SOMERSET LANE; 7mm BR(GE) early 1960's Depot

[bcnPete]

Looking very nice too.

 

Am loving that second shot with the 33 and 03.

 

Shame that the blue will disappear from the layout...kinda suits it...but then I would say that!

[TimC]

Looking very nice too.

 

Am loving that second shot with the 33 and 03.

 

Shame that the blue will disappear from the layout...kinda suits it...but then I would say that!

 

Thanks, Pete!

[Grimleygrid]

Hi Tim, I agree with Pete the Blue 33 really looks at home outside the superb depot. Are you sure that you cannot run it with blue sometimes?!! Pretty please!

 

Great work, looking forward to seeing more photos.

 

 

[Gallows Close]

Very, very nice. This place looks purposeful, yet sleepy. A perfect rendition. I cannot wait to see more - especially with more motive power on shed.

 

Best wishes,

Chris.

[TimC]

Hi Tim, I agree with Pete the Blue 33 really looks at home outside the superb depot. Are you sure that you cannot run it with blue sometimes?!! Pretty please!

 

Great work, looking forward to seeing more photos.

 

Very, very nice. This place looks purposeful, yet sleepy. A perfect rendition. I cannot wait to see more - especially with more motive power on shed.

 

Best wishes,

Chris.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Well a blue era Somerset Lane requires blue diesels and that is only me in the group (except Paul's 03). I'm a relatively recent convert to 7mm so while I've a few kits under the bed the 33 is the only finished one to date in Blue (I don't think my Ruston 48DS will get to see much action on SL ). The layout is quite small too and anything bigger than a 33 dominates it. The layout was really designed for showing off Paul's shunters and smaller GE diesels - 15/20 plus 16 (not yet built) with guest appearances from his 33/37/47 (it's his layout after all).

 

We are building up to a fleet test and verification (make sure they all go through all the points) in the next week or two so lots more traction photos soon.

[TimC]

Quiet progress over the last week as Easter holidays have reduced team availability with only a few incidental jobs undertaken (like painting the back of the backscene (i.e non-viewing side) a neutral slate colour).

 

However, Jim's been busy with his goods shed.

 

 

 

This is the wooden part of the shed and it all sits on a brick base and deck (see earlier in the thread). All the 'iron work' around the joints in the roof are of plasticard. Jim was hunting around for some 10thou black sheet but soon found out that black is only readily available in 20thou upwards. Unperturbed he got some 20thou and soon had it skimmed down to 10thou on his milling machine .

 

It seems a real pity to put a slate roof on the structure and hide all the detail - people will just have to bend down to see up into the roof.

[Gallows Close]

The layout is quite small too and anything bigger than a 33 dominates it.

 

So, no chance of a nice BR Blue, split box class forty then? The goods shed is quite a beautiful piece of woodworking - very nice.

 

Best wishes,

Chris.

[TimC]

So, no chance of a nice BR Blue, split box class forty then? The goods shed is quite a beautiful piece of woodworking - very nice.

 

Best wishes,

Chris.

 

Chris - Now one day, there is every chance of a big blue 40 but with discs (JLTRT 40047) - no split box 40 planned currently - though if I were to buy another kit it would probably be 40129. Currently all pennies are being saved up for a Heljan 31. I have periods of work when I can accumulate stuff but currently I'm not working so I'm enjoying building from the stockpile. I've just started on a mixed rake of parcels vehicles so I guess that no locos will see the workbench for quite a while.........and who knows what I'll then pick but my guess is that the 31 will have arrived by then .

 

The Somerset Lane goods shed is a real work of art the pictures don't do it justice.

[Grimleygrid]

The Somerset Lane goods shed is a real work of art the pictures don't do it justice.

 

I couldn't agree more what a fantastic piece of modelling, it must really look good in the flesh. A Heljan 31 would look right at home on Shed!

[Warspite]

Tim

 

This is coming on beautifully. The goods shed looks stunning - brilliant modelling.

 

Have to agree with some others here though, that photo with your blue 33 looks 'so right'. Exquisite!

 

Stephen

[TimC]

Tim

 

This is coming on beautifully. The goods shed looks stunning - brilliant modelling.

 

Have to agree with some others here though, that photo with your blue 33 looks 'so right'. Exquisite!

 

Stephen

 

Thanks Stephen!

[TimC]

A few of the resident shunting locos were found on shed this morning.

 

 

 

 

Currently, Paul is sorting out some electrical alterations to the control panel while I've been making mock ups of the low relief goods shed that goes next to the loading dock (note: plural as I can't get something I really like - I'll have another go this evening).

[TimC]

A quick update.

