RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 5, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 5, 2012 Odd brake gear was not unknown either. ABS used to do lots if he is still around. I have got quite a lot of Slater's bit from doing one sided brakes. What do you need? Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 It's the bits marked 24 and 25 on the kit, which are a sort of Z shaped piece that seem to have a brake block on either end - but I've spoken to Slaters and there's a spare apparently in the post waiting for me when I get home - but thanks for the offer, I'll remember that in case I have any further missing bits as of course they charge their standard posting fee even though it's just a small piece. In other news, I bought a Peco lineside hut kit that went together in five minutes, and a Parkside sand wagon kit (PS38) which was quite cheap at Old Barn Hobbies in Aberaeron yesterday and that's almost complete already - seemingly the underframe detail on this is almost identical to that on the 12 ton van looking at the drawings so I'm hoping that the experience of the Slaters kit until I ground to a halt will make the sand wagon complete quite soon. That's the start of my 'engineering stock' train - I plan on a "box vans" train, a "milk tanks" train and an "engineers" train and hope that my ability to get to grips with kit construction will be followed by increased ability with an airbrush. Working three link couplings though, I must be mad... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 Just a little update on the wagons, good progress has been made due to damp Welsh holiday weather - but on one of the nice days we went to the Teifi Valley Railway which had a full size cattle wagon sitting on a piece of track at the side of the car park - which seems to have exactly the sort of underframe details that the kits have, so a good look and a photo helped me to clarify exactly what bits are meant to go where. We also visited the Gwili Railway, but just enjoyed the ride - couldn't see anything to take detail photos of although it was nice to see the class 14 in Railfreight red stripe livery even if it wasn't running. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 The addition of 2 Skytrex wagons now brings the operational fleet to 3, with two kits awaiting construction. I've been doing some research and settled on August 1982 as the time period of my layout, which happens to coincide with my 10th birthday, and an interesting period when brown railfreight vans could be seen alongside the new red and grey ones still, and having ordered the appropriate paint a couple of hours ago, I hope to do some spraying later this month. I've also been looking into what was in the charts at this time and putting together a playlist of suitable music together with some period Radio 1 jingles which will be on auto-shuffle to provide additional atmospherics - the stores shed will have a 'radio' playing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomstaf Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I've also been looking into what was in the charts at this time and putting together a playlist of suitable music together with some period Radio 1 jingles which will be on auto-shuffle to provide additional atmospherics - the stores shed will have a 'radio' playing. That sounds like a really good idea. I've been wondering what other things could be used to enhance a layout. Hope it works out really well Cheers Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 I started here: http://www.everyhit....82-AugustC.html and then worked backwards, cross-referencing against my selection of 80's CD's and seeing what I could extract. Radio 1 jingles were found here: http://www.radiorewi...s_menu_page.htm - you could probably find other stations too if you google but in my scenario, back then Radio 1 was the station everyone listened to, and of course there were few 'independents' too apart from Luxembourg, Caroline etc which you can find some here: http://jingles.horstedkeynes.com/ A small speaker is easy from Maplins or a similar, and then just a cable to a jack socket which you can then plug into an MP3 player, laptop or similar, and off you go. You just need to be careful about volume - although the small speaker is never likely to give much volume, in exhibition circumstances you wouldn't want to annoy those nearby. I'm sure we've all been near a DCC layout set to maximum volume, or one with fairground/seaside sounds on constant repeat... Another thing that may help set a time period is advertising and film posters if appropriate to your location (ie not much good in open countryside), or even headlines on boards outside of newsagents. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 23, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2012 Great idea didn't the radio ought to sound 'tinny' or am I thinking of the sixites. Mind you your just a youngster I can remember modelling to 'Down your way' waiting for Radio Luxemburg to start. On the up side there were a lot more railways about then. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Most audio players have various 'graphic equaliser' settings so whatever sound source you use you should be able to adjust it to make it sound tinny; alternatively of course another option although a bit more work is to pre-adjust the audio files using software such as Audacity, which is free. Music can be a great way to set a period; even with nothing obvious showing on the layout, if you hear big band music you're instantly in the 1940's, rock and roll the 1950's, flower power/Beatles etc the 1960s, disco the 1970's and so on. It's just a case of getting it right, and a little research to show me what would have been in the 'hit parade' of and just before my chosen time period lets me choose music rather than that from the later 1980's, although of course many of us don't tie our layouts down to a specific date but rather a general period. Of course, rule 1 applies in every case... