TomE

A little more work done this morning:

Tom.

Is there a reason why you chose the Terra Cotta type of DAS clay over the white?

Thanks Stephen!

Not particularly, it's just what I had in the drawer at the time!

Cheers,

Tom.

That's looking superb!

Thanks James!

Looking great Tom. I had similar problems with the colliery yard after I buried it in gunge - you just have to keep cleaning and scraping and polishing until its clean. If it ran well before then it will do so again.

 

Jerry

Thanks Jerry! I think I'm about there now, at least until it's painted anyway when all the track will need cleaning again!

Tom,

 

Looking good. If I didn't know better I would have put money on that first image being of something somewhat larger than N gauge!! Very inspirational stuff.

 

Ian

Thanks Ian! I think its a testament to the latest models that N gauge now needs a second look to make sure it is actually N gauge!

Cheers,

Tom.

Looking at the yard area it almost seems a shame to cover all that lovely scale trackwork. Do you think that a rtr track system (does Atlas do code 40 track?) would look as effective if then combined with easy track for the rest of the layout?

Thanks Atso! I could probably have used RTR track in the yard area, but I suspect the transition may have cause a few issues. I'm also not sure there would be any advantage in running qualities, and some work with the wet & dry paper along the inner edges of the rail seems to be improving things. The only loco I have issues with is the Farish Black 5, but I think thats more down to the fact it only picks up off about 3 wheels! The newer models with pick up bushes now seem to be fine, as does the Dapol Brit.

Looking good Tom...

 

That first picture especially so...

 

I sympathise on the loco sticking issues...got three of those T-shirts

Thanks Pete! Luckily I haven't had your cracking issues, otherwise I think the aerodynamic properties of the layout would have been put to the test!

Cheers,

Tom.

Nice work Pete, its comimg along very quickly!

I had one of those Cockrobin signals, bought from MG sharp a long long time ago. I remember being particularly pleased that I managed to get it up and working without blowing it up! They were the bees knees in signalling! Weren't they bought by Roger Murray in the end?

Tom.

Hi Tom.

Yes, I just used a very fine brush to touch up the frames. The fact they are raised slightly helps the process! Any slight overspill was carefully removed with knife blade.

Cheers,

Tom.

Hmmm...snow...now there's an idea...

Do it!! You know it makes sense Pete Not enough winter based layouts around!

Tom.

Nice work Pete, as Jon says very tidy! Looking forward to watching this one develop. Nothing like a deadline to kickstart the modelling mojo!

Tom.

Thanks Stephen.

To be honest I haven't given the running order much thought, although I'll probably try and mirror the MHR timetable as closely as possible, but speeded up a bit! The problem with doing a gala timetable is you also need a much greater number of passengers milling around the yard, so some way of adding and removing crowds would need to be devised depending and the type of service you are running.

Cheers,

Tom.

Looks like you had a great day will, and nice to see the layout out in the wild! Not sure about that Load Haul Class 50 though...........

Tom.

Very neat work Frank. Do your alignment bolts also provide electrical contact?

Tom.

Lovely Pete, duely bookmarked! Having had some involvement in web design in the past, thats not at all bad for a freebie! It's nice to see the early gestation of the layout.

Tom.

Awesome stuff as always Pete. It's the little things like this that suddenly bring the scene together, and thats evident in that last photo. Love it!

Tom.

Nice virtual work! The Kerosene Castle will look rather impressive gliding through Highclere! Plenty of space in that bodyshell for a little speaker too.....

Tom.

The PPM is looking excellent Will. I'll certainly have one once the definitive model is ready! Did it ever make it to Ropley or was Medstead as far as it got?

Tom.

Nice work with the ground signal Chris. Got a few of those to do myself, so always good to see how other tackle them.

Tom.

How about 'scenic fiddleyards' as demonstrated by Marc Smith's recent layouts?...

A nice idea Pete, but with the first board a long way from being finished, and the station board planned for the future, I think that might be biting off more than I can chew just now However, very very very long term, the layout could be extended to include the other stations on the line which would mean no need for fiddle yards at all!

