LDM34046

Merry Christmas! Wishing everyone an enjoyable and safe festive period! Thank you for everyone’s modelling support over the last year! It’s crazy to think that this time last year the boards had only just been built. Hopefully 2022 brings happiness and joy as well as plenty more modelling. I’m sure I’ll do some more modelling in the coming days but for now, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Inspired by the ever talented @NHY 581 and his recent escapades with the Hornby brake vans I’ve decided to try my hand at making the wood finish more realistic on my newly completed mineral wagons. Layers of paint where added with a stiff brush to create a streaky uneven finish and then, while still wet, a stipple brush was used to scratch away at the paint creating a wood grain texture. The artificial lights in my room don’t really pick up details and on the layout it still looks like a solid shade of brown. I’ll try again for some more natural light photos tomorrow although I may end up using some more varied shades of browns and greys. I feel like the current ones don’t have a wide enough colour variation to create a noticeable grain texture.

A visitor to Lancaster Lane. Class 24 ‘D5054’ in BR Green. A lovely model by Bachmann. There’s been a lot of early diesel talk on a few other popular threads and I fell victim to a great deal online! With the layout set in 1959, the introduction of BR Green locomotives is plausible and I’ve had my eyes on the new Kernow ‘PWM’ locomotive however, like most new models, there’s been delay, probably until the new year so the Class 24 has scratched my itch for now!

Finally re-wired the fiddle yard today so trains can finally commence again. With the poor weather outside I haven’t had chance to spray the undercoat on the parkside kit. Still debating on what colours to paint it. The first port of call is the Peckett which was causing issues at the exhibition. Three weeks later the issues still occur. The track is clean and the loco fitted with a stay-alive, so electrical connection isn’t an issue. When the Peckett stops, the lightest of touches down on the cab will help it move again? To me, that seems that the wheels aren’t sitting level on the track but I’m at a loose send on why it doesn’t run. The contacts all seem intact… The other issue was the faulty point. The rectified wiring hasn’t worked so a new switch needs to be ordered, this time a SPDT instead of DPDT.

Thank you Mark! I built a Cambrian Model kit as a kid and it was an absolute mess so avoid kits for years. Now with my newfound modelling confidence I've been really enjoying the Parkside kits. It's nice they include everything including transfers and wheels.

A quiet rainy morning has meant I've had the chance to do a bit of modelling. Really enjoying kit building at the moment, especially these Parkside kits. Looking forward to tackling some larger builds on the next layout. Next job is to get it painted and weathered to sit alongside my other recently finished wagon kit.

Apologies for the radio silence. The final day of the exhibition went smoothly and lots of lovely comments! Lancaster Lane made it back home safely and in one piece! The faulty switch has been re-wired with new connections across both contacts to improve the reliability. However I’ve not had a chance to test the new fix as one of the fiddle yard droppers has become unsoldered. With a new work contract resulting in a few seven day weeks in the run up to Christmas I’m not sure when I’m going to have chance to both fix the fiddle yard and shoot some new photos. Hopefully a stray free evening pops up! In the meantime, happy modelling!

Day One complete! A great day and incredibly well supported for a local show including a great chat with the local Mayor about all things railways. The faulty point has been investigated and turns out to be a faulty switch. The issue can be over come by applying pressure to the switch while the locomotive moves over the point but a replacement will be sorted after the event. One of the Peckett’s has decided it didn’t want to play ball, after running perfectly for half a year! Always the way! Think it’s something to do with electrical pick-up as I don’t think all four wheels sit flat on the track. Not the end of the world. A great day operating with my dad and enjoying great conversation with the general public! Roll on the final day tomorrow!

