Rempton Southgate

[Modelling Mike]

This is my first modelling topic. I have a blog which I very occasionally use, and will keep that going for wider modelling concerns, but I wanted to start a topic to follow the developments on my main layout - Rempton Southgate.

 

I introduced Rempton in my last blog post a few months back. At the time, it formed part of a much larger loft-based layout. Sadly, this has been dismantled, due to a house move and the new place not having a suitable space for the layout to live. In a way, this was a blessing in disguise - progress on the layout had been painfully slow. The loft was freezing cold in winter, boiling hot in summer and cramped and uncomfortable all year round. But, I was determined to save what I could of it, and thanks to the fact that not an awful lot of work had taken place yet, I was able to extract the Rempton board and it now resides in a bedroom in the new flat, providing, hopefully, a much better working environment which fingers crossed will lead to more modelling being done.

 

Rempton is in the middle of being re-modelled as a terminus to fiddle yard set up. As yet, only the original boards are in place. I'm in the process of building a new, short extension and will use a board from the old layout to build a new fiddle yard.

 

The scene being modelled is an ex-SR terminus station somewhere in Dorset. I'm designing it so that I can either model a preserved railway or a modern branchline, with the intention being I can run either my primarily Southern & SR steam locos (with the odd interloper) and my collection of modern DMUs. The layout will feature a removable section at the front and changeable station name boards and details to represent both guises.

 

The track plan is quite complicated, considering the layout's size. It features a 2 road terminus station, with access to a main line and also a branch. There is also an engine shed and several sidings. There's no provision for goods. I had planned on modelling a goods shed at another station on the original layout, so these facilities are "off scene" at Rempton. As this will remain my only model for a long time, I wanted to ensure I could get as much play value from it as possible. This has meant that there is more track squeezed in than I probably should have, but it does mean I can vary operating sessions - running passenger trains in and out of the terminus one day, and solving shunting puzzles the next. I'm also keen to extend my scenic skills too.

 

Now that the stress and strains of the house move have dissipated, I should start making progress soon. I'll post updates as and when they happen, but work, family and other commitments do tend to get in the way of rapid advancement (god knows how some of you guys get things done quite so quickly - hats off to you!). For now, here are some shots of the layout as it is today - with my latest acquisition (Bachmann's 5960 St Edmund Hall) sitting in platform 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's to some rapid progress. First up, building the extension board...

[Arpleymodeller]

Looks interesting,very fine ballasting too

[Modelling Mike]

Looks interesting,very fine ballasting too

 

Thank you Arpleymodeller. It's early days yet, and the ballasting's far from done. Lots of lovely muck to add and some patching up from the move, but it's nice to know I'm starting on the right track at least!

[Modelling Mike]

The transformation begins...

 

I started building what is now Rempton when I was in my teens. Back then, SuperQuick's models seemed to be the most accurate and sophisticated models I could get my hands on. I spent hours building the station terminus building, around which the rest of the layout grew. Now, having moved on a bit, the structures seem a little bit too toy-like. But I'm loath to throw them out and start again. Although my modelling skills have improved (a bit), I still don't feel ready to tackle a scratch build, but I don't want to resort to any ready made structures. Excellent though the likes of Skaledale and Scenecraft are, I've always been determined that everything on the layout should be, if not built from scratch, then at least built by me from a kit.

 

So, the idea struck me, why not attempt to turn the superquick models into something a bit more akin to what I'm after? The buildings are the perfect shape and size for my needs, but I'm trying to create more of a "Southern in Dorset" atmosphere, which in my mind the red brick doesn't convey. So, I've started a project to re-skin the buildings. After last night's experiment with Scale Scenes' Ashlar texture sheets on the SuperQuick engine shed, I'm happy with progress so far.

 

The job's made harder considering the structure is already built. It would have been a lot easier to re-cover the pieces before assembly. But, the engine shed, being your basic oblong, shouldn't present too many headaches. The station building is another matter all together though, and I've bought a replacement kit.

