rodshaw Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 I once tried using spaghetti for downpipes on buildings, but I found they seemed to absorb moisure from the atmosphere, swell a bit, then the paint (Humbrol enamel) flaked off. Alan. It will be interesting to see if the same happens to mine. At least it's cheap enough to make another! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Love this layout. There's a serious danger that I'll blatantly rip it off when I have the space (seriously...). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Love this layout. There's a serious danger that I'll blatantly rip it off when I have the space (seriously...). Just so long as you don't blatantly rip it out of my garage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Looking at the older pictures, I was enjoying playing 'spot the Fresh Cherries cars'. Definitely a Bobcat and an Escort in there... Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 Looking at the older pictures, I was enjoying playing 'spot the Fresh Cherries cars'. Definitely a Bobcat and an Escort in there... Adrian Correct on both counts. Meanwhile, here's Twyla having arrived in the Dodge pickup to - er - pick up her boyfriend who has just finished his shift at the warehouse. But he's a bit suspicious of her. To paraphrase the Led Zep song, he thought he had it all sewn up, their love, a plot, a pickup truck, but folks said she was after something more. Must do something about those eyebrows. Or eyes, for that matter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Hi Rod, Having just stumbled across your thread today, I just wanted to check in and compliment you on a cracking little layout! It is a really thought out track plan and creates a brilliant atmosphere. I must say it is interesting to see something a little different in the type of space which is normally reserved for 'inglenook territory', so I really like the plan. In fact, it is hard to believe it is only 4 feet long given the way you have still manage to achieved a great sense of space and room for the scene to breath. It is particularly impressive given the US setting, those long boxcars take up a lot of room! The same plan would give acres of space in a British setting with small wheelbase wagons. I presume that the headshunt at either end of the loop will take a loco and one freight car at a time? It is also interesting that you have increased the length slightly on that front headshunt - if you don't mind me asking, does that just give an important extra wriggle-room when operating? Anyway, first class work and I look forward to seeing more! David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 Hi David, The spur on the left will take one loco and one freight car as long as the loco is shortish. There's no room to breathe and I can just change the points without snagging the wheels. I don't think I can do it with a longer loco, say a GP38. But I usually use the spur just as a temporary spot for either a loco or a freight car while switching. There is also only room for either a loco or one freight car in the loop itself. I added the extension on the left so as to be able to push two 50ft cars into Sunderland Engineering, that is as long as they've been pulled from the fiddle yard round the curved part of the loop. Before that I had to switch Sunderland one car at a time. There's plenty room at the right-hand end of the loop because I can use the fiddle yard. So when we're switching at shows, the train is constantly moving in and out of the fiddle yard, with some of it always visible on the layout. Interesting what you said about British stock - originally I'd planned on being able to interchange the buildings and some of the scenics for a British outline alternative layout, but I got so hooked on US that I've ditched that plan now. Though I do have a Class 08 and a Jinty which occasionally make an appearance. Strange, but they don't seem to like coupling onto US boxcars... Meanwhile the layout has been booked for Pontefract in Jan 2017. Bit of a wait then! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CourthsVeil Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 ... I do have a Class 08 and a Jinty which occasionally make an appearance. Strange, but they don't seem to like coupling onto US boxcars... No wonder, as they are much bigger than US stock – by 14.5% !! Armin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Hi David, The spur on the left will take one loco and one freight car as long as the loco is shortish. There's no room to breathe and I can just change the points without snagging the wheels. I don't think I can do it with a longer loco, say a GP38. But I usually use the spur just as a temporary spot for either a loco or a freight car while switching. There is also only room for either a loco or one freight car in the loop itself. I added the extension on the left so as to be able to push two 50ft cars into Sunderland Engineering, that is as long as they've been pulled from the fiddle yard round the curved part of the loop. Before that I had to switch Sunderland one car at a time. There's plenty room at the right-hand end of the loop because I can use the fiddle yard. So when we're switching at shows, the train is constantly moving in and out of the fiddle yard, with some of it always visible on the layout. Interesting what you said about British stock - originally I'd planned on being able to interchange the buildings and some of the scenics for a British outline alternative layout, but I got so hooked on US that I've ditched that plan now. Though I do have a Class 08 and a Jinty which occasionally make an appearance. Strange, but they don't seem to like coupling onto US boxcars... Meanwhile the layout has been booked for Pontefract in Jan 2017. Bit of a wait then! Hi Rod, I appreciate for reply on this and