RJdeVries

Another free weekend, that means a bit of moddeling and some jobs around the house. Ofcourse, the moddeling; Building bridjes "facades" by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've made a start building a facade to make the bridge a lot more appealing to look at. A few quick mesurements later a rough sketch was made and from that I decided to have a go. After cutting some plain styrene sheet in the correct shape I made sure that the arches where in the correct spot before cutting them out, it's a tight fit between the underside of the bridge and the top of the car, but it will do. A second styrene sheet with brickwork was glued on top and was left to dry between 2 books. This makes for a solid and sturdy wall that is about 3mm thick. Building bridjes "facades" by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The "track side" was also given a slither of brickwork and I held this in place with some re-engineered clothes pegs. Building bridjes "facades" by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The photo above was taken just now, the progress is noticable and there is no more white styrene to be seen, all excess material will be cut of once the glue has set, tomorrow that is. Building bridjes "facades" by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also relayed the track on the bridge, it sits dead center now between the walls. And a short clip! (mind the volume) I'll be continueing tomorrow, hope you enjoy. Regards, Robbert Jan.

It's been quiet for a few weeks, a lot of work has gone in my Dutch layout and the exhibition that took place a good week ago, again, back to the Colliery. The R&J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've been positioning the loading facility to it's final position, I wanted to make an opening in the side of the cabinet in order to fill the facility with coal but this is in, obviously, a fixed position. The R&J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've cut a large enough flap in the side with a spare metal sawblade since the teeth are finer and to not distroy the plywood as it is being cut, the blade was handled with a pair of thick gloves. The R&J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And this is the result, a nice flap that allows for the whole installation to be extracted, also handy for maintenance etc. The R&J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also replaced all of the flexitrack with Bullhead code 75, it looks a lot better. The R&J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The R&J Colliery Ltd. by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Well, thats all for today, hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Well, the Sentinel has seen the light, after a few adjustments to the amount emitted a few photos where made showing it of to my mum and dad. Hornby Sentinel by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Hornby Sentinel by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also painted the cabin interior grey as that seems to be a more fitting color then the blue plastic that Hornby put in there, with some cosmetic black dots on the dials and levers it looks very smart. I've also removed all of the glazing and have taken a section of the larger windows as they would be opened in real life use. (it takes patience not to crack the plastic....) Now the sound has somwhere to go too, it made a 100% improvement to the volume so well worth the effort there. Hornby Sentinel by Robbert Jan., on Flickr She definitly looks very smart now, time for some wheathering and detailing. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Amongst preparing my other layout for a show there is still time to do small projects involving some dcc sound installment in a shunter. The sound is from Digitrains and Paul Chetter. Sentinel Shunter by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Hornby Sentinel R3577 was purchased last week and has already been fitted with sound as seen above, there is very little room in the model so a bit of practical thinking was required. I've actually glued the read hood to the cabin and removed the body screwmount that keeps the hood down on the chassis. The handbrake wheel also had to go but this will return fitted in a different position. Sentinel Shunter by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Resulting in a "large" open space that will provide some extra room for a small Zimo Mx648r decoder. The speaker is a sugarcurve from Youchoos that I had laying around. Sentinel Shunter by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also placed a stay alive circuit underneith the motor where there is some space that was just big enough to house it. (Zimo Sacc16 + 2 tantalum capacitors 330uF) And ofcourse a small clip; Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi Ed7, Depending on the type and amount of rust or corrosion I'm using a 5 or 3 step process. Used paints. Ammo / Mig by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The wagon shown above is wheathered using the bottles displayed, using them in order from right to left, applying the light rust first and working my way towards the darker tones. Used paints. Ammo / Mig by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The color numbers that I used are shown above, these are all Mig / Ammo colors. If you do not wat to make the wagons with the amount of rust that I applied but just prefer to give them a more subtile look with wheathered spots the light rust colors should not be applied and the brown tones will do nicely, applied light to dark that is. Bauxite wheathering by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Shown above are a couple of Bauxite colored wagons, these do not recieve a rusty look but just wheathered on top of the existing wheathering, using just 3 shades of brown rust tones. Bauxite wheathering by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've also used one of the brown tones to repaint some wagon sides where the sheet metal was replaced. Wheathered coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Using dots and smaller blobs of paint the result will be most satisfying, I've not got a great set of different wagons that will look the part on my new layout. (and that is not shown above, this is my Dutch layout without the backscene) Wheathered coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Wheathered coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

I've spend my free monday wheathering some coal wagons, mainly the grey versions since these give an instand dramatic effect, 7 bauxite one's also need doing. Wheathering coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Wheathering coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr These have obviously been stored somewhere and they have gone without use for some time. Wheathering coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Wheathering coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A nice big spot of rust, this is something I found on actual pictures. Wheathering coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr This wagon has a few rust spots but these are not really fresh rust. Wheathering coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Wheathering coal wagons by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Both the above have been sitting somewhere wet and damp, these two really took a beating from the elements. Hope you enjoy! Robbert Jan.

