Eastwood Town - A tribute to Gordon's modelling.

[D9JEF]

Gordon,

 

Recieved my copy of Model Rail today. Inspirational article showing the progress you have made. Good to see that RMweb got a mention.

Make sure you all buy the mag and read all about it.

 

Excellent!

 

Jeff

[D9JEF]

Gordon,

 

Recieved my copy of Model Rail today. Inspirational article showing the progress you have made. Good to see that RMweb got a mention.

Make sure you all buy the mag and read all about it.

 

Excellent!

 

Jeff

[artizen]

By starting at the back, I meant the foliage itself. Do you start with the back ones and overlay the front ones or start with the front ones and then tuck in or thread through the back ones into the front foliage.

Hi Gordon

Definitely start with the highest areas/back areas first and work your way forward and down. Hope that makes sense. Do a bit at a time and look at it over a couple of days from as many different angles and lighting conditions as possible. If you see something is not right or there are holes, you can fix it up before assembling it. Really all you are going to do is soften the top edge of the wall so that the transition from solid plastic to printed backscene is interrupted by a little bit of flattened 3D greenery. So far, from what you have shown, you are on the right track.

[TREEMENDUS]

Hi Gordon

 

I'm still fairly new to this forum so haven't seen much of your progress in "real time". I do like what you have recently done with the lineside area near the signal box, very realistic.

 

I think you are close with the trees on the backscene and would definately recommend starting at the back and working forward as you seem to be doing. That way you can control how dense the final result is. As for the colours I would say you have a good blend already and don't think you need to airbrush them in this case. The trees to the left of the photo look a little flat ( but i'm not sure if these are depicting distant trees or not?) I would add more depth to the structure of them but keep it very open so you can still see through them to what you have in place now. I realise you are in the middle of the job so forgive me if you think i'm stating the obvious.

 

Something to give the impression of a dead tree amongst all that greenery might also bring an extra dimension to your backscene too. A suitable piece of tree root trimmed to fit could work very nicely.

 

I'm really enjoying watching your build and look forward to seeing more soon.

 

Cheers

 

Ant

[Clifford Road]

Hi Gordon,

Just been reading through the 14+ pages of the thread ... Great work! How have things moved on since early November? The stone walls look so realistic!

 

Well done.

 

Rich

[gordon s]

Sad to say Richard that I have b*ggered up my back again. I managed to get through Christmas on a diet of Tramadol and Morphine, so layout building has gone on hold for a few weeks. Hoping to get back in the saddle come the end of January.

 

Thanks for enquiring. I will return....

[CUTLER2579]

Hello Gordon,may I wish you a speedy recovery and a Happy New Year.

Regards,Derek.

[Clifford Road]

Hi Gordon,

Sorry to hear that - I thought things had gone quiet given the quantity of previous posts. I echo Derek's comments and wish you a speedy recovery and all the best for the New Year. You must be in double pain - that from the back and frustration of not being able to do anything ... not good - get well soon.

 

Rich

[ColinW]

Sorry to hear about your back gordon, hopefully you will be back modelling soon.

 

Happy New Year

 

Colin

[coachmann]

Been reading through this with interest after following a link from Andy Y's thread on altering Peco track. I love your track, grass treatment and above all your stone walling. I had thought that the 7mm Slaters stone was far too big for 4mm, but I was counting the courses on a wall I was modelling and had let pedantic overule character. Point is the 7mm stuff captures the character of retaining walls far better than anything available in 4mm. Also intrigued by your stone weathering process. Having seen what you have done, I think I can alter my process to capture the grey look of your walls. The sooty look suits the steam-age far better than weathered sand stone.

[gordon s]

Thanks for your kind comments Coach. Much appreciated. It was Dave Shakespeare that started me down the 7mm stone route with his marvellous layout, Tetley's Mills. Now they are all painted up they are starting to look better and the addition of some ground cover has brought the scene to life. Unfortunately, 'pain has stopped play' for a while, but I'm hoping some minor surgery will sort this out and get me going again.

 

Meanwhile I have been able to work at the kitchen table and I have a couple of B1's being reworked. Thankfully this has kept me sane, but I would appreciate a beer now and again. Sadly the various painkillers make any alcohol strictly a no no, so I have been teetotal since the beginning of December.

 

Loads to do, just hope I'll be fit enough to complete it....B)

[Markeg]

Hi Gordon,

 

Good on you for keeping 'dry.'

 

I have just read the article in Model Rail 150, it takes about 6 weeks for the UK mags to get to Australia, though I now subscribe to the Hornby Magazine.

Hope the back is improving and you can get on with the layout, especially after the op. The layout plan looks good and nice to have some long runs. Interesting how you can get access to all the track?

 

I have been so busy with work that mine doesn't seem to progress at all.

