josh_will

Mr Postman has delivered some micro strip, so here’s the bridge girder being made. I’ve also worked on the embankment area. I seem to have gone mad with the greenery again but I’m not changing it this time. Scenery is definitely not my forte, it’s something I struggle to get right. It looks too much like a section of branch line track and there’s not enough grey or brown in there. Oh well always next time.

I've really enjoyed the YouTube updates, and as many others have said I'm very much looking forward to seeing it at an exhibition before too long. The blending of the road into the backscene is perfect. Hope to see more of your work on here in the future.

A little more progress today.

It’s unrecognisable now from the layout I had last week. I don’t know how people build larger layouts. It’s taken me almost a whole day just to make this progress.

Here’s the low relief bridge being made.

I can’t decide whether to go with a bridge or a level crossing for the scenic break.

Finishing the loading dock

Well, slightly regretting my choice to scrap the existing scenery but here’s the new look, with the whole of the front now given a tarmac surface.

I tried soapy water as you just mentioned and it does work, what a mess though! It looks wasteful but I actually started this layout months ago and lost interest for a while so it’s not too much of a loss to do this. I just felt that it didn’t look enough like a goods yard, there was too much green. I don’t know how to go about creating the look I want now though Josh

If I’m not sure about the ground cover what’s the best way to remove it? It’s all scatter.

Thanks, yes I did try drilling the posts but then I found this technique on the 'County Gate' 009 website, I think my fences look reasonable but not as good as commercially available ones.

Here’s how I make my fences. I cut some 80 thous. plastikard into strips and then cut these down into 18mm long pieces. I then set these up in a wooden jig, so that they are 20mm apart, and paint. In this case I’ve gone for a concrete colour. Once dry, I take some 30swg (0.3mm) hobby wire and use the iron to melt them into the plastic. The iron is held against the wire close to the post and after a couple of seconds it should join to the plastic.

Adding some foliage along the headshunt.

Thanks I like the look of your Coal Plank too. I’m just finishing off the low relief buildings now.

I thought I’d upload some pictures of this micro layout as it’s near completion now. It’s nothing more than a standard inglenook sidings, but only a 3-2-2 version to keep things simple. It’s made out of a lot of second hand parts found out trade stalls. The track is Peco Code 100 and the ballast is Green Scene fine grade. The few structures on the layout are scratch built from Slaters and Evergreen parts, and require a little more painting and finishing touches.

Regarding the Kadees, I find I need to put foam on top of both axles, I cut out two cubes of foam around the size of a sugar cube and hold them in place with lumps of Blu-tac. If you try to spin the axles with your finger they should barely rotate - this will allow the Kadees to work well, the wagons won't get pushed backwards when you try to couple and they won't get dragged along and not uncouple when you want them to uncouple when over a magnet. I believe that in the US wagons tend to be much heavier, and they should be weighted at the official standards set by the modelling associations over there. This might mean that Kadees are more reliable there without the need to add resistance to the axles, I don't know for sure. I spent weeks trying to find a solution for reliable uncoupling for my micro layout and eventually settled on Kadees after extensive testing of them because they can be 95% reliable if you get the set up just right. Also the height is crucial, they must be consistent so if you have any that are too high or too low then paper or card shims in the gearboxes or NEM pockets will make it work. Josh

Another vote for the Antex 25 watt here but I'd recommend getting the one with the Silicon cable as it should make your life much easier getting to hard to reach places etc. Being able to easily change tips and having so many available is a God send. A soldering station could be worth it if you have plenty of soldering to do but if it's just some dropper wires and a few other things then the 25 watt should be fine. In an ideal world I'd have the Weller station that I use at work but then again they cost £450.... Josh

Little something here to keep me busy. Made using spares and leftovers. The shade of green for the sealing is a bit strange but options for paint are a bit limited right now.

Well I didn’t mean literally sit leaning against it I just meant the area behind the catering stands.

I agree to an extent, I do love going to the show and I try to make the most of it by getting there early and leaving right at the end, but I find it doesn’t start thinning out till around 4pm and it is not till then that I can really start browsing around stands such as Squires or Cheltenham Model Centre. But I still enjoy. I went to Bristol for the first time this year and it comparison to Warley it is a better experience, imo. Also I noticed that they won’t even let you have a sit down against the wall at the back now, which I’m more than happy to do - you’ve got to keep wandering around in the hope that you’ll find a free seat somewhere.

Kadee purists look away now... Here’s an old Bachmann grain wagon with Kadee 148s fitted with screws into the existing holes for the T/L. Yes I know the gear box extends out a mile from the buffer beam but it’s a quick and convenient conversion, and in my view looks no worse than an NEM-type Kadee fitting, and it also sets the knuckle at an ideal distance from the buffer beam for my needs.

What’s with the 12k SMT resistor on the axle?

Apologies John I noticed after reading back through the thread that you’d already suggested the foam to me. Josh

They’re quite good but the wheels were very free-rolling which must have been exacerbating the issues I was having. They’re good for converting as you get a nice large flat space to take a new coupling. I’ll have to keep an eye out for them at bargain stands at shows.

I’ll look into it.