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TomE

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Blog Entries posted by TomE

  1. TomE

    Graham Farish Black 5

    By TomE,

    Hi all!
     
    Until I visit the parents again in 3 weeks time, there won't be much progress on the boards. So in the meantime, here's a look at the Graham Farish Black 5 released last year.
     
    The Mid Hants Railway have recently finished the restoration of Black 5 45379 to running condition (http://www.watercressline.co.uk/The-Works/Locos/14) so at the Doncaster show I managed to pick up a Farish example for a reasonable price. Eventually it will be renumbered to match the full size version.
     
    As far as the model is concerned, it is another lovely product from Farish. Whilst it maybe doesn't have the wow factor of the 4MT or 3MT, it does have a high level of detail as you can see from the photos. Running was a little jerky to begin with but improved after I swapped one of the two sets of tender wheels fitted with traction tyres for the spare set without and will hopefully improve further once it's been run for a while. Some people have reported problems with pick ups on the engine not touching the wheels but on my example they are all fine out of the box. I did have to rearrange the wires in the tender as they were forcing the metal coal load up but long term I plan to replace this with 'real' coal once I find a way of adding additional weight inside the tender body.
     
    One thing I did do right away was replace the couplings with short shank versions. It will still go around my unitrack loop with a rake of Mk.1s without buffer lock thanks to the close coupling mechanism on the coaches and it does bring the gap down to a more acceptable distance on straights.
     
    I did also try fitting the replacement bogie with the scale wheels, however the metal link fitted was too short. I swapped this for the link fitted to the original bogie but the rear set of wheels would not turn as they were catching on the chassis. I can only assume Farish have included the wrong link on the replacement bogie? I’ll have to look into this as Ropley will allow for the scale wheel set to be used.
     
    Anyway, enough rambling, to the photos:
     

     

     

     

     
    Cheers all!
     
    Tom.
  2. TomE

    Ropley - D-Day

    By TomE,

    Hi all.
     
    Looks like the PW gang have moved in!
     

     
    After a few trials, I've settled on the treemendus Normandy earth powder for the ballast on the main line. First the area is sprayed with Railmatch sleeper grime, the rail painted and then the ballast is fixed in place with Kleer.
     
    Track laying in the yard is now mostly complete with just the one point left to build, so a more comprehensive update is coming soon!
     
    Tom.
  3. TomE
    Hi All.
     
    One of the unique features of the RMweb Members day over a normal exhibition is the opportunity to get up close to the layouts on display, and this year Missy of this parish very kindly allowed me to spend some time operating (playing with) Highclere. The layout itself doesn't really need any introduction and in the flesh it truly is a work of art, but of particular interest to me this year was the more mundane part of the layout, the fiddle yard, and the opportunity to see it in action has brought me back to the yards that will be required for Ropley.
     
    A few entries back I touched on the fiddle yard and set out a few early thoughts about how they might operate, with a traverser system being considered initially. The real Mid Hants Railway is essentially one big end to end layout which means that engines are not turned at Alton & Alresford and simply run around the stock, so this ruled out a continuous circuit type arrangement. No bad thing as I don't really have the space for that! After operating Highclere and Highbury colliery recently, both of which employ a cassette system, I began to wonder if there was some way a simple cassette and loop system could be used instead of the traverser and the first simple plan drawn up was as follows:
     



    This essentially would be a simple version of the station loops at each end of the full sized railway. Operationally, the train would enter the line with the cassette, where the loco would then be uncoupled before then being run around the stock. If a change of stock was needed, then the cassette would simply be swapped around. Now, I was really quite keen on this until I sat down and stated to work out dimensions! The initial scenic board for Ropley is 120cm long, which is quite small for a railway where services are usually composed of 5 Mk.1s and engine. In N Gauge, a rake of 5 Mk.1s is roughly 70cm, plus another 16ish cm to allow for some of the larger engines which have run over the line in the past. Britannia, Bittern 7 Canadian Pacific for example. When you add in the space required for the run around loop in the plan above and then consider that another yard of equal length at the opposite end is required, you would end up with a layout composed largely of fiddle yard!
     
    So, back to the drawing board and the initial traverser idea. I really wanted to keep things simple, and had looked at various examples of traversers on RMweb and around the net for ideas. In the end I decided to go with a simplified version of the original plan, and just have one traverser capable of holding 5 coaches & engine, dropping the seperate loco sections in the original design. This resulted in the plan below:



    The total length of the above setup is 100cm, and although in its initial form the layout will still be nearly 2 thirds fiddle yard, its a lot less than using the cassette method and once the station area is added at a later date, the whole thing will be nicely balanced I think. By fitting some wood to the underneath of the yard boards, stock can also be stored underneath the sliding traverser when not required. A small frontatge will be fitted which will allow the yards to be seen since this seems to be an area of interest to many at exhibitions.



    In order to make the yard actually traverse, I looked at a few options before finding some small drawer runners intended for replacing those supplied by that well known Swedish purveyor of self assembly furniture. The source for these is here. These runners can simply be attached to the cross members of the basic yard structure, allowing the yard to simply be pulled or pushed into place. To lock the yard in alignment with the running lines, I plan to use bolt latches, again to keep things simple.



    The final design feature of this plan will be integrated legs at each end. The yard boards will rest on a ledge fixed to the scenic section through which bolts will pass to secure everything in place. This means that legs are will only be required at the outer ends and this again helps to keep things nice and simple!



    Hopefully this all makes sense! It’s not always easy to explain ideas you have in your head until you get to the hammering things together stage! Some thought still needs to be give to electrical matters but the aim with that will also be to keep it simple!
     
