Malangan Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Last time I modelled a railway was when I was still at school and I had a variety of unmatched locomotives, everything was Hornby set track and my modelling skills where not the finest. Also materials would only stretch as far as my mother would be willing to spend at once. So half way through I got bored and sold up whilst I was at college. After finishing college I worked as a herdsman on a farm in Carlisle which took all my time up so I never even looked at model railways never mind thinking about building one. But after a career change into the family engineering business,moving back to leyland with my own house and even inherited family (girlfriend has a baby) I have weeknights and weekends to indulge in any hobby I want. So I've gone mad, I volunteer Thursday nights and Sundays at my local preserved narrow gauge railway, started a veg plot, and in the last few weeks started building a model railway onto a 2400 x 600 floorboard. I've chosen a floorboard because the groves give me potential for massive expansion. However when it comes to moving it off my dining room table I think I might regret it. If I choose to transport it I think I will just pop it in my caravan through the front window for a smooth and spacious ride to wherever I decide to take it. In theory it sounds great but reality has it's good ways of fighting back!Anyway, enough about me and my life.My track plan is taken from a track plan website and extended with a preserved steam railway branch disconnected from the main line. I've always had a fascination with preserved lines and I have that many broken trucks and locomotives that I didn't sell I think with some weathering they would make a great scrap line.[For track I'm using Hornby flexible which I bought off eBay cheaply cheap, and Bachman points which I now regret because they look blooming awful. Peco code 75 look amazing and I wish if spent the extra dosh on peco points and straights.I intend on eventually going digital using Hornby rail master, with having a laptop and iphone I think it would be a great way to control locos especially in a shunting yard.So far this weekend I have managed to assemble a peco waiting room, a Metcalf platform card kit, a bit of fencing and some ballast.Some serious weathering is needed on the ballast though and a lot more weathering to the track. I need some powders and paints first so just got to wait for the big Thursday payday!Rolling stock is going to be ews themed with a few northern rail dmu's terminating at the station. Might have some freight liner items too as the collection grows.Slowly building the station and car park.Station nearly finished with some really bad steps to the platform, I will change these.Incredibly immaculate looking ballast in need of weathering.A view from the end of the car park with a few of my old wagons and locos.Hope you all enjoy and thanks for looking, more to follow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
treggyman Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Hi Good luck with your project.... Looking good so far..... The pics are a bit upside down in places but We get your drift..... Will follow with interest Cheers Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium lash Posted February 1, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 1, 2014 Nice start so keep it up, I'm sure you will get loads of enjoyment out if it Floor panels are very heavy but do get some decent framing under yours asap , you don't want a layout like a warped banana Love the upside down pics, done it loads of time myself Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Under board support will come with the back scene. Done things in a funny order now I think about it but I was probably too keen to start haha. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Things have gone backwards today, I've been modelling with my eyes closed the last few days and haven't made any groves for the point motors I will be fitting in the next few weeks. So all but three pieces of track have been lifted to make way for those. On the plus side it gives me chance to make an already smooth track smoother and the opportunity to slightly adjust the layout. I've also changed my mind about that awful black Tarmac carpark, Henry had a good time snorting that scatter! I also finally came up with a name, Whiteclose Lane. Whiteclose was the name of the farm I used to work at near Carlisle and despite not enjoying the work the local area was stunning and I was always breath taken by the views, especially the view of the entire Lake District from the sofa of the caravan I lived in. So the name is just a reminder to myself of a stunning location. Next weekend I'll be on with supports for the base board and the backscene. And possibly relaying of track, dependant on the purchase of some point motors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Finally I can make a little progress again...I took the near stripped down baseboards outside last week on a day that we actually had a dry spell. I've sawn the base board into two with my table saw and aquired some second hand wood for the back scene. Hattons finally made a delivery today and I now have half the new points and track. I've ripped up the Hornby set track and points to replace with Peco code 75. I must say the extra three pounds per point is worth it. Left is a Bachmann point and right a peco code 75.If anyone is interested in 7 left hand Bachman points and 3 right hand points give me a shout or an offer!This time I'm taking some serious care and attention to the job. I'm gluing the track down so there's no evident track pins on top of the sleepers. I'm also joining the track with a mix of track joiners and solder. I'm finding the solder easier for tiny straight prices.Managed to be straight so far! An overview of the extra slow but careful progress.I'm using a handful of heavy bars I stole from work to weigh the track down for the glue to set. They are rusty because I'm debating using them somewhere on the layout.More to follow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Very nice project you have... