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cornish trains jez

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  1. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all!
     
    I have finally been able to get somewhere close to finishing this structure for Par station and I am rather pleased with the results. The mesh has fitted in well, albeit seriously tedious to fit, and I have finally painted the model, and added the lamps using wire handrail for the supports and wheel axle bearings for the lamps. I have also made some lamps out of rounded off cocktail sticks and painted them white. ( I have yet to fit these ).
     
    I have also decided to take a big step forward and have moved in the permanent way gang in to convert all the Peco code 55 track to 2FS easitrac. However I'd like to get a good amount of work on the scenics done first, and with a baby on the way due next month, I'm not sure how far I'll get.
     
    I'm also tempted to start a layout thread once the track has been changed over to 2FS so I can document the progress of this long term project and keep it all in one place.
     
    Anyway, here are some progress shots of the structure both off and on the layout.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  2. cornish trains jez
    Good evening,
     
    It's been a while since I posted a blog entry so thought I would add a little update. I have now almost finished the third rail on one side and painted it. I think a lesson has been learnt here as next time I will wipe down the top of the third rail as I paint as the peco track cleaner is a bit harsh on the third rail as the supports are only every 5 sleepers so it tends to bend it and loosen it. I'm also considering painting it a slightly darker shade as per the prototype, which I think I mentioned last time.
     
    I've also had a little experiment with ballasting. Same method as TomE's excellent Ropley, Normandy earth ground cover sealed with Johnsons Klear. I wanted to experiment this to see whether the Klear would lift the suede tan paint that I had sprayed onto the concrete sleepers. I did this last night and have just checked, everything is ok. However, there seems to be a discolouration of the ballast in places which, while annoying, isn't a bad thing as it looks more prototypical!
     
    Here's some photos.
     
    Third rail in place and painted. Still needs some touching in. Cruel little camera!
     

     
     
    Small area of test ballasting.
     

     

     
     
    Having carried out some research, I wasn't aware that there was a slight variation on the 4CEP as some units included buffet cars and were called 4BEP's. So here's my take on it, I've added a RMB buffet car which has commonwealth bogies like the 4BEP's did. A lot of cut and shutting would need to take place to get it accurate but this isn't a bad compromise and adds a little variation. I now have two 4CEP's which look quite impressive as an 8 car consist.
     

     

     
     
    Any comments always welcome!
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  3. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon all,
     
    First update on this project for 2014! Quite a few small bits have been going on and the model is starting to come together now.
     
    First of all, I decided to make a start on building the handrails. Whilst there is no etched kit available in this scale to model handrail I set about making my own as it looked like they would all be different sizes anyway. Various techniques were tried and tested for making these. First of all, I blue tacked the parts to a pre drawn handrail on an off cut of ply. With all the pieces in position and a dab of solder paste on each join, I applied the iron. Well, while some sections stuck ok, others didn't and when I returned with the iron, the piece which was originally nicely soldered together came apart. With the swear box suitably filled up I set about attempt number 2. This entailed predrilled holes in the sheet of ply, in which to drop in the posts and then solder on the railings. While this technique was a little more successful, the posts became stuck in the pre drilled holes and the subsequent breakage of the structure was trying to remove was inevitable.....swear box number two was then filled up!
    The third attempt was far more successful, and some lessons learned from the previous attempts. I first superglued the brass posts into position (made of 0.5mm brass wire with the cross rails being made out of 0.25mm brass wire) and once dry, I carefully added the rails, again with a dab of solder paste doing one side first then the other side with the minimal touch of the iron on the solder, but just enough to form a join. Hey presto, I had my first handrail!!! While, this melts the superglue a touch, it seems to work well and a second handrail was added into position.
     

     
     
    It needs a little cleaning up, but once painted, it should look ok. And I've just realised that the upper handrail needs an adjustment to the left hand side.....cruel little camera!!
     
