colin@gorleston Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks Scott, unfortunately I'm building this in N gauge, I wish I had the room to do it in 4mm but that will have to wait until I hit the lottery as I can't afford all new stock and locos and room is at a premium......I need a bigger place. Seriously tho, I went N gauge so that compression wasn't as big an issue and the quality of N is fast approaching OO. Of course it would be easier in Orribly Oversized with my failing eyesight and advanced years! Regards Colin love the painted clouds, very atmospheric. your layout looks a lot longer, is it 2mm or 4mm? scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 The Midland Railway box must be the prettiest ever. I've added the picture of your model to my references for when I get round to adding one to my layout, though I'll be struggling to match your effort, even in 00 gauge. However, the prototype plan shows that the Gorleston box was a Great Eastern Railway type, and I did wonder if you'd chosen the Ratio kit because of the lack of one of a G E type? Looking at a picture of the original (http://www.berneyarm...ston_on_sea.htm), the Hornby "Lyddle End" signal box N8083 or the Peco kit NB3 which both have gable ended rather than hipped roofs are similar to the G E one. I look forward to seeing more of your layout! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Busted!!!!! I have been wondering how long it would take for somebody to call me on that signal box.. The reason I used the Ratio kit was because of the fact that you can get the interior detailing kit to go with it. I did previously have the Kestrel box, but that looks a little crude to me.Having been picked up on it tho maybe I'll venture to bash a better signal box using both models by using the railings and interior from the ratio kit plus some etched window frames and the shell from the Kestrel kit. As for my choice of Gorleston to model, I really only remember it from it's final days in a sorry rundown state and singled track, but, I do have very vivid memories of seeing the trains (mostly DMU's)from my junior schools playing fields every day and a friends backyard on Burgh Rd right where Gorleston North Station used to be. One day in the future when I have more room to model I plan on adding Yarmouth Southtown and joining Gorleston onto it.It's so much easier to model the real thing (or what was) than to try to come up with my own track plan which I'm sure would be so wrong as to be laughable. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 As I type this, tears of anguish are streaming down my cheeks.........2 months of work to build the signal box and detail the interior and now it's in pieces. Happily though, the new box is progressing rapidly ( much more Great Eastern looking) just not as pretty.I don't know if I will get it finished this weekend as I'm off to Tampa tomorrow for the big train show. Hopefully I can score a few goodies for the layout. I'll post pictures as soon as it's finished. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 D'oh! Sorry, Colin! My wife has just told me off: "Now look what you've done, you thoughtless pedant!" I'm sure the new box will be worth seeing, though - please! Regards, Bluebottle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sishades Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Having lived in Gorleston for many years, the station also served a holiday camp just west of the station. The line is now under a bypass with the southern section forming part of a cycle path. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Don't sweat it Bluebottle, I knew it was going to need changing I was just trying to put it off for a while. One day I'll get a system sorted out and tackle things progressively instead of jumping from project to project. Your observation was just the push I needed to sort it out....so, no blood, no foul! Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 That was the reason I had to tear a section of the yard up to rectify my mistake, I didn't have the room to store the empty stock from the "Holiday Camp Express in it. I actually worked at that camp for a few weeks as a kitchen porter at meal times as a kid Regards Colin Having lived in Gorleston for many years, the station also served a holiday camp just west of the station. The line is now under a bypass with the southern section forming part of a cycle path. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 Well, this morning has been fun. I just spent the last 3 hours trying to shoe-horn a decoder into a Farish 04 shunter.....not for the faint of heart!!!! Now all I have to do is get the programming done for it to acheive really slow running, not that much shunting was ever done slowly. (from what I understand most shunter drivers thought they were Sterling Moss or Jackie Stewart! This afternoon will see more work being done on the signal box, a couple more hours might just see it done. Regards to all Colin Just finished the programming and the loco now takes 1 minute and 20 seconds to travel 1 foot with no load....not too shabby! You can just make out the decoder wires thru the window ( silly me neglected to blacken them before I re-assembled the loco!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share Posted December 21, 2009 Well, the new box is about finished I just have to do some weathering and bed it into the layout. I do have to admit, it does look more like the original box at Gorleston.No sliding windows this time Comments? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
signalmaintainer Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The smaller the scale, the more the camera tends to show us things that make us cringe when viewing our own modeling. Oh, but then we're our own worst critics anyway, camera or no! I think this layout looks quite nice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Yes, it does look more GER now. If I may nitpick a little more, the background colour to the nameplate looks rather too light in the picture - nearer to Scottish region blue. The Eastern region signs were navy blue. The (1968) prototype picture I mentioned above seems to show what was probably a wooden GER or LNER sign with white raised letters on a washed-out darker background. Anyway, it fits well in the overall picture as it is, which is what really matters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 Season's greetings Bluebottle. In actual fact the signs are navy blue, they have just washed out in the photos............David Bailey I