 

I'll keep updating with the progress of both buildings...for now, here's a snap shot of the engine shed in progress, with one half of the one wall completed. Your thoughts and comments are very welcome!

 

 

 

 

The second photo shows the join between two sheets of the paper - although I'm happy that the brick courses seem to marry up quite well, the join will eventually be hidden behind a drain pipe (there was one printed on the original brickwork). This photo also makes the paper above the window recess look like it's bubbled away from the card - it hasn't, but I need to look at it again. It's amazing how the camera shows what the eye doesn't see!

 

Mike

[Jim49]

 

Hi Mike, that is quite a transformation you have made to the shed. I would never have believed

that it could work as effectively as it has especially being carried out on a built-up model.

Looks as if I will be investing in a Super Quick shed and some Scale Scene shets before too long.

 

 

Jim

[Modelling Mike]

Looks as if I will be investing in a Super Quick shed and some Scale Scene shets before too long.

 

Hi Jim,

 

I'm quite happy with the results so far too, but it's still early days. I've now completed that wall, but despite the very fiddle work, I've basically done the easiest bit! I'm hoping to get more done tonight. Hold off those purchases until I've got a bit more done and I'll let you know if the finished article is worth the effort!

 

Mike

[Modelling Mike]

Despite the many distractions life has thrown at me over the last week, I have managed to get a small amount of modelling done. I'm yet to reach the dizzying speeds of some on this forum though!

 

The engine shed has now been fully adorned in its new ashlar stone attire, and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the results. It's not perfect, and it was a very tricky and painstaking task. My technique got better as I progressed too; I only wish I'd started on the side facing away from the main viewing angle, as all my early mistakes will now be on full show! This is the only building I'll be re-cladding. The station building will be replaced with a completely new Super Quick / Scale Scenes hybrid, which will involve a totally different technique, covering the parts first before building. I'll let you know how I get on with that one...

 

The shed's not finished yet, but some pictures are posted below. The next job is to fix drain and down pipes (a couple will serve to hide the joins in the brick papers) and weathering (which will serve to hide some of the dodgy brickwork!) and I'm still in two minds whether to add arches and surrounds to the windows. At the moment, I quite pleased with the "plain" look of the windows and I'm worried arches may make the structure look too grand. This is only an end of the line, in the sticks shed after all. Any thoughts or advice gratefully received.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've also had my very first go at weathering a piece of rolling stock. My guinea pig was a very old 0-4-0 from a Hornby trainset which has been in my possession for god knows how long. It's one of those pocket rocket beginner types that has minimal detail and doesn't know the meaning of "slow running". I gave it a good old clean up to remove the years of grime it had built up and it looked something like this:

 

 

 

I then went to work with a Tamiya weathering master set (set B, if you're wondering, which includes "snow", "soot" and "rust" pigments). The smooth surface of the loco meant it took quite some effort to get the pigments to stick, but I managed to get some on. After an hour or so of fun, Queen Mary finally looked like she'd done a day or two's decent work:

 

 

 

I'm not 100% happy and may give her a coating of varnish before having another go. I've read somewhere that the varnish should give a better key for the pigments. I do like the limescale effect around the tank inlet. This was done with the "snow" pigment from set B. "Soot" was used around the chimney and the coal bunker and I applied some "rust" to the underframe and wheels. This came out more like dust than rust, but I think it works.

[TangmereTornado]

Really nice start to your layout, I like the look of it. This and Dunmar are starting to make me ponder whether to switch my own design proposal to terminus-fiddleyard....it seems to work well and give good scope for atmosphere and suchlike.

 

I have one of those Hornby 0-4-0s too, mine is in green though and named King George V....which I consider offensive to the real King Class loco! That grinding little gerbil loco makes a good test bed for weathering, and your rust on the running gear looks good so far.

