mullie

Thanks for the kind comments. I'll use anything flat heavy and clean! Drill batteries, the stand off my modelling lamp is good if I'm not actually using it, I just find the children the wrong shape and a bit fidgety so gave up on that one! I started modelling in small sections because having two jobs I would never finish anything if I tried anything too big. The next stage is to build an MPD as I've never built a working turntable so seems like a good challenge and at the other end I want to build a dockside scene having been inspired by family holidays in Great Yarmouth and looking at various books on harbour side, light rail and tramways such as the Wisbech and Upwell in East Anglia. I will be receiving two J70 bodies from Silver Fox Models soon and already have everything to get them working so that should be a good project. Pott Row has taken nearly four years to get to this state and Upbech is really a bit of light relief that has taken on a life of its own. Building my own track came about as a way of saving money but actually as I read somewhere else on this site it isn't as difficult as it seems and you do learn by your mistakes and you really feel like you've achieved something when you get it working. Been a productive weekend, as I've also been playing with lighting systems in the warehouse. First photo shows my preferred option used on the ground floor: Upstairs I've tried a different type of LED but the interior detail is completely lost so I will swap for the type used downstairs. As the layout is in the garage this building currently lives inside until finished. We had a months rain yesterday and I was in a restaurant last night that got flooded later in the evening. I always weather then seal with Games Workshop purity seal( an aerosol matt varnish) and so far have experienced no problems with card buildings. Things are very damp here at the moment!

Separated the boards and lifted the weights off the track, below are some photos showing the results. First one shows the basic track formation Next one shows the boards being separated. Last one shows the turntable board after separation and showing how baseboards are connected. The unusual shape made this harder. In addition to the connections shown there is also a luggage catch on the other side and with the alignment dowels hopefully boards will align successfully every time. None of these carry electrical connections. Hopefully put the turntable track in next week. The plan is to get the main lines up and running including fiddle yard based on aluminium angle cassettes then concentrate on the MPD.

Raining again! So made more progress in the garage. Built a couple of simple circuits so the LED lighting can be installed in the goods warehouse. Photo below: Also laid some plain track across the baseboard joint on the extension. I've had to compromise on the track radius due to space constraints. Left hand track has a minimum radius of two feet although point work being to three foot radius and built to fit the site will help. Hopefully won't be a problem. The main line on the right has a three foot radius as does the rest of the layout. Next shot shows the joint itself, track is built using copper clad and solder for strength. Later today once all glue is dry I will go through the track with a mini drill so the boards can be separated. Seep point motors arrived this morning, two for the extension board and to replace one on the existing station board that has become unreliable. Also a second DCC concepts stay alive decoder for another Spud Bogie I have. Now I need to get the J70 bodies ordered from Silver Fox. The J70s will be useful on Upbech as well as this layout. I also hope to convert Upbech to DCC over the summer so the Power cab can simply be plugged in. I know how I'm going to do it just need to find the time. I must be mad working on two layouts simultaneously but I always make sure I can run trains on one, helps to keep me (relatively) sane!

Recently its been: Springsteen, Bob Segar, Thelonius Monk, Elbow, Stan Tracey, Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, Delius, Vaughan Williams, Bartok, The Overtones plus loads of other contemporary stuff as when we buy CDs in our house they are all ripped to a common drive so we can all load our Ipods.

By the end of today all holes drilled so wiring can begin next week, S&W uncoupling magnet in place and the track plates fixed to the turntable well so I can lay track up to the deck. Using SMP track means I will have to pack it out a bit to get the approach right height as the sleepers are thinner but that's straightforward enough. A good day's work and packed in a few 'chores' as well including prep for taking an old rotten greenhouse down. Now where's the guiness!

Continued laying track today. The joint between these two boards will need to be very reliable as it will be dismantled after every session so I have decided to use copperclad soldered construction. This is one of those jobs where only a little bit can be done then you have to walk away. Later today I will cut through the sleepers across the join and drill out the holes for wiring and the S&W uncoupling magnet. I've also prepared the way to lay the turntable access track. The plates supplied by Peco to aid track alignment have already been painted to match the well, didn't realise I'd done it as it was done so long ago. I also need to fix the turntable bridge down permanently.

