RJdeVries

I've purchased the bolts and nuts at www.kingmicroschroeven.nl It's a dutch firm that has a great range of small fasteners for the modelling community. @ uk_pm It sure is a lot of work, and as stated in the manual, it's called easy build, not easy to build I'm however do not intend making it to easy on myself, making a lot of parts from scratch or improving on the parts in the kit. Regards, Robbert Jan.

I've been doing some little jobs, just cosmetic in nature to enhance the look of the attached buffers. Tiny nuts and bolts m0,6 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've ordered a couple of metric 0,6mm bolts and nuts to make retaining bolts for the buffers, just 4 holes in each buffer doesn't really cut it. Tiny nuts and bolts m0,6 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A tiny amount of glue is enough to set these in place and it instantly looks finished. Tiny nuts and bolts m0,6 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I'm chuffed that I found these at one of my go to shops, they do nothing but small size bolts and nuts (and everything in between) for the modelling industry, this is the smallest functional brass bolt I could obtain. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Some more progress has been made over the weekend. Metro-Cammell Class 101 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The Class 101 is sitting pretty and is now ready for the bufferbeams and the new buffers and couplers I ordered at Roxey Mouldings. Buffers! by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The buffer beams are designed to be fitted with standard buffers on a raised mount so that had to be removed in order to fit the Oleo type buffers from Markits. I've used couplers from Slaters, these where altered to fit the slot in the bufferbeam. Buffers and bufferbeams by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The bufferbeam itself is supposed to be fitted to the underside of the cab, that didn't really sit right and I figured that it would make more sence to mount it to the chassis strengthened with a couple of gussets. Buffers and bufferbeams by Robbert Jan., on Flickr When placed on the track both cab ends match up nicely, so now its on the the bufferbeams on the other end of both carriages. Buffers and bufferbeams by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Regards, Robbert Jan.