Tom,

 

If they don't run smoothly placed horizontally then you could always try mounting them vertically, which should be smoother as the fiddleyard will act as an big drawer. Which orientation has Jerry used on Tuckingmill?

 

The fiddleyard and wiring for ST Ruth are so complicated as it is designed for four controllers to be used at once (DC I hasten to add.) KISS is long gone!

 

Best Regards,

 

Chris.

Thanks Chris, something to keep in mind. Hopefully the runners will arrive tomorrow and I can see what they are like. I'm hoping to get the first yard done by the middle of August and if it all works as planned then the second one will follow fairly quickly. That has some other considerations to take into account, namely being compatible with the layout in its current form, and its eventual extended format.

Cheers,

Tom.

Thanks Pete!

You won't need to crank your neck here, the edges of the yards will be purposly fairly low to allow people to see whats up next!

Tom.

Thanks for that Chris.

I had a look at those Igus runners, but they are quite pricey! I suppose it will be a classic case of you get what you pay for but I'll see what the cheapo ones are like first!

Cheers,

Tom.

Thanks Jerry.

Will keep the advice about the runners in mind! Don't want stock flying off all over the place!

I had been thinking about using the alignment bolts for electrical connection if I can find some that are a tight enough fit. Another thought was to use some computer cable & connectors or something similar.

Tom.

Many thanks for that Jan! Very useful info, and now I know the chassis details it should be easy enough to work out the rest. If you manage to upload the photo I'd love to see it, anything that helps with the detail!

Thanks again,

Tom.

Awesome stuff Pete. Really glad it's all starting to come together after the inset track issues!

Tom.

Thanks Stephen!

Rust oleum make a couple of great gravel shades that are even fine enough for N.

Link here http://www.rustoleumspraypaint.com/product/textured/

Thanks for that link, interesting looking stuff! If I see any locally ill pick some up to try out.

Cheers,

Tom.

Thanks Frank!

I used a spare BR1 bogie pushed along the line after the DAS had been allowed to dry for a little while. The whole lot will be sanded smooth with wet & dry paper, and the flangeway grove deepend slightly further during this process to try and ensure smooth running. I have seen others use a hacksaw blade run along the edge of the rail as an alternative method.

As for painting, DAS will take pretty much any type of paint, but the plan here is to give the whole lot a coat of Halfords grey primer after sanding, and the. Use thinned enamels washed on to try and create the same look as the prototype. On the test plank I used black, but this time I think I,ll make up a dirty brown colour to better match the real location.

Cheers,

Tom.

By the way... I think this is your wagon before it was made over...

http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrust.org/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=2967

No mention of dimensions. Sorry.

Thanks Jan, thats one photoi didn't come across whilst searching.

Nice work Tom.

The proper way to do inset track...

Thanks Pete! I guess it's a bit late to ship some DAS to BCN!

Tom,

 

The earlier tank wagon is an 'anchor mount' type. I have a drawing somewhere for a 20t wagon, but not the 14t version, which seems to be shorter. 'Missy' Julia was considering producing some for 'Highclere', but I don't know if she's got very far with them.

 

Nice work on the layout btw!

 

Andy

Thanks Andy, will have to speak to Julia at Stafford!

Evening Tom,

Another inspirational entry, I'm learning all sorts of useful wrinkles from this thread. I hope this is designed to be capable of going to shows. Models of a preserved line are normaly just a freelance excuse to run anything and are rarely convincing. This is a very different animal, an accurate portrayal of a preserved prototype done to the highest standards. I look forward to seeing this in the flesh sometime. Keep the posts coming.

 

Jerry

Thanks Jerry! The intention is that the layout will be exhibitable and will eventually expand to include the station, but that's a looooong way off!

I have to be honest and say that when I was thinking about doing a preserved line, the ability to run stock that would not otherwise be seen together was quite a large factor, but I will limit myself to things which have actually run on the line, so you won't be seeing any too outlandish!

Cheers all!

Tom.