    Cheers,
     
    Tom.
  4. TomE

    New project - Ropley Shed

    By TomE,

    All my modeling life I've been a modern image modeller, with a small blip when I was about 14 and I bought a Farish Battle of Britain Class steam engine whilst on holiday. I think it was this which put me off steam models with it's very basic shape and unpredictable performance and since then I've only ever modelled the current scene. 
     
    Then about a month ago I bought a new Farish 3MT. Wow. What a difference from that blob of metal from 15 years ago. Lovely detail, smooth performance and great haulage power. I hate to admit it but I was probably more impressed by this than most of the recent Modern image releases. 
     
    The 3MT was followed by the 4MT shown here a couple of days ago. Whilst maybe not quite up to the same standard of the 3MT, that engine - tender gap could be navigated by the QE2, it's still a quantum leap over the old Farish range. 
     
    Unfortunately, neither of these really fit with the modern image board shown in the Blog over the last year so I started to look for ideas for a small layout to allow these to be shown in the right environment. Very quickly I arrived at a preserved railway, the main reason being this would allow much more variety than a layout set in the steam era and not tie me to a specific region. 
     
    My initial thought was to produce a very simple layout with just a stretch of single track over a road bridge but after a while the obvious operational limitations became obvious. Preserved railways don't exactly operate an intensive timetable and there are only so many times you can watch one train trundle backwards and forwards! 
     
    The answer has turned out to be closer than I thought in the shape of Ropley Shed on the Mid Hants Railway. This will not only allow passenger services to run but also shunting to take place in the yard and provide space to display models. As I only live just up the road from here, research will be fairly easy, and also offer an excuse to travel on the line! 
     

     
    Using photos & Google Earth as a guide I've made up a quick full size plan today to make sure everything fits into the available 4' x 1' space for the scenic board and all looks good with the sheds at opposite ends providing convenient scenic breaks without the need to compress the scene. They will also frame the action nicely on the main line behind. It needs a bit of a tweak here and there but otherwise is pretty close I think!
     

     

     
    Track work will be 2mm Scale Association Easi-trac but I think the points will be constructed to N gauge clearances as my soldering skills don't really lend themselves to building replacement 2mm chassis!
     
    Anyway, I've rambled enough for this update, and if you've made it this far without nodding off well done, have a slice of left over turkey!
     
    Tom
  5. TomE

    Trees - Part 3!

    By TomE,

    Hi all!
     
    Continuing to refine the tree building method, here's the latest attempt. This time I've tried to match the tree at the start of the line along the top of the embankment at the Western end of Ropley.
     

     

     

     
    It needs a little trim here and there, and I might add a little more tuft to the top too! I used some Anita Decor Foliage I found in the supplies this time rather than the WS turf to try and give a better match for this particular tree. I don't think its turned out too bad!
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  6. TomE

    Ropley - Getting to the point

    By TomE,

    Hi All.
     
    As a break from mass tree production for the embankment, the last couple of days have seen attention turn to point rodding.
     
    The original intention was to use the 2mm Scale Association etch for the rodding, however having received a fret a while ago I felt it was a little too thin when compared with the appearance of the real thing. After seeing Julia's rodding for Highclere, I purchased some of the same .4mm square section from MSE and although intended for 4mm scale, I don't think it looks that far out for 2mm.
     



     
    The rodding was made by laying the 3 sections onto some double sided sticky tape fixed to a length of MDF. Small lengths of 0.2mm wire were then soldered at regular intervals. This was helped by using a card board jig Julia had made up and very kindly let me have to get the correct spacing (thanks Julia!) A few short lengths of wire were soldered at 90 degrees to make locating pins which fit into holes drilled into the baseboard for a secure fit.
     
    After priming with Halfords grey primer (what would we do without this!), the rodding was painted with a rust mix made up using various shades of Humbrol enamel. Black weathering powder was then applied to the areas where the rollers would be to represent grease. I may yet add some representation of the rollers, if I can find a suitable method of doing so. Ballasting along this section up to the cable runs can now be completed.
     



     
    So, distraction over, back to trees!
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
    Ropley is a N Gauge Model using 2mm Finescale Easitrac modelled after the real location on the Mid Hants Railway Watercress Line.
  7. TomE

    Ropley - Downtime progress!

    By TomE,

    MHR Resident Black 5 heads towards Alton to collect it's first train of the day.


    Hi all, and belated seasonal greetings!
     
    Well it's good to be back on-line, even though I can't help but think a few more bouts of enforced downtime might do wonders for modelling productivity levels!
     
    Anyway, since the last update, a fair amount of progress has been made on various areas of Ropley. The Christmas break gave me chance to pretty much finish the trackwork the Ash pit being the last major part left to complete. As previously mentioned, this will be built 'off board' then dropped into place and I now have a pretty good idea on how this is going to be achieved, but more on that in a future entry.
     
    The whole board received a coat of Railmatch Sleeper Grime over Christmas, allowing me to seek out any uneven or wobbly bits of line and adjust as necessary. There were only a couple of areas thankfully, and overall I'm quite pleased with how the stock runs through the 'bodged to N gauge' 2mm pointwork!
     
    Here's a view of the Western end of the layout as it currently stands:


    Still a couple of check rails to fit (Ok, I just realised I missed them, d'oh!) but otherwise complete bar ash pit.


    I've also made a start on fitting fishplates at the Eastern end of the layout. I ordered a fret from the 2mm SA shop just to see if it was feasible, and even though they are tiny, I think it makes a nice detail at close quarters! I have tried to fit these in as close to prototypical location as possible using photos of the real location.


