Woody C

4 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

My parents weren't too happy about the stink in my room, either

Brilliant! I do recall exactly the same situation with spilling some white spirit in my bedroom and the reprocussions that bought for me which I think was being banned from model making for several weeks. The Airfix loco kits were great and I was trying at that time to think of ways to motorise them using the plastic wheels as pocket money had no way of stretching to a chassis kit or even metal wheel sets and even if it did my skills would have seen it consigned to the scrap pile. Thinking about it my skills would probably still see it going wrong!  

7 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

The buildings started out as Airfix, it's ony very recently that Dapol have used the Kitmaster name for them. They are quite adaptable.

Hello Bernard, Thank you for the clarification on the Kitmaster heritage. I think I was probably over reminiscing which affected my memory of what. Kitmaster actually made! I do however remember a dry tongue as a child resulting from having to stick the quadruple Green Shield stamps in the stamp books. Now that is showing my age. I also remember as a young child buying the Airfix Station building as my first introduction to the railway range of kits. This was assembled by twisting the parts off the sprue, dabbing large quantities of tube cement on the parts to be joined and then painting the finished product with gloss paint! However at the time I thought it was great as it graced the three pieces of Triang platform I had at the time. Moving on though and being of an age to now appreciate the kits and hopefully make a better job of construction the detail is amazing. As you say they are very adaptable and can give the basis for other projects and all for a very reasonable price. 

Hello and having now recovered from participating in the Nations' new weekend pass time of 'Find the Fuel' I have had an opportunity to make a small amount of progress n the layout. The humped section of track on the first board has now been de-humped and things are running as they should although in the picture posted below there is a small kink in the track by the point that needs to be attended to. I need to sort out the placement of buildings to that roads and other scenery can be worked out . I bought the kits (and many other things) some time ago from an excellent but sadly now closed Aladdin's cave of railway modelling. Strangely enough it didn't sell model aircraft kits!  I always wanted these two buildings on the layout which are the Dapol nee Airfix nee Kitmaster shop and petrol station. The petrol station will be definitely 1960s when petrol was plentiful, costing 3 and 6 a gallon (not like the £1.59 a liter I paid on Sunday although Mrs Woody was happy that her car was now not empty and she could get to work on the other hand my wallet was not so happy!) , with quadruple green shield stamps, tokens towards the real genuine plastic beaker set and all served to you by an attendant who filled the car up and checked the tyres! Those of younger years will be scratching their heads but that was how it worked back then!  Anyway back to the layout and the building kits have been glued or taped together just to get a feel. Some more to come yet but this is where  am at the moment. Doing it this way does give me a chance to move them around until fully happy just like Mrs Woody was with a full tank of fuel

Thanks Ian. I should have realised that Marklin had solved the coupling issue years ago whilst we still make do with the tension lock. However how does the Marlin loco mounted uncoupled work with the controller. I think Hornby did something similar on an 08 shunter which seemingly disappeared without any being progressed.

On 12/09/2021 at 14:21, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Can I maintain this illusion while adding more operation on the boards I’m building?  That’s still the next challenge.

Hello Keith, Having been absent from the forum for much of the summer I have only just caught up with your progress and it is interesting what you say in your last post. What has impressed me with your work is the methodical and planned manner in which you work and the quality of what you produce. Given that I have no doubt that you will conquer that next challenge and I look forward to seeing you do it too! Woody PS That n gauge layout from your younger years looks impressive.

Fascinating Ian. I don't think I would even know where to begin on putting together a working timetable/schedule let alone be able to actually operate it successfully. You talk about coupler problems I am showing my ignorance but are Marklin couplings automatic/ have an uncoupling facility or do you need to play shunter with a pole?

