Banbury in N scale - A great time at the Abingdon in March 2024

[roundhouse]

Thanks

 

I have just ordered some more VGA's and OCA's from Hattons so hopefully will have them in time for this weekend.

 

The blue one will have to wait for now though!

 

Ian

[Fat Controller]

The Didcot - Mossend ran with no car carriers last night. I don't know if this is a regular occurance on Mondays train, or if the cars carriers ran on a relief train due to the amount of additional load (see updated post 387 for consist), or if the originating point (Dagenham?) is closed for holidays.

 

Anyway - it gives you an excuse to model the train without car carriers

Dagenham is closed for summer holidays.

[roundhouse]

The Chiltern offices in their new home!

 

Unfortunately they clash with the backscene with the next board when boxed up for transport, so until I get chance to make the end plates bigger in order to space the boxed boards further apart, they will have to remain a separate item.

 

The first of the external air con chillers has been fitted together with the associated pipe run into the building wall. More are to be fitted, supported off the buidling walls with further ones positioned on the ground around the extension section. I have used the air con unit that comes on the etch with the N gauge society autoballasters but will need more than the number of ones I have made so will need ot source other types or scratch build them.

 

The Chiltern unit is to get the Tomix Delner couplings to try and close up the corridor connections. Just one will be converted for now to see how it negotiates the fiddleyard curves and if it works well then the rest will be converted along with cab end ones to allow multiple working.

 

A few more itmes to do before boxing the boards up ready for Silverfox show this weekend.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

A little more done to the building this morning. More of the Air con chillers have been fitted. Still got to find the steps moulding to add both the main stairs and the fire escape stairs.

 

Also the building will be recessed into the surrounding surface by removing the area under the building and providing some fixing spigots so that little fingers dont knock the building off whilst it remains a removeable item.

 

The various aerials on the building will be left off till it is permanently fixed down. The surface around the building is mainly tarmac so the concrete colour will go in the next couple of days.

 

I hope to add a few members of the CHiltern staff on the walkway.

 

The two new semaphores to the South end of platforms 1 and 2 should also be put in place but will probably not have the safety cages on them to just yet.

 

Ian

[Markmiller2008]

The Chiltern Building (ICC as us Chiltern Bods know it) looks brilliant mate, are you modelling it in its current day state?

 

Just i never knew it had a big ramp up to it, i have memories of going there in the last two years and just going up a set of stairs straight infront of the doors.

 

Hope to see you on Saturday , although im on my own operating wise so may have to come have a look before the show opens.

 

Mark

[roundhouse]

Mark

 

Yes modelling it as it is (well a few months ago at least). Maybe the ramp was added when they added the three longer sections but not sure what was there a few years ago. The set of steps have yet to go on the building, so it might be you just used them.

 

Its a shame that the ramp is not on the viewing side as it took some time to construct but at least I know its there as it should be!

 

See you on Saturday

 

Ian

[Markmiller2008]

Never the less , im amazed by the quality of you're work Ian, well done and i hope to get some time to pop and see the layout.

[roundhouse]

Thanks Mark

 

However, the painting of the darker areas could be better but its been touched up numerous times under a magnifying glass and still struggling to get them straight.

 

Will be having another go in the morning as tonight wont be very good after a few strong Amercian craft beers in the Euston Tap!!

 

Ian

Edited August 15, 2012 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

Not much done on the layout in the last day (some really nice beers last night in Euston Tap - that Rogue Chocolate Stout is one of our favourite Amercian beers) but this morning I did get all 4 air con chillers fixed in place and painted.

 

Tonight will be the last night to work on the layout as tomorrow evening it will be boxed up and loaded ready for SIlverfox.

 

Quite a lot of behind the scenes work has been carried out to improve the running including replacing more of the Rapido couplings which were giving grief, replacing some of the fiddleyard Altas trakc with Peco code 55, hard wiring the Farish class 168 trucks to the decoders, instalation of more Hex frog Juices, etc. so looking forward to seeing how everything performs on Saturday.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Last night I managed to do some more work on and around the Chiltern offices.

The parking area is now tarmac colour and the two emergency generator containers are now in place on their concrete plinth. Some concrete trunking had been installed between the offices and the baseboard edge.

Still plenty more to do but that will now have to happen after tomorrow's show.

Still can't find the steps moulding to do the steps to the building!

 

Ian

[bridgiesimon]

Superb looking layout, I am really looking forward to being able to see this layout at the Leaminton Spa, am I right you are going to be there?

 

Best wishes for the show.

 

Simon

[roundhouse]

Simon

 

Yes will be there. Hopefully with more detailing done by then.

 

One task is to make the red metal seats with the holes in them. Still working out how to do them - thinknig of using soem really fine brass mesh and soldering soem brass wire to the edges then bending them nito shape.

Any one else done these in N with another method?

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Today at the Silver link show. Generally the layout is running much better than the last one it did but the Dapol Magnetic couplers have shed some of their springs so having to put some PVA in the knuckles as we don't have any spares. The fixed knuckles seem to be more reliable.

 

Also the Dapol Children's livery loco seems to have developed aa short but can't see anything obvious causing it.

However this afternoon the layout ran much better.

 

UPDATE - Childrens livery 66 is now working again - couldnt find anything wrong with it as it was definitely shorting out at the show!

Edited August 19, 2012 by roundhouse

[Revolution Ben]

Hello Ian

 

Thanks for posting the latest show images. I am really looking forward to seeing your layout at Leamington. If you have any more photos please don't hold back!!

