those on the footplate. 
 

Merry Christmas from Waddlemarsh 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Gwiwer

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

same old grime and toil for those on the footplate

In those days they might well have had some little gifts from the passengers to keep them warm inside.