     
    Next up, I have built the observation cabin which controls the wagon tippler and skip hoisting machinery. Many thanks to the guys from the "return to grantham" website for their assistance on information and the excellent close up photos of the coal plant and its buildings. These have come in very handy to the build of the model. I just need to add the door frame, door and steps and this little building will be finished. The roof is angled to one side as per the prototype.
     

     
     
    Last up, was the lifting beam situated at the top of the coaling plant which was occasionally used to hoist any machinery up the tower in the event any repairs needed to be carried out. It is built using a small piece of H-section plastic with the "H" filed down a bit and then some strips of 0.5mm micro strip to form the other supports. It's not quite finished yet and still needs some support struts added. Here is a close up of the current progress.
     

     
     
    Here are a few more photos of the overall structure with my latest addition, the Farish A1 pacific which I will be renumbering 60149 "Amadis". I hope to get some baseboards put together soon and start laying the easitrac.
     

     

     

     

     
     
    As always, any comments are most welcome.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  4. cornish trains jez
    Good evening,
     
    Since my last post I have put together a second (and final) baseboard for this little project. A templot plan has been glued down to it and will be ready to lay the rest of the track work later on in the week.
     
    Here is the layout which is 2.6m long and 32cm wide. I will be adding another strip of plywood to the first board so it mirrors the width of the second board.
    Each board will have a basic fiddle yard at the end of it and will accommodate 3-4 trains. I'll try and put a plan together for my next post.
     
    A few photos taken this evening.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    That's all for now.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  5. cornish trains jez
    Good evening,
     
    Just before Christmas I bought the wonderful Farish 4 CEP in blue/grey livery. A superb model and I'd wanted to get one ever since I had a play with BCN Pete's model on his Paddock Wood bay layout.
     
    I decided to buy some concrete sleepers and some flat bottom rail form the 2FS shop and set out to produce a mini diorama for the unit and hopefully run it. My wife has suggested on several occasions to model something more local alongside my Cornish work in progress layout so I drew up a plan for West Worthing (one of my local stations) using templot on top of a Google Earth printout of the area. This was then printed and the first half was glued on to a 1.2m long board topped with plywood.
     
    The sleepers were then glued down individually (I must be bonkers!) and then spray painted a concrete colour.
     

     
    Then the rail threaded and painted.
     

     
    The third rail was then added using BCN Pete's technique from his Paddock Wood layout. I decided to use bullhead rail for the third rail the width seemed to mirror the prototype quite well being wider than the main running rails themselves if this make sense.
     

     

     
    Quite pleased with how it's turned out so far.
    Anyway,
    Back to the pub for my Cornish layout now!
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  6. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon all,
     
    Well, Grantham is progressing well and this week I have been laying the easitrac and soldering on the dropper wires as I go along. The two tracks to the rear, where the coal wagons are shunted along ready to be tipped into the coal pit, have been laid and wired in.
    Next i have moved onto the track that runs in front of the coaling tower and I have laid the best part of both of the turnouts on this section with just a couple of bits left to finish.
     
    The plan is to lay all of the track that leads into the double slip and then finish with that as it's the most complicated.
     

     

     

     

     

     
     
    I also purchased a Farish B1 this week which I got off of ebay for a reasonable price. It's a stunning loco which will be renumbered and will fit in nicely with the period modelled.
     

     
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  7. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon!
     
    Here is my latest entry with progress on "a little slice of Grantham shed" project.
     
    I have finally put the baseboard together and fixed down the layout plan using Templot. As I'm still not great with Templot, I created the different turnouts and straight sections individually, printed them out and once the board was marked out, the pieces were stuck together like a jigsaw puzzle.
     