    The Fishplates have been drybrushed with black paint to represent the oily appearence of the real things


    I've also spent some time experimenting further with the scenic side of things, and mainly the use of static grass for the embankment. A little while ago I bought one of these flyswat applicators on e-bay, thinking it would be worth a go for the £12 or so they were being sold for. The one thing I wanted to avoid was the uniform astro turf look you sometimes see when static grass has been applied, so I also purchased several different shades and lengths of grass to try out.
     
    So I could get some idea of what things would look like when in place on the layout, without gluing anything in place without first practising the teqhnique, I spread some PVA onto a clear plastic wallet, and then started by applying mininatur Winter fibers, followed by summer fibers, and then finally a layer of some short bright green fibres I picked up at a local show a while back. In the tub they look far to bright to use, but when mixed with the other colours they do a half decent job of representing the newer growth coming through underneath.


    Here the fibres are applied to the plastic wallet.




    And here is the grass pealed off the wallet in one strip once the PVA is dry.




    Finally the strip rested in place on the embankment.


    I'm quite pleased how this turned out, but I've ordered a few more colours to try and add some further variation and get a closer match to the real location. I also need to try integrating the method used to create brambles shown in this previous blog entry. If anything I think the result here proves I didn't need to spend upwards of £70 for my relatively short section of embankment!
     
    The one thing I didn't really get chance to work on was the carriage shed & boiler works, although I have confirmed I got my measurements right and it looks in proportion when placed in the correct position.


    Here's a view you won't see once the tree line is in place along the top of the embankment!


    So, thats where we're up to at the moment. January is going to be a busy month with work so things might not progress much, but hopefully in Feburaury some leave will see another progress spurt!
     
    Finally, thanks to Andy and Jim for their work on the site over the past few days. Their efforts to keep things running so we can ramble on are much appreciated!
     
    Cheers all, and Happy New Year!
     
    Tom


    Having collected it's train, the Black 5 slows for Ropley Station on a lovely Summers day.


  8. TomE

    Ropley - Barry Slip

    By TomE,

    Morning all!
     
    Just a quick photo to show work on the Barry Slip is nearing completion! Just the guard rails to add. Amazingly everything runs through it without de-railing Not sure how I managed that!
     

     
    Cheers,
     
    Tom.
  9. TomE
    A busy moment at Ropley.


     

    Hi all.


     

    I really hate making posts like this, but there hasn't been an awful lot of progress on the layout of late and so there isn't much to show in the way of changes. Its quite frustrating really, as there are a lot of jobs I want to get stuck into, but once started they need a few days to see through to completion. Hopefully over the festive season I should be able to make a significant move in the right direction though thanks to a week off work.


     

    One new addition to the rolling stock fleet is the new N Gauge Society LMS Inspection Saloon. The Mid Hants is home to 45045 which is in regular use on the line so this is an essential model for the layout. I have to say that the N Gauge soceity and Farish have done a fantastic job with this model. The detail is excellent and the fully detailed interior a nice touch.


     




    The new Farish Inspection Saloon.


     

    There are a few changes I need to make to the model, including the removal of the folding side steps and handrail, 'de-frosting' of the two compartment windows and of course re-numbering and the addition of the LMS lettering found on the real thing. These are a curious addition to the real coach as the coach is painted in BR marroon with BR lining, so I'm not sure why they found their way onto each side!


     
    Another minor development is work on the first of the signals. Ropley is home to several lattice post examples and so the very fine MSE post etch has been used as the basis for these.
     




    The first of three signals required for Ropley.


     

    Soldering this together was quite nerve racking, as me and the soldering Iron have a hate-hate relationship, but I think I just about got away with it although I have noticed from the photo it seems I managed to fill once of the lattice gaps with solder. The intention is the signals will operate and be illuminated, but how exactly this will be accomplished is still being doodled on the back of an envelope!


     

    So, apologies for the lack of significant update this time around. I hope to have more to show over Christmas/New Year. I do need to make a big push towards having the layout in some sort of operable state for 2013 as a deadline is hovering on the distant horizon.....


     




    A Black 5 stands at the entrance to the yard after a footplate experience turn.


     

    Cheers all!


     

    Tom.


  10. TomE

    Farish XC 170

    By TomE,

    The Farish 170 has been around a good few years now, and I think was one of the last Farish units designed in the UK. It is starting to show it's age when stood next to the same companies recent Class 150, but overall it still captures the look of the Turbostar quite well, to my eyes at least, and it is the only option if you want a 170!
     
    I quite like the Arriva Cross Country scheme in spite of the lurid pink doors. It's one of the few schemes which works on pretty much anything it's applied too and the rendition here is excellent. Silver can be an awkward colour to reproduce accurately but the colours look spot on and the printing really is superb, with sharp definition between colours and a multitude of smaller lettering and warning panels represented. The only thing I could find to fault was that the small plough under the front faring which is not painted yellow as per the prototype, but then they are usually covered in filth anyway.
     
    My example ran very smoothly and quietly straight from the box unlike my Dapol 156 which draws complaints from the neighbours! The mechanism fills one entire coach, but thanks to the tinted windows it's not really noticeable.
     
    It would have been nice if Bachmann had taken the time to fit lights and a DCC socket to bring the 170 into line with other units available, but alas these are still missing. I may have to try fitting lights myself…
     
    Interestingly, the model is packaged in the older style of Farish box, not the latest version, which makes me wonder if they haven't been sat around in China for a while?
     
    Anyway, here are a few close up photos:
     

     

     

     

     

     
    Cheers,
     
    Tom.
  11. TomE

    Ropley - 100 Not out

    By TomE,

    Muck, Ash & Oil.


     
    Hi All.
     
