Coalorsdale - A shropshire Branchline - 1965 to 71

[Rugd1022]

On 30/08/2023 at 16:01, Horsehay Railway Modeller said:

This final post brings me up to date.

 

I began painting the viaduct by first spraying it with grey primer and then a coat of desert sand all over. i then picked out individual stones in various blacks creams and browns and followed up with a black wash.

 

Finally I used white, black and green washes as well as a lot of drybrushing and wiping in order to weather the viaduct to match some photographs of the prototype. I am not sure if i am entirely happy woth the results but only time will tell as more scenery is added.

 

A lovely idea for a diorama and very nicely done - reminds me (a bit) of Clinnick Viaduct on the Cornish mainline which I photographed back in March 2008...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

It puts me in mind of Grace Dieu viaduct (LNWR) in Leicestershire, we used to climb all over it as children.

 

Wikipedia commons 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Back at home (work) from visiting my parents for a week.  unfortunately that means I am now away from the viaduct module until I next visit, hopefully on a weekend sometime before christmas. I do however have the TMD micro diorama at work which i will be sure to post about in more detail on here. I have also just purchased a load of kits from MERG as i will be controlling and operating the new layout using the MERG CANCAB DCC system and CBUS control modules. I will be posting updates about these as i progress. 

 

As for the layout construction i will turn my attention to designing the next module and starting to assemble any buildings etc. That are required with the hopes that i can finish the next board when i visit my parents at christmas.

 

I managed to finsh off the bulk of the scenery on the viaduct but it still needs a lot of work , particularly on the gravel path/ road and the river. i also have an absolute aspects banner repeater on order and will install that along woth cable trunking etc.

 

Here are some photos of the scenery thus far, featuring a class 08 which I have weathered based on images from the transition period and added sound to, as well as my 4mt which I also weathered and is on my list for a sound chip. The wagons were weathered by "The weathering works" on ebay.

 

David

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Evening all, 

 

As the layout is designed to be modular I have been thinking about ways to connect each baseboard electronically.  I will be automating my mainline runnings using MERG electronics and having decided to use a MERG Controller and Booster i thought i might as well divide the layout into sections too. Each section will be on a district cutout meaning if there is a short in one area trains will still run elewhere. It will also allow me to turn off individual sections to allow wiring work or troubleshooting.  

 

Now of course everyone knows DCC is ONLY TWO WIRES !!! However I will infact be needing 4 sets of 2 wires minimum. Plus another 2 wires for a 12v DC accessory bus and  4 wires for CBUS. All of that totals 14 connections between every board. combined with the need for some sections to cross board joins both physically and electronically i was looking for decent 24 pin connections that could carry atleast 3 to 6A .

 

Long story short i went through all of the usual suspects including Din sockets, DSUBs and Pluggable terminals (all of which i have previously trialled) but i couldn't settle on a connection i liked. It was then that i remembered PC power supply connections. ( I am currently typing this using a gaming computer i have built and rebuilt myself many times.)  24 pin ATX connections carry 24 pins and good quality ones are rated at 6A per pin.   

 

I thought for a while of making my own cables up using a crimping tool however i soon realised i could simply buy cheap 24 pin extensions and cut them in half , using the male end for one board and the female for the joining board. 

 

To that end i purchased a job lot on ebay which are due to arrive soon. 

 

 

I then turned my attendion to what would now be bare cable ends attatched to the 24 pin connectors. I could have settled for simple terminal blocks but instead have spent some time designing custom pcbs that will allow me to solder in the 24 cables and have 24 terminals out. Ive ordered 10 from PCB Way as a trial. Itsd my first ever attempt at pcb design but i believe it should all work and the software tells me the pcb traces should be rated at 6A at a 10 degree temp increase whatever that means.

 

hope this graphic makes sense. Bus wires will all be 24/0.2 or 32/0.2 CBUS will be twisted and pinned away from track wires.

 

 

David

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Lots of progress today and this weekend

 

MERG CANCMD2, CanCab and booster assembled and tested today ready to be added to some aluminium enclosures I have been working on over the weekend. 

 

Temporarily installed heatsinks, however thhey wil be removed once the pcbs are installed ino the metal chasis and the components bolted to the sides. 

 

 

 

Enclosure very much a work in progress but the general idea is a switch for each psu (15v dc to controller, 12v dc to cbus, 12v dc to accessory bus) 

 

Voltmeter and ammeter for both track output and 12v accessory bus. 

