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Quite a few updates to talk about today, but far and away the most important is that after a lot of different frustrations trains are now moving. I've attached links to a couple of videos, from which you can see the evidence of progress and a lot of issues to resolve too, not least the quality of my camera work! Since the last update I've been making steady progress with the temporary wiring. I was in two minds about whether to undertake the temporary wiring or not, as it will need some additional work to remove it later, however I decided I really wanted to test the operability of the layout before making some big commitments in terms of wiring, point motors and signalling. In the videos you'll see a lot of red wiring, deliberately red to ensure none of it gets accidentally left behind, which provides some basic functionality across the layout. 8 of the 40 points can be moved to allow some simple testing of train movements. Having got trains running I'm glad I did - the pleasure of movement has counteracted all the trials and tribulations of the last few weeks! It also proves there's no-one like a signal engineer for ruining the look of good permanent way. In terms of the layout and how the first trains have run, everything has gone smoothly - there has barely been a wheel off the track. There are a few soldered joints need filing to smooth running, but generally there have been very few running issues. There are a couple of areas where there is a consistent jerk, which will need some further investigation to identify the cause. Each of the continuous runs have had 6 coach trains reversed at full speed around them without any hiccups, although I haven't been brave enough to try this with 4 wheel speedlink wagons as yet! Also I've noticed that top speed seems to be fairly pedestrian (even without a 31/4), hopefully a play with the CV settings will sort this. Far and away the biggest frustration over the last few weeks was the absence of a DCC controller (the promised 4 weeks soon became 4 months), and after a lot of fruitless conversations I made the decision to change supplier, something I should have done sooner as a Power Pro and slave cab were in my hands within 48 hours of making the call. I then suffered a few evenings of difficulty getting the locos to operate, which although agonising at the time can be put down to dirty track, poor pick up arrangements (two of the locos have been stripped right down and fully cleaned), an unnoticed electrofrog point in the fiddle yard (I really thought they were all insulfrog) combining with an ungapped copperclad sleeper 20 metres away to cause the mother of all intermittent faults. The first video of the 37 is separated by about 8 hours of work to get to the one of the 45 leaving platform 4. When the first loco purred effortlessly down the layout at the first time of asking I was really believing the DCC dream! Now things are running it all seems a little trivial, but a lot of Latin was expended in solving the issues. I think a couple of the locos are suffering from historical gremlins - the risk of buying second hand with no service history. Also, if anyone knows what part number to order for a spare class 25 hook and loop coupler I'd be much obliged! So now it's time to spend a few nights testing (playing) trains and see if it provides the operational interest that I'm hoping for. I also plan to spend a few nights inserting sleepers and sorting out the visual appearance of the trackwork whilst the trains run round. In parallel to this, the first signalling plan has been drafted and some of the interlocking circuits sketched out; I hope to disassemble the layout early in the new year, which means the wiring the plans for each board need to be finalised by then.

Track laying on the scenic side is complete! This feels like something of an anticlimax as I can't actually run anything, not least because the Powercab is now in week 17 of its 4 week lead time... Attention will now turn to some very temporary wiring to allow trains to run in two circles at least. With no point motors to hold the switch rails in place, there will be some 4mm scale clipping and scotching and minor bonding work required. My intention is to have around 6 points that can move to allow the operational concept to be tested. I also need to lay a couple of temporary loops in the fiddle yard; I haven't really decided on a track plan for the fiddle yard and I have hardly any trains to store, so a basic arrangement will be fine for now. Hopefully there will be trains running before and over Christmas, prior to dismantling the layout and starting work on the wiring proper. The initial plans are being drawn up at the moment, starting with a signalling plan and route table. Drawings for the NX panel with basic interlocking will follow from there. It gets fairly complex fairly quickly! Whilst the layout is dismantled there is some baseboard work to be done. A couple of cross braces will be fitted (there are a couple of obvious dips) - these couldn't be fitted before as I didn't have the Marcway points to know the exact geometry and thus where point motors will be. The weight of the paint tins used when gluing the track has also highlighted some areas for consideration of extra support. I will also fit a backscene around the scenic section directly to the wall whilst the boards are down.

Thanks Andy. The camera helps hide one or two of the minor kinks and twists, although it also highlights a couple you can't see normally! The track going into platform one looks quite angled in pictures. There are a couple of places I think might need sorting, but really need to do some running to see how big the problems are. I remember reading - I think in the Railway Modeller about Don's miniature New Street - that track was tested by reversing a 10 coach set at full speed round the layout. Seems like the right approach, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough!