    So here is the first photo, the whole layout is 120cm long by 22cm wide. The area to the right (where there is no track plan) will be the fiddle yard. I have created the plan as close to the prototype as possible and although I have turnouts at one end which don't actually lead anywhere, this not only keeps it prototypical but also allows the possibility of future extension. There are four turnouts and a double slip (thanks to Cav - RBE - for creating this on Templot for me as it was pretty complexe and way beyond my computer skills) which I'm not looking forward to putting together so any tips on how best to tackle this would be greatly appreciated. The water tower and coaling stage will sit to the right of the plant.
     
    The plan allows locos to arrive at the plant for recoaling and the area to the left of the slip is just long enough to allow a loco to run round and head back along the other road back to the fiddle yard.
     
    Track plan - fiddle yard to the right.
     

     
    Overall view of the layout with coaling plant in position for effect.
     

     

     
    A1 "on shed"
     

     
    View from the other angle - I have been experimenting with colours on this side of the coaling plant and there will be several more washes going on to tone down the colour which should look great once finished.
     

     
     
    I have also been adding more hand rails to the tower - they seem to be never ending! Here is the latest progress with a little trimming left to do to complete the middle section.
     

     
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  8. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon,
     
    With all the festivities almost coming to an end and the numerous visits to family and friends completed, I have managed to get a little modelling time in to progress the coaling plant. I wanted to make a little progress on the feeder floor and the chutes that deliver the coal from the tower onto the feeder floor and into the loco tenders have been put together. These were made up using 0.5mm plasticard and are slightly inaccurate compared to the prototype as the are supposed to be slightly suspended above the feeder floor at an angle whereas mine are mounted on the floor. However in this scale, they will not be too noticeable and will still look the part.
     

     
     
    Next up, the coal hoist rails. There was a little truck on these rails that took the coal from the tippler pit up to the top of the tower which I will try and reproduce, however there are very few close ups of it so it will be made as close to the prototype as possible despite the limited information available.
    After a rumage through the "box of bits", I came across some off cut pieces of copper wire which would be ideal for this. They are about 0.5mm in diameter and are a close enough match to the prototype. These rails were attached to the side of the tower by way of brackets. See photo link http://www.lner.info/forums/download/file.php?id=11541&mode=view
     
    First off, a plan was drawn out on a piece of plywood and the formed brackets from the copper wire were installed into position using bluetac. The rails were then offered into position on the brackets, and using solder paste, were soldered onto each bracket.
     
    Brackets in position awaiting the rails to be soldered.
     

     
     
    Rails in position and soldered together. Just needs a little cleaning up prior to priming and painting.
     

     

     
     
    The completed structure offered into position on the tower. I'm quite pleased with it (although it may be about 2mm too wide!) and will look the part once painted up.
     

     

     
     
    Last photo showing the completed stairs to the top of the tower and feeder chutes in place.
     

     
     
    As always, any comments are most welcome.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  9. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon,
     
    I managed to get a good modelling session in last night and made a little more headway on the coaling plant.
     
    First off, I finally found a photo on flickr here http://www.flickr.com/photos/40052043@N03/7720626360/in/photolist-cLfeeA which showed the top half of the Eastern face of the tower and once I had zoomed in on it, I managed to make out the two doorways that I thought were there on the middle and top sections. So, I then marked out the locations of these on the model and carefully cut out the apertures which was fairly straight forward. First off they were drilled out and then finished off with the craft knife and some careful filing. The middle section doorway was marked out a little too wide and high which shows on the following photo,
     

     
     
    Next up were the ledges that support the stairs leading up to the top of the tower. These were made using various thicknesses of plasticard and plastic strip. There is now only the ledge to the top of the tower to do.
     
    Here are a couple of photos of the ledges in place with the stairs also fixed into position. I was hoping to find some nice and finely etched stairs but after a long search online the only option that I could find were the plastruct stairs, which, in all due fairness, aren't too bad and once painted will look the part.
    My plan is to spray the whole structure in a light grey/concrete colour and then pick out all the details and then weather using powders.
     