 

Plus Indictator leds. 

 

Will probably make a nice front panel eventually (I mucked up the original aluminium plate hence the temporary 3d printed finish) although to be honest I might just touch up the hot glue holding the meters in place and leave it as is. 

 

 

David

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

A quick test this morning proved successful, now I'm on to mounting in the cases. 

 

 

 

David 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Dcc Controller and booster fully assembled now. Managed to squeeze in the controller booster and usb board into one casing. I added a high quality noctua fan for cooling and thus far it runs cool in testing.

 

Output is via an atx 8 pin connector which will plug into another box of tricks with 4 dcc district cutout boards. ( yet to be made). But I have also provided a secondary track output for testing as well as a program track output (both on the terminal block)

 

 

There are three inputs : 15v dc 6A for the track power, 12v dc 2a for all of the cbus boards and electronics, and 12v dc 5A for lighting and servos. 

 

The front has switches and led Indicators for each psu plus indicator leds from both the booster and command station. The blue led is to be illuminated by a can act which will show activity on the can bus but I've yet to order a kit. 

 

 

Finally there is a pair of voltmeters and ammeters to show the track voltage and current as well as the 12v accessory bus voltage and current. 

 

 

The boards are mounted on trays ( one 3d printed and one made from 2mm plasticard) 

 

... 

 

 

 

 

 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

The boards have reasonable space for air flow and I've tested this by watching smoke flow through the air slots I drilled in the bottom of the casing, up through the boards and out of the fan grill. 

 

 

My next electrical project will be the interconnector boards before moving on to the district cutout box probably next month when I can buy more kits. 

 

 

............. 

 

 

On a side note do these coach formations make sense? All based on mk1 rakes from various magazines or youtube videos of Original film footage from the era. The blue grey/ maroon rake may have some inaccuracies as its from rather grainy film.

 

The red and green colour coding shows what I own and what's on my shopping list. Greyed out coaches are optional depending on if I run 6 or 8 coach rakes (or longer) 

 

David

[GWR57xx]

21 hours ago, Horsehay Railway Modeller said:

The boards have reasonable space for air flow and I've tested this by watching smoke flow through the air slots I drilled in the bottom of the casing, up through the boards and out of the fan grill. 

Don’t you just hate seeing the magic smoke? I’ve no idea how it all works, but once you see the smoke it never works again…

 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

1 hour ago, GWR57xx said:

Don’t you just hate seeing the magic smoke? I’ve no idea how it all works, but once you see the smoke it never works again…

 

Haha, yes magic smoke is the worst.. I've heard all electrickery runs on it and if you let it out it stops working. Fortunately the smoke in this instance was caused by me heating some flux to create smoke on the soldering iron and watch the airflow through the casing vents. 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Custom pcbs have arrived from China. I've got a test connector soldered up. Male 24pin atx on one side and female 24 pin in the other. Labelled terminal blocks for each side plus power Indicator leds on the two 12v leds to show the connector is pushed fully home. Also the jumper to enable a 120 ohm cbus termination resistor. 

 

 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

I've been looking at the branchline workings... i think the passenger service will be relatively minimal and served by DMUs . As an excuse for the branchline to remain open im looking at some sort of reasonable goods traffic which is yet to be decided. I am also looking at adding some parcels traffic either through the station platform or another building. 

 

After browsing both online and in magazines I've come up with a shopping list for a parcels formation to replace one of my planned passenger trains for the branch. This formation is based loosely on my understanding that various designs stayed in use for decades combined with newer mk1 stock. i also belive the BSK is needed to provide accomodation/ toilet facilities for any travelling postal staff. does this make sense ?

 

 

 

David

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

some new additions. I can take no responibilty for the excellent weathering as these models were purchased as seen from "The Weathering Works". Ive made several purchases from them in the past and will most likely buy more in the future.

 

I purchased a Heljan Hymek which i have DCC Sound fitted with a loksound v5 and stay alive.

 

As well as the Maunsell c Brake for the parcels train.

As a side note I've been trying to photograph all of my stock and document them in a database - updates to follow.

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Not too much to show for the past few weeks. I bought a Lokprogrammer and reprogrammed the lights on the new hymek and my class 33 as well as adding the kadee uncouple shuffle. I've also bought a rolling Road and gaugemaster controller and plan on building a test track. 