    Well, 100 blog entries! I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at progress since Ropley Started nearly 2 years ago. Progress hasn't been as quick as I would have liked, but I have learn't alot along the way. I would never have thought I'd be making my own pointwork for a start! I also wanted to say thanks for all the likes, comments and feedback, it really does help keep the modelling mojo alive and kicking!
     




    It started with a plan.


     




    Which needed a little imagination!


     




    Before becoming reality.


     




    The first track laid with some trepidation.


     




    The first point. A small victory but a big confidence boost!


     




    The familiar layout of the real place taking shape.


     




    Scenery makes a first appearance.


     




    Closely followed by the first building


     




    A new look for the blog and after much twisting, the embankment tree line starts to grow.


     




    The plumbers arrive!


     




    Red Muck. A start made on the inset trackwork.






    A peak into the future.






    And that brings us neatly to the current state of the yard!


     
     

    I wonder if it'll be finished by entry 200.......


     

    Cheers all!


     

    Tom.


  12. TomE

    Ropley - Dub Dee

    By TomE,

    Hi all.
     
    Firstly apologies for the lack of updates recently. Various things have conspired to prevent much visible progress with the layout since the last entry here so there isn’t much more to show at present.
     
    That said, the tree factory is slowly churning out more examples for along the top of the embankment, meaning that once the ground work is completed, it will be a fairly quick task to get them all planted in position.  Also all of the wood for the first fiddle yard has been acquired and this will be assembled in the near future.
     
    In lieu of any real Ropley progress, this blog entry is going to take a quick look at the recently released Graham Farish WD 2-8-0. This didn’t really feature on my shopping list, but I like the prototype and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that 90733 on the KWVR will one day make the trip south for a gala.
     



     
    Although the prototype is something of an unremarkable type, the model represents yet another stage in the development of N gauge steam power, being the first Farish release to be powered by a small coreless motor housed within the engine, rather than the tender drive seen on every Farish release since the Poole legacy V2.
     
    I’ve never really been a huge fan of these tender drive mechanisms, finding them to be quite variable in performance from model to model and never matching the excellent running qualities of Farish diesels. I have a Black 5 which runs like a dream, smooth at low speed and almost silent, but also a 4MT that is noticeably jerky at lower speed. The recent A1 rests somewhere in between the two. I wouldn’t describe any of them as really poor runners, but when you are running them at a scale 25mph or less, any deficiency in the mechanism becomes more apparent. For me smooth slow running is quite an important requirement for all engines running on the layout, and I have to say the new mechanism in the WD blows all the tender drive models out of the water.
     
    Straight out of the box it was almost a perfect runner, if a little jerky at very very slow speed as you might expect for a brand new model. However after running in, the fitting of a Zimo MX621N chip and the tweaking of a few CVs it now runs silky smooth and is virtually silent at low speed. The two videos below show slow running out of the box and after being fitted with a chip. The slight pause in the second video was the result of track which hasn’t been properly cleaned for quite some time!
     

    http://youtu.be/UtVRpr4NgO8

     

    http://youtu.be/SxiA1o9Issk

     
    The motor itself is contained within a cast metal split frame which takes up the whole of the boiler space and the smokebox is completely filled with a second weight, so those looking to add weight to aid haulage will have to be a bit creative with how they do it. My example easily hauled the 5 Mk.1s it will be expected to deal with. One plus point to the loco drive is that there is plenty of space in the tender for the DCC chip and a small speaker for those who wish to add sound. Another nice feature is that the plastic coal load is removable to reveal a fully detailed bunker, something impossible with previous models.
     
    I was quite surprised that only one axle is driven by the motor. I was expecting a full gear chain when I removed the keeper plate to add some oil as recommended in the instructions, but on reflection I suppose it’s not necessary to add lots of gears when you have valve gear to do the job for you instead.
     
    Detail wise the WD is just as good, if not better than the most recent releases, although not knowing enough about the prototype I can’t really pass judgement on the accuracy of the model. Comparing it to photos, it certainly looks spot on. Supplied for the modeller to fit are front steps and a nice set of tools for the tender.
     
    It will be interesting to see how the forthcoming STD5 compares to the WD and if Farish can maintain the high standard which has now been set by the WD, but perhaps more interesting will be watching how, or indeed if, Dapol respond. Whilst they have shown that the supercreep motor is capable of impressive slow running, the ones I have seen in the flesh sounded like they were grinding ballast through the gears, so the opportunity exists for Dapol to further improve on that aspect of their models if they wish to take up the challenge now set by Farish.
     
    Finally, it’s the Mid Hants Autumn Gala  on the 7th/8th/9th September so more research is on the cards to fill in some gaps, particularly for the footbridge and area around the Carriage and Boiler shop.
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  13. TomE
    Work has started on the main yard area, with the first DAS applied.


    Hi All.
     
    A rather random entry this time, with a few different areas of the layout seeing work or planning. Firstly, the first DAS has been applied to the main yard section in the area immediately in front of the coal staithe. I plan to do small areas at a time to make sure I can manage the removal of the DAS from around points and the insides of the running lines. The method is largely the same as that described here, but with the addition of a layer of PVA applied first to try and ensure that the clay doesn’t come away whilst the layout is moved around. So far, no cracks!




    Here you can see the transition from the newer ballast infil infront of the Carriage Shed, and the older material represented by DAS clay.


     
    Also added are the wooden planks covering the point mechanism, produced from a piece of plastic cut to shape before being scribed and then painted. At the real location this marks the change from the newer ballast infill used when the Carriage & Boiler shed was rebuilt, and the older, more compacted material found in the rest of the yard which the DAS is intended to represent. The gap in the ballast where the tiebar for the Barry Slip is visible is also temporary and will be in filled once a cover piece has been installed to stop the mechanism getting clogged with Kleer and ballast.
     
