Peafore Yard - 4mm BR Blue layout shunting layout - Sold

[Downendian]

I Hope to make an outing to see it Rob. Would be nice to see the occasional tatty hydraulic

Neil

[Ramblin Rich]

Peafore Yard has another confirmed outing this year, it will be at Barnstaple on the 25th July which will be the first opportunity to see it "finished" with the upper level fully operational.

One for the calendar then!

Edited January 16, 2015 by Ramblin Rich

[37114]

I Hope to make an outing to see it Rob. Would be nice to see the occasional tatty hydraulic

Neil

 

Thanks Neil. There is a 3 - 5 year plan for future motive power, as I am short of indigenous western region locos and also ETH locos. On the list are a couple of class 50's, an ETH 47 or 2, and D1013 + D1023. The 50's are reasonably straightforward from the Hornby model, likewise the Dapol Western looks the part so should be easy to do. The 2 x 47's need some thought as the Bachmann model requires work to the underframe, window frames and smaller other bits, so may give the Vi-Spring model a go.

One for the calendar then!

 

Would be great to see you Rich!

[37114]

Very nice layout and informative thread.

 

Where the culvert meets the back board, under the higher bridge, have you simply painted it black? 

 

Thanks Dave,

 

I found a picture taken from a bridge of a stream, the river is actually a bit wide but is in such a dark shadow due the width of the bridge.

[P.C.M]

Hi Rob,

Nice work on the class 25s those new cabs look a lot better than the Bachmann ones.

 

Cheers Peter.

[37114]

Hi Rob,

Nice work on the class 25s those new cabs look a lot better than the Bachmann ones.

 

Cheers Peter.

Thanks Peter Simon has done a good job capturing the shape. I will post some more pics later, I have fitted Shawplan EE roof fans which are a massive improvement as well.

[Guest]

This is looking terrific... very atmospheric.

[37114]

This is looking terrific... very atmospheric.

Thanks Pete, still a few more details to add to really nail the atmosphere for me,it is the little things that make the difference.

[37114]

I had a bit of a sort out of the spares box tonight and found the Guide dogs for the blind collecting box I had made for Pallet Lane and never fitted for some reason:

 

 

I have never seen one modelled before and it is simply a Peco dog painted black, with the collar/harness hand painted and mounted on a blue piece of card. I think the dog is in the wrong pose as most of the collecting boxes I remember the dog was in a sitting pose rather than lying down. I can't recall seeing them at stations so it is unsuitable for Peafore Yard so is destined to remain in the spares box for some time.

 

Now the class 25's are ready for the first coat of primer, I took the opportunity to spray the missing handrails and conduit for the signal gantry as well as the 3 BRUTES for the platform end.

 

[37114]

I am a great believer that it is the smaller details that really bring the layout to life and a part of building a layout that I really enjoy. I try to pick up on the things that are ever present in daily life but are often missed on  layouts, a prime example is fire hydrant signs which when you look for them are every where. I made 10 some years ago and had some left over from Pallet Lane so I added one to the wall by the cement yard entrance. I also had a couple of GPO boxes in the spares box so they have been added below. Before and after shots:

 

 

 

Fixing the signal gantry has been a stumbling block of late as I need to access the area underneath to lay the track, ballast and weather it which would be nigh on impossible with the gantry in place. I am keen to keep the gantry removable in case I need to replace an LED, repair it etc. I am yet to come up with the answer but rather handily the ply that forms the upper level of the trackbed is still removable. The screws don't interfere with the track so I decided to secure the 2 lengths of track to the ply, I will then ballast & weather the track etc off the layout. I mapped out where the point is so I could cut the hole for the point control before I secured the track

 

.  

[south_tyne]

Hi Rob,

 

Just spend an enjoyable hour or so reading through this thread and also your Pallet Lane thread for you old layout. Fantastic layouts, you have managed to cram a great deal of atmosphere into confined spaces. I have enjoyed reading the workbench type element of your thread too, it is good to see how your modelling is developing as a whole.

 

I hope you don't mind me asking a question about Pallet Lane (I thought it would be best to ask on your active thread) after stumbling across it for the first time today? What were the dimensions of the layout in the original format? I am doing some planning at the moment and have about 8' to play with, your layout really is insiprational, hence the interest. I read some references to it only being 9" wide but didn't read anything about the length. Apologies of I missed it mind.

