Shanford - N Gauge in Edinburgh

[LukeB]

I've been working on the bones of a new layout for a while. My previous layout, Newtonmore, isn't engaging me as much with its operation and has a lot of electrical gremlins that I've learnt from. 

 

It's replacement will be Shanford, a compressed and realigned version of the Shandon to Slateford area of South west Edinburgh. This area has Victorian cooperative colony housing, tenements and a few shops split into sections by the Edinburgh to Glasgow mainline, a junction line running under the others and an old suburban branch. At one end of the colonies is a Network Rail depot. Beyond that are carriage sidings and the Slateford and Gorgie areas of town. 

 

The layout imagines that the branch was retained. The depot has been realigned with a bit of inspiration from the layout of the Vale of Oxbury, my favourite model. Three quarters of the colonies have been removed to shrink the layout to just over two metres. At the moment I have space for more but the layout may have to move in future. The junction line has been swapped for the Union Canal which runs at the top of the colonies in reality. The other areas of town will, for now at least, be replaced with fields as it was when the colonies were first built, imagining that this is the edge of the city. I've also moved a local charity urban farm to the bottom left of the layout. 

 

Here's the trackplan. If anyone has any ideas how to add a bit of length to the branch siding off scene I'd be keen to hear them - it's just a bit too short for a class 156 at the moment. 

 

Layout Image-1 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The layout will live in the loft. The baseboard will be styrofoam  boards supported with wooden battens so it's light enough to maneuver if it ever has to live in our spare bedroom and hide under the bed when we have guests. 

I've no track yet due to shortages of track in shops and funds. In the meantime I'm making the scenic areas as modules. The first is Gorgie City Farm. This is only a small part of the farm but all that I've allowed for. This is the pet lodge, complete with a field with guinea pigs in hutches which I've not seen modelled before. 

 

DSC_7603 by Luke Bradley, on Flic

 

DSC_7665 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_7623 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_7704 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_7617 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_7606 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr
 

[LukeB]

It's been pointed out to me (HA!) that the points between the two loops won't let trains go from the outer loop to the branch line correctly, so I'm going to move them.

 

The next building is starting and it's a big one - a row of tenements with shops at the bottom. The CAD work is complete (apart from the roofs, which I'll do the maths on when the main structure is built, and a turret that forms the end of the building that I'm swithering about taking on) and I've just started printing them off to build-

 

[LukeB]

I thought I'd posted these photos of the completed building from the CAD drawing above ages ago but it turns out I'd forgotten. This was finished in October - it's taking a long time to work on these buildings doing an hour or two a week. 

The tenement will go right in a corner against the backscene so it's narrow and a bit short. Road level will be one storey up, while the end will be at rail level one storey down, hence the plain brickwork at the front. 

DSC_9352 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

1639300164650 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

DSC_9371 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

1639300194886 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

The next building is underway too, a row of colonies (two storey blocks of flats, with each flat having its own door and garden, a unique thing to Edinburgh).

IMG_20211223_144037 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

IMG_20211228_115010 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[LukeB]

All my track bits have turned up so I've been making a start on the baseboard. While at the moment the layout will lift in our loft and be out permanently, if we ever convert the loft it will have to live under a bed when we have guests and so light weight was a priority. So the baseboards are 40mm thick styrofoam boards with wooden battens between each, held in a frame of L shaped moulding. They're very light and will let me cut some scenery like the canal into the baseboard, rather than increasing height so much it won't fit under a bed.

 

IMG_20220308_102801 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The whole lot is held together with copious quantiites of No More Nails, with the battens being added to the end of each piece of styrofoam first, left for a few days, then two sides of the frame being added, held in place with straps, left to dry and then the ends added last. The sides are screwed into the battens for extra security.

 

IMG_20220308_102649 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20220312_075756 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[Moonter]

I used to live in Shandon so am following with interest.

[LukeB]

@Moonter - it seems almost everyone in Edinburgh knows someone who used to live round here, or did themselves.

 

The module for the colonies is just about done - I've got to build some sheds (or perhaps just buy some) and get hold of some more wheelie bins. I could also do with an n scale barbecue if anyone has any ideas for where to get one. I may make one out of a ball of DAS and three bits of wire for legs. Since these shots were taken more planting has been added to the gardens and everything toned down with weathering powder. 

 

I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out - I learned some lessons from the tenement. The main one is that the bay windows are just sheets of transparency film - getting card to bend nicely with such thin bars around the window was impossible and made the windows too chunky. The roofs are also transparency film with tissue paper painted silver for the flashing. The whole thing was made at 85% scale size but it all looks in 1:148 proportion compared to the 1:160 Land Rover in the photos.

