Minehead- Sun, Sea and a Station!

[Modelling Martin]

Gary, have you thought of using wooden sleepers for a point build . You just substitute wooden sleepers for the plassi ones and cut the timber to length as per the template. The adhesive still works a treat but you may want to reinforce with superglue at 'stress points' once the point is proved to be OK. Then, when you come to solder there is less chance of setting the sleepers on fire than melting the plassis ones!

Great work by the way; first time I've dropped in.

Also sounds like congrats in order for those exams.

Ducky from other threads.

 

Thanks Ducky good idea about them sleepers although i've got loads of copper clad ones left over from the track ends which i may use on the frog parts which seem to be a weak point (pun intended!), i will also do the rounds with the superglue too, its nerve-racking spending so much time and money on track which you can't properly test if it works until the point motors are installed when its too late to make any changes,

 

Gary

[Modelling Martin]

Hello folks time for an update,

 

I have started work on the control panel for the layout which will house the servo controller, wiring, NCE interface etc out of scraps of birch ply from the layout build as can be seen below:

 

 

Fortunately the box part went together pretty quickly and thought that fitting the hinges would be a 10 minute job. Well i was wrong and so three hours later and a lot of sanding the hinges are finally in the right place allowing the top to hinge:

 

 

However despite my best attempts the lid would not close fully on one corner. to sort it out i had to put a latch on the side which I will just tell people its meant to be there to stop the lid from lifting up in transport to disguise it:

 

 

Now i realise that control panels won't win any awards for most interesting picture so in the meantime I have been gradually selling off locomotives which do not fit in with the layout with ones that are currently based on the layout (finding a particular Bachmann hall from 4 years ago was a fun challenge)

 

 

Here the locomotives can be seen in Minehead shed area with D7017 in the centre and D832 'Onslaught' on the right joined by 7F 53808 on the left fresh from overhaul.

 

Current task is fitting sleepers in the gaps of the track but I hope I will get all the wiring done by christmas in readiness for scenic work next year,

 

Thanks for looking its quite amazing how many people look at my topic even though it is far off being the biggest,

 

Gary

[Modelling Martin]

Hi everyone,

 

In light of the recent steam gala at the West Somerset Railway i felt it was necessary to recreate my own even though none of my layout is working but ah well this hobby isn't all about electrics and wood working. I only have one of the visiting locomotives in the form of 2857 from the Severn Valley Railway as can been seen below pulling out of the station

 

 

The photographer then walks across the level crossing catching a shot at the front (rather dangerous)

 

 

The locomotive fleet is still coming along nicely although if a manufacturer decided to produce a Manor class that would be great. Anyway a rare diesel was seen during the gala (who let that happen?) in the form of D832 carrying another warship to Minehead presumably for light repairs

 

 

 

Thanks everybody for taking the time in reading the thread, the layout will get there eventually!

 

Gary

[andyram]

Looking great Gary. I am enjoying following this thread. Just goes to show that preservation can provide a great prototype.

[Modelling Martin]

Looking great Gary. I am enjoying following this thread. Just goes to show that preservation can provide a great prototype.

 

Thanks Andy I think preservation can be seen by some on the forum as being synonymous with run anything anywhere whilst i am (at least trying!) to attempt to change some of these opinions. Just because a model is set in preservation that does not mean it should be seen as less quality than some of the layouts set in other eras,

 

Kind regards,

 

Gary

[Black Sheep]

I think the issue is when 'preservation' is used as an excuse for running not only what you like, but how you like with disregard to how a railway operates, or has to operate to do so safely. 

 

Yes there are things not modelled that were daily practices such as shunt release (not that uncommon but not seen much a few years back) along with banking etc

 

if a layout is built well and run well then it doesn't matter what's on it - of course, in the confines of your loft / shed / garage / spare room you can do as you please but at an exhibition it jolts reality a little bit too much spoiling the enjoyment of viewing. 

 

might be best to start steering away from this subject… 

 

 

how's the layout coming on?

[Modelling Martin]

Hi Blacksheep, apologies for the late reply, thank you for your opinion i do intend to try and recreate realistic operations from the WSR but will not go as far to timetables or to realtime as it will be exhibited where keeping the audience interested is my primary objective. As a compromise i will most likely use a steam gala timetable to justify such regular operations in the station,

 

Regarding the layout some progress has been made, most notably the pin striping that has appeared on the control panel some of it done two or three times (annoyingly!) so it was as straight as possible:

 

 

In order to increase the quality of some of the pictures I have been testing using a different camera, its my first time using it so go easy on me! Here are a few test shots:

 

 

D832 'ONSLAUGHT' Leaving the carriage siding

 

 

D1233 Shunting wagons in the sidings near the station approach

 

 

Visiting guest 'Union Of South Africa' is resting after bringing in a railtour in the headshunt

Hope everyone is well, half term next week so should hopefully be able to install all the magnets and point servos

 

Happy modelling,

 

Gary

[Modelling Martin]

Hello all,

 

The layout has been progressing well recently which I will show in a further post. Meanwhile I couldn't resist the temptation to run a WSR santa special hauled by 'Kinlet Hall', here it can be seen pulling into the station on a cold winter's evening:

 

 

 

Wishing everyone a merry christmas and happy new year- 2016 will see bigger improvements on the layout as the electrics are now nearly finished so I may be able to start covering that cork!

