Sibrows Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Hello my name is Simon and I'm an alcoholic (sorry wrong support group) a chronic armchair modeller. Having spent days of my life marvelling at the skills shown on here I decided to try actually build on of my own. After a number of false starts building layouts before finding a mental block and then running out of steam. I'm hoping to keep the momentum going by posting updates here, lets see what happens... The LayoutIdea: Start small and see where it goes.Inspiration: Taken from Model Rail 161 (I think, as I have located the layout planning supplement from another edition).Location: Roughly based in the South of England, with a fair bit of modellers licence. To justify it's existence it's a city center location with a highly unlikely preservation line running from one platform to allow the running of a very eclectic selection of rolling stock.Considerations: Money, money, money. First child due in April but there is already a reasonable stock of items purchased for previous projects. The PlanUsing rail modeller (layout planning software for the Mac) I have translated the plan as published in model rail into something that fits with my existing collection of track. Above: The layout at track level. Ideally the cross-over would be a double slip but funding doesn't allow for this. The bottom two lines will be used by the preservation line while the top four lines would be used by mainline services. Above: The whole layout with street level added on top. Current ProgressThe following is a selection of photographs show the last 24 hours contraptions... Apologies for the quality of the photos all are taken on my phone in the loft under florescent lights. Above: Things roughly laid out so asses space. The wood has been balanced to give a very rough idea of how it might look. Note: The set of points infront of the Turbostar have been removed. Above: The track plan printed with track laid out to check for sizes and bits. Not 100% right I suspect I'd missed the option on the printer to avoid scaling. Note: The Bachmann signal box and platforms are only there as a place marker. The platforms will be built from the ScaleScenes kits and I intend to try my hand at scratch building a signal box, but in the mean time the Bachmann one will fit the space. Above: The paper was removed and the track lined up based on the top right-hand point and I started to cut the holes for the point motors. Really irritated that on a previous layout I had purchased the Peco point motors which sound like each of the points are being changed by a monkey with a hammer that is being electrocuted is rubbish! Above: Current progress as of 11am this morning. Looking from the right end of the layout. The Class 57 is in the headshunt of the preservation just for sizing up. All of the holes for the point motors have been cut and all but the two points on the right of this photo have been fitted. Note: The ScaleScenes tunnel mouth is just there for sizing up purposes. Thanks for taking the time to read this rambling post. Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryMeerkat Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Looks like a great project, I'll be following with interest. Good luck, Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class 108 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Like the plan, good luck with the build. Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 yep, you need enough space for asses. big one in my case. good luck with the project. I would be tempted to think that with the width of board you may be craming too much track in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Thanks for the comments. Final day of this Christmas holiday, so took an opportunity to crack on. But what do I have to show for it? - It doesn't look like much! Started by finishing off fitting the point motors and started to cut the cork underlay which lead me to start working out the rough locations for the cable troughs and thus the pipe work under the track. Above: Started by finishing off fitting the point motors and started to cut the cork underlay which lead me to start working out the rough locations for the cable troughs and thus the pipe work under the track. Apologies for the rats nest under the slip its waiting to be routed through the underlay once I've cut it. Above: This led to thinking about the point rodding on the preservation section and remembered this kit. Above: Trying the point rodding the black bit in the middle is one of the ground signals. Above: This led to opening the paint pots ready for planting on the layout. Not sure if I will use the leaver frame it all depends if the signal box fits sensibly on the platform or not. :scratchhead:Now for a question for the collective: what sort of fencing do you think I need to put between the mainline and preservation tracks at the right-hand end off of the layout? Thats all for now Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Looks nice little project Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordhinton Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 id go tor the usual security fencing, network rail seem to use it everywhere! great work on the layout! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 id go tor the usual security fencing, network rail seem to use it everywhere! great work on the layout! Thanks that is where I'd thought about going but wanted to double check. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom hark Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 You could always paint the fencing a different colour ??? Layout starting to look good. Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Thanks for all the comments. Not much progress to report but I've been wiring up the point motors and some of the track. Not very photo worthy. I have been working on the fencing between the mainline and preservation section. The air turned blue earlier on this afternoon when one of the gate hinges pinged out from between the tweezers that I was using 2o minutes later I was reunited with this 1mm square piece of plastic. Above: The security fencing between the mainline and the preservation railway. A reasonable amount of this afternoon has been spent testing the overhang of various rolling stock. It looks like the Eurostar overhangs the most at the front (not that I can see a reason why the Eurostar would be visiting the preservation platform!) while I am still working through coaches to see which might be an issue. So does this look suitable? - If so I would imagine that there would be some signage on and around the gate? Last weekend I was down in Devon and in-between kayaking sessions I found 2 minutes to grab a quick photo of the point rodding around the station throat at Buckfastleigh as reference for my attempt to recreate point rodding here. Above: Point rodding cranks @Buckfstleigh Station. Above: Point rodding and signal cabling @Buckfstleigh Station. Thats it for the moment... Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 Got another couple of hours in the loft this afternoon and so cracked on with soldering droppers and fixing track in place. Thus far I have tested the conductivity using a multimeter as the track was fixed in place. Finishing with a little bit of trying to work out what sort of space I will have. Above: The station throat. All of the wood is just in place to test clearances. The signal box may move. Above: The station area at the opposite end. That's it for now. Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 This looks great - roughly how big is the "finished" (are they ever?!) layout going to be? I only ask because it looks like I might be getting access to a loft some-time soon and I'm also interested in 4mm Modern Image Also, as far as prototype is concerned for a city with a preservation railway attached, it's not too far off Didcot Parkway - huge number of tracks as part of the mainline split on the GW / Oxford lines, a large powerstation and marshelling yard as well as a preservation railway in the middle of it all - see this map for more info Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyboy Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I remember the Model Rail 161 plan which was based on the location of my previous employers - Sheffield Station. But your plan reminds me a lot of the place that has in my eyes "Britain's worst big station" - Birmingham New St with the platform ends sticking out from the dull gloom! A preservation society as part of the layout is a good idea, it mixes up the kind of trains that you will run instead of just modern units and the odd loco. Sam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 Ok, well. This weekend, just gone found a little time to try to get the layout a little further. Having wired up a reasonable amount of the station throat (not very photogenic!) I decided to crack on with some blasting! Above: The head shunt within the preserved section. The Good... I had started by painting the sides of the rails a dark brown (the photos make it look a lot browner than it looks in the flesh so to speak), I was quite pleased with the results. The Bad... Really not convinced by the light brown ballast. To the point where while the second lot of ballast was drying I removed as much as possible. The Ugly... See the photo below. The pot of grey paint being used to paint the cable trunking emptied over the baseboard! Above: Removing the gluing ballast. It was at this point where I walked out away . Having slept on it I will invest in some light grey ballast for the remainder of the track and get the air brush out and tone down the brown ballast. Here endeth thy lesson! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class 74 Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I like that trackplan! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 I like that trackplan! I can't claim any credit for it taken from Model Rail and slightly adjusted to suit my whims Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Coming along nice i see!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Coming along nice i see!! Thanks, very little progress since the first child arrived (3 months old now) and with an impending house move I'm wondering when / if there will be any progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Thanks, very little progress since the first child arrived (3 months old now) and with an impending house move I'm wondering when / if there will be any progress. Sounds like fun!! hopefuly once youve moved,you wil get time to get modeling again buddy... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibrows Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Sounds like fun!! hopefuly once youve moved,you wil get time to get modeling again buddy... Thanks. So do I. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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