Found myself unexpectedly free last night so made some progress with the goods depot. Decided to have a go at detailing the interior of the first floor, shame it will be largely unseen once the roof is on although it will be lit by LEDs. Everything is from the spares box by various manufacturers, boxes are painted model scene products, stacked barrels and boxes by Harburn I think, stairs are from the Peco underpass and the blue doors and the small offices were robbed off the free Scalescenes download factory, a model no longer needed. Figures and ladder are by Langley. Colour of the floor was varied using oil pastel sticks and a grubby finger, mixture of greys and browns. The model sits hard up against the backscene so it is assumed the doors lead through to the rest of the depot where the goods can be lowered to the ground floor for despatch. Hope they are of interest. Last shot gives some idea of what the view might be through a window.

Been working on the extension this morning. scratch built a copperclad curved point over the last week or so and tweaked the point on the mpd board. First photos show the construction of the curved point, apologies for my soldering but it all works! Next photos show the point on the mpd board being fettled to remove any tight spots. I actually built this point about a year ago in situ but progress was delayed because I decided to rebuild the two three way points on the most completed board. Still some work to do to even out the sleepers. Next photo shows how I set the point blades using an SMP gauge. Lastly I test for tight spots using in this case a Bachman fruit van. Very important is the entertainment, Ipod and dock plus coffee/tea. Apart form the financial reasons I think this maybe why DCC sound will be slow with me as I tend to listen to music a lot of the time, everything from Cajun to jazz/ World/ contemporary pop as well as anything from the Beatles onwards and classical music particularly 20th century. The ipod on shuffle throws up all sorts of things! Here are some photos of the Peco turntable. It has been installed for about a year but not wired up or finished but this shows the paint finish, the intention being to show something that has been reasonably well maintained but starting to show its age. Though not finished it gives a reasonable idea of progress. Lastly is a photo of the most completed section of the layout from the workbench, which actually consists of a workmate and an old piece of kitchen work top. In a garage with no windows a good light is really important. Layout is on a shelf down one side of the garage in which the car lives at night.

Tried shooting in the dark, though should have turned off both the fiddle yard lights. However, it does give a flavour of how the layout can be run in the dark as well as during the day. Once I really get to grips with an operating schedule night services can form an integral part. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_WRXkV9QwY

Managed to solve the video problem today, merely a matter of saving in the correct format. The camera uses an industry format that YouTube and Flash player don't like! Below is a short video showing some trial running on the layout a month or so ago. The big hole in the corner now has the warehouse in it which is still waiting to be finished. I got distracted last night, having just returned from a break in rural Suffolk I decided to start laying copper clad strip so I can start building points on the extension. Didn't see any trains whilst I was away but staying close to Lavenham in the area of the Stour Valley line was inspiring as it is a beautiful part of the country even in the current 'summer' weather! Shame there is now a Waitrose on the site of much of Sudbury station. Installed a DCC Concepts stay alive decoder in the J70 today. Running is much smoother but I would expect that from a more modern and better quality decoder anyway. Will be interesting to see how this works over a period of time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nilo9tFVJ1k

More fettling of points and point motors today, touch wood things running quite smoothly now. Ordered a DCC concepts decoder with stay alive yesterday for trialling in the J70. If successful may well invest in a Silver Fox model to improve the look of the J70. Below are some photos taken whilst operating tonight. Until the extension is up and running the layout can't handle too many locos or stock so I need to ring the changes. I think it's worth bearing in mind that the scenic part of this layout is under four feet long by just one foot wide. Currently running the layout with one of the two 4mts, V3, 08 and Derby Lightweight, an interesting mix!

Put the warehouse in place last night, still needs roof, interior detail, lights and weathering plus linking to the existing building but basically I think the idea will work.End column is very blue due to ink shortage and didn't realise late last night when I finished it so will need to recover that bit.

First proper operating session on the revised layout, all went well apart from a bit of dirty track on the head shunt. Below are some photos: First two show the 08 shunting. Next shot shows the class 24 shunting three wagons on test after surviving a fall to the garage floor! The couplings need a bit of adjustment after some needed glueing back on and the conflat needed a new axle box. Considering that a remarkable survival but not something I wish to repeat! Local service arrives V3 runs in light engine. Having had the start voltage tweaked to suit the power cab and a bit of a run round my test track, now quite a smooth runner. Last two photos show the new style fiddle yard, hope to lengthen it tomorrow so it can hold a loco and two coach passenger train. This was converted from the traverser yard using cassettes I had built for a fiddle yard at the other end of the layout where an extension is now taking place.