 

Though out of place, I do like the Hall too sat in the platforms

[Modelling Mike]

Thanks for your comments TangmereTornado. I have to say, having had a "roundy roundy" element to this layout in the past and converting it to terminus/fiddleyard format has its ups and downs. A major down is that I no longer have a continuous run available to run in new locos. The Hall is yet to be run in and I'm considering buying some sort of rolling road to allow for this. And it's a shame I can no longer just sit and watch a train go round. But there are plenty of positives too. One is that with a much smaller layout I can concentrate my efforts on a much smaller space and (hopefully!) make progress much more quickly. I've also tried to create a track plan that should keep interest up when I'm operating. It's meant squeezing more track in than would be prototypical, but I'm sure I'll get plenty of fun from operating sessions.

 

I've spent the evening painting drainpipes (oh the glamour of it!) and playing Midas with another bit of the layout. The platforms are a big worry for me in this transformation project. Having been built using red brick papers, they will look quite out of place once all the buildings turn to stone. So, I started with the easy bit - the back wall of the platform. As you can see from the photos, it makes a big difference and the job was really quite easy in the end. I'm not looking forward to tackling the platform faces though - as I've already ballasted the track.

 

As for the out of place Hall, true, it's not in the right region, but this is a preserved railway after all. And besides, I really wanted one! The Swanage Railway has a GWR class 56XX tank on its roster (thanks to the railway's 6695 Locomotive Group), so I could always conjure up a similar group to take ownership of "St Edmund"...

 

EDIT: Apologies for the poor quality shots. A mixture of camera phone and low light conditions, I'm afraid.

 

 

 

 

 

And I couldn't resist posing the newly weathered 0-4-0 inside my newly stone-clad shed...I can't wait to add more detail to the shed and try out more weathering techniques.

 

 

[TangmereTornado]

Your comments about the roundy roundy layout are interesting...I was tempted to try and compromise and fit a roundy layout into the space I have, but it would've been too much of a compromise...i.e. I would've been able to run trains continuously, but the lack of size means it would look a bit silly, when I could use the space to have a smaller terminus to fiddleyard design allows me to put more detail in and have nice operating interest, and I like that in a way.

 

Hah, I'm thinking of doing the same thing with my layout, i.e. set it in the preservation era, which basically gives me a one-size-fits-all excuse to run literally anything I want (within reason of course...), such as Tornado, A4s, and other such things, even though it's set in a joint SR/GWR setting. And your comments about really wanting a loco resonate with me - there are a few locos I want that technically wont fit with what I want to run, but I'm prepared to set that aside simply as I fancy having that loco and running it - after all, it's my layout, right?

 

Just a question: how is the layout wired up at the moment? And also, what are the dimensions of the baseboards?

 

Also, I like the photos, although due to the low-res of the camera, the shot of the 0-4-0 in the shed makes it look like the loco's covered in plaster, haha!

[Modelling Mike]

Your comments about the roundy roundy layout are interesting...I was tempted to try and compromise and fit a roundy layout into the space I have, but it would've been too much of a compromise...i.e. I would've been able to run trains continuously, but the lack of size means it would look a bit silly, when I could use the space to have a smaller terminus to fiddleyard design allows me to put more detail in and have nice operating interest, and I like that in a way.

 

Hah, I'm thinking of doing the same thing with my layout, i.e. set it in the preservation era, which basically gives me a one-size-fits-all excuse to run literally anything I want (within reason of course...), such as Tornado, A4s, and other such things, even though it's set in a joint SR/GWR setting. And your comments about really wanting a loco resonate with me - there are a few locos I want that technically wont fit with what I want to run, but I'm prepared to set that aside simply as I fancy having that loco and running it - after all, it's my layout, right?

 

Just a question: how is the layout wired up at the moment? And also, what are the dimensions of the baseboards?

 

Also, I like the photos, although due to the low-res of the camera, the shot of the 0-4-0 in the shed makes it look like the loco's covered in plaster, haha!

