WIP (AS YET UN-NAMED) - 1970's Far North Terminus

[Dunmar]

On 11/02/2021 at 12:20, sulzer71 said:

Just a small but essential delivery today

Hi,

Just noticed your post, your ideas sound good so far. Very similar to my own although I am a little later in years. I'm particularly interested in your lighting sets and who makes them.

Bill.

[sulzer71]

15 hours ago, Dunmar said:

Hi,

Just noticed your post, your ideas sound good so far. Very similar to my own although I am a little later in years. I'm particularly interested in your lighting sets and who makes them.

Bill.

Hi Bill , thanks for the kind words , the lighting kits are made by Jason Edmunds (stickswipe on eBay) , he doesn't list everything he does on eBay eg the class 26/27 ones I get , the ones I get are also made to my own specifications too namely that I can switch the red taillights individually left to right so it makes them more prototypical

 

Dave

 

[sulzer71]

So , no progress since last post and unlikely to be any for another week or two at least , currently doing a lot of thinking at the moment as to which way to go with this , current thinking is to rip everything up and go back to building my interpretation of Kyle of Tongue but have it built in a modular format so I could possibly take it to exhibitions (this depends on whether it could be built to fit in the back of my small van) , I'm also uncertain as to whether to do the framework/baseboards again myself or not as the room where the layout is based has a very uneven floor and as it's a rented property I won't be doing anything to correct the floor so I've been looking at the possibility of getting it all made professionally 

 

Other things I'm currently mulling over is whether to build it in EM gauge? Also thinking about my fleet and whether I need to concern myself too much with the allocations of locos I will be running (eg due to Tongues location do I only model/run Inverness allocated locos?)  , also do I just limit myself to a fixed date in time? Identities have been chosen for at least 5 of the fleet as they were in 1973 but I have locos in my collection that could be modified etc to represent any period from the 60s to the noughties , there's many locos I could model from what I have in my collection but some were never allocated to Inverness but can easily be turned into Eastfield/Haymarket/Polmadie based ones

 

I also think that it will simply be called 'Tongue' and will only be 'Inspired by' Kyle of Tongue

 

And so the headaches from all this thinking continue 

[37Oban]

Hi,

 

personally I'd go to EM.  My current layout, St Mungo's, is in EM, although the boards are in store I'm currently building rolling stock for it, both in BR 1964-70 and late Caledonian days.  On the cheap!  EM doesn't need to be expensive; the most expensive parts I use are compensation units for wagons and coaches and the wheelsets.  My rolling stock is a mixture of scratch-built, kit and second-hand.

 

I would have thought that the locomotive fleet would have been allocated to Inverness.  Knowing where Tongue is situated I would think that it would be extremely unlikely that any foreign locomotives would ever visit, even a rail tour would probably have a locomotive change at Inverness, although it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that Polmadie or Haymarket allocated loco's might get co-opted by Inverness in an emergency or local locomotive shortage.

 

I shall follow this project, which ever way you choose go, with interest.

 

Roja

[sulzer71]

6 minutes ago, 37Oban said:

Hi,

 

personally I'd go to EM.  My current layout, St Mungo's, is in EM, although the boards are in store I'm currently building rolling stock for it, both in BR 1964-70 and late Caledonian days.  On the cheap!  EM doesn't need to be expensive; the most expensive parts I use are compensation units for wagons and coaches and the wheelsets.  My rolling stock is a mixture of scratch-built, kit and second-hand.

 

I would have thought that the locomotive fleet would have been allocated to Inverness.  Knowing where Tongue is situated I would think that it would be extremely unlikely that any foreign locomotives would ever visit, even a rail tour would probably have a locomotive change at Inverness, although it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that Polmadie or Haymarket allocated loco's might get co-opted by Inverness in an emergency or local locomotive shortage.

 

I shall follow this project, which ever way you choose go, with interest.

 

Roja

Hi Roja

 

Thanks for the comments , I'm seriously considering going down the EM route simply for the improved look over 00 but from what I've heard compensation isn't really necessary in EM? , the other factor of course is cost as I think hand building the points is beyond my abilities so I would either look to pay someone for building my trackwork or as I'm on their doorstep using Marcway's ready to lay trackwork although the thing putting me off that is the lack of chairs on the rails as it's basically rail soldered to pcb board

 

I'm not 100% fixed on Tongue yet although it was very much my inspiration for building a layout as a reminder of my days visiting Scotland when I was younger (although I've chosen to model early 70s and I wasn't born until 1971!) , there are many other Scottish layouts I've seen that give me inspiration and I'm wondering whether to model a location more 'midway' so locos other than Inverness ones could be used , what I definitely know is that I want to model somewhere rural etc as I'm not really into urban/city locations

 

Thanks for following too , hopefully I can make progress soon

[Robert Shrives]

Going EM is a good idea EGMS with  it`s ready to lay trackage - sourced from peco and Wayne`s Finescale track EM kits you have a brilliant starting point not available just a few years ago.  With drop in wheelsets and diy  axle work with a back to back makes stock conversion much easier and reversible should the need ever arise. 