    I have also begun thinking about the yard clutter at the southern edge, or at what will be the front of the layout. Working East from the Coal staithes the first few items are a couple of containers and 2 oil tankers.




    Yard clutter which will all need to be represented on the layout. Some from readily available sources, other items will need to be scratch built.


     
    The 2 containers are easily tackled, using the Graham Farish 20ft versions. A repaint will be the only task required here, although there is an interesting pattern on the one closest to the camera in the photo above!
     
    The TTA tank which runs parallel to the yard was also sourced from Farish, their recently released RTR version being ideal and again only needing a repaint, the loss of it's buffers and the addition of the weathered graffiti on the lower side. The Tank between the two containers did however cause me some head scratching. Eventually I discovered it was a 14 Ton National Benzole Tank, but typically not the version produced by Farish which appears to be much earlier in design.
     

    Refuelling point Oil Tank Wagon by john lilburne, on Flickr


     
    A Google around has not revealed a kit available of this type either, so I think this will have to be a scratch build effort. If anyone has data such as length & diameter of the tank, it would be most gratefully received!




    3 of the four elements making up the first area of yard clutter.






    And the prototype for reference!


     
    The area beyond the TTA tank is somewhat of a mystery at the moment as this is not usually accessible. There are currently two S15's in various states of restoration as well as a few other buildings which look like they may be the bodies of grounded vans with new roofs but without getting in and around the area it is difficult to tell. Hopefully once the path on top of the small embankment which leads to the new footbridge is open, I'll be able to better ascertain what this area looks like!
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  14. TomE

    Ropley - Slow Progress

    By TomE,

    A 4MT hauled service departs Ropley heading for Alton.


     
    Hi All.
     
    Well, not a huge amount of progress to report just recently for various reasons, but mostly work related as usual! The backscene has had its first coat of white applied, and a template has been made for the top of the embankment, although I really need to get back to the real location to work out the exact lay of the land behind the tree line along with the exact location of the footbridge.
     
    You may remember a few entries back I was experimenting with tree construction, and I've had the opportunity to test the first tree completed on the layout to see how it fits in. I'm quite pleased with the result and so more trees are now on the production line, the first of which can be seen partially completed below.
     




    The first tree of the embankment line test fitted, with another under construction


     
    I've also finally made a start on the ash pit outside the wheeldrop shed. This is the last section of trackwork remaining to be completed and it was about time I made a start on it. Now the top surface is done, the walls and floor will be completed next, although these will be painted first because there isn't much room for a brush inbetween the lines! The line has been laid using the same chairs as the points, and looking at photos of the real thing the spacing is larger than standard line, so this has been recreated here.
     




    The ash pit is taking shape in the foreground, the last trackwork to be built on the scenic section!


     
    So, thats the latest progress since the last entry. Alexandra Palace should see a few bits aquired to allow more scenic work, assuming I don't get distracted by certain new releases instead!
     
    Finally, a short video showing a few comings and goings at Ropley
     

    [media='']
    [/media]


    Cheers all,
     
    Tom
  15. TomE

    Das Yard!

    By TomE,

    Hi all.
     
    Whilst I wait for a suitable day to start work on the base board for Ropley, I’ve been giving some though as to how to re-create the yard area in all it's ashy & grimy glory.
     
    The trackwork outside the main shed is pretty much buried in ash & muck, as shown in this photo
     

    Image ©Kentishman
     
    So, the question was how to go about getting the same effect in N gauge.
     
    I've never modelled inset track before, so this was a whole new experience for me. The first obvious criteria to bare in mind is that engines still have to be able to run over this area of track, and at even slower speeds than on the normal lines, so good contact with the rail is essential. Naturally due to the scale there would have to be a fairly large 'groove' in the ground to allow the N gauge flanges to run along.
     
    My first thought was to simply use card or plastic inlaid between the lines, but very quickly decided this would give a much too uniform appearance and be practically devoid of any texture. I then came across Chris Nevard's article in Model rail about using air drying clay for producing a similar kind of effect, and decided that this might be the best method to try.
     
    So, a quick trip to the local Ryman’s to pick up some DAS clay, and a short length of easitrac laid on a short plank of wood and I was ready to begin experimenting!
     
    There wasn't really any scientific method to applying the clay, small lumps were simply pushed onto the line until it was level with the tops of the rails. After this a steel rule dipped in water was slowly run along the line to even off the clay, and then a damp finger used to smooth out any areas lifted up by the ruler. Once this was done, an old wagon was run up and down the line until grooves had formed to allow the wheels to sit correctly on the line. I found it necessary to repeat running the ruler & finger over the clay, then running the wagon up and down a few times until all looked nice and smooth. A large brush was then used to gently stipple the surface to give some texture.
     
    After the clay had dried overnight, the first step was to give it quick sand with some P120 grade wet & dry paper. It was then sprayed with plasti-kote Suede texture paint before a layer of Halfords grey primer. At this stage, the fibrous nature of clay became apparent as the test section took on a slightly hairy appearance, but this was simply tapped down whilst still wet and actually adds to the texture. Finally, the whole lot was give a wash of thinned Humbrol matt black.
     

     

     
    I'll leave you to judge from the photos if the method has been successful, but I'm quite pleased how it turned out. By creating a few indentations here and there I think I'll be able to recreate puddles of water using either PVA or Kleer.
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  16. TomE

    Ropley - Balls.....

    By TomE,

    Polystyrene balls! The damn things get everywhere!
     
