SteveyDee68 Posted November 21, 2021 Author Share Posted November 21, 2021 (edited) Like a dog with a bone… Swapping over a couple of lengths of track shifts the middle loop headshunt further inboard and makes the J94 a much easier fit… Of course, if I were to cut two shorter lengths and move the shed track slightly closer to the incline, clearances would not be so tight around the end of the shed… I also increased the steepness of the incline … still no problems with a Peckett plus three wagons! However, think it may be a little on the steep side now… hmmmm… Edited July 27, 2022 by SteveyDee68 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 After some experimentation, serious head scratching and advice from others on the Forum, I have in fact decided to revert to my original plan of two exits under a road bridge and the rear siding being for stock movements. I was really keen on the incline, but as using that reduced the train length to three wagons plus loco due to limited access to the middle loop line from the headshunt, that negated my “four wagon consist” plan to match with the other end of the industrial line (ie White Peak Limestone & Tarmacadam) … and that was niggling away at me! Plus, of course, it would mean a split level baseboard joint and fiddle yard … what was I even thinking?! Have taken the opportunity to place the point to the engine shed/workshop between two shorter pieces of track to create more space around the building. Other than cutting the loop tracks to length, that means I am at the end of the planning stage! So, next job is power droppers and preparing to lay the track. Might I finally see some progress on a layout beyond the baseboard?? In other news, a rather nice 3D printed beam engine has arrived for the pump house. I ordered a 7mm scale version from the eBay seller, and he kindly included a 4mm size version for free in case the larger one was too big. It actually fits inside the Metcalfe Boilerhouse structure, but as I shall be modifying that I am taking the opportunity to increase the size of the building slightly to suit. HOURS OF FUN! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 (edited) Annual Review 2021 Today is the last day of 2021 and, contrary to my plans at the start of the holiday, I have done nothing further on the layout due to a stinking rotten cold which may or may not turn out to be COVID (awaiting PCR test results). It’s not just a question of sneezing every few minutes or coughing fits, aching all over and feeling hot and cold at the same time. It’s the sheer exhaustion, and lack of any impetus to do anything. My modelling mojo hasn’t taken a dip as such - more like it’s been hit with an HGV and then thrown under a bus! Looking back over the thread, the set track points used in this scheme were originally intended for a wagon/loco works micro layout. The focus changed, as did the track plan and then the baseboard. During that development process, I could - perhaps should - have changed the points to medium radius streamline points as this would have allowed the use of three link couplings and avoided buffer locking on reverse curves. However, I wanted to see what could be done with the set track components and the design evolved to eliminate reverse curves through the points, the ensuing shape suggesting the C&HPR inspired location. Set track components have been used as much as possible, but some flexible track lengths need to be cut to length in order to complete the now non-standard loops; overall, however, I am pleased with the final track plan, and having pushed rakes of wagons around manually have a good idea of how operation will pan out on what is still a small shunting layout (albeit now just outside the size restrictions to call it a micro layout!) So, I am setting myself one target to achieve before the year runs out - cut the track to length to complete the loops. If I can do that today, then next year … well, who knows?! HAPPY NEW YEAR, AND TO MANY MORE HOURS OF FUN! Edited January 1, 2023 by SteveyDee68 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JustinDean Posted December 31, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 31, 2021 Happy new year! Now get cracking with that track! Jay 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Alister_G Posted December 31, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 31, 2021 Happy New Year Steve, all the best and I hope you feel better soon. Al. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 (edited) Still awaiting PCR test … but today’s LFT says I am positive (despite feeling much better) so if my PCR comes back negative, I am back to square one - except apparently no PCR tests are to be had for booking! Fingers crossed that the PCR is negative, or I won’t be in school for the first week of 2022!! Steve S Edited February 16, 2022 by SteveyDee68 Got my positive and negative muddled! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted January 7, 2022 Author Share Posted January 7, 2022 It is a puzzlement… Two pieces of code 100 track, both set track components, joined together, and yet one side has a definite bump where the two rails join. The rails are in the fishplate correctly. These are set track so have the “cut out” for rail joiners to sit within and not cause the rail to stick up. It is, as the late Yul Bryner said in the film “The King And I”, a puzzlement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 Track has been cut to length, at last! I need to either (a) solder tracks at the baseboard edge to brass screws or (b) find those new-fangled track joinery thingamabobs I saw advertised recently that look super idiot proof. I think option (b) is the one to pursue, given my current lack of soldering skills! HOURS OF FUN! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnaby Posted February 19, 2022 Share Posted February 19, 2022 Hello your option (b) reminded me I had recently brought some. Still not used them but they look good, see photo. Mine are 7mm but ModelTECH do all scales they make and awkward fiddley job easy. I believe Intentio also make a version and there may be other manufacturers. Best 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted February 19, 2022 Author Share Posted February 19, 2022 Thanks @Barnaby - those were the blighters I was thinking of! Mind you, I can’t quite visualise how these actually work… do these replace the last couple of sleepers of track at the edge of the baseboard? If so, zooming in upon the quasi-jigsaw shape, does a bit stick out beyond the edge of the board to affect connection to its mate on the second board? If so, does that make it equally as prone to damage? I wonder if anyone has photos of these in operation/action anywhere that shows how they are used? It is probably bl**dy obvious once seen, but for the life of me I can’t quite picture it beforehand! Steve S 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 The weather is good with very little breeze … Time to spray up the “untreated” track so everything matches! I have some DCC Concepts replacement copper clad sleepers for the tracks crossing the baseboard joints, too; maybe this is the weekend when I finally get the track laid?* HOURS OF FUN! * Sadly, a trip to B&Q for screws for fixing up shelves plus repairing a garden fence panel have to take priority, but … there’s time yet!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 11 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said: Time to spray up the “untreated” track so everything matches! Curse you, rotted fence panel with black hole like properties with regard to time … Fingers crossed for good weather again tomorrow… 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 Bloody raining! 🤬 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted June 5, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 5, 2022 17 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said: Curse you, rotted fence panel with black hole like properties with regard to time … Fingers crossed for good weather again tomorrow… If you're doing a whole fence rather than just a panel, I'd strongly recommend going for close board fencing rather than panels - as a DIYer it's much easier to deal with the rails and boards separately rather than fighting with a 6' square panel... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 Not stopped raining all day … Fuming! 🤬 Should have sprayed my track yesterday whilst the sun was out and not been distracted by broken fences and other non-modelling activities. In other news, shelves are up! 😆 Steve S 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted July 26, 2022 Author Share Posted July 26, 2022 The long summer holidays are upon me! Hooray! Finally a little free time to get stuff done! 1) Spray track (still!) 2) Solder dropper wires to track 3) Lay track (finally!) and wire up! 4) Restore photos to thread (well, as many as I can) 5) Test track aka play trains!! Surely to God I can get the above done in the next seven weeks (between a week's dog/house sitting, a short break down to London and two weeks of looking after a 9 month old Golden Retriever for my cousin)?! HOURS OF ANTICIPATED FUN! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted July 26, 2022 Author Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) On 12/04/2021 at 08:53, SteveyDee68 said: With only three structures to build (maybe four with a water tower), this should be a quicker layout to complete especially as track is ballasted and not inlaid (except for the road running front to back across both tracks). I f Oh boy - reading back through the thread to identify missing images and I just read the above howler! Hilarious!! HOURS OF PROCRASTINATION! Edited July 26, 2022 by SteveyDee68 Emphasis added to quote 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 12, 2022 Author Share Posted August 12, 2022 (edited) Finally got the rest of the track sprayed up a la Chris Nervard one evening, and all in place on the board - so (1) in the previous list achieved! I also started task (4) but have discovered that a lot of the photos were taken and posted directly into the thread - I have no record of them! So, in the process, tried to “write around” the missing images. I’m not sure how successful that is - it means some of the responses don’t make quite as much sense. In fact, it even makes some of my later posts nonsensical! Wondering whether to abandon this thread and start anew from the point of deciding this is to be C&HPR inspired exchange sidings to the White Peak Limestone & Tarmacadam layout… Meanwhile, a road trip to the actual Cromford Wharf on 1 August followed by quick visits (by car) to various locations along the line proved very inspiring. Gotham Curve has to be seen to be believed (!) but at Minninglow I discovered a scenic idea/solution for the narrow “back edge” of my layout, with rock formations blending seamlessly into dry stone walling! Images to be added once downloaded off my “proper” camera! Currently house/dog-sitting, so no progress at all for at least a week! HOUR OF FUN! Edited September 13, 2022 by SteveyDee68 Improved grammar and corrected typos (again) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JustinDean Posted August 12, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2022 So many fantastic locations along the line. It makes for a great cycle ride! Jay 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 12, 2022 Author Share Posted August 12, 2022 2 minutes ago, JustinDean said: So many fantastic locations along the line. It makes for a great cycle ride! Jay One day, when I’ve lost some weight and am no longer a risk to a bicycle collapsing under me!! I planned on walking up the incline from Cromford Wharf/High Peak Junction - I made it as far as the bridge under the A6 before deciding that I needed to be fitter to attempt it without putting myself in A&E in the process! Perhaps I should set myself the target of 1 August 2023 to walk it properly? HOURS OF FUN! