Revolution Mike B

After finally finishing laying the track on board four (the one to the very left on the layout diagram) I started to think about the bridge so I went off to my local model shop and bought two Peco preformed stone bridge sides for the costly sum (considering what they are) of £16......yet another mistake! The best thing to do with those (sorry Peco) is throw them straight in the bin, or better still, not buy them to start with! Only one thing for it......build my own. So.....after another Tourettes moment (apologies to anyone who suffers from Tourettes or knows someone who does), I managed to end up with this...... Unfortunately, the stone isn't correct for the West Country. I would've used the Wills sheets but I find them too thick and my skills aren't quite up to it yet. I still need to finish off the underside of the arch but that can wait because I've been trying to get the rest of the platforms done. Next up, Somerton tunnel mouth

Thanks for the kind words but I'm really not a modeller, I've just asked loads of questions and listened very intently to the answers.......and nicked everyone elses ideas!!

Hi Derek Thanks for the heads up on the C&L fishplates, I wish I'd have know before I used the ones I did - I've had to remove them! I hate to say this but it was pot luck as to weathering the track because I really don't have a clue as to what I'm doing. I knew that the ballast needed to be an odd brown colour but when I went to Castle Cary, there was a right mish mash of ballast, both in colour AND size. Here's how I achieved it. The main line originally started off as WS medium buff but it was a bit on the large side (as per an earlier post) so I took it up and relaid it (twice) with a mixture of some Calcisand (for Vivariums) and the WS sieved through a tiny sieve bought from my local Range store. The Calcisand is grey and really dusty, so dusty in fact that it looks like real ballast! Before I put the ballast mix down, I painted the track with a wash of grey / burnt umber / yellow mix, three times. this created a patchy finish on which I dry brushed some black paint, followed by some brown. The rail sides were painted with a mix of burnt umber / burnt sienna and black mix with thinners. I have no idea if this is a common method but I found that it made painting the rails really simple as the paint flowed off of the brush easily. Next up was the ballasting (which I hate) and took forever, brushing it clear of everything with a very small brush until I was happy it looked right, and then added the diluted PVA with a pipette, twice over and at this stage, also added some very watered down burnt umber paint so it soaked down in to the ballast. Once it was dry, I used the same method with various colours and some more black. I originally used my airbrush but it didn't look as good. The branch was a little trickier because the ballast was very odd in colour and size, so I used the same process but with grey, buff and red (not that you can see it) followed by some purple paint. The sleepers were covered in grey paint completely and then dry brushed using a very worn out paint brush. Apologies if I've missed anything - I hope that helps. Cheers Mike

What a great little layout Scott. I'm lovin' the warehouse walls!! Keep your chin up too mate.

As Ian's agent, he has no problem in doing this.....the cost is £350 per coach, plus postage

Thanks for all of the positive comments - I never knew that what looked impossible to do is fairly straight forward and what should be fairly simple and easy.........is pretty much impossible! My latest failure was to try and recreate an expansion joint.....pretty easy to do?? WRONG!!! I should have filed the rail down before I laid it and now it's way to hard to do! So I need to have a rethink on this one. Of course, I could always just lay some wooden sleepers and stick some Bullhead rail across them.......but I don't want to do that, it defeats the object Here's the track progress on board number three (the other station board). Although it doesn't look like it, there's a fair bit of elevation and the coach leans inwards really nicely. The track will tighten up on the fourth board to match the curve of board one and disappear off in to the tunnel. Some of you may be wondering why I've not laid all the track before doing the scenery? There's a couple of reasons for this: a) I live in a shoe box, ok, not literally, but the house is so small I can't even swing a cat in it (have a look at the cat's face in the picture - not impressed because his head keeps hitting the wall) and at a total length of 20', I can only get two boards together at any one time unless I take it all out in to the garden. and b) I have the attention span of a Goldfish Next up - learn how to fit pattern maker's dowels properly.......

I am indeed. I've got clearance from Nicky to come along. Just don't laugh if I crash anything :-)

That Thumper looks really good Ian. Remind me to get you to explain how you did the cut and shut when I see you in October, I'm having a nightmare trying to fill the joints on my MK3 BFO!

We need more local (ok, ok, I know, I'm in Portsmouth), modern image layouts like yours and Ian's Rob. I can lend you a nice pair of 'very quiet' DRS 37's if you need some Looking good btw :-)

BFO anyone? Needed a break from the track laying as it wasn't going so well. Still needs a bit of work under windows 7 & 8 but not bad for my first ever cut and shut! I just need to find the right colour green now!

As the weather was nice last weekend I thought I'd get the three boards I've made out in to the garden (it's the only place I can set the whole lot up....and there's still another board to go) and start laying the track on the other station board. It's surprising just how long an 8 coach HST is.... ...it overhangs the platform by half a coach and a power car so not that bad. Best finish off the track laying so that I can do the rest of the station!

Fishplate update!! I've managed to find some alternative cosmetic fishplates to C&L's which will fit my code 75 track. They're not overly expensive so I've ordered a pack to see if they clear the Bachmann wheel flanges. As per normal......watch this space....