    As hoped I've managed to make a start on the embankment that runs along the Northern side of the running lines. The basic shape for this has been made from Foam Board in order to keep the weight down, and then wedges of polystyrene cut to shape and glued into the gaps. A thin layer of a PVA/polyfiller mix was then spread on top and this will be lightly sanded before being painted.
     
    Here's the basic construction taking place:

     
    The polystyrene foam wedges in place (post vacuuming!):
     

     
    And the current state of play, with a top layer now drying out:
     

     
    The rest of the embankment will be formed once the backscene is fitted, and I'm still contemplating how best to do this, so more on that another time!
     
    I've also managed to fit the 2 Cobalt point motors picked up at Warley, so the Barry slip is now fully operational! I am glad I went with the Cobalt motors. It's quite cosy under the main point formations, and tortoises wouldn't have fitted into the available space:
     
    Just a warning, electronics experts should look away now.........
     

     
    The two new motors are at the top, and you can see that only 3 wires are needed to get a fully operational motor. The green wires run to the frogs, and the black and red wires to the main bus. That said, even the older motors with the AD1 decoders don't require that much wiring!
     
    I should really crack on and finish the one remaining point that can be seen in the photos above, so that will be the next job I think.
     
    Cheers all!
     
    Tom.
  17. TomE
    New trees springing up everywhere!


     
    Hi all,
     
    The tree line along the top of the embankment has moved forward a little recently with the completion of a few more specimens! It's slow work, mainly because my fingers need some recovery time after all that wire twisting, however I think the end result is worth the effort (and pain!) Obvioulsy it's impossible to have a 100% accurate representation of each and every tree (or is it...) so this will be a rough approximation of sizes and shapes.




    Only another 20 or so to go..........!


     
    In non forestry related news, with thanks to Pixie of this parish, the recently released RMB is now running with B4 bogies as per the preserved examples at the MHR. It's also received a red cantrail stripe and now just needs to be lightly weathered and have some enthusiasts installed.




    Anyone know a source of 2mm scale sandwiches?


     
    After reading back through Missy's excellent blog, I decided to follow her example when it came to point rodding, and courtesy of MSE, some .4mm square brass wire arrived this morning. I was orginally going to use the 2mm Scale Association etched rodding, but having seen the sqaure rod in use, it gives some extra depth over the etch. It is slightly overscale, but not by much, and if anything I think that will help make it more noticable, especially once painted and weathered and blended in with the rest of the trackwork.




    MSE Brass rod on the left, 2mmSA etch on the right


     
    Finally, and you may have noticed, I have been playing around with the presentation of the blog, trying to make it a little different and visually more interesting, hopefully it works but feel free to let me know if it doesn't!!
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  18. TomE

    Ropley - 50 Shades of Brown

    By TomE,

    Landscaping for the rear embankment is now complete.


     
    Hi All.
     
    Things are moving slowing down at small scale Ropley at the moment, significantly slower than at the real location it seems! You may remember a while back that I was considering whether to keep up with the changing scene at Ropley and model the ex Kings Cross footbridge which is now in the final stages of being installed across the yard. It now seems that some significant tree clearance is taking place along the top of the embankment. How far this is going i'm not sure yet, but I suspect the number of tress I need to make is going to drop by quite a few!
     
    This all became evident whilst looking through the images posted to Steam Tube by Tony Wood, a very useful resource for me thanks to the many photos taken from in and around the yard. This particular image shows the extent of the tree clearance along the top of the embankment:
     



     
    I'd always intended that the model would be somewhat flexible on timescale, the recent addition of the bridge requiring the reality distortion field to be dialed up a notch further when running stock which predates it's installation such as 60019 in green, and Std 5 73096, a stalwart of the line for many years up until 2011, but the removal of the trees may provide a final cut off point as for me this area loses some of its appeal without that line of green atop the embankment. The Spring steam gala at the start of March will provide the opportunity to try and work out what is happening in this area, and if it's something that I will want to replicate in miniature.
     
    Anyway, back to the model, and the basic ground works for the embankment are now complete. This is a significant step forwards, as it means scenic work can now start in ernest (at least where things are not changing!) The method was the same as previously described, with a foam board top fixed to formers being used to help keep weight down. The path and track have had a thin skim of filler which was sanded smooth once dry before the whole lot was sprayed with sleeper grime.




    The embankment complete. The roof on the Carriage and Boiler shop has warped beyond use and will be replaced.


     
    The vertically challenged Down Inner Home signal is also now nearly complete bar a few minor details and some final tidying up. The cut out in the embankment where this is sited has been reproduced by applying a thin layer of filler to the sides, then having a small ball of tim foil pressed into it to try and replicate the stone seen in the real thing. Hopefully once painted this will look reasonably like the prototype! You can see the various staged of the construction of this signal in the 2mm workbench thread here. Well worth a look for the other superb work on show there!




    The Down Inner Home in its embankment cut out.






    The view from the head shunt line.


     
    The completion of the embankment has really spurred me on now to try any complete some of the scenic area towards the rear of the layout so that things can progress at the front without the risk of damage by leaning over. I also need to crack on and finish the Carriage and Boiler shed so that work can start on the main shed and wheel drop as well as finishing the ash pit, so, lots to do!
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  19. TomE

    Ropley - Under a MDF sky

    By TomE,

    Ropley's new Bendy MDF coloured sky. But not for long.....


     
    Hi All!
     
    Another one of those 'I'll do it next time' jobs has been completed in the shape of the Backscene. After reading a few threads on the Forum on the subject, I opted for bendy MDF, in the hope it would be fairly easy to form a nice curve at the end of the board, and it seems to have done the job nicely. The other end doesn't have the curve to allow the possible future extension to include the station area. The MDF is pretty sturdy as it is, but I have the option to double it up with a layer of ply if nessecary.
     




