Bearwood West Yard - Modern Image Dorset, 1990's - present

[EWS60065]

Great progress with Bearwood Mk2, the yard size sounds impressive. Liking the idea of an MOD train too - will you be getting any cavalex warflats like seen out of Marchwood along with the VGAs and FCAs? 

If you were looking at putting new bogies on the FEAs as part of the conversion then there are some on ebay, American HO ones which look very similar to the Swing Motion bogies. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314192938702

Always worth looking out for VGAs at model shows too, they seem to crop up quite a lot - I got one unboxed for £12!

Keep up the good work, I'm looking foward to seeing the yard progress and fill up with all the trains you've been building up especially the LWRT 

[Bearwood West Yard]

37 minutes ago, EWS60065 said:

Will you be getting any cavalex warflats like seen out of Marchwood along with the VGAs and FCAs? 

If you were looking at putting new bogies on the FEAs as part of the conversion then there are some on ebay, American HO ones which look very similar to the Swing Motion bogies. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314192938702

Thank you, things are getting there albeit slowly layout wise. I’ve got 3 of the Cavalex warflats in the more modern 1990’s livery, along with an Oxford Rail rail warwell. I run these with a pair of PBA Tiger’s as per a picture I found of a Class 47 on a return trip working back to Eastleigh from Wool, seen at Holes Bay, Poole, from the dual carriageway bridge. Tigers being picked up from ECC/ Imerys - directly opposite the oil and LPG terminal at Furzebrook, now Swanage Railway metals. No intentions of acquiring any more though, as it’s one of those workings that’ll be short but sweet. 

 

I had looked into rebogie-ing the flats to make them more convincing, thanks for the link! I was eyeing up Cambrian ASF’s as I have a few laying around but the top profile is wrong, so likely will give these American ones a try 😊

[Bearwood West Yard]

March Layout Update:

 

I think I’ve kept you all in the dark for long enough now about the milestone I’ve reached. Earlier in the week I had a few hours to myself before mum returned from work. With two more packs of the Silverline trestles having arrived, the appeal of properly setting up the scenic boards in the living room and finding a suitable order was too tempting to pass up the opportunity. 

 

The only times I’ll be setting up the layout in it’s entirety will be on the weekends that mum is away, which is about once a month as it will use up most of the 16’ 6” living room. I’ll have to move around various bits of furniture to set-up and make bespoke supports for the sofas which ultimately sit bang in the middle of a baseboard join. 

 

But for now, I’ve used the sofa cushions to support the baseboard join in the temporary test setup. Both boards do bow down in the picture given the cushion squish but the impact on whether the boards look okay is negligible. 

I’ve added a few bits of track for rough representations of track positioning. It looks very crammed as it is only 2ft wide, however I have started acquiring materials for the 200mm/8” width extension to allow everything to fit. 

The clay Tigers and the boxed 159 are out just to get a feel for a Class 450 length train and where the station would be best placed. I had always intended to have an extra 4ft board to add to the scenic section when in exhibition mode to increase train lengths, yard siding lengths and also increase the station length (depending on where placed). As I have since debated placing the station on the curve so everything coming out of the yard goes through it.

 

Last night I also brought back a load of points and some track to have a little play with the yard pointwork. Ideally I want to keep this all relatively close to maximise siding lengths and give the track machine / MPV servicing shed / stabling siding the appropriate amount of space. I rather liked this plan... the reception roads crossing over to the main is an exact copy of Eastleigh East Yard onto the down slow, but with both lines merging into the headshunt line to gain access to all the sidings. I’ve always been one for intricate pointwork and have tried to keep it as realistic as possible whilst also trying to preserve siding lengths and not cram too much on to one baseboard. A very fine balance to strike but this is sort of what I’m aiming for. Excuse the unmade bed! 

 

That’s all for now on the layout front. However, when getting the 200mm ply sheet extensions this evening, I had planned to get it out of 2x 1220x610mm (2x4’) ply sheets with a pair of 205mm-ish off cuts useable for the raised trackbed. However, B&Q put a spanner in the works and had only the massive 1220x2440mm (4x8’) sheets of 9mm ply. Not to worry! I just came home with what I originally wanted plus a pair of 2x4’ sheets cut from the giant offcut I would have otherwise had. All will go to good use. 
 

