bill badger

With my background as a geologist, I do like a good map and after nosing over the local OS sheet this morning looking for inspiration, I've settled on a name for the layout: Northcote TMD.

Thanks Porkie. Just had a quick look at your thread - your build looks great; I'll have a longer read tonight. My choice of era reflects happy memories of spotting trips with my Dad and my school's railway society. The whole thing is an exercise in pure nostalgia! Just about to place my order with Finetrax so will be able to crack on with the main track complex. I want to look into whether you can compress adjacent turnout arrangement when using the Finetrax system and the milled plastic bases. I've also snaffled a couple of Dapol 56s (one coal sector and one construction sector) and some TTAs in the Model Railways Direct sale. Have toyed with getting a 56 or two for ages, but given the size / shape / detail issues, I have always shied away at full price; daft really given that another version is never going to be produced in the foreseeable.

Thanks for the tip - just relieved them of a couple of Dapol 56s and some TTA tanks.

After some room shuffling at home to give our son a bigger bedroom, my cave has moved to the smallest of our spare rooms. Whilst plans for a house extension, that includes a new workshop, have been approved, it’ll be next year at the earliest before we make a start and my grand scheme for Hellifield in N gauge will have to wait until then. In the meantime, I want something to do… I can accommodate a smallish board, up to 1.5m long, without having to faff about unpacking and setting up for the odd 30 minute session. My era is mid-80s to early-90s and I probably have far too many locos compared to rolling stock, so you can probably guess where this is going. The plan is to show a limited section of a much larger TMD and include a ‘through’ line: some sort of loop or ‘avoiding’ line that a variety of traffic might use. I did look at making this a double track, but it didn't feel quite right and made things too cramped. I know this layout subject is has probably being done to death in some people’s view, but it suits my current situation; Rule 1 and all that! To get things moving, I have ordered a baseboard from Tim Horn Baseboards. Here is the current track plan: I will be using Finetrax turnouts (all A5 for this one) and flexi with wood sleepers in the depot and concrete on the avoiding line I have taken some inspiration from Tinsley for the look & feel. Locos and supplies from the wider world coming on-depot will come from the top left (some may pass, right to left, on the through line beforehand). Simple refuelling (upper right) / stabling (lower left sidings in front of red office block) will take place on scene. Locos may also enter the partially modelled servicing sheds (with cassettes to the rear) or head to the larger heavy workshops imagined off scene, via the lower right line. Buildings, tanks and other structures will be used as view blockers for the side access points. All off site lines will lead to a cassette-based fiddle yard arrangement; there may ultimately be scope for an occasional use ‘tail chaser’ fiddle loop for the avoiding line. Whilst I wait for the board and track supplies I’ll make a start with buildings, tanks and pouring over the local OS map to find a good name!

In short, I think the new site is excellent!

Thanks Graham - missed that.

Thank you.

Hoping someone can help. I have a work trip to London scheduled; I'm heading south next Monday without any time pressure, and thought I might see about getting the Chiltern loco hauled service to Marylebone from Birmingham Moor Street. Looking at Realtime Trains all the services are listed with timings for 158 DMUs. Has the loco hauled service stopped? In not, has anyone got any knowledge of the times for the loco hauled services. Can't seem to find any current info on the web. Thanks Duncan

Working the distance back up after a 6 month lay-off via the couch to 5k programme and intend to do our local Parkrun as my first 'comeback' full 5k outing. For those with children don't forget there are also the 2k Junior Parkruns (same organisation) that go at 9am on a Sunday. My wife help set up our junior run in Clitheroe and some of the team have gone on to set up an adult run on Saturdays too (apologies for the shameless plug!) Our 5 year old was thrilled to get his 'marathon' wrist band a couple of weeks back after completing 21 runs. Its a great thing, completely voluntary and has done its job even if only one more person gets off their sofa and does something active. Our local council have been nothing but positive and full supported us. We also did some run tourism during our 2 weeks in Cornwall this year - the junior run in Bodmin and the adult run at the Eden Project (btw if you run, volunteer our just support the Eden run you get in for free - and its a great day out too). http://www.parkrun.org.uk/events/juniorevents/

It is pretty poor. Having switched to N a couple of years ago I don't regret it, as the space potential & latest generation of BR D&E vintage models are stunning, but even so, I definitely feel like a poor relation. Plus they do seem to insist on keeping on with factory weathering which is, let's be honest, completely rubbish. Why not focus the obviously limited resources & production slots on 'clean' versions that people can do what they want with (a pet hate of mine). I know its all down to economics, but it does feel like N has never been so popular, or well supported by newer entrants to the market; something doesn't quite scan with Farish? As said, let's hope there a bunch of things to be announced / updated at TINGS.