 

Many thanks,

David

[south_tyne]

I am a great believer that it is the smaller details that really bring the layout to life and a part of building a layout that I really enjoy. I try to pick up on the things that are ever present in daily life but are often missed on  layouts, a prime example is fire hydrant signs which when you look for them are every where. I made 10 some years ago and had some left over from Pallet Lane so I added one to the wall by the cement yard entrance. I also had a couple of GPO boxes in the spares box so they have been added below. Before and after shots:

 

 

DSCN1456.JPG

 

 

 

 

PS that photograph is absolutely superb! An everyday cameo that is so mundane but brings a model to life. Top stuff!!

 

David

[37114]

Hi Rob,

 

Just spend an enjoyable hour or so reading through this thread and also your Pallet Lane thread for you old layout. Fantastic layouts, you have managed to cram a great deal of atmosphere into confined spaces. I have enjoyed reading the workbench type element of your thread too, it is good to see how your modelling is developing as a whole.

 

I hope you don't mind me asking a question about Pallet Lane (I thought it would be best to ask on your active thread) after stumbling across it for the first time today? What were the dimensions of the layout in the original format? I am doing some planning at the moment and have about 8' to play with, your layout really is insiprational, hence the interest. I read some references to it only being 9" wide but didn't read anything about the length. Apologies of I missed it mind.

 

Many thanks,

David

Hi David,

 

Thanks for your very kind comments. To answer your question Pallet lane is/was 8'6" in its shorter format, that could be shrunk to 8' by making the sidings in the Cement terminal shorter and making the head shunt shorter if you were using smaller locos, I sized it for a class 40 to fit in comfortably. It appeared in the January 2010 issue of RailwayModeller which included a track plan.

 

Thanks

 

Rob

[south_tyne]

Hi David,

 

Thanks for your very kind comments. To answer your question Pallet lane is/was 8'6" in its shorter format, that could be shrunk to 8' by making the sidings in the Cement terminal shorter and making the head shunt shorter if you were using smaller locos, I sized it for a class 40 to fit in comfortably. It appeared in the January 2010 issue of RailwayModeller which included a track plan.

 

Thanks

 

Rob

 

Hi Rob,

 

Thank you very much for your prompt and very useful reply. I have had some stock and point templates out over the weekend doing some full sized planning and that really helps with me ideas. I will keep an eye out for a copy of the RM to read about the layout in full. 

 

Thanks again for your help and I will keep following your work,

David

[Vanders]

I am a great believer that it is the smaller details that really bring the layout to life and a part of building a layout that I really enjoy. I try to pick up on the things that are ever present in daily life but are often missed on  layouts, a prime example is fire hydrant signs which when you look for them are every where. I made 10 some years ago and had some left over from Pallet Lane so I added one to the wall by the cement yard entrance.

Did you add a hydrant access cover to match the sign, though?

[37114]

Did you add a hydrant access cover to match the sign, though?

No I havent, my excuse is as the sign is on the edge of the board, the access cover is off scene!

Edited January 26, 2015 by 37114

[class"66"]

More nice work Rob...

[The Ghost of IKB]

Any more progress on the rats?

[37114]

Any more progress on the rats?

 

Hi, they are currently still in primer, they have been through the "filler, sand, primer, still not good enough" loop 3 times. I am about to go and sand the latest patches of filler hopefully for the last time put a coat of primer on them. Hopefully they will be blue by the end of the weekend.

[37114]

Another testing session tonight although in reality it was more of just fun play time. Now I am getting the hang of the operating sequences I feel really comfortable with operating the layout. I have removed the bars between the buffers on the locos that were essential on Pallet Lane to prevent buffer locking which make coupling up so much easier.

 

Plenty of photos, first off the latest purchase, the one and only time I will post a photo of an out of the box model:

 

 

The locos is a first for many reasons:

- My first ever Dapol loco

- My first ever model of a Hydraulic as most were withdrawn before the period I model

- First loco to cost me more than £100 - ouch.

 

The loco is a birthday present from my lovely wife and children so is now locked away until April. If it was a Bachmann loco then it wouldn't have worried about testing it as I have never had an issue with one yet, but having read the thread on here I am aware the Dapol Westerns can be a little problematic. To a point I need not have worried as it is incredibly smooth, that said it seems to have a quarter of a turn of slack in the drive train which does not affect running but takes some getting used to, I am not sure if that is common of the model? More irritatingly it appears to wired as the opposite polarity to my other locos. Not an issue for me as I never doublehead locos and easily fixed if I take the body off and fire up the soldering iron.  It will become D1023 Western Fusilier with Domino headcodes. I know nothing about Westerns other than the model has Talisman clips which are right for the time I model. I need to do some research although there is an authority on Westerns following this thread so can no doubt point me to what I need to change... Geoff over to you!