Hello Jack, I have only just caught up with your thread. I am really impressed by what you have done and given the scale and space available the track layout is spot on.  As you say with the fiddle yard sometimes you just have to build something - if it works great but if it doesn't at least you learn from the mistakes and can move onto the mk 2 version although I suspect your first version  will work just fine.  With regard to the coach, love the lining but bogies may well be more satisfactory in the long run. Looking forward to seeing you progress on what is already looking like a great layout! Woody

1 hour ago, John Besley said:

When I told him it was a model based on their doors, signs and old light box, he couldn't believe me, until I showed him the whole model

The finest compliment that someone can pay you John - I would have loved to have seen his face when he saw your model - priceless no doubt!

There is only one word I can meaningfully use to describe your modelling John - Stunning! 

Some great modelling. I am particularly impressed with the scribed stone work on the building which really captures the look of that type of construction. 

Hello and in an extraordinary set of circumstances I have managed to work on the layout three days in a row (which is totally unlike me) and now have the extension board wired up and running! When I say 'wired up', which implies some professional and methodical approach, I should caution that anyone with a electrical installation background or any form of pride in wiring may best look away onto another topic at this point. 

One of the great things about small layouts is that wiring can at least be carried out in relative comfort. I really must tidy up as well!

Amazingly wiring up my trusty old Bachmann DC EZ controller and putting a loco on the track actually saw it run round all the new track. Oddly there is an issue on the old board where one of the tracks leading onto the extension board has developed a hump. Not sure what has caused this but in all probability it will be down to my poor workmanship. I will need to take it up and either relay it if possible or insert a new piece. Apart from that all seems good and I even remembered to put the insulated fishplates on the Y point as I remembered it was live frog. In theory, with it leading onto two separate dead end sidings the live frog should not cause any issues but knowing my luck..... 

Once I have tested a bit further and sorted the hump out I will be weathering the track and thinking about the bridge arrangements for the river crossings. Now that could well upset anyone with an engineering background.

Compared with just running on the old board there is a fair run to go round now with the extension board in place.

Now with all that excitement over with I think I need a few days of R and R but no doubt Mrs W has other ideas and there will be a series of 'must be done today' tasks instead - Oh well just hope there is no wiring involved...........

Hello and for those after a repeat prescription of insomnia curing reading please continue with this post. Just to prove that yesterdays work on the layout was more than a flash in the pan I did manage to continue with some work today. That basically involved painting the track bed black to avoid any glaring bright bits if the yet to be applied ballast makes its usual bid for escape and wiring up the various sections so that they can be fastened down and tested before ballasting. I am wiring each part of the point/switch/turnout so that there is a feed at every entry/exit. I am fairly positive that I am going to bite the bullet and go DCC with this layout but I am leaving my options open at the moment so the whole layout could be sectionalised if I wanted a DC layout. There is one point left to wire and the two sidings to lay but pleased that I have not made any swear jar contributing blunders so far but I have loose change in my pocket  (remember cash?) for that jar awaiting the inevitability that will now happen! 

In my attempt to work smarter not harder I did remember to put Cotton Tree petroleum jelly (where Mrs W got that obscure brand from is beyond me but she will need another jar as it is now in my man cave) (usual disclaimer that other brands of similar natured petroleum jelly type products may also be available at your chosen emporium for the purchase of such things) under the tie rod to hopefully prevent the glue from ballasting jamming it up. I also, to future proof my options, made the relevant hole to allow for the point to be motorised in the future. I also remembered to put some masking tape over the hole to stop the ballast and glue disappearing down it. Not so much a problem in the man cave but having tried to get set ballast out of a carpet without Mrs W becoming aware of it is something I do not wish to repeat! Here are a few photos of where things have got to.

8 hours ago, ian said:

For Halloween can I suggest chocolate-covered brussels sprouts for any trick-or-treaters who dare to knock on your door?

 

Thank you Ian for this suggested visitor friendly culinary delight that no doubt Halloweener's in your area will be steering clear of next month but given that I have a liking for such strange food concoctions such as garlic bread with apricot jam - hmmmmm, tasty - I may just try the brussels for myself!

8 hours ago, ian said:

Layout is looking good - I like the way you have grafted the extension on. It almost looks like you planned it that way.