     

     

     

     

     
     
    As always, any comments are most welcome.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  10. cornish trains jez
    Good evening,
     
    It's been a while since I updated this blog with progress on my "little slice of Grantham shed" layout. I have been concentrating on getting the coaling tower structure nearer to being finished before starting anything else as, to be honest, I am enjoying progressing this structure as I would like it to be the main focal point of the layout.
     
    I have added the top section to the tower, however, having studied a few more of the sublime photos on the excellent thread "returning to Grantham" on the LNER website, I noticed that there was also a window and access door to the Eastern face which I will need to find a way of adding. If anyone has any photos of this side, which seemed to have been rarely photographed, I would be very grateful.
     
    Also worked on has been the feeder floor with some supports added underneath using strips of 1.5mm plasticard, cut to shape and trimmed to fit.
     
    Last but not least, some LNER 7 plank wagon kits and chassis have been received from the 2FS association shop which I will make a start on once I have finished tackling my first 3 china clay wagons for my Par layout.
     
    A few progress shots...
     
     
    A view of the Eastern face
     

     
     
    Western face
     

     

     
     
    Feeder floor progress
     

     
     
    7 plank wagon body kits and etched chassis
     

     
     
    Still plenty to do. I'll update again soon.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  11. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    Just thought I would update on the progress of my first and main structure for this mini layout. I have now added the sides to the top section and the base of the feeder floor, which was a bit of a nightmare to fit as I had to reposition the front two legs which were originally glued in place slightly too far forward.
     
    Here are a couple of progress shots with my first strip of bullhead track now completed.
     

     
     
    A ground level view.
     

     
     
    A view of the Eastern face.
     

     
     
    I have also had a "rumidge" through the box of bits and made some interesting and relevant discoveries for this layout. Some mineral wagons which I had built from kits, probably 20 odd years ago and had started some rust effect weathering using the good old maskol technique! Also discovered was a Silver Fox Baby Deltic kit, unmade and crying out to built! I must have purchased this all those years ago when I had my mini ECML layout in my bedroom!!
     

     

     
     
    I must also mention that I popped long to my 2mm area group on Saturday and met some of the guys there. It was great meeting them and I had a most enjoyable few hours working on the A4 and having some great discussions about modelling. I also had the driving wheels on the A4 turned down to 2FS standards while I was there by one of the members (thanks again for this if you are reading this blog) with just the pony trucks and tender wheels left to do. I have to say that dismantling the Dapol A4 is an absolute nightmare and I was glad I had some experts on hand to help me through this painful experience!!! Just need to work out now how to put it all back together!! :scratchhead: :scratchhead:
     
    I plan to spend a couple of evenings this week progressing the tower so hopefully it will have its full height by the weekend and a further update on progress.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  12. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    The Coaling tower is progressing nicely and I have now fitted the sides to the initial structure started earlier on in the week and have now cut out the middle section parts, assembled them and offered them into position on the tower. It looks pretty high now as the photos below will show. Also obtained this week was a copy of "Great Northern Engine Sheds - Volume 1" which is an excellent read with stock allocations, photos and also a 1956 trackplan. I am still lacking any info and photos on the water tower and there seems to be very few on the web available so I'll need to research this through books and magazine articles. The coaling stage shouldn't be too much of a problem as there are several photos that I have already found giving some good views of it.
     
    There is a little bit of filler required to some of the joins to make it nice and smooth but everything seems to be going together quite nicely at the moment
    Anyway, here's a selection of prgress shots.
     
    With sides now fixed in place.
     

     
     
    Middle section parts to be assembled....
     

     
     
    ......and assembled together
     

     
     
    And offered into position with A4 waiting to be coaled up, again showing how high this structure is getting.
     