Over the weekend I made some more progress on the Class 101, completing all of the interior partitions so I can start with making the actual interior seating etc. Roofs and interior walls. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The biggest issue was the roof panel, take 1 wasn't succesfull and the panel had to come off again because it wasn't smooth all the way around, luckily I used PVA and it came off after a quick bath in water. Attempt 2 went far smoother, a bit more shaping of the panel was required using every round bit of pipe I could find, even a bit of VW beetle steering coulumn So after 4 days I went and peeled off the tape and yes, it was smooth enough around the edges. Roofs and interior walls. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr So that also meant that the roof vents can be installed, all 30 where cleaned of any burrs and where stuck in place with a little bit of glue. Roofs and interior walls. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I'm happy with the result and now I can continue with the internals Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi Everyone, over the last 2 years I've slowly ventured in to the world of 0 gauge and I've now got a 60 feet long garden railway that has kept me busy, as this is up and running I was looking for an 0 gauge DMU and after some advice I ordered an EasyBuild Class 101 2 car kit. Easybuild MetCamm Class 101 7mm Kit by Robbert Jan., on Flickr This kit was ordered last summer and I've made some substantial progress along the way and it now sits proud on the workbench, just waiting for some additional parts (in the mail) Class 101 progress by Robbert Jan., on Flickr One of the first items to be build was the power bogie, this was competed in a day and after some tweaking of the chain drive it runs sweet as a nut, even under load. Easybuild class 101 motor bogie by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Easybuild class 101 motor bogie by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The chain drive provides the unit with enough pulling power when it's complete as a lot of weight will be added with all of the white metal parts yet to be installed. (and I did remove the wrong bogie channels in the end as used the wrong ones) Then it was on to the 3 remaining bogies, these where relatively easy to construct and therefore I also took the time to add some extra details like the brake rigging since it's fairly visible. Class 101 bogie construction. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Metro-Cammell scratch build brake gear by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The body posed the greatest challenge, I went and added the hinges and door stoppers first before assembling the body to the cab and rear bulkhead, this was all done with ABS cement and superglue. Class 101 body assembly by Robbert Jan., on Flickr With a day in between the roofs where added to both cars, clamped to a block of wood the roofs where given a day to dry and then the fun part, scraping off the driprail along the body and sanding it smooth. Metro-Cammell 101 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Shaving Class 101 bodies, removing raingutter by Robbert Jan., on Flickr As this was mentioned to be a very messy undertaking I went and did this in the garage, scraping first and then with ever finer sandpaper I smoothed out the join between roof and side, it only took me about half a day! More progress is to be posted as I do intend to have her in paint next spring so she can run around the garden. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Allright, where did I put my topic, it's been a few months since I posted anything so I'll post an update today towards the progress made so far. The R & J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr After the last posting the ground was painted in a suitable shade of dark grey so it gave me an idea of the final look, obviously not done by a long shot. Roofing with Corrugated Iron by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Made some arrangements for a couple of bespoke mugs, so after all set en and done I can attend an exhibit in style, after all of the Covid lockdown mayhem has cleared. (this wasn't an issue by the time the photo was taken) In the mean while a load of Welsh slate arrived, the shed and engine house where covered in no time, it's made out of plasticcard strip as seen below, prior to painting. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Every single slate tile is placed individually. IMG_20200324_174043 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Looking smart I think, meanwhile the track has also been painted with rust tones. Using Ammo/Mig dark rust (041) en old rust (042) followed by a coat of thinned down Revell 9. Wheathering etc. At the R & J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Some wheathering, spilled coal and it's starting to come to life, but no where near finished. Wheathering etc. At the R & J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Loading Station by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And then came a real challenge, a working Cornish Engine, something that would not have made it anywhere else because modern electric pumps would have taken over, this is a relic of the past, preserved in working order for the future. Cornish Engine by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A very early and rough outline, the beam is made tracing a brush handle that had the right shape, pivot points where al done in brass pipe. Cornish Engine by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The first moving prototype, driving the plunger instead of the steam engine, because of clearance issues, a clip is below; A lot goes in to making it work properly, but she does and without any large amount of noise. Cornish Engine by Robbert Jan., on Flickr On the inside of the engine house a steam cilinder is places as well as a feedpump. These obviously need to be connected to the beam in the most appropriate way; Cornish Engine by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Cornish Engine by Robbert Jan., on Flickr All set and done she now has a nice place in the back of the layout, looking pretty but a long way from done. And this is where we are now, waiting for some parts and new plasticcard sheets to shred into new additions to the layout. The R & J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Regards and thanks for watching, Robbert Jan.

Paul, I've experimented with a few colors on a materials van that goes with my crane, a suitable red is even more difficult to obtain over here in the Netherlands, so I tried a couple of methodes and I found a satisfying one. Applying a coat of matt black followed by a light coat of traffic red, dusting it on to allow for the black to still shine trough. This results in my case in a nice tone of red that after wheathering will look the part. Regards Robbert Jan, The Netherlands.

Thanks! I've been looking in to a suitable mechanism that could operate the Slew in such a way that it would not prohibit the sideways motion when the crane is transported with the jib resting on the carrier wagon. Since my layout has a couple of tighter radius bends it should be allowed to at least rotate 15 to 20 degrees (each direction) before the drive mechanism would engage. I've got some ideas that should work but with the lack of a suitable gearbox I cant really test them yet, It's in the mail on it's way from Hong Kong. I've tried to reallign the gearing that drives the crankshaft yesterday and these gears are really holding on to a point that I fear I'm going to break something, that's not worth it so I'm putting that idea on hold. (also, I would need an extra decoder to run the motor seperately and thats another investment in an already expensive rtr model.) I'll most likely start a new topic when I get the time, the main focus is to get the crane as is operational prior to the next 3 day show in a little over 2 weeks from now. Regards, Robbert Jan. the Netherlands.

