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  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
    • 8 comments
    • 3,506 views
Dogtown and Points West

Stable - OO Gauge

Wanted to get pics of what I have.  Only got so far as OO.     4970 is a first-run Heljan Beyer-Garratt, with straight bunker.   Been going good for over 10 years now, so I have no complaints Next is 5563 Australia.  Forget the make.  Fairly modern model.   Runs well.   Got it in a raffle Next is a Patriot.   I posted about it in my last blog.   I forget the name and number right now.   Margate-made Hornby. Bachmann CR 612-class.   Whatever number that was off
AlfaZagato

AlfaZagato in Ready to Run

0
Go2

(26) Shiver Me Timbers (and Sleepers Too)

Most of the sleepers and timbers have now been laid, as have cross-baseboard PCB strips at the fiddle yard end of the layout.     I almost had enough PCB strips for the point timbers, but the one turnout in the fiddle yard had to be a bit of a bodge. A few of the timbers elsewhere are formed of several offcuts, but no one will notice once everything is finished.  I am running out of sleepers too, so some less-important bits of track will have to wait until I place another or
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

0
Ullypug's tales from the tinking table

Same as it ever was

And you may find yourself living in an end of terrace semi And you may find yourself in another part of the world  And you may find yourself behind the build of a larger than usual plastic kit  And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife And you may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"   And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?" And you may ask yourself, "Why is everything so large?" And you may tell yourself, "This is
ullypug

ullypug in Wagon

4
Kelvinbank, a Caledonian Railway project.

A GWR 05 open wagon.

Well, had to happen in the end.   I have never been a hoarder of kits, rare for me to have more than half a dozen unbuilt.  However this Coopercraft 05 kit has been sitting for a long while, the price label says £ 2.50. So having finished that vertical engine and being cold and busy with life I thought it would be a simple project and assuage my guilt about the poor thing feeling lonely.   A straightforward build though I fitted better buffers and etched brakegear. I think it
Dave John

Dave John in General

12
Go2

(25) All Together Now...

Minor outstanding work on the fiddle yard board is now finished - and all is well!   Here's a view from the public side. I am not sure yet how to deal with the screening of this board from the public. It would be interesting for everyone to see, but fiddle yards are normally hidden from public view. I shall have a long time to think about it, as presentation is low down the list of things to do at the moment.     I couldn't resist the opportunity to put all 3 boards toge
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

2
Go2

(24) Even More Nearly There!

Things really are now coming together with the fiddle yard - but first a very minor step on the main scenic board...   I am preparing the trackbed crossing between the 2 scenic boards. This will be done with thinner top surface plywood and a layer of PCB to bring it up to the same depth as the trackbed on the rest of the scenic board. I use my own recipe for carrying track over scenic board joints. Here is the thinner ply laid to the correct level and the PCB strip ready to glue in pla
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

1
Tales from Pagosa Junction

Episode 3 - The Lessons We Learn

November hasn't been a modelling month, but I did manage to bypass the worst of the stormy weather much of the country was experiencing and enjoyed a day at the BRM National Festival of Railway Modelling held at the NEC.  There's a dedicated Forum thread here, and which has been collecting comments and observations from page 13 onwards.  However, for this blog I want to offer instead some reflections on what I learned from the show.  It was my first visit as an adult to such a large show and I c
Keith Addenbrooke

Keith Addenbrooke in 2024

9
Dogtown and Points West

Recent Acquisitions

Sorry.  Been quiet.   Lots of Gundam building.  Almost endless Gundams.   I have a problem...   Some new locos brought in.   'New' largely being a relative term.     Firstly, the only truly new loco.  Hornby Sentinel, bought when RoS dropped them to about $80 No problems with it.   Very quickly decided I didn't want it after all.  Sold it on locally.   Next, a used Patriot I bought to sort-of justify the shipping of the Sentinel.
AlfaZagato

AlfaZagato in Kitbuilt

0
Go2

(23) Lots of Bits - A Jigsaw Puzzle

Progress on the fiddle yard grows more intense as things start to come together...   I glued blocks of wood under the arc where the fixed and moveable sections join (see last blog entry). I then cut through the board with a jigsaw, following the arc. I ended up with a concave and a convex interface. Here's the one for the fixed part of the board, placed upside down here purely for a photo.     Here's a view from the other end, which shows the wood blocks more clear
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