 

Sorry for the delay replying - I've been away from RMWeb for a couple of days. When Rempton was part of the larger layout the roundy-roundy section was an integral part of the design, but it was cleverly (well, I think it was clever!) disguised to make it look like the track just kept looping round itself. The back of the "roundy" bit was hidden in a tunnel underneath Rempton. The intermediate station sat on the visible part of the loop and the points leading to Rempton and the station at the other end of the line (Clensmouth) were hidden in the tunnel. Trains would descend the bank from Rempton, visit the intermediate station via the tunnel then head for Clensmouth via the tunnel again. By having Rempton on a "hill", this allowed me to fit much more track in the space that was not that much bigger than the standard train set dimensions (6x4ft). So don't rule out that loop yet! You can get a better impression of what the old layout was like in my blog here. The reason I had to decommission the rest of the layout was my new-found lack of loft space, otherwise I'd have carried on building it.

 

Preservation has always been the main interest for me - it's my only experience of steam. The layout was conceived as a preservation railway right from the word go (back when I was but a teenager) and I'm surprised there aren't more layouts out there that depict them. Perhaps the "anything goes" attitude makes some modellers think it's a cheat somehow? I don't think it is. Most modellers model what they know or knew, and that's just what I'm doing. I'm going to try and make it as authentic as I can - not much cheating going on! The majority of my loco fleet (which I'll have to get out of their boxes soon!) are of Southern descent but my collection did start many years ago with an A4 and like you Tangmere, I'd love to get my hands on a model of Tornado. I've also been thinking of buying Hornby's Union of South Africa, having seen her in action at Bath Spa a few years ago.

 

The layout is wired up in a bit of a haphazard way at the moment using the set up left over from the larger track plan. Happily, after the move, everything still works. I'm only able to shuttle engines back and forth in the platform roads at the moment though, until I get round to building the small extension and setting up the fiddle yard. Track power is provided by several Hornby track power clips. I know, I know, they look awful, and I'd love to use something else but my soldering skills are appalling and the clips work. They've been placed at strategic points so that they can be disguised (under platforms, ash heaps, etc). The points are all powered by Peco point motors through a CDU and work brilliantly. The whole thing is connected up to a very sorry and soon to be replaced Hornby train set controller. It's served its purpose, but it's about time I traded it in for something more befitting!

 

Here's a very basic track plan as things stand at the moment. It's been drawn in Paint, so isn't accurate, but gives the general idea! It's 6ft long at the moment. The small extension to the station throat will add around another 18 inches.

 

Hoping to get some more bits and pieces done this weekend, so will keep you posted.

 

Mike

 

 

[Modelling Mike]

Hi All,

 

Life's been getting in the way of modelling time recently and progress has been painfully slow, but progress has been made.

 

The engine shed is now finished - well, outwardly anyway. The old superquick shed has been completely re-bricked, re-tiled and had extra details added which I think really bring it more to life. I was worried about how this experiment would come out, but I'm pleased as punch with the result and t just goes to show how versatile not only the Scalescenes sheets are, but also the erstwhile Superquick kits.

 

The overall impression I'm going for here is a typical Dorset / south coast look. I took copious amounts of pictures of the Swanage Railway when I visited a couple of years ago and have used these for reference.

 

Here's what's been done:

 

 

Firstly, I got rid of the "doors to nowhere" that adorned each side of the entrance. I've never really been sure what their purpose was and have a feeling I didn't read the instructions properly when building the kit. They have left a couple of nasty rip mark on the internal walls where the glue came away, but once the interior's been cluttered and weathered, I doubt they'll be noticable.

 

 

 

Next, I added downpipes to the outside of the building, using the positions of the original printed pipes on the kit as a guide. I used the Ratio kit, painted with acrylics to roughly match the green paint seen in the Southern region. Small offcuts of plastic strip were used for the tops of the down spouts (sorry, I don't know the technical names!).