[WCML100]

Looking good mate👌 

[Bearwood West Yard]

Following on from yesterday’s B&Q trip to get the strips of sheet ply for the 8” extension, I today went back to B&Q to get the 25x50mm timbers to brace them. Annoyingly I have to make two trips to two different B&Q’s. Bournemouth Castlepoint’s store is huge and well stocked with almost everything accessible from ground level. However, they only have a sheet cutting saw. Meanwhile Poole B&Q has both a timber and sheet saw, but it is often not very well stocked with the smaller sheets. And the 4x8ft large sheets are on racking as high as the sky, so if you want it you have to let them know and come back the next day as they won’t get the forklift out during store opening hours! 
 

Anyway, with that palaver over I have all I need for the timber I need now for the next steps. So this weeks job is to make the 4 extensions and fit them prior to next weekends maiden ‘home alone’ set up. I’ve ordered some knurled alignment dowels from Amazon - nothing too fancy but enough to bring everything together correctly. The knurled finish looks alright but  when the time comes I’ll be sticking them in with some retaining compound, just to be safe. 
 

Meanwhile on projects, I gave the MXA components a quick touch up with the rattle can this morning to coat the areas a bit thin and where primer is still visible. 
The FEA’s I won on EBay last week to become FCA’s also turned up yesterday at the old west yard so unboxed them today on a visit. At the same time I brought the JZA gantry back home as the forementioned warp in the chassis needed to be actioned. It’s now 98% straightened out after undergoing the clamp treatment and hearing the various cracks. I should become a chiropractor 😅

 

[Bearwood West Yard]

Milestone II: Baseboard Bonanza!

It's the Monday after a busy and rather heavy weekend... I really put the hours in this week. With the property left to me, myself and I for the weekend, I made the most of every waking hour. 

During the week, I made the 4ftx8" baseboard extensions to extend the primary base to 2'8" wide. I made and fitted these to the existing boards at a rate of one per evening to be ready for the big weekend. 

 

Friday saw light progress made on the workbench. With rain visible on the horizon as I returned from work, I got straight outside to spray up Test Train coaches 6261, 977969 (round 2) and 999550 into primer. Timed that right as it started to rain, looking out the window having placed the plastic box out of the way for the primer to cure. On another note, the MXA's are all in top coat and awaiting some good weather to print and lacquer a fresh set of decals.

With the weekends chores out of the way, it was on to start the big task of the weekend. The goals of the weekend were to establish a feasible track plan, fit location dowels and fit toggle clamps. Although I already had a digital track plan and had laid track on a single board pre-extension, I was yet to actually make the plan a reality. With the layout being semi-open baseboard construction, I placed the raised trackbed boards on the baseboards - laying track on them. Boards are labelled A-D with A being window end. The extension has paid off and despite the very overwhelming amount of track, I do have a few inches either side of the track for scenic value. Not as much scenic space as I had anticipated but something is better than nothing. I was up until 1am fine tuning the best locations to fit all the points, as this will all be on a single board. 

 

Saturday started early, and after running some errands I finally got to work on the Location Dowels and Toggle Clamps. The location dowels will enable me to achieve a perfect layout assembly every set-up while the toggle clamps enable the baseboards to be pulled into each other, reducing the gap between the boards and hopefully ensuring a seamless join. I see on many exhibition layouts that gaps in baseboard joins can affect running quality, causing derailments of lighter and rebellious wagons. So this is my attempt to preserve faultless running and reduce the impact of unsightly join lines across the layout. I did some filming for YouTube on the last baseboard join, as an upload is overdue and its the best way of showcasing my technique for others and for myself in the layouts to come. Another late night was had!