 

DSC_9451 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9444 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9430 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9439 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9447 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9431 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

Edited April 11, 2022 by LukeB

[LukeB]

 

In a bit of a break from scenic modelling I've come up with a fun solution to my problem branchline off-scene length. Rather than try and make that longer I've decided to make the train shorter so I'm going to offload my 156 and have bought a Central Trains 153.

 

DSC_9778 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

I've applied some Electra Rail Scotrail bike carriage vinyls to it and now I have a train that will be fully hidden off scene! Not realistic but I'm a cyclist and spend a lot of time in the Highlands so I like it. I probably need to give it a spray with matt varnish to make it look a bit more realistic.

 

DSC_9844 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9845 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9847 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_9848 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

Edited April 11, 2022 by LukeB

[LukeB]

After a coat of varnish and the fitting of some snowploughs the 153 looks a lot better I reckon.

 

DSC_9988 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

I've been working on some of the less grand structures recently and have had a go at this road bridge, seen here from the route of the branchline, with the tenement I've already built in the background-

 

IMG_20211129_144457 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Rather than make an exact replica I've modified a Scalescenes kit. The stonework on these kits is a bit bright so for my next kit I might try toning down the colours in photoshop first, but this one will just get some weathering powders instead.

 

IMG_20220410_190514 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

I'm not normally a graffiti fan but these two characters have been cropping up all over Edinburgh since lockdown in 2020. The baguette wielding Bread Monster is seen in battle all over town with the teapot headed Tea Knight. One proclaims "Eat Yer Bread!" while the other yells "Doon Yer Tea!". I really like them and there's one on the next bridge up the line so I recreated them in GIMP (like Photoshop but freeware) and put them here.

 

IMG_20210306_120037 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20220410_190530 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[LukeB]

I've been plugging away at some more bridges - I've laid out the trackplan on the baseboard but the bridges have to be finished before I can lay the track.

 

IMG_20220418_194819 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

In order to position the finished bridges I'll also have to make the cutting for the canal. I normally don't share my railway passion with my friends but my pal Ian is a hobbyist woodworker and had recently got a router to make his own skis so I asked for his help with this. The banks are nicely cut at 45 degrees now but will be roughened up in time, and extended a bit to deepen the cutting. 

 

IMG_20220420_191153_1 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20220421_095109 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Meanwhile, I've been working on real railways - both disused and current. First at a place called Crossmichael in Dumfrieshire where the station house, platforms and the area where the goods yard were are still intact. Unfortunately kids broke into the signal box in the 1980s and set fire to it otherwise that would be complete, with leverframes and everything - only the chimey stack remains. It'd be a fantastic layout for someone wanting a country branch and sidings in steam days.

 

IMG_20220422_111400 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52028721968_0

5e0a661dc_c.jpg[/img]IMG_20220422_140821 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20220422_111349 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

And then a bit of environmental sampling at Carstairs Junction over the weekend-

 

IMG_20220424_100131 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20220424_093357 (1) by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

 

[LukeB]

There was a big moment back in April when, after a year of construction, I finally laid the first piece of track. I needed to finish my two girder bridges over the canal before I could complete either of the loops or the branch line so, after quite a long build (I'd forgotten how much of a faff some Scalescenes kits can be) I got them ready to install.

 

Of course, if I was installing the bridges, that meant the canal had to be completed. The first step was to paint the underside of a piece of perspex I had knocking about.

 

 

 

Then, after that was installed properly and bridge abutments had been constructed, Dapol modelling water was used to add some waves. This stuff is OK, but it takes longer to dry than stated and there's a very narrow window within those few hours where you can shape it with a brush to form waves. I'd not use it again.

 

With the water still wet, I added some reeds (which will be linked to the bank by overgrowth so they aren't just floating randomly as tehy are now), wildlife and boats.

 

 

 

 

 

Locals may recognise the white domestic duck that's been adopted by two swans at Ratho-

 

 

There's even a hint of railway activity-

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by LukeB

[LukeB]

I hadn't realised it was May when I had finished laying track - but it does feel like I've been wiring the layout up forever. Unlike my previous layouts, I wanted problems to be easy to trace. The wiring is colour coded to each piece of track, and the layout of the wiring mimics the track above it so it's easier for me to follow. These all feed into power distribution modules.