 

 

 

Next came the laborious job of re-tiling the roof. I decided to go with Scalescenes' red tiles having pored over the Swanage pictures. Corfe Castle station's roof has tiles of a very similar colour. The only problem with the tiles was that the A4 strips weren't quite long enough to cover the entire length of the roof in one go. I'd have to use 2 sheets per roof and hide the join and thought the best way to do that would be to stagger the joint.

 

 

 

Thankfully, when the remaining tiles were added, the joins virtually disappeared. I'm fairly happy with the tiling job. Despite being a very long and tedious task, the results are worth it. My only regret is not using heavier grade paper to create more of a tiled effect. The tiles were printed on normal office A4 paper using a laser printer. Unfortunately, the printer doesn't accept paper much thicker than what I had, and thin card is out of the question, so I didn't have much choice.

 

So, on to the finished article, posed on the layout:

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it. Apologies as ever for the poor photo quality. I'll try and get hold of a decent camera for some more suitable shots soon, but hopefully you can get the jist of what's been done from these.

 

The shed's not completely finished. I still plan on adding some weathering effects (smoke around the entrance and vents, moss on the roof, etc) some lead flashing around the roof, more details to the window surrounds and of course detailing the interior, but for now I'm happy that the experiment paid off.

 

My attention's now going to pass on to other pressing jobs. Firstly, building the small extension to the station throat. The boards shouldn't take long to build then it's a matter of getting the fiddle yard up and running. I feel like all I've done modelling-wise for the last three years is build baseboards and wire up track, so I'm not looking forward to doing more! I'm hoping that, all being well, I'll get the boards built by Sunday. Then more fun modelling (well, my idea of fun modelling!) can begin again.

 

First though, a quick snap of yet another interloper at Rempton. I had a great day out last weekend at the Warley show picking up lots of ideas. I was very good and kept my wallet in my pocket right till the last minute, but then couldn't resist a bargain right at the end. The price was too good to pass on, and although she won't be a regular in the fleet, I'm sure this one will make the odd appearance or two on a special from the mainline.

 

 

 

I'm very aware that I haven't posed any southern stock on the layout since starting this thread! I promise I will get my SR engines on to the layout very soon!

 

Mike

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

Looking Good!

 

Reminds me of my trackplan for my Southern / Preservation/ Modern Image Exhibtion Layout Hythe Parkway

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Simon

[Modelling Mike]

Hi,

 

Looking Good!

 

Reminds me of my trackplan for my Southern / Preservation/ Modern Image Exhibtion Layout Hythe Parkway

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Simon

 

Hi Simon,

 

Thanks for your kind comments. I have to admit, Hythe Parkway has provided some inspiration for some parts of my layout. I really like the way you've blended the preserved and modern image scenes on it.

 

I'm planning on running modern image stock as well on Rempton, but in a very different way. One I'm not sure will work, but it will keep me busy for a fair number of months! Once I'm a bit more advanced in my current plans, I'll reveal more.

 

Mike

[St. Simon]

Thanks for your kind comments. I have to admit, Hythe Parkway has provided some inspiration for some parts of my layout. I really like the way you've blended the preserved and modern image scenes on it.

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

 

That's Fine, it's nice to know that my layout is inspiring people to build preservation layouts!

 

Will be following with interest, if you need advice with anything, just PM me!

 

Simon

[Modelling Mike]

Hi all,

 

This weekend saw me taking another small step towards having a fully working layout...I finally managed to knuckle down and build the small extension board! Although it was a small project, it did involve some DIY which I'd ordinarily have done out on the roof terrace, but with the current freezing temperatures, I chose instead to build it in the kitchen...before doing the vacuuming!

 

The board is only 15 inches long, but takes the scenic section right up to its maximum length before I start having difficulties getting in and out of the room! The board will eventually lead to a fiddle yard which will stretch out onto the landing (and will only be erected when trains are running/when the housemate isn't home and using his bedroom!).