Lancaster Lane is on the move! Set up for it’s debut at Gravesend Model Railway Show this weekend. A bit of a last minute rush to get the trestles and drape sorted. The laser cut sign is a great addition to the layout. Made by a lovely chap who reached out to me on Twitter. His website is below, not a paid ad, just an excellent product! https://flexxgenix.com/?doing_wp_cron=1636150128.3253018856048583984375 A few electrical niggles with one of the points which decides when it wants to work but it seems to be resolved just before we left for the night. Time will tell tomorrow! Here’s to a hopefully successful weekend! If you’re visiting please do come and say hello!

A bit late to the party but Happy Halloween for those who celebrate it! I hope everyone had a suitably spooky weekend!

Friday Delivery.

Everything okay Simon?

Today was the first day of getting Lancaster Lane ready for its debut exhibition in a few weeks time. The trestles were assembled and given a test run. A bit fiddly to put together but nice and sturdy once the bolts are done up tight. Debated with different heights for a while. As much as Lancaster Lane is best viewed at eye level I realised that wasn’t very practical for exhibition use. I think the height of the trestles ended up at about 120cm, making the layout sit comfortably at the lower chest. Thick black fabric has also been ordered to form the curtain, which should hopefully be held in place with simple thumb tacks. Until that arrives an artistic impression will have to suffice! All that’s left to do now is make up a sign for the layout name and that all important job of making sure it all fits in the car!

Agreed. They definitely have a great prototypical feel about them!

I agree Al. For prolonged sessions it does becomes quite tiresome. All my stock still retain the NEM coupling socket so it’s easy to switch between the two should I want to. I’m glad I’ve converted some of the stock. I wanted to give the system a try for operating, and of course for photography.

The biggest gain is the looks. They’re relatively easy to fit and in terms of coupling and uncoupling they’re pretty easy with the right technique. But that’s with me sitting at the layout and eye level on my desk. I’m not sure how practical they’ll be in an exhibition environment.

A few more wagons finished over the weekend. Really happy with how they look although I’m still not sure about operating, especially with the exhibition coming up. They might just take a bit more practice but I could always revert back to the NEM for the show. About half of the stock has now been converted and I need to order a few more sets to finish of the rest of the wagons. Operating is fun, however I found myself changing the way I operate the layout because of the couplings which is why I’m hesitant to progress with the rest of the stock. I suppose I’m back to square one in terms of the balance between looking realistic and operating potential. Hmmmm, some head scratching to do!

I agree! This particular bargain bucket was tucked away in the far corner of the exhibition in a box under the stand. Usually, when shifting through buckets I have google open to hand checking how the prices compare online. It does surprise me some of the mark ups these big retailers have on some items!

Both the Pannier and Jinty are now back on the layout having been fitted with Zimo decoders and stay-alive chips. A big thank you to Kevin at Coastal DCC for his work again. Next job is to tidy up a bit of the weathering and add the locomotive detailing packs.

Great to have you back! Work hours can be a funny game! Looking forward to seeing your next developments on Project X! LDM

A nice new addition to the layout. Oh how I’ve missed the exhibition bargain buckets! Always impressed with Bachmann models and really looking forward to giving this 20 Ton Panel Van a light weathering.

Making a start on the 3-links. Three wagons done so far. Not as fiddly as I first thought although a bit more practice is needed for drilling the holes in the buffer beams. Maybe a smaller drill bit! Really happy with the result. Leaps and bounds over the standard coupling. I still need to remove the NEM pocket. Much shorter distance between the individual wagons. Much more noticeable. Three done. 14 wagons left to do, plus the four locos once I’m brave enough!

A trip up north to the Great Electric Train Show today. A good show with plenty of lovely layouts on display. Probably a tad too busy for my liking but great for the hobby after a difficult two years! Oh, and a decision was made on couplings… Commencing Project 3-Link…

Thank you all for your kind words! The deadline for the show has given me a good kick of motivation to get some more bits done Painted a few more figures this morning. I’ve noticed that the Hardy Hobbies figures come up slightly smaller compared to the Modelu figures but not too noticeable when kept apart on the layout. Modelu have since released a load of new detailing products for both the yard and the locos so another project for the future.