 

 

 

As of the past few days I have been designing all sorts in 3d cad. Including the rest of the baseboards for the layout (still a work in progress). 

 

My latest endeavour is to see if it is possible to 3d print working semaphore signals. I've just bought a resin 3d printer and will be sure to print lots of tests soon. Over the past few hours I have been starting to draw up a GWR tall 16inch ground signal based on images found online as well as some drawings @Harlequinposted a few years ago in anither thread. More on this soon - I'm not sure what my printer is capable of but I think my 3d model looks okay so far.

 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

again im not sure if this is actually 3d printable but here is the model so far.

 

Harlequins drawings and some photos were layed on to allow profiles to be sketched and extruded.

ive altered some areas to allow for the tolerances of the printer. ill get a reasonable attempt modelled and then see what actually comes out of the printer and what else i have to alter.

[Railpassion]

I must say your modelling skills have really come on in leaps and bounds. Excellent viaduct. Great stuff.

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

1 hour ago, Railpassion said:

I must say your modelling skills have really come on in leaps and bounds. Excellent viaduct. Great stuff.

Thank you very much

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Printed some things this weekend. Looks like it makes more sense to use an mse kit for the ground signals as the printed parts seem too brittle at scale on my shunt signal test. 

 

I did however print some modelu figures from their patreon releases as well as some other designs I have purchased online and have thus far painted two figures up. They need to dry and then get a coat of matt varnish but Im happy this far. 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

when designing the new layout I had initially decided to go more freelance and not base it on location. however I have been looking at my plans and think I can fit in some of coalbrookdale works (coalorsdale works ) behind the TMD. 

 

I began looking at adding low relief industrial buildings to the plans along the retainig wall behind the the TMD. uppon further thought i decided i could use some of the buidlings at coalbrookdale for inspiration as i had already started research and 3d cad for the works on the origional coalorsdale layout. 

 

I've now decided to replace the raised area that provides a scenic break between the TMD and Viaduct with a representation of the works buildings. 

 

I thought I could include a few recognisable buildings such as what is now the meuseum of iron with its clock tower, however i will arrange them to suit my own layout. 

 

I am also thinking of adding a 009 shuttle that will shunt some narrow gauge ore tipplers in and out accross a cobbled courtyard. Im not sure from my current research how modern the tramways and plateways at coalbrookdale became. However as this is very much a vague representation of location i was thinking of flexing rule one and adding an 0-4-0 narrow gauge diesel shunter on some 009 track which would randomly shuttle between some of the warehouses.

 

as it is currently sketched in my plans

 

 

 

a very rough sketch with various warehouses and some random narrow gauge tracks.

 

 

Is this a good idea ? or will it overclutter the area? The actual bulding of the TMD boards cant happen for a few years until i have space however i was planning to build most of the Structures for the layout over the coming few years as well as starting some of the smaller modules such as the viaduct.

 

David

[Railpassion]

Over cluttering is an easy mistake I've made several times. You can still fit a lot in if you create space by using view blocks, buildings and trees, to draw the eye towards the foreground. The more depth created, the more satisfying I found it, as I crammed in an extra siding or loop. Less is often more, but if that takes away operating pleasure then think of ways to deepen the scene.

 

Some of the most successful layouts are not that huge in dimensions but appear to be. The amazing Swiss RhB layout Bergeller Bahn

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

In order to get my head around how the layout will operate and look, I ordered some 1:1 track plans printed on A0 paper. 

 

They arrived today and I've set them up in my bedroom at work and done lots of measuring and rolling around of coaches and wagons. 

 

The track plan is 99% set but some of the scenery is likely to change. It's hard to show with the camera but I am very impressed with just how much space there is. Most of it will be filled with scenery like the viaduct board a few posts ago, however the tmd end of the layout will be more Industrial and compact although it is bloody huge compared to my old layout  At 12ft * 2.5ft for the TMD boards alone. 

 

 

Below is cherryBrook station at roughly 11ft * 18 inches which sits above the storage yard and will be removable as  a layout in its own right, as well as giving access to derailed trains below. Here I'm testing 3 wagons and a hymek in the head shunt with a mk1 coach testing for clearence. Very happy with my new goods yard arrangement as it allows shunting and forming of local goods trains. 