    The unseen end!


     
    I'm quite pleased with how this has turned out. All it needs now is to be painted, which I think will just be a coat of white and then a light spray of blue along the top. I've never been a hugh fan of backscenes which dominate the rest of the layout, so subtlety is the name of the game here!
     
    I've also made a start on the ballast around the Carriage and Boiler Shop. A the time the building was re-constructed, the newly laid track here was burried up to rail level, but unlike the area outside the main shed is fresh ballast, so the DAS Clay method wouldn't really work for this. I decided to test a small area using the same ballast as used for the main line (Treemendus Normandy Earth Powder) simply laid to rail height and then tamped into place after clearing a small grove to allow stock to run along it.
     




    The Ballast was fixed with Clear, which has darkend it slightly, giving a closer to prototype appearence.


     
    There appears to have been a large concrete slab put in place along the front of the nearest rail fairly recently on which one of the S15's is being worked on, so I need to visit Ropley again soon to see how far towards the camera this extends. The concrete slab for the footbridge also needs to be installed in front of the far edge of the C&B shop before I can ballast up to to it.
     
    Now the backscene is in place I can build up the land behind the embankment and push on with the rest of the ballasting!
     
    Cheers,
     
    Tom.
  20. TomE

    Ropley - On the edge

    By TomE,

    Ropley overview. Visible progress is being made with the embankment to the left now in place.


     
    Happy New Year all!
     
    Well, the first blog post of 2013 and I finally have some visible progress with the layout to show! Over the New Year period, a few days off work have seen several major steps forward made which have totally transformed the look of the model. Firstly though we'll briefly go back to signals.
     
    The last blog entry showed the first stages of the Up Starter signal, and this is now largely complete. You can see a few updates on its construction in the 2mm Scale section here. Also now started is the Down Inner Home signal recently installed as the final stage of the prototype's resignalling. This will eventually allow bi-direction running through the station giving the line much greater flexibility. Due to the road bridge further up the line, this is quite a squat affair for sighting reasons, and has been installed in to a cut out in the embankment. This area was modelled before the signal was installed at the real location, so it was necessary to do some small scale excavation to make room for the model.

    The Down Inner Home signal being placed.


     
    The photo below shows the Up Starter temporarily placed to make sure it is in the correct location. The finial is only held in place with blu-tack at the moment so if it is accidentally caught, it won't snap off!

    The Up Starter in position.


     
    The biggest progress has been with the embankment which is now in place for the entire length of the layout. This has also required the section of platform which extends on to the area being modelled to be made. Starting with the embankment, foamboard was used to create the basic shape of the ground from the backscene to the edge of the slope. This was laid onto spacers cut to shape, which allowed the slight curve of the ground toward the rear to be replicated. It may be difficult to see from the photos, but a thin strip of land at the top of the slope is flat where the footpath runs, and then the grassed area slopes up towards the rear.
     
    At the start of the treeline there is a raised area to allow vehicle access from the top car park, along with a small raised viewing area
     
    I chose to use foamboard in an attempt to keep weight down, and hopefully it will prove strong enough to cope with the occasional exhibition. The actual embankment is formed using polyfiller mixed with PVA for added strength. It needs a sanding in a few places, and I'll certainly never make it as a plasterer, but it does the job!
     

    The newly installed embankment.


     
    A basic platform structure was created from plasticard and fixed into position. On top of this, a 1mm thick layer was added which featured the cut outs for the platform seating and the water crane. The seating areas are made up from old sleepers, and these will be added later into the cut outs. This layer provided the edge for the embankment along the platform as you can see below.
     

    The basic platform structure in place, showing the cut outs for various platform furniture.


     
    The actual platform surface will be a second layer of 1mm thick plastic cut to the correct shape and fitted into these cut outs. Also visible in the photo is the platform edging. This is a separate layer made up using my own brick paper produced using photos of the actual platform at Ropley. This area differs from the more common flat fronted platforms found in the area, and indeed slightly further along this platform, as it was an extension built only a few years ago. The brick paper was fixed in place by soaking it in Mek, and the stepping made up in layers before being cut to shape. I'm quite pleased with how this has turned out as I wasn't entirely convinced paper was the right material for the job, but it would be much more difficult to reproduce the brick colour of the real thing by using embossed plastic and paint.
     
    In the photos, this is only temporarily held in place and still required the two cut outs for point & signal rodding/wires adding. The platform surface presents a further challenge as it is made up of patterned edging stones so some more thought is required on how to replicate these in such a small size.

    The photo from which the platform edging was produced.

    Hi-Viz man takes a break to admire the newly formed topography!


     
    This little spurt of activity has really made a significant change to the look of the layout and means I can start to progress scenery away from the water tower area. It does however raise a few challenges, amongst which is replicating the fencing which runs along the top of the embankment, something which is not available commercially. The grass here is also very short, so replicating this with static grass may be difficult with the shortest available still being slightly too long!
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  21. TomE

    Fairsh Voyager

    By TomE,

    Here are a few photos and thoughts on the Graham Farish Cross Country Voyager. The model has been around for a few years now but still holds it's own against some of the latest releases like the Class 150.
     
    The power unit is fitted in one of the front vehicles which means only 2 decoders are required for DCC operation compared to the 3 required for the Dapol version. Performance out of the box was excellent, smooth and quiet as you would expect with a Farish product. The units are joined by means of a small coupling bar which I was glad to see came with a few spares as they look like they wouldn't really stand up to frequent use.
     