 

Tetley Mills, Borchester Market are certainly inspirational layouts. My all time favorite layout is probably The Gresley Beat, mainly due to the fact it is LNER. All that fine detail and rolling stock. I hope to see it in 3 months time when my wife and I are in the UK. As you can probably tell I model LNER, but I do model BR all regions too, including 3 diesels (Classes 08, 47 & 108 DMU).

 

Keep on with the great work.

 

Mark

[Tom D]

Hi Gordon,

 

I just wanted to say how inspiring your work to date has been. I was not really happy with my last layout, but I kept at it, hoping to see it through to a conclusion......Having seen your efforts, it has inspired me to start again and not settle for something that doesn't feel right. Keep up the good work.

 

Tom D

[gordon s]

Morning Mark and Tom and other ET followers. Many thanks guys for your continued interest. It really gave me a lift this morning.

 

It's funny inspiration works both ways. The last few weeks have been tough for me and everything seems such an effort. I know we all go through this, but there have been times when I wished I had done something simpler. It's knowing that guys are following your journey that keeps you going and I'm grateful for your posts, particularly when you start to wonder if you'll ever get back to normal. The whole thing is so debilitating....

 

OK, enough of that, let's look on the bright side.

 

What I have been doing is all those odd little jobs that have been pushed to one side whilst construction was underway. My LMS twins have now got Ultrascales and run like a dream. I have a pair of B1's which were one of my favourite workhorse's as a kid. They have the dreaded Bachmann split chassis and running was poor, but they've been pulled apart and now run very well. They've been fitted with Zimo decoders and weathered and now have pick ups on the tender as well. I'll probably get an article together in the next few days. If nothing else, it'll give me something to do.

 

Thanks again. It's much appreciated.

[trisonic]

Gordon,

I suggest you do what you are comfortable with every time.

You know I'd like to see more of your loco work but I didn't want to nag you about it! What was that lovely "greasy mix" you used on the action? Looked just right to me.

I'll soak up whatever you can give us. Did you ever resolve that curved crossing issue with Martin btw?

 

I blame my back on years of flying. Some of the worst seats (for backs) were in 1st class too - particularly on American airlines (small a), although saying that I preferred Continental........

 

Best, Pete.

[gordon s]

Morning Pete....or should that be goodnight, Pete.

 

I was a Virgin or BA man myself. Even managed to get on Concorde once, so another dream was fulfilled....

 

Apologies Mark, I didn't answer your question on access. Hopefully these pics will help. This is the next part that I'm working on and sits to the left of the board you are all familiar with. This is a multi level corner which also is the access to the shed area.

 

The first pic shows the layers from the top surface with the Templot templates which are used to cut the trackbed.

 

 

OK. Underneath you can see the U shaped open plan construction. The higher levels sit in front of the lower lever spiral and that was the design brief at the outset. Everything hidden had to be accessible. I've been down that route before and layouts were scrapped before completion as I had failed to think of that aspect. You can see the lower level spiral boards offset to the right. Although the room is 18' x 18' the useable space for the upper scenic levels is only 14' x 14', so those of you contemplating a loft layout may be surprised how much space you lose with the roof overhang. It is useful though for lower level runs, so nothing gets wasted...

 

 

Looking end on and aren't close up pics dreadful!

 

I know I have to clean the track etc but I'm appalled that I failed to sand the side rails. I should have gone to Specsavers....

 

 

As you can see the spiral is lower and offset , specifically so any errant trains can be recovered easily. Of course the goal is to lay the track properly in the first place and I'm pleased to say my work has improved since this bit was laid. The copper sleeper you can see is how I feed power to every rail. I simply remove a sleeper from the Tillig or SMP track and solder a pcb strip in place. The wire solder joint becomes a dummy chair and whilst you can spot them they are far less obvious than a wire soldered to the rail.

 

......and this corner will join to here, which right now seems light years away.....

 

[45156]

Interesting updates there, Gordon - thanks

[gordon s]

Morning all...

 

I won't bore you with the details, but a lot of soul searching has gone on regarding a way forward on Eastwood. A weeks spell in hospital plus the loss of two mates in their 60's to cancer does focus your mind on what the important things in life really are. I'm still waiting for a final decision on back surgery, but clearly I'm not going to have 100% free movement, so the decision to change Eastwood to avoid low boards and bending is all but complete. The new track plan retains all the main features, but the lowest point is now 950mm. Sadly the traverser and long spiral will have to go, but it is a small price to pay to have some enjoyment from modelling over the coming years.

 

I'm going to leave all the boards in place until the operation, just in case it does resolve the mobility issues, but work on the new reverse loop has started, albeit very slowly. Once again Templot has proven invaluable in calculating and accurately drawing a 38" radius circle and creating the cut lines to produce an octagonal shaped trackbed. It's far easier to cut straight sections with a bench saw than hand cutting curves with a jigsaw. This loop is the corner stone of the new design, so if this can be built and be proved to work reliably, then work will progress.

