well filled baps The Sheep Chronicles : These are the adventures of a Sheep, the Works Forecat and Naughty George,

[BroadLeaves]

13 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

There are plans afoot for the prints to be made available on a commercial basis

Tell him he has at least one customer ready and waiting.

[Oldddudders]

17 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Where's Idris?

Idris when I's dry? Remember that?

[Limpley Stoker]

That’s from the era of ‘hoarse? Go suck a Zube’ 

[NHY 581]

Evening all, 

 

With the Cardiff show out of the way, thoughts are quietly turning to the next show in Portishead. 

 

This will be Ewe's first show before the paying public. Ahead of this, there are a few jobs to attend to which I'll detail over coming weeks.

 

These will mainly revolve around the motive power and in particular the weathering of the J70s and an 03 or two. Additionally, decoders will need fitting to the trams. 

 

As to the layout itself, there's further work to do on the scenery and a bit of detailing here and there. 

 

If time allows I may attempt the "tramming" of an 04. However, I've put this particular project down as a Winter job and have no intention to rush into it. 

 

Rob. 

[mdvle]

17 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

If time allows I may attempt the "tramming" of an 04. However, I've put this particular project down as a Winter job and have no intention to rush into it.

 

Won't be available this winter but Rapido have just announced their Class 04 with several variations.

 

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/br-class-04/

 

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, mdvle said:

 

Won't be available this winter but Rapido have just announced their Class 04 with several variations.

 

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/br-class-04/

 

 

 

Well, perhaps one can wait...........without the 'need'  to build a tram engine I'll have time to build a layout................

[NHY 581]

Well............

 

Looks like the 7mm project now has some real focus thanks to Rapido. 

 

In the meantime, , the 4mm W&U has had a shot in the arm with their announcement of the 04 and the pre-grouping W&U train packs..........oh and the tramway coaches in non-Titfield guise.......

 

Things are looking distinctly jolly damn bloody well up. 

 

 

Rob. 

[NHY 581]

26 minutes ago, NHY 581 said:

Well............

 

Looks like the 7mm project now has some real focus thanks to Rapido. 

 

In the meantime, , the 4mm W&U has had a shot in the arm with their announcement of the 04 and the pre-grouping W&U train packs..........oh and the tramway coaches in non-Titfield guise.......

 

Things are looking distinctly jolly damn bloody well up. 

 

 

Rob. 

 

 

On a positive, I already have the baseboards and enough pointage courtesy of  BGman for the 7mm job. 

 

I'm sure therefore, Grahame will be looking over my shoulder. 

 

Rob. 

[NHY 581]

Morning all. 

 

Well, I'm calming down after Rapido's announcements yesterday which have  provoked much thought. I was almost sick though. Rather over excited. 

 

There are lots of things to interest this here sheep, albeit a little further down the line so there's still plenty of time to get one's breath back and review matters. 

 

Firstly, the suggestion that Rapido will produce a 7mm J70 is great news. Subject to there being sufficent interest for them to commence production , I can see this ticking all the boxes for me. I'm already giving a little thought to how a possible layout could pan out. I'm kinda thinking my own W&Uesque layout meets Arun Quay..............but there's plenty of time to ponder. As I say, Rapido need to confirm if there's enough interest first. Once they've confirmed their position, I'll start the ball rolling. 

 

Rapido's other 4mm announcements are also equally anticipated. Some are of course further away than others and I certainly don't expect any to miraculously appear in the coming weeks........thankfully. 

 

The 04 is a great choice and the likely variants are exciting to say the least. The skirted jobs are obvious candidates to make their way to Chateau Sheep. Not only the early cabbed, skirted models as beautifully modelled by Chris H ( from the Sparkshot kit )  but the later skirted conversions using ex-Southern Region locos. However, even the 'standard' models will be of interest. 

I've certainly developed a liking of Green BR shunters since starting to build Ewe and with the class 11/12 from Heljan, things are looking up for the shunteratski.

 

My only concern is that Bachmann are a retooled body and drop in wheelsets away from their own 04. The existing 03 chassis is perfectly acceptable, especially in Next18 format. Let's hope sense will prevail...........and no Felis catus are deployed amongst the Columba livia domestica......

 

The pre-grouping J70 train packs are just  lovely things and certainly one in the GER Ultramarine blue livery will be ordered. Simply delightful. 

On the back of this, the BR liveried tramway coaches are also 'must haves'. 