0
Up the Line - 1918

Another Baldwin

With the miracle of being able to post after writing I am able to give you one more morsel of progress as I am slaving away setting everything up at the NEC - I hope!   About three years ago I had this plan that I would replace all of the Wrightlines Baldwins with scratch built locos to much finer standards and then sell all the old ones for a small fortune on Ebay. I prepared all the parts for four locos, mostly built one and sold a surplus Wrightlines one on Ebay and not for a small
KH1

KH1 in Up the Line

0
Colin's Blog

Cylindrical Water Tank

The tank at Upper Hembury received an upgrade with a pump driven high volume feed and so was never changed to the conical top type commonly seen. The Ratio kit is a great starting point with only a few additions and changes required.   First photo shows the high volume feed, painting and lagging as seen in prototypes were added after this shot       The tank was painted in the GWR Stone shades made from Vallejo blends as detailed on the topic. Pipe and ladder w
Up the Line - 1918

One More Load

Just time for one more new load. Over the years loads of people have said 'why don't you have a crashed aircraft on the layout', but I have always though this would be a bit too much. But, in the interests of keeping the punters happy.....   One of the main problems was is that 1/43.5 is not a military modellers scale therefore there were not any suitable aircraft. Ok, 1/48 might just do but I would know that it was not right. Thingyverse to the rescue! While looking for something comp
KH1

KH1 in Up the Line

0
Go2

(22) Marking Out the Fiddle Yard

As mentioned in m last entry, I have decided to go with a slightly shorter sector plate for the main fiddle yard, making the static sidings 500mm longer. I have made some progress today on the board's construction. Here's the design, as a reminder...   Firstly, I added the two short straight sides. These are slightly over-length to aid construction and will be trimmed to size later.     Next, I marked out the plywood top with grid squares to act as a guide wh
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

0
Go2

(21) More Ends and More Fiddles Stuff

Work continues with the completion of the end sections for the fiddle yards. I had previously installed connectors on the baseboard ends between the two scenic boards. Now, I have completed the ends for the interface between the scenic boards and the fiddle yards.     Not very exciting, but it's progress. The smaller fiddle yard, which is already built, required a new interface as the old one will not align easily with the new layout.  I can now get on with building the rest
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

0
Auden's Pledge

6) Taking a look at the Accurascale Andrew Barclays.

When Hattons announced a second batch of Andrew Barclays for £85 each, I jumped. It was such a good deal, I decided to pre order two: National Coal Board no. 47, and a plain dark blue version.   Then came the closure of Hattons.   My heart sank.   Then came Accurascale, and the Barclays were saved. (So was the P class. But that's something for another day.)   Anyway, my two locos have finally arrived (albeit for the slightly higher price of £99), so let's
Colin's Blog

Thomas Audley - Agricultural Merchant

I had a great deal of fun assembling the largest premises and business of the Upper Hembury Yards. The design is a copy #, but with modifications to suit my purpose. It was built from a timber frame with 1mm card overlaid with Slater's Plasticard sheet.   After some research I found a suitable design for an external hoist and this was scratch built       Details of the build can be found from Mar 2024 on the Topic.   # Original featured on Hint
Up the Line - 1918

The Same but Different!

After over a week of evenings and much 3d printing I have now completed all five of the new loads. Having just one photograph to base them on the challenge was to make them all the same but subtly different. A couple of hint can be taken from the next wagon along but after that deduction and imagination has to take over. Just to mix things up and add a bit of variety, I decided that rations of water in the ubiquitous petrol can would would be viable and reasonable. The cans used for this purpose
KH1

KH1 in Up the Line

4
Awreville O Gauge Diesel Depot

Steve Beattie O Gauge Roadrunner

I was at a show and saw one of these kits, I always wanted some vehicles for the layout so placed order on the website including the crew cab. This is a resin kit which can be a bit brittle and would require quite a bit of cleaning up. I found that the chassis was slightly twisted, to rectify the twist and to add a bit of additional strength I added some brass section glued to the chassis. The parts are easily cleaned up with some sand paper or a small file, I glued the cab base onto the chassis
Tommyp81