EGMS offers a good networking system as well with plenty of friendly support. 

 

Robert   

[sulzer71]

4 minutes ago, Robert Shrives said:

Going EM is a good idea EGMS with  it`s ready to lay trackage - sourced from peco and Wayne`s Finescale track EM kits you have a brilliant starting point not available just a few years ago.  With drop in wheelsets and diy  axle work with a back to back makes stock conversion much easier and reversible should the need ever arise. 

EGMS offers a good networking system as well with plenty of friendly support. 

 

Robert   

Robert

 

Thanks , I have been looking at Waynes threads and although I'm impressed I think building them would be beyond me , I am aware of the stuff made by Peco for the EMGS but haven't seen it in the flesh , I am off to the Doncaster Show this weekend and I believe the EMGS are there so I may get a chance to see it 

 

Dave

[Robert Shrives]

Hi 

The EGMS points are an 18mm version of the 16.5 bullhead system - well liked and robust.  As some furries onTY say "simples!"  Waynes kits are pretty well drop together with only droppers to solder on and the build guides are that simple - I have built 8 in N that had the first version with a cast crossing nose for fun and currently have a double slip in the new all rail crossing nose - on a 3D printed base and this while a complex bit of track the kit is close to a drop together .  Wayne has closed his shop for 2 weeks to regroup and I suspect a bit of well deserved  R&R. When he opens shop again worth getting a kit and having a go.  If you have built a metcalfe or Ratio/ airfix kit in times gone by then Wayne`s kits are within your grasp. 

Robert      

[sulzer71]

1 minute ago, Robert Shrives said:

Hi 

The EGMS points are an 18mm version of the 16.5 bullhead system - well liked and robust.  As some furries onTY say "simples!"  Waynes kits are pretty well drop together with only droppers to solder on and the build guides are that simple - I have built 8 in N that had the first version with a cast crossing nose for fun and currently have a double slip in the new all rail crossing nose - on a 3D printed base and this while a complex bit of track the kit is close to a drop together .  Wayne has closed his shop for 2 weeks to regroup and I suspect a bit of well deserved  R&R. When he opens shop again worth getting a kit and having a go.  If you have built a metcalfe or Ratio/ airfix kit in times gone by then Wayne`s kits are within your grasp. 

Robert      

Robert , hopefully I'll get to see them at the weekend on the EMGS stand , I have never built any sort of kit as such as I'm a newbie to the hobby and have much to learn , hence 5 years of false starts layout building 

[37Oban]

Hi,

 

as long as your track is well laid then compensation isn't really necessary, as I have found on a test track.  However, a lot of modellers swear by it so I thought I's give it a go and bought some MJT units.  I found them not too fiddly to assemble and fit (I'm disabled and can basically only use 1 hand) but whether they are worth it I won't know until St Mungo's is set up again, hopefully in the near future.

 

I bought the turnouts for it at a show.  They only cost a couple of pounds each, and are of copper clad construction, although I can build my own turnouts from scratch.  If I get enough space to build another layout I will use the same system again, maybe adding cosmetic chairs, but, although I admire those that make track using the correct chairs, cost is a factor for me, as well as quickness of build, and, to be honest, when St Mungo's is ballasted and weathered I doubt whether anyone would be able to tell if I had used chairs unless they looked really hard.  Plain track is from SMP, again for ease of use and time, but I could be tempted by plywood and rivet construction.

 

The best advice I can give is look at different methods, try a few then stick with the one your are happiest with.  After all, that's what really matters!

 

Roja

 

 

 

 

 

[Signaller69]

Hi Dave,

 

Not sure how I missed your thread until now so will follow along.

 

I know what you mean regarding indecision and lack of mojo over the past year though!

 

Interested to see what you decide both about which version of your layout to do and also if you go to EM. 

 

Regards,

Martyn.

[sulzer71]

On 16/02/2022 at 15:09, Signaller69 said:

Hi Dave,

 

Not sure how I missed your thread until now so will follow along.

 

I know what you mean regarding indecision and lack of mojo over the past year though!

 

Interested to see what you decide both about which version of your layout to do and also if you go to EM. 

 

Regards,

Martyn.

Thanks Martyn

 

Will post updates as and when I get around to doing something

 

Dave

[sulzer71]

Well it's back to the drawing board , I finally got fed up enough to tear everything down 

[sulzer71]

Treated myself to this little beauty to cheer myself up 

[lmsforever]

Think you have done the right thing if you are not happy with the start of your layout  start again.Personaly with all my layouts they have been a continuous rebuild programe as I like yourself in finding new ideas etc.Look forward to seeing progress.

[sulzer71]

5 minutes ago, lmsforever said:

Think you have done the right thing if you are not happy with the start of your layout  start again.Personaly with all my layouts they have been a continuous rebuild programe as I like yourself in finding new ideas etc.Look forward to seeing progress.

Thanks

 

I'm going to take some time and decorate the room again first then decide which way to go with baseboards etc