Chuffnell Regis

[Graham T]

3 hours ago, Harlequin said:

 

Very frustrating! What make of decoder is it?

 

 

It's from ESU Phil, came fitted when I bought the loco.  If offered the choice I'd go with Zimo.

 

[Graham T]

I've made a little more progress on the station building in the evenings once the girls are in bed.  I started off with a layer of Tamiya deck tan, as a primer and also to represent the mortar.  The quoins, cills, and so on also got a base coat of this as I thought the colour I had used to begin with was a bit too bright.  Once that was finished I dry brushed on a mix of Vallejo light brown with a touch of burnt red.  I've always struggled to get a brick colour that I'm happy with, but this one doesn't look too bad - so far.  I'll pick out some bricks in different shades of browns, reds, and oranges as well.

 

The eagle-eyed will have spotted that the station appears to be back to front in the second pic.  This is because I started by painting the rear of the building, just in case I made a complete hash of it!  (That's happened before...)

 

 

[Graham T]

Currently "enjoying" a mediocre cup of coffee at a soft play centre in Vienna with the girls.  Either paradise or purgatory, depending on your age!

 

[Neal Ball]

On 27/12/2022 at 20:00, Graham T said:

I've made a little more progress on the station building in the evenings once the girls are in bed.  I started off with a layer of Tamiya deck tan, as a primer and also to represent the mortar.  The quoins, cills, and so on also got a base coat of this as I thought the colour I had used to begin with was a bit too bright.  Once that was finished I dry brushed on a mix of Vallejo light brown with a touch of burnt red.  I've always struggled to get a brick colour that I'm happy with, but this one doesn't look too bad - so far.  I'll pick out some bricks in different shades of browns, reds, and oranges as well.

 

The eagle-eyed will have spotted that the station appears to be back to front in the second pic.  This is because I started by painting the rear of the building, just in case I made a complete hash of it!  (That's happened before...)

 

 

 

Excellent work Graham. Happy New Year

[drmditch]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

Currently "enjoying" a mediocre cup of coffee at a soft play centre in Vienna with the girls.  Either paradise or purgatory, depending on your age!

 

 

I thought it was impossible to get a 'mediocre' cup of coffee in Vienna.

Perhaps my friend has been careful as to which parts of that city she has introduced me to.

The last time I was in Vienna for Neue Jahr there was a very good haul of rocket sticks the following day.

Some of them had to be shortened a bit to fit into my luggage for the flight home, but I'm still using them up.

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

Currently "enjoying" a mediocre cup of coffee at a soft play centre in Vienna with the girls.  Either paradise or purgatory, depending on your age!

 

 

It could be far worse, you could be stuck in a factory on minimum wage...🤪

 

I've just spent the morning at a clothing shop where a friend works. They're having a closing down sale, so the memsahib was asked if she would like the benefit of the staff discount on top of the 50% sale? 

I was half expecting to be carrying so much on the way back that someone might take pity and put me in a donkey sanctuary.

 

She came out with just two bags.

 

Now I'm worried that she might be seriously ill...

[Graham T]

4 hours ago, drmditch said:

 

I thought it was impossible to get a 'mediocre' cup of coffee in Vienna.

 

Not if you look hard enough!

 

4 hours ago, drmditch said:

Perhaps my friend has been careful as to which parts of that city she has introduced me to.

The last time I was in Vienna for Neue Jahr there was a very good haul of rocket sticks the following day.

Some of them had to be shortened a bit to fit into my luggage for the flight home, but I'm still using them up.

 

From my experiences of Viennese New Years, I suspect some of the rockets could reach your home under their own power!

 

[Graham T]

4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

It could be far worse, you could be stuck in a factory on minimum wage...🤪

 

I've just spent the morning at a clothing shop where a friend works. They're having a closing down sale, so the memsahib was asked if she would like the benefit of the staff discount on top of the 50% sale? 

I was half expecting to be carrying so much on the way back that someone might take pity and put me in a donkey sanctuary.

 

She came out with just two bags.

 

Now I'm worried that she might be seriously ill...

 

Indeed, it could have been far worse.  The girls were very happy and for most of the visit I was able to browse a certain forum, which helped me to ignore (as well as I was able) the cacophony made by dozens of hyper-excited kids...

 

[Graham T]

The girls have had their noses buried in Asterix books, so I've had another swipe at the brickwork on the station building, painted the ridge tiles, and a first coat to seal the slates.  Painting the stonework will be next, I think.  I haven't decided yet whether or not to do more to the bricks - I will see how things look with the stonework done first...

 

[Andy Keane]

1 hour ago, Graham T said:

The girls have had their noses buried in Asterix books, so I've had another swipe at the brickwork on the station building, painted the ridge tiles, and a first coat to seal the slates.  Painting the stonework will be next, I think.  I haven't decided yet whether or not to do more to the bricks - I will see how things look with the stonework done first...

 

I think the bricks look great - if anything I would add a pale wash over the stone to make it slightly patchy and lighter?

[Graham T]

Thanks Andy.  I think you're right about the stonework, that's exactly what I have in mind, apart from the capping stones, which look to be of a different material.

 

[Graham T]

Happy New Year to you all!

 

[Gopher]

Happy New Year Graham -  looking forward to CR Mk 2 in 2023😃 

[Graham T]

Many a true word spoken in jest Clive!

