Lady_Ava_Hay Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Very early in the thread you said you used matt acrylic varnish to set the ballast. What mixing ratio did you use? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 You have captured a freight only branch really well like the way each area is a separate ops section some thing moving all the time must echo comments about track it looks great more pics please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnaby Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 (edited) Looking good Dave, like the end to end photo shoot. Regards Edited January 6, 2014 by Barnaby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Realy looking great!! keep up this good work... Cheers neil.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 Very early in the thread you said you used matt acrylic varnish to set the ballast. What mixing ratio did you use? Hi. I use about 25 - 30% water + 5% IPA for wetting. The dry ballast also needs wetting well first with a mist of 50/50 water/IPA mix. Best of luck. Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 I'm happy to report that the Falcon Road P. Way gang has recently been out laying a new pipe run opposite the Bagged Aggregate shed ready for increased throughput. This also requires that a new colour light position needs to be established for the run up to Oil Drum Lane sidings. Clearly a jack hammer is needed to prepare the ground. Dave 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobster Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Superb Layout and Modelling + great photo's Dave - An Inspiration to all. Cheers. Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Superb Layout and Modelling + great photo's Dave - An Inspiration to all. Cheers. Bob. Thanks for your comment, Bob Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer73 Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 very good - really good work 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 very good - really good work Thanks, hammer73. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 Early on Saturday morning, 33 101 turned up to position a couple of wagons for the P Way Gang's use. Dave 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Hi Dave, I have really enjoyed looking through this topic today. There are a lot of nice touches throughout. The use of matt varnish for setting ballast is very interesting and I shall experiment with that idea myself. One question (from one who is going in what might be termed the 'opposite' direction!): how did you settle on a gauge of 16.2mm? Is there some particular reason why that is better than 16.5mm or 16.8mm for that matter? All the best, Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 Hi Dave, I have really enjoyed looking through this topic today. There are a lot of nice touches throughout. The use of matt varnish for setting ballast is very interesting and I shall experiment with that idea myself. One question (from one who is going in what might be termed the 'opposite' direction!): how did you settle on a gauge of 16.2mm? Is there some particular reason why that is better than 16.5mm or 16.8mm for that matter? All the best, Colin Hi Colin. Hope you are improving. Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated, coming from someone with your modelling skills. I 'discovered' 00-SF 16.2mm when a friend bought Templot to assist if track design and building. We later designed two layouts with this now FREE software. I cannot remember now but the designer of Templot, Martin Wynne suggested through the Yahoo Group that an existing (but little known) gauge of EM - 2 might hold a solution to running RTR locos on better looking and better running track. With flangeways of 1mm, running through frogs is much improved, as you would guess. My use of it is/was because some of the much improved steam locos from both Bachmann and Hornby proved almost impossible to re-gauge their B2Bs to 14.5mm. The old stuff is much easier. As these were club layouts, members with lots of stock could not be asked to re-wheel all their locos, so 16.2 was settled on. As for the matt varnish (water based), this came about from an article from the States, in which someone used Matt Medium. So cheap over there but so expensive here. A few experiments made, I settled on the varnish. At the time I was also concerned about granite ballast turning green with PVA. Don't use that any long now, anyway. If you have a go at this, don't forget the IPA. Washing up liquid doesn't seem so good with the varnish. The varnish isn't quite so hard when set so where track crosses baseboard joints, I still use PVA for about the last 25mm up to the edge to resist chipping the ballast when moving the layouts. Best of luck Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Thanks for the full explanation of the 16.2mm track gauge Dave. I can now see you have a set of standards with the finer wheels and crossings of EM without the need to touch the RTR stock. My friend and fellow NHH operator, Mark came around last night and gave his latest acquisition, a Bachmann J11, a blast along the layout. He reckoned such locos would perform very well on EM-2. Anyway, I like the flowing point work on Falcon Road. I can see that persisting with the sometimes mind-boggling Templot CAD program is well worth the effort. I am rather impressed