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Well, a productive week has seen the "completion" of my first O gauge wagon. Ok, so it's a repaint of a Skytrex one, and possibly not 100% prototypically accurate, but part of it was to gain experience of using my airbrush which is something I've got little choice but to use as I pursue my O gauge thoughts. I've done a little Photoshoppery to put in a background as the layout is nowhere near complete (the sidings it's sitting on are at least scenicked) and although it's not quite up to Chris Nevard standard, I don't think it's come out too bad. I was also the lucky winner of NSE_DAZ's "Shaftesbury" signalbox on Ebay, a shame that project stalled but happy to help out a fellow modeller, and of course as it was from the "general direction" of the country in which I'm modelling, and prototype built in 1957 so it fitted my time period nicely, just need to remove the Shaftesbury sign from it and I'm well away. I had put some space in the design for a signalbox which is about the size of the Shaftesbury one, so I'll just move the station platform up a little when the building arrives and hopefully it'll all fit in nicely. As the steps are on the right rather than the left I think I'll now slew the road slightly at an angle to make sure I have the most length for the platform before board join. Since when is everything in the real world perfectly straight anyway? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warspite Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Well, a productive week has seen the "completion" of my first O gauge wagon. Ok, so it's a repaint of a Skytrex one, and possibly not 100% prototypically accurate, but part of it was to gain experience of using my airbrush which is something I've got little choice but to use as I pursue my O gauge thoughts. I've done a little Photoshoppery to put in a background as the layout is nowhere near complete (the sidings it's sitting on are at least scenicked) and although it's not quite up to Chris Nevard standard, I don't think it's come out too bad. cromptonnut Very nicely weathered. I like the way you've emphasised the dirt on the lower part of the body and the running gear. Nice background as well! Just one point. I may be wrong, but I think the VMV TOPS code was only used for the vanwide wagons which had the wider sliding doors. I think the one you've done would be a VVV. Also, did any of the vacuum-braked 12t vans have the double arrow logo? (I know the air-braked ones did.) Anyway, good paint job. Which airbrush are you using? Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 I may well have the TOPS code wrong but I'm working on the basis that 99% of people won't have a clue I'm not a 'rivet counter' but model 'in the spirit of'. if that makes sense? The airbrush is a Revell starter kit, with a Revell Omega compressor. Basic, but functional. "Very nicely weathered. I like the way you've emphasised the dirt on the lower part of the body and the running gear." - a simple technique, I simply applied a brush "wash" which has some black, grey and some thinners from the pot I wash my brush off in, several layers with a few hours inbetween letting it settle where it wanted. When dry, I simply airbrushed "track grime" left to right, from the bottom upwards a few passes until it looked "right". Overlapping layers of course gives you denser weathering, and the uppermost pass is just a single layer so it looks subtler and the effect I was looking for. Glad you like it, its really quite easy and gives good results, the worst bit is waiting several hours between coats! Of course, this weather isn't exactly perfect airbrushing or drying weather either. Being brave, I picked up a Mousa Models "Conflat L" brass kit which I started this afternoon. The body is about half completed, but am going to have to get another set of instructions as I put the soldering iron down at one point, and didn't notice it had moved until my wife asked me if there should be a glowing, and expanding, hole in the paperwork... so I quickly grabbed the paper to run it under some water to put the embers out, only to walk past a fan which was on, which of course made it worse... not my greatest moment, but I'm sure we've all done silly things like that before. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 A comic sketch worthy of Eric Sykes!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Just a little update, have a couple of days holiday to use up so I've just returned from a trip to Whitten Timber with some 2" timber cut to size for some legs/support for the layout. Like an idiot, rather than risk losing a good parking space and not being in a hurry I decided to go on the bus - and didn't realise just how heavy this stuff would be. One bruised wrist and a possibly chipped bone in a finger (at least it's very tender) and a narrowly averted nosebleed later, I've finally got home after a rather long trip via 3 buses having worked out the shortest distance between bus stops resulting in the least amount of carrying required. I really should have just paid £7.50 for it to be delivered. Anyway, I'll be working on the legs later, there won't be any magical construction methods involved, just square timber in a crossframe which will slot in on the end of the boards, which hopefully will then mean I can reassemble both boards of the layout together, and it'll all come together perfectly. At least that's the theory. Also laid some of the 2% incline polystyrene from Woodland Scenics which the glue is drying at present which I hope means I will be able to get on and lay that piece of track (and wire it up) so that I can do a bit more of the ballasting and sort out the embankment at the rear of it to get the positioning of the backscene image right (a Gaugemaster photographic one). 