Made a lot of progress today with the landscaping, I've filled in most of the open areas and I'm currently filling in the gaps and smoothing everything out. I'm using 20mm foam insulation and 3mm underfloor foam for laminate flooring. Landscaping by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Landscaping by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The most tricky bit is the bridge that will be inserted here, or rather will be build on site since the location is so akward. Landscaping by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I'ts starting to slowly crawl out of the construction fase into the modelling fase, I've also drilled some 35mm holes in the front of the layout using a hole saw. These holes will be used to mount 35mm Pvc end caps, these will house the toggle switch for operating the corresponding point motor. Meanwile the ex GWR 1368 has arrived with some empty's awaiting the full wagons. This will not be the usual going about since the main line is hidden in the staging yard. I've also ordered a few lenghts of Peco bullhead rail to replace the flexitrack sections since this will make the look of the trackwork even more "authentic" The engine shed didn't go without any progress, some more detail pieces where applied to the windows and above the entrance I've placed an I-beam for some added detail. Engine Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Hope you enjoy, Robbert Jan.

I've made a bit of progress with the engine shed, I've made a start inserting the window frames and the door opening. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A selection of smaller plasticcard pieces will fill the openings to accomodate small sections of glass, the upper portion of the window will in some instances be opened (tipped) towards the inside to let in some fresh air. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr It starts to resemble a usable structure now, the details make the building that is for sure. Regards, Robbert Jan.

A couple of hours where spend today laying track and building a locmotive shed. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The base for the shed was made using 2mm plasticcard and the stone foundation underneith the brickwork is also constructed from 2mm plasticcard. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Both locomotives will fit in the shed, as is a small workshop and personell room for a much deserved cup of tea. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A few hours later the brickwork was glued in place, the openings for the windows and doors where cut prior to assembly, these are ready to recieve there inserts. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The outside inspection pit is also in use for cleaning the ash pan as well as taking water and coal, these structures are to be build. Locomotive Shed by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The loco fit's neatly in the shed, there is enough headroom for an 08 but more likely would be an 0-6-0 austerity, that would make for an interesting set of locomotives. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Well, a lot has been done since the last post. I've been busy wiring the point motors and connecting all the drop wires to the main bus wires for the Dcc system. Wiring the point motors by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The point motors where powered up one at a time to check the polarisation of the frog and to wire them correctly. Meanwhile the other parts of the track where made ready and an initail trail run has been made without any hickups. Running the first train! by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Running the first train! by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And ofcourse a short clip; https://youtu.be/YXrIaLlBAFk The remainder of the trackwork will also be installed whilst the landscaping can also take place in order to hide the open areas. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi Steve, Thanks for the tips and tricks. I've yet to start wiring everything to the bus wire so I will keep the above in mind. I do keep a strict wiring scedule as the red (rear) and black (front) wire with the green wire for the frog (how convenient) I'm currently at work and will be wiring some rails and more tomorrow and if it all goes to plan the bus wire can then be installed and tested point by point. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Thanks! I've been busy with the laying of the set of 6 points, fitting them with drop wires for the Dcc current and the frog polarisation, The points will be operated by Tortoise pointmotors on a fixed 9 volt Dc current with a simple switch to operate. Rail and point placement by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've soldered the wires directly to the underside of the rail, that includes the frog because the attached wire snapped on the first installment after applying a small amount of force to pull the wire though. Rail and point placement by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And after a hour of soldering, alligning and cutting a piece of flexitrack the bulk of the work has already been done and it all fits nicely after some adjustments to the sleepers interfering with one and other. The bit of flexitrack has also lost a third of the sleepers and I will space the remaining one's out accordingly, I think it lookspretty neat so far. Rail and point placement by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And well, there are already lot's of wires underneith the base, these will be sorted out once the point motors are installed. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Well I've been messing about with covering the Magnorail track with photocard and this was with some initial troubles really do-able. Wegdek van fotokarton by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've used double sided carpet tape as an adhesive and placed it almost everywhere to ensure the photocard doesn't pop up etc. The individual pieces of photocard where taped together with clear packingtape. And after a lot of trial and error a working slider was build that would fit the faller steering gear, it is fixed underneith the steering gear and almost dead center. This gives the most dependable turning action and since this is all solid there is no real play in the system, for the better. I've been running her for about 2 hours now and no problems at all. Land Rover Mk 1 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Navigating a 180 degree turning point. Land Rover Mk 1 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Coming out from under the bridge navigating a slight incline and bend in the road. Now this is finished I finally can get to laying the track and points, installing point motors and all the other items that should be installed prior to attacking scenery etc. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Last wednesday my order of cork finally arrived so I wasted no time getting this glued into place with ordinary woodglue. Kreatief met kurk by Robbert Jan., on Flickr So yesterday when the glue had set there was a short period before going to work where I took the time to install the Magnorail chain and got it correctly tensioned, in a way that it isn't bunshing up in the guiderail. (especially when the chain is pushed rather then pulled) It work's https://youtu.be/I1yZ2Tpx-gk That was also the time to install the steering gear to the Land Rover, this was a challenge in it self since the whole frame had to be cut of and I made a new one from plasticcard. Land Rover Mk1 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The steering rack is a complete assembly from faller, with an adapted slider from faller. Land Rover Mk1 by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The body also needed a bit of work since there is no clearance for the wheels to turn. The inner wheel wells had to be ground down with a dremel in order to make the room for the wheels to fit inside, it should be enough, but the real test will be when the Magnorail track is covered with a road surface, Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi Gordon, The headlights look very bright since the picture was taken without any extra lighting, my room was dark at the time. If used under normal circumstances there isn't even that much light being emitted as I would like there to be visible. I'll be testing some more and May even redo the headlights with proper sunny white one's. Thanks for the observation Regards, Robbert Jan.

