Hinksey Yard (c.2010)

[SNCF stephen]

That wiring is superb. I wish mine looked more like that and less like spaghetti! I will be interested to see what type of lighting you decide to go for. One thing I have always found with layouts is that by having a large lighting rig over the entire length of the layout you loose the natural shadows that would occur at certain times of the day. I suppose that is one of the compromises that has to be made when trying to light something in miniature.

[Dave Searle]

Hi,

 

A bit of an aside , but have you seen the 165/166 models by Shapeways that are shown in the "Banbury" layout thread?

 

Yes, I have two FGW 165 & a 166 set ready to build (so far - we will need several more 166s). They are very nice, just need to get round to making them up

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[roundhouse]

Dave

 

I went past Hinksey yard on Monday and class 60 011 in DBS red was in the yard. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of a packed Voyager to get any photos.

 

Some of the hydraulic tilting track carrying wagons where there aswell. They looked brand new.

 

Ian

Edited October 17, 2012 by roundhouse

[Dave Searle]

Hi Ian,

 

Thanks for the info - I would like to have seen the tilting track panel wagons. Last time I went there (in August) there was a 66 and just a few wagons - it looked very empty.

 

We are still resolving a few remaining "crossed-connection" issues with the wiring, but getting closer to the point where we can start track painting and ballasting.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[rope runner]

Hi Ian,

 

Thanks for the info - I would like to have seen the tilting track panel wagons. Last time I went there (in August) there was a 66 and just a few wagons - it looked very empty.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

 

I believe they are severely decreasing capacity & operations out of Hinksey, owing to the now completed phase two extension of Whitemoor LDC.

 

Paul A.

[ess1uk]

Just read through this and WOW!

Stunning layout.

Great work by all involved.

[Dave Searle]

Hi,

 

Thank you for your comments and interest. Paul, one of the reasons we froze the period at 2010 was due to the peak in the activity around that time.

 

We are gradually getting back to work on the layout now the wiring is finished and tested, The next phase is to paint the rails and sleepers:

 

 

We noticed these interesting yellow sleepers which appear to mark the clearances in the sidings (this will also make our operators lives easier).

 

 

 

We have also carved away the cork underlay for the stream that passes under all the tracks the the Didcot end of the yard. We don't have a lot of depth here, and can't cut much of the main board surface away, so the stream will be fairly overgrown - implying depth rather than showing it!

 

 

We have started adding the cable troughs and orange pipes across the tracks where power is needed for the prototype's points, signals, AWS and TPWS. Also some masking tape to protect the point blades from getting glued up when we start ballasting.

 

 

 

It's good to be back in action again.

 

Cheers,

Dave

 

 

[Dave Searle]

Some more gentle progress last night.  

 

Andy & Bill are working on ballasting tests to get a good working technique.  They are trying out different "glues" and ballast mixes.

 

 

Meanwhile Brian has made a start on the backscene:

 

 

The rest of us are painting rails and sleepers.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

Edited January 15, 2013 by Dave Searle

[Dave Searle]

We had a working Saturday and a productive Monday this week.

 

The left hand (South) end of the layout has had the rails and sleepers painted so we are beginning to add details. There is a river and some bridges going under the tracks at this end of the layout.  The river uses brown water colour paint on the base covered with a layer of "water" made from a Deluxe Materials two part mix:

 

 

The eagle-eyed will notice that I missed out the water at the front edge of the board    A lot of the river banks will be covered with greenery, so the lack of real depth won't be too apparent. We've also added the yellow buffer stops (one of our members is currently preparing some red LEDs to light them).

 

This is an overview of the corner:

 

 

The red box marks where the electricity pylon will go and various layers of cork have been added to give some depth to the scene and provide the pathway to the site office (the J-shaped path in the centre). Not so obvious is the infill of thin cork between the tracks. This is to help limit the sideways spread of the ballast and will eventually become the compacted paths between the tracks:

 

 

Cheers,

Dave

[roundhouse]

david

 

Looking good. I do like the way you have done the river. Its often hard to cut out boards without weekening boards. I have had this issue as my boards on most of my layouts are fairly shallow so that I can get htem in the car. Luckily the rivers around Oxford are often very full especially at the moment so you can get away with the way you have done it.

 

Its good the way you managed to get Network Rail to clear the yard so you could photograph it!!

Edited February 27, 2013 by roundhouse

[brian daniels]

The yards full up this week so you can't see any track! I would not bother with red LED's on the buffer stops as there are none in Hinksey, freight yards don't have them, passenger yards tend to so the passenger drivers know when to stop their units    Are you going to put the potholes in the access road?