A couple of updates, one technical and one railway related. Firstly I've been looking into the photo orientation problem and have put a more detailed explanation on the link below. The summary is it's to do with modern camera devices and the way they store photos. Newer software will check the photo properties and correctly align it, but older operating systems and browsers may not. The upshot is if I take pictures with the phone held sideways with the volume buttons down, they will appear the right way up on here. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/115331-uploading-photos-from-ipad/ Now onto more railway progress. Platforms 3 and 4 are both now laid, together with the former engine release line for platform 5. This had to be laid before the platform 5 line as its alignment is dictated by the three way point and I want the two roads to be parallel. I debated adding a cross over at the end of platform 5 to allow trains to run round, but only being able to fit in a 3 coach train would highlight the platform length compromise too much for my liking - the 08 will have to do the work! Platform 5 will mainly be parcels and DMUs, so not much of an issue. I had to build another trap point to protect the platform road from the release line and two speedlink sidings and realised I will need a third trap for the kick-back siding off the double slip; that should be the last point (to build and) to lay - you can see where it will go in the top photo. The kick back siding will be for engineers' trains, together with a lot of stored material much overgrown that is left over from the electrification project. Thoughts are now turning quite seriously to the wiring, including route setting and track circuits. I've arranged a suitable amount of beer to thoroughly discuss the arrangements with the Major this weekend.

There doesn't seem to be an easy option on the photo rotation; I've found a few other users have the issue, but no real solution other than to post from a PC. A 'period appropriate' solution! Future submissions will use multimate and supercalc. The electric stabling will be visible. The buffers will end next to an electrification era retaining wall, cut into the original embankment at the entrance to Christleton tunnel, where the mainlines disappear. The real Christleton tunnel is a twin bore taking the line under the Shropshire Union Canal. If you google it, you can get an impression of how I might make a bit of reality meet fiction. You can then observe that I'd forgotten it was twin bore when I laid the track! Luckily, just 300mm or so to lift. The shed roads will curve to follow the mainlines, but be straight for the sheds. Most of the sheds will be low relief with just the stabling roads modelled out in front. They need to arc through about 20degrees to make the most of the standage. Standing on your head to view the depot point work photo, the right hand lead off the right-most Y point is the approximate direction the roads will follow.

I've spent ages working out what you're talking about, and then tried viewing the page on a PC rather than an ipad. It appears that the ipad auto corrects the picture rotation, but PCs don't. As I use the ipad to upload the photos and they appear the right way up, I'm not sure how to correct the problem! What's even stranger is that the rotation of the pictures on a PC doesn't relate to the original orientation of the phone use to take the pictures. I'll bet there's a thread somewhere on here that tells me how to fix it...

A couple more sessions at the weekend saw some more track laying. The sidings for the electric loco stabling point are now laid. Although they only need to hold an 85 length loco, I ensured that you can fit a 16 wheeler in there if the need arises, with further space for a fairly substantial buffer stop. These sidings are going to be modelled as additions to the layout at the time of electrification, as there was no need for loco changes at the south end prior to that point. The photos show a rat and a 40 pausing between engineering duties. Up at the north end, the points have been laid to the shed area. My original intention was that the shed roads would run parallel with the back wall (to the left of the photo), however trying several different trial layouts demonstrated that the roads will be slightly longer if they curve with the mainline. This will allow 2 x 45 or 3 x 25 instead of 2 x 47 on the shortest roads. Hopefully curving with the mainline will give less of a train set look too. Also, the first of the terminal platforms, number 3, has been laid and can be seen gently curving away from the complex station throat. In the second shot you can appreciate that it may look complicated, but is just a fancy double junction, with the roads for platform 3 and 4 being parallel through the junction. This just leaves 3 points, 2 platform roads, 4 sidings and a short connecting track to lay. I think I am going to be about 1 yard of wooden sleepered track short!

Rails and sleepers were pre-painted, although I need to consider how best to do the concrete sleepers, unlike wooden sleepers they don't end up rail colour and are usually quite distinct to the ballast colour. I think it'll be hand paint rails and pandora clips, colour wash the sleepers for the concrete and spray the wooden sleepers and rails the same colour. Ballast will then be added before colour washing depending on location. Wiring is planned but not installed; it's a bit more complicated than normal as I want track circuits. That will all be done pre-ballasting though. My intention is to have some sort of temporary wiring to allow a really good shake down of the track layout in terms of operation before I commit to final wires and ballast.