     

     

     
     
    I hope to get the baseboard tops glued into position next weekend as my easitrac should be here in the next few days and I'd like to make a start on getting the bullhead track made up and onto the board.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  13. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    It's been a while seen I have added a blog entry, so thought it was time to pick up on this. This particular one is another "off Par station" subject, after having almost finished my class 90 upgrade, I decided that I would like to build a little home for my Dapol A4, purchased a while ago as I have always loved this loco. I currently run this loco on Par as a specials working, but thoughts have turned towards a mini layout set in it's own period late 50's.
     
    So ideas have been that I would create a snippet of Grantham, a location that I used to spot at during the 80's with my late grandfather, who was born there. Having researched a suitable area, I decided that the coaling plant area would make for an interesting mini project as this would allow me to build one or two structures which would add to the depth of the layout and interest of operation. Luckily, some material was readily available at home in the form of Steam World mags, collected over the years when the ECML in the 50's-60's articles were featured. I have two which specifically features Grantham which was my initial port of call. However, the LNER encyclopedia website has an excellent thread entitled "returning to Grantham" which has an excellent abundance of quality photos, several of which were of the coaling plant and also some plans of the structure.
     
    Photos here http://www.lner.info/forums/download/file.php?id=11541&mode=view and here http://www.davesrailpics.bravehost.com/grantham/granthamshed.htm The second photo down in the second link will be the main area of the layout plan.
     
    According to the architectural plans featured on the LNER "returning to Grantham" thread, the structure is about 80'10 high, making it 16.2cm high in 2FS. Using this measurement as a base, I have now calculated measurememts for the whole structure and have ordered up some plastic sheets and strip which I will use to build it.
     
    Well, this is just a start. A couple of photos below of my A4 which I weathered a little while back with weathering powders. It might be joined shortly by a Farish A1 once I can get my hands on a reasonably priced one!
     

     
     

     
     
    Any comments are welcome and I hope to have some parts cut out and a layout plan for the next blog entry.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  14. cornish trains jez
    Good evening,
     
    I have put together a track plan today which is fairly close to the prototype. I want to keep it as simple as possible as this will be my test bed for building easitrac turnouts, in readiness for the 7 turnouts that I need to build for my Par layout. The layout will be 120cm long across two 60cm boards. 40cm to one end will be allocated for the fiddle yard which will be very simplified as it will only need to hold locos and some coal wagons which will be shunted onto the layout to the coaling plant hopper. The coaling stage will be on the scenic break and will be one of the three buildings that I will produce, the coaling tower being the centre piece. I still need to research the water tower a bit more and to date, have only found one distant shot, so if anyone has any photos of this structure, it will be greatly appreciated.
     
    Here is the plan.
     

     
     
    As always, any comments are most welcome.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  15. cornish trains jez
    Good evening,
     
    A small amount of progress has taking place over the past two evenings. As I have already added all the measurements scaled down to the plans found on the LNER website, I have now made a start on drawing out the various parts on a 1.5mm thick sheet of plasticard. I chose this thickness, as the structure will be relatively high, I would like it to be durable and not be too flimsey. However this thickness is a nightmare to cut out and takes a while for the knife to go through each cut, then a small amount of filing is needed to tidy up the edges.
     
    Well, I thought I would start from the ground up, and here are the first pieces cut out and ready. The two lower sides and the West facing side have been cut initially and below is a photo showing the progress. I am pleased so far and will next cut out the main structure legs/beams which will be made using 4mm square plastic strip.
     
     

     
     
    I hope to draw out a trackplan over the next few days which will be as close to the prototype as possible.
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  16. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    Before I embark on the complete change of track on Par, I thought I would write a quick blog on a little ongoing project that has been progressing slowly on my workbench for the last couple of months.
     
    There are a trio of Cornish "Lizzie the Lizard" branded 37's that I want to model for Par. I have already done 37207 "William Cookworthy" and I would like to add 37181 and 37185 too.
     
    So up first is 37181. I wanted to model this loco as she was in the mid 80's and thank you to all who contributed with photos on this subject loco within the "Cornwalls Railways" section. Ok, so here is the first photo showing the donor Farish BR blue liveried loco number 37238 for the project. I managed to pick this up on ebay, including a DCC chip, for a good price.
     