Derby Lightweight ran for the first time tonight with all lights working. The interior lights stopped in the driving car working after I installed the decoder, finally worked out tonight that it was because the decoder wires were nudging the contacts for the interior lights and stopping them making contact. The fact that it is so difficult to get the body off makes it a nerve racking experience to deal with. Now I have to change the destination blinds, does anyone know an easy way to do it? I wanted one without warning panels so will have to do it eventually. I will also have to renumber. If I buy a class 15, and with the current rosta I will have quite an interesting group of locos for a mid 50s early 60s period layout although the V3 and J70 are out of period but it's my train set...... Tried to take some photos in the dark but my little camera couldn't cope! Now need to finish the goods warehouse to get rid of that awful gap in the backscene. Tomorrow plan to fettle the newly laid track, some check rails need moving very slightly and some track joints need smoothing out and levelling. Still it's meant to rain after all!

Seems to be a problem with the video camera so will have to do some fiddling with the settings then upload again. Not a lot happening this week anyway as I've been away for the last week. While relaxing by the pool took the time to read a copy of Model Railroader as I do every so often, good to get a different slant and stimulate the brain cells with something different. Gave me some ideas on extending the layout and no I don't need to take over the cellar even if we had one! Hopefully tonight will programme the Derby Lightweight and have a fiddle with the tender connections on the 4mts as they have always been prone to derailment especially when running tender first and I really need to solve it.

Tried the Power Cab today, very different compared to the Compact as you might expect as the compact is very old by digital standards. Will need to modify my driving style particularly on the Hornby 08 fitted with a Lenz gold decoder, this one behaves very differently and I think I may need to adjust some settings. This is the first version of the improved 08 they released and the gold decoder was fitted by Modellers Mecca where I bought it so it is some years old. Last night it was quite jerky but tonight it was much smoother although it needed quite a lot of oomph to get it started. The Bachmann 4mts with factory fitted decoders (about 2-3 years old) only read short addresses whilst the J39 with a TCS M1 responded fine despite its split chassis design (decoder fitted second half of last year). I am glad I read the manual as it is going to take some time to get used to the power cab, but pleased so far. Decoder technology has also improved so this isn't a surprise.

The first train ran the full length of the scenic board and through all the point work today. This was under analogue so having given the track a thorough clean, I'm now going to clean all the fiddle yard tracks, check the alignments with the main board and get the Power Cab installed, hopefully tomorrow. Then have a reason to install the decoders in the Derby Lightweight, been waiting to do this since Christmas! Maybe able to post some videos soon. Layout looks quite different without the engine shed but the new build is coming along steadily so should be in place reasonably soon.

Thanks that is really helpful

Got nothing done this week as work is ludicrously busy including today. Last night managed to make a small amount of progress in beginning to detail and weather an internal wall. Weathering is at the moment is just with charcoal applied and rubbed with a finger. Next job is to add doors.

The V3 I have is 67673 which in 1948 was allocated to Stratford. What I would quite like to do is gradually build up a representative stud of steam locos but this will take time (years in fact!) and I will need to either start building kits (expensive and time consuming), scratch build or use rtr bits that I can modify. This year I plan to build a pair of J70s using Tenshodo spud bogies that I already have and Silver fox bodies, possibly using DCC concepts stay alive decoders. As the layout is set within shouting distance of the Wisbech and Upwell tramway modellers licence comes into play. They will also give me an alternative way of running Upbech St Mary. My J39 is renumbered but can't off the top of my head remember where it was allocated and the two 4mts are Melton shedded locos I think! All the diesel locos need renumbering but this will take time. J39 is in photo below: Below is one of the 4mts. both photos were taken before the recent rebuild. Loco and wagons need weathering. This section of the layout is under four feet long with a minimum radius of three feet on all pointwork. The engine shed is no longer in this position and will be moved to a new board where I am installing a Peco turntable but work has stopped due to rebuilding of point work on the main board. I may scratch build an engine shed rather than use the Scalescenes one again possibly based on Walton on the Naze as I have plans. Early shot of turntable in place, I have painted and weathered it since: Ultimately I'd like to run the layout in two distinct periods, early to mid 50s meaning a lot of ex GE locos, along with the 4mts, J70s etc. This will take years to come to fruition. Another fascinating period seems to be the early to mid 60s onwards when the area was more or less completely dieselised and you have green period diesels either with small or no warning panels pulling steam age stock with largely steam age infrastructure. Ironic thing is I'm too young to remember either period, now the line from Liverpool Street to the east coast in the late 70s and early to mid 80s is a different matter, I used to love going up to the the old Liverpool Street through Stratford and maybe I'll model that one day. So much to do so little time!

