RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted October 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 24, 2014 ..................... and my new pet hate is...... pantographs not reaching the overhead wire. and the third is pantographs down when the train is moving. Has anyone succeeded in creating an exhibition layout on more than one board, that avoids these two problems? Perhaps I should add, without using contact wire that is several factors overscale. It is hard enough on a permanent installation. If the pantograph rests on the contact wire it frequently distorts it - permanently - between the masts. For an exhibition layout you also have to contend with disconnecting the catenary at the board junctions - which seems to involve either a lot of (de-)soldering or some very ugly bits of joining catenary. If someone has a better solution, I would love to know. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted October 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 24, 2014 ...well I could have gone on for pages.....I didn't mention the hordes of molded figures in various frozen action poses standing in pools of dried glue, often at bizarre angles....... Perhaps people like modelling a human statue convention. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Andy, it is probably one of the best examples of the impossibility of scaling down certain physical parameters. The same applies to telegraph wire, fencing, etc. You can't get sufficient scale weight and force required to tension fine wire for it to work. So what looks best, a loco with the pantograph partially raised and realistic OHLE, or pantograph up and oversize OHLE? Jol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MPR Posted October 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 24, 2014 How about this for a layout plan... Station name to be Garstleigh Oval OO roundy roundy with curves at each end that show off the overhang of full length coaches really well At least one place in the oval where "Everything always comes off there". Through station modelled entirely with second hand buildings bought at swap-meets or on ebay Platforms with curved end ramps that don't match the track layout. Haphazard arrangement of signals that are never operated - mixture of overbright colour-lights and semaphores with drooping arms loco stock to be a mixture of rail blue diesels and steam locos in pre-nationalization liveries locos only run at speeds that challenge Mallard's record The only goods train to be headed by an HST power car Peco track with end sleepers cut away to accomodate joiners leaving a inch or two of unsupported rail Girder bridge over line, with two spans but no pier under the join village made with Airfix "cottage" kits painted with gloss enamels and illuminated from inside with very bright bulbs You forgot to add the thick layer of dust coating everything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Why not build a 'Ghastliegh' as an example of what not to do? It has already been done, too many times.... By the way the correct spelling is Garstleigh - get it right, please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongRail Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Is it just me or is Garstleigh a brilliant name for a station it sounds like it should be a real station. The one thing I hate to see is vehicles facing straight onto a backboard it just looks wrong whereas vehicles facing away look ok. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted October 24, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 24, 2014 It has already been done, too many times.... By the way the correct spelling is Garstleigh - get it right, please. I am sure all of us are guilty of one or more of those howlers when starting out. I just do not understand exhibition managers who seem blind to them. Or is is desperation 'oh no someones withdrawn their layout oh I know Fred said he had a layout that wil do'...... Of course you realise some people will be giving Dock Green a critical look over :jester: Still they will be hard put to find much fault it is a damn good layout. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 How about this for a layout plan... Station name to be Garstleigh Oval OO roundy roundy with curves at each end that show off the overhang of full length coaches really well At least one place in the oval where "Everything always comes off there". Through station modelled entirely with second hand buildings bought at swap-meets or on ebay Platforms with curved end ramps that don't match the track layout. Haphazard arrangement of signals that are never operated - mixture of overbright colour-lights and semaphores with drooping arms loco stock to be a mixture of rail blue diesels and steam locos in pre-nationalization liveries locos only run at speeds that challenge Mallard's record The only goods train to be headed by an HST power car Peco track with end sleepers cut away to accomodate joiners leaving a inch or two of unsupported rail Girder bridge over line, with two spans but no pier under the join village made with Airfix "cottage" kits painted with gloss enamels and illuminated from inside with very bright bulbs Erm, you rang, Sir? Think I have all these, but make up for it by not bothering with signals... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted October 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 24, 2014 How about this for a layout plan... Station name to be Garstleigh Oval OO roundy roundy with curves at each end that show off the overhang of full length coaches really well At least one place in the oval where "Everything always comes off there". Through station modelled entirely with second hand buildings bought at swap-meets or on ebay Platforms with curved end ramps that don't match the track layout. Haphazard arrangement of signals that are never operated - mixture of overbright colour-lights and semaphores with drooping arms loco stock to be a mixture of rail blue diesels and steam locos in pre-nationalization liveries locos only run at speeds that challenge Mallard's record The only goods train to be headed by an HST power car Peco track with end sleepers cut away to accomodate joiners leaving a inch or two of unsupported rail Girder bridge over line, with two spans but no pier under the join village made with Airfix "cottage" kits painted with gloss enamels and illuminated from inside with very bright bulbs IMTS........................ Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Is it just me or is Garstleigh a brilliant name for a station Yes, it's just you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Of course you realise some people will be giving Dock Green a critical look over :jester: Still they will be hard put to find much fault it is a damn good layout. Don Thanks for the comment Don. My leg-pulling post was not aimed at a particular target, although it does seem to have hit a nerve. I was keen to lighten the mood of this topic a little.... Dock Green? Well now I hope people do look at it with a critical eye. It isn't perfect and there are aspects of the layout which I am aware are "wrong" not least the existence of the Borough of Dock Green! Other peoples' opinions are always welcome and if they find things wrong I am always prepared to listen. After all visitors to an exhibition have paid and by taking a layout to a show I consider I have invited comment. I do reserve the right to politely ignore suggestions I don't like, nodding sagely and silently demurring. Oh, and I should add - don't expect to see an HST power car. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 How about this for a layout plan... Station name to be Garstleigh Oval OO roundy roundy with curves at each end that show off the overhang of full length coaches really well At least one place in the oval where "Everything always comes off there". Through station modelled entirely with second hand buildings bought at swap-meets or on ebay Platforms with curved end ramps that don't match the track layout. Haphazard arrangement of signals that are never operated - mixture of overbright colour-lights and semaphores with drooping arms loco stock to be a mixture of rail blue diesels and steam locos in pre-nationalization liveries locos only run at speeds that challenge Mallard's record The only goods train to be headed by an HST power car Peco track with end sleepers cut away to accomodate joiners leaving a inch or two of unsupported rail Girder bridge over line, with two spans but no pier under the join village made with Airfix "cottage" kits painted with gloss enamels and illuminated from inside with very bright bulbs Have you got a plan for Garstleigh? It's bound to be popular as so many people build it I got hold of a VHS a few years ago called "How to build your layout" or some such title. I finally gave up when they carefully described how to nail the track to the chipboard baseboard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 One thing that irks me is people who try and tell everyone that just because x detail is wrong and y detail is a fraction of .1 of a mm off, that we should all boycott RTR. I admire those who can build kits well, and I am constantly blown away by some of the projects I see here on RMweb, but I currently prefer buying my locomotives RTR. While they may have a few compromises, it is fine in my eyes, and really as it's my money, isn't that all that matters? Is it just me or is Garstleigh a brilliant name for a station it sounds like it should be a real station. Yes, it's just you. Don't forget about Hor Rd station just up the tracks as well! (If anyone is asking Hor Rd=Horrid) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Gastleigh- You missed the bus on the bridge... steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 One thing that irks me is people who try and tell everyone that just because x detail is wrong and y detail is a fraction of .1 of a mm off, that we should all boycott RTR. I admire those who can build kits well, and I am constantly blown away by some of the projects I see here on RMweb, but I currently prefer buying my locomotives RTR. While they may have a few compromises, it is fine in my eyes, and really as it's my money, isn't that all that matters? Don't forget about Hor Rd station just up the tracks as well! (If anyone is asking Hor Rd=Horrid) I usually find that it is the "frothing" threads of the RTR collectors that criticise what has been produced for them. Mind you, it can be a bit irksome to hear someone wailing that the manufacturers don't make what you desperately need, when you have just built one from a readily available kit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Have you got a plan for Garstleigh? It's bound to be popular as so many people build it Garstleigh must be built without any plan. A box full of second-hand track is emptied onto the slightly warped baseboard (possibly a folding pasting table) and then arranged in a pattern that fits the space. Too many LH points and not enough RHs? No problem, a few wiggles in the track and voila - Garstleigh! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 I’m sure that Garstleigh is a stop on Essex’s “The Sunshine Coast” line somewhere between Frinton and Jaywick Sands... Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted October 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 25, 2014 Gastleigh- You missed the bus on the bridge... steve And point levers that face the wrong way and canals that disappear into tunnels in railway cuttings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 And point levers that face the wrong way and canals that disappear into tunnels in railway cuttings. Have you, by any chance been looking at the Dock Green topic.......? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted October 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 25, 2014 Have you, by any chance been looking at the Dock Green topic.......? I have just had a look. I was thinking of a local club layout much as you described with a canal that disappears in a tunnel under a railway cutting. A friend of mine who is a civil engineer pointed it out to me as he was surprised by the arrangement. I wonder if they took their inspiration from this forum. As for those nice curved point levers no end of modellers have them facing the wrong way. They are an early H&S feature. Wagons being shunted in the trailing direction will push the blades over if they are set against them. This is not possible with model railways. When approaching in the facing direction and they are set the wrong way the shunter (human type) needs to re-set them. The lever always faces away from the point towards the oncoming train so the shunter can see the train and keep himself out of the way. There is crank gubbins under the lever which changes the point and allows the lever to face the right direction. The older straight levers which would face the way the point was set often left the shunter (human type) with his back to the train and in a noisy yard he might not hear the train and splat, another letter on condolence needed to be written. There is another type of lever, a straight one with a foot peddle, these are found at spring point. A spring point returns to is "normal" route once a trailing wagon or train has passed. Most facing trains would take the normal route. If on the odd occasion a train, loco, wagon etc. needs to go down other route then the lever needs to pulled, the shunter (human type) presses down with his foot on the peddle, this holds the spring over so he can pull the lever. They were/are not the easiest levers to pull as the spring wants to catapult the person pulling it. Again this type of lever faces away from the point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 I have just had a look. I was thinking of a local club layout much as you described with a canal that disappears in a tunnel under a railway cutting. A friend of mine who is a civil engineer pointed it out to me as he was surprised by the arrangement. I wonder if they took their inspiration from this forum. As for those nice curved point levers no end of modellers have them facing the wrong way. They are an early H&S feature. Wagons being shunted in the trailing direction will push the blades over if they are set against them. This is not possible with model railways. When approaching in the facing direction and they are set the wrong way the shunter (human type) needs to re-set them. The lever always faces away from the point towards the oncoming train so the shunter can see the train and keep himself out of the way. There is crank gubbins under the lever which changes the point and allows the lever to face the right direction. The older straight levers which would face the way the point was set often left the shunter (human type) with his back to the train and in a noisy yard he might not hear the train and splat, another letter on condolence needed to be written. There is another type of lever, a straight one with a foot peddle, these are found at spring point. A spring point returns to is "normal" route once a trailing wagon or train has passed. Most facing trains would take the normal route. If on the odd occasion a train, loco, wagon etc. needs to go down other route then the lever needs to pulled, the shunter (human type) presses down with his foot on the peddle, this holds the spring over so he can pull the lever. They were/are not the easiest levers to pull as the spring wants to catapult the person pulling it. Again this type of lever faces away from the point. Could you explain that again with pictures? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rab Posted October 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 25, 2014 I hate it when my wife calls my trainset "that pile of c?@p in the corner".On a similar point my wife refers to everything in my workshop as junk. She doesn't seem to understood the principle of 'it will come in useful one day'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted October 25, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 25, 2014 Fortunately the Head Of Household is a quilter. They never seem to throw bits away as they'll always come in useful some day, so I don't get any grief in that dept. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted October 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 25, 2014 Could you explain that again with pictures? Hi Gareth I have done so in a new topic. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/91833-hand-operated-points/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted October 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 25, 2014 Gastleigh- You missed the bus on the bridge... steve And the articulated truck that has no way of getting in or out of the location without the use of a heavy lift crane. Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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