Rixteth (formerly Ribbglas) - Starting in 0-16.5

[JeremyC]

When my club build its 0:16.5 layout many years ago we originally used the narrow bar Airfix couplings. Later on when the availability of these became a problem most people switched to standard narrow bar couplings from Bachman etc.

The height of the couplings was lower than standard because it was decided by the maximum height that would go under the lowest vehicle, in our case that was a Wrightlines Talyllyn slate wagon.

Edited August 19, 2022 by JeremyC

[Dmudriver]

Hi.

 

I've been making a little bit of progress!  On the coupling question, as I've said I've decided on Kadees and I've now fitted overset couplings to the van and they now match well to the gauge.  I've lowered the slot in the maroon coach and I just now need to replace the centreset coupling with an overset.  I had to alter that with the bufferbeam attached to the coach.  For the green one, the bufferbeam isn't yet attached so that should be a bit easier - and hopefully avoid any damage to the underside of the coach, which I got close to with the first one!!

 

I've yet to order the Peco 0-16.5 pointwork but this is the layout I am planning to adopt - on a 4'x1' board.

 

 

The fiddle yard - also 4'x1' will attach to the bottom of this board.  I'm not planning on buying any 0-16.5 track as I have a reasonable stock of Peco and Farish code 100 flexitrack:  I've started removing every other sleeper to make it more like narrow gauge track.  The sleepers are probably a bit too narrow but it will do to start the layout off and I'll see how it looks once ballasted and weathered.

 

 

The stock I've built so far is here - still requiring vac pipes on all and brake levers on the van (and couplings on the green coach):

 

 

I've renamed the thread "Ribbglas" as this will be the name of this station, at the (roughly) north end of the line.  The railway will be known as The West Lancashire Plain Railway - referred to as the WLP.  I like to have an idea of the area in which my layouts operate and so to explain it, I've taken a couple of screen shots from Google Earth:

 

 

The first one shows a lot of the West Lancashire Coastal Plain.  The railway will start from the area around Hesketh Bank at the top of the picture and meander through Tarleton, Mere Brow, Holmeswood, Rufford, Burscough to Ormskirk.  The Directors are applying for an Act to continue via Lathom to Rainford but construction will depend on the success of the first section!  The Plain is basically drained marshland and is fertile and agriculturally very productive.  Vegetable crops include potatoes, carrots, cabbages, brussel sprouts and onions (per Wikipedia).  So, plenty of use for vans and open wagons.

 

The northern terminus will be situated near where the River Douglas flows into the River Ribble - here:

 

 

roughly in the area of the current Riverview Motorcycle Training although closer to the bank of the Douglas.  The station name is based on the 2 rivers.

 

The Directors have spotted an opportunity to increase income by offering sailings from a new quay near the station to Lytham St Annes and Southport (on the coast round to the left in both pics).  A round trip ticket would allow trippers to board the steamer one way and return by train on the standard gauge lines back to Burscough, where there will be an interchange (or vice versa).  In fact, there was a paddle steamer in the late 1800s, I understand, which did do such trips, the PS "Virginia".  My version (Rule 1) ignores the problems with tides!!  Anyway, this will allow me to have a variety of passenger stock and operation which is an interest of mine.

 

Apologies if this post is a bit long but it helps me to get my thoughts organised when I write them down - and hopefully there will be some interest to others.

 

More soon.

 

 

Rod

 

 

[Jeff Smith]

Pictures of the GVT track hardly show the sleepers.  I will be largely burying mine and using a uniform colour over the dirt and sleepers - no ballast as such!

[Dmudriver]

I've now managed to get the Kadee couplings on the 3 vehicles all at the same height as the gauge:

 

 

 

I'm also now building the baseboards using 3.6mm plywood.  I'm aiming to make them as light as possible as shown here:

 

 

The board is 4' x 1' and there will be cross members, similarly constructed every foot, screwed and glued where the blocks are on the outer members.  My original intention was to have an 8' x 1' layout - which would fit in the shed where my standard gauge layout is - but I may make it 5' x 3' depending how it fits indoors.  Watch this space!!

 

I'm also changing the layout name - again!! - to Rixteth.  On another forum (NGRM-online) I've had discussions about the Vikings who first settled this area (as well as the Wirral and the Fylde) and their influence on place names.  Rixteth is from Erik's stath, ie staithe or landing place.  This is, I think, appropriate for a site very near to a river bank.

 

More soon.

 

 

Rod

Edited October 23, 2022 by Dmudriver

[Dmudriver]

And here are the baseboards.  top of one and underneath of the other:

 

 

I'm happy that they are nice and level, so I'll unscrew the joints, one by one, and add PVA to make them really firm.

 

To line them up I've fitted locating dowels in one end of each, as here:

 

 

They are a very firm fit and I will use over-centre clips to hold the boards together.  Then I need some legs!!  And then I can start laying some track!!

 

The holes in the middle of the cross members are for the wiring: they are in the end ones as I just drilled out all 10 cross pieces together and then selected the best fit member for the ends!  Points will be operated by hand so there was no need to worry about the placing of motors under the boards.

 

More soon.

 

 

Rod

[Dmudriver]

I've bought a loco!!  Not what I originally had in mind, but I've always fancied a Shay and this one just happened to be available in the shop where I bought my 0-16.5 track!!

 

 

 

It's a cracker!!  I've since lifted the spark arrester further up the chimney!!

 

However, I've decided I'm going to close this thread and concentrate my narrow gauge meanderings on the Narrow Gauge Railway Modelling online forum.  Basically, I'd just be repeating on here what I'm putting on there, which to me is a bit of a waste of time.

 

I think you can get to it by copying the link below into your browser - if you want to, that is!!  Look under "Layout Topics".

 

 

Rod

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Dmudriver