Been quite busy with some of the prepwork for the more intense stages of building the baseboard and the features added to this. Yesterday I've been repeating myself over and over again with the all the parts required to make a complete Magnorail chain, all of the chain links where cut free from there sprue and given a smooth finish to the system will run without any issues. Magnorail track by Robbert Jan., on Flickr After this exhausting endevour there was some time to install a couple of rare earth magnets that are supplied with the system. Magnorail track by Robbert Jan., on Flickr 2 large magnets where pushed into the chain, each facing a different direction, meaning there is one facing north side up and the other is south side up. The same is done with the verhicle slider and the 2 are highly attracted to one and other. I've also added a 0,5mm brass rod to the end, this will hook up with the steering gear on my Land Rover Mk1. Magnorail track by Robbert Jan., on Flickr This is how the chain will sit in the guiderail, this will be a job for a quiet afternoon. The sides of the guiderail will be filled in with 8mm cork and there will be a photocard layer on top acting as the road surface, this is according to the manufacturer, the best option being that plasticcard will tend to distort with temperature differences. And then the layout, so far the only building that is actually giving some clue is the coal washing and loading facility, this is almost in the right place, it needs some adjustment still. Global layout of the layout by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And this a top down view, a small engine shed will be placed where the red Barclay is sitting. Both holes will be inspection and maintenance pits. Global layout of the layout by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Obviously there will be more buildings against the back of the cabinet, some larger buildings, and a conveyor going across the track from the back to the washing and loading facility. I'm also tempted to build a winding work since that is an obvious sign of a mine. Enough to do whilst I'm also preparing my Dutch layout for the next show at Rail 2019 (Houten Expo the Netherlands) This exhibitions normally also features a dozen British and/or British build layouts to plenty to see Regards, Robbert Jan.

After a few days at work there is again some progress. I've reworked the loading facility because there where some places where small pieces of coal became stuck and this would then jam the mechanism into not closing properly. I've fixed this issue in the space available, meaning the divider underneith the hopper had to be lowered a good 2mm and this did the trick without any further problems, the wagons still fit so that is a bonus. Facility by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Then there was the issue of the amount of fine debris in the "coal" that was also getting into the working mechanism, I therefore spend the better part of the friday morning cleaning all the "coal" by washing it and agitating it over a screen of fine mesh so all the fine particles where discarded. Another project, a Land Rover Mk1, has to be made capable to run on the MagnoRail track and this is quite a challenge, I've ordered a steering rack so the front wheels can actually steer, further enhancements where made to give the model a bit more appeal. This means that the soldering iron was needed, 6 led's, a few resistors and some fine wire. Mark 1 Land Rover by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The headlights, markerlights and taillights where drilled and given a drop of Micro Kristal Klear to form a lens where a small led sits behind. The whole setup works on 2 1,5volt button batteries, these will last a day. Mark 1 Land Rover by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Obviously overexposed, but it's visible Mark 1 Land Rover by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And the rear, this will do nicely. Regards, Robbert Jan.