with the point tie-bars too. They are of a very similar design to a P4 layout called Preston and very robust they look to be too. I agree with you about reducing the use of PVA glue for ballasting. It is so acidic (well that is what the 'A' stands for so we shouldn't be surprised!) that on my layout, there are two road crossings in the goods yard where the tops of the rails continue to discolour due to the splashing of the PVA glue on them some six years ago. All the best, Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the full explanation of the 16.2mm track gauge Dave.I can now see you have a set of standards with the finer wheels and crossings of EM without the need to touch the RTR stock. My friend and fellow NHH operator, Mark came around last night and gave his latest acquisition, a Bachmann J11, a blast along the layout. He reckoned such locos would perform very well on EM-2. Anyway, I like the flowing point work on Falcon Road. I can see that persisting with the sometimes mind-boggling Templot CAD program is well worth the effort. I am rather impressed with the point tie-bars too. They are of a very similar design to a P4 layout called Preston and very robust they look to be too.I agree with you about reducing the use of PVA glue for ballasting. It is so acidic (well that is what the 'A' stands for so we shouldn't be surprised!) that on my layout, there are two road crossings in the goods yard where the tops of the rails continue to discolour due to the splashing of the PVA glue on them some six years ago.All the best,Colin Mmmmm! Templot. Wouldn't be without it. I think there are two secrets to Templot. A good pre-drawn plan on your boards so you can transfer the track position measurements into Templot. Draw your baseboards first as 'shapes' And most importantly. Play with it first! Bummer. That's three! Good luck Dave Edited March 18, 2014 by dasatcopthorne Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 dasatcopthorne, on 18 Mar 2014 - 17:44, said: Mmmmm! Templot. Wouldn't be without it. I think there are two secrets to Templot. A good pre-drawn plan on your boards so you can transfer the track position measurements into Templot. Draw your baseboards first as 'shapes' And most importantly. Play with it first! ######. That's three! Good luck Dave Hmm... Shapes? Will have to look into that! All the best, Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 Hmm... Shapes? Will have to look into that! All the best, Colin Colin. Draw each baseboard as a Shape (an oblong in my case 1200mm x 600mm) and name them and save. Then on each session, open the 'shapes' file to load them. Although Templot is for drawing individual track comonent templates, it's easy to join each one as you draw. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Always nice to see the P-way guys working hard.... nice photos.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 The powers-to-be have ordered a clean up of the Depot and its surroundings! Eric is about to start on the Ladies toilets while others make a start on repairing bits and pieces including erecting a new length of fence and getting the old Forklift started. Dave 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Great work... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobster Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Great quality pics Dave - Looks really good. Cheers. Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexChem Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thanks for the full explanation of the 16.2mm track gauge Dave.I can now see you have a set of standards with the finer wheels and crossings of EM without the need to touch the RTR stock. My friend and fellow NHH operator, Mark came around last night and gave his latest acquisition, a Bachmann J11, a blast along the layout. He reckoned such locos would perform very well on EM-2. Anyway, I like the flowing point work on Falcon Road. I can see that persisting with the sometimes mind-boggling Templot CAD program is well worth the effort. I am rather impressed with the point tie-bars too. They are of a very similar design to a P4 layout called Preston and very robust they look to be too.I agree with you about reducing the use of PVA glue for ballasting. It is so acidic (well that is what the 'A' stands for so we shouldn't be surprised!) that on my layout, there are two road crossings in the goods yard where the tops of the rails continue to discolour due to the splashing of the PVA glue on them some six years ago.All the best,Colin PVA = polyvinyl acetate. Not to go all chemistry on you, but it is an ester rather than an acid. It would only be acidic if it underwent hydrolysis, and under normal conditions this would occur very slowly. Acidic damage to your rail is more likely from flux, I wonder if treating it with an aqueous solution of baking soda will cure your problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Looking great David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thanks, David. Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasatcopthorne Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Three new arrivals at Falcon Road TMD are 20 128, 31 174 and Shirley (yes, Shirley) who has the job of maintaining the rather old fueling equipment. Dave 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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