 

Paul has made a start on toning down and weathering the bridge that forms the scenic break. The brickwork has been painted in Precision Paints engineering blue brick and a B&Q tester 'Light Rain' has been dabbed on/off in varying quantities to break up the base colour. More layers of other subtle colours to follow.

 

He has also applied some textured paint on the bare areas of baseboard, again this will be built up upon in the coming weeks.

 

 

Jim has started to roof the goods shed. There should be sufficient skylight to get a good impression of all his work on the roof structure.

 

 

I've made a start (and a couple of false starts too) on the low relief shed that goes with the loading dock.

[TimC]

All quiet on the western (or should that be Great Eastern) front at the moment.

 

Holidays and next years club exhibition have tied myself and Jim up but Paul has made good progress on the bridge. There is now a distressed disused track across the structure and ground works are progressing - pics to follow (guess who didn't take his camera to club this morning,,,,,, )

[TimC]

Ground work is continuing around the bridge. This is still work in progress and we'll tone those greens down a bit in due course.

 

 

 

I've nearly finished the low relief good shed. It is another concrete framed building. I would have preferred a pitched roof structure but the mocks ups just didn't look right next to the MPD shed - it again uses Scalescene's brickpaper. The etched window is from Geoff Taylor's range, it only arrived in the post yesterday but its now sprayed and I'll fit it next week. There is a concrete lintel, sides and cill to fit around the window and a small canopy to go over the loading dock on the side of the goods shed.

 

 

I toned down the concrete colour to better match the other structures on the layout in the photo below.

 

 

After the goods shed, I got to find an industrial/factory building to do to hide the control panel and cover the bare space along the back of the layout up to the bridge. Paul is going to do a fence and a small back yard along the front (about where that little shed is on the top photo above).

[RedgateModels]

I'm more than a little intrigued by the cassette fixing arrangements. Any chance of more detail?

 

cheers

 

Ian

[Danemouth]

Tim,

 

Really liked bridge over the tracks, looks nicely disused!

 

Regards,

 

Dave

[TimC]

I'm more than a little intrigued by the cassette fixing arrangements. Any chance of more detail?

 

cheers

 

Ian

 

Ah yes, I will take some photos next week, for some reason I don't have any photos of the cassettes (probably because the fiddle yard is our dumping ground for odds and ends........). They are a custom build by Jim and much easier to explain with pictures.

 

Tim,

 

Really liked bridge over the tracks, looks nicely disused!

 

Regards,

 

Dave

 

Thanks, Dave.

[RedgateModels]

Cheers, I have not started the cassette on Fourgig yet, and was planning on the bent wire in tube method. Yours looks far more positive and robust

[cromptonnut]

So much in a small space. Makes me wish I had the time, patience and skills to build points as it'd be so much easier than sticking with Peco being so big.

[TimC]

OK, I've finished the low relief goods shed. We'll leave sticky all the buildings down until I've done the hard-standing around the MPD and related offices. I've moved on to the factory building(s) that cover the control panel (more of which to follow).

 

 

The layout uses cassettes in the fiddle yard. These have been constructed for some time now but not yet covered in the thread. The (four) cassettes were knocked up with various bits of wood that we had around the club rooms and this meant that heights and the side to side fit was not entirely consistent. Jim has made up some connectors to solve this issue.

 

 

The aluminium bracket on each end of each side of the cassette has a centre screw that acts as a pivot. There is a turned locating pin that fits into the 'socket' on the layout. The bracket is adjusted so the track height matches the layout and then the height adjuster screw is tightened. The square headed screw is used to control the side to side alignment of the track on the cassette.

 

 

The sockets that receive the cassette are made from aluminium angle. The track feed goes through the sockets/brackets is wired to the copper-clad sleeper on each end of the track on the cassette.

 

 

 

 

Simples!

[TimC]

I've removed the 'double' post of an early draft version of post #46 - must have been a fat finger on my part.

[thirty2a]

I dont think simples quite covers it if i'm honest!

[TimC]

I dont think simples quite covers it if i'm honest!

 

Perhaps I should have added a cheeky smiley to my 'Simples!'. However, saying that, now that the cassettes are set up it works very well.

Edited May 29, 2012 by TimC

[TimC]

We are still plugging away.

 

Over the wet Jubilee weekend, I built a low relief factory/offices to cover the control panel and fill the gap to the bridge.

 

 

However, it doesn't suit the layout as the size doesn't fit well with shed offices, so it has been shelved (literally!) and I've started again.

 

 

I've decided to focus on the cover of the control panel before revisiting the design of the 'offices'.

 

 

Paul has moved on to the yard lamps. He is following the design and build that Jon Fitness covered in his 'Average 7mm Signal' thread.

 

 

Also the disused railway has attracted a local.....