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Managed to get some fine ballast and 'bush stuff' from the model shop today, and proceeded to further detail the station and car park.It's becoming rather quite good now this station, absolutely nothing else has been done to the rest of the layout, I had more track delivered today and that still needs to be laid. But here is my progress as follows ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 More progress tonight, got some more track laid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 So progress last night was going well. Things looked like this... And this... But... Despite my care and attention to detail this time, I missed a incredibly important point about the turnouts, I've learnt peco points aren't like set track. They need to be isolated at the two rails joining the turnouts inside positive and negative to avoid a short. I didn't realise this and laid them as normal. Id just applied a final coat of PVA water mix to the ballast before going to bed and I thought ill just make sure the track is conductive all throughout before the glue dries. And then I realised... Luckily the final coat of PVA had softened the glue holding the track down to the baseboard and it all peeled off. But I've gone backwards yet again and now need to pickup some isolating rail joiners. My local model shop in preston now shuts on sundays and the nearest decent one I know of is Hattons in Liverpool. So I'm debating a road trip haha. Still Learning Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Always end up skint after road trip to Hattons Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 I have been living off bread and butter building this. I've been ordering stuff every week on every payday. Shame the postage is charged for every order, would be better if you spent £25 and it would be free for example, considering I haven't spent less than £50 every time I've ordered. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Looking forward to more photos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeroken1 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Looks rather good so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyboy Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 A nice little layout you have started, keep up the good work. But I don't think it was a good idea for you to write on the internet that you have stolen stuff from your workplace to use whilst building your layout. Somebody's going to find out sooner than later that equipment is going missing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 The bits I've taken from work are just bits of scrap metal for weights, no one will cry over them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Operation Whiteclose has swung straight back into action after a trip to the local builders merchant for some woody materials. The new baseboard is contructed from 9mm ply and 38x50 planed softwood. It's incredibly light now and has super duper support underneath. It's only super duper because I made it of course! The platform is now constructed from wood because I found card on its own just sags. Might be something to do with my poor card building skills but it's unlikely because I am just awesome. All points and track are to be joined correctly with no shorts with the appropriate conductive and insulating rail joiners... No soldering here this time! Progress as follows... The new super duper baseboard, well one half of it. The super duper super strong platform and some roughly placed track. Thanks for looking! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Lots of action today at Whiteclose lane. The platform has been completed as well as the track laying. Whilst laying the track I used pins to first secure roughly where the track lays, and marked out where the track sits. I then marked where the turnout's springs sit centrally for drilling a hole underneath. The track was then removed and the holes where drilled under the points. I then relayed the track and glued down. I much prefer gluing because I've found the track can be persuaded to come off the base board incase of mistakes, of which I have made many haha. After laying the track I drilled two small holes at each side of the track after each turnout, I will solder track feed wires here to ensure there is always super duper current supplying my trains. Photos as follows... Overall view of the first half of the base board. The second half is still to be built. View from the end of the super duper strong platform. Got quite an obsession with 'super duper' going on :S Another view of the platform. Not sure if I want to use this booking office yet. I'm debating scratch building one similar to leyland. I'm sure it would look more convincing, and no one else would have one like it! Really enjoyed building this wall, made of left over platform kit. Makes the steps look more convincing than they did on my first attempt! Thanks for looking and more to follow! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Thanks for the replays... It occurred to me before that I haven't included a track plan. I have included a plan of what Im basing the layout on but not what I have modified... So here's my plan... The idea is to, over time, expand the layout with a wagon maintenance depot (2440x610) and then storage sidings (2440x610) totalling 7320x610, with a two track mainline on the expansions. The Preserved section won't be a 'run what i like because it doesn't matter' type of railway. I will be running an 0-6-0 saddle tank and an 0-4-0 pug or something similar. They will be running un numbered, so I don't have to be too accurate on where they are from and their history. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Your plans look rather good to me!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-e Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Like the way your learning by doing, think we've all been there. The baseboard look the part now, dont forget to make the holes under the points this time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malangan Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Point motor holes and point motors are already in and working Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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