 

Sunday was a quieter more relaxed day as I had achieved my goals for the weekend. Although I had the sheets ready to cut for the 100mm trackbed raise brackets, making a start on these was a 'bonus' task but not a planned goal. These will be small sections of 9mm Ply in a 'U' or 'L' shape, with the sides of the 'U' on the horizontal for ease of fixing. I relaid the track again as I had on Friday night to refine the point work in any way possible that would see the sidings have the best length. Given that I plan to add point motors, I'd rather spend the time planning the best plan, than come to revise it and find a raise bracket in the middle of where I want a point motor to go. The horizontals aren't a problem as these can be drilled and the actuator rod fed up into the point. The verticals on the other hand... Volume and weight of trains will require at least 6 of these per baseboard.

In the afternoon sun, I got some stock out to get a feel for how it will look... sometimes I even impress myself! Reception roads can handle 8ft of train including loco with the 'liner in 1road best demonstrating the train length. In the planned exhibition mode, another board mimicking B will sit between A and B to extend the layout by 4ft, enabling full length trains to be looped, an 8-car 450 or 220/221 to terminate and stable in the EMU siding and full length trains to be marshalled and stored in the yard lines.

 

I have high hopes and am pushing the boundaries for my own level of skill with this layout. As much as I want to keep up the pace and get trains running, I'm notching down on the speed. With work starting to ramp up in the day job, a busy spring to autumn manufacturing forecast - the overtime is calling! As much as I liked the Train Tech signals and hand operated points on the old layout, if everything works out then I think I may upgrade the S&T to premium with Absolute Aspects and DCC Concepts. 

 

Next set of updates will likely be from the workbench, little and often as it will be a short while before I make any more layout progress. That's all for now, let me know your thoughts! 🙂

[Bearwood West Yard]

Last one for March.

 

Been a busy week again, sadly weather not enabling me to print off some fresh transfers for the MXA's and lacquer them. However, this did give me the time needed to edit and upload the YouTube video on how I made the baseboards.

A quite in depth, 55 minute video presented in a format that enables everyone from the DIY savvy experienced modeller to the 'never handled a tool before' beginner to build their layout. Although there are videos already on the topic of baseboard construction, they are often aimed at modellers who are already halfway there skills and experience wise. To inexperienced modellers who may not have touched tools since school days, this can be seen as quite elitist.

So I aimed to close the gap and make the video easy to follow for those of all abilities. The video went live on Friday evening at https://youtu.be/pLRZsq6Q7OM

 

 

In other news, I took delivery of another few EBay buys today. I bought a used Catch Point for £6 for the yard exit at the station throat. As well as this, I found a Wills ground level signal box kit I misplaced a few years ago! This will look nice as the shunters hut and yard control centre as per the one in Eastleigh Yard.

I also bought a Bachmann Class 37 bodyshell for £25, 37419 in EW&S. I believe this is one of the older bodyshells with the tamiya connector for the headlights as opposed to copper contacts. I'm sure I can change the lighting PCB's over if needs be.

My pre-2005 fleet is somewhat lacking, and with my number of BR Departmental wagons, it needs something to fit the era without buying more and more expensive locos. As my skills and confidence grow with the test train and MXA's, I'm taking the plunge to respray the 37 shell.

I've opted for 37 197 in BR Dutch with Transrail branding and depot plaques. I've always liked this livery but Dutch is a bit too early. With the Transrail branding, I can at least bring it into the early privatisation bracket, running it with my BR Blue Class 33's and pristine EWS Class 66's. Being Dorset and as if Beeching never happened... Regional Railways used to operate Class 37 hauled trains from Bristol to Weymouth, usually with 3-4 coaches. It is on the cards to replicate one of these workings as if diverted via the Somerset and Dorset, so this could be a last minute spot hire on the front if not shunting Seacows!

 

 

[Bearwood West Yard]

Easter Layout Update

 

I’ve been hard at it last weekend and this week with the baseboards. On boards A, B and C, I now have a raised trackbed. Board C took the longest as it contains the majority of the pointwork, so plenty of making supports, cutting them down and marking where the final point positions will be roughly placed so I don’t foul a point motor. All in all this went rather well, the only things I need to do to these boards now is chain drill and cut some access panels to gain full access to point motors for maintenance or replacement. 
 