Hi Gents, I'm the one that posted my work on facebook regarding the motorization of the crane. I've had it in my possession for about a week when I got the idea that motorizing the crane would be more fun, and a challenge at that. I've bought a pair of motors with wormgear at a local show a few days ago thinking these could maybe do the job, these are designed for the faller car system, so moving around lorrys and busses. Motorizing Ransomes and Rapier by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've made a lot of changes to the motor mounts in order for them to fit neatly inside the cabin surrounding the boiler. The gears that are on the imput shafts where removed and the wormgears pressed in their place. Motorizing Ransomes and Rapier by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A lot of fitting, checking, fitting and finally testing later I was very pleased to see that the motors could provide enough torque to operate the mechanism. As I progress I do understand that the crankshaft should spin free when disengaged from any of the motions, having taken a look that would involve realligning one of the gears so it would not get engaged at all, allowing for a separate motor to drive the crankshaft. The clip below shows the progress so far, It's to fast I know, it can however run as slow as some clips ive seen of the real thing in action. Regards, Robbert Jan the Netherlands.

Allright, I've been up to a lot the last couple of weeks so here we go; The roof on the shed has been finalized and has recieved shutters in the raised section, the openings beside the shutters will become a translucent material other than glass, some fiberglass like material. DSC_3081 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr DSC_3084 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The roof itself will be made with corrugated steel sheet, the tools for that are on route out of Australia and will be here this month. So I needed other projects to keep me occupied and that was found on the largest model railway trade show in the Netherlands, held at Houten expo. Reliant Scimitar GTE by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A Reliant Scimitar GTE, shape wise a nice car to look at and it fits the layout. Having said that, I was planning to have it run on my Magnorail track so a fitting steering axle was also accuired in order to make the transformation. Reliant Scimitar GTE by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And there it is in all it's many bits, the whole front of the plastic chassis was cut away since this gets in the way of the steering axle. The original wheels will be used, the holes for the original axle have been filled in with a piece of styrene rod to allow me to drill the correct size hole. Reliant Scimitar GTE by Robbert Jan., on Flickr After a lot of milling with a dremel to take away the inner structure of the bonnet I could mount the bracket for the steering axle, on an angle since the bonnet is to. Reliant Scimitar GTE by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And finally attaching a slider with a magnet to complete the build, she now runs happily alongside the Land Rover. And that leads me to the main event, playing with Das clay as I create the basic foundation/surface around the trackwork in front of the loading facility and shed. DSC_3122 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I shure wasn't making cups and roses, but that couldn't spoil the fun, havn't done any claying since I was 8 or something in that region. DSC_3124 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The first layer was just a base, not to thick since I didn't want it to crack whilst it was drying, I have also applied PVA prior to reduce the risk of shrinkage. DSC_3133 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The next day had me filling in the track and surrounding area underneith the loading facility, I made sure that the track wasn't covered in any way. glueing in a styrene rod (1mm) to the inside of the rail avoiding clay sticking there and giving me a headace removing it later on. DSC_3136 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The point at the other end got the same treatment, a bit more difficult since the moving parts need to me able to move when all set and done. DSC_3151 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr DSC_3161 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And then there is that time that you just get on with it, so I did, and after all things considdered it worked out fine. DSC_3171 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr DSC_3173 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I'm really pleased with the result so far, having also applied various tyremarks in the wet clay is really helping to set the scene when it is all painted up. The point is as we speak still free to move and the clay is slowly getting to a solid state. This takes a few days to cure at room temperature so I'll just leave it be. Well that leaves me with one more thing, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Hoofdstation Groningen december 2019 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr (Groningen Main station, station Hall) Regards, Robbert Jan.

Since I was having issues finding the right material for my elevator shaft cable I turned my attention to the locomotive shed, It's a focal piece and right in the foreground so detail is kind of a thing. I've started with adding 2 doors in the front, these will as is seen in the picture, be operational. Manually that is, but non the less they add a new perspective. Engine Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The doors are hinged on 3 hinges each, made from a 1mm styrene rod that was drilled trough with a 0,5mm drill to allow a piece of brass wire to pass trough. Engine Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr This was tuesday, the brass wire is treaded trough all 3 hinges just to keep them alligned whilst the glue is setting and the whole styrene part is kind of solid. The brass wire has since been cut down to size and the door now hinges on 3 separate points. Roof detail by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Yesterday was the time to add a roof, that is the rafters etc. to the shed, I'm planning a skylight and some chimney's in the raised center section, at the moment it is defenitly to high up. Roof detail by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Roof detail by Robbert Jan., on Flickr At least the roof is detachable so I can easily work on it on the bench as well as giving me acces to the interior since that is miles from being done. Roof detail by Robbert Jan., on Flickr In order to make it detachable I've used an L profile that wraps around the outer edges of the shed and this allows for a seamless fit. Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