 

You'll have to excuse the less-than-conventional construction methods. These were designed to work around the unusual construction of the main boards. I wanted it to fix securely to the existing board, but also be able to disconnect the board if need be in the event of another house move. The new board is made entirely from recycled materials from around the house. The lower board is an off-cut from an old wardrobe, the upper board has been re-used from the layout's larger incarnation, and the legs/supports are from some wood strip left lying around. Even the bolts used to fix the two baseboards together were nicked from a redundant estate agent sign that I'd taken down from outside the flat (they didn't want it back, and I've got plans to use the wooden pole elsewhere too!). The result is a bit of a mishmash and completely over-engineered, but as this layout is not meant to move (unless in emergencies!), it should serve its purpose well.

 

 

 

 

Here you can just see where the plastic estate agent "for sale" sign bolts have been used to attach the two boards together. These have been used so that the boards can be disconnected if need be. These are plastic, so not the strongest of options, but should suffice as the layout is stable and shouldn't need to be moved.

 

 

View along the board showing the difference in height. I'm hoping to introduce a small incline/decline from/to the fiddle yard. Either that or provide an opportunity to play with the height of the landforms.

 

Track laying should start shortly, so as ever, watch this space!

 

Mike

[Modelling Mike]

Hi Mike,

 

That's Fine, it's nice to know that my layout is inspiring people to build preservation layouts!

 

Will be following with interest, if you need advice with anything, just PM me!

 

Simon

 

Hi Simon,

 

Forgot to say in my post yesterday, thanks for the kind support. I'll be sure to drop you a line if anything's puzzling me. I'll hopefully be able to get stuck in to making the layout look more lifelike very soon.

 

Mike

[Modelling Mike]

Evening all,

 

It feels, at times, that all I have done modelling-wise recently is take things apart. It's hard to track the achievements when the layout has shrunk by 2/3 in the last year and everything I've done since has been re-doing things I've already done once!

 

My wish to "Southern-ise" the layout properly has meant that yet more destruction was needed. Yesterday evening was spent chipping away ballast from the platform edges so that I could re-clad them in stone. It was quite a risk taking a chisel to my nicely laid ballast and for a while the layout looked like a bomb site and I was questioning my sanity. With the new stone papers duly attached, fresh ballast has since been re-laid but as yet not glued down. It's going to be interesting to see if I can match the colours when I apply the glue, as I like to add a few drops of paint to the glue/water/washing up liquid mixture to darken the bright buff ballast and start the weathering process. But will the colours blend?! We shall see...

 

The reason the glue hasn't been added yet is because I also took the opportunity last night to remove the station building from the boards. Thankfully, I'd not over-done the PVA and the building came up with little mess. I've now made a start on building its replacement. As the concourse will meet the ballast, more re-jigging will be needed there.

 

I'm replacing like for like with the station building - a SuperQuick for another SuperQuick - but I'm going to be giving the kit a makeover as I build it, dressing it in Scale Scenes Ashlar papers. Like the engine shed, this is a big experiment and it will be interesting to see how it comes out. I'm hoping to have the new building in place before Christmas. Then, fingers crossed, I can move on and finally start making the layout look more lifelike. I'm fed up with looking at blank boards! If the experiment is a success, I may well make a separate thread to show how I did it. Let me know if any of you would be interested in such a thread?

 

I'm quite pleased that I have avoided the temptation to build the fiddle yard. It would have been quite a quick weekend job (a matter of adding legs to the existing board and laying track) and I would have then had a fully functioning layout once again. But then the temptation to play trains may well have been too great! Far better to be getting on with proper modelling!

 

So, glue, craft knife and tweezers at the ready. I'm about to embark on another SuperQuick build!

 

 

 

In the mean time, some piccies of progress...if you can call it that...

 

You can just about see the gulley between the track and platform edge which had to be chiselled to re-paper the sides. I'd never spotted how prominent that track pin was! That's coming out soon! The bricks just beneath the platform tops are staying for now.