I know how you feel! Loving the discharge shed build, it's given me a bit more ammunition to crack on and do my own buildings such as portacabins, a weighbridge and the road overbridges. I'm no expert at dry brushing but get yourself a load of different shaped brushes and if need be, hack them up a bit. I found it was trial and error (and some of the effects I ended up with, I've never been able to recreate!) until I got what I wanted. The hardest part was getting the right colours, and in that, I mean colours that looked real rather than a painted model - if that make's sense? Keep up the good work mate.

Hahahaha, a bit stronger than that Bill! I think the issue with the pointwork is that I'm trying to make it do something it wasn't designed for. If the mainline was straight I'd back to back large radius points and I'm sure it would be fine, but where it's curved, the Peco points just don't have the capability. The curved Peco points are way too sharpe when they diverge and although the layout of the curved point and the Y point is prototypical, they're just not long enough which is causing the problem. My next attempt is going to involve large radius LH and RH points bent to shape. Watch this space.........

I managed to get the two boards out in to the garden at the weekend but only for about 20 minutes because it was so flippin' hot, it nearly melted my MK2 coaches! Here's a picture I took with natural sunlight and a 158. The ballast and track still has an annoying sheen on it, almost like I need to cover it in dust or something - has anyone got any ideas to get rid of the shine? Here's another view looking towards the curve As the weather was good I also built the other station board so I'll be able to get track laying again sometime this week. Whilst I'm talking about track, I've got another little setback as the mainline crossover needs taking up and redesigning. It looks like it flows really well but coaches jar really badly due to the awful Peco crossing angles! I'm going to try and use large radius points and bend them in to the correct shape for the curve - I feel like another tourettes moment coming on very shortly

Well I've just spoken to Pete (of C&L for anyone who doesn't know who I'm talking about) and he's confirmed that the cosmetic fishplates don't fit the Peco code 75 rail. Next task is to file / sand them down, all 96 of them, to make them fit (or find another method for the inner ones). I can feel some very sore fingers and a lot of swearing coming on. I could of course, send them back.........but that would be far to easy

I was thinking exactly the same thing Bill. A few years back there were some etched ones but people complained that they were too thin! I'm not worried about the ones on the outside (although they still don't fit in the groove very well - possibly as they're designed for bullhead and not flat bottom rail) but the whole point here is to try and make it look like finescale. I'm more annoyed that I've ruined my existing track work and it's going to be a killer to have to rip it up!

Ok so here's an update on the fishplate calamity. I took a photo this morning and I'm pretty hacked off. Where I've had to file the fishplates down, I've ended up removing the chairs either side of them! Now to some of you, this may not seem like a big deal but I've gone to so much effort to get things looking a real as I possibly could, only to ruin it in a few minutes. Whilst it's not C&L's fault, it would've been useful to know that the fishplates were too thick for inside of the four foot because I wouldn't have bothered wasting my money. I'm now going to need to find a way of hiding the damage or taking the track up and replacing the damaged sleepers / chairs. I've got no hope of using cosmetic chairs either as they're designed for code 83 rail and the Peco sleepers don't look very good once you've attacked them with a scalpel.

Hmmmmmmmm! Bad news! £23 later and the C&L fishplates DON'T fit Peco code 75 rail!! The wheel flanges catch on the inner ones which is really flippin' annoying To be honest, you can't really see them but it's not the point, I want to use them to finish off my rail joints. It's worse with my Bachmann 37s for some reason. I've had to file them down which rather defeats the object. Back to the drawing board!

This is looking really good Rich. I wish I had the ability to build track like you have - I would've preferred that route instead of the Peco stuff I've butchered. I'm really pleased with the number of modern image layouts that are popping up recently and it's layouts like yours, and a few other guys on here that have really helped me with moving mine forwards. Mike

Jeez........what on earth is my life coming to? I can't believe I was so excited waiting for the Postman to turn up with some bits of plastic!! Tonight Matthew, I will mostly be........sticking my fingers together with superglue whilst trying to attach more ridiculously fiddly bits!!!

Keep up the good work Adrian....I'm going to pinch your idea for putting the rooms in the station building (albeit the modern version), you've done a much better job of putting it together than I did - mine is a bit warped! Interesting that you were worried about posting you railway on here? I only started in May this year and it's amazing how many people are very helpful. Keep the updates coming. Mike

Well the point lever is in and finished along with the dummy (which needs repainting). The sleeper that's wonky is actually copied from something I saw at Eastleigh - I thought I was seeing things until I got close up to it! I should've removed that stupid bit of plastic from the side of the point but I wasn't sure if it kept the tie bar in line. Next up, another clamp lock for the other point and some more weeds :-)

Due to the lack of decent point levers available (and the cost of etched ones), I thought I'd have a go at making my own. I'm a bit gutted that I've lost the bolt detail I put on the base plate but I'm sure I can sort that out later. I haven't cut the rod too short if anyone is thinking that, it has to allow clearance for the mechanism of the Peco point. There's also a good chance that the lever is actually too long due to the fact that I couldn't find any sizes! The gap in the rail to the left is waiting for the cosmetic fish plates - I've not used any 'toy train' rail joiners on the track at all.

What do I win??