Three way points wired up successfully and the Bachmann 08 went through all of them successfully although I need to tweak one point/point motor as the throw isn't changing the polarity reliably at the moment. Next job is to lay the track into the goods depot. As I plan to have inset track, this will be laid on copper clad sleepers with check rails, that will then be sprayed to seal them and then I will use Das modelling clay mixed with PVA to infill between the tracks as I did on Upbech St Mary (that layout uses Peco track rather than the SMP used here). Great thing about a micro layout is that you can try new techniques to see if they work then if successful apply them elsewhere Once this is working reliably under analogue control I will wire up the Power Cab. It's driving me nuts at the moment as I really want to try it out as I think it will be a significant step on from the Lenz compact I have been using, but I think it will be a few more weeks yet as work keeps getting in the way including evenings and weekends. I've made progress on the goods depot this week as the photos below demonstrate. In these two shots you can see a mock up of how the walls will look when assembled. Windows were added last night and interior and external wall stuck together. It is my intention to light both stories so I will have to detail the interior. Buttresses are now waiting to have wrappers added so that wall construction can start in earnest. First shot shows the end walls: Next is the end walls: Once this section is completed I will have to link it to the rest of the factory and blend in the weathering. This is what the rest of the factory currently looks like: Three way point in the foreground is one of those I have just rebuilt.

After sorting out the short circuit, a copper clad sleeper not quite filed correctly, I managed to run the first train. The trusty Bachmann 08 ran the length of one part of the layout even on dirty track. There is still some way to go before things are fully up and running but not having run a train on the layout since before Christmas this is a major step forward! I need to fettle the points a little more and adjust the throw on the point motors plus I forgot to put in a pair of droppers on one short new section of track. But it is indeed progress. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7doQnTYyvY Video is a bit wobbly but I was operating the loco, switching the points and using a small hand held digital camera, trying to do three things with two hands does have its problems!

Spent this week cutting out parts for the warehouse extension, just looks like a load of bits at the moment but once everything is cut and wrappers added things start to come together quite quickly. As the building is being made to fit a site that has an effect on progress too. Point motors are now up and running but there is a short somewhere stopping trains from running. Will have to trace that when I get a second. Layout was wired up with a Guagemaster combi for testing rather than the power cab. Once I'm up and running again with DCC I will decide whether to try operating points via DCC as well.

Pro cab arrived yesterday and someone was actually here to take it in, now I really have to get on with the wiring!

I've decided to try extending the factory to include a wagon loading/unloading area, possibly for perishables. This will replace the engine shed that may move to the new board where I have begun building track and installing a Peco turntable. Not sure if I will reuse the shed as I haven't decided how this section will look. Photos show the building in the early stages and stuck together using blu tac to give an idea as to how the final version might look. The factory insides are the same photo repeated four times but this won't be obvious once the walls are fully detailed and the building is placed at the back of the layout. Working with the Scalescenes factory, I am improvising to fit the available site and will build a section to join the existing factory and the new build together. Once the new build is in place I will weather to match the finish. Working with Scalescenes products is only a little quicker than scratch building but I do enjoy working with the product. Finished wiring up the point motors today and will hopefully finish remaining wiring next week. Power Cab should arrive Monday, well actually it won't becuase they'll try to deliver it while we are at work and it will take a few days to collect it as our sorting office is very small and only open mornings when we are also at work! Still should be worth trying to escape briefly from work to collect it!