am most certainly not!! The only pictures of the box that I have would suggest that the signage for most of the station and its' buildings was of the LNER type. I think it's something I might have to rectify ( just as soon as I've finished playing with whatever Santa brings me Have a great Holiday all Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 The last couple of months has seen little progress on the layout, but this weekend I was at an exhibition and managed to get my greasy paws on a few choice items. Not least of them was a whole bag full of Fulgarex point motors (13 of the suckers for a measly $15). Today has seen me cleaning them up and testing for operation. Surprise, surprise ALL of them work! Now I can get on with the installation and wiring.......not something that particularly thrills me, but I will be glad to do away with the wire in tube that is presently on there. I also had an epithany as regards the fiddle yards. I'm going to just have them hinged off the end of the scenic section with a drop down support. I just have to decide if I want a ladder or a traverser. Decisions,decisions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Sounds like a considerable bargain with the point motors - well spotted. Any chance of seeing your Christmas presents pictured on the layout, assuming the Class 24 etc came through? My wife and I were up in Norfolk last weekend and visited the North Norfolk Railway on the Sunday. Unfortunately a near blizzard took place while we were on the train - see attached photo taken at Holt when the loco was running round. Hopefully your weather in Florida is a little kinder! Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 I was stupid Brian, I actually had the chance to buy two bags of the points motors for just $30. Both the class 24's came through at xmas ( green and two tone) along with 9 of the Birdseye conflats. I'll take a couple of pics this week and post them here. I loved that photo taken in the snow.......what atmosphere! It hasn't been exactly great weather here in Florida, infact it snowed a couple of times up in the Northern part of the state and we even had a mix of snow/rain in Orlando. Stay warm Regards Colin Sounds like a considerable bargain with the point motors - well spotted. Any chance of seeing your Christmas presents pictured on the layout, assuming the Class 24 etc came through? My wife and I were up in Norfolk last weekend and visited the North Norfolk Railway on the Sunday. Unfortunately a near blizzard took place while we were on the train - see attached photo taken at Holt when the loco was running round. Hopefully your weather in Florida is a little kinder! Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 I was stupid Brian, I actually had the chance to buy two bags of the points motors for just $30. Both the class 24's came through at xmas ( green and two tone) along with 9 of the Birdseye conflats. I'll take a couple of pics this week and post them here. I loved that photo taken in the snow.......what atmosphere! It hasn't been exactly great weather here in Florida, infact it snowed a couple of times up in the Northern part of the state and we even had a mix of snow/rain in Orlando. Stay warm Regards Colin Sounds like a considerable bargain with the point motors - well spotted. Any chance of seeing your Christmas presents pictured on the layout, assuming the Class 24 etc came through? My wife and I were up in Norfolk last weekend and visited the North Norfolk Railway on the Sunday. Unfortunately a near blizzard took place while we were on the train - see attached photo taken at Holt when the loco was running round. Hopefully your weather in Florida is a little kinder! Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 1, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2010 Hi, Model looks really good, is it end to end or round and round? Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Simon.......at present it's end to end due to lack of space. Sometime in the future I hope to have a dedicated railway room and greatly expand it into a tail chaser. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Just for Brian, a couple of quick and nasty shots of the 24's at the station. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 D5013 ( Class 24 Green)got it's decoder fitted today, a Lenz LE0521D. I must say I am most impressed with this decoder straight out of the box as far as running characteristics goes.This is the first time I have used a Lenz chip, it might not be the last. The only issue I had with it was the pins being about 2mm too long.....I couldn't get the body back on until I had trimmed the pins back a couple of mill. A quick snip with my xuron cutters soon took care of that. Now I just have to figure out which wire to disconnect to eliminate the red lights at either end.....and then dim the headlights by about half! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Will be keeping an eye on this one! Spent a few happy days on the beach at Gorleston when visiting relatives in East Anglia. The sun always shines down there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted March 4, 2010 Author Share Posted March 4, 2010 Spent a few happy days on the beach at Gorleston when visiting relatives in East Anglia. The sun always shines down there! Only for the holidaymakers........locals only ever remember how cold and gloomy it can be! (At least that's how I remember it ) Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 Today has seen no progress on the board as I need a break from fitting the point motors. Instead I decided to run trains for a while instead and tweak some decoders at the same time.Just a couple of pictures of some kettles to add. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin@gorleston Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 I was messing around yesterday changing various cv's to get some better running of my kettles with varying degrees of success. On an impulse I dug out a red micro LED and fitted it to my Fowler 4F and wired it for firebox flicker effect. I haven't tried it in a dimmed room yet but it looks pretty good in the daylight. If it's too bright I'll try adjusting more cv's. I'm also trying to decide if I want to mess around with some of the diesels this afternoon and wire in prototypical lights instead of the generic both sets on that GraFar saddles us with. Hope you're all doing something more productive than me............. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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