 

Kind regards,

 

Gary

[andyram]

Loving the proper head board!

[Modelling Martin]

Hello all,

 

Despite it being two months since my last update there has been progress on the layout, most notably in the electrics department which are now finished (at last!)

 

 

 

Here the Megapoints controller can be seen in the control panel with the inputs from the switches and the outputs going out the side to the baseboards via D connectors.

 

Another problem I encountered was with the SMP plastic point kits, my first one (which I honestly didn't do a good job on) was playing up with some of the locos so I decided to replace it with a coper clad type- a steep learning curve considering a couple of years ago i was laying Hornby express points.

 

 

On a more interesting note with the recent batch of Heljan class 33s I managed to get a GSYP example which will represent D6575. Being a DCC Ready locomotive I expected a quick installation however 4 hours later I was only just about finished. This recent edition means I have every diesel locomotive on the WSR (excluding duplicates and shunters) Anyway here it is alongside the newly installed point rodding that controls the points on the main run-around loop. I increased the aperture on this picture compared to previous ones on the thread which seems to have created a better depth of field:

 

 

Next on my list of things to do is painting the track and ballasting now that all of the track has been played with operationally tested with every loco as well as finish off the point rodding closest to the signal box,

 

Hopefully 2016 will be a productive year for the layout as the deadline for September comes closer and closer!

 

Gary

[spiket4]

Hi Gary just found this thread and will be following with interest.

I have visited the area a few times on holidays always taking a trip on the WSR.

I actually have the Gaugemaster fordhampton station to build for my layout,I hadn't realised it was modelled on Dunster.

 

All the best

 

Mark

[Modelling Martin]

Hi Gary just found this thread and will be following with interest.

I have visited the area a few times on holidays always taking a trip on the WSR.

I actually have the Gaugemaster fordhampton station to build for my layout,I hadn't realised it was modelled on Dunster.

 

All the best

 

Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the interest I was going to build the kit until I found the Hornby version and cheated, still work to weather it and detail the interior though (makes me feel less guilty about buying ready to plonk!),

 

Gary

[Modelling Martin]

Hello all,

 

Just a little update, recently I've sprayed the track and painted the rail sides to get rid of the metal finish, I'm pretty happy with it, it only took a few days to do as the layout is seen from both sides  . Today I got out the DAS clay and had a go at trying to replicate the ash and dirt filled ballast synonymous with preserved railway engine sheds. This is my second go with the stuff and this time round I used a stiff brush soaked in water to get it as flat as possible. Anyway the above can be seen in the sequence of pictures below:

 

 

D1661 comes into the station with the first train of the day

 

 

It then pulls forward and exits via the loop back into the fiddle yard

 

 

Meanwhile 53808 fresh from overhaul waits in the Engine shed

 

 

53808 then backs onto the train and waits for the signal in order to leave the station

 

 

The crew looking nervous on the loco's first run (both on the layout and in real life)

 

Hopefully I should get the ballasting done in the next week or so and start covering that cork. Also I've been using a 17-40mm lens this time which is different to the 18-55mm I used last time. Hope everyone has a nice Easter,

 

Gary

Edited March 25, 2016 by Modelling Martin

[andyram]

The layout keeps making progress. I am interested in how you have used the DAS clay.

[Modelling Martin]

Hello all,

Recently it has been a very busy time for me due to the exam season being in full swing which has caused a delay in RMweb posts- something I aim to put right now that i finished my last exam today. I have however managed to do little pieces here and there which I thought I would share with you accompanied by the Hymek D7017.

 

First of all one of the scenic boards has been fully ballasted as well as the platforms built and weathered for the whole layout which pretty much goes from one end of the scenic section to the other which isn't finished yet as there is still the tops to do. For the platforms I chose MDF with plasticard sides sprayed with Railmatch concrete and various Lifecolour weathering paints. The 'new' part of the station is identifiable by the GWR blue brick platform end which was made with slaters brick and Humbrol grey:

 

 

 

 

The main area of progress however was the shed area. After spending a day precisely cutting plasticard sheets to represent the infilled concrete a couple of days later the whole lot had warped and raised making the shed look as though it had speed bumps in it. Anyway after ripping it all up I just reverted to using poly filler which seems to have come out equally as well although it needed sanding afterwards to make it smooth finishing by spraying it Railmatch concrete again. The DAS clay, which was applied with a brush and a lot of water was then painted with Lifecolour dirty black and so was the ballast to some extent to blend it all together:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this has been completed the next thing to do I think is touch up the ballast in places which seem a bit bare, a problem with SMP as the sleepers are so thin it can be difficult to get a decent covering on without swamping the track. I also need to weather the concrete considerably and maybe even start ballasting on the second baseboard. Now that I've officially been confirmed for the exhibition in September I'm anxious to keep the layout progressing and as always advice and input is appreciated,

 

Kind regards,

 

Gary

[Modelling Martin]

Hello all, well since the last update I've started scenic work on the layout, a new concept for me having never done any scenic work before. Luckily Minehead has a simple embankment with mowed grass on which seemed easy enough to replicate as can be seen below. I first cut insulation board to the rough shape (horrible stuff!) and then covered it in plaster, brown paint and static grass as can be seen in the different stages.

