Modelling Martin

Helo all, Hop you all had a good christmas and a New Year and the recent holidays has given me quite a bit of time off to do more work on the layout. First of all more progress has been made on the platforms which now have coping stones (a lot of saw cuts were needed!) which have also been painted along with the platform tops. Anyway pictures are better than words for explaining so here they are: After that a dark grey wash was applied and then wiped off with a tissue. I have also started on the white line which will need a couple of layers: Finally the shed area now has a concrete hardstanding ready for the engine shed to sit on: And similar foundation for the coal stage: Some pictures of the real thing for comparison: Hope to get the platforms sides finished soon so i can get on with some landscaping, Gary

I just recently had an urge to take some pictures to test different angles/positions on the layout which will hopefully become better in the future as the layout gains more detail and realism. One photo is of the nearly finished platform which i will take more photos of when it is complete. Also i have been recently amazed at just how much detail go into these small models hence some close ups have been taken to, Gary

Apparently there is a very slight bend to one of the connecting rods which does not affect the running of the loco. at all and requires very close scrutiny of the loco. to see it Im pretty surprised the engine still works and hasn't seized up with that mess. My black five has a slight kink in the connecting rod (which i'm replacing the valve gear of) yet it still runs bumpy! I think i will be keeping hold of my £99.99... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-OO-Gauge-R8286A-BR-4-6-0-Class-5-Steam-Locomotive-/301368882314?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item462afc348a#viTabs_0

Hi, After the recent Autumn Steam Gala at the ELR the sight of seeing 6009 Union of South Africa It inspired me to replicate this in my own version of Rawtenstall (yes i know mine is Sir Ronald Mathews!): Just a close up further down the track These ere taken after the new platforms were installed which are awaiting platform sides and tops. Does anyone know the best method of making coping stones? Im trying to avoid using card, Gary

Thanks! I used it because i was trying to avoid some of the horror stories some people have experienced with normal air drying clay cracking but i think DAS is different because it's artificial (I think!) Obviously it's not finished yet with more weathering and a lot more detail needing to be added but as a first coat and a different texture to the normal ballast on my railway i am pleased with the result. Not much interesting stuff is happening at the moment as i am strengthening the base board supports and making the layout more permanent now that the ballast has been done, Gary

Thanks, theres still some more work to do finishing the track work off then it will be all cleaned and the testing can begin

Hello everyone, I've had a busy week or so doing most of the ballasting on my layout to a point where i think it's acceptable. Despite taking a long time it's still not finished with a lot of fettling to do like continually touching up the ballast and removing any unwanted pieces. I have also laid down the DAS clay which i shall be using in the engine shed area to give quite a rough appearance often found nowadays in preservation sheds like the one at Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley Railway which i managed to take a few pictures of: Here is a picture of the first layer of DAS clay: And some pictures of when it was finished: I've still got to touch up some areas of the clay and eventually weather it further but ballasting wise it's pretty much done. After i have touched it up i may upload some more pictures with some different locos on if you want. Anyway some more pictures of the ballast (the dummy 08 is just acting as a background and something a bit more interesting than gravel! Please excuse the wonky couplings): As always comments and likes are always appreciated, Gary

Thanks, ballasting will be commencing this week with pictures to follow

Hello all, Although there has not been an update for a while work has still progressed recently even if the weather is this good . Anyway Firstly i have made a proper shelf (well six 'L' brackets) to store the cassettes when not in use which so far seems to be working great: Also track work has improved drastically thanks to being weathered with Humbrol 29 from an aerosol. The uniform look of the track will also be toned down after it has been ballasted with washes etc. You may notice the white sleeper painted which stands out quite a lot! Anyway it's true to the prototype and can be seen here: I think it's to indicate to the driver where to stop the coaches so the train can 'run around' but if anyone can correct me please do! Moving down the layout a bit the shed area will have three different surfaces- DAS clay for the outside, wood for the transition between the shed and the yard and filler for the concrete hard-standing under the shed. Firstly i did the wood which will be painted and weathered in due time. And the final picture of the shed. I decided not to keep both sheds as the old one didn't really suit the modern preservation scene and made the shed seem over-crowded as most of the stock was hid. It's just a modified Pikestuff kit that was used on a previous layout and needs a bit of weathering and detail inside it to complete it. Thank you for taking an interest, Gary

Hi Andy thanks for your kind comments. I have also taken some more pictures of the layout and I'm actually starting to run some trains on it! Anyway here are some pictures: 4f on a demonstration freight in the station currently without the platforms or building. Class 33 is on pullman dining experience duties- I still need one more coach to complete this rake. Finally a mock up of the engine shed which i will be having on the layout. Im still not decided whether i will keep the older engine shed or wether to have water columns present or not; the station will have its own water tower anyway as per the prototype. Apologies for the bad camera work, I'm still getting to grips with the camera settings! Gary

Yeah i know, I'm going to do it to all of them now i feel confident doing them two, such a drastic improvement.