And a little update, I've been replacing the feet on the coal loading area, the whole building and foundation where one piece and this was limiting the ability to work underneith, so i took out the knife and separated the two from one and other. New foundations where made using the existing base and glueing 10 square tubes in place where the feet of the building would sit. The material surrounding the tubes is roofmate. Nieuwe pootjes by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The feet on the building where remodelled with a piece of 2x2mm styrene bar, this fits neatly into the square tubes giving the whole a solid base again. Nieuwe pootjes by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Another project is the elevator shaft and headstock assembly, I've had plans to make the system operate, as in a continous loop of wire or cable, being pulled around over the headstock. One of the main hurdles was the motor and drive mechanism, that had to be be robust and the motor had to run as slowly as possible, so I've build myself a motor bracket housing a geared motor; Drive motor by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Drive motor by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Since the force of the cable is trying to lift the motor assembly upwards (it being installed right on the bottom of the elevator shaft) a spring was needed to counteract any bumps in the cable. A test run with a piece of wire was succesfull and it runs smoothly unlike the transformer I've since been putting more detail onto the whole construction, a full length ladder and some platforms. Headstock detail by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Headstock detail by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The ladder is build out of 2 long sections of 3mm I-beam with individual steps glued on top, these will be giving a treadplate or some kind of non skid surface, as well as a ton of handrails. Well, thats all for now, hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

A Small updat from this side, having had to wait a couple of weeks on new sheets of plasticcard brickwork I can now finally continue with detailing an building some structures. The chimney was the first object to recieve brickwork and I do have to say that it's looking smart. Octagonal Chimney by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also made sure to fit steel support bands around the chimney like the real thing and this makes it al look complete and ready for a decent coat of wheathering. Engine 4 "Lord Phil" by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The other buildings on the site will now also be getting a set of walls to make them a bit more wind and watertight, some doors will obviously be added in a later stage, the large opening on the front left will house a sliding door. On the foreground we find a new addition to the layout that I've recently fitted with a sounddecoder and all the usual bells and whistles. The Hornby model is not to bad for the price but she needed a compensating axle, so the the axle underneith the smokebox is now sprung and takes out all the bumps and takes care of maintaining a good contact with the track. Engine 4 "Lord Phil" by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also removed the old couplers and fitted a pair of Smiths 3 links directly onto the bufferbeam. The buffers arn't that original aswell, there of a Hattons/DJM Barclay, not that I'm using the Barclay for spares but the large buffer discs where an absolute must regarding the tight bends. And ofcourse a small clip; Hope you Enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Small update, I've taken the time to finish locomotive N.0. 3. She has a nice blue livery and I'm really likeing the look of her. Andrew Barclay 0-4-0st by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I did have to deal with a small hickup in the fitment of the motor. The worm and wormgear where meshing violently and this resulted in juddering during testing, the problem was eventually fixed with a piece of plasticcard wedged underneith the motor. Well, thats all for now, I'll just leave a video here with an overview of the layout and some of the workings. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi Rich, The Balsa corners where an idea provided by a good friend. These really work, the backscene neatly curves around and has no visible edges that draw unwanted attention. As I'm posting anyway, the little blue Barclay has recieved her decoder and speaker, as well as a couple of lanterns and a red led in de firebox, looks the part and I will post some pictures asap. My first priority is getting my other layout in shape for the coming weekend, she is to be on display at the local railway museum housed in the restored station building at Zuidbroek (Groningen, the Netherlands) Following a show on the 5th and 6th of oktober in Groningen at the Hanze Plaza event centre. Lots to do! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Mike Buckner, That is indeed correct and it would normally not bother me at all, but since the loco will have an accurate output of the chuffs due to a sensor and 6 magnets (spaced 60deg apart) viewing the loco from one side will be allright, the other, not so much since it will be slightly off. I know, what a hassle, thats true and I will not lie that it is a bit of a strange habit of mine, like seeing a pavement with 2 oddly placed pavers, it sometimes gets to you Regards, Robbert Jan.