 

I have found a way of securing the signal gantry to the upper level by gluing it to some card which is then screwed to the board:

 

 

Another important design consideration in any exhibition layout is where to keep the mandatory cup of coffee. Pallet Lane had a dedicated place with a special anti-spill mug holder. So far prime favourite position is the end of the fiddle yard on the upper end:

 

 

Here are some other pics I took which show the basic operating sequence:

 

 First off 37240 arrives with the daily cement train

 

Running round and holding up the traffic (again)

 

Pushing the incoming wagons back into the headshunt

 

Pulling forward the empties. A class 45 rumbles past overhead with a fuel train

 

Later in the day 37032 and brake van arrives to collect the scrap wagons. 

 

Having run round the brake van has been pushed into the headshunt. 37032 is in the area after failing last week near Stroud and was towed to Bath Road for repairs. As a test, it has been used on the local trip working before working back to the Eastern region tonight.

 

37032 departs as 45132 rumbles by. I am hoping to build the station platform and canopy before April to better disguise the exit to the fiddle yard on the upper level.

 

More usual power on the cement train in the form of 03121

 

Both 03121 and 03382 are in action today, 03382 delivering another burnt out brake van for scrap.

 

 

25057 arrives with a short works train. The train is made up of a Cambrian dogfish, Cambrian Loriot with Rosencombe replica Hymac 590 excavator and Airfix brakevan. This is the last time 25057 will be used on the layout as it will donate it's super detailed chassis to one of the class 25 bodies that have the new cabs, which are shortly to receive their blue paint. The body shell will likely get a standard Bachmann chassis and be sold as if I model this version of a class 25 again I will use a Hornby shell as the base. 

[Downendian]

Lovely stuff Rob - I knew you'd be a hydraulic convert eventually. D1013 next?

Neil

[37114]

Lovely stuff Rob - I knew you'd be a hydraulic convert eventually. D1013 next?

Neil

 

At some point Neil, although the head shunt on the upper level is too short for double heading, it will be interesting to see if they both go the same direction! Although I am not a huge hydraulic fan (they were all gone before I was born), I have fond memories of going behind the D1013 and D1023 on the Severn Valley some 15ish years ago when they recreated the last railtour, they even got the original station announcer to do the departure announcements from Kidderminster as I recall.

[Downendian]

D1023 only had domino headcodes for a short period of time - late 1976 as I recall. It was insisted upon by the ER following a rail tour that departed from KX. Will look up the date and the name of the tour.

The period you have chosen, (around 1977?) is one I remember incredibly well in the Bristol area - you've captured it so well.

Edit 20/11/76 Western Talisman rail tour, had dominos for little over 3 months in service

http://wobblewinterwanderings.smugmug.com/Trains/Class-52/i-9tLWDCv

Neil

Edited January 31, 2015 by Downendian

[37114]

D1023 only had domino headcodes for a short period of time - late 1976 as I recall. It was insisted upon by the ER following a rail tour that departed from KX. Will look up the date and the name of the tour.

The period you have chosen, (around 1977?) is one I remember incredibly well in the Bristol area - you've captured it so well.

Edit 20/11/76 Western Talisman rail tour, had dominos for little over 3 months in service

http://wobblewinterwanderings.smugmug.com/Trains/Class-52/i-9tLWDCv

Neil

 

Thanks Neil, it is indeed set in 1977 so the dominos will be spot on, I try not to have 2 locos that are identical so the dominos were part of the appeal. 

[The Ghost of IKB]

 This is the last time 25057 will be used on the layout as it will donate it's super detailed chassis to one of the class 25 bodies that have the new cabs, which are shortly to receive their blue paint. The body shell will likely get a standard Bachmann chassis and be sold as if I model this version of a class 25 again I will use a Hornby shell as the base. 

 

If you use that chassis you'll have to be careful with the loco number Rob.  That one has water tanks and very few of the later cab style had water tanks fitted - and I think they were allocated to Scotland for most of their lives.  Also surprised you'd use the Hornby body - apart from the cabs (which you could change - you should be a master of it by now!)  isn't the Bachmann better?

Edited February 1, 2015 by The Ghost of IKB