 

I also managed to get around to the rolling stock another first time after never weathering anything before. Looking at the Bachmann mk1s that i have I decided to change the bogies, paint them, weather the underside and spray the roofs deribbing them in the process, I am quite happy with how it has turned out although paint still needs touching up in places.

 

 

 

 

Here are some comparison shots with an unmodified mk1:

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone's having a nice summer even if the weather is not,

 

Gary

[Marcus 37]

Hi Gary

Just stumbled across your thread. This is a great location to model and it looks like your doing a cracking job of it as well.

Been several times to the West Somerset. Most recently was our GBRf staff charter with D1015.

Great fleet of appropriate loco's as well. Shall be following along now with interest.

Cheers

Marcus

[aBReal]

Hi Gary,

Just randomly found this post while scrolling through recent posts, nice to see someone interested doing a layout near me.

Looking at the track and sleepers makes my feel like mine are incorrect style, could you help,

Thanks, 

Alfie.

[Modelling Martin]

Hi Gary

Just stumbled across your thread. This is a great location to model and it looks like your doing a cracking job of it as well.

Been several times to the West Somerset. Most recently was our GBRf staff charter with D1015.

Great fleet of appropriate loco's as well. Shall be following along now with interest.

Cheers

Marcus

 

Thanks Marcus I do have a western which will be D1010 when time and funds allow for the layout. The class 59 named after the railway would look perfect on it too, all i need is for the Dapol one to hurry up and produce one in GBRF whenever that might happen,

 

Gary

[Modelling Martin]

Hi Gary,

Just randomly found this post while scrolling through recent posts, nice to see someone interested doing a layout near me.

Looking at the track and sleepers makes my feel like mine are incorrect style, could you help,

Thanks, 

Alfie.

 

Hi Alfie, welcome to the forum, I'm certainly jealous of you, I live 300 miles north of Minehead (adds to the holiday resort feeling!). Regarding the track it is all SMP which, if I'm honest, looks really nice but for me is very high maintenance (I've nearly always got my soldering iron out adjusting points although they're nearly there now). Personally if I was going to do Minehead again I'd use peco 75 points with C&L thicker based track or wait for the Peco or DCC Concepts bullhead track system to come out as I chose SMP before any of it was announced (typical!). SMP can give you good results though just be prepared to put the time in,

 

Gary

[Marcus 37]

Thanks Marcus I do have a western which will be D1010 when time and funds allow for the layout. The class 59 named after the railway would look perfect on it too, all i need is for the Dapol one to hurry up and produce one in GBRF whenever that might happen,

 

Gary

Hi Gary

Although our Class 59 visited for the diesel gala, it is actually 66757 that's named "West Somerset Railway". So you can have one now if you like as Bachmann do the 66 in GBRf colours.

Cheers

Marcus

[Modelling Martin]

Hi Gary

Although our Class 59 visited for the diesel gala, it is actually 66757 that's named "West Somerset Railway". So you can have one now if you like as Bachmann do the 66 in GBRf colours.

Cheers

Marcus

 

Ahh yes thanks for that I'm getting them confused, in that case it's on the list, there isn't many layouts where a 7F alongside a 66 is completely prototypical!

 

Kind regards

 

Gary

[Marcus 37]

Another loco that used to be resident at The West Somerset was 50149 if you wanted something a bit different but completely prototypical. Although finding them now is quite difficult as they were a Ltd Edt by Rail Express. A bit pricy as well usually.

Another interesting scenario you could have is the Minehead sea defence supply train that ran in the mid 90's. Normally a rake of Turbots filled with boulders and hauled by an EWS 37 although, on one occasion they hauled it with D1010 over WSR metals which was extremely entertaining.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Marcus 37

[aBReal]

Hi Alfie, welcome to the forum, I'm certainly jealous of you, I live 300 miles north of Minehead (adds to the holiday resort feeling!). Regarding the track it is all SMP which, if I'm honest, looks really nice but for me is very high maintenance (I've nearly always got my soldering iron out adjusting points although they're nearly there now). Personally if I was going to do Minehead again I'd use peco 75 points with C&L thicker based track or wait for the Peco or DCC Concepts bullhead track system to come out as I chose SMP before any of it was announced (typical!). SMP can give you good results though just be prepared to put the time in,

 

Gary

Aha, thanks for the help. Still feels like a holiday although its near to normal with the sun and the sea! Never gets old

[Modelling Martin]

Hello all,

 

I've been pretty busy over the past few days turning this:

 

 

Into this:

 

 

Should get some proper photos of them soon once I've finished the roofs, they're all 'de-ribbed' but when I got my airbrush out all it did was spatter the paint so I will have to look into that,

 

 

Pretty hot in my bedroom at the moment with the recent heat wave but at least it means the paint dries quickly,

 

Gary