With the main 3 boards done, I spent last night laying track loosely to get a feel for the track plan now that most of the yard is raised, with a few departmental wagons brought over from storage to get a better idea of train lengths in the yard. My primary goal is for the LWRT to fit in the longest siding, so that unlike on Mk1 I won’t have to split the consist and inefficiently use two sidings to store one. 
 

The shortest siding (pictured with the autoballasters), can take two full autoballaster sets, with space in the depot headshunt for another set + Class 08. Although I don’t intend to use the headshunt as a siding, it’s long enough to accommodate or marshal a short working - flexibility to also use a few boards as a ‘shunting puzzle’ if I cannot do a full setup. 
 

The longest siding (pictured with JNA’s) is just over 8ft long and can hold 11 JNA’s at current. This is excellent for any train length of realism especially when the scenic front length is 16ft. Though I am looking to push a bit further and have the long siding also cross the river, extending it by 2ft but we will see!

 

But now, it’s time to finish board D, then I can start on the sides of the ‘U’ and the fiddle yard. Hopefully will have cork down on board C by June, when every baseboard is aligned and ready with perfect fits. 
 

For now, with wagons in the yard, everything feels just right and all is good to proceed.

[Steadfast]

On 08/03/2023 at 21:26, Bearwood West Yard said:

I'll be back in a few days with the layout milestone 🙂

Just noticed the RDT in that picture, lovely bit of work. Impressive to take it on,  I wouldn't have the patience to see a 13 wagon set to completion! At least having the chute and manipulator wagons done, the rest are all modular. Looking forward to seeing it develop.

 

Jo

[Bearwood West Yard]

3 minutes ago, Steadfast said:

Just noticed the RDT in that picture, lovely bit of work. Impressive to take it on,  I wouldn't have the patience to see a 13 wagon set to completion! At least having the chute and manipulator wagons done, the rest are all modular. Looking forward to seeing it develop.

 

Jo

Thank you, its been an ongoing effort since 2019 and by far the most complex work I’ve undertaken - with most of it scratchbuilt, and only the rail racks laser cut. Clamping bank clamps are 3D printed to fit American code 85 rail, so that the train can run on both code 75 and 100 loaded without the rails looking odd.
 

The chute wagon was the first to be called done, even though it still needs the hydraulic arms below the operators cab. Completed that in July 2020, thanks to four months of furlough and full time modelling. Manipulator is 90% there, just needing decals and the rest of the guarding / roof painting to be done. 
Then the clamping banks need to be tackled with the guarding before doing the floor-side mesh as a decal set. 
I must say it’s tested my patience and I have bitten off more than I can chew with it, in terms of work that needs doing but I’ll get there. All the modular clamp banks and rail racks will be superglued to the wagons, and I have styrene rails which need painting up so I can run the train loaded. 

 

Once the layout is up and running, the MXA’s and test train are done, I’ll be pushing through the RDT. The new layout has been designed and built around it, so hopefully it will look right at home.

[Steadfast]

1 hour ago, Bearwood West Yard said:

Thank you, its been an ongoing effort since 2019 and by far the most complex work I’ve undertaken - with most of it scratchbuilt, and only the rail racks laser cut. Clamping bank clamps are 3D printed to fit American code 85 rail, so that the train can run on both code 75 and 100 loaded without the rails looking odd.
 

The chute wagon was the first to be called done, even though it still needs the hydraulic arms below the operators cab. Completed that in July 2020, thanks to four months of furlough and full time modelling. Manipulator is 90% there, just needing decals and the rest of the guarding / roof painting to be done. 
Then the clamping banks need to be tackled with the guarding before doing the floor-side mesh as a decal set. 
I must say it’s tested my patience and I have bitten off more than I can chew with it, in terms of work that needs doing but I’ll get there. All the modular clamp banks and rail racks will be superglued to the wagons, and I have styrene rails which need painting up so I can run the train loaded. 

 

Once the layout is up and running, the MXA’s and test train are done, I’ll be pushing through the RDT. The new layout has been designed and built around it, so hopefully it will look right at home.