This quote made me chuckle: “It is our aspiration the first dedicated carriage for cyclists and other sports enthusiasts will enter service by summer next year. This unique initiative, a UK first, is supporting improved transport connectivity and active travel choices." I suppose my memories us sticking our bikes in the guards van and heading off across the country for cycling trips during the late 80s are a weird delusion in an addled brain and never really happened. Granted, the van was never a 'dedicated cycle van' but even so. Now all people will have to do is get their bikes to Glasgow somehow...

Thanks for the info. I have various sheets of plywood on order from the suppliers mentioned above and will give them a go. If I get no joy with these, I'll try the MDF route for structural items and thin card for detail overlays.

Thanks for that - just ordered a sheet to try.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I'll try the MDF / glass to see how that goes; for the past few days I've used small sheets of 9mm MDF and 9mm ply as supports underneath the base plate, which seems to sag a bit when the machine is standing on the 4 rubber feet. I was interested (and ultimately encouraged) to re-read 'monkeys' posts about cutting ply. To get me going I ordered some 1.5mm and 3mm sheets of 'laserply' from ebay and also tried some 1.3mm laminated cardboard from Hobbycraft that I already had. The laminated white card cuts and engraves really nicely and I managed to do some really neat stonework in 2mm scale. I had planned to use 1.5mm ply as the internal layer for buildings and build layers of suitable thickness to give me the building relief. But, the ebay 1.5mm ply just wouldn't cut. It seems to get through the top layer, but then seems to stall at the middle layer and the top layer then just burns sideways with every cut. I think I gave up at 12 passes on 100% at 5mm/s and then tried other power / speed approaches, but still no banana. As a next step I bought some 'normal' 1.5mm play from the local timber merchant yesterday and tried that too; same result. I rechecked the laser focus in case I had got that wrong, but it seemed OK. I was about to give up for the night but thought I'd just try the 3mm ply I got from the same ebay seller. What do you know: 4 passes at 5mm/s on 100% and it cuts like a Grebulon Death Ray going through a planet. Obviously ply is not ply is not ply. Can anyone recommend a source of 0.8mm, 1mm or 1.5mm ply (I need material of each size for what I'm planning) that they know the Emblaser can get through? I will use card for the thinner layers if needs be. I also want to steer away from using lots of MDF; I have 'professional' heebee-geebees about the fibres it gives off, especially in a 'home setting'. What fun the Emblaser rollercoaster seems to be...

In the end DHL delivered on Monday and a couple of evenings have got the thing assembled. No major problems and it fired up fine. I agree about trying to spot the focus with the orange specs on; all very tricky. Its just finished engraving the calibration file; the line is quite thick line so the focus will need much work using the adjust-line-adjust-line method. Even at this stage I'm mighty impressed and relieved it flew straight from the start. What have folk found to be the best material to use as a work base that ensures the target material can be kept completely flat? I think MDF has been suggested, but I'm not a fan and don't intend to cut it in such a home setup. Would glass work?

I usually keep my council on most things I encounter (including some of more selfish and intolerant contributions that occasionally crop up on this site), but I do feel the need to express my disgust with this comment. Its sad that the worst side of internet chat can filter into a website that is supposed to be dedicated a fun and relaxing hobby. I mean really? Several posters on this and the previous thread need to take a long hard look at themselves and their priorities in life. How sad.

Just had the confirmation and duty payment request from DHL on my A3 Emblaser 1. Delivery scheduled next Tuesday - under two weeks from order to delivery from Aus; not bad at all. Starting to get quite a list of things I want to try and create.

Gulp!. I've just taken the plunge and ordered an A3 Emblaser 1. I had been making some initial enquiries about having things cut to order, but having worked out all the things that it would allow me to do, plus all the things that haven't occurred to me yet, I decided I would learn more this way and be able to play to my hearts content. I also have the benefit of a long professional relationship with AutoCAD which I hope will come in handy. Thanks for the great thread and the advice.

Thanks - I'll bear that in mind as I want to be cutting thin sheets for laminating etc.

Thanks for the info. Can I ask if, in people's experience, everything you need comes in the kit? I assume the cutting mats in the Darkly Lab shop are not included and you get one pair of the funky orange shades?

There's cautious and then there's cautious! Anyways, I know this is a thread about the Emblaser but, before I jump in, is there anything else out there that is comparable to the E1 that I should consider next to it (discounting anything cheap and Chinese from Ebay or Amazon). My budget won't stretch to the E2.

Thanks for that. 0.5mm would be a great result for what I'm planning. Sadly (for me and my 5 year old son) the Beast has turned out to be more of a Bunny is our part of NW England. Only an inch of snow and clear roads; doesn't stop folk driving at 5mph everywhere for no reason at all though!

Very nice work. What couplings will you use on these?

That's great, thanks. I'll plan for 0.5mm in my drawings.