I've also been concluding that there is a 120° offset between the cranks, however this is probably not a great offset for a model, rather using a steady 90° offset for ease of use. I will try to make it work, the model was cheap so no harm in a bit of experimentation, I did already place 6 magnets behind one wheel to trigger the Hall sensor, spaced 60° apart. Thanks for the usefull help, sorted! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi Everyone, I've recently bought a 2nd hand model here in the Netherlands of a Hornby rebuild Merchant Navy class, the model is pretty nice and I am preparing it to use it on my layout, prior it will need a sound chip fitted, ESU loksound 5 with a Hall sensor to controll the chuffs, for that realistic chuffing sound. Now, the Hornby model has the wheels set to an offset of 90 degrees and that doesn't seem right for a 3 cilinder, should this not be 120 degrees? Or is there something else up with the real 1;1 locomotive that I am not aware of, I did search the internet and did sadly not really get an answer. Hopefully someone can help, that would be great! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Well summer has officialy passed and after a 2 week vacation in Cornwall and Somerset time has come to pick up where I left off, sadly I didn't post everything I did over the summer, a quick recap will have to do. First off, the layut got a couple of new inhabitants, a blue Andrew Barclay and an Austerity 0-6-0 that will be in pictures to come. 3 Andrew Barclay 0-4-0st locomotives ready for duty at the R & J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Also seen on the picture above, the elevator shaft has gotten a wooden headstock, i did make one out of "steel" (plasticcard) but it was already looking to bulky and it didn't fit the look. It still needs a lot of detailing work, that will obviously come at a later stage in the build. The cabinet it self also needs a bit of attention, before continuing with putting al sorts of structures etc. in place the thing needed a paintjob, a nice dark grey was chosen to blend in with the theme. I would normally use dark green, since that is what all my layouts are painted with, but the grey really suits the purpose. But first, the inner corners will have to be rounded off in order to have the illusion of a continuous background Glueing a few thin sheets of balsa in the corners with some PVA does the trick, when firmly set the edges are slightly sanded back and the rest is filled in with some filler. Rounded inner corners of the layout cabinet. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And then its time to paint, a nice even coat, with a paint roller. It's still wet at the time the photo was taken, hence the shimmer. Painting the layout cabinet. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And here is where we pick up the build to present day, that is last weekend after i returned from the UK with a load of goodies. Colliery Update by Robbert Jan., on Flickr As the mine is a self containing site a crane to lift at least the wagons is a must, in my mind at least. I bought a simple ratio kit and it really fits the industrial look. Behind it is the Austerity 0-6-0, a Hornby model with a wonky cab, that has already been fixed by putting a couple of styrene strips on the floor of the footplate, as well as a couple of relief cuts with a sharp knife to the problem areas. (not all the way trough, just giving the material some flexibility.) Colliery Update by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And then the task i was not looking forward to, glueing in the background, what a pain that was but it's in. Colliery Update by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I started with a spray adhesive that looked promising and had a 30 minute "adjustment" time, well that was an understatement, I actually could peel the whole background of the next day without any damage. So, another plan was hatched, maybe not the best but it works, somewhat. A thin coat of PVA applied with a soft roller, hence the wonky looking sky at the very top, it didn't want to cooperate, well it will do once I've painted the 10cm of grey above the backscene with some clouds to blend it all in. Colliery Update by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And then there is the seam, not in the best location I'll admit, but I've got a plan for that, something tall and smokey. Octagonal Chimney by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And it's gone, courtesy of a half reliëf octagonal chimney, scratch build from 1mm plasticcard. It will be covered with a brick plasticcard skin but this was sadly sold out when I visited my local shop yesterday so that will have to wait. Octagonal Chimney by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Octagonal Chimney by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Some detail of the inside and the top of the chimney, I'm very pleased with this result as it also blends in with the lower structures in the foreground. Water Tank by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And last but not least, a water tank made with an oil tank out of a ratio kit. A plasticcard base out of evergreen profiles gives it the necessary height. The valve on the front will have a chain on it to be pulled to open, closing will be done by a counterweight. Well, thats all for now, hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

