Bentley St. Mary - a Southern vignette in N gauge

[AndyB]

Following on from my last post, the wooden baton did the trick and cured the vertical alignment problem across the baseboard join.

 

That left a number of horizontal alignment problems to be sorted; easily fixed by unsoldering and resoldering the rails from the brass screws.

 

Of course it all needed thoroughly testing....

 

 

...and testing....

 

 

...and more testing....

 

Each loco run fwd and backwards. Turned around and repeated. Slow speed and at moderate speed. And repeated for each track join.  Then repeated pulling and propelling coaches and wagons. 

 

All seems ok now. But the acid test will be when I reassemble the layout in situ and see if it's still working reliably. 

 

Lessons learned. 

Hopefully onwards and upwards now.

 

Cheers for now. Andy

 

[jonhinds]

Looking good! Code 40 is pretty unforgiving in its tolerances but the results are worth it. Look forward to seeing this layout develop further.

[AndyB]

Thanks Jon.

It's taken a lot longer to sort these problems out than I anticipated. 

Hoping the next update will be a bit more exciting! 

Andy

[AndyB]

So I'm pleased to report that the layout is back in situ and a Class 33, a 4MT and an M7 have negotiated all the re-worked joints successfully.

 

 

At long last its possible to move on to new challenges and make a start on the scenic part of the layout.  

 

I sense a bit of carpentry and Code 40 track laying on the horizon...🌝

[AndyB]

No layout update today, but there will be something to show later in the week.

 

Instead, I wanted to reflect on this photograph taken by my youngest; it's not a million miles from the station portrayed by my layout; it'll make a nice cameo scene.

 

Today our village gathered to remember those from our rural community who left to fight in the two world wars and tragically didn't return to their families and our community. 

 

The scene in this photograph hasn't changed in a hundred years and would have been very familiar to those named on our war memorial.  

 

It's a huge privilege to live peacefully here and be able to remember those who left but didn't return.  

 

[AndyB]

Time for an update!

Having ironed out the problems I'd been experiencing with the fiddle yard it's been a pleasure to crack on with track laying on the scenic section. 

So this week I've carved out plywood for the station throat on the middle board and a flowing curve that returns the track to the fiddle yard. 

I haven't quite enough British Finescale track to progress any further for now, but hopefully you can get a sense of how things are progressing.

 

This part of the layout is where locos can stretch their legs a bit. And a nice spot for photos to be taken in the future. 

 

 

I've swapped some of the pointwork around in the goods yard. It's now a direct copy of the real Bentley in the 50s/60s. 

 

When I get a bit further I'll bounce an idea of how I think the cattle pen / loading bank were used.

 

 

An overview of the layout. Definitely a work in progress, but progress is happening. 🙂

 

For now I've got a bit more cork and track to secure in place.

 

Cheers for now. Andy

 

 

 

 

 

[AndyB]

Hi all, 

A hiatus in track laying whilst the British Finescale shop has been off line gave me a chance to put the platforms together.

 

And also to start thinking about the backscene; I'm keen to try out a photographic one. And for N gauge they are 9" in height. 

 

The height would be perfect at the rear of the layout. But this may cause a problem at the sides and front. 

 

The station platforms will finish very close to the backscene. I've mocked it up using some white foam board and black plasticard in the images below.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see the proximity of the backscene really makes it tower over the platform and station building. 

 

And a backscene featuring predominantly trees is probably going to make this even more apparent? 

 

 

I'm wondering what to do about this. 

 

One option might be to put an overbridge into the scene? On the prototype there is such a bridge...but its about a mile away.

 

 

Your thoughts would be very welcome! 

Andy

[stivesnick]

Hi Andy

 

I would go for some trees or buildings between the end of the platform at the backscene. A road bridge tight up against the backscene would create a hard interface between the layout and the backscene. If you do go for a bridge, I would move it an inch or two from the backscene.

 

Hope this helps

 

Nick 

[AndyB]

Thanks Nick. 

Hope all is well with you. 

 

I've recycled some trees from Nantford Spinnney to try out your idea. The roadbridge brought forward and some trees shoved placed behind it. 

I think that may do the trick! 

 

[DavidMcKenzie]

Hi Andy, 

 

I really like Nick's idea and I think the trees are a good edition. Please feel free to ignore this comment and it is your layout so ultimately however you want to model is all that matters 🙂 . But have you considered either a simple sky behind the trees? Or at least only the very tops of the photos of trees in the backscene popping out above the model trees? I've noticed some layouts where the photo realistic backscene has too much detail and is too 'perfect' for want of a better word. It has then highlighted small imperfections that every layout (naturally) has. Some of the best layouts I've seen are the ones where the detail reduces the further away you get from the trains and the background slowly becomes almost a blur and doesn't distract from the main focus (trains, station etc.). 

 

I've attached an entirely random picture below, the use of a little modelers license and a small embankment might help the blend the bridge in? And notice how the detail in the trees behind the loco (above and moving left from the driver) are almost slightly blurry, rather than highly detailed.