Please don't hurt the feelings of the word 'planned' by associating it with any thing that I do! In seriousness I did think about just building a 6 foot long baseboard when I started this project but I always had that desire to get something small built first to get something running in this scale in a relatively scenic setting. By making sure I had the routes to expansion that extension was always a possibility and to be honest there are thoughts going round my head about a link board between the two but that probably needs to stay in my mind along with all the other crazy schemes that ferment in my head along with potential new food combinations - anyone like tartar sauce and rice??? 

8 hours ago, ian said:

I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

Well you have guided me well over the years with advice so I am going to agree but to make a mistake is human, but to blame it on someone else, that's even more human!

8 hours ago, ian said:

Just for clarity - once you ballast it will be stuck down good and proper so iron out the problems before you start messing around with the Woodland Scenics.

Noted and see above!

Thank you for the compliments. I think reading the words of Mr Ellis some 40 years ago had an influence on me. I have found my old copies of Model Trains in amongst my collection of magazines spanning some 50 years. Although I am culling my collection I will be keeping Model Trains - there is just something about them that is as fresh today as when they were first published. 

Not had a chance to look through the forum but sometimes a return after an absence highlights just how much has been achieved and you have a achieved so much in a few months Nile. Fantastic, quality and inspirational modelling. The signals are a real gem and I really like what you have built as the station building. Hopefully I will be able to be a more regular viewer and keep more up to date with your progress. Woody

Hello and thank you for looking at this post even if you are only searching for the ultimate cure for insomnia which much of my writing has gained notoriety for! Well it has been nearly two months since I started to push various track pieces around the new extended baseboard and I can reveal that I finally have solved the predicament that I outlined in my last post regarding the having misjudged my original plan in my head and having the wrong handed point/switch/turnout or whatever else they are termed as these days. The track is temporarily held in place with our good friend BluTack (usual disclaimer that other brands of similar natured sticky material can also be available at your chosen emporium for the purchase of such things) . Many uses for BluTack and a small ball of it placed on the infrared 'eye' of a computer mouse can keep the victim and their IT section engaged in solving the static cursor problem for hours. No wonder I have no friends and need to keep my location a secret! However back to the layout and it is looking like this at the moment.

Unlike my usual approach to matters of just putting the track down and then finding the problems I have even taken the precaution of ensuring my longest train fits the curved passing loop - working smarter not harder as I get older!

As the base board is over 6 foot in length it gives a fair run to the trains which will be nice but having joined the two units with dowels and wing nutted bolts lifting the pair challenges aging muscles. On their own each is an easy lift but perhaps I should have thought that one through a bit more - definitely a case of working dumber not smarter as I get older in this instance! Next job is to paint the track area black and then wire and fix the track down. Whilst I super glued the track down on the first base board I may well try the method recommended in a video on building a model railway that I have watched many times of using double sided tape. The presenter pointed out that mislaid track could easily be lifted and repositioned although I recall him stating that he didn't make mistakes himself!

I feel as though I started something here and this time it's not about noise warnings or crime solving police dogs! Note to self - Think before pressing Submit!

This is indeed opening up a topic that perhaps has been lost over time. That of the lifetime project, that great vision, commitment, perseverance to doing one layout in a lifetime. I guess there are many reasons why things have gone away from that philosophy, space, life style, the increased availability of models, the massive increase in communication media and one I am very guilty of, the weakness of mindset to stick to one project, one period, one region, etc.  

What I so admire about Ian's layout is the planning and vision that has resulted in a railway system that operates with timetables, destinations and reasons for movement. That together with his several years of work so far and no doubt still to come! It may not appeal to everyone but then again we all have different thoughts on cars or art. Maybe it is an age thing but in the last few years I have developed a nostalgia, understanding and appreciation for layouts such as yours Ian. Keith, you sum it up so well in that final line of reawakening the dreams. For me I am at an age and with commitments that will not see me build that system of a lifetime but my dreams have indeed been reawakened and are to some degree fulfilled by seeing Ian develop his system.