 

Everything is then wired into a SUB connector (one for positive and one for negative) which will then connect to a control panel. Unfortunately, I've still got to build the panel so that'll probably be another 5 months! I'm building a mock up first just in case there's any major problems then I can get to town on testing.

 

Having started with this rat's nest-

 

IMG_20220818_181053 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

I cut paths for the wires and in the foamboard using an altered soldering iron-

 

IMG_20220818_181102 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

And now have this rat's nest, which isnt' as neat as I hoped but is a massive improvement on my old layouts-

 

IMG_20221013_173926 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Unfortunately, in the time that's passed, the canal has turned white. I don't think I can recommend Dapol Water - one thin layer and this is the result. I wish I'd just used PVA like I had on my previous layout. So, I've painted over the resin with thinned down blue and black paints and hopefully it can be saved.

 

IMG_20221013_184720 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20221013_184737 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Away from the layout, I've been plugging away in CAD and at the cutting mat to build another tenement which is coming along nicely.

 

I also ordered some 3D printed vehicles from Panzer Shop which arrived today. I like to get a momento of a holiday in the form of a vehicle to go on the layout so here's a Trabant from our trip to Berlin and a UAZ 469 from our trip to Armenia. I'm still trying to track down a Lada Niva. I've not painted anything as small as this before so it'll be a challenge. If anyone has any tips, please let me know. The prints are exquisite and my suspicion is I'll ruin them.

 

IMG_20221014_114138 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[LukeB]

A big moment today - the first trains moved powered by the new control panel mock up. Inside the panel is a lot of wiring and two of the new Hornby HM6000 bluetooth DC controllers. These are GREAT - I'm not into the hobby enough to justify investing in DCC chips and controllers but these things really do go a long way to replicating the DCC experience. The locomotives accelerate very realistically, their low speed running is improved and in spite of always thinking DCC sound is a bit naff (I always find it tinny), when run through a phone into a proper stereo the sound is even good. 

 

Having seen @bmthtrains - David post photos he'd taken with some work lights I got myself an LED set to help improve photos of the layout while it's in this dingy corner before it moves to its proper home.

 

IMG_20221020_133645 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

I didn't have enough faith in my wiring to build a proper control panel straight away so for now it's just a cardboard box.

 

IMG_20221020_130859 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

To my surprise, the complicated network rail sidings at the front of the layout, which are controlled by one supply from one of the HM6000s, worked perfectly.

 

Sadly, there's a short on the inner circuit. I've not had to deal with a short before - am I going to have to remove every wire individually (or in pairs?) and keep retesting? If I remove a wire and there's still a short do I replace it before moving on?

 

If anyone has any tips I'd really appreciate it. For context, the inner loop and the fiddleyard are powered by one power supply. This is linked to a bus which feeds four power distribution boards. All points are correctly IRJed. 

 

I thought if I removed the supply to each distribution board individually it would find the fault, but it's not worked. I've then directly fitted the power supply to each board and there's a spark on every one when I apply power.

 

Here's all the points on that loop (excluding those within the fiddle yard). 

 

An electrofrog Code 55 point, this allows a crossover with the other loop. The frog has t wo IRJs - the other track doesn't, but the opposing point has an IRJ so this bit is fully insulated from the opposing track. The opposing track works fine.

 

IMG_20221020_161032 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

An electrofrog Code 55 left hand point facing an insulfrog Y point. Both have IRJs on the frogs. The crossing, to my surprise and delight, is wired up right and works! It's not part of the problem track though.

 

IMG_20221020_161043 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

An insulfrog left hand point into the fiddleyard. This is IRJ'd (even though I know it doesn't need to be, it's so I can keep various sections of track seperate).

 

IMG_20221020_161553 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

And an insulfrog right hand point into the fiddle yard. This is also IRJ'd.

 

IMG_20221020_161612 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

All the points have additional feed wires on the blades, even the insulfrog ones, controlled by switches in the control panel because I don't want there to be power problems five years down the line. There is still a short when all switches are off, and when the power is direct to the board (i.e. the control panel is completely disconnected).

I'm guessing it's just that I've got the power to two locations crossed, but if that's the case why is it affecting every distribution board? Help!

[Davexoc]

In case there is more than one short, I would remove them all and then replace them one at a time. You should be able to leave all the common returns connected and just add the feeds one by one.

[LukeB]

Oh god. I feared that might be the case. See you all in another 6 months!

[LukeB]

@Davexoc Thanks for your advice - I managed to find the short and the layout now works on all the tracks.

