Shepherdswell EKR - 1960’s , next show is Stow In The Wold in May

[roundhouse]

The pack of sleepers arrived Thursday so after loading the car with Banbury, I started soldering up more track.

In the early hours of Friday morning I completed the last loop track after receiving another pack of DCC Concepts sleepers at a reduced price. It looks like the next packs will have to be at the full price which does make building your own track quite expensive these days and these sleepers are no where near the price of copper clad ones that I have found so far.

 

Anyway the loop track was wired and the first train has been run over it.

 

Just the cripple siding and shed tracks to construct.

 

 

[roundhouse]

Yesterday morning at the Preston show I managed to pick up another four mineral wagon kits for a fiver each. Some require wheels but as I have recenterecrived a bag of wheels that won't be an issue. One of our crew also got four second hand mineral wagons, so we certainly won't have a shortage once the layout is ready for shows.

My other half also persuaded me to get a Brassmasters J94 kit going for £60. Just requires a motor and gears which I may well have something suitable at home.

 

She also wanted to buy a second hand Hornby Pecket W4 fitted with a decoder. Who am I to stop her 😎.

 

I have now ordered custom plates to name this loco after her.It has now had its address set to number one.

 

Here it is being tested on the program track behind our layout at the show.

[roundhouse]

I have been back working on the layout after the great weekend at the Preston show.

 

Aswell as working on the second hand wagon kits I have started building the platform. The  base structure is made out of mounting card which is my tried and tested method on previous layouts.

The platform wall has been clad with laminated brick styrene and awaits the coping bring ks before the cinder surface is added. The wider section is where the tiny station building will go.

Edited March 8, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

As I am now clearing the layout ready to take it down so the legs can be used on another layout this weekend, I put the current fleet of industrial locos on the program track. Still a couple to weather.

 

The 009 loco won't be used on the layout but has just had the crew fitted in place.

Edited March 9, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

With the layout down at present I have Bern giving the weathered locos a run on the High Line test circuit.

 

Then decided to get a few photos of them.

[roundhouse]

As I got up at 4am I was in a wiring mood, do after doing a little bit of work on Blackmoor. I continued with the underboard wiring. Another D plug wired and terminal strip fitted do the track droppers were soldered to these.

 

Also I cut a strip of metal and fitted to the floor of a Dapol wagon . It's the first kit that I have had with a twisted floor. After tightening the screws the floor is now level and the wagon no longer rocks on a flat surface.

[roundhouse]

Despite the main attention has been on Blackmoor due to the upcoming show, I have still found time to complete another three mineral wagons including loading this lot with real coal, well the Airfix plastic coal moulding cut down then coal added using PVA glue.

 

Normal service on working on this layout will resume next week.

Edited April 3, 2023 by roundhouse

[Curlew]

Don't get too carried away. Don't forget the output of the Kent coalfield was notoriously small! 😜

[roundhouse]

6 minutes ago, Curlew said:

Don't get too carried away. Don't forget the output of the Kent coalfield was notoriously small! 😜

I was just going for 12 empty and 12 loaded wagons but so far I have quite a few more. I just cant resit a cheap mineral wagon kit

[roundhouse]

After a break from working on this layout due to Blackmoor being prepared for the Nailsea show that was last weekend, I am now back working on Shepherdswell.

 

The last teo turnouts have been fabricated along with the rest of the track except for the two tracks that will be in the engine shed.

 

Once the wiring is completed in the next few days , I can fully test the track before scenic work commences

[roundhouse]

After testing the recently laid track yesterday then painting it, this evening the polystyrene formation has now been fixed in place ready for filler covering.

[roundhouse]

This morning I started adding the Modrock plaster material. I don't normally use this but it is what a late friend had left amongst his modelling stuff 8 years ago and it's still in a use able condition.

 

I got a fair way earlier but a last minute panic as Mum called needing to be taken to the doctors for an emergency appointment not giving me much time to get to hers then the doctors. Now the usual hanging around 20 minutes so far after the appointment was booked for.

 

At least I did have time to wash the plaster off my hands before leaving home👐

 

Anyway the rest of the plaster work can wait.

[roundhouse]

Back from the doctors and Mum is OK.

 

Work has resumed on the layout. Filler mixed with black paint gives a nice grey base colour so that white chips don't show up. However the cutting opposite the platform is chalk so I will add a final white layer just in that area.

 

At the other end the mod rock has been applied to the embankment for the proposed direct line to the South Eastern line. This was never completed but did have a siding on it. I need to research to see if this track was still in situ in the 1960's. The embankment was much wider than just one track though.

Edited April 4, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

A fair amount of progress today. Plenty more filler applied including just white filler on the chalk cutting opposite the platform.

Also my 32 nd mineral wagon has been completed.

 

Modelu crew have been fitted to two industrial locos. They are excellent to work with. More to be ordered.

 

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

After having a very veery week away work has resumed on the layout.