I've just viewed the whole topic, looks nice and it allows for a variety of different consists, it gives me some inspiration to in filling in the trackwork. Regards, Robbert Jan.

@ PaulRhB. That is indeed something I have been thinking about, I've just recieved a model of a series 1 Landrover and I think that a Faller steering gear would fit, this would make cornering way easyer than just dragging it along. I've still got some connections with the local Model railway club and they would probably help me out with a steering setup if asked. @Tomparryharry That would be an interresting alteration, it would be relatively easy to alter the position of the wistle, I will defenitly look in to that. Regards, Robbert Jan.

And yesterday I did finally recieve a set containing a servodecoder and 4 servomotors. I've wasted no time installing these since I had the whole setup prepared in advance. Coal Loading facility by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The servo's are used to operate the sliding valves underneith the coal hoppers. This gives me the possibility to actually load coal wagons on the layout, as in, bringing empty's to the facility and taking full wagons back to the main line for collection. Coal Loading facility by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The setup is not really difficult, a brass slide valve is mounted underneith the hopper and this is operated by a lever (with a piece of pring steel rod) mounted to the servomotor. The normal position is obviously closed and that allows for the hopper to be filled with a certain amount, likely the contents of 1 wagon since closing the valve mid stream is problematic. That is not really an issue since I'm not filling 10 wagons at a time, maybe 2 or 3 so no operational problems there. A short clip is also viewable on Youtube; https://youtu.be/b97S2lFwQQw And I've made the trip to the cold garage to install my recently accuired MagnoRail system, this will be used to pull along a couple of cars and maybe in the future a cyclist. MagnoRail track by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The loop runs just behind the railway and has a 180 degree turning loop that will be camouflaged by the loading station, the track is a continuous loop and a portion is running behind the backscene. This is also where the drivemotor is installed, this will pull/push the chain that will run in the track. Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hi John, It's a combination of holiday memory's, pictures found on the internet for inspiration and just a lot of imagination. I'm not trying to recreate any location in specific, and that makes it more of a fun challenge for me, I just love building from scratch and working towards a complete small layout that is small enough to take to exhibitions. (and it fit's my hobby room so that's a bonus as well ) Regards, Robbert Jan.

Wait a minute.... where did this topic come from, well, it was in the wrong section and I had it re-placed here. No worries, I'm not that far in to building my new layout, actually it is only 2 weeks old. So I've decided to pick up the storyline from here; Loading station by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The loading facility is taking shape and it coming together nicely, it obviously requires a lot of work to complete the bare building, then there is detailing and painting. The picture above didn't quite give me the right impression, the walls where to high up the building and it seemed to be to "open", like a slightly short skirt. Andrew Barclay @ Loading facility by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Much better I would say, the Loco will fit underneith the beam, but not underneith the actual devider below the storage hopper. A well, minor detail. Andrew Barclay @ Loading facility by Robbert Jan., on Flickr The building will sit flush with the backscene so there is only room for 2 wagons underneith. Next item to be attended is the installation of the Magnorail system to the layout, the contours have already been outlined and the install should be relatively staight forward, say it with some bendy bits. Hope you enjoy! Regards, Robbert Jan.

Thanks for the advise, I've contacted Andy Y via a personal message. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Hello, I've made a new topic recently in the "Boxfiles, Micro Layouts & Dioramas section" but my topic seems out of place and I would like to see if it is possible to replace the topic to the regular "Layout topics" instead. Would this mean starting over and having a moderator delete my original posting or could it be re-assinged? topic title; The R & J Colliery Ltd. 130x45cm cabinet. Regards, Robbert Jan.

Since no mail arrives over the weekend I've been concentrating on the coal loading facility. I'm constucting it out of styrene profiles from Evergreen since this is, for me, the most effective and fun way to construct buildings in general. Silo building by Robbert Jan., on Flickr I've made a start with the steel structure and this is made using 4x4mm (5/32") H profiles. The diagonal braces and 1 size down and mesure 3,2x3,2mm (1/8") The corners will be and have been strenghtened with rivet plates and some extra braces on the inner corners. Since this frame carries the complete inner workings it has to be somewhat sturdy. The glue has cured over night and the end result is slowly starting to appear. Steel structure by Robbert Jan., on Flickr Steel structure by Robbert Jan., on Flickr A locomotive will not fit underneith the facility, this is not required since there is only space for 2 wagons. If a single wagon is used it would be practice to use a repurposed conflat in between the loco and wagon. Steel structure by Robbert Jan., on Flickr And this is the frame as it stands now, the complete interior will be able to slide out in order to fill the hoppers with fresh coal, this will happen trough a little door in the side of the cabinet. Regards, Robbert Jan.