Dave Searle

Phew indeed! Very useful - a couple of questions to clarify: 1. Was the Eastleigh ballast train also MHA/MFA/MTA opens and were they loaded? 2. Were the wagons from S1 and S2 loaded? Many thanks for all those details, Cheers, Dave

Hi, Here's the control panel image. The south roads are labelled S1-S7 (missing S3). the reception roads are labelled R1 & R2. The other through roads are labelled T1-T6. I think these are the names are used. S7 is used for storing crippled wagons. Cheers, Dave

Hi, Many thanks for this - I'll try & get a better shot of the control panel tonight so you can identify the roads. Bear in mind we've cut down the North end and lost a siding from the South set due to not having the 70 feet we needed for an accurate scale model. Regards, Dave

Hi, There's a lot of ballast on this layout! Most of it is now in place and we're gradually tidying it up, filling in the missing bits and getting the colours evened out. Last night, at one point, we had seven team members working on the layout at the same time (although in this picture some seem to be trying to hide in the kitchen). Even on a layout this size we have difficulty not getting in each others way. However my "job creation scheme" of painting the fiddle yard zones seemed to help! The idea is to improve the ability to see where stock is (in relation to the electrical sections and point work) from the control positions at the other end of the layout. Meanwhile on the scenic side, the cork underlay is being given a basic colouring prior to scenic ground cover being added. The recent acquisition of Gordon Gravett's book on modelling grass gives us a high standard to aim at. Cheers, Dave

Hopefully we'll get the models built before the prototypes are demolished. Are they being replaced? We are now modelling history! Cheers, Dave

Hi, He seems to be active on the N Gauge Forum, posting some photographs of the production B6 on the 2nd August: http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=3280.msg154643#msg154643 Cheers, Dave

Hi, It's been quiet for a while, with bank holidays and the Club AGM in May and then the club moved premises in June as the old church hall closed and we arrived at the new one. This brand new hall is bigger, better lit, has better acoustics and, most important, direct access to the kitchen for teas, so wins all round. Meanwhile some gentle progress has been made on the layout. Basic scenic foundations have been added in front of the back scene to provide some variation in height. Some ballast that had dried strange blue and green colours has been lifted and replaced. And we've started painting the ground surface ready for serious scenic work. There is still a some work to do blending the different shades of ballast into each other, especially near baseboard joints. Once we are happy with that, then the little details can be added (point motors and levers, TPWS & AWS). Cable troughs are nearly all in place along the front. The South (Didcot) end has made the most progress, but looks a bit bare, there will be a lot of trees and undergrowth and fencing to add in this area: Added some plaster bandage over cork and solid foam formers: Then we started adding some colour for the ground and paths between the various tracks: We've also added one of the extra "belly-guards" to the fiddle-yard - time will tell if it is high enough: We are now having more frequent Saturday meetings, so that gives a chance for jobs that need more drying time. Cheers, Dave

Hi Ian, Very impressed with the article in Rail Express, it shows the layout off very well. A quick question - which container flats are you using for the MOD trains? Cheers, Dave

Hi Ian, Yes, it was often our stomachs! Putting out the stock took quite a while, but we did it in a relaxed way on Friday evening. Removal was quite quick due to the labelled foam stock trays - each train goes into 1 or 2 trays so is easy to organise/delegate. The break down of the layout at the end of the show was quite rapid - stock removed and layout ready to be loaded in the van inside 40 minutes. The travel "wardrobe" proved its worth allowing us to load the boards and wheel it out very quickly and smoothly. Here are some shots I took on Friday after setting up: Overall view from the Didcot end looking North, showing the lighting gantry: Overall view from the Oxford end looking South: Didcot end: Site office, ballast pile, Farish Autoballasters and NGS Osprey kits with 2mmFS Easitrack track panels: Site office, ballast pile, Autoballasters: A second fiddle yard will also need a travelling trolley, but won't be as bulky. We already need a Luton van with a tail lift (which just copes with the current "wardrobe"), so a further smaller trolley won't be a problem. Just need to design it, but will probably leave it for a little while. Cheers, Dave

Hi Ian, Thank you for your kind comments, it was good to have a chat with you yesterday. The layout seemed to be very well received especially with the younger generation as we tried to keep stuff moving all the time. We learnt a lot about the practicalities of running it under exhibition conditions which hadn't been apparent in the club room - the lines of sight from one end of the fiddle yard to the other kept getting blocked by the central yard operator. We could also do with a special exhibition fiddle yard to take about three times the stock. Generally once the initial stock selection had had any poor performers weeded out, everything worked quite well, we just need to be careful not to knock stock off in the fiddle yard when leaning over to see the front. I hope to post a few photos later. Cheers, Dave

Hi Eddie, Thanks for that. I had forgotten the Etch Pixels Stroudley van. I had forgotten the thickness limits for FUD might affect open wagons. It might be possible to "fudge" it by using a 1 mm thickness for lower planks to provide strength and then taper the top plank to imply a thinner material. However, this may be tricky with round ended wagons. Alternatively leave the thickness at 1 mm and let the builder thin it down if required. I shall be interested in your progress and any further developments. Cheers, Dave

Hi Eddie, This is really interesting. I look forward to seeing photos, although I know the raw material is very difficult to photograph. Easier after a coat of primer. Are you going to do any other LB&SCR stuff? If so, I would be very interested in Stroudley era vans and open wagons. Or even Craven era? Cheers, Dave