A few days have passed, I've been thinking about the process of making a couple of large elevator wheels as seen on the headstock of a coal mine. Since I've been unable to find one to buy, making them myself was the obvious option, so here we go. I needed a set of wheels that where approximatly 70 mm in diameter and this lead me to a piece of scrap PVC pipe with a diamter of 70 mm (outside), this would give me a nice 66 mm wheel. Elevator Wheel by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The wheels are made of "Evergreen" styrene profiles and these where inserted in to the pipe. This will ensure the "roundness" of the wheel once the glue has set firm. The outer ring of the wheel is made of a lenght of 3,2mm I Beam on it's side giving me the groove in the circumference of the wheel to guide the elevator cable. With this first piece in place I've added a second piece of 2mm U profile to the inside in order strenghten the wheel by glueing the whole circumference. The seam that will occur at the ends of the material is the weakest point as the circle will be liable to bow outward once released from the PVC pipe, this is why the inner 2mm U profile is gleued 180 degrees opposite to the I beam. (as the end of the material is concerned.) Elevator Wheel Support by Robbert Jan., on Flickr In order to create a working headstock a platform with bearings was made out of scrap styrene sheet and a few pieces of brass tube. Elevator Wheel Spokes by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The next step was to set the spokes in there position on the wheel, making use of the lines that exist on the cutting mat, the center was carefully mesured out and I started with just 4 spokes that mesure 1,2mm in diameter. The wheel is slightly raised up from the ground to allow for a larger wider hub that will reduce wobble once installed. Elevator Wheel by Robbert Jan., on Flickr In total 16 spokes where glued in, I do really like the end result as it resembles that wat I had in mind. Elevator Wheel by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And once out of the PVC pipe the wheel is almost true, there is just a little wobble that is ajustable with minimal force required, I'm therefore very pleased with this result, off to make number two Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

It has been a while since I've posted an update, and there is reason to update First off; Calvin, the conveyor is just a static piece, it's merely there to connect both buildings to one and other. This draws the attention away from the background, it's therefore not functional. Steve, I'm using "tesa" masking tape, I've used it on many of my other buildings that are to date 4 to 5 years old and there is no visible peeling or any sign that the tape is coming loose. It probably has to do with the brand of tape, I've also used cheap masking tape but that really wouldn't stick to anything but itself. Well, some pictures of the progress so far. Styrene Buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've added some sides to the conveyor giving it a bit more presence and it looks good, this is the second one I've made since the first one was to big and this looked odd in comparison with the other buildings. Styrene Buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Obviously, a coal mine needs a shaft and that means building a headstock and a building to go with it. The idea is that the left hand side of the layout has some "older" buildings that get progressively newer towards the right hand side. Styrene Buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A few hours later several openings where cut for windows and a large acces door for maintenance to the elevator. Shaft building by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And since the building has to look old, brick was used to enhance the look, the lower half of the building will consist of larger stone blocks. Shaft building by Robbert Jan., on Flickr It's starting to get a more "finished" feel, there is the need for a small structure in between the elevator building and the main hall, but that will be a project to follow once inspiration is found. Meanwhile I'm thinking about building a large octagonal chimney as I've seen on my holiday near York 5 years ago. It really appeals to me and it would probably be an added eyecatcher. Well, thats all for now, hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