Hello everyone! Over the past few weeks little bits of work have been done on the layout to try and get it to a stage where it can be operational. First was the fiddle yard; i decided upon a cassette style system with 6 cassettes capable of holding an engine and three Mk1 carriages (the longest train i can hold) and another cassette to hold the DMU and A4 which because of its lack of front coupling has to be turned off scene. Construction is just 6mm MDF for sides and 2x1 wood in the middle. They still need to be finished with some cross bracing to stop them from caving in which i think will just be rectangles of the 6mm MDF. To stop trains rolling off the end I used a nail with the point chopped off- a really fiddly process. Anyway here are a few pictures of it: At the moment connections are just crocodile clips to the end of the cassettes until i find something more permanent: Finally just a picture of the wiring- not very interesting i agree: More interesting however was adding coal to my locomotives. At the moment i am a bit weary of doing anything to them as i don't want to ruin them but i figured coal wasn't too risky but made a big effect. The fair burn and 4f have had it added (the glue in the 4f is just drying) which i think looks a lot better in comparison to the moulded coal in the black five which will be next on the list to do Coal s Geoscenics applied with watered down PVA. I've heard others use gloss varnish but i don't have any of that and i think PVA looks pretty good anyway. Also i am going to add fire irons (thats what i think there called!) and a crew at a later date so just wanted to see wether this looks right to you? Finally i have decided that the layout will be based on Rawtenstall, the terminus of the East Lancs Railway in its present form with the design of the station. It's not a strict prototype as the station approach is a little different and there is no engine shed or extra carriage siding there, I've just added it to increase the operation potential. Anyway thanks for looking and any comments are welcomed! Gary

Thanks, wiring is one of the elements of the hobby i quite enjoy Recently i added a tail lamp to a coal fish wagon which i enjoyed: I've got to add a load yet but its pretty much electrically finished but nothing is stuck in permanently. Next time i will mount the LED a different way so less shows through and maybe coat it with something to reduce the brightness! Gary

Think the shed looks amazing, Gary

Thanks, much appreciated to know I'm doing it right took along time to research the right methods but i think I'm getting there.

Hello everyone, Ive done a bit more work on the layout recently so i have been able to get the rest of the track down: I know a set track curve isn't i deal but its 4th radius and i couldn't fit anything bigger because of the roof and clearances with the engines. Also i didn't like the fact i didn't have anywhere to store my engines whilst i was building the layout so knocked up a couple of plastic shelves: Thanks for looking, Gary

Thanks, i need to make a more permanent connection between the boards but i think I've done ok.

Gradually more and more work is being done on the layout. Since the last update i have finished off laying track work and bussed all of the track apart from the corner which i shall do with the fiddle yard. Couldn't resist getting my locos out! And I've tried my best to solder the bus together as neatly as possible: Gary

Thanks for the comment I've done a lot more on it recently which ill upload once I've taken some pics Gary

Is that the 20mm x 40mm one? Gary

Just a quick question, sorry to go back a few posts, which sound decoder did you use for the 4F? I had a look on Howes' website and i could only find an 8 pin decoder for a 4F or a 21 pin decoder for a 3F, the Bachmann 4F has a 21 pin socket doesn't it? Regards, Gary

Hello everyone, After taking the decision to sell my other layout Robins Lane and down scale another huge layout project i decided to make another layout learning from experience and making sure i put a lot of thought and planning into this layout. The scale is OO (4mm) and the layout is in an L shape with a fiddle yard at one end and a station terminus at the other. Like my previous attempts the layout will be set in present day based on a preserved railway somewhere in the north west of England. Most of the traffic on the layout is passenger which is used to create revenue for the railway as it needs it for all the projects going on at the nearby sheds. The place i'm attempting to model: Rawtenstall Station This is a rough track plan so far at what i am trying to achieve: (More information can be found here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/76790-preserved-railway-12ft-x-13-inches/ ) A few weeks ago i started work on the four baseboard modules needed for the layout and since have begun the process of track laying. The track is mostly Hornby with a bit of Peco (code 100) although now i recognise that all the track should have all been Peco but this is just the track i have available to me. These are some pictures about my progress so far: Control wise the layout will be DCC via an NCE Powercab system as all of my trains are DCC Fitted / DCC Sound. As always comments are welcome, i don't want to mess it up! Regards, Gary

Looking very good. Especially like the engine shed scene as its something i would like to create on my new layout Gary

Hello, No the place isn't based on anywhere i just saw its design in an old Hornby Magazine and read a layout which had this kind of design in it. The roof still has to have it gutter and vents added however the roof i think will stay as the shed is for a heritage railway (the roof may have been replaced with a corrugated roof or something!) Having had a look on google images i have only been able to find one example of this shed which is Tonbridge shed if I'm right?

Hello all, This is my effort which i built by adapting a Metcalfe card kit. Its not finished yet as i have to add detailing and find a home for it but I still quite like it anyway, Gary Ps: please excuse the camera quality it was taken on a phone.