Black Sheep Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 The station board was finished before work this morning, a couple of dead spots to sort out and for some reason the turntable motor won't respond to the control panel Probably wired it to the wrong switch knowing me!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 well, I did indeed wire it to the wrong switch, had wired it to the switch to turn the track on the turntable on instead of wiring it to the switch to rotate the turntable - sorted now. photo update: Control pannel, it's blue because I had no other colour of paint other than a nauseating purple or other similar bizarre shades that wouldn't really work. It does need a plug n play connector for the controller rather than being hardwired, however I plan on getting a hand-held, currently resisting the temptation to build one from the gaugemaster unit I currently have. The layout so far under the watchful eye of the foreman who wants to know why there is no fiddle yard! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 Can we bodge it? I hope so Progress has been slowed lately, although I have been able to run trains and a fair bit of yesterday was spent shunting the goods yard I have found that the alignment of my boards has got progressively worse throughout the project to the extent that my Jinty can only draw wagons out of the yard traveling forwards, if it tries bunker first then the weight of the motor in the cab causes it to uncouple from the wagons. This may not be a problem when I get round to fitting DG's but I don't want to rely on that to solve it. I've spent part of the last few days being tempted to scrap my boards and start again which would give better results all round as there are a fair few bodges as I've made it up as I went along to avoid the "that's a waste of money" correcting mistakes properly. Due to the extensive testing, in order to highlight as many problems as possible (which I will list below) I have tried to run all my motive power (except DP1) The results being as follows: Farish Jinty - can get to any part of the layout (except the bit I forgot to attach droppers to!) provided points are held firmly closed to allow current to conduct (solution - scrap current wire in tube, produce better / fit point motors) Dapol Ivatt tank - hates points (presumed due to the sub-standard wire in tube) also hates the baseboard alignment Trix Britania (destined to become Duchess of Hamilton)- won't run, has power, light comes on - ah, well, need to strip it down to build into the Langley kit anyway (santa hint) Farish 4F - pushes turntable alignment out when trying to access it, can't draw coal trucks up the embankment Farish Black 5 - did everything asked of it! (it wasn't sent into the yard / embankment) They now, all have dirty wheels and so running had to stop - so if anyone has an idiots guide to cleaning N gauge locos I'd be glad to hear from them! So, a few things to sort out then. I have learnt a lot so far, and it would be nice to not be having to un-do my mistakes, at least any subsequent layouts will be to a higher standard! A decision has also been taken that Milliedale will now, thanks to Frankland be turning back the clock to the 1930s, perhaps with some art-deco flats creeping in behind the station. I also intend to run it from time to time with some early diesels in the late 50's (despite having a liking for blue diesels, I don't think it would suit Milliedale) but that will be as funds allow. So, back to fixing my bodges, might have a break from the layout for a little while to dabble in O gauge dioramas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Just a quick update incase anyone was worried I'd given up on building layouts. I've done some work on the boards where they join, hopefully this will give a more reliable alignment between boards. I will need to re-lay some of the track, but that's a small price to pay for a reliable layout. Real life is, I fear about to get in the way of much work until later this month but Milliedale and I will be back Thanks for your support and encouragement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-CRS Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Just found this thread looking good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted April 23, 2012 Author Share Posted April 23, 2012 tracks are now all aligned, going to try running a loco tonight... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 Loco running hasn't happened, I've got a piece of track to remove and re-lay in order to fit the insulated fishplates that I should have put on it originally. in the meantime, It's 1946 / 47 and in Milliedale the euphoria that was felt at the end of the long war years has given way to the enthusiasm of re-building the town to it's former glory, the tram lines are back in and nearly serviceable, test running of the trams has begun prior to resurfacing work commencing. While Milliedale took very few hits in air-raids (the aim of the bombers was so bad we thought they were trying to get the cows in farmer Neville's fields!) our Victorian hotel facing the end of the station was damaged requiring repair as was the Georgian curved terrace at 'station corner' However plans are afoot to rectify the damage which is currently hidden behind large hordings (seemingly sponsored by cadbury's creme eggs :S ) Thankfully Hunt Lodge made it through the war unscathed except for the railings surrounding the estate: More to come when architects have finalised plans for the re-facing of the buildings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 While the architects and town planners get to work the Millidale road builders have been busy tarmacing the road to the canal wharf and 'The Butty' pub (formally the lock keepers cottage) One of the workforce pointed out just how close (about a scale 4-6ft) the end wall of the pub is to the viaduct and wondered if they suffered a lot from railway noise. On a more serious note, does it look too close to the viaduct? I kind of like it, but want it to be realistic. other locations for the pub are as follows: Oppinions etc welcome Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Looking good, I prefer the second picture down.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 While deliberating on how the pub should be arranged, attention has turned to balasting and growing grass resulting in some nice countryside to take a drive through Fencing has also been repaired and the embankment is looking prety good. still some way to go yet, need to get some more peco fencing before 'the vale' will be complete. Now I just need to construct either the tunnel mouth and hillside to the right of the layout or get back on with the town... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 So, I'm still putting off doing anything with the buildings on the town end of the layout and am focusing on the countryside end and have gotten as far as the tunnel. I need to do some repair work to the ballast as it didn't all stick first time around and get some more mud paint (the plaster shows through on a bit that I didn't paint before grassing) Currently debating what to do for the backdrop, tempted to paint it white, sand it back and then crack the airbrush out, or use a peco / gaugemaster back scene. still need to sort a section of wiring out and a fiddle yard, do some weathering and do some more work on the town. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 So, some work (but not much) has been done, mainly the grass is growing (not surprising the amount of rain we've been having lately!) The summer house folly of the local stately home (of which Hunt Lodge is also part of the estate but home to the son of the family) sits proudly on the top of the hill a bit of more corse scatter needs to be planted to break up the green perhaps? Definately need some shrubbery here to cover up the fact I can't get my hand under the bridge to do anything! (sorry for the sideways photo - don't get a crick in your neck!) Hunt Lodge has its gardeners back and finally got it's grounds back in order, the road just outside the gate has even been fixed after the bomb that ripped it up, just need to get the gateposts and wall back up after those damn German's knocked them down! Nearly got the back garden planted, just waiting for the hedges to grow up between the paths. So, as you may have noticed with the background of those pictures - just got the rest of it to sort!!!! although, I think the next job is to make crate ends. The layout has been designed to turn one section of itself over to create a cover for the other half hopefully protecting the scenic area. to do this I need to clear the whole layout off of anything that moves and make the ends. bit worried that my point control wires will get damaged in transit, however I had been considering replacing them anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 Well, partly packed now, layout layer on side with one crate end built and fitted, need to fit the other without making the end of the layout look like swiss cheese, It's off to my parent's at some point this week for safe keeping while we move, so hope to be doing something with it in about a months time, although there are jobs to be done on the house. Thanks for all your encouragement, keep an eye out for future updates Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I have really enjoyed reading through this layout thread and seeing how it has developed. I must have missed the first posts but I will definitely be keeping an eye on your future developments. I really like the turntable used to turn the locomotives around. Keep up the good work. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Good luck with the move! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Yes, good luck with the move! Hope you enjoy your new house! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Thanks, glad people are still interested in what I've been upto. Anything new in Frankland Southernboy? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted October 13, 2012 Author Share Posted October 13, 2012 Sorry to disappoint with this update, Milliedale is currently in Yorkshire (quite fitting really) at my parent's house while my house is sorted ready for it The railway room has nearly got it's new roof fully on so might not be too long now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 Well, a brief Christmas update. Our house has needed much more work than we first envisioned and so model building has been put on hold. We do now have the lounge sorted so are using that as though it is a lounge dining room and currently working on our bedroom. I spent christmas eve with the bathroom floor in bits trying to sort out a few broken and loose boards. Boxing day was spent in B&Q buying a fair few items we'll be needing further down the project in bulk while the discount was good. Milliedale appears to have survived the move to Yorkshire, but will be remaining here for another month or so as the railway room needs a floor building to replace the rotted original, and then it will probably be used to store boxes of stuff. How's everyone else's projects coming on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted October 24, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 24, 2013 Just found the topic Black Sheep, It looks good. One post earlier questioned the distance from the signal box to the far crossover. You could always use the Long Preston solution of a ground frame released by a lock from the box. It was used to release the exit from the cattle dock whuch was worked by a groud frame in a lttle hut at the end of the dock. PS I'll be at Warley with part of Green Ayre as a demonstrator on stand E09. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 With Milliedale still in storage and not knowing what size options may be available for a possible replacement I've been pondering re-laying track on Milliedale itself and adding a fiddle yard. The lower level is not easily accessible by anything other than an 0-6-0 however this could be improved when re-laying. I started out pondering re-laying on the same boards and replacing the viaduct with a swing bridge and raising the river-bed a bit making the wharf a bit more accessible, being unconvinced of a swing bridge being built just before the station and having wanted a continuous loop layout for a little while I started looking at making Milliedale into a continuous loop, loosing the turntable and using it's mechanism for the bridge. This has lead to deepening the scenic board in order to get the track layout on there without it running perfectly parallel to the board edge so would probably result in new boards needing to be built. Just open to thoughts, opinions and what looks wrong, right and realistic? LMS 1948, somewhere in the North incase that affects how track might be set out. Right hand side, curves are hidden in a tunnel as before, left hand side, cutting and buildings of the town with road running over rail where grey box is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulprice Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Just found your thread, I must admit I really like the terminus look you have achieved so far and the option of a continuous run version is very interesting too. I can share some of your frustrations as I am also modelling a layout somewhere in the Northwest around 1940. I will keep reading with interest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bri.s Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 It looks like a nice layout your building , the one thing I might have changed in your roundy plan is the connections to the good area , I'd have a single slip at the left hand side and at the right hand side connection id change it to a simple point into the yard and then id have a trailing crossover so you dont have direct access into from either end , (Itll give you a bit more shunting aswell), I think that's how the lms or midland liked to do things . The swing bridge sounds great and the senics you've done.are very nice . As a modeller who's modelling the Yorkshire area Will be watching with interest . Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted April 13, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hello black sheep, Just looking at your track plan above I'm wondering why you've laid out the inner loop fiddle yard with those reverse curves at each end that shorten the sidings? If the points fanned out from the tip down, rather than bottom up, you'd have a straight lead in and longer loops... Just a thought! Cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 It would appear that I've lost the file for the above plan, and tastes are changing a little again. While I like the idea of the swing bridge and a navigable river being served by the railway I've been reading swallows and amazons (again) to my daughter (figured I might as well read something I enjoy before she's old enough to make her own requests) This has got me wanting to build in the lake district (long term plans on hold to build Lakeside on Windermere) So, here is a lake district through station of Milliedale (well, Mr Ransome never does say what the town is really called) with Beckfoot shielded by trees from the railway on the right hand bank of the river. There's a goods headhunt along side a wharf for loading freight (no passenger facilities, but tempted… Cattle pens at the left hand side of the yard, goods shed on the loop. So, Ex Furness LMS in 1930's / 40's What's wrong with the plan, how should it look? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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