Blue With Yellow Faces 1979 Era Layout + Scrap Yard

[Brush47337]

Fingers Crossed and hope this works

 

I am going to attempt a 2 year summary of my Layout progress since it started in January 2008 on RMweb 2.

I have grabbed about 40 photos from the old thread and will try to include these with some text as we go to allow anyone jumping into this ongoing story a chance to catch up. Good news is you get to skip all my inane ramblings - unless you go back and read the old stuff and see the other photos and videos.

 

Here goes after 15 hours of photo finding.

 

CONCEPT

A roundy roundy BR diesel era layout set in my trainspotting days of c1978 - 1982 - not region specific. I wanted a good through station, depot and some sidings and then tried to think of different levels and wee cameo scenes where I could sit and enjoy trains passing and maybe one day these areas might look good in photos. That day is not here yet.

 

Anyway - time for some photos. (Maybe)

 

Very rough Track plan.[/size]

[/font]

 

 

 

 

Me and my boys - Layout may not have changed much in 18 months but my eldest boy is now an inch taller than me at 6 foot 2 and only 15 years old!

 

Loads of discussion about gradients and maximum climbing later.

 

 

 

 

First overview from door to room. Layout is OO and in a dedicated 11 foot x 9 foot room. Have to work hard to find excuses not to model - and RMweb is a great distraction. During 2008 I made progress on some electrics (but layout is still only connected by 2 wire) just as well it is DCC. Got started on Depot area and inspection pits and lighting - fuel and towers by Express Models.

 

 

 

 

 

Layout is Lenz DCC and will have lights fitted as I can afford them. As the time went on I worked on the Depot area and on the retaining wall and workshops beside the depot access road. Scalescenes Downloads are great and this first post finishes with a long view along the workshop arches and a night depot shot.

 

The next batch (follow on post to this)will show more of the station area and a start on scenery and ballast.

 

Thanks for watching - this has been a long enough post.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions

 

Stuart

Edited October 28, 2013 by Brush47337

[Lokomotivfuhrer]

Hi Stuart

 

I remember your layout from the previous RMWeb. Superb.

 

Large station with though roads/dock, bordered by suburban arches, and MPD - excellent use of space.

 

Though you have Class 50 and 44/45s, there is definitely a hint of ScR about it. esp. station area, and MPD. Reminds me of Aberdeen Ferryhill a bit.

[Brush47337]

OK Round 2

 

Thanks for the nice words Lokomotivefuhrer (not easy to spell)

 

Some photos may get slightly muddled date wise - managed to include a ballasted fuel point shot by mistake - just in case anyone was wondering how I got all the ballast up again so neatly!

 

 

A few shots now showing how messy I found the standard 50 / 50 PVA and water spray Ballast thing. Nobody had warned me how wet everything gets - the guy that invented this technique must have been brave / mad or clever. These shots show wet, wet close up - then 2 days later and nothing ruined - magic!

 

 

 

 

 

Depot Ballast still needs to be weathered down, oiled and given that lived in look. I will be hunting for oily messy stuff at Warley later this month.

 

Next up are 4 photos showing the upper station area. (Managed to lose most of my record photos for the station area construction) but I think these give a taster. Couldn't resist the huge statues -- my homage to WW11 soldiers from both sides.

 

 

 

 

 

Now almost up to date and my current AVATAR Image shows 50 035 coming onto the depot past my chain link fence and an overview of the layout from the door (again)

 

 

 

 

Signing off again now

 

One more post to come which brings me up to date and shows some detailing to the tunnel mouth at the door - new Scalescenes retaining walls and some grass - trying to find a Glasgow stockist for Iron Ore Ballast by Woodlands Scenics - bought 2 tubs of brown by mistake.

 

Speaking of mistakes - nearly forgot to mention the carpet. Whole house had these 6 years ago when we moved in. managed to leave it in just one room - just as well I never drop anything! - lost for good down there.

 

Thanks for watching

 

 

Stuart

 

 

 

[Brush47337]

 

Update 3 of 3 then and bringing things up to date as of mid October 2009.

 

These photos show the build up of levels around the Outside loop as the track goes under the station.

 

The layout is a looped figure of 8 with each train making two circuits of the room. I have made the station, upper street and retaining walls - demountable and the sequence of photos here can be reversed when "the Law of Sod" dictates that things will only ever get stuck - in tunnels. The twin main lines under the station are just too big a target for "Mr Sod".

 

 

 

Wall to gable of street added at high level

 

 

 

 

Curved retaining wall added on left

 

 

 

 

Hanging basket liner + two "proper hairy cows"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I get the Ballast I will take some video from this angle as the loco lights coming under the station, out the tunnel, round the bend and back into a tunnel (behind depot) look very pleasing (one of the wee cameos I mentioned earlier) - feels like a different layout when I am used to sitting in the fat controllers chair and seeing things from the middle.

 

Thanks for watching Feedback welcomed

 

Sorry about the carpet - again!

 

Stuart

 

 

[Brush47337]

Attempting to load a link to my latest video (below)

 

If you wish to play this it shows 27 105 coming onto my depot. Fitted with a SWD sound chip.

