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

[Mark Forrest]

I was chatting to Johnny Gringo about the layout over lunch at Warley, specifically my plans for the low relief buildings along the backscene.  My current thinking (and this is, as you'll know if you've been following this thread, subject to change) is something similar to these buildings which stand beside the canal in Rugeley.

 

 

The ATS garage will most likely become "Fryers Lane Tyre & Exhaust Centre".  Next step is to mock these up in foamboard to see how they it looks; although I'm currently distracted by Bogie Bolster Es for BCB, having accidentally bought two more old Lima wagons over the weekend.

[Andrew P]

Looks like that will be a nice addition Mark, go for it.

[class"66"]

Looks rather interesting Mark..

 

 

cheers neil.

[Mark Forrest]

Replacing the canal with the rear siding, gives something like this:

 

There is probably another separate building at the right hand end within the walls which will be part of the garage.

 

Also, just trying this for size.

 

[2ManySpams]

Think I preferred the canal...

 

(let me know if you need any more motivational consultancy assistance)

[2ManySpams]

On a more serious and hopefully constructive note... Have a think about that far left gable end (edit: the one at the back not the one with the cargo wagon ). At the moment it looks almost flat to the backscene with hardly a hint of roof being possible. It will be difficult to convince the eye it's part of a deeper building when the backscene is finished. IMO it will stand out like a sore thumb in side-on photos.

 

I'd have a think about a boundary wall or flat-roofed building instead. Less obvious.

[Mark Forrest]

On a more serious and hopefully constructive note... Have a think about that far left gable end (edit: the one at the back not the one with the cargo wagon ). At the moment it looks almost flat to the backscene with hardly a hint of roof being possible. It will be difficult to convince the eye it's part of a deeper building when the backscene is finished. IMO it will stand out like a sore thumb in side-on photos.

 

I'd have a think about a boundary wall or flat-roofed building instead. Less obvious.

 

Good point and I should have learnt my lesson as there is a similar structure on Foundry Lane which never really blended with the backscene as well as I would have liked.  Maybe something more like:

 

The horizontal line of a wall also makes it more obvious that the siding is sloping down as it leaves the scene (which I like).  I've also moved everything along towards that end a little, shortening the length of that wall; and extended length of the building behind the OBA for better proportions.

 

All of which leaves me this area to play with for the back street garage/tyre & exhaust centre:

 

Moving the other gable end into the scene a bit and adding a Portakabin helps to hide the exit to the rear fiddle yard:

There will probably be an access road to this warehouse crossing the rear siding too; another nod to Bloxwich where the line into the Imperial Smelter works crossed Fryers Road.

[2ManySpams]

That looks better.

[wagonbasher]

Good point and I should have learnt my lesson as there is a similar structure on Foundry Lane which never really blended with the backscene as well as I would have liked.  Maybe something more like:

15930495242_81061133f9_o.jpg

 

The horizontal line of a wall also makes it more obvious that the siding is sloping down as it leaves the scene (which I like).  I've also moved everything along towards that end a little, shortening the length of that wall; and extended length of the building behind the OBA for better proportions.

 

All of which leaves me this area to play with for the back street garage/tyre & exhaust centre:

15743889300_47b45017f0_o.jpg

 

Moving the other gable end into the scene a bit and adding a Portakabin helps to hide the exit to the rear fiddle yard:

15929437931_822e0ce6a2_o.jpg

There will probably be an access road to this warehouse crossing the rear siding too; another nod to Bloxwich where the line into the Imperial Smelter works crossed Fryers Road.

Is that a portecabin... Looks like a police camera van

 

A

[Mark Forrest]

Is that a portecabin... Looks like a police camera van

 

A

Yes, suppose it does, a little.  It's the Knightwing kit - a bit basic, but with a few added details it shouldn't look too bad, that is if I decide to use it.

