RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted June 5, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 5, 2022 Hello everybody! No bracing, painting or glazing going on - just three more storeys almost to the same level as the first… First, I realised I hadn’t got enough space for the four doors and three windows I thought would fit there, but on the plus I had built the single windows to the same spacing as the doors. Bonus! I got both storeys of the maisonettes to the same level and then spent this evening fitting the two storeys together: I’ve got the other end and the roof to do, then these storeys will be at the same place as the other two - then I’ve got three more faces to do for the other block… Lots to do! Simon 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted July 10, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 10, 2022 Hello everybody, Been a while! I’m not letting anything else on my desk until the block of flats is in fewer pieces, so not much has been done… Firstly: I braced the top two stories, it’s mostly 2mm plasticard, with some 1mm in too. It looks much firmer from the front now: Next, I got hold of my first ever sheet of black plasticard. Once I got over the horror of how much dust there is (it attracts and then is visible against the black background) I cut it up for the floors/walkways. This is my first ever use of black, I wanted it to be a darker base for the concrete colour instead of having the white shine through… That’s the theory anyway… here’s where I’m at now, there are other walls to build and fit in. Also, I hadn’t considered using white for the underside, so now I have to paint white on top of black. The second level looks off in this picture, when I investigated and then stuck it to the ceiling it doesn’t look off… 🤷🏼♂️ These are ready to start painting, detailing and glazing. I’m not going to go too detailed as they are at the back of the layout - but the layout is only 12” deep…. First up is the panels, the windows and doors, I think I’m leaving the brick to last and doing it all in one go. My to-do list and the fronts of the next block… it’ll all make sense when they’re in place. Lots to do! Simon 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 5BarVT Posted July 10, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2022 No idea whether white on black will cover better than black on white, but at least it’s the underside so not as visible. Paul. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 12, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2023 Hello everybody, So long story short: Gresby was in store for a while and the storage place wrote to say they were doubling the price, so I decided to make some alterations to the layout: It’s not as bad as it looks… 90% of the track was lifted and all the buildings (except the multi-storey which I never liked) are in a box in the wardrobe. New boards were ordered and today I actually got one out to start drawing out my thoughts. It’s a little smaller than before but I’m combining it with the unitrack so I’ll still be able to run full length trains, and store (and build) the layout in my tiny flat. This (above and below) is all the plan I’m doing, and it matches the initial detailed design pretty closely: The classic Gresby image, I’m in two minds about widening the road slightly - but we’ll see what looks best. The boards have come from G&H, once I’ve marked them up I’m going to start cutting bits out of them, I didn’t think my design would make the laser happy 😏 On the day I went to strip old Gresby down I took the factory I finished on the last page, just to see if it fitted: I kinda did… but it didn’t look quite right. This view will return but slightly differently, no house or tunnel, but the bridge, the trees and the fridges will be back. The house will be used somewhere else. The new bits of track have been ordered so let’s see how quickly I can get something running. Lots to do! Simon 3 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Hi Simon, Shame to see the layout gone but good luck on the new version, look forward to it. 👍 Graham 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 15, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 15, 2023 Thanks Graham, I think if I’d had space for the layout where I live I would have got more use out it, or made the larger changes to fix the bits I wasn’t satisfied with… Today I got an important bit of measuring done: It’s the height difference between a piece of Kate Unitrack and a piece of Finetrax - 5mm. Knowing this means I can work out how much to cut out of the board as I’ll know how big the bridges can be… quite a difference working downwards this time, last time I worked upwards! Ply shopping at the weekend! Lots to do! Simon 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stivesnick Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 A flying Pacer unit - a great idea. Don't tell the government or they will want to rip up all the tracks and bring the pacers back as a cheaper version of the railway! Look forward to seeing how this develops. Nick 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 19, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 19, 2023 Thanks Nick - me too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 19, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 19, 2023 Hello everybody! I had quite a productive weekend, I’ve got enough ply to build the trackbed up to 5mm now - three different layers so I can make the bridge bases thinner than on the old layout… and thinner bridge bases