 

Spent 2 hours today trying to fit snow ploughs and discs to a Heljan 26. Not easy and now done and looking good - but derailing on every point. Will have to get scalpel out and hack off more from the front Bogie! :icon_frustrated:

 

 

 

If you follow this link you can see 3 other videos each taken earlier in the build

Heljan 47 (SWD sound

Bachmann 20 (standard sound)

Bachmann 37 (SWD sound).

 

Stuart

[Poindexter]

Hi Stuart. I have been following your layout since conception and now you have started detailing the scenics its realy coming alive. Love the tunnel entrance and the view from the door.....not sure about the carpet though!! still at least you wont feel bad if you spill stuff on it.

 

Guy

[JonnyGT]

Great layout

[Hunslet 102]

Looking good Stu-glad you have managed to figure out how to upload to the new forum.Seem to be making steady progress,the whole layout is starting to come to life.Enjoyed your we video clip also.Keep up the good work and keep the posts coming.

[Road Stone]

A great inspiration and I too was watching this one before. Love the depot, so much to look at and more to come. Intersted in your incline, can you tell us how steep it is?

 

Cheers, Jerry

[Brush47337]

Wow 3 responses - thanks guys glad someone is reading these and thanks for the kind words.

 

Road Stone. - the inclines are steep! - I think they ended up at 1:30 and they rise about 85mm.

 

Visually they are far too steep but practically - everything sails up no problem. I can make my sound fitted locos crawl up and at the top they slow down to a crawl and I throttle up - for extra thrash - which I think is fairly prototypical. Have to remember to throttle back down or they zoom away in the flat! - As with real life it is not the gradient - it is the transition curve between slope and level that gives problems.

 

When planning out leave a good few inches top and bottom for transition - long locos and fuel tanks will jar on the top or "bridge" at the bottom - and lose power / get stuck.

 

I decided the practical advantages of high and low track - outweighed the train set like "hills" - I suspect others might have found that a compromise too far.

[agentskj]

I have to say i love the idea of the loco on the low loader

Could you provide some details

 

Looking good

 

What chuips are you using the locos?

[Brush47337]

Thanks Agentskj - now you are just spoiling me with not one but two questions.

 

Low loader came from Oxford die cast about 6 months ago and about ??18. They come in a few liveries and the bed extends telescopic stylee.

 

I mentioned on my old thread that I plan to have a scrap line at the back of my depot with a few faded blue locos being cut up on site. The road in front of the arches finishes inside gates and will be a fenced off rail connection where this low loader is either rescuing a loco or delivering it to it's fate.

 

In my time period depots did not have much scrapping going on so I will just use modelers licence - but I will have to have at least 1 fire damaged Class 27. I have owned two now for a year - prototypically at least one should have spontaneously combusted by now - and I remember there always seamed to be at least one crispy 27 parked up at Eastfield and Motherwell and Haymarket ...... Polmadie .......and .........Glasgow works ......and.....

 

Hope that gives you some info (if not please say)

 

Chips wise - I was advised to use Lenz Silvers and have found them 100% perfect (but dear). I tried 3 Bachmann ones for ??10 each and managed to melt 2 in one week. I have a lot of Heljan 27's + 26's and 47's plus the Dapol cleaner. At 1amp draw Heljans need a decent chip - not a cheapo (all in my opinion + the opinion of 2 piles of smokey plastic goo)

 

Stuart

[Road Stone]

G'day Stuart,

 

I'm interested in how you approached the "transition" issue on your incline, both as the track rises and levels out at the top. Reason being I have made a hash of this on a prevoius layout.

 

How did you "judge", for want of a better word, the rate of transition into the incline and like wise levelling out at the top?

 

Hope you can work out what I'm asking!

 

Cheers, Jerry

[Brush47337]

Jerry,

 

I handled the transition curves by trial and error. I enclose a photo from back then.

I used 12mm MDF for my bases with 6mm cork tiles. I then cut a small piece of MDF to use as a transition piece. The large ramps were then a single strong piece and the smaller (easier to adjust) bits were then fettled. The 6mm cork sheet then ran continuous over the joints to smooth out the different angles of the base MDF.

 

In the picture below you can see that the main incline coming in from the right is steeper than the transition bit.

 

In the picture you can also see adjustable feet. This allowed small level adjustment by screw thread. I then ran a Class 47 with underbody tanks back and forward till it cleared - like I say trial and error.

 

From memory - at the bottom of the ramps I cut a tongue of 6mm cork and packed underneath this with offcuts and card bringing it up to the level of the sloping MDF (and I may have reduced the lower part down to only 6mm MDF to make it less of a drop onto the level board)- again the thick cork smoothed out the joints.

 

After all these words - you deserve a wee picture!

 

 

Hope this helps

 

Stuart

[Road Stone]

Stuart,

 

Many thanks for that.

 

I think the main thing learnt here is the over lying cork to smooth everything out. That would ease the stress on the rail joiners/fishplates that gave me so many problems due to minor flexing over a period of time.

 

Cheers, and looking forward to the next installment.