 

 

Now you see it...

 

 

Now you don't...yet more destruction at Rempton!

 

 

The SuperQuick station has served me well, but it is now nearly 15 years since I built it and it's time for an upgrade. I'm a fan of these kits, and am looking forward to re-building the station. But hopefully, when I'm done with it, it will have a more unique flavour. My thoughts are to upgrade the canopy and make some changes to the concourse area as well as adding the brick paper.

 

[TangmereTornado]

Wow, progress has sure been made since I was last here!

 

Good job on the continuing work on the layout. And I dont care how out of place it is, Tornado still looks awesome in the platform

[Modelling Mike]

Thanks Tangmere. Glad to hear progress can be seen - I often despair at the lack of progress when I look at the layout myself - but that's probably because I look at it all the time.

 

I've had a busy few weeks over Christmas building the new station. I've been taking photos as I go to document what I've done and I'm hoping to put some up soon, but waiting to get hold of a new USB lead (mine went missing). The building's only half finished but it's looking good so far. It's certainly taken a lot longer than simply constructing the original SuperQuick kit, but I think it will be worth the hours of effort.

 

Mike

[7APT7]

Hi Mike

 

Love the Layout Photos... Do you have a Track Plan...?

 

Keep the photo updates coming, they are great.

 

Regards

Jamie

[Modelling Mike]

Thanks Jamie, that's very kind of you. I posted the track plan a little while ago - it's in post #11.

 

I've managed to beg borrow and steal...well, just borrow really...a cable for my camera phone so I can upload some photos of current progress. Looking back over the photos, quite a lot has happened over the Christmas break...here goes...

 

I roped my Dad (visiting for Christmas) into helping me bodge up a fiddle yard from scrap pieces of wood on Christmas Eve and this is the end result. As you can see, it pokes out through the doorway and blocks my flatmate's bedroom door when in use, so I'm going to have to use it when he's not around! Because of this, I built it with constant setting up and putting away in mind. The legs (re-claimed wood from an old estate agent sign) slot into place and the whole thing clamps to the end of the layout. It's pretty stable, but I'm going to have to think of a way of protecting stock in the event of a knock. I've also got to give some thought to track alignment and power. The track you see in the pictures was my attempt to work out what would fit and what wouldn't. The fiddle yard's been packed away since and will be finished off in due course. I can't wait to finally get some trains running, but that is a long way off yet, I fear.

 

 

 

Attention then turned to building the new station buildings. This has been a painfully slow, but gratifying experience. As you can see from the pictures below, the main bulk of the building is now complete. Since these pictures were taken I've built the other side building as well. I'm really pleased with how the ScaleScenes papers have transformed the SuperQuick kit, but by basically deleting all the detailing and adding it back in myself, I've basically increased the length of the job 10 fold. There's a lot more to do, including the roof, which is a job I'm not looking forward to, what with all them strips of tiles!

 

 

 

The big shame is that where the layout currently sits, all the work I've done to the front of the building is going to be hidden, as you can see in this picture!

 

 

 

I've also made a start on my own version of the entrance canopy using Wills plastic building materials (SSMP220 tongue and groove boarding). I've tried to replicate the pattern seen on the SuperQuick kit (and many Southern stations) by using a file and a small drill bit in a pin vice. This is my first attempt at using plastic to model. I suppose you can't call it scratch building, as I'm using the kit as a template, but it's as close as I've got! I've made a terrible mess of my workbench now, but I'm really pleased with the results and can't wait to get cracking on it again. Fingers crossed I'll have something resembling a canopy by the end of this weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

As ever, comments and suggestions always welcome. I've taken plenty of pictures of the build process if anyone's interested in seeing them?