I't has been a while, a lot of time was spend at work getting to grips with new trains and the implementation of these on the main line, this means I'm quite buzzy these days. But, I've also been doing some work to the buildings on the layout. The larger Main building of the Coal Mine was given a basic layer of styrene sheeting to define the actual shape of the building, this will be covered with steel corrugated sheeting etc. Building buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The roof was originally intended as being pitched but a flat roof would be better suited in conjunction with the background, flat is is. The roofing material is strips of masking tape (1 x 6 centimeter) applied randomly to give the whole roof a nice look and feel when painted up. All this whilst enjoying a cup of earl grey Building buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Building buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The larger open areas are to fitted with glass, semi opaque so there is little to see inside but light is able to pass trough from the inside to the outside. Building buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The windowframes are made using 1,5mm U profile and 0,75mm square rod, the 2 above are for the sides of the building. Building buildings by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And seen above is the result as we speak, that is, a new conveyor is in the works since the currect one is to "fat" and it doesn't look right. Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Thanks David! I've chosen to build as small as possible but keeping in mind to create a fun and interactive layout with lots of possibilities. Continueing, I've made some progress ballasting the trackwork and building a few new structures out of styrene profiles. Ballasting by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Ballasting was done last week, this has since cured and is solid as a rock, not all of the track was done at this time since I'm not done with some small jobs that can't be done after ballasting. Conveyor Bridge and support by Robbert Jan., on Flickr My first try at a conveyor spanning the road and rail, it's definitly high enough but there is the need for a center support structure, as seen down below. Conveyor Bridge and support by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Mesured the distance between conveyor and ground and made a support structure that will fit and do the job nicely as is seen below, pictures that I took an hour ago. Conveyor and Main by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Conveyor and Main by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The car fit's neatly and there are no collision issues, I'm very pleased to say the least. Conveyor and Main by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The conveyor has a very slight angle of about 1 in 30 (as in centimeters) that really gives the right feel. I'm currently assembling the building on the left, it will have brickwork up to the horizontal beams. (that said, I'm also adding a couple of beams mid way the vertical beams) The top portion will consist of sheet steel corrugated panels that will double the height of the building. Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi Calvin, The loading station is filled (about 3 loads are held by each hopper) by hand trough the flap in the side of the cabinet. The wagons are then loaded by a series of 4 servomotors (these are manually operated via the Dcc controller, a Roco Multimaus or WlanMouse) The wagons will be unloaded behind the scenes in the fiddle yard prior to returning for another fill. (also manually, just pick them up and release the contents.) Thanks for the compliments Lez.Z. I'll be doing some more work to the layout in order to het everything running smootly prior to shooting another clip of the loading station operating. The newly installed sleepers need a bit of stain (thinned black paint) prior to ballasting the larger portion of the layout. I'm planning to use some techniques seen done by Chris Nevard, as in using DAS clay to fill in the space between the tracks to recreate a used and dirty yard. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Thanks Chris, glad you enjoy! I've been ballasting some parts of the layout since these are "finished" enough that there will be no more alterations from this point forward. Ballasting track by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The bridge was the first to recieve a layer of ballast and it looks a lot better this way. I've used the regular methode to apply ballast, small ladle, brushes, 50/50 PVA/water and a dash of soap. When dry I usually go over the track and ballast with a brass brush (kind of like a toothbrush) to get rid of loose ballast and the shine on the sleepers a.k.a. plastic pieces Ballasting track by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The ballast I use is from Germany and is ordered directly from the manufacturer, I'ts specified for N gauge but is actually great for either H0 or 00 gauge modelling. (it's as fine as woodland ballast) With that done attention was given to some eye sores and these where addressed by making a couple of new sleepers for each set of points, I normally used to lenghten the stock sleeper with some wood or plastic but since acces is good I managed to change them all over, detailing with new rail clamps will obviously follow as the build progresses. Detailing and Detailing by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also taken the time to add some fences to the more drastic inclines, mainly to hold back the ballast and keeping it from spilling out over the road surface below, it looks pretty neat. Detailing and Detailing by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A small weighbridge was also added since I saw one in a video on Youtube. the bridge is seperated from the rest of the tracks, as in there are no fishplates. The wires to the Dcc bus are there. Weighbridge etc. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.