means I don’t have to cut away as much board (so it’s less likely to fall apart in my mind anyway!) Also this weekend I made the two main points: I left some of the ends a little long so I can trim them to size when I lay the track. I’m 50/50 about re-building/replacing the left hand point (top) as I broke some of the chairs under one of the short pieces of rail and I can’t tell if that’s going to become the point it regularly fails in later life. (Neither frog is stuck in yet while I wait for some decoder wire to turn up) The Finetrax points are really easy to build. I’ve built a few 2mm points so the size of the flange-way looked massive, but N gauge wheels pass through really smoothly so I guess it’s right - they’re certainly the nearest looking N Gauge points I’ve seen! It was quite surreal seeing a standard Peco wagon going through a point without all the usual dipping into the crossing! I think I’ve got everything ready to start building… Lots to do! Simon 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMcKenzie Posted February 19, 2023 Share Posted February 19, 2023 Hi Simon, The points look good. I've been very impressed with finetrax points on north end road. The peco points (which are perfectly acceptable on their own) next to a finetrax point end up looking over sized, like they were intended for use with a Lego Trainset or similar. I've used Peco code 80 in the fiddle yard and it made me appreciate how good they really are. It's up to you of course, but taking the time to fix the broken chairs now might save a bigger headache later? I always enjoy following your progress and whilst it is a shame to see the old layout in the skip, the new plans sound great. All the best, Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2023 Thanks Dave - if I’m being completely honest with myself the old layout should have probably gone in the skip a while ago! The good news is, after 2 days in the office and 2 days laid low with the worst cold ever survived by man the point repair seems to be rigid! I’ll know for definite when I fit the new dropper wires if it needs replacing or not. Fingers crossed! Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2023 Hello everybody! Bit of progress today - I got the measurements transferred from my head onto the baseboard: Thats the front piece, the main board and the cross member thing. If the baseboard makers do a warranty I’m about to invalidate it!! I went super scientific to work out how much to drop the front for the street end. There’s 45mm between the bottom of the trackbed and the bottom of the road - luckily my customary layout bridge bus is a single decker, but it’s a lower bridge than old Gresby. Finally today I watched a pair of semi relevant YouTube videos about fret-saws, and used one for the first time in 25 years! Not bad (on the cross member part that no-one will see) - bit of glue, filler and sandpaper and it’ll be fine. Load bearing and fine… Lots to do! Simon 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahame Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 Nice to see you back in the N gauge modelling swing. And using fiNetraX points/track. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2023 (edited) Thanks Grahame, I was still going full guns on the block of flats until early August, then the old layout was stripped and tipped by bank holiday! The new boards turned up at the end of November so I’ve just been waiting for a un-filled week of leave… there’ll be plenty of Gresby content over the next 8 days 😁 - there’s been plenty keeping me busy but very little of it seems to have been normal N - I’m sure the N/2mm ratio will even itself out a little over the rest of the year. Glad I found a chance to try the Finetrax though - I think I’d only just finished ballasting the old layout when I saw Cav and TomE using much finer N on their layouts and spent about 5 years wondering whether to relay once Finetrax came out. Making 2mm track made me do it! Cheers Simon Edited February 25, 2023 by MrSimon Speling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted February 26, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 26, 2023 Where do I claim my Fret Saw Proficiency Badge (Straight-ish lines and corners)? As expected the main board will need a bit of filling here and there, and will definitely need the sides and back for rigidity… but that’s the main cutting done! Left to cut tomorrow are the train holes in the sides and the lengths of trackbed, then I can get glueing! Lots to do! Simon 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 1, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2023 Hello everybody! Things got a bit more advanced with the old fret saw and I cut the holes in the side of the layout: Flushed with success I realised two things: 1) my PVA wasn’t sticky anymore 2) I need some sort of clamp, so I don’t have to sit around holding bits of wood together while I wait for my glue to set (it won’t set) So I went to our new DIY shop and bought a clamp and some wood glue and now the side boards are built and the main board is 80% there! it’s tighter than I thought for fitting a point mechanism in, but I reckon it’ll be fine I even dug the first engine to run over this bridge on the old layout out so it can do the honours again, once I’ve finished the trackbed… Lots to do! Simon 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 2, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) So I’ve got the trackbed laid, but now I’m thinking I might take it up: The issue I have is the Obeche I used has warped on the left hand