Some more updates to report on, mainly positive, although the commencement of the ballasting saga has had a shaky start. Fortunately 'ballastgate' as it is being widely reported in the press was only on a test length and not the actual layout. The subsequent independent investigation has suggested that the sub-contractor 'capillary action' may be at the root cause. Fortunately RM web has all the information you need, even if it does take some time to find it. The Captain Kernow / Eastwood town method, having previously looked like a tedious route to insanity now reveals its cunning genius. A new test length will follow shortly, including both wooden and concrete sleepers as the heights are different, so the method used will need to differ slightly. The evidence of ballastgate will be removed before the Major's* next visit. Anyway, progress on the actual layout has been much better, with the mainlines, including the 4 tracks through the station all now laid. This includes the South junction, which features the only self built point on the layout - a simple trap point knocked up in such a ridiculously short period that it leaves me wondering if I could have built them all (I couldn't). The curves through the station are really satisfying and I'm happy with how I've kept the tighter radius lengths where they can be hidden. I'm also pleased that the layout curves throughout, with barely a straight section to be seen. Next task is to lay the terminal platforms, yard and depot, which is now a race before the powercab arrives, which will be far too big a distraction! *The Major. Every 00 scale modeller attempting to build a layout with more than 4 points and 1 locomotive will undoubtedly have a friend of an EM or P4 persuasion who self appoints himself to the role of railway inspector for your layout (hence being dubbed the Major, after the BR period when railway inspectors who were predominantly ex-forces). His experience of building 3 feet of absolute perfection over the last 20 years will make him ideally qualified to cast doubts over your credentials as a member of the human race as you blunder round 200 metres of track. 200 metres of narrow gauge track at that. Love him as you do, you may still struggle to explain why you provide him with beer whilst he inspects your lowly offering.

Being away on holiday for the week has slowed physical progress down somewhat, although I have managed to build a Metclafe warehouse over a couple of evenings. I think a few of these will be suitably kitbashed to form the low relief backscene behind the station. I'd love to think they'll be temporary, but when you're working with a young family, there has to be a compromise somewhere and Metcalfe seem like a reasonable place to make it. Anyway, with that built, my thoughts have turned to wiring, as I've realised it won't be long before I need to do some if I want to run any trains. At the very least I'll need to jump a lot of frogs (read it twice, I'm sure it's right) if only to get a couple of trains circling round whilst the build progresses. I do like to see a train run, so there will be some form of temporary lash up to allow simple circuits to be run. I am also prone to perfecting the temporary though, so if I post anything about wire in tube or dpst switches please put a quick stop to it! Needing 32 point motors for the scenic section, plus about 20 for the fiddle yard, means the cost of the point motors is a necessary consideration. Not least because the cost of the actual points seems to have been subject to an unexpectedly high rating of handbag added tax. Anyone complaining about what Bachmann charge should spend some time in the Radley shop! 32 tortoises can therefore be allowed to continue living in the wild as I'm likely to go for the SEEP 4 motors, which are at least what the nice man at Marcway recommended. It also has the advantage that a solenoid motor makes a much more convincing EP machine, even if, like the real thing, it wreaks havoc on the stretcher bars. A lot of the West Coast modernisation featured elctro-pnuematic point machines, and having taken a lot of air mains out in my career, it would be nice to put a new one in! I'd be interested to know if anyone has muffled a solenoid motor, as the noise isn't strictly prototypical, even for a 00 man. So point motors and energisation of amphibians aside, the rest of the wiring should be fairly uncomplicated. The layout will be jointed into track circuits to allow future train detection, so the DCC dream of just 2 wires will need to be applied just a couple of hundred times! There are a couple of other considerations which I would appreciate some discussion on (or pointing to where it has already been discussed): Should I do anything near the buffer stops at the platform ends to prevent repeated attempts to extend the bay platforms south? Is it fair to rely on driving ability alone? I'm sure 3 year old boys will be fine, but a few of my likely guest drivers have a very broad interpretation of the alcohol policy. How far back should I take the dead section from the hinged board? I may need to measure how far a peak will travel when it loses current at top speed. Additon of a nuclear flask should bring some realism to the test. I think there is a need for some element of dead section, but will I ever really want to keep a train moving anywhere with the hinged section raised? Having an override for the hinged section lock with subsequent aspect restriction feels like too much of the modern railway imposing itself! May be I'm thinking about this too hard and need to remember I have a thousand sleepers to paint before any of it matters. Oh well, time to go pay a few mark IIs worth of money for a couple of beers and a dry burger!