Love it! Is the manipulator on a Hornby KFA? I'm tempted by one of the short LWRTs that ran for a few years as a more manageable take on modelling a rail train as they were only 8 wagons long, but like all these things, "one day..."

Great to build the layout around such a unique train, I'm sure it'll look spot on.

 

Jo

[Bearwood West Yard]

8 hours ago, Steadfast said:

Love it! Is the manipulator on a Hornby KFA? I'm tempted by one of the short LWRTs that ran for a few years as a more manageable take on modelling a rail train as they were only 8 wagons long, but like all these things, "one day..."

Great to build the layout around such a unique train, I'm sure it'll look spot on.

 

Jo

Yes, the manipulator is on a Hornby KFA. The chute started out also as a KFA but was heavily modified and butchered to take the profile. The JZA’s are all Hatton’s FEA-S wagons that have been stripped and resprayed. It makes for a very heavy train, being 4kg when measured on some baking scales. The only locos that seem to be able to pull it are the Hatton’s Class 66’s. I have 6 of these with 2 on order from Accurascale, just to keep a suitable motive power pool for it. Bachmann 66’s just don’t have the weight or traffics effort for anything more than a pair of MRA’s, but that could be due to the old layout being on a permanent curve.

 

I’ve seen a short LWRT on Walcot Model Railway on Facebook, utilising Heljan cargo wagons but not sure where the rail racks came from. Definitely more manageable though as a shorter train. They do still run, it’s quite common for older Perch and Cargowaggon RDT’s to be seen ferrying shorter lengths of rail between Scunthorpe and Eastleigh’s rail welding workshop.
 

I’ve been digging through the camera roll and found a few old pictures. The one of the chute was from October 2019, makes me feel old now as I started this all when I was 18! I’ve kept and modified the iceberg packaging so they have their own boxes, but the FEA’s had their packaging disposed of a long time ago.

On a side note, the long thin mesh on both sides of the JZA was only applied to 3 wagons before I changed it. The mesh was so easy to bend and being stainless steel, wouldn’t go back to how it was. It didn’t look great so it’ll now be a fun job to make a decal on paint for it that resembles mesh

[Steadfast]

47 minutes ago, Bearwood West Yard said:

Yes, the manipulator is on a Hornby KFA. The chute started out also as a KFA but was heavily modified and butchered to take the profile. The JZA’s are all Hatton’s FEA-S wagons that have been stripped and resprayed

Handy at least one wagon in the set is available RTR! Good thinking using the KFA as the base for the chute too, it works well.

 

If weight is too much, just run the primaries on a turning move since they're already modelled! I may follow your lead and model these two using Revolution KFAs since they're the same prototype as the Hornby model.

 

I like FEA idea, maybe something for me to do with my Dapol FEA-Bs in N that unlike the 4mm model don't really look like FEAs. Also glueing decks on could rid them of their habit of bending. Definitely food for thought, not that I need to add any projects to the pile. RDTs have given me enough grief in real life, do I really want a minature reminder?... hmmm. Thanks for sharing the construction pictures.

 

Found this picture of the short Long Welder set that was based at Newton Abbot Hackney Yard for a bit. Definitely more modellable length for me, though still a lot of scratchbuilding required. From memory LWRT 03 was the short one, but got made back to full length to match the other two.

 

 

Jo

[Bearwood West Yard]

On 08/04/2023 at 10:30, Steadfast said:

If weight is too much, just run the primaries on a turning move since they're already modelled! I may follow your lead and model these two using Revolution KFAs since they're the same prototype as the Hornby model.

 

I like FEA idea, maybe something for me to do with my Dapol FEA-Bs in N that unlike the 4mm model don't really look like FEAs. Also glueing decks on could rid them of their habit of bending. Definitely food for thought, not that I need to add any projects to the pile. RDTs have given me enough grief in real life, do I really want a minature reminder?... hmmm. Thanks for sharing the construction pictures.

 

Found this picture of the short Long Welder set that was based at Newton Abbot Hackney Yard for a bit. Definitely more modellable length for me, though still a lot of scratchbuilding required. From memory LWRT 03 was the short one, but got made back to full length to match the other two.