 

 

The storage yard at 12ft by 2ft along one end (plus around 5 feet around the corner). Mk1 coach for scale. It's designed to store roughly 15 set trains / dmus that I have slowly been purchasing based on magazine formations and my own research ( trains are generic western region and not specific to any specific location. 

 

Finally the TMD which has been subject of this evenings musings as I try to work out what to put in the corner. Seen here with my 350*650mm diorama where it will slot in to the finished layout. ( the board should continue 8 or 10 inches further towards the wall giving a relatively large area for some Coalbrookdale esque warehouses as a scenic block from the viaduct scene

 

 

Again most of my musings are most likely irrelevant and subject to change as the layout won't be constructed as a whole for several years. 

 

I will however be building another 4ft scenic section (hopefully by the end of 2023) to join the viaduct before moving on to cherrybrook as a shunting layout in the new year. 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

The plans for the works area are simmering away in the background , however i've now started prepping for the next scenic module that I aim to complete in some form before the new year. Here are my latest plans:

 

 

when I first planned this module I had drawn it simply with a random road bridge and building and left it at that. I have now fleshed out my plans to make what I hope can be a very detailed scene.

After initially beleiving this was an original idea I soon realised it is probably based on memories of jiggers bank down in coalbrookdale, where the viaduct leads into a raised embankment before crossing a plate girder bridge.  image below for reference.

 

 

Having looked around on google maps for inspiration I decided to model a few houses around the base of the bridge and create a small village.

 

To the rear of the layout I will install the wills farm cottage from the old layout ( waste not want not) its slightly underscale and will help force perspective. (photo from old layout)

 

The bridge itself will be 3d printed to my own design and the embankment will have various retaining walls supporting it. As for the houses at the front, I came up with the hair-brained idea of modelling my childhood home; an idea I've had for a while, however, as neither me nor my parents live there anymore I feel more comfortable with adding a modelled rendition to the internet. 

 

 

Finally after printing a full scale track plan and roughing out dimensions, I decided to add a further final building to give the impression of a small village. after looking at various kits I settled on the wills craftsman shops. I've never modelled anything like this before but inspired by luke towens impressive diner scene on youtube  im looking forward to modelling a small village shop or post office with a full interior plenty of 3d printing  in store to add shop interiors, and I'm sure there is some puntential with shop names and the advertisment billboard.

 

 

 

 

 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Over the past few days I've assembled the outer walls of the wills craftsman shop  kit. Customised to fit the angle of the road. 

 

I also made things more complicated by adding a slight incline to the road meaning the entire shop kit needed to be ever so slightly taller to allow the doors to be above street level. I did this by adding Cork to the base as well as leaving the walls an extra 4 brick courses taller. 

 

The diorama board is some 4mm mdf I cut to a shape that would fit the area in my full size track plan. It will eventually be glued into place  on the full module baseboard (Whenever I visit my parents long enough to build it) but I wanted to be able to model the road and pavement, and position the two buildings in a small scene I can work on whilst living away at work. 

 

The road is made from 1.5mm poster board / card hot glued on mdf strips to give it a slight upward slope towards the front of the layout. The whole base and road are sealed wih some watered down wood glue to stop warping. 

 

A bird's-eye view showing the angle of the building, the road and the Cork for the gardens. 

 

 

Here you can see the front edge of the road is about 10mm higher than the rear. 

 

Hopefully next week I'll get the bricks painted before adding a removable roof, all the windows and doors and starting on shop interiors etc. 

 

 

David

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

Some more progress on the shops. Still need to think up a punny name for them. 

 

Slowly been painting and weathering the bricks. 

 

Roof loosley glued together. And a few lights being installed. Got a light in the bathroom at the rear. I Cheated by frosting the window meaning I don't need an interior, but I am hoping to add full interiors to the shops and atleast one of the front bedrooms. The chimneys are 3d prints I drew up in fusion and they still need weathering.  The windows and doors are stock from the shop kit. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Horsehay Railway Modeller]

This evenings work on the interior for an upstairs bedroom. Card walls with 3d printed furniture. 

 

The bed is an in joke. If you know you know. Tried to make it look like she's tucking the sheets in by using some glue to add rippled texture up to her hand. 

 

 

On the exterior I've added a few more windows and doors. Plus an illuminated billboard with a James bond " you only live twice" poster from 1967 and a 1965 poster about the br change from green to blue. The posters are easy enough to print out and change so I might alter the in the future. Roof still needs fitting properly once I've finished the upstairs interiors.