I'm sure it'll get its turn in the queue. I'm also sure there'll be a few railtours passing through Christleton, with two 45110s at some point.

A brief update to show that the first of the platform tracks is now laid, which means there is almost a complete run around the scenic section. Platform 1 is the first line down and I'm pleased with the curve I've managed to achieve. The plan was always to have a slightly tighter radius in the section in the middle of the station as it won't be too visible - there'll probably be an overall roof over this section. Even so the curve is about 800mm so not too tight by any means (at least in model terms). The Up loop is loosely laid alongside to see what it looks like. This loop is the only through line still on wooden sleepers, as the P'Way department cannot justify renewing what is essentially a through siding with new track. The heavier used Down loop, being bidirectional was renewed with concrete sleepers back when the station was electrified. A couple of the shots show some loosely laid lengths for the Down loop and platform 2, just to get a better feel for what the platform ends will look like.

This was nearly a steam layout too! I'm a fireman on the Severn Valley, so it was a close run thing. The clincher was how convincing the dcc sound diesels are, in a way that hasn't (yet) been applied to steam engines. I do keep thinking a nice gantry of semaphores would look good too, but then I remind myself of how good the 40 sounds and how good the 85 looks.

Some more track laying updates. I have to say it's fairly laborius work! One of the great things about the new C&L concrete sleeper track is that it comes with all the sleepers fully webbed to enable it to be laid dead straight; this will be really handy for the 50mm of straight track I have planned. For the other 50m, it's somewhat tedious cutting it all out. The tracks are now laid across the hinged board and seem to remain super smooth after several lifting operations. I had been concerned that a straight double junction would look odd in the middle of a long sweeping curve, but it looks to work quite well. The main station throat is all laid, although like everywhere else, there's a lot of cosmetic sleepering to be done. The eagle eyed will notice a couple of lengths of peco track along the front of the board. These are absolutely essential to remind me that the effort is worth it!

I've been using progressively more diluted mixtures to see where the point is that it is no longer glue; so far so long as the water has been in the same room as the copydex, it appears to retain its bonding ability. I've also found there is an optimum weight of part full paint tin for weighting the track. About 500ml seems ideal. You'd think they'd put this on the paint tin label...

Track laying has started! After several days checking that I am happy with the alignment, I finally plucked up the courage to start cutting rails and desoldering sleepers (which seems counter intuitive to start undoing the hard work I've paid someone else to do). The first 7 points are now fixed in place, including the crucial curved crossover which starts off the station throat. You can see from the photos that the sleeper edges slighlty overhang the baseboard, but this is no big deal as I can rectify that when the bridge sides go on. The main thing is that the weight will remain on the wood and the curve is pleasingly smooth. This first section was quite a challenge, as the junction is restricted by the need to fit in 2 locos and 6 coaches in the terminal platforms and then swing round in a gentle curve to the North junction, where the lines split to Chester and Warrington. This junction is somewhat nearer the station than originally planned due to the hinged board. It all fits quite nicely though and I haven't had to light the autumn fire early to hide any evidence of first attempts yet! You can also see a coach used for testing, the ride is very smooth and makes me think the 15 speed limit might be raised to 25. 7 points and 500mm of track laid; 26 points and 50m of track to go. Looking at the photos it appears that there is a slight kink in the double junction; that will be rectified shortly!

Love the BoB Pete, I have something of a soft spot for those having fired both 53 and 27. Never been on an unrebuilt one though, I'd love to have a nosey on one as they are full of 40's innovations. For true authenticity you should have some burning flesh on the steam brake handle and the injectors should be trying their best to empty the tender into the 6 foot! I never managed to see Tamworth Castle, which given it was local to me in Leeds for so long was amazing (and not to say disappointing!). I was never convinced that they got the cab windows right in large logo livery and your version really captures that uncomfortable application.

Also, for the hinge spotters out there... There's now a healthy clearance between the two sets of rails.