 

 

Jo

The turning move idea is certainly a good one. I’ll most likely split the primaries in the reception roads, shunt the racks into the 3 road and then shunt the primaries into the stabling siding / Track machine depot.
 

Measurements I did was by guesstimating, as I had no dimensions but plenty of pictures to size up to reference points on the KFA. One of the down sides of not working in rail.
It’s possible to do it with the N gauge FEA’s, but the racks might prove tricky to model in N. I got mine laser cut and they were very fragile. All the rollers in the racks were hand cut from styrene rod and superglued in, took me about 3 weeks altogether. I did contemplate using Dapol FEA-B’s but the work required in modifying the coupling system and adding a second buffer beam just didn’t seem worth the hassle. 
 

LWRT 03 looks like a good size to model - not too long and not too complex to scratchbuild. Though there aren’t any kits or dimensions out there for the perch yet. 

[Steadfast]

1 hour ago, Bearwood West Yard said:

I did contemplate using Dapol FEA-B’s but the work required in modifying the coupling system and adding a second buffer beam just didn’t seem worth the hassle. 
 

LWRT 03 looks like a good size to model - not too long and not too complex to scratchbuild. Though there aren’t any kits or dimensions out there for the perch yet. 

In N we haven't got the luxury of FEA-S an it seem a good way to hide the mishapen  FEAs I do have!

 

As  for Perch drawings etc, the Barrowmore MRG has a handy PDF. 

http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/Prototype.html

 

Scroll down to the one called "On Track Machines Working on 25 KV A.C. Electrified Lines" then page 68 onwards has the LWRT vehicles if ever you're tempted. I believe the RDT chutes are refurbished ex LWRT chute wagons.

 

Ooh I love a bit of quality wagon modelling!

 

Jo

[Bearwood West Yard]

1 hour ago, Steadfast said:

In N we haven't got the luxury of FEA-S an it seem a good way to hide the mishapen  FEAs I do have!

 

As  for Perch drawings etc, the Barrowmore MRG has a handy PDF. 

http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/Prototype.html

 

Scroll down to the one called "On Track Machines Working on 25 KV A.C. Electrified Lines" then page 68 onwards has the LWRT vehicles if ever you're tempted. I believe the RDT chutes are refurbished ex LWRT chute wagons.

 

Ooh I love a bit of quality wagon modelling!

 

Jo

Just been looking through the link, quite a handy bit of info there! 

[Bearwood West Yard]

I’ve been back at it again today, the first of a 3 day stint on the layout. Though I have done a few bits here and there over the past few weeks...

- Test train coaches 6261 and 977950 have received the yellow top coat. A bit heavy on the coat I’ll admit but better than expected.

 

- The 3x MXA’s have their transfers all done, just need to lacquer them. Wind conditions outside aren’t on my side for now, it would help if I didn’t literally live on the top of a large hill. 
 

- New additions to the layout include a Hornby Shark in EWS and 4x Hornby Seacows along with a last minute Accurascale Class 37 buy of Regional Railways 37425. This completes my 90’s ballast working - the EWS liveried shark complimenting the Seacows nicely. 425 will be employed working a Weymouth - Bristol regional when not on ballast duties with another tractor. I’m aware it’s a modern 37/4 but for the first time ever I’m adopting modellers licence to backdate it 25 some years! 
 

Now for this weekend... the layout successfully had the raised trackbed board installed a few weeks ago on boards A-D. Today I’ve painted the underside in white emulsion paint to seal it and prevent the timbers from splintering. I’ve even managed to start laying cork on points board C, which I wasn’t expecting to do until tomorrow afternoon! 
I’ll post again on Monday with pictures from this weekends work. 

[WCML100]

Nice progress mate 😃

[Bearwood West Yard]

A week late, but still a bank holiday! 
 

I managed to cork boards B-D last weekend, tackling board C was by far the most difficult with all bar two of the scenic points and crossovers on that board. Overall, I used 30 metres of cork and two 125ml bottles of Copydex over the three boards.