side - I scored it on the back like I normally would with balsa but the glue has made it curl, despite being weighed down when it was being glued: The three layers are ply (un-warped) and two 1.5mm layers of obeche, which are warping… I don’t have any ply in stock, so if I do take it up it’ll be after a trip to 4D :( The rest of the board is fine, but I don’t want to progress further if it needs to be undone later. Meh. Lots to do! Simon Edited March 2, 2023 by MrSimon Spelling 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 3, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2023 Hello everybody, I made some more progress, which had had me scratching my head for a day or two - fitting the alignment dowels! They’re fitted now, and here’s a shot of the total layout: The two side boards are for the transition between the Unitrack and Finetrax. Some stage in the ordering/design process I asked G&H to make them 70mm deep instead of the standard 100 - the benefit of this is that it will fit the unitrack viaducts better: Heres the tallest pier I’ve got, there’s a difference of 1cm, but I don’t think it’s a standard viaduct pier - it’s the tallest from the incline set. Tomorrow is new ply day… lots to do! Simon 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 4, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 4, 2023 Hello everybody! I won’t lie: when I glue something down it tends to stay glued down… so tonight it took an hour to wrestle the curly obeche off the trackbed! Only stabbed myself once with a screw driver, and I’ll find out about splinters and scratches later when I wash up… I went for a slightly different tack on the replacement trackbed - I used my fret saw for the hole gap between the bridges rather than making two separate sides Where has the fret saw been all my life?! Replacement trackbed ready to glue down. Success! Simon 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMcKenzie Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 Hi Simon, I hope you are well. Nice to follow your progress, it is coming together isn't it👍. The different levels will add a lot of interest to the layout. All the best, Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 8, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 8, 2023 Thanks Dave! I’m hoping the levels work, there was a lot of flat board in the middle of the old layout, this time I only wanted the trackbed to be flat - it’ll look more contoured once I get to the slopes between the levels so it should make more sense than it does at the minute, it’s starting to look more like the picture in my head already! After some boring un-photogenic bits over the weekend, culminating in checking I hadn’t wired-in shorts, I laid the first bit of track this evening: Six holes in the baseboard (5 wires and a hole for the tiebar) and a smear of glue it’s weighed down to set. Two lengths of plain track and that’s the outer line complete and we’ll be able to give it a test run 😁 Lots to do! Simon 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 9, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 9, 2023 Hello everybody! I’ve finished laying the outer track with just the board joins left to lay, inner track starts on my lunch break tomorrow. So far only 9 wires taking power to the track, but there will be 18 more when the other track goes down. I decided that under the flat section at the front would be a great place for control panel… Hear me out… what if the icecream vans were the switches…? Lots to do! Simon 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Nice progress Simon, very interesting idea using the vehicles as switches, might have to steal that idea. 🤔 Graham. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 11, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 11, 2023 Hi Graham, Give it a go definitely! I’ve given it a bit more thought but I’m not sure how it would work in practice - if they were push-to-make switches there’d be icecream vans levitating 🤣 Heres the current state of play, I’ve made the third point so once the soldering’s complete I should be able to get the rest of the track laid today. Rather annoyingly the feed from the frog of the third point will come through right in the middle of the bridge… Lots to do! Simon 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted March 12, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 12, 2023 Hello everybody! Here’s where we’re at at the end of the weekend: Just the two final bits of Finetrax to lay at the top left, and the board joins to sort - but I’ve got work to do on the other boards before then. Harder to see is where I’ve had to make soldered connections between the turnouts on the inner and the plain line next to them - I think it’s my only issue with the Finetrax: I’ve found it difficult to get a reliable soldered join between the point blade and the point rail, I managed it on the outer line but the inner doesn’t seem to have been as successful - I managed to get a great bond with the point blade though so it should be fine, and I spent quite a while checking all the droppers powered what they were supposed to once the soldered ‘fishplates’ were created. I was a little worried about expansion but the longest piece of rail on the inner track is 6” so I’m sure it’ll be fine. Finally, here’s an overview of the three boards - I’m keen to get cracking with the scenery and running trains as I always find this bit much less interesting… Lots to do! Simon 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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