    Finish wise it's generally very good, although there is a little fuzziness along some of the edges between the dark and light silver. The colours look to be a good match for the prototype, just like the Turbostar released last month. The red roof of the ex Virgin scheme gives the Voyager a different look to the 170 though, and really needs weathering down to match the real thing. In some cases it's impossible to tell the roof is actually red at all! There is a wealth of fine detail represented from warning signs down to the Destination screens and Quiet Zone stickers on the doors of one of the end units.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    All in all a lovely model up to Farish's usual high standard and it looks great when formed up. These things crop up all over the place so you can pretty much justify one on any layout.
     
    I await the Farish 222 Meridian with great interest and it should make an interesting comparison to the Voyager!
     
    Tom.
  22. TomE

    Mk.1 modifications

    By TomE,

    Hello all
     
    Whilst browsing photos for Ropley on the net, I came across this one showing a modified Mk.1 BSK currently in use on the MHR:
     

    Image © pix42day
     
    It appears to be a standard BSK with a roller door fitted where the third window should be. I'm not sure what this is used for exactly, but it seemed like an ideal opportunity to bash a Farish Mk.1, and here is the result of an afternoons modelling:
     

     
    Obviously the bogies will need to be swapped for a pair of Commonwealths and it looks like there could be some difference in the roof vents. I did try to replicate the corrugated nature of the door by scribing on the reverse side, but unfortunately the effect is lost under the first layer of paint. Still, it probably wouldn't be visible at this scale anyway. I also need to add the additional footboard under the roller door.
     
    So far it's been a nice simple conversion which will add a little variety to the layout.
     
    Cheers,
     
    Tom.
  23. TomE
    Shedding some light on things.


     
    Hi All.
     
    For a little while now I've been thinking about whether I should go to the trouble of adding working lighting to the layout. Whilst there isn't that much around the yard, it would add another level of realism, and potentially allow some atmospheric N Gauge photos! Just take a look at Missy's blog post here to see what kind of effects can be achieved.
     
    So, this afternoon I plugged in the soldering iron, dug out some 0.8mm diameter brass and located my supply of minature LEDs. Photos to hand show that the lights in the yard are more of a white light, so white LEDs were used. If nessecary these can be toned down a little with some clear yellow paint. A very thin piece of brass, an off cut from an etch of something else, was used to create a J shape to represent the light fixing before being soldered to the LED then the post cross brace. In reality this should be more of a U shape, but as I'm using this to conduct power, the other side will be added from a thin piece of plastic once the light hood is made. Some very fine wire was soldered to the other side of the LED and then fed down the post. As you'll see from the photo below this handily replicates the power cables of the real thing. The 0.8mm tube was then soldered to som 1mm tube to represent the wider base.
     




    One of the prototype lights in the yard






    And the much smaller version.


     
    Amazingly the whole thing works and now just needs the light hoods making from thin plastic and then paint it before being installed. That isn't going to happen until more of the scenery towards the rear of the layout is complete, otherwise it's liable to get damaged.
     
    Now the first one is proven to work, the remaing four should be a fairly easy task, and I think the finished effect will be worth the effort!
     
     

    UPDATE


     
    Rather than add a new entry, heres a quick update showing the whole thing pretty much finished bar some thin clear plastic over the fronts of the light units, which I need to source from somewhere. Quite pleased with how this has turned out given my usual aversion to anything electonic!



     
    Cheers,
     
    Tom.
  24. TomE

    Stuffed!

    By TomE,

    Hi all.
     
    Just another quick experiment in producing trees, this time using poly fibres intended for use in re-stuffing teddy bears in place of the wire wool. This tree is yet to have any foliage added, which will be a trial using Woodland Scenics fine turf in place of the Noch leaves. It does make quite a nice winter tree as it is though!
     

     
    This tree is 5" tall and uses very slightly thinner wire than the first attempt which I think gives it a finer appearance. I have some even thinner wire coming which I'll try with the next tree to see if some finer branches can be added and the poly fibres thinned out a little more.
     
    For those interested, the poly fibres were purchased from here: http://www.lilliantr.../weightings.htm (Super Polyester) and were quite a bargin. I ordered 250gms at £1.90 and there is enough to model the new forest in N!
     
    Cheers all,
     
    Tom.
  25. TomE
    Ropley now has a place to fiddle.

    Hi All.
     
    What is that saying about best laid plans.......!
     
    In the run up to RMweb Live! and Ropley's first public appearance, I had hoped to increase the frequency of these blog entries to show some of the work being done to get the layout ready. It was always going to be exhibited as a work in progress, but events have somewhat overtaken the layout of late.
     
    Sadly, last weekend we lost Dad after a 3 1/2 year battle with Myelofibrosis and latterly Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Obviously this hasn't left an awful amount of time for modelling in the past few weeks, but since then it has been a handy distraction and some progress has been made in one area I have being saying I will start for over a year now!
     
    So, behold, the first fiddle yard board for Ropley!
     
     
     



     


    Operating in line with the keep it simple approach to things, it is a fairly simple arrangement, with a traverser running on some drawer runners sourced from the web. I had the ply cut to the required dimensions by the local timber yard, which saved no end of time and trouble! A couple of coats of matt black paint later and we have something that Lockheed would be proud of!
     
     
     


    All that remains now is to lay the 5 roads of easitrac and make up the alignment system, which will be nothing more elaborate than some brass section and tube. Operation of the traverser will be manual, as I don't believe it to be large enough to warrant some fancy all signing all dancing electrical operating method.
     
    So, one down, one to go, and a whole 5 weeks in which to do it.......easy..................!
     
    Tom.
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