 

The rails have been painted using Phoenix Precision rusty rails track colour. I normally use Humbrol 26 but as this is a light railway I doubt that much brake dust etc accumulated on the rails. The loco stabling area will eventually be much dirtier.

 

Won't be long before ballasting commences.

Edited April 16, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

Today has been very productive from working on our garden and next doors in between working the layout.

 

Rail tops have been cleaned after painting the rail sides. I also fabricated up a catch point for the middle loop track. There doesn't appear to be any others which to me is odd.

 

I have also fabricated the two buffer stops beyond the platform after finally finding a photo of them. They are basically timber built into the mound off earth beyond them, so I am slowly buiing up the mounds with filler.

 

Also the embankment for the proposed direct line is now just about ready for a length of track to be added. I don't know when the track was removed but I will have the track in place and overgrown.

 

Tomorrow I should be able to start ballasting the track.

[roundhouse]

As of early this morning I have ballasted both the end boards plus the runnitline on the middle board, so not much more left to do. I did read that when thr line was built, colliery waste was used. It was only thrn that I noticed the black ballast on the colour front cover photo.

The running line was upgraded from spiked flat bottom to bullhead in chairs do I have presumed that the ballast would have been renewed.

 

I am also still to decide if I put track on the direct line embankment although it may have been lifted by 1960. I may just put the sleepers on it to reduce the chance of one of our team filling it with wagons!

[roundhouse]

As of Sunday all the track apart from the shed area has been ballasted and I have spent some time cleaning the rails plus test running. Pleased with how it's alm gontso far.

However I am struggling to find info as to whether the two road loco shed had inspection pits as I am about to start the construction of the building. I must get in touch with the EKR preservation group to see if they know. 

 

Even had a railtour with a class 33 and 4TC set.

 

Today early this morning a couple more locos were weathered then test run.

 

Tomorrow I will need to take the layout down as the legs are required for use on Dobris this weekend at the Bristol Thornbury show.

Edited April 26, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

I thought that I had reached the maximum number of mineral wagons with 32 of thrm. However a friend found 11 unmade Airfix kits for a good price at the York show. I am yet to meet up with him to start building the kits.

 

However I now have number 33 after finding an old Triang one in my old stock stash.

So after picking up a Parkside chassis kit at the Bristol show at the weekend, the wagon is now assembled new decals and weathering under way.

 

Also bought at the show was a Hornby Bluetooth sound decoder which is now fitted in my Planet Industrial Victory loco. Only a small modification was required to the running plate to get it in and a piece of Tamiya masking tape fitted around the bottom Edge of the decoder. It's just visible when looking low down at the loco but since the photo was taken this has been painted black.

I think that I will fit a Hornby power bank as it does cut out quite often on the High Line test circuit. Otherwise I am pleased with it especially considering the price.

[roundhouse]

Today I collected another 11 mineral wagons whne we met a friend in Hebden Bridge. Tomorrow morning when I wake up in the hotel in Leeds, these will be condensed into just a few boxes to get them home.

They will join the recently purchased 7 wagons that are currently on the workbench.

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

We got back from our Yorkshire trip yesterday lunchtime so a start was made on three of the partially built Airfix wagons. They are now in primer.

 

I also obtained a metal storage box from a friend last week. The card trays have been altered to take 24 mineral wagons on one of the trays. The other tray awaits alteration.

I have also put a diagonal white stripe on the lid together with a black patch which will have my contact details should it get misplaced.

Hopefully all the operators will find it easy to locate the mineral wagon box😎

Edited May 16, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

This morning I was in the shed before  4am, so got quite a bit done before heading out.

 

Three more mineral wagons weathered along with the the Palvan.

 

I also completed the second tray in the mineral wagon storage box. It will eventually have 24 loaded and 24 empty ones. I did find that the rtr Dapol wagon is longer over the buffer heads than the others so I have a few slots for such longer vehicles although at present there is only one of them.

[roundhouse]

Today I started the station building. It's basically two timber huts linked together with a shelter, both huts having a different planking arrangement.

By this evening it is almost ready for painting. Just the signboard by the entrance and the valance on the shelter section left to add.

Edited May 14, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

The building has now had a, few extra details added such as the gable end roof finials. These gave been made from square styrene, a small piece of brass rod with a bead added from the pack I bought over ten years ago to build the N scale platform lights on Santa Barbara thrn superglue built up in layers to form the taper at the top.

 

These received a coat of primer early this morning and a coat of cream to the timber panelling.

The roof pitch is a little higher than it should be but I will keep as is for now. If I am still unhappy with the roof then I have four months to change it.

[roundhouse]

I found an old photo with the following caption

'Lord Mucklebucket promised Lady Sarah that she would have a locomotive named after her but the big railways could not offer a locomotive in time for the couples departure to tour the Empire, so Colonel Stephens hastily found a locomotive in time to fit Lady Sarahs name plates but no time to give the tiny locomotive a good clean.
Just a few friends and a couple who were passing by with their questionable pet.'

 

I have colourised the photo.