5.50pm edit: Two leg sets are now assembled with a connecting board to ensure squareness and rigidity, and one board is now sitting nicely upon them awaiting me to have dinner, then I'll work on the next set of legs, which will go on board 2 - then when that's glued and dried I'll move board 2, clear out the stuff underneath and remove the trestles it's currently sat on, in preparation for attaching the second board to give me the 8ft scenic area. I then need to make two more sets of legs for the additional storage boards, which are not yet built, in due course. One is likely to be a fairly small and thin board, the other will be a traverser of some kind - probably quite a challenge but a welcome change as it's not something I've done before. At the moment, dead batteries in my drills have caused a halt in proceedings. Once the two boards are assembled, I'll put some pictures up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warspite Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 cromptonnut Sorry about your bad morning. We all have days like that - mind you, we don't always get modelling injuries on the bus! Your afternoon sounded a lot better. Looking forward to the pics. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Well I've just discovered that the backscene now won't fit because the holes for the bolts are covered by where the legs go! So when the battery has charged enough I'll drill a couple more holes and perhaps put a strip of the backscene up - been wanting to get that done for a long time Must just remember to wrap it in cling film to keep it clean, and when I start spraying... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Siddall Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Well I've just discovered that the backscene now won't fit because the holes for the bolts are covered by where the legs go! Been there, done that... one the the hiccups I alluded to in my recent baseboard building post on my thread! Sorry to hear about the injury but IMO there's only one place for busses and that's scaled down and on a layout (..although I will make an exception for full-sized ones if 1) they're classic and 2) beautifully restored ;-) You seem to be cracking on now (sorry about that) whereas I'm still grinding along at the sort of pace a sloth would consider indolent ....looking forward to seeing your layout progess. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted November 1, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 1, 2012 Not using your car because you don't want to lose a good parking space sounds very odd presumably somewhere urban. Still you have progressed on the layout look on the bright side eh! Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 David: Don't know about "cracking on" - remember my first Slaters wagon kit is 2½ years and still counting... but I've put the sound chip back in the 122 chassis and had that burbling away in the background for a bit this evening which helps. Am currently working on installing DCC "adaptor units" so I can plug various controllers etc in around the layout. I think I'm gonna need a couple more cables made for me but I can worry about that at another date - a bit of a pain that I seem to have more of the 5 pin DIN sockets than the RJ14 square ones but hey, that's life. I know I've got my curly cables somewhere... Don: Yep, South London, the curse of commuter parking. I live in one of the few streets in my area that hasn't got resident parking permits (partly because we were asked and collectively refused to pay £150 a year per car for the privilege of parking in our own street) so although there are the odd space that comes and goes during the day, invariably I have to park on the double yellows and sit in the car for perhaps up to an hour waiting for someone to go so I can park properly. We're 2 minutes away from a bus stop, which is about 4 stops to the nearest tube and rail station(s) so it can often be very frustrating when you lose your space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 16, 2012 Author Share Posted November 16, 2012 Just a brief update, been working on spraying up my DMU this week - after several bodged attempts I managed to strip it right back to the bare brass, re-primed it and I've been working on the yellow ends to start with which I'll then mask off and spray the body in blue before finishing off with the roof, then transfers and weathering. I also need to sort out interior detail of course, and find a proper home for the sound chip which is currently strapped to the chassis with some masking tape. Always have problems with yellow but I think I'm getting there (the light bit is the flash, sorry) Have also been working on the storage side of things, with a small "adaptor board" which will also hold the road bridge as the scenic break, meaning that I can extend the main layout with another board or two at some point in the future even though of course it means I won't be able to assemble the whole lot at home. At the moment I'm experimenting with cassettes but haven't totally discounted the idea of a traverser, since I'm only likely to need 4 or 5 roads. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Siddall Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Have also been working on the storage side of things, with a small "adaptor board" which will also hold the road bridge as the scenic break, meaning that I can extend the main layout with another board or two at some point in the future even though of course it means I won't be able to assemble the whole lot at home. At the moment I'm experimenting with cassettes but haven't totally discounted the idea of a traverser, since I'm only likely to need 4 or 5 roads. Good thinking... three 4'6' x 2' long baseboards leave me with a little spare length in the room I'm currently using so (in my case) a 1'6" mini-board would 1) do what your're suggesting and 2) allow my modelling bench to go under the combined length of fiddle yard and extension piece :-) I've never tried cassettes though I know a lot of folks wouldn't use anything else, however I'm currently thinking traverser or sector plate. I like the ability to run the train loco onto short fixed stabling roads beyond the moving section and then it run back via a free track without disturbing parked stock. A traverser is currently my favoured solution but in the past I have had fun and games with the bed not staying staying square across the full length of movement - I'm also a bit nervous about the effect of my Hymek's weight on vertical alignment, it's a hefty beast! Glad you got your paint removal conundrum sorted... keep up the good work... David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted November 18, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 18, 2012 I used 1m long casstes on Sparrow's Wharf they were ok if much longer are a bit cumbersome. Only thing to watch Portescap and ABC powered locos can roll if tilted the mechanism are so free. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 Work on the layout continues; currently working on the bridge/scenic break section which also houses the DCC control equipment (base unit on top, transformer underneath). Last night finally saw the successful linking of layout to laptop - I have the old Lenz interface which has a serial port connection and my new laptop doesn't so I ended up buying a USB > RS232 adaptor from Ebay for a couple of quid, and setting up the JMRI software. The sound-fitted chassis of my 122 was successfully started and run up and down my wired up length of flexitrack and the horn sounded much to the annoyance of my wife who was walking past at the time. I'm hoping to get on with masking up the 122 body and doing the blue on the sides very soon, There will be three points on one board, and the second board will eventually contain a signal (possibly one of the Dapol ones) and a level crossing. All will be operated by LS150 modules (one per board) and I hope to be able to use the laptop to control all of that in due course. The next big challenge will be the factory building itself - something that really should be bigger than the space I have available, but sadly I have little choice if I'm going to get everything in to the space I have, restricted by the size of my living room. But I do already have an extension for the layout planned... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Right, little update following wallet abuse at the Reading show. Very pleased to pick up one of Tower's last Heljan blue/yellow end 33s - they only bought one with them to the show. I was 5th in the queue to get in and headed straight there to see if they had one. Had a little play with it on the test track to make sure it worked and all was fine although I did then find one of the side grilles and what looks like a chequer plate step fallen off and loose in the box so I'll give them a ring tomorrow and find out the best way to reattach them. Haven't yet worked out what number I want to do it as (a call to Fox beckons methinks) and then some weathering etc. I'm down for a diesel driving experience at the South Devon Railway in the Spring and a 33 is one of the options available but I won't know till much nearer the time what I'll be driving. If it is the 33, then 33002 will be the number, if not then I'll dig back through my records and see if anything jumps out as particularly memorable. Picked up four standard 12t vans from Skytrex, normally £50 each but on show offer at £30 or £100 for four - as I needed them I really had to take advantage of that offer. Also picked up a couple of bridge side pieces which I'll use on the bridge bit that's been featured elsewhere here. Once I head to the corner shop and get some UHU (which I forgot to pick up at Reading) then I can work on finally assembling the bridge bit and then get to grips with the scenic bits around it. Picked up a few figures and a dog so that'll be an interesting test of my painting skills... will probably need to get my hands on some paints for that too. Oh, and probably some small brushes. Not painted people before, so I'll do some digging to find out some tips. Very impressed with my first visit to the O gauge trade show at Reading although I do feel that there is a distinct risk that next year the wife will be accompanying me to help reduce spending... Pictures will follow in due course. Picked up a number of useful catalogues for reference which will form the basis of future purchases - and I've given SWMBO my 2013 christmas wish list based on Heljan and Dapol's announced releases for 2013. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
81A Oldoak Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Odd brake gear was not unknown either. ABS used to do lots if he is still around. I have got quite a lot of Slater's bit from doing one sided brakes. What do you need? Don ABS is still trading and had a stand at the Reading GOG Trade show last Saturday. No website, but contact details are here: http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/suppliers/158-ABS_Models Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Just a small update but a bit of a milestone I guess, got my Heljan 33 back with its sound chip fitted today so I had to give it a little chunder up and down the 3ft of track I have currently laid, in the hope that it'll inspire me to get my finger out and wire up the next bit. Then once the track is laid and working I can get on with the final board which has the low relief factory and one siding at the front and the storage facilities hidden behind the backscene. The shunter should be back with me finished in a few weeks which will then mean I only need to finish the painting on the 122, and transfer/weather the wagons (some of which can be seen in the background of the video) and there's not a huge amount left to do. Should get it ready by about 2017. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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