The cork is 10m x 35mm x 3mm, and sold under the SPD branding at £10 per roll. Better value and a lot of time saved compared to buying a large roll from a model shop and cutting it to size myself. I’ve never used Copydex before but now I’ll never go back to PVA except for ballasting as I’ve done two months worth of gluing in little over a week.

 

State of play currently is finishing off board A, sawing the excess sheet off the end for scenic value, and then starting on the return loop and fiddle yard. I’ll start laying track and the arduous task of soldering/wiring soon. 

[Bearwood West Yard]

Now for something a little off topic...

 

This weekend I spent the full three days down at the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala... and although I’m in ‘recovery mode’, every moment was worth it. 
 

Was fortunate enough to travel behind 50 021 “Rodney” on all of her trips, including being on the front window for her final trip before she was withdrawn again on Sunday and replaced with ‘26.

For me, my gala highlights were my trips on the Clayton, in which I had a front window from both Swanage and River Frome. I’d always seen the Heljan models and thought they were quite ugly... but I take it all back having had the haulage and heard it roar.

 

The top locos for me were 40145 and the fifties. The beerex on Saturday night was something else... very front tables behind the loco for going up Herston bank... unforgettable the sound of that whistler. Especially when it was country end and leaving river frome... the eruption into full whack... need I say more 😅

 

But the real run of the gala for me was the final return to Swanage from River Frome, front window behind 50 026. Leaving Corfe Castle, we hadn’t even passed the signal, probably 2 and a bit coaches still in the platform and we were at notch 7. The video I have despite being very clear, just doesn’t do ‘26 justice.
My love of heritage diesels has definitely been rekindled, and it was a no brainer to pre-order an Accurascale Class 50 with sound... So hopefully in Q4 we will have a mini Rodney thrashing about! 
I am also looking into getting a model of Class 40 D345 as well... here’s to hoping Accurascale continue with their English Electric theme. 
 

Some pictures of my gala stars, and the obligatory BeerEx pose with D345

[Bearwood West Yard]

With corking complete, I’ve started the mammoth task of track laying! It’s taken me six months nearly but I’ve got here! 
 

No surprise, I’ve started with Board C once again as the layout revolves around this board. Getting the pointwork out of the way with the countless little bits of track is the main aim. So far, this is the best part of 3 days work. I’m over halfway in terms of points but still lots to lay. I’m using DCC Concepts etched sleepers fastened with track pins, to solder the rail ends down for a perfect line up every time... or at least that’s the plan!

I’m wiring to the underside of each piece of track and pointwork to minimise dead spots that would otherwise affect DCC Sound operation. However, for bits of track less than an inch and a half, I’ll be relying on the fishplates. For points, I’m wiring to the outside rails and allowing the internal wires to carry the juice. They’re all insulfrog’s as well, so I won’t have to do any fancy wiring when it comes to the point motors.

 

Speaking of point motors... holes for the point blade wire have been marked and drilled. Currently doing my research on what motors would be best. I like the Cobalt/tortoise motors... slow actuating and a lot less prone to failure compared to other motors such as SEEP’s. the price point a clear reflection of buy cheap replace multiple times. 
However, they are a rather bit large and I’m doubtful they would all fit, especially with a pair of 3-way points working in series at a baseboard edge. 

SEEP motors are a good size and would work but I have read through other threads on here about them knackering points because the current draw causes them to switch at the speed of light and quite loudly. Not good aesthetically or for point health.

 

I have though discovered Conrad point motors. Comes across as a somewhat mid-range motor, in the sense that they are slow actuating, not as slow as a tortoise/cobalt but not as fast as a SEEP. Ideal for a modern layout. Seem relatively small as well, and little more than the price of a seep. I suspect I will end up buying and testing one of these on a mock-up scrap piece of ply. 
 

That’s all for now. Once this board is done, the others are relatively straightforward so shouldn’t take as long to lay and wire.

[Bearwood West Yard]

Been a few weeks, the first board is now completed with track laid and the wiring 99% complete. It’s not as neat as I wanted it to be, but the cable routing is semi-decent - wires crossing over will bug me now and again. 
 

All that’s needed is a test run now. I’ve used 0.5mm^2 cable from Amazon for the droppers. Rated as automotive grade, it’s a decent quality 16/0.2 or 20AWG copper strand cable. 

