Fryers Lane - Speedlink in the '80s (P4)

[Mark Forrest]

Completely dark room, no camera flash (taken with my phone):

 

Obviously there will be a fascia along the front so viewers won't be dazzled by the lighting!  Considering a lid to reflect light back down and enclose the box to give complete control over the lighting environment.

[2ManySpams]

Can you set them to twinkle at Christmas Mark? That way you can leave the layout up at Christmas, particularly if you seasonally change the pub for a nativity scene.

[Ramblin Rich]

This is looking very good, I like the fact that there's uniform light intensity along the length of the layout. Can you move the lighting back towards the backscene to avoid buildings casting shadows on the 'sky' behind? Or would that make the lighting too visible from the front?

[Stubby47]

Moving the lights back can mean the front ( layout front) side of the rolling stock can be in shadow.

[Mark Forrest]

Did try with the lights set further back and with them on a diagonal, following the line of the track.  As Stu says, this causes the front to be in shadow.  I did consider a second row of lights along the back to light the backscene which would (I think) get rid of any shadows, but at this stage I'm not sure it's needed.  Will see what it looks like once the fascia is added and the lights angled slightly.

[Ramblin Rich]

Hadn't thought about not lighting the front part, very obvious really! I still think avoiding shadows on the backscene is worth pursuing though, whether with more lights or careful positioning of buildings etc...

[Mark Forrest]

Spent a little while pondering how best to mount a strip of timber at a slight angle to support the the lights but still fit squarely against the front fascia.  Then I remembered the length of chamfered MDF architrave in the "useful one day" pile in the garage.  With the lights now mounted properly (although still without the fascia) I started building up the foamboard egg box that will support the hard-standing in the unloading area.

 

At the left hand end the mainline comes quite close to the front of the layout before it exits, which does mean that the stock passes briefly in front of the lighting, so is in shadow.

 

I think in most exhibition settings the ambient light in the room should be sufficient to hide this, but I'm contemplating a second row of the LEDs at the very front edge immediately behind the fascia.  That said, some shadows aren't a bad thing and it might help to disguise the exit.  Think I'll see what happens when a mock up of the proposed canopy/shed is added at this end and what shadows that creates.

[Mark Forrest]

For a minute I thought you said Pacer.....

Vitriol Works by Ingy The Wingy, on Flickr

 

Must.......stay.......away.......from........flickr and eBay

[Mark Forrest]

Just playing with some different positions for the buildings; the actual building won't look anything like this, but it is of roughly the right proportions.

 

 

Somehow the mainline being in shadow seems right once the building is there and I think it is starting to hide the exit.

[Mark Forrest]

In my recent post where I thinking through rolling stock and traffic flows I made a passing reference to a flow of imported brandy in ferry vans. A bit of research this evening has reminded me of the details - it was brandy from France delivered into Ordsall Lane freight terminal in bogie ferry vans; there is a photo in David Ratcliffe's Freight-Train Formations book. There is also a photo of empty beer kegs being loaded for return to Park Royal and a mention of imported paper from Germany. Very useful inspiration.

[2ManySpams]

Mmmm, researching brandy.

[Mark Forrest]

Mmmm, researching brandy.

Still enjoying your month off the booze?

[2ManySpams]

Still enjoying your month off the booze?

Oh yes, very enjoyable. 8 days to go.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Oh yes, very enjoyable. 8 days to go.

 

How many hours and minutes?

 

Mike.

[2ManySpams]

How many hours and minutes?

 

Mike.

7 days, 8hrs and 21mins

[Stubby47]

7 days, 8hrs and 21mins

 

With the money you've saved from not buying alcohol, what will you be purchasing instead ?

 

A BRM magazine ?

A wagon kit ?

A loco kit ?

A selection of loco kits ?

[2ManySpams]

With the money you've saved from not buying alcohol, what will you be purchasing instead ?

 

A BRM magazine ?

A wagon kit ?

A loco kit ?

A selection of loco kits ?

Narrower waisted trousers.

[Jason T]

A big bag of weed and some Rizlas

[2ManySpams]

A big bag of weed and some Rizlas

Obviously Rizla paper to simulate canvas van roofs and the weeds for scenics...

[Jason T]

That goes without saying

[Mark Forrest]

I changed the brake levers on one of the VDAs last night using the Colin Craig brass etching.

Certain other suppliers of etched parts could learn a thing or two from these. Not only were the parts well designed to make them really easy to assemble, they also come with nice easy to follow instructions:

 

One side done, wagon is riding a little high on its springs as there is a bit more weight to be added yet.

 

 

(edit to add: hadn't noticed how badly the camera on my phone had distorted that last photo!)

[Mark Forrest]

Significant trackwork milestone reached this evening.  Having read Howard Bolton's article on modelling complex track formations in the current MRJ I decided I would follow the advice of preparing all of the remaining sections of rail before sticking anything else down (I know it's a bit late in the process to do this, but it does make sense, I think).  So here they are, all loosely placed in position:

 

 

Probably won't get chance to fix these in position until the weekend now though.

[d winpenny]

Nice work keep. It up

 

David

[2ManySpams]

Dear Mark (owner of chip fat lane), point of order sir.

 

This morning we visited the real Fryers Lane.

 

 

We don't think your layout is a true representation of the real place. Call yourself a P4 modeller?

 

Disgusted of Spamshire.

[Mark Forrest]

Dear Disgusted,

I'm sorry to hear that your visit to the "real" Fryers Lane left you disappointed. Obviously the location has changed somewhat since the heady days of 1988 which the layout is set to represent. Based on your feedback I will be ripping up all of the track this afternoon ready for a fresh start on a model of tarmac roadway leading to a recreation ground and car park. I can only hope that modellers of other subjects, such as Cornish branch lines, also follow this fastidious approach on their projects.

 

As for calling myself a P4 modeller, I can assure you that I have been called plenty of worse things, although I am a little concerned that recently there have been several questions asked about the size of my flanges. Such personal questions were never asked when I was an EM modeller.

 

Yours sincerely,

Chip Fat