81A Oldoak Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Hi again...The first image has had some courses slightly scratched to lighten the mortar. The second image has seen some work with a wet cotton bud to remove some of the black wash to reveal more of the underlying colours. Randall image.jpg image.jpg Looks good. You could go on for ever trying to refine the effect, but can't be far off the point of diminishing marginal return. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Looks good. You could go on for ever trying to refine the effect, but can't be far off the point of diminishing marginal return.Thanks Chris....As the retaining wall frames the scene for more than two-thirds of the front of the layout, I was keen to put enough effort into it to avoid future thoughts of regret about it's appearance. I know I have spent many hours applying DAS and scraping it off again, but I haven't set a clock running for getting the scenics finished. Call me weird, but I have enjoyed every minute, and I'm certain that I will not regret having done it this way. I hadn't previously used DAS for mortar in 7mm scale, so it's really been an experiment. As far as continual refinement is concerned, I think I've now reached my objective and I will soon be able to move on to other aspects that need attention. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymw Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I suppose you could try dying the das with a sand/lime mortar colour, rip it all out and start over Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 Hi again.... With most of my recent effort having been expended on the layout, I decided to take a break and finally make start on my Easybuild Class 108, the guise of which will be small destination boxes, BR blue with yellow ends. The sides have been prepared, and work has started on the cabs - specifically the destination boxes. I wasn't really taken by the etches supplied, which appeared to be slightly overscale. Neither was there any representation of the rubber seal holding the glazing in place. The destination boxes will be backlit, so I've drilled through the casting and bodywork. The casting has also been filed to allow light to seep along the back of the headcode. A piece of glazing material the same size as the casting will be stuck onto the face of the casting, entrapping the (paper?) blind. The seal has been made from a remnant of Wills 4mm Windows - two [ ] pieces stuck together. This will be painted black and stuck onto the glazing, the edges of which will be painted to match the roof. Although not an exact representation, I think it will look okay. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Hi again.... Much excitement at the home of Costleigh with the arrival of a Heljan Western. I must give thanks to my kind benefactors - Messrs Ladbrokes - the other hobby. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Good one. Do some more photos of it on the layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted November 17, 2013 Author Share Posted November 17, 2013 Hi again.... The image shows the Class 108 on the layout for the first time.... It's really only a mock up, as the bodies are only balancing on the floors, which are in turn balancing on the bogies. Next job is to blend in the roof ends with filler. Much inspiration has been gained from reading the posts of those who have gone down the Easybuild route before me, so many thanks to all concerned. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Looks like you have done well with the window etches. Getting the cab ends to fit is test of faith at times. You get the side walls ok the test fit the roof and its all going pear shape, literally. But keep going, the end result is worth it. Lots to play with DCC wise as well with lights in the bad, passenger compartment, head and tail lights, sound, all sorts of things. I have twin ESU LokSound V4's in mine, one in each car feeding its own bas reflex speaker mounted under the floor between the engine blocks. Works well and allows directional horns as well as all the other stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted November 18, 2013 Author Share Posted November 18, 2013 Looks like you have done well with the window etches. Getting the cab ends to fit is test of faith at times. You get the side walls ok the test fit the roof and its all going pear shape, literally. But keep going, the end result is worth it. Lots to play with DCC wise as well with lights in the bad, passenger compartment, head and tail lights, sound, all sorts of things. I have twin ESU LokSound V4's in mine, one in each car feeding its own bas reflex speaker mounted under the floor between the engine blocks. Works well and allows directional horns as well as all the other stuff. Thanks TTG... Patience has paid dividends...so far so good, thankfully..., I hope I haven't counted my chickens too early, but the sides, cab and roof have all gone together without problems. I'd recommend an Easybuild to anyone who is prepared to do a bit of fettling. I'm hoping the updated motor bogie assembly is satisfactory, as I know you had to replace yours with an ABC build. I like the idea of directional horns.... With regard to having a pair LokSound decoders, do the cars not sound identical, or are they 'offset' so to speak? Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hi Randall I had the early version of the power bogie from Easybuild and it really was rough. No matter what was done it was destined to be rough all its life. It has since been updated by Easybuild which supposedly is quieter. I dont know if it is as I not had the pleasure of listening to one. The ABC one solved the noise problem straight away but added a lot to the cost of the build. With regards the sound decoders, they are the same sound project on each with changes made using the excellent ESU Lokprogrammer. Such things as directional horn to match direction of travel. Guards whistle only in the car with the guards compartment. Guards and driver buzzer set for direction of travel and acknowledgment one in guards compartment. Little things really but they do help with the sound and image of the real thing. As for motor sounds, the start up is matched between the cars so you hear left bank start followed by right bank start. Idle is good and synchronised. The fast idle to top up air pressure is good as well with both decoders synchronised. At the moment though with mine, after a few minutes of running over the layout, the engines drift apart and lose sync. This creates problems for gear changes as they change a fraction of a second apart and is noticeable. Also the idle then drifts out and the slight difference makes the engines sound as if they are wrattling. Odd sound really. Its ok, dont get me wrong but it could be better. Cause, I suspect that since the decoder in the non motorised car has no motor load on it it is not responding to load commands within the decoder as the other one is nand loses the plot a little. Both are matched for CV to do with motor control, back emf etc as I set each one using auto tune using the well known CV54 trick set to zero and it setting off across the layout like a bat out of hell. But once the one in the non motorised car is returned to its home it has nothing to work against for back emf, motor load that can affect the way the sound is reproduced. So I will load the decoder and see what happens. One other thing, the decoders are 21pin versions on the excellent ESU 21MTC adapter board 2 which allows the user to do all the soldering connection work on a relatively cheap circuit board rather than on the expensive decoder. Also I use the ESU stay alive power packs to over come flickering of lights. One per decoder, works well. In my OO gauge Hornby HST I had twin sound decoders, one in each power car and whilst they were almost exactly synched they were a fraction out but it added to the sound effect as the cars were so far apart and created a very nice doppler effect. With the 108, they speakers are quite close together under the cars where the engine blocks are. This is far enough apart for directional sounds such as horns etc but engine wise they are a tad close and the better synced the motor, gear change sound are the better. Will let you know how I get on but it will be a while before i get around to it as I have spent too long playing, tweaking DCC stuff and need to get back to actually building the layout. Change of subject, lighting. The ESU 50700 lighting strips are excellent and very easy to install. They allow also with a little work a cab light to be run off the strip instead of using the tail light output section on the lighting strip. This is controlled by the Loksound decoder and can be turned on and off independently of the passenger compartment lights. The combination of lighting you can have is considerable. I also added the ESU 50706 power pack to the lighting strips to avoid flicker of the lighting. Worth the few quid they are and very easy to fit. The lighting strips can be dimmed via the decoder but also have a trimmer pot on the circuit board for extra fine tuning of the lighting to give the intensity and could you want. Have fun, good luck. There is lots that can be done to the model to add realism Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Thanks TTG.... That's some account...much appreciated... Plenty of 'sound advice' and some 'light reading' to finish.... I have gratefully taken on board all your tips and whether or not I go down the same route as you, I'm sure they will help me produce a better model. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Have fun building the kit. Keep us all up to speed with your progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Hello again... Many moons since my last update on Costleigh 7mm...you haven't missed much, though....as nothing much has happened. However, the modelling mojo has returned since I joined the Swansea Model Railway Group last month. I took the EasyBuild Class 108 power bogie to the club for a test run this evening, and was initially disappointed as it sounded like a bag of nails, to be honest. I had visions of the problems that reportedly bugged the original bogie design. However, I think the worm was rubbing against the chassis plate, as a quick tweak and some lubrication when I got home soon resolved the noise problems. There is the slight whirr of the motor spinning at higher speeds, but it's virtually silent at slower speeds. The grinding laps around the test track must have done a power of good to the gear meshing. I decided to come up with an alternative to the two methods suggested by EasyBuild for attaching the body to the floor/chassis. The roof is permanently glued to the body (some other builders have got removable roofs). I therefore wanted to have a simple means of detaching the body if and when necessary without the hassle of creating false floors or using the long bolts with captive nuts in the roof. There are still the three stretchers between the bodysides, and the floor will still be screwed to these. However, I've created plasticard partitions to replace the etched ones provided with the kit. I used the etches as a template, but rather than having a tumblehome to match the bodysides, they are straight-sided which allows them to be attached permanently to the floor and just slide into position when the floor/chassis is offered up to the body. I did a test beforehand, and I still can't see the gap between the partitions and the bodysides from a couple of feet away, even before fixing the glazing. Regards Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Good you have sorted out the motor bogie. It is a tad worrying that you may have a noisy model that drowns everything out. I glued my seats directly to the floor pan without using the false floors and not had any problems because of it. Also used the etched bulk heads glued to the floor with no problems as well. For me it's build sequence that creates different problems for different people and it's interesting that people who build the 108 have different variations in how to do it. Both cars on mine were done in different ways but the end product is the same. I must, I must, I must paint mine. Been saying that now for nearly two years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 Hello again... I wasn't overly satisfied with the ballast colour as laid down..... ...so I've been experimenting with Carrs weathering powders Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer1027 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Hi Randall, Only just found your layout/workbench thread. WOW amazing stuff. Obviously i like the western, but the DMU looks great. I have been reading how you have been doing the brickwork, very inspiring. I will have to try that technique when i eventually start on Penzance. I will now be watching with interest. Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted October 23, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 23, 2014 Likewise, only just found this too. Really like the simplicity and the depth you have created - some great techniques and pics looking upwards at the trains. Staying tuned as each day I edge closer to stepping up to 7mm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
81A Oldoak Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Nice to see this back at the top of the list. It has reminded me of the superb weathered brick effects. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 Thanks all for the kind comments and "likes".... No progress to report on the layout unfortunately, as modelling has been low priority during the period of my wife's recovery from breast cancer. Thankfully, she is doing really well now. Tonight, however, has seen my Bluetooth speaker-fitted Heljan Western make it's first public appearance at the Swansea Model Railway Group clubnight. Running on DC, it went down spectacularly well, sparking many positive comments and questions. We'll be making a video in the next few days....to show how simple it is to have superb quality onboard sounds in 7mm scale for almost no money. Regards Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 Really like the simplicity and the depth you have created....Thanks Pete...Did you notice that the depth is my attempt at forced perspective using my 4mm stock alongside the 7mm stock? It works well in those low down shots. The double track main line from the previous version of Costleigh is intact for running full length 4mm trains when I get the urge. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted October 23, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 23, 2014 Thanks Pete... Did you notice that the depth is my attempt at forced perspective using my 4mm stock alongside the 7mm stock? It works well in those low down shots. The double track main line from the previous version of Costleigh is intact for running full length 4mm trains when I get the urge. Hi Randall, Glad to hear your wife is doing better. Yes, I did notice the 4mm perspective - nice touch that. Do you have a track plan or Google Earth type photo that shows the plan - I think that really helps put a layout into context/scale. Thanks, Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Hi again... New procurement for Costleigh...in the shape of the Heljan Express Parcels GUV. Weathering now needed to match the Slaters Van B... (still some work to do on the Easybuild Class 108 behind)... Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwr Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Randall Please can we have some more picture of that 108. An underside shot would be handy too regards Paul R Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Hi again... It's long been my intention to convert my Heljan Class 37 to Centre Headcode with Domino markers. I know Brian Daniels has done it using parts sourced from Pete Harvey. Yesterday, Pete quoted me £50 for a fret of parts which made me think twice. However, I was sorting through the remaining etchings for my Easybuild Class 108 (which has the small indicator headboard) when I looked more closely at the leftover large headcode etching. Hmm, I thought....that looks interesting! I then spent the whole day looking through my collection of railway magazines looking for the 7mm drawing for the Class 37 that I knew I had somewhere. I eventually found the drawing amongst a pile of photographs as I had removed it from the magazine (Model Rail) some time ago (hence I can't quote which edition it was in). I cut the headcode etching from the fret, and placed it on the drawing. I was delighted to see that it was more or less the correct size and shape. To me, getting the headcode looking correct would be the critical aspect of the conversion. I think a careful bit of work with a file will set me on my way (which will take years at my rate of working). I know the drawing is for a Class 37/4 with all the associated buffer beam work, but mine will be a (hopefully) more or less straightforward headcode swap. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyWales Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Randall Please can we have some more picture of that 108. An underside shot would be handy too regards Paul R Hi Paul....Not much to report really, as I've taken about 24 months to get to the stage where I've just painted the unit, but still need to apply the handrails, doorknobs etc....Mainly the cosmetics things. My wife has been recovering from Breast Cancer, which has severely limited my time for modelling in the last eigtheen months, along with a demanding job with the 999 Ambulance service with lots of oncall. To make the job of fixing the body to the underframe easier, I fabricated replacement fuel tanks out of Plastikard to give more room to turn the screws/nuts. Other than that, fairly straightforward, really. I still need to fabricate the exhaust pipes. The power unit is the stock one that came with the kit. I had some early problems with noise, but it now runs sweetly, and quietly. Randall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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