     
    This loco had it's buffer cowlings trimmed, oval buffers, domino centre headcode, and snowploughs added. The model will also have a detailed buffer beam to one end, usual coupling to the other, and a bogie modification to reduce the gap between the bogies and the body.
     
    So I started by removing the oval buffers, cutting away most of the cowlings, and then carefully filing it down to the right height and removed the remainder of the moulded buffer beam.
     

     

     
    Then, new buffer beams were created for each end from sheet plasticard using some scale drawings of the class 37/4 that I had stashed away, being a supplement with an issue of model rail.
     

     
    And then glued into position. I subsequently had to trim and file down the bottoms of the new beams to allow clearance for the bogie modification but this is now hardly noticeable and actually looks more true to scale. Etched brass oval loco buffers were then added.
     

     

     
    Side on view showing bogie modification and original transfers, including printed TOPS numbers and BR arrows, removed.
     

     
    Buffer beam and bogie modification strengtheners primed and painted up in black. Also holes pre-drilled ready for the buffer beam detailing.
     

     

     

     
    I have also decided to replace the moulded roof fan grill with one of the excellent Shawplan extreme etchings versions. Here is a roof shot showing the precut hole, I just need to smoothen this off before adding the grill.
     

     
    Well, that's the progress to date. Still quite a bit to do, "lizzie the lizard" transfers and numbers to be added. Snowploughs, detailing to the buffer beam, roof fans and then an attack with the weathering powders!
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  17. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    I'm getting a little more confident with these MIG powders now and have spent the last few nights weathering 2 MK1 GUV's, a MK1 BG and a MK1 CK.
     
    I have used a combination of black smoke and Vietnam earth around the door hinges using a wet brush to allow it to run into the door grooves. Then a mixture of Vietnam earth, industrial city dirt, standard rust and black smoke to weather the sides to a varying degree. The roof has also been weathered using a mixture of the first two colours and then brushed with a toothbrush from side to side.
    To finish, a thin mist of Humbrol matt acrylic varnish in several layers to seal it. My first attempt at this didn't go very well as I held the can too close and the spray ended up displacing the powders. So I now spray this from about 60cm in very fine mists so that the coach does not get wet.
     
    Anyway here are some pictures showing my efforts.
     
    Any comments and tips to improve anything are always greatly appreciated.
     
    MK1 BG
     

     

     
    MK1 roof
     

     
    The GUV's
     

     

     

     
    The MK1 CK
     

     

     
    All three vans
     

     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  18. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon,
     
    I spent a few hours yesterday trying to make some progress on the footbridge for Par station.
     
    I have now cut and attached some of the sections of mesh to the bridge (mesh courtesy of devondynosoar), and fixed them in place. I have ordered another section but it seems that most suppliers seem out of stock of this item so I can't progress any further until it is received.
     
    I have also made some progress on the footbridge sides as the undersides needed trimming back to allow clearance under the footbridge. I'm still not sure whether to add the rivets to give it some extra realism.
     
    Still a bit more work to do but it's starting to get there now.
     
    Here are a few progress shots. As always, any comments and tips are most welcome.
     

     

     
    The steps side mesh has not been fixed into place yet as I still need to make a mini frame for it using some strip plastic.
     

     

     

     
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  19. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    I have decided to spend a bit of time weathering my Farish class 37 number 37206 and having bought some MIG powders about 6 months ago, it has taken me this long to pluck up the courage to have a bash at using them.
    I have already weathered this loco but I was just missing the smoke streaks on the roof.
     
    I have used the "Black Smoke" pigment to create some smoke stains on the roof using some photos from Flickr as reference.
    On the box it recommends using a drop of turpentine to fix the pigment. Are there any other methods of doing this? Maybe a drop of Klear? Any recommendations would be great!
     
    Here are the results.
     