Tommyp81 in Model Builds

0
Awreville O Gauge Diesel Depot

Layout Details & Ballasting

I have been slowly working on adding details to the main depot, painted the doors to the main depot building from Railway Laser Lines and my first purchase from Bunters Yard in some pallets and a phone junction box, really impressed with these and the finish. Something that I have been struggling with is hedges and making them look realistic, I have tried various clump foliage which I have not been happy with, I'm currently using some from Woodland Scenic's which . Added a bit of health & sa
Tommyp81

Tommyp81 in Build

2
Rospeath Lane - BR(WR) Engine Shed

Workington (Solrail) 2024

Again, it was a great experience, and congratulations are due to all the organisers and helpers for putting on such a warm and friendly show. There seemed to be a good turnout of the public, along with many Scalefour members. For me, three layouts that made the biggest impression where; Bruntisland, Alston and Tarring Neville.   Burntisland must be one of the standout modelling projects of our time. A near scale model of the location in a period that entailed all items to be either scr
Yan

Yan in Exhibitions

0
Go2

(20) Got Board!

The woodwork on board two is now more or less complete, with the curved backboard firmly in place. Its alignment with the other board is very good - quite a relief after all that hard work. I've added a couple more strengthening struts made from more old scraps underneath, to make everything robust and twist-free. I have also cut down the framework where necessary to allow for the lower depths of the scenery.   Here's a photo with the trackbed very roughly in place to give a crude idea
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

2
Colin's Blog

On Prospering in the Railway Business - Hankyu - #2

On today's trip some 20km out from Osaka-Umida on the Hankyu Railway was to Minoo Park. As per my earlier video, at precisely 12:10 three trains pulled away at the same speed from the terminus, ours was the middle line so we could watch the others each side. In a country where punctuality is the norm it seems Hankyu takes this to extremes!   The journeys where excellent value at just AUD 3.00 one way.    On returning back at Umida we ventured to the Hankyu Department store wh

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    • Michael Hodgson
      Windows, Doors and Refreshment Rooms

      By Michael Hodgson · Posted

      Sounds about right, but assuming there were trains stopping all through night that would have meant 2 ticket collectors and a booking clerk on duty all night.  It wouldn't be that long before economy measures forced them to shut the exit and at least put a portable sign for the early hours redirecting passengers to the only door with somebody on it.  They did need to collect the used tickets (from companies off the GWR system - I suppose their own tickets would probably be cleared through a head
    • Compound2632
      Windows, Doors and Refreshment Rooms

      By Compound2632 · Posted

      Superlative.   I'm with the view that there was a Way In, with access to the booking office, and a Way Out. Each has a canopy on the road side of the building, for transfer from / to road vehicles - 'Drop Off' and 'Pick Up' in modern terms. I suspect that when the station was built, with legions of staff, this would have been rigidly enforced, on the one hand, whilst expected by the travelling public, on the other.
    • ChrisN
      Windows, Doors and Refreshment Rooms

      By ChrisN · Posted

      The GWR did have its own internal phone system in 1905, so it depends on whether Farthing had its own telephone exchange.  Manchester had one in 1891, but Farthing is slightly more rural.
    • Michael Hodgson
      Windows, Doors and Refreshment Rooms

      By Michael Hodgson · Posted

      Those signs were definitely for the GPO.  They are now collectable, and until a few years ago there was one outside a former sub-post-office (a private house for perhaps the last ten or fifteen years) in Letchworth.  They were outside many sub-post offices, and probably elsewhere - as a little girl in the 1920s/30s my mother spent a lot of time in a village store in Northumberland.  She said her party piece was something entitled "You may telephone from here".
    • Jeremy Cumberland
      Windows, Doors and Refreshment Rooms

      By Jeremy Cumberland · Posted

      Would a railway station have had such a sign, and a phone for use by the public? Garages, pubs and some shops often made a telephone available to the public as a way of attracting additional custom. I can easily imagine a passenger wanting to use a telephone being directed to the hotel opposite.   Later on, there were a handful of K6s on railway platforms (I seem to recall there is/was one at Chester), but they were unusual, and they were usually outside the barriers. A red telephone b

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