 

I'm giving serious thought to a drastic re-think of CR Mk II.  The main room in my apartment is 16' x 36', and comprises an office space/workbench/studio, lounge area, and then a dining area at the other end.  I've been lucky enough to have a fantastic plan drawn up by @Harlequin, as below.  This would fit across the far end of the room, where the office space currently sits.  But there's enough free floor space to re-arrange the office etc. without having to re-arrange the rest of the main living space.

 

 

But I'm a greedy so-and-so.  Part of the thought process behind CR Mk II was to be able to run longer trains without them looking squeezed in.  Phil's plan achieves that, but reading a few books on the S&DJR planted a seed in my mind.  As my girls would say, "Uh oh".  What about if I used the long wall under the windows instead (the right hand side of the plan above).  Then I could build a long, thin end to end running between a pair of 6' long traversers.  I live here on my own, so encroaching on the living space isn't a big deal, and in any case I can still keep the office space, lounge and dining areas, I would just need to move the different areas to new locations in the room...

 

The flat is in a converted roof space and so the 36' long wall has a sloping ceiling, which restricts baseboard height - I'm considering mounting the boards on top of 30" high units from a certain well known Swedish manufacturer...  This would still allow me to have a backscene about 18" high.  Although not made to be portable, I think I would build the layout as an open frame in approximately 6' long sections, bolted together.  So it would be semi-permanent but designed to survive a move in the future if need be.  The boards would be low, but still look fine from my office chair, which I could roll up and down the room like some evil mastermind 🥸  (Note to self - I'd need a wireless controller!)

 

So the germ of a plan is this dodgy sketch.  I may reverse the whole plan so that the goods yard is at the rear, entered from a trailing point on the up line (the rearmost of the main double tracks).  That would mean that the entire right hand end would be almost all scenic, with just the double main line and a refuge siding.  The line running underneath would be purely scenic, sitting next to a river.  Good for posing locos on, perhaps.

 

Not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure, but I'd love to hear other views on this!

 

[Schooner]

Why choose?! 

 

😇

[Nick C]

Both those plans look great!

 

I'd keep the goods yard at the front, much easier for shunting, especially using three links - you don't want to have to keep leaning over the station every time...

[chuffinghell]

@Harlequin’s plans are exquisite works of art

[Graham T]

40 minutes ago, Schooner said:

Why choose?! 

 

😇

 

Oh, now that's an interesting idea!  But unfortunately (luckily?!) I would need to relocate the lounge area to where @Harlequin's plan would sit in the room if I built the long double track layout.  So there wouldn't be room for the terminus.  I could have a terminus instead of one of the traversers, but prefer the sketch plan as it stands, I think.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Graham T
grammer

[Graham T]

10 minutes ago, Nick C said:

 

I'd keep the goods yard at the front, much easier for shunting, especially using three links - you don't want to have to keep leaning over the station every time...

 

That had occurred to me Nick, it's a good point.  Any ideas on how I could lead into the goods yard without having a facing point on the down main though?

 

The setup I have in mind would have the track feeding into the goods yard from the right hand end of the station...

 

[Nick C]

1 hour ago, Graham T said:

 

That had occurred to me Nick, it's a good point.  Any ideas on how I could lead into the goods yard without having a facing point on the down main though?

 

The setup I have in mind would have the track feeding into the goods yard from the right hand end of the station...

 

Use a headshunt with two crossovers? 

 

Something like this: https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srq/T3226.htm (Sampford Courtenay, LSWR, first example I could find!)

 

Edit - found a GW example,  Evershot - https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/gwb/S3459.htm

Edited January 1, 2023 by Nick C

[Andy Keane]

I would want to have the turntable. My main regret about Helston is the lack of one. Harlequin’s plan is really lovely and you could of course stretch it if you wanted something longer?

[Graham T]

12 minutes ago, Nick C said:

Use a headshunt with two crossovers? 

 

Something like this: https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srq/T3226.htm (Sampford Courtenay, LSWR, first example I could find!)

 

Edit - found a GW example,  Evershot - https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/gwb/S3459.htm

 

Those are great, thanks Nick.  I'm thinking that the Evershot one could work with a single slip or a simple diamond, as I'd have a crossover at the other end of the station, should a loco on the up line need to run round its train.

 

I'll do some more sketches!

 

[Andy Keane]

Just now, Graham T said:

 

Those are great, thanks Nick.  I'm thinking that the Evershot one could work with a single slip or a simple diamond, as I'd have a crossover at the other end of the station, should a loco on the up line need to run round its train.

 

I'll do some more sketches!

 

A branch platform and a third line exiting stage left perhaps?

[Graham T]

1 minute ago, Andy Keane said:

I would want to have the turntable. My main regret about Helston is the lack of one. Harlequin’s plan is really lovely and you could of course stretch it if you wanted something longer?

 

Yes, I wanted the turntable so that it was more feasible to run tender locos on Chuffnell R.  Only problem is the amount of space they need (well, to say nothing of building the dratted things).

 

Having an end to end between two fiddle yards means I can do away with the turntable and just use the big hand from the sky.

 

[Graham T]

2 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

A branch platform and a third line exiting stage left perhaps?

 

That was actually an early consideration Andy, but I scratched the idea because I'd like to keep the plan as narrow as I can, with minimal track in the landscape away from the station itself.