Hi, Well, the ballasting has started! Following Andy's tests we have standardised on a variable mix of Carrs 2mm light grey ballast and Chinchilla dust. This is applied either by a ballast spreader or teaspoon and adjusted with a fine paint brush. Diluted PVA is then carefully dripped onto the settled ballast. Where the sidings are close together some extra cork has been added for the paths between the tracks which are about level with the top of the sleepers. This also helps keep the ballast in position. Care needs to be taken around point work: The south (Abingdon Road) board has largely been done. From to Meanwhile we are working on the lighting gantry and Bill has started painting it a reasonable match for EWS maroon. Fluorescent T5 tubes and daylight bulbs are on their way and we've built the uprights to support the fascia (but I forgot to take any photos). We are getting close to the club's show at the end of the month where we will be showing the layout as "under construction". We will have stock running and hopefully some descriptions so that viewers can see how we've done things. Cheers, Dave

Hi Brian, That's fantastic - many thanks. I've now got plenty to keep me busy for a while! Cheers, Dave

I hadn't registered that OLE was to be added. It would explain why the Abingdon Road bridge was raised between my visits in 2010 and 2012. So we are now involved in creating a historical model set in 2010 - history started yesterday! 2010: 2012: Cheers, Dave

Many thanks Brian, that will be very useful. Cheers, Dave

Hi Ian, I was a little disappointed to have made the trip there last August to find the yard quite empty, but as you say it helps with the infrastructure photography. I was also able take a lot of shots of the electricity pylon and the trees and some wildlife - does anyone make N-gauge rabbits or adders? Hi Brian, Thanks for those comments about the buffers lights - it's so easy to make incorrect assumptions so it's very useful to have the accurate information. Yes we''l be putting in some potholes in the access road. Thanks also for mentioning the second bridge. I can now see where it goes under the main lines (about half way along the wooded bit between the tracks) from some Bing views (it is less obvious than the first one, so I'd missed it). That'll also give me a chance to make some more water and put the missing bit in front of the first bridge. Cheers, Dave

We had a working Saturday and a productive Monday this week. The left hand (South) end of the layout has had the rails and sleepers painted so we are beginning to add details. There is a river and some bridges going under the tracks at this end of the layout. The river uses brown water colour paint on the base covered with a layer of "water" made from a Deluxe Materials two part mix: The eagle-eyed will notice that I missed out the water at the front edge of the board A lot of the river banks will be covered with greenery, so the lack of real depth won't be too apparent. We've also added the yellow buffer stops (one of our members is currently preparing some red LEDs to light them). This is an overview of the corner: The red box marks where the electricity pylon will go and various layers of cork have been added to give some depth to the scene and provide the pathway to the site office (the J-shaped path in the centre). Not so obvious is the infill of thin cork between the tracks. This is to help limit the sideways spread of the ballast and will eventually become the compacted paths between the tracks: Cheers, Dave

Hi Martin, Thank you for the kind comments, although I wasn't a member of the club at the time it was built, I will pass your comments on to those remaining who were part of the team that built and maintain it. Ruxely (the terminus) and Woodcote (the through station) are still in very much in use and make the occasional exhibition appearance. Ruxley is at Abdingdon on March 2nd and both are travelling to Wigan on 15/16 June. An article is also being prepared for one of the magazines. Cheers, Dave Epsom & Ewell MRC

Mike Sharman's multi-gauge workshop layout (Railway Modeller December 1970) - amazing scratch-built track and ancient stock. Cheers, Dave

Some more gentle progress last night. Andy & Bill are working on ballasting tests to get a good working technique. They are trying out different "glues" and ballast mixes. Meanwhile Brian has made a start on the backscene: The rest of us are painting rails and sleepers. Cheers, Dave

Hi, Thank you for your comments and interest. Paul, one of the reasons we froze the period at 2010 was due to the peak in the activity around that time. We are gradually getting back to work on the layout now the wiring is finished and tested, The next phase is to paint the rails and sleepers: We noticed these interesting yellow sleepers which appear to mark the clearances in the sidings (this will also make our operators lives easier). We have also carved away the cork underlay for the stream that passes under all the tracks the the Didcot end of the yard. We don't have a lot of depth here, and can't cut much of the main board surface away, so the stream will be fairly overgrown - implying depth rather than showing it! We have started adding the cable troughs and orange pipes across the tracks where power is needed for the prototype's points, signals, AWS and TPWS. Also some masking tape to protect the point blades from getting glued up when we start ballasting. It's good to be back in action again. Cheers, Dave

Hi Eric, I shall watch your progress with interest as I have 3 of these to build sometime (two in 4mm and one in 7mm). Ian White has used Aidan Campbell (http://www.aidan-cam...76catalogue.htm) loco crews Good luck. Cheers, Dave

Hi, I had a demo in my friend's shop* a couple of weeks ago. I was very impressed by the system, especially by the intuitive phone app control. I currently have an ECoS, but would seriously consider this if I was looking for a new high end system. The User guide is online; http://www.z21.eu/do...de_de_fr_gb.pdf Cheers, Dave *Morris Models, Lancing, Sussex

Hi Ian, Thanks for the info - I would like to have seen the tilting track panel wagons. Last time I went there (in August) there was a 66 and just a few wagons - it looked very empty. We are still resolving a few remaining "crossed-connection" issues with the wiring, but getting closer to the point where we can start track painting and ballasting. Cheers, Dave