All very philosophical for a Sunday but to lighten the end I did start off yesterday by talking about kitchens and web cam ovens and making my excuses to leave. What I did not mention was that when I enquired about price I was casually informed prices started at £40k with an average cost of £60k Much as Mrs W's has dreams of a new kitchen that price is more like a night mare to me! £60k buys you an awful lot of Marklin railway system!.

Electrically operated cupboard door! What ever next? Reciprocating snatch back action toilet roll holders? As an old and somewhat now overweight racing cyclist it amazes me you can now get battery operated derailleur years! I think I must be getting old not to appreciate this giant step forward in cycling technology!

It took me many years to both understand and appreciate the concept of a railway system. I can recall buying one of my first Railway Modellers (other magazines are available) where the Sherwood Lines were Railway of the month. At the time I think the whole idea of a clock work system was somewhat alien to me and it probably took me another 30 years to fully appreciate and understand the concept. 

It may not be fine scale modelling Ian, but boy does it evoke some fantastic nostalgia and fond memories of times when we all aspired in our own ways  to your reality!

Due to a number of non-railway related but domestically essential projects suggested by Mrs Woody (so they must be essential for my well being)  I am sorry to say that I have missed much of the progress you have recently made on the layout Ian. Coming back after some time away really does highlight just how much you have achieved and just how this project has developed from what was a packed garage to a fully functional railway system. It must take incredible vision to even develop the overall concept of for the railway let alone the skill to build it. Interesting how you say you are continuing to learn about the Marklin system. It does make you wonder how far the system could have gone if DCC had not come along. Guess we will never know but it sounds as though you are making the most of what it does do. Sometimes technology can just go too far though. Mrs W is after a new kitchen to replace the 1992 one I last put in. Looked at a place today where I was proudly told by the salesman that their ovens had webcams so that you could remotely cook by using an app on your phone! I made excuses and left.

Hello and thank you for the continued interest, likes and comments - all very much appreciated.

With regards to Ian's comments

On 05/08/2021 at 17:53, ian said:

Said shop owner also considered 009 but it would have involved too much ripping up of parts of the OO layout.

 

That idea would have seen a NG station alongside the OO through station with a trans-shipment siding and basically a folded eight circuit as it made its way up a mountain (OK, hillock) with a scenic divider along the far side of the former operating well.

 

Just as well he didn't do it.

I do very genuinely miss my annual pilgrimage to Shropshire and several visits to the shop for a good natter, a sweet from the tin, some great purchases and to see the 'progress' on the shop layout. I do however, for reasons beyond me, find myself feeling as though I am back in the shop when I enter my Man Cave. What ever happened to the shop layout?

I have laid out some track on my new baseboard following my long term vision that was thoroughly tested, checked and thought out in my mind for a long time. The idea was a loop on the bend and a siding leading off the what I term as the front of the layout  (the side with the quarry on the other baseboard) and running to the canal wharf. On the basis of this clearly ingenious plan I ordered the track which I have had for some months. Some might think good planning to have the track in stock for so long but in reality I am just a lot slower in getting things done then I think I will be. I have a stock of items that are needed for projects that probably far exceeds what I will ever be able to achieve. The other problem is that once 'in stock' item is required it will have disappeared into the 'never to be seen again until after it has been replaced with another item' store. It will then mysteriously reappear when looking for another 'in stock' item! The reality of laying out the track revealed a major issue in my plans. The siding coming off the front of the layout should actually come off the back of the layout to enable the siding to run by the canal wharf. I am now left with having to order another left hand Peco Set-Track point, butcher an n gauge point that I may have in stock as I did on the other board (details on my blog here or developing a cunning plan to reconfigure the plan using what points I have. More sleepless nights counting points! The photos below probably illustrated better than what I have written above. Hmmmm. Think I am being transported to a model shop......