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JustinDean Posted August 12, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2022 2 minutes ago, SteveyDee68 said: One day, when I’ve lost some weight and am no longer a risk to a bicycle collapsing under me!! I planned on walking up the incline from Cromford Wharf/High Peak Junction - I made it as far as the bridge under the A6 before deciding that I needed to be fitter to attempt it without putting myself in A&E in the process! Perhaps I should set myself the target of 1 August 2023 to walk it properly? HOURS OF FUN! I imagine it’s a fair climb for the uninitiated! As a local it’s a regular cycle ride for me but still challenging. Sounds like you managed a few of the key spots - did you make it to Middleton Top and Hopton? Jay Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 13, 2022 Author Share Posted August 13, 2022 (edited) On 12/08/2022 at 18:45, JustinDean said: I imagine it’s a fair climb for the uninitiated! As a local it’s a regular cycle ride for me but still challenging. Sounds like you managed a few of the key spots - did you make it to Middleton Top and Hopton? Jay Middleton Top, yes - after road closures and the sound of sirens! Signs suggesting that cyclists dismount before descending the incline ignored by every cyclist I saw - perhaps that was the cause of the sirens?! LOL Steve S Edited September 13, 2022 by SteveyDee68 Improved grammar!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted September 28, 2022 Author Share Posted September 28, 2022 Despite no activity here, I have been pondering away about the scenic treatment and trying to make the actual layout of the tracks make sense… I am still hugely influenced by Cromford Wharf, but one issue that has been niggling me is that the track at the far rear of the board needs to go right up to the edge of the board to fit in an 0-6-0 tender loco (just in case!) The planned scenic treatment at that end of the board was a canal overbridge at the front with an access lane running across it, behind the pump house and then turning to the left and into the wharf itself. The issue is that doing that means the road runs over the headshunt and a buffer stop would effectively block the access. I’ve tried every which way to ponder this out doing some patchy 3D sketches etc, but it doesn’t work! I either need a longer or wider baseboard! (Don’t we all?!) Then I thought of how White Peak is itself set within a quarry… What if the canal runs not under a canal bridge but into a boarded up/disused canal tunnel, in a rock face that wraps around the end of the board and justifies the “end of the line” and switchback? The pump house can remain, but nearer the end of the board. Is it’s purpose still to pump water into the canal, or out of the tunnel? A bit more Google research required, I think! HOURS OF FUN! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted December 19, 2022 Author Share Posted December 19, 2022 (edited) It’s been a while - and may be a while more due to new musical commitments running into April - but having now purchased no less than four Victory locomotives from Light Railway Stores/Planet Industrials, three of which could reasonably appear on Blackford Wharf, I have been pondering upon my J94s… To date I have a growly Dapol model (which nevertheless runs very smoothly) and a Hornby PO version picked up at a toy fair for a very reasonable £50. I was keeping my eye on eBay to source another Hornby version in BR black and wistfully looking at Bachmann’s EFE versions when I stumbled across a ‘Blackman’ [sic] loco for sale with a starting bid of £75… Put a bid in, and have won it! So, for just under £85 I have a new EFE model to add to the collection. Will be interesting to compare its performance again the Dapol and Hornby versions. Meanwhile, I have picked up another Bachmann 03 diesel and have bid on a further example - these may well end up donating their chassis to a WU style 04 body (with cow catchers etc) as available as a 3D print, to go with my Rapido/Model Rail tram engine for my Burnstow Dock layout. (This is really news for the other thread, but as the baseboards for that are bereft of track under Blackford Wharf at the moment, doesn’t seem much point updating that thread right now!) HOURS OF FUN! Edited December 19, 2022 by SteveyDee68 Autocorrection errors! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JustinDean Posted December 19, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 19, 2022 That’s a lot of locos! Sounds like you need a layout to run them on. I now have the opposite issue. Two layouts and no locos ready to use. Jay 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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