Thanks, as you can see my track will also be PCB and SMP flexi (and C&L flexi for the concrete stuff) - how did you hold it in place whilst the glue dried? Also, what dilution ratio did you use?

An excting looking box arrived at Christleton yesterday: Upon opening, I briefly thought I must have ordered fish and chips! In seriousness, the track is well packaged and all arrived in first class condition. As the foam underlay isn't glued down yet, the sensible thing to do would be have a quick check that everything is present and correct then put it back in the box, but this is way too exciting.. A first look at the geometry of the points loosely laid out. The double junction doesn't look quite right, but I think that's just the angle I've laid it out at; of course ideally the diamond would be somewhere over the lifting joint, so I knew there would be a compromise somewhere. There are two other areas that I knew would need some attention, the curved crossover coming in and the split from two to four tracks going into the main platform. I'm glad I haven't got the underlay in final position yet as I may do some alteration to the boards to get the flow of the track to look right. The third area I was worried about was the parallel double slips, but this looks like it will work really well; I do need to double check that I'll get the standage in the platform for 2 peaks and 6 coaches. You can also see in a couple of the pictures that there are now 5mm wood strips at the edge of each board to attach copperclad to for all the joints.

Track laying could be as early as this month, although September is more likely given the need to get the foam and strip wood ends fitted. A search of various threads on here put me off cork, although I still need to sort out an adhesive for the foam. My copydex-a-like turned out to be a comprehensive foam eater, whilst actual copydex still stiffens the foam up a bit more than I'd like. I might try watered down copydex.

And here it is, the last board constructed. I'm not sure what the railway modelling equivalent of a topping out ceremony is, but I'll bet it involves a pale ale! Alignment dowels and toggles still to fit, both of which will take some head scratching. The dowels as all three boards slide into place rather than being able to pivot. The toggles are tricky as this being the fiddle yard, everywhere will be track. As I can get access under all three boards, I'm tempted to just screw them down as I won't need to lift them out for any part of the build.

A bit more progress to report, this time with the first two of the three fiddle yard boards. Before I could start on these I had to clear the space ready for them, which had rapidly become a dumping ground. I was also running short of space to store stock, continuously moving it around, which didn't seem like a good idea, so I decided a couple of shelves above the fiddle yard woule be useful. They are temporarily being used to store various bits out of the way whilst the boards are being constructed, eventually they'll have tracks for storage of lesser used rolling stock. With the shelves in place, work has commenced on fiddle yard boards 8, 9 and 10. The tops are cut for all 3 and the frames finished for 8 and 10. Board 9 is a relatively simple straight board, only the second one on the whole layout. The boards then need the alignment dowels and toggles fitting. I've also started thinking about rail connections over baseboard joints. The lift out section will need some serious copper clad and screws due to the constant use, but I've decided to copperclad the edges of all the other boards too, so I'll glue and screw a small piece of strip wood at the edge of each board. I don't intend taking the other boards apart very often, but I suspect temperature changes will play havoc with the alignment if I leave it to luck. Fortunatley being a Victorian cellar, the temperature doesn't vary too much, being uniformly real ale temperature all year. Finally, I've been working on an improved hinge design for the lift out section, including accounting for overhead wires, although that seems on the face of it to be in the same category as general relativity.

Some pictures showing the completed boards, before and after the cutting of the underlay. The underlay is 5mm compressed foam (Depron-a-like); it is currently laid loose whilst the test piece is glued. I'll give it a few days to check that the Copydex-a-like doesn't just eat through it, but it looks fine so far. As the track will be at least a couple of months before ii arrives, it means that attention can now turn to the fiddle yard boards; these will be 700mm wide, which should give 14 roads in total. My intention is to lay a very basic fiddle yard arrangement initially as, ignoring the fact I can only fill 3 roads, I want to operate the layout a bit and see what I actually want. 10 tracks will probably be sidings and 4 through roads, to allow me to sit and watch trains go past every now and again. Prior to building the boards I may address the issue that I am rapidly replacing useable storage space with baseboard, so a few shelves above the fiddle yard would probably be useful.

I recall most trips were 47/4s all the way, but the ones I remember best were the unusual motive power variety. We did have a 31/4 from Sheffield one time, but they changed it at Derby - probably because it had put a couple of pistons out of the exhaust trying to keep to time.