 

Mike

[Bluebell Model Railway]

Thought i had posted a comment on here... obviously not or i missed it. hehe

 

Coming along nicely, liking all the added detail to the loco shed and things, I'll be following with interest, as im in to the preservation image.... if the username isn;t too much of a give away! Plus its southern so even better

 

matt

[TangmereTornado]

I'm sitting down busily scribbling notes when reading your posts about the construction of the station buildings...this isn't a particular strength of mine, in fact, I'm worried that I'll simply lay some track down then play trains all day on a completely empty layout, haha!

 

Great effort on the buildings, the satisfaction seeing that thing installed must have made the work worthwhile, although it's a shame the front (which looks great btw) will be largely hidden in the corner! All of this is acting as great inspiration for me though, and it must be inspiring for you to keep you going - keep it up!

[Modelling Mike]

Hi guys,

 

Once again, thanks for the very kind and generous comments.

 

I must have been a very good boy last year, because I received some fantastic presents for Christmas and my birthday. 2 presies arrived at the end of the week from Gaugemaster - the stupendously gorgeous Devon Belle Observation Car (thank you mum and dad!) and a less glamorous but great all the same, Class 08 shunter (thank you Mike and Vi!). Here they are, posed in the head shunt on platform 2 at Rempton:

 

 

 

 

 

I've been after an Observation car ever since Hornby announced they were releasing it, especially as I've had a ride on both 13 & 14 - on the Paignton & Dartmoth and the Swanage Railway respectively. They're beautiful specimens in real life and the model really does do them justice. The 08 is a practical addition to the loco roster, and will find plenty of work shuffling stock when the layout's fully up and running (and when I've changed the couplings...at the moment, she's not up to hauling anything!)

 

Also in my Christmas stocking was Preiser's TV crew. I just had to have them, as I work in TV myself. In fact, the guy holding the "boom" could well be me! (I'm not a soundman - I just end up holding that thing when I'm on a shoot for some reason!) Here they are vox-popping someone about the exciting arrival of the observation car:

 

 

 

 

The unwitting vox-popee is a 4mm figure that I grabbed from the bits box and shows up the slightly short-statured nature of the HO Preiser figures. It doesn't take away from their quality though, and I intend to collect a lot more. I know they're under scale, but to my eye, as long as you don't stand them right next to 4mm figures (as I have here!) I think the difference in scale is not noticeable.

 

 

In other news....

 

Further work's been taking place on the layout this weekend - mainly to the fiddle yard which is now up and running...well, half of it is. I can now run trains down to "Clensmouth" - the terminus at other end of the branch - and turn them around again. The fiddle yard mimics the facilities that would be found at Clensmouth - namely 2 platforms, one with a run-around and the other a bay (think Swanage). I've managed to find enough spare sections of track to build the lines in the main platform and run-around. Instead of using points to release the loco, I've saved space by using a Peco loco lift. This allows me to re-position the loco without touching it or having to re-rail it.

 

And to illustrate the new fiddle yard, I'd like to...finally!...introduce you to some of my Southern stock, namely Schools class number 907 "Dulwich" (another "must have", as I live in the suburb that leant it its name) hauling a rake of Southern green MK1s.

 

 

907 pulls its train out of Platform 1 at Rempton onto the branch line.

 

 

Once in the fiddle yard, the train is uncoupled (using a magnet under the track to operate the Kadee couplings) and the loco pulls forward onto the Peco loco lift.

 

 

The loco lift is transferred to the other track and the loco runs around the train.

 

 

Having coupled up to the rear of the train, 907 then runs tender first back to Rempton.

 

 

Back in Platform 1, another magnet under the tracks uncouples the loco and it pulls back ready to run around. (Meanwhile, that woman's still being interviewed by the TV crew over on Platform 2 - she must either be giving them lots of great material, or they're having to re-do the interview because of a malfunction!)

 

 

FInally, the loco is released and runs back to the front of the train ready for the next service down the branch.

 

So there you have it. This is how services will probably run on most days - but I've got a more complicated and interesting timetable planned for "gala" days which should keep me busy!

 

Mike