 

The new design has been specifically done with a view to creating complete loops, so trains can run whilst construction is under way. I'll see if I can load the plans up later to give you an idea of how it looks. Nothing fancy, but here's the first two elements of the loop. So far, so good and the next two should be complete in a couple of days.

 

 

This is the new lower level with the reverse loop. This will now sit above the banister rail, so I will have a little repair work to do. The spindles need to be replaced and I'll need to figure some way of plugging the notches I took out of the hand rail....

 

 

Here's the mid level overlaid on the lower level....

 

 

The final level is in purple and is Eastwood Town terminus. It's taken many, many hours of pulling this together in Templot and although I have lost the storage element, there are considerable gains. The gradients have been relaxed even further and are now between 1:125 and 1:140, so that's a big plus. The redesign of the terminus has made the platforms longer with the longest now up to 10', so even longer trains may be possible.

 

I have allowed an access track for adding/removing stock and that is the innermost curve on the right hand side (black colour). This sits between the reverse loop, so adding stock at this point will allow the train to move in either direction. I did think of using a 9' long cassette system, which may be possible if I can find the room to accommodate a 9' straight section. The difficulty then revolves round a 3' radius curve at either end. It's likely it would need to cross over or under existing tracks which causes a knock on problem with the gradients on the running lines.

 

The jury is still out on that one...

 

The other plus is the amount of room around the layout, particularly in each corner where 3' plus will enable access from the rear should there be problems. The last thing I am considering is a cable tray on the inside of each board, so all the soldering and connections are easily accessible, rather than scrambling about underneath. I saw this on another forum and it seemed a great idea for those of us struggling with bending.

 

[Guest Dave.C]

Hi Gordon,

 

Thanks for mentioning the 'octagonal' curves, that may be the solution to a similar problem that I have been mulling over

[artizen]

I used the octagonal curves on my now scrapped narrow gauge timber tramway layout. Scrapped because the area it is stored in got very damp and it grew mould - not scrapped because the trackwork failed. My current layout will be stored in a much drier part of the house during our year of La Nina.

 

I mounted L section supports along the centre line of each octagonal piece and then used conventional uprights to attach to the L section where necessary to place the track height where required above the baseboard frame.

 

Certainly not as nice to look at as flowing curves of jigsawed shapes but just as workable and strong.

[sixoh8sixoh]

Hi Gordon,

 

If you do lose the traverser, I hope it goes on to a good home, something that beautifully made deserves to get a lot of use, and not get scrapped!

 

(and no, I'm not angling for it, I've nowhere to keep it!)

 

Good to see you back to the modelling.

 

Mike

[artisan100]

It may be simpler, Gordon, but it still looks a cracker. Keep at it. But gently.

 

Geoff.

[Tom D]

Hi Gordon,

 

It would be a shame for you to lose the traverser, its a petty you couldn't raise it 150mm and lose one of the lower loops. However, its good that you came out of Hospital ok, and that you have moved forward with your layout that's probably good therapy in itself. Good luck with the back surgery when you have it.

[Satan's Goldfish]

Hi gordon,

 

Amazing work so far and, as others have said and i agree with, you're modelling at a standard and learning new skills at a rate that most of us are aspiring to. I doff my cap to you sir!

 

It's a shame to hear that you're having to reduce the layout design because of medical issues. It's kind of motivating me in a way to get my life and work sorted quicker so i can properly start work on a dream layout myself before age and health catch up! I can't really tell from looking at the new plans, but does this new back-friendly design mean that all the scenic bits you've built so far and all the amazing track you've made are going to have to get ripped up and re-built? Or does your new design incorperate what you've already built?

 

SG

[gordon s]

Hi Guys, I have explored all the options to try and keep the traverser Tom, but it's over 10' long and the best part of 3' deep. Once you add a minimum 3' radius curve on either end, you are up to 16', so you can see it's pretty tight. The right hand side is blocked out with the shed and even though it could go underneath the shed, there is not enough width without encroaching under the terminus board and effectively splitting the layout in two. A duck under is a total no, no,

 

The bottom of the plan is taken up with the staircase and banisters, so that just leaves it's original position under the terminus itself. Because I have raised the height of all the main boards, the distance between them has been reduced to maintain height under the slope of the roof on both the left and right hand side of the plan. So it will probably have to go, as will all the work to date.

 

Now here's the strange thing, I'm quite relaxed about losing the work to date as the considerable number of hours put into the construction to date were certainly not wasted. I've learned about track building, ballasting, how to make retaining walls, weathering loco's, electrics and bus systems, building a control panel and even basic scenic works. All of those are skills I am still developing, but I would never have got that far without the support, encouragement and tuition from members of RMWeb. I'll never forget those skills, so the time was far from wasted. Sure, I suspect I will have to scrap some of the work, but I will be able to put those practical skills to good use and with luck, the new boards will be better than the first ones.