 

However I'm having a problem with my two siding areas. The branchline on the left and the block of sidings on the right are each controlled by their own controller. However, when I apply power on one, locomotives move on the other.

 

IMG_20221030_180624 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The tracks are wired up like this-

 

- Power from each controller goes to a 3 amp terminal block
- from the terminal block, wires feed the DPDT switch for the crossing, a power distribution board for the control panel and another PDB for the tracks that are always live.
- each point has IRJs on the v, so in theory the track beyond it is independent.
- Each piece of track beyond the IRJ is controlled by a switch.
- The tracks are all individually wired to a PDB, except for those which are controlled by a switch.

 

The result is that, even when all the switches are off and the outer tracks of the crossing are completely removed from the power, telling a loco to move on half of the sidings on the right will cause another locomotive stored on another of the sidings to move, and a locomotive on the  branchline to move.

 

Anyone got any ideas what's going on?

[Davexoc]

Is it a case of having common returns all connected, but then depending on the hand of the various points, whether the circuit is completed on multiple ways?

So an IRJ isolates a common return at the crossing, but if all the common returns are connected, the other rail will be still be live whichever way the points are set. You then get movement regardless, unless your common returns are actually switched at the panel.

In which case you also need to isolate the other rail as well, the crossing IRJs stop shorts depending on point setting, but won't isolate individual roads. Personally I connect all returns regardless and just isolate the live rail where required. Is that any help?

[LukeB]

It is @davexoc - fully isolating the crossing sorted the problem, and undoing some other wiring mistakes I'd made sorted the locos moving on the wrong tracks in the sidings. Thanks for your help with the wiring.

 

I think I'm now at a stage where I can get testing the layout properly, which will then let me get on with the scenery.

Edited November 1, 2022 by LukeB

[LukeB]

Another long gap between posts, and it’s the electronics that are entirely to blame. Because I’ve found them a bit of a faff I’ve not been as keen to get on and do them but finally I’ve completed my control panel, ironed out all the issues and soldered everything. The results is that everything works as it should (or will until it’s painted and ballasted, when I bet everything will go wrong again).

 

The control panel is not as professional looking as I’d envisaged but it works properly so I’ll stick with it. I’m damned if I’m resoldering all the connections again.

 

IMG_20230131_152743 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The next step was a first for me – I’ve not painted and weathered my track before, just left it as plain black sleepers and shiny rails. Having seen the difference it makes, though, I thought I’ve have a go. I masked off the important bits-

 

IMG_20230131_193019 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Then set to work with some Vallejo Leather Brown. This looked a little lighter than I’d expected but it seems to have turned out OK.

 

IMG_20230203_174942 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230131_194352 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Then, last weekend, I finally got to set about ballasting the thing. I mixed DCC Concepts Legacy Ballast (brown mix) with Woodland Scenics Iron Ore and Grey fine ballast to try and compared it to a couple of photos. While they don’t look the same in this image I think that’s just the photo of the screen picking up the colours wrong and they’re not a bad match.

 

IMG_20230205_092643 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

I use a Lightwork Ballast Spreader from railwayscenics.com and it makes it so easy. It still took a couple of hours to fill in around the points and glue it all down. Now the ballast is drying but once it is I think things will really pick up – I’m on to scenic modelling, I’ve made some headway with the buildings and have a backscene. I’m also off to Model Rail Scotland which usually gives me a kick to get going.

 

IMG_20230205_092818 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[LukeB]

The ballast has dried and I've done some more work on some buildings (photos of that will follow in the next post). I've put a bit of effort into weathering the track. I'd not intended to do this but I was looking at photos for locations of AWS equipment and the lack of uniformity in the track really jumped out at me.

 

I've used Vallejo weathering powders in predominantly dark and rusty tones.

 

 

I've used a lighter touch on the main running lines and branch.

 

 

And gone heavier on the sidings where locos have stood.

 

 

I'm quite pleased with how my lifted line has turned out. I'll post something with a different loco to the 37 next time!

 

[LukeB]

Here's a little bit of the progress I've been making on my buildings. I've been working on three at once - two tenements like the first one from 2021 and another building that has two storeys at road level and three at the back. This one has shops along the road and a total of eight gardens accessed by stairs down the side.

 

The downside of modelling somewhere in Edinburgh is the sheer number of windows!

 

IMG_20221111_211010_1 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The shop fronts are made of acetate overlain with self adhesive paper.

 

IMG_20230101_183022 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Round the side there's a lot of pipes and cables.

