bmthtrains - David Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 My week off started today, so with at least 1 full day of modelling planned, I should get a fair bit done. To start with, I've wired the tram line to the main controller, so here are a couple of videos of the street running. David http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KgJvDhrTuQ&hd=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7u-QU9Niq8&hd=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h20Q51Li2B0&hd=1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calnefoxile Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 No plans to exhibit this, though it is portable... David David, I've just been catching up on your thread on this and I must say I'm very disappointed and confused with this comment!!!!! I thought you enjoyed your sojourn upto us with Ring Road??? And anyway, I think Cross Street has already been mentioned as a possible for, oohhhh lets say Chippenham Show this September??? So get cracking and get it finished me old matey ;) Regards Neal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Video's looking good David, Its only just occurred to me that your layout would be perfect for the faller road system to complement your tram. Graham. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted January 22, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 22, 2012 Looks brilliant - so Manchester Are you putting overhead up for the tram? Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloucester Road Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Those videos are great, nice to see the tram running. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Thanks all, I need to finish the layout first before I even think about taking it out Neal! Rest assured, if I do, it will be in the delightful company of the Bentley crew... Tramline has got slim overhead masts - they probably just don't show up well in the video, and I did think about the Faller system, though its very hard to come by these days. Problem with it would have been timing the cars and the trams so they don't crash at the junctions and traffic lights! Today has seen a big step forward with the foreground scene underway. Needs a bit of a tidy up (and hoover) before its done, but the bar on the street and the rough ground behind helps frame the layout now. A few pictures below, a couple more vids to follow. Next jobs on the list: decide the final building and construction/demolition site plans, and lay the track for the storage sidings - 4 in each direction. David 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkey Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Simply amazing layout, loving this as much as Ring Road. Having dabbled in n gauge myself your work never ceases to amaze. Excellent stuff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Love the small details: e.g. the abandoned washing machine, and the shopping trolley on the balcony - how do they get everywhere! Also like the contrast between the smart city centre with its trams and swish urban chic flats and the slightly scruffy bit the wrong side of the tracks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calnefoxile Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I need to finish the layout first before I even think about taking it out Neal! Rest assured, if I do, it will be in the delightful company of the Bentley crew... David David, Precisely why I've told you now that it's wanted for the Chippenham show in September :onthequiet: That's giving you 8 months to get it finished, actually sometimes it's best to have a deadline otherwise progress can stagnate a bit and having a deadline gives you impetus, well somtimes it does anyway :derisive: Anyway, drop me a PM when you're ready or you want the details. Cheers Neal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted January 23, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 23, 2012 Looking good David - that patch of wasteland looks exactly like the view from my old flat in Manchester. A show deadline will do you good - and 8 months is ages! Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I'm glad you posted this overview of your layout: Your previous pictures had me totally absorbed in the excellent details, individual buildings and panaromas of viaduct and busy streets. This picture is a real advertisement for N gauge and just how little space (relatively speaking) is required to reproduce 'trains in the landscape' (or city). As always, top marks from me. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Thanks Mark, very kind of you to say so. Which reminds me...when are we due the latest update from the newsreel archive on Frankland? I did have a dangerous idea the other day when I was thinking of your layout - building 2 models of the same place, but one in the days of steam (say the 1950s) and one as it is today - which buildings would still be there, what of the railway has been 'rationalised' away? I wonder what Frankland would look like in 2012, or Cross Street in 1930? David 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Cross street, and indeed Ring Road remind me of driving into wakefield down the A61, over the Calder and under the railway bridges, the railway is, track wise, much the same over the bridges, but with one through line removed and the goods yard gone, as such I can imagine Cross street's railway being much the same, without the OHLE and the station without it's huge billboard, as you say when asking about a modern Frankland, it's the buildings around it, the modern offices perhaps giving way to a traditional department store as I don't think the impressive hotel would have been built across the road from a grubby textile mill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Definatly looking great there! I also like the overview shot. It is certainly is coming along very well, and the cityscape is something that you just don't see often in model railways. Your buildings are fantastic and it's certainly refreshing to see some more-modern buildings! Out of interest, if you don't mind - where did you get the mesh fence from? (the one by the washing machine) I've found a couple of up suppliers now but I'm asking everywhere I see Keep up the great work. I would have to add this layout to my list of layouts to see on the exhibition circuit! Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 The wire mesh fencing I think came from MG Sharp, but BH Enterprises do a similar set, as does Pete Harvey of RMWeb fame if I recall correctly. I've made a start on what is now going to be the construction site. I did a bit of research and realised there were a few factors pointing me in this direction: 1. Demolition sites often seem to expose foundations, and I can't cut below the baseboard having not planned this in 2. Construction seemed a more positive image that goes with city centre regeneration, and I felt demolishing something was a bit negative (odd reason, I realise) 3. For a construction site, again, foundations proved difficult, so it ether had to be at the preparation stage, so nice neat ground before any actual construction began, or pretty far on with the bulk of the structure already built. I settled on the latter, and designed a 7-floor office block that is to be modelled in a phase of construction where the columns and floors are in, but little more than that. This gives the building a certain transparency so helping to open up the view of the road behind, and also means I can include lots of construction detail going on inside. Having planned it all out, I started work on it today, and it is a lot tougher than it looks. In constructing a building under construction, you effectively have to build it like the real thing. No shortcuts here, as with the structure visible, it actually has to do its job and support the model. This is the building at an early stage, with only the front structure actually attached. I need to decide how many more floors to include - I am tempted to stop here and just have open framework above, as though construction hasn't got that high yet. Once the other 4 'walls' are in place, I can start to finish off the visible edges of the card 'columns', and build in a lot more detail. So far there are only 2 workmen, a couple of girders, and the rubbish chute down the side. I also need to think about the groundwork around the site and crane, and get some realistic wooden site fences in place. A lot still to do on this, a challenging one, and not 100% convinced so far - will finish it off before deciding though. Added to the shopping list now are more construction workers and some vehicles - cement mixer and JCB would come in handy! David 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks for the info David. The start on the building under construction looks great Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
7APT7 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hi guys Got to say, this is one of the nest, if not THE BEST N-Gauge I have seen, can relate to as in mordern and up to date, even though you may have kept it to a period in time, still looks great guys... Love the construction work...etc The Metro line is fab... that make it that modern image look... supurb... Is this based on an actual area where you live...? Does Cross Street station exsist... I take it it does....??? Keep the photos coming because I love looking at this Layout... Happy New Year to you all Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Pelham Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hi David, The layout is looking great, the atmosphere capturing the inner city feel superbly. One small observation if you don't mind me saying, if the building under construction is to be located as per your last photo you may want to move the crane a bit closer, it appears that it is currently too far away to lift anything onto the structure (although that could be the perspective in the photo). Absolutely stunning layout though, really wants me to start work on my layout which is still firmly in the planning stage at present. I hope to see it out at a show sometime! Cheers, Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted January 24, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 24, 2012 David, The construction site looks good. Just a note to say that with all the buildings (I have been involved with) the floors are cast and the columns built for that floor are left with the re-bar protruding from the top of the columns to allow the next floor slab to be cast on top and link the re-bar. It depends on the type of construction of course but I think the frame perhaps extends too high on the two outer edges - I would be tempted to remove the vertical frames (as it looks vulnerable to wind loads etc) and leave the colums protruding from the uppermost floor. The next floor would be cast and some kind of bracing in the form of the floor slab would tie this back to the lift structure core. Hope this helps to make an already impressive model, more so. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Hi Pete, so to clarify - when I decide which floor is the highest built, the only structure that would extend above that would potentially be the framework to support the next floor, no more than that. This will actually make construction a bit easier, and I'll incorporate this when I do some more to it tomorrow. Thanks! David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted January 25, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) so to clarify - when I decide which floor is the highest built, the only structure that would extend above that would potentially be the framework to support the next floor, no more than that. This will actually make construction a bit easier, and I'll incorporate this when I do some more to it tomorrow. David, hi - Correct...this afternoon I will dig out a few construction photos from my last UK project and them PM them to you... Agreed also, on the comment above regarding the tower crane...it might work better adjacent to the building and check the clearance swing with the building across the road. I am guessing that the Contractor would not be allowed to swing his jib across the railway running lines so would be in effect using a 180 degree movement from the empty side of the site compound through to the building construction...hope that makes sense... Edited January 25, 2012 by bcnPete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Madog Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Calling this layout brilliant or superb is an understatement! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Thanks Pete, the crane wont fit exactly I suspect, but will get it close enough to give a good impression. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted January 26, 2012 Author Share Posted January 26, 2012 Thanks to some very handy photos from Pete, I've done a bit more to the building site today. The main structure is finished now, and a few more details have been added. This is about as far as I can go at the moment, I've ordered some laser cut scaffolding from Japan - this will be used to hide the worst sins on the building - getting the different sections to align perfectly has proved difficult, but once complete, it should look reasonably okay. David 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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