 

We've been using Dapol Easi-shunt couplers on our club layout and have lost a spring too. The spring does seem vulnerable; though I see the new short and long couplers come with spare springs in a tiny bag, so it seems Dapol have responded quickly and positively to the issue.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[jonas]

I used a drop of Klear (although any varnish would do) in one end of the spring to attach it to the coupling which seems to have done the trick - might be worth a go?

Edited August 19, 2012 by jonas

[roundhouse]

Thanks for the comments re the springs.

I didnt realise the springs had comeo ut itll we had problems with some wagons either coupling or staying copuled so dont know where the springs have gone.

 

I might go through all the fitted ones and add a bit of varnish to the springs.

 

Here are a few more photos raken yesterday. One of them shows the Royal Mail fuelling point. It now needs the dials etc adding to the pump and a concrete area in front with a drain all the way round.

 

Banbury will be at a small show in Haywards Heath on 1st September 2012 so hope to do some further work to both the rolling stock and the layout by then.

 

Ian

[Guest JRCModelRailways]

Hello I love the layout and its one of my local stations. I was just wandering how do you go about modelling a real location? How do you change the real railways measurments and change it into the scale that your modelling (I'm modelling OO gauge). As I am maybe in the future going to model Kings Sutton station or one loosely based around it with my modifications.

[roundhouse]

Hello I love the layout and its one of my local stations. I was just wandering how do you go about modelling a real location? How do you change the real railways measurments and change it into the scale that your modelling (I'm modelling OO gauge). As I am maybe in the future going to model Kings Sutton station or one loosely based around it with my modifications.

 

Thanks for your kind words.

 

I tend to take a lot of photos whihc these days is easy with digital cameras. I also use Google maps or similar to get an overall plan of the location and to work out what will fit in the space.

 

Once I am happy that the location will work I then go back to the location and start taking dimensions. Get some one (whom you know their hight) to sant straight and against the wall of the building or structure and then you can scale from there. Brickwork is easier as you can count the courses.. I also pace out the footprint of a structure where it is accessible to the public. More recently I have been using an electronic measuring device with a laser on it. You dont want to be pointing this at people depsite its a very low power one , so visiting a location on a quiet time is much better.

From the photos and dimensions I then scale the buildings, in this case to 1 to 148 for N scale and draw them out fairly roughly on paper before commencing construction.

 

The curvature of the main lines through the station was a bit of a challenge but I worked out where to stand on one platform and line through by sight where the went in relation to the other platform and points along the station.

 

I have had to shorten the platforms a little bit to get the layout in the set space I had but the platofrms are long enough to take a 10 - 12 car train.

 

I have been fortunate with Banbury in that a lot of people(miost on Rmweb) have come forward iwth niformation and or photos whihc has helped immensly and I owe them a lot of thanks for all the help.

 

Ian

Edited August 19, 2012 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

Some work was carried out today on various items of rolling stock such as detailing an EWS class 67, changing couplers on some of the Mk3 coaches to the longer fixed knuckles as the test with the short ones proved unsuccessful as they were to tight on the fiddleyard curves.

Also the two new semaphores for the south emd of platforms 1 and 2 are well under construction. The safety platform is the next bit to be done on them.

 

One of the biggest causes of derailments is the turnouts not being set the correct way on the scenic section as its not easy to see them from the operating positions. So I hope to have the track diagrams drawn up in JMRI panel pro which will show the direction they are set on a laptop screen.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Here are a few more shots taken at the Silverfox show yesterday, but this time of the fiddleyard.

 

The Dapol Childrens railway loco wont pull the loaded 21 coal hoppers so we were double heading until it develpoed a short (now running again). The shot below was taken of the coal train after it had been removed. The Farish 66 will pull the train by its self

[roundhouse]

The two new semaphore signals had a littel bit more work done on them first thing this morning - its darker now at 5 am so the light on the magnigfier is getting used!!

 

The safety platforms have now been assembled and left to dry during the day. Hopefully tonight the handrails will be added and then stuck to the signal posts.

 

Quite a few tasks to do before the layouts next show in Haywards heath in two weeks time and TINGS the following weekend.

 

Will post a few photos of the signals in the next day or two.

 

Ian

Edited August 20, 2012 by roundhouse

[1977joey]

Just an absolutly stunning layout, i'm just amazed at the attention to detail. Love the picture updates, keep them comine

 

all the best,

Mark

Edited August 20, 2012 by 1977joey

[roundhouse]

Thanks Mark

 

Its one reason I enjoy doing real locations is that you have to find a way to model particular details - a good challenge

 

And if there is a good pub or two nearby ti makes it even more worthwhile having to keep going back!!

 

Luckily Banbury has a few good pubs with one not long recently reopened by the Cross.

 

Ian

 

PS - has anyone got any ides how to get some decent photos of the taxi rank and oil storage tanks by the station approach? I have tried from ground level but just not tthe correct angle to print and put on the bakcscene. Ideally need to stand on top of one of the staion lamps to take the shots!!!

Edited August 20, 2012 by roundhouse

[Markmiller2008]

I will have a look through my archive of photos, i took a rather lot of banbury just after W&S started.

 

Sorry i didnt get a chance to say hello on Saturday, being the only operator of my layout i hardly got chance to have a look round.

 

Mark

[roundhouse]

Mark

 

Thats Ok. Fully appreciate that its not easy when by yourself.

 

We were also light on operators aswell so I only had a very quick glance round the show and also to buy a few decoders from Digitrains, a lunch break and that was it.

Whilst we had a lot of stock out, we still had a fair bit that didn't get used.

 

Ian