 

Finally decided on the design for the warehouse building, have gone for this, kit bashed from a Pikestuff "Distribution Center" kit.  I've added the brick to the base partly to increase the height of what is really a HO kit but mainly because in my own observation that seems to be the way in which those built in the 70s and 80s were constructed, while those with cladding all the way to the ground seems to be a feature of more recent builds.

 

 

It won't be the bright blue colour; I'm thinking more of a brown, possibly a bit faded.  There'll be space within for one VAA/VBA/VDA type van, with siding length for two more (or one Cargowaggon) to be unloaded outside before a gate across the siding at the boundary.

[Mark Forrest]

Nothing exciting to show as progress on the layout, although I have slowly been adding dropper wires.

 

Meanwhile, while looking through Geoff Dowling's flickr photostream, I noticed this view of the level crossing at Bloxwich from a slightly earlier era:

Blotting out Bloxwich by geoff7918, on Flickr

[Worsdell forever]

Ah, so there will be steam on this layout...

[Mark Forrest]

Ah, so there will be steam on this layout...

Unfortunately, as I've singled the line through my version, the steamy thing is on the track which isn't there, so no steam on this one.  It wouldn't look out of place on BCB though would it....

[Enterprisingwestern]

Ah, so there will be steam on this layout...

 

Go away.

 

Mike.

[Worsdell forever]

Go away.

 

Mike.

 

No. 

 

Paul.

[Mark Forrest]

I cleared some of the junk off the layout earlier, here's a photo of the current state of things:

 

 

Fingers crossed, might get the rest of the dropper wires added over the weekend.

[Mark Forrest]

I'm about half way through the droppers; bored now though so having a tinker with something else (P4ing a Bachmann BR CCT).

 

Here's how I've been doing the droppers; drill a hole approx 1mm diameter, at the centre line of the track:

 

Clean side (and as much possible of bottom) of rail - I'm using steel rail and I've found this stage to be absolutely critical, much more so than when using nickel-silver rail

 

The single core wire I'm using has a coating on it to insulate it, the end needs to have the red coating cleaned off with a file, then bent at a right-angle and tinned with a little solder.  It's cored solder, but I've been dunking the end of the wire in some Carrs Orange flux for good measure

 

Wire fed through the hole and positioned under the rail.  The coffee stirrer collection comes in handy to hold the wire in position

 

I've been added a splash more of the Carrs Orange then heat from the iron and a little more solder.  Where I've got a bit carried away and used too much solder the excess was cleaned from the web of the rail with a burr mounted in a mini-drill.  The rest of the wire is then pulled through to lie flat below sleeper level so should be well hidden under the ballast.

 

For comparison, this is one of the etched dropper connectors which I've used in a few places to try them out

[Indomitable026]

Mark,

 

To clean the bottom of the rail take a thing strip of emery cloth (spelling?) cut to a width less than the gap between the sleepers.

 

Use the cloth to clean the rail like you would dry your crotch with a towel...

[Mark Forrest]

Great tip, thanks for that - although I'm slightly concerned that you've been watching me in the bathroom!

[2ManySpams]

Some great mental pictures there from D and Mark. Thanks both.

[Stubby47]

Could have been images of OG...

[2ManySpams]

Could have been images of OG...

Got lots of photos of OG thanks.

[Stubby47]

Got lots of photos of OG thanks.

Not of him with a towel, surely....

[Mark Forrest]

I like the use of the coffee stirrer, and the general method

 

IVe always tried where practicable to do the droppers before laying the tracks down....but sometimes it isn't practicable, or gets forgot in a rush, so this is very useful

 

I'm a big fan of coffee stirrers, the toolbox always has a good handful of them in there, along with cocktail sticks for the more fiddly bits, seem to be able to find a multitude of uses for them.

 

Yes, agree it is best to do the droppers before fixing the track down.  On Foundry Lane where I used C&L chairs (with ply sleepers) I soldered the wire to the rail before threading the chairs on, which working really well.  However, this time I got a bit carried away with the track laying, so ended up making a simple job harder than it should have been!

[Mark Forrest]

Not of him with a towel, surely....

What happens on tour, stays on tour...