 

 

I am sure whichever way you choose to model it you will do a cracking job. 

 

All the best,

Dave

Edited November 30, 2023 by DavidMcKenzie

[AndyB]

Hi @DavidMcKenzie thanks for taking time to add a comment. And a really thought provoking one at that.

 

Since posting that last photo I've been looking at the layout again and am definitely warming to a plain sky background. I like the way you did this on your Maids Morton layout.

 

I think you're right. The sharpness of photographic backgrounds can be too much. Ideally I'd want to push the horizon backwards, not pull it forwards. 

 

As you say distant views do get less distinct. This view looks over the Wey  valley with the railway line a couple of miles away.

 

Thanks again for your insight. 

Andy

[AndyB]

I'm going to call this my "lost sheep" post.

 

 

On the section of track laid so far all my locomotives trundle smoothly (M7, 4F, 4-CEP, individual wagons and coaches)...

 

...apart from the Q1, which bounces as if it's hit a rumble strip when it passes this pair of sleepers (marked with a spot of Typex).

 

And inspite of all efforts I haven't found what's causing the problem. No obvious kinks, blips or other obstruction on the track. 

 

I can't move on till the humble Q1 can join the rest of the rolling stock in running smoothly. 

 

Must be time to ask SWMBO to bring a fresh set of eyes to the problem.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

52 minutes ago, AndyB said:

I'm going to call this my "lost sheep" post.

 

 

On the section of track laid so far all my locomotives trundle smoothly (M7, 4F, 4-CEP, individual wagons and coaches)...

 

...apart from the Q1, which bounces as if it's hit a rumble strip when it passes this pair of sleepers (marked with a spot of Typex).

 

And inspite of all efforts I haven't found what's causing the problem. No obvious kinks, blips or other obstruction on the track. 

 

I can't move on till the humble Q1 can join the rest of the rolling stock in running smoothly. 

 

Must be time to ask SWMBO to bring a fresh set of eyes to the problem.

Is there a photo of the other side?  Also, anything protruding from under the loco - and anything sticking up between the rails along the length of the loco?

[AndyB]

4 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Is there a photo of the other side?  Also, anything protruding from under the loco - and anything sticking up between the rails along the length of the loco?

 

It was after taking numerous photos of that section of track, and finding it no different from the rest of the track that I flipped the loco over and found this...

 

 

There's a thin rod that runs the length of the loco and ends in a T piece. The T piece fits into a pair of brackets, one of which is bent. The whole rod hangs free. My hypothesis is that it catches onto a sleeper acting like an anchor and causing the front of the loco to rear up. 

I'm not going to try and fix this today as I'd need to bend that bracket back again. Not a job I want to rush. 

 

Anyway. Onwards and upwards; I've a Brirish Finescale B6 point to finish. 

 

[AndyB]

Well that seems to be fixed now. 

The horizontal rod is back in its brackets. 

It's funny. I was so focused trying to spot a problem with the front wheel-track interaction. Whereas the actual cause was 2 inches to the left. 

 

 

Anyway solving that has given a few of my neurones some exercise over recent days. Which is no bad thing. 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by AndyB

[shanks522]

Hi Andy, 

 

 Only just discovered your thread, going to be a great layout! Look forward to more. 
 

Graham. 

[AndyB]

First of all Seasons Greetings to anyone reading this. Wishing you all a peaceful and happy Christmas. 🎄

 

With so many modelling jobs to do it has felt a little overwhelming recently.

So the most useful thing I felt would help was to tidy and clean the layout and modelling room up. 

 

And lo and behold under all the half-finished tasks there was a layout! Well the start of ine, at least!

 

So instead of thinking about sll the jobs yet to do I thought it'd be worth thinking about progress made over the past year.

 

 

 

Going back 12 months I'd just dismantled Nantford Spinney after the Railway Modeller photo shoot.

 

The warped run of kitchen units it sat on were stripped out and their contents distributed into large, damp-proof boxes. 

 

A new, very strong, workbench was constructed as a foundation for the new layout. New LED lighting was put in which lights the whole layout area. 

 

3 open-top baseboards were built ready for track laying. 

Next came the fiddle yard using Peco Unifrog and Code 55 track. Each piece of track and points wired individually for reliability. 

 

Servo point control was new to me and getting these working well was quite fiddly. On reflection I could have gone down the solenoid route. But at least I know how to get these things set up for the scenic section.

 

As a result of all this work I've now got a springboard to work on the scenic section over the coming months. 

 

So. To the fun to come in the year to ahead...

 

8 or 9 finescale points to be built with servo control and current switching. 

Get all the new trackwork working reliably.

 

Sccenics; everything from the backscene through to a river bed, lanes, and terrain. Make a start on some buildings...

 

anyway one thing at a time.

 

For now, hope you're all enjoying railway modelling in whatever shape and form you're enjoying the hobby.