 

All of this has made me look again at my current projects and future ideas. Even if the 7mm stuff comes to fruition in the coming years, I see no reason to step away from 4mm. Quite the opposite.  Therefore, looking at what's going on at present..........

 

Firstly, if on my return to building layouts in 2015, someone had said I would now be modelling minor East Anglian railways, I would have laughed out loud. 

 

However, as the forthcoming article on Ewe in next month's BRM alludes to, the seed for such interest had been unwittingly sown many, many years ago. I just didn't realise it. With it's  first time out before the paying public looming, I'll be adding DCC to the J70s and hopefully weathering at least two of the three now available before that happens. 

 

Yesterday though saw me taking stock of all things. I certainly have enough green diesels to have a decent stab at a proper, more expansive ex-Great Eastern BLT in the future,  with only a W&M railbus ( re-issue this year pending from Heljan) and a possible Class 31 from Accurascale  to complete the stud. The railbus is on order. 

With classes 03/04*/05**/08/10***/15/16/24 and Derby Lightweight already in situ at Chateau Sheep it  could easily be done and almost seems a pity not to. If I do, it will almost certainly be DCC and I'll have another go with Kadees, having learnt from my initial installation on Ewe. 

 

* Bachman for now but Rapido to replace when available. 

**Heljan but, later, taller NE cab version is only one done thus far. Squint and it's fine.

*** Re-number Hornby 08.

 

Of the existing layouts......

 

Sheep Dip is pretty much complete. Having come very close to moving the layout on earlier this year, I am glad I didn't and am pleased to report it's a keeper. 

Future plans will see a Class 14 (re-issue by Heljan is imminent) joining the stud as I think one will look very much at home thereon. In addition there is a Kerr Stuart on the way apparently. The layout is of course very basic in operation but people seem to like it and I enjoy taking it out. At the other end of the motive power spectrum, we have the Great Western trio of 2x 2.4.0t and the 517. If I avoid any 'fittings' which are 'period specific ', I see no reason why Sheep Dip couldn't alternate between 1930s/1950s and late 1960s depending on the locos/rolling stock in use. There were, after all, overgrown railways in the 1930s............

 

Bleat again is pretty much done and I hope to add a few more bits and bobs ahead of Taunton at the end of October. Though it's a S&DJR layout, set in the 1950s, there's no reason why the changes can't be rung and it runs as a Southern Region layout. In fact, I'm contemplating this for day 2 at Taunton Railex using a selection of small Southern tank engines. Only other motive power to sort is the 1P...I do however need to pluck up the courage to weather it. That will complete the S&D side of things. 

 

In the wings we have a pre-grouping SE&CR light railway terminus. Not in any way discarded. Again, the motive power is pretty much in stock as are some wagonage. An alternative is a goods only layout set just after WW1. P and C classes represent the SE&CR. A Peckett could also pop in and shuffle about for good measure. It could easily happen. I have the track plan sorted for both eventualities........and my eye on a couple of structures...

 

So, despite my hint to the contrary yesterday, the above is part of the reason why there are no plans to build a new layout this Winter. 

 

I've finally realised, there is already more than enough going on...........

 

 

Rob. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by NHY 581
Sausage hooves

[Wayne 37901]

Rob,

 

Some interesting plans there. 

 

Nice to see that a class 14 will be joining the stud at some point, I think it'll look quite at home doing a spot of shunting.

 

I agree with your view on green diesels, as I said at the Cardiff show there's something about a loco in BR green livery when it gets a bit dirty.

 

Wayne.

Edited August 28, 2022 by Wayne 37901

[Gilbert]

24 minutes ago, Wayne 37901 said:

Nice to see that a class 14 will be joining the stud at the stud at some point, I think it'll look quite at home doing a spot of shunting.

 

I agree with your view on green diesels, as I said at the Cardiff show there's something about a loco in BR green livery when it gets a bit dirty.

 

Absolutely...

[KNP]

 

Tone Mapping

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, KNP said:

 

Tone Mapping

 

 

Ah yes. Similar in style to Sheldon Fopp who has produced water colour images of Sheep Lane, Mutton and Bleat. He's yet to venture to Sheep Dip or Ewe. 

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by NHY 581

[NHY 581]

Talking of Sheep Lane........A couple of earlier views. 

 

 

 

 

[NHY 581]

A Sheldon Fopp view of Mutton. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fishplate]

3 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Talking of Sheep Lane........A couple of earlier views. 