 

Jerry

[McC]

Stunning!! Amazing use of space! What kind of ballast is that in the depot? - really really looks the part!

[CullingworthGNR]

I have just gained access (and permission) to use our loft for a railway room, but up until now I have not been inspired by any type of trackplan. However, seeing yours has made me excited about a new layout, and though it may vary in style I think I'll use your trackplan as a basis.

 

Thanks for the inspiration!

Edited January 4, 2022 by CullingworthGNR

[7APT7]

Wow...this is great guys.

This is a great layout and coming along nicely, the Pictures are great and watching it slowly progress as you start to add the scenery to it then slight weathering. Looks really good, gave me some good ideas for my layout.

Keep the pictures rolling in...!

Thanks again... 7APT7

[Brush47337]

Thanks for the encouragement guys - much appreciated.

 

Sorry for the delay in replying - took my boys down to Birmingham to see Top Gear Live - just back.

 

McC - The Ballast so far is Woodlands Scenics fine grey (meant for N guage I think). I am hoping to find some Red Iron Oxide soon for the main running lines. Quite hard to find so far.

 

Tom Davidson - Glad you liked the plan. I never got around to updating it - but the changes I made during the build were mainly due to "nobody making long curved points" found out that just because I could draw them did not mean they existed!

 

I also deleted the 2 through roads in the station (to make more room at front for better arches and road). I was then able to put the depot access road here at the front of the layout - not under the station. I decided it would be nice to see light engine movements + the thought of shunting blind - lost it's appeal fast.I kept the track - now just a hidden storage track.

 

My last change was the area in front of the window and viaduct. It was not easy getting points that would allow entry and exit from depot to both main lines in each direction. I had to compromise which involves a few loco shuffles but works fine.

 

Good luck with your design - I look forward some day to watching yours.

 

Stuart

[250BOB]

Stuart

Not seen this or your previous thread before....so pleased its a thread....can't get to grips with blogs yet.

This is really good stuff, and an excellent display of loads of pics which people can get loads of inspiration from. Lots of good ideas.

Tell me......I have some retaining walls to build on my layout, not an insubstantial amount either. So I dont want to spend months constructing them, and need something that looks as good as both your arches and your upper retaining walls, but without requiring too high a level of modelling skills.

 

So...........how do you make yours.

 

Grateful for some hints and guidance on this please Stuart.

 

Thanks...................Bob

[Brush47337]

Thanks 250Bob - sorry for the delay but decided a couple of pictures might help you more than the following words.................

 

My walls and arches are all by Scalescenes -

 

they make it so easy. Wish I could take the credit.

 

Not rocket science - just downloaded and printed onto colour printer paper then stuck onto Artists mounting board using - Prit Stick of all things and a wee bit of PVA if required. I have also used track pins through into my cork to help with the removal when required. So far so easy. I will get around to a coating of artists spray sealer (or as I learnt at Uni - hairspray) just to keep things from fading.

 

The photos show the arches pulled out - I built things so everything can be removed right back to baseboard in the station area. The layering and depth of relief - are all as the Scalescenes instructions - slightly tweaked to my taste.

 

The only advice I can offer is - industrial quantities of Scalpel blades required and try to print as many sheets as possible in one print run. I got a few shade variations from printer when I had to do more.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps

 

 

Stuart

[250BOB]

Hi again Stuart

Thanks for the reply.............particularly with the pictures too. Everything you told me is of great help.

Thanks for taking the time out to reply with all the info.

Many thanks........................Bob.

[Brush47337]

OK Live experiment time - wish me luck.......

 

 

At Warley I managed to buy the only 2 wee bags of Woodlands Scenics Fine Red Ore Ballast and I have now soaked and drowned the track as it bends round past the door.

 

When I say drowned............... :icon_sad: :icon_sad:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the last time I did this - I thought it worked out quite well - but this red stuff was almost crying as I squirted on the glue and water like a mad man.

 

So enjoy the live show - last time I waited to see if it worked - this time............. stay tuned and if it fails .................... send Guiness :icon_cool:

 

Stuart

[Brush47337]

Experiment over - nothing ruined.

 

Quite pleased with this angle.

 

As mentioned on the old RMweb the architect in me - is struggling to bite the bullet and get the weathering started - "we like things nice and clean and orderly" - but again - when the ballast is toned down and some oil and track dirt added - this should look OK. (I think)

 

Happy to hear opinions (even bad ones) about the red ballast.

 

 

Stuart

['CHARD]

Hi Stuart, I too was watching your layout on RMW3, and was/am mightily impressed with progress. I love the kind of realisation-of-boyhood-dream approach you have taken, if you don't mind me saying. Looped stacked figure of eight maximises the fun value and for me that's what it's all about (although you wouldn't believe it to look at my roundy!).

 

The red ballast is pretty much as I remember Polmadie, during my intimacy with it between 1998 and 2002. As you say, weathered-in and toned-down it will improve even further. I think you're right about using N ballast too, the OO is just too coarse.

 

Anyway, that is all good, thanks for keeping us entertained and inspired, and for bringing BWYF to the masses again on RMW4. Cheers!