For my bus cable and bus bar feeders I’ll be using 1mm^2 (32/0.2 or 17AWG) copper strand cable because of the layout size and to eliminate voltage drop. It’ll also help with the current draw of DCC sound locos. I’m temporarily using 0.5mm wire in place of the primary bus and bus bar feeders to visualise final routing and plan the next boards. 
Hopefully my wiring and bus bar use makes sense. It seems the logical path to go as I find scotch locks look quite untidy. 
 

Point motor wise, I’ve opted to go down the Servo route. Gives me the benefits of Tortoise/cobalt but far more manageable weight and size wise. So whilst I’m wiring the next set of boards, I’ll be to dabbling in the world of servo control and programming to get them actuating off a push button. Programming and digital things aren’t my forté but if it means that I make point control easy at minimal stress to components then it’s worth it. 
Anyway, enjoy the update!

[WCML100]

Nice tidy wiring mate! The track plan flows very well too 😃

[Bearwood West Yard]

Just want to say a big thank you for all the likes, comments and encouragement so far with the layout build. It goes a long way and does help keep me motivated to progress on... 😊 
As far as I’m concerned, the hardest boards are done and out of the way. It’s been a hard graft the past 6 weeks so a little bit of time to reconnect with the real world is needed. Nevertheless, the urge to continue working still goes on... 

 

I’ve set the station/headshunt/servicing board up to work on as and when I feel like it. I’ve already made a start, roughly laying the ends of 7A/7B servicing roads. The yard headshunt and Up Main lines have also been started. No soldering/wiring yet, but seeing how the curves look and pinning down. Ideal for marking around the sleeper ends as a guide for final positioning.

 

With the old layout being best known and liked for its curves, I’m hoping this new layout won’t disappoint. Headshunt is 5th radius (grey), Up main is 6th Radius (green). Down main will be 7th radius but from the Peco 6ft way gauge. The station section will be elevated too. 
 

That’s all for the time being. Now it’s back to the Xbox to reconnect with friends and see what the recent GTA V update is like. 

[Bearwood West Yard]

July ‘23 update

 

With a few weeks away from the layout, I’ve made a start again over the past week to get the ball back in motion. The odd evening here and there has seen the final bits laid and wired on the station board.
Had the house to myself the other weekend so got the scenic boards all set up and I’m rather pleased that it’s all slowly coming together.

Got everything on the station end board lined up with the points board and soldered to the etched sleepers. At some point I’ll be supergluing these to the cork to be safe of any lateral or vertical movement if the pins vibrate loose through handling.

Spent yesterday doing all the hidden wiring under the baseboard. Safe to say that I’m getting better with my cable management. Yet to test any of the boards though I do now have my push fit connectors. For the power buses. Although it’ll be fiddly, it’s cheaper than DCC power dowels which I’ll need a pair of for every track and auxiliary bus. 

Meanwhile on the additions front, I finally received my sound chip and speaker for 37 425. Worth the wait, just need to wait a bit longer until there’s a layout to thrash upon. I’ve also added three MFA’s and a HEA to the twin axle wagon pool.

With Hatton’s and Rail’s have also reduced their prices of the Dapol 59’s… I bit the bullet and bought the DB offering. I’ve been on the fence since they were announced as I lack the appropriate stock, so for now it’ll have to be on the Bearwood - Westbury departmentals as 59003 was for Eastleigh prior to the Salisbury tunnel derailment. 
I bought the DCC ready version and fitted the latest Biffo 59 chip for it, along with an EM1 speaker.
It sounds the business for sure, though the directional lighting needs remapping on it. Functions after the first 10 being completely incorrect to the DC kits guide and the headlights being on when forward, but tail lights being on when travelling in reverse! May need to play around with the cv values.

 

Anyway, I’ve put them both on the curve just to get a feel for how it looks. Yard headshunt curve is 5th radius, inner platform (with 59) is 6th radius and outer platform (with 37) is equivalent to 7th radius but spaced with the 6ft way gauge rather than a tracksetta.