    All comments and tips welcome.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  20. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    My second entry this week! I must admit, I have been fairly busy modelling over the past few days and the layout is starting to show some progress now.
     
    I have decided to get the platforms down on board two. The edging is Peco and as you will see from the photos, I have used card to strengthen the centre and also used as the platform top as I feel it provides a good texture to paint onto. I still have to scribe the paving onto the island platform which I will do later on in the week. Space has also been allocated for the island signal box. (I'm looking forward to building this - in plasticard this time). I'll also build and fix in the end ramps.
    Still lots to do!!
     
    Below are some more progress shots. Does it look like Par yet!!??!!???
     
    I have posed my 6 car Dapol HST for good measure which really shows how long these platforms are. Come on Dapol, need that buffet car to complete the set!!
     
    As always, all comments welcome.
     
    Edging fixed into position using super glue to form a strong bond.
     

     
    Centre strengtheners glued into position using PVA.
     

     

     
    Platform tops cut to shape and placed into position.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  21. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    Having received a parcel on Friday from the 2mmFS association packed full of easitrac, I decided to spend this afternoon threading the rails onto the sleepers. It has taken me approximately 45 minutes to an hour to thread both rails onto the sleepers/chairs to build a 550mm section. Thankfully the layout is small and it's not for my Par layout! I'd be here for days threading away!! However, the resulting trackwork quality and appearance is well worth the effort and patience.
     
    Having threaded 4 sections, It came to light that, unlike N gauge, there are no track joiners. Several minutes later I realised that the sections are joined together using a set of sleepers!!
     
    Well, here are a few progress shots. I have placed the four sections of track on the layout plan just to gain an idea of how it will look once it is fixed down. Also included is the latest addition piece of rolling stock. Kato/Hobbytrains lovely Re 6/6 locomotive number 11688 "Linthal" in swiss railways green livery, a typical loco on this scenic route. Behind it are 2 minitrix autotransporter wagons. (they will need their wheel sets changed or flanges trimmed down as they seem to roll along the tops of the sleepers)
     
    As always, all comments are welcome.
     
    Cat decides to come and sign off the work carried out so far!
     

     

     
    Double track mainline starting to take shape.

     
    Overall view of track built so far.

     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  22. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon all,
     
    First of all, a happy new year to you all.
     
    I made my annual visit to the Warley exhibition in Birmingham last November and decided to join the 2mmFS association having been inspired by the 2mmFS layouts and boxfile 2mmFS layouts on this website. My thoughts were to attempt a small project involving the easitrac system.
     
    Having previously built a swiss layout in N scale, I decided to model a swiss themed 2mmFS layout as the sleeper spacings seem fairly similar (please correct me if I'm wrong), and there are no swiss 2FS layouts out there (that I know of) so thought I would have a bash at being the first!
     
    Before starting the layout, I decided to make a list of criteria to be considered:
    - The layout must be small enough so my wife doesn't realise that I am filling the house with railways!
    - A small project would mean that it wouldn't intrude too much on the progression of my longterm N scale layout based on Par station in Cornwall.
    - Use the easitrac system with only straight sections to build initially so that I can get used to building and laying the track before moving onto turnout construction.
    - A layout that can be added to in the future if I wish to do so.
    - Double track mainline - I will not be able to model scale length trains on this project however.
    - A swiss themed "moving picture" layout sweeping through the swiss alps - plenty of scope to model some great landscape!
     
    The track layout was drawn out in full size across 4 sheets of A4 paper using the track dimensions in the associations handbook ( I am still wrestling with Templot!!)
     
    I have designed and built 2 baseboards measuring 60cm x 22cm each giving me a scale length of 0.1 miles of track. The trackbed has been raised on the boards using 9mm ply wood so that I can create the effect of a double track mainline running round the side of the mountains.
     
    Next, I need to order up the track for construction and consider how and which system I am going to use for the fiddle yards at each end of the layout. Any suggestions most welcome on this.
     