 

Difficult to believe those are photos of a model. . . . 

 

Superb.

[Wayne 37901]

Rob,

 

One thing I forgot to ask at the Cardiff show was how you wire up your layouts on a solid board? As I'm getting tempted to try a 'Lack' based scheme myself it was something I was pondering, I'm guessing here but do you just run wires through channels cut into the board and then cover everything over later?

 

Wayne 

[teaky]

I hope Rob doesn't mind me butting in here.  I built a couple of layouts using Lack shelves when our boys were younger and used PVA to stick some old fashioned insulation board to the top (the kind best described as very low density board which can be cut with a craft knife).  I then covered this with lining paper which was painted with cheap brown emulsion.  The result is a thin top into which channels can be cut and easily hidden.

 

Here's a cropped image showing the end result.

[NHY 581]

58 minutes ago, teaky said:

I hope Rob doesn't mind me butting in here.  I built a couple of layouts using Lack shelves when our boys were younger and used PVA to stick some old fashioned insulation board to the top (the kind best described as very low density board which can be cut with a craft knife).  I then covered this with lining paper which was painted with cheap brown emulsion.  The result is a thin top into which channels can be cut and easily hidden.

 

Here's a cropped image showing the end result.

 

Morning,  Rob. 

 

That's pretty much the approach taken with Ewe........except I glued and screwed 9mm MDF on top. 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Wayne 37901 said:

Rob,

 

One thing I forgot to ask at the Cardiff show was how you wire up your layouts on a solid board? As I'm getting tempted to try a 'Lack' based scheme myself it was something I was pondering, I'm guessing here but do you just run wires through channels cut into the board and then cover everything over later?

 

Wayne 

 

 

Morning Wayne. 

 

You could along with a wire in tube solution for the points............but, I didn't. 

 

Instead, I drill into the board on the rear, 'backscene' edge at right angles to where the feed is to emerge under the relevant bit of trackwork. Two smaller diameter  holes under the rails then the red and black wires attached to their respective fish plates are dropped through. These are then pulled through by hooking them out, via the holes at the backscene edge. 

 

They are then attached to the 'bus bar ' which is screwed to the back scene. 

 

 

Hope this helps....

 

 

Rob. 

 

 

[NHY 581]

 

 

 

 

A very early view of Bleat Wharf.

 

 

[NHY 581]

And another. 

 

 

 

 

 

[NHY 581]

Well, that went well..

 

No, really, it did. I've fitted a Bachmann decoder to the first of the J70s and have been rewarded with really good slow speed running accompanied by a nice, gradual stop and start. 

 

Lush. 

 

Spent a nice hour playing....sorry, testing the chassis. 

 

Two more to do but can't help but  wonder if I should weather the body now as the chassis is a nice 'snug' fit........In other words, it's a bit of a bu@@er to remove...

 

Next in line is 68225, an unskirted job. 

 

Rob. 

Edited August 28, 2022 by NHY 581

[Donw]

When I wanted to run rods to operate the turnouts I used some plastruct tubing which was small enough to go under 0  gauge track ( there being no separate track underlay). I ran then straight to the front of the baseboard,  The ballast and senic treatment held them in place. For simplicity I used a terminal strip cut into single pieces one screwed on the end of each rod to give something to grip. You could do the same with track droppers. Bring it all out to the front edge make any connections there.  With an odd block of wood here and there just fit a fascia along the front. Nice and neat  with easy access.

 

Don

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, Donw said:

When I wanted to run rods to operate the turnouts I used some plastruct tubing which was small enough to go under 0  gauge track ( there being no separate track underlay). I ran then straight to the front of the baseboard,  The ballast and senic treatment held them in place. For simplicity I used a terminal strip cut into single pieces one screwed on the end of each rod to give something to grip. You could do the same with track droppers. Bring it all out to the front edge make any connections there.  With an odd block of wood here and there just fit a fascia along the front. Nice and neat  with easy access.

 

Don

 

 

And there layeth the problem with the latest layout.........a water feature right across the front......

 

No, I decided to leave well alone on this occasion..

[Donw]

In that case I would probably bring the wires and controls out to the fiddly area. Probably arrange the scenic board to be 1 inch in from the baseboard end so the controls would be mounted on the baseboard. This would work well on an exhibition layout you could be stood by the FART to operate not blocking the view. Except of course if I continued with 3 links I would still have to stand in front while coupling.

 

Don