 

IMG_20230218_163451 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

This is the new building on a module with the colony buildings I made last year to make sure the gardens are the right size.

 

IMG_20230221_131606 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The first bit of garden detail is done- grass, beds, paving and fencing. There's still lots more to do.

 

IMG_20230222_180702 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[LukeB]

The backscene has arrived. I designed it myself using photos I took in the area. I got it printed on self adhesive plastic by Scalology, who also make the ID Backscenes range. It only cost £17, I'm pleased with it. 

 

Here it is on a test fit - I've now trimmed the white border off the bottom and mounted it on card and wood.

 

IMG_20230217_190729 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[LukeB]

I went to Model Rail Scotland the other weekend. I had a bit of Christmas money in my pocket and had looked forward to spending it on some scenic supplies. Unfortunately the stand I got some really nice things from last year wasn't there, and everyone else was selling the same old stuff - principally, static grass that was a bit bright. 

 

When I got home I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole and spent an amount of money that I'm still a little queasy about on some Martin Welberg Scenic Studios products, having seen how effective they are on @bmthtrains - David layout. First to go down will be some grass mats. I've not used a grass mat since I built my first model railway and normally I'd do this sort of thing myself, but the standard of these is much higher than I could achieve. The intention is to create a sort of edge-of-the-city scrub.

 

IMG_20230303_185032 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

IMG_20230303_185041 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

This has put me in a bit of a quandary about what to do with the large open area at the front of the layout. I had intended to leave this level-ish, with a slight rise above the baseboard, in case I wanted to put a factory or something there in future. Now I've got these mats, and having seen some of the layouts at the exhibition, I'm tempted to cut away some of the front of the baseboard and create a fall in level from the track. This will help create a better view of the trains and maybe be a bit more realistic. I could always cut more away later and create a platform for a factory at a lower level.

 

In reality, there is a slight fall in this direction but it's probably only 2.5m and the area at the bottom has been flattened to create a platform for development. If I were to do this I'd probably go for a gentler drop. 

 

IMG_20230304_192505 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

Anyone any thoughts?

[LukeB]

It finally looks like the layout is getting somewhere. All the buildings are built and I've installed them on the eastern end of the layout along with the road. This all went together a lot more quickly than I expected - a solid afternoon and it was done. 

 

The plan now is to work meticulously from left to right on the scenery and remaining structures. First step will be street furniture on the road, then a lot of vegetation on the left hand end.

 

DSC_1988 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The second bridge took nowhere near as long as the first. It's based on one at the end of the road which goes over the canal. Unfortunately, despite a slight downslope on the road from the back of the layout to the front, the bridges are higher than they should be. I scaled down the measurements of the real railway bridges but the clearance on the layout didn't work and I don't know why - as a result, the side road you can see on the right here is too steep, despite the embankment being much higher than it should be to raise the road and houses closer to the main street level.

 

DSC_1995 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

The back of the houses on the side street, which survived an incident with my wife's boots fairly well.

 

DSC_1987 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

The gardens are fully planted now, with things roughly where they are in real life.

 

DSC_1986 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

A view up the main street of the shops and slightly damaged tenement building.

 

DSC_1985 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

[LukeB]

Work has actually been progressing nicely on Shanford, but I've not been great at photographing it - I've been too involved with doing it.

 

A little bit of work that I enjoyed was painting some 3d printed models. Here's progress on a borehole drilling rig, a UAZ 469 and a Trabant, along with a bit of vegetation laid along the branchline. 

 

 

[LukeB]

Here we go, a bit of progress. I've been busy planting vegetation, installing fences and getting some details sorted. I did install a load of Scale Model Scenery chain link fence but once installed it looked just like what it was - some mesh fabric held on cardboard sticks. So, I ripped that out and bought some 3d printed security fencing from Etsy which is much better.

 

I've also treated myself to a new Dapol Class 67. I have two already - an EWS one and a Caledonian Sleeper one, but the Sleeper one just died on the old layout. Harburn Hobbies had a good look at it and said it would have to go to DCC Supplies who stock all the Dapol spares. The cost for that was as much as this one in DB Schenker red on eBay so I've taken the driveshafts out of the dead one and will use it as a dummy for double heading and rail head treatment and other infrastructure trains. 

 

The DB Schenker one with the maple leaf livery is also a nod to my next trip - across Canada on the Canadian sleeper next month.

 

DSC_3719 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_3717 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_3695 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_3696 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr

 

DSC_3694 by Luke Bradley, on Flickr