apologies for taking so long to say thanks. I expect those very tight headshunts must make for interesting switching and causing some complications in operation! It is interesting what you mention about the option for operating with British stock too and I think these small micro layouts lend themselves to this kind of adaption very readily. As you mention, the careful selection of buildings and scenery and/or potentially options for dropping in alternative structures to change the setting could offer a multitude of possibilities... US, UK and even European. It might not be to the purists liking but I for one am a big fan of such versitility, it would suit someone like me down to the ground who has a pretty 'scattergun' approach to prototype interests and modelling and could allow sustained interest in a project which otherwise might wane... I've never really thought about it in too much detail but I think such a multi-era, multi-setting approach is something I would like to consider if I can ever take the courage to step forward with a new project!! Definitely gives food for thought... Anyway, thanks again for sharing your layout and I look forward to future updates. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
awoodford Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Meanwhile the layout has been booked for Pontefract in Jan 2017. Bit of a wait then! Do you have any other shows booked? This is a great little layout and it would be nice to catch up with it in real life. Alan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Do you have any other shows booked? This is a great little layout and it would be nice to catch up with it in real life. Alan. Yes, we've just got it booked into the Leeds MRS show at Leeds Grammar School on 31 October and 1 November - this year, not 2017! Being a late entry it's not listed on their website as yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Leeds eh? I'll have to stop by. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Leeds eh? I'll have to stop by. Will you wear your goggles so I can recognise you? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Nope. Nor will I wear the hat or bring the gun! Might have folk looking a bit nervous if I rock up loaded for bare! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devious diesel Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Hi I enjoyed seeing the layout at the Leeds show. Thanks for the advice you gave me on fitting a sound decoder under the layout. Just received and fitted an mrc 1909 to my little switching layout - works a treat, not bad at all for forty quid. Thanks again David. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted November 3, 2015 Author Share Posted November 3, 2015 Hi I enjoyed seeing the layout at the Leeds show. Thanks for the advice you gave me on fitting a sound decoder under the layout. Just received and fitted an mrc 1909 to my little switching layout - works a treat, not bad at all for forty quid. Thanks again David. You're welcome! One of my two under-layout decoders stopped working at the show. I was thinking maybe a loose wire. In a quiet moment I got it out of the rather cramped foamboard housing I'd made for it and found the speaker was very hot. When it cooled down, it started up again. Just needed a little ventilation! The only other casualty was a point lever which came loose 5 minutes into the first day. Again though, easy to fix. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Wait.... Leeds show has already been? DANGIT! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Wait.... Leeds show has already been? DANGIT! 'fraid so...and just to prove it, here's my co-operator in action entertaining some young punters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 A couple of newcomers to the layout. The first is the Atlas Trainman RS-36, to which I added a cheap decoder so it works with my under-baseboard sound decoders. It already had LED lights so conversion wasn't that bad. Runs very smoothly: Second, a nice Atlas boxcar, from a slightly later era: When I buy a new model, I can't bear to weather it at first, so they will probably stay nice and clean for a couple of weeks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 And a 40ft 'modern' boxcar... So that's a loco and two boxcars in need of weathering. It's got to be done sooner or later! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Nice ALCO. Can't go wrong with an ALCO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Nice ALCO. Can't go wrong with an ALCO. ...although an ALCO can go wrong.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 ...although an ALCO can go wrong.... Intentionally or otherwise, Atlas did seemingly go wrong with this one. LV 402 was apparently an RS-11, which is a bit shorter and subtly different in other ways from an RS-36. Not that I'd have known before looking at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=105620 Anyway, a bit of light weathering has been applied: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 I decided to install a team track on Yorkford. It occupies one of the run-round spurs, so it makes switching a bit more...well, let's say interesting. But I've also acquired a couple of short hoppers, which helps. I found the loader truck in a cupboard, I've no idea where it came from or who made it but it looks vaguely the part. The grab is made from one of those brown plastic shelf supports from a flat pack. I also decided the backscene needed pepping up a bit, so I added this building flat: (Must tidy that tree up a bit). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Why do you need to tidy the tree up? Nature doesn't tend to do Tidy. Nice to be reminded of this layout, though, & it's still in use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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