 

It looks like you are a bridge under the mains short? On the first picture is the bridge you have in the middle of the train and in the second picture under the first and second wagon is another bridge. It's a little creek that goes between the down main and reception 1, from the bridge you have, and ducks under the second bridge behind the trees in the first picture. Hope that's clear?

[Dave Searle]

Hi Ian,

 

I was a little disappointed to have made the trip there last August to find the yard quite empty, but as you say it helps with the infrastructure photography. I was also able take a lot of shots of the electricity pylon and the trees and some wildlife - does anyone make N-gauge rabbits or adders?

 

 

 

Hi Brian,

 

Thanks for those comments about the buffers lights - it's so easy to make incorrect assumptions so it's very useful to have the accurate information.

Yes we''l be putting in some potholes in the access road.

 

Thanks also for mentioning the second bridge. I can now see where it goes under the main lines (about half way along the wooded bit between the tracks) from some Bing views (it is less obvious than the first one, so I'd missed it). That'll also give me a chance to make some more water and put the missing bit in front of the first bridge.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[roundhouse]

Rabbits in N scale - what rabbits??

[brian daniels]

In the summer the little creek up to the other bridge gets well overgrown as is easy to miss it. This time of year it's visible. I might be able to take a picture tomorrow as I am through there on my travels.

[The_Cuckoo]

Hi Ian,

 

I was a little disappointed to have made the trip there last August to find the yard quite empty, but as you say it helps with the infrastructure photography. I was also able take a lot of shots of the electricity pylon and the trees and some wildlife - does anyone make N-gauge rabbits or adders?

 

pylon.jpg rabbits.jpg adder.jpg

 

Hi Brian,

 

Thanks for those comments about the buffers lights - it's so easy to make incorrect assumptions so it's very useful to have the accurate information.

Yes we''l be putting in some potholes in the access road.

 

Thanks also for mentioning the second bridge. I can now see where it goes under the main lines (about half way along the wooded bit between the tracks) from some Bing views (it is less obvious than the first one, so I'd missed it). That'll also give me a chance to make some more water and put the missing bit in front of the first bridge.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

 

That looks to be a grass snake rather than an adder, a very nice find.

[Southernman46]

On a prototypical note - I'm given to understand the two original footbridges will be retained but jacked up by about 1m to give OLE clearance (appropriately caged though) - Whitehouse (the concrete one) is falling to bits but is being repaired atm.

[rob D2]

Its coming along well...

 

I've never been able to find anywhere to park to go look at the yard.

 

Seconded on grass snake * shiver* - hate snakes . full stop.

[Southernman46]

Its coming along well...

 

I've never been able to find anywhere to park to go look at the yard.

 

Seconded on grass snake * shiver* - hate snakes . full stop.

 

Try Manor Lane to the South-west - just off the A34 (no parking permits or restrictions) - then it's about a 5 minute stomp along the footpath to the Lake footbridge.

[brian daniels]

I have some pictures of the other little bridge and water corse for you when I get time to put them up here.

[Dave Searle]

I have some pictures of the other little bridge and water corse for you when I get time to put them up here.

 

Many thanks Brian, that will be very useful.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[Dave Searle]

On a prototypical note - I'm given to understand the two original footbridges will be retained but jacked up by about 1m to give OLE clearance (appropriately caged though) - Whitehouse (the concrete one) is falling to bits but is being repaired atm.

 

I hadn't registered that OLE was to be added. It would explain why the Abingdon Road bridge was raised between my visits in 2010 and 2012.  So we are now involved in creating a historical model set in 2010 - history started yesterday!

 

2010:

 

2012:

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[roundhouse]

Yes - Banbury will also soon be an historical model but much sooner than Hinskey as they are building a car park and footbridge to link in with the existing footbridge -  After Mondays trip I beleive this is about to start.

 

Ian

[brian daniels]

Here is the little creek between the Receptions and the Mains. I would not mix up too much water to go in there as it does look like you could go up this creek without a paddle, just walk on the weeds! Also note the bridge under the Receptions/south end of yard is a concrete one.

[Southernman46]

Strangely I have a structure examiner going to look at the Fowles stream bridges on Monday (routine exam) !

 

I'll just give him these pictures instead..............

[Dave Searle]

Hi Brian,

 

That's fantastic - many thanks.

 

I've now got plenty to keep me busy for a while!

 

Cheers,

Dave