    Below are some photos of progression to date.
     
    As always, all comments are welcome.
     

     
    Side and middle struts all cut up ready for assembly.

     
    Base frames assembled and trackbed placed, prior to gluing, giving an idea of the overall size of the layout.

     

     

     
    A few items of stock have also been purchased. Here is BLS loco Re465001 with an EWiv coach and driving trailer in the swiss green/grey colour scheme.

     

     

     

     
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  23. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon,
     
    No modelling today but thought I would put boards 1 and 2 together and test a bit of stock on this section and take a few posed photos to show the progress to date (not as much progress as I would have hoped for!).
    This exercise was beneficial as I have discovered that the sides of the footbridge are slightly too low over the main running lines (hence the card spacers to adjust the height), so tonight I will be removing these and filing them down.
     
    The station building has had the first coat of paint on the canopies and still requires a second to finish off.
     
    Anyway, here are a selection of photos. As always, all comments are welcome.
     
    Class 50 arrives, London bound.

     
    Bubble car heads off for Newquay.

     
    A grubby class 50030 Repulse awaits departure for Paddington

     
    View of the rear of the station building.

     
    View of board 1 with the footbridge posed in place. Must make a start on those platforms on board 2!!

     
    Class 37206 arrives with a short speedlink working and waits to run round its stock and head to St Blazey.

     

     
    Class 45 storms through on Penzance bound parcels.

     
    Couldn't resist this final shot. NSE liveried class 50 on CDA's!!

     
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  24. cornish trains jez
    Good evening all,
     
    I have been making some progress over the last week or so with the footbridge for Par station. I have still to find a suitable mesh to complete the side railings on the steps up to the bridge and I am hoping that I will find something that will work well when I visit the Warley show at the NEC in Birmingham in a couple of weeks.
     
    The footbridge ends are now complete, the second end being a complete nightmare to build as the structure somehow would not glue together straight and I ended up ripping it apart and starting again.
     
    The main structure is now complete (almost) and I may have a bash at applying some rivet transfers (as per TomE's water tower on Ropley) as I feel this would add a new dimension to the bridge.
    Once this is done. I will then paint the footbridge black and then add the mesh.
     
    Below are a few shots of the footbridge, it's not perfect but I feel it's becoming a fair representation of the real structure. As always, all comments are most welcome.
     
     

     

     

     

     
     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
  25. cornish trains jez
    Good afternoon all,
     
    I have managed to progress board 3 of the layout (or the London end of Par station) over the last week or so. Ballasting has taken place and the track has been painted.
     
    I first painted the rails in Phoenix "rusty rails" colour, then a week wash of track dirt to take the sheen off the sleepers and blend the rusty rails a little. The ballast is a 70/30 mix of Woodland scenics buff and brown. I used this successfully on my swiss layout and having studied the many photos of Par during the 80's, this colour seems to fit nicely. Once the ballast was dry, I then dry brushed sleeper grime across the tops of the rails and ballast on each side, giving the ballast a subtle weathering and again blending in the rusty rails and the earlier wash of track dirt.
     
    Below are some photos with some stock appropriately positioned to add a little realism.
     
    Almost forgot to say, I have also started building up the embankment next to the bridge with some polystyrene blocks, which have been carved to shape. More to come and a separate blog on that one to follow soon.
     
    Early progress shots
     

     

     
     
    Ballasting finished and painted (Class 37206 lurks in the background! )
     

     
    View from the other angle
     

     
    Overall view
     

     
    From the bridge looking West
     

     
    My "work in progress" weathered 37206 emerging from underneath the road bridge.
     

     
    37672 on CDA's bound for St. Blazey
     

     
    Peak leaving with cross country service
     

     
    Paved section on platform now painted. Still needs some weathering, any tips would be greatly welcome.
     

     
    Best regards,
     
    Jeremy
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