Moving onto other matters it appears that the USA layout in the background to the photos in my last post have caused more comment, speculation and interest than the latest series of Clarksons farm if comments by 

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On 05/08/2021 at 18:00, F-UnitMad said:

Ooh, I spy an American N scale layout lurking in the background!! Looks very nice - if there isn't one already, another layout Thread if you please, sir.!!  

I started my US outline modelling in N, many years ago now. Things have improved a lot in the scale since then. I wouldn't go back to it now, but always find US N layouts interesting.

 

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4 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Not sure it’s N scale? Must admit I was going to ask about it too - I just thought it was HO a bit further away .  Looks to have an interesting selection of grain elevators, and do I spy the Walthers Sunrise Feed Mill at the end of the spur?

 

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3 hours ago, SonOfMike said:

So did I, and now all I can think of is that scene from Father Ted 

 

are anything to go by.

I can confirm it is an H0 switching layout and much as I would love to tell you I had built it I can not as I bought it from a lovely guy and skilled modeler on a well known auction site following a casual browse of items with no intention of actually buying anything! A photo below and probably a thread somewhere else when I get round to it but there is a bit more on my blog about it here.

Hello,

Its been a while since I have even visited the forum apart from the odd two minutes every now and then so hope everyone is well?  As most of us have been taking advantage of the 'summer' and the jobs it brings I guess that modelling has been taking a back seat for many of us. However with an eye on the darker nights coming and with a gap in the Mrs. Woody timetable of jobs that need, for some inexplicable reason, to be done now, I have built the second baseboard to extend the layout. Exactly the same size (amazingly with my elastic measuring skills) as the first and constructed in the same manner with wood beaten, coerced and forced into position, usually with one or more of my selection of large hammers. The only difference though is that it does incorporate a cut out for a river and a canal wharf. The plan in my head, probably not the best place to store it, is to have a loop on the curve at the end and a siding to the canal wharf where there will be a warehouse of some sort. Inside the curve a small hamlet and that should just about fill the board. The only thing I have to do before commencing track laying is to sort out my method of joining the two boards. A number of possibilities are in mind but not sure which is best for what I need. 

At the moment the two boards are in the middle of my Last Great Project baseboard and although I said I might have some narrow gauge on it I didn't think this much. However there is a certain spark of an idea inspired by a certain shop layout in 00 with a hole in the middle. When questioned the owner did say that it would be the perfect site for an N gauge layout which was a fantastic idea. Who knows what may emerge on my layout - probably another list of must be done today tasks! 

Fantastic work Ian. It doesn't seem that long ago you had a couple of boards set up in your garden with a small branch line on it. As the saying goes once it's been grotesquely manipulated by me, 'From small baseboards large layouts grow!' Moving quickly on, a moving target is more difficult to hit, I do like the brewery interior and as you say pity it will be largely unseen once installed. It does remind me of something that you would see on an early James Bond set especially with the white lab coated people and the suited chap who does from a distance resemble Odd Job. In the strange ways that my mind works I have postulated (and that can be painful) that it may therefore be connected with the mysterious underground noise that is being heard by Here B. Is there some sinister international plot going on in the area with an underground network of tunnels spreading from the brewery??? Or  is the actual and more plausible explanation related to the timber purchased on Wednesday??? I await in anticipation!

44 minutes ago, ian said:

 

Bit of a wimpy chap by all accounts.

As Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons would say 'Worse joke ever!' Surprised you didn't serve that up with fries! 

On 20/06/2021 at 12:38, F-UnitMad said:

Now you are really getting my attention!!

 

But a wide variety of interests is only to be expected when one has been subjected to the influence of Chris Ellis and 'Model Trains'.  

So many interests, so little time! The American interest I have had for decades and I have been so lucky to have visited the States and Canada on several occasions and on one visit I actually got a ride in the cab of an F unit. Awesome! As the journey came to an end I asked what the door leading into the hood was for. He just opened it and there was a toilet! My face must have been a picture!