Cheers for now. Andy

 

[AndyB]

Well safe to say I found any number of other jobs on the layout before tackling the turnout kit. 

 

And TBH it wasn't all plain sailing and my first kit was something of a cockup practice effort.

 

Thankfully this video by @James Hilton saved my bacon and sanity.  Many thanks James. 👍

 

As a result my second attempt worked out much better. Still got a wee bit of tidying up to do and wiring it up yet to do. But that should be more straightforward.

 

 

 

So. Onwards and upwards. 

Cheers. Andy.

 

 

[AndyB]

No modelling per se to show on the layout to show you. A sun baseboard to contain the ststion throat isn't that exciting, I think.

 

But something to brighten up the railway room. A 500 piece jigsaw of Corfe Castle; sticking with the Southern theme.

 

Glued to a piece of foam board and ready to hang on the wall. This will hang next to a similar one of Brockenhurst.

 

 

Cheers for now. Andy

[Artless Bodger]

Nice, reminds me about 60 years ago I'd had a jigsaw of a train just about to enter a tunnel as a Christmas present from a relative, once it was made Dad glued it to a piece of hardboard to hang on my bedroom wall. The loco was in BR blue, I think a Royal Scot (were they in blue?).

 

We have one in progress now - 2 views of Waterloo, in wartime and just post war, celebrating the centenary of the station.

[AndrueC]

I bet finding the pieces for the empty rail was tricky. Looking for 'a bit of reddish brown on dirty white' couldn't have been easy. Reminds of a Jigsaw I once did of Llandudno Promenade. It was great fun right up until I got to The Great Orme in the background. Looking for 'a bit of green, maybe black on dirty white' got old quite fast. And it represented about a quarter of the image.

Edited January 22 by AndrueC

[AndyB]

3 hours ago, Artless Bodger said:

Nice, reminds me about 60 years ago I'd had a jigsaw of a train just about to enter a tunnel as a Christmas present from a relative, once it was made Dad glued it to a piece of hardboard to hang on my bedroom wall. The loco was in BR blue, I think a Royal Scot (were they in blue?).

 

We have one in progress now - 2 views of Waterloo, in wartime and just post war, celebrating the centenary of the station.

 

Thanks for your comment, Artful. 🙂

 

Yes, I believe the Royal Scot was in a blue livery...

https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Duchess-Class-Steam-Locomotive--City-of-/977C795328E1EE57

 

I saw the Waterloo one but quite like the more rural themes as they brighten up the railway room / office. Let us know how it goes.

 

I've a little list to work through! 

 

1 hour ago, AndrueC said:

I bet finding the pieces for the empty rail was tricky. Looking for 'a bit of reddish brown on dirty white' couldn't have been easy. Reminds of a Jigsaw I once did of Llandudno Promenade. It was great fun right up until I got to The Great Orme in the background. Looking for 'a bit of green, maybe black on dirty white' got old quite fast. And it represented about a quarter of the image.

 

 

Thanks for your comment, Andrue. 🙂

I'm enjoying seeing progress on your own N gauge Odyssey

 

Actually the ballast and track weren't too bad. The perspective helped to get things in the right order.

 

The loco was quite tricky and it was the last bit I tackled...my wife and son were doing a jigsaw too at the same time...it turned into a bit of a competition to finish first! 

 

Here's my next one. 1000 pieces this time.

Not a Southern scene but one from my childhood; albeit it was corporate blue EMUs in my day.

When I spotted it I had to get it. 

 

 

Cheers. Andy

[Artless Bodger]

After a search I have found the puzzle, there's one in the Scinece Museum collection, link:

 

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8003850/the-kings-regiment-jigsaw-puzzle

 

I remembered wrongly, it is emerging, not entering the tunnel.

 

Thanks for reviving a good memory!

[AndyB]

So. Early in January I posted about initial success building a finescale point. 

 

Unfortunately when I returned to it today to add dropper wires parts of it fell off. And not easily re-affixed either as the rails around it are secured in place.

 

 

I was able to repair other parts of the webbing that broke during the build.

A previous point kit I'd used as a test piece suffered from the chairs disintegrating during the build and had to be thrown away.

 

All things considered I'm not convinced that continuing with finescale is right for me.

 

Whilst the finished product looks great - and only yesterday I saw a very nice layout featuring these points - I'm coming to the conclusion that the overall layout build will stall completely. Reverting to Code 55 may be the more pragmatic way forward.

 

I'm not throwing in the towel quite yet on finescale. But the time to take a different approach is drawing near. 

 

 

[Keith Addenbrooke]

On 22/01/2024 at 19:30, Artless Bodger said:

After a search I have found the puzzle, there's one in the Scinece Museum collection, link:

 

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8003850/the-kings-regiment-jigsaw-puzzle

 

I remembered wrongly, it is emerging, not entering the tunnel.

 

Thanks for reviving a good memory!

Good to see from the box it’s “Fully interlocking” - must be reassuring to the loco crew at that speed 😀, Keith.