Bomp

I've got one section of track ready for weathering (later when I have done the rest - I'm looking to weather the scenery etc in one go or at least only a few goes so it ties together well). From this I have learned to paint the track before ballasting. Anyway, a ropey picture on my iPhone because I can't find a macro option: So now I continue sticking and painting, then ballasting, then weathering, then the rest of the scenery once I am content the track runs okay.

Some update pictures. I have done several feet of ballasting, and I think I'm happy with the techniques I've adopted. Part of the reason for writing them down here is so I can remember for after any large gap in activity. So. The ballasting technique. PVA with a dash of washing up liquid in goes on the underlay (Woodland Scenics black stuff with shoulders). PVA goes right to the edge of the shoulders, preferably not onto the board. I tried masking tape, but by the time I got to remove it after the glue had dried it was set solid, so I've taken to scraping the excess off with a chisel. Track goes on that, with ballast (at the moment, Woodlands Scenics fine buff) poured on and tamped with a 2" paint brush. Extra tamping on the shoulders. Once that is all dry, a muslin square over the hoover pipe collects most of the excess when it's vaccuumed off. A thick layer of PVA on the shoulder again, then it all goes back on again, more carefully, brushed into place. Because it's quite a pale colour, I have taken my 50/50 PVA with a generous dose of Fairy and added a good squirt of black and brown acrylics. The resulting grey goo is generously applied using a 50ml syringe I got from the local pharmacy and left to dry. There is some clearing of ballast to be done from the sleeper tops, but not much. The result is below, ready for application of mank and grot from my selection of colours. To keep myself going and to break up the big ballasting job (I think there is 180' of track so far I need to do) I have been playing with a rail served industry. I hope it shows in the photos, but the plan is to have access from a trailing turn out off the main line: the mainline loco with reverse the train into the sidings and collect the wagons which are ready to leave. The brewery loco will fetch the appropriate wagons out of the siding and run round using the loop between the sidings and the main line. It will then propel the wagons to the right bit of the site. I was thinking that the brewery loco would be serviced by the boiler house as there will be coal and water there anyway. Fetching wagons out again would be the reverse of getting them in. Just wondering whether there would be enough work to justify keeping a loco in steam at the brewery. Anyway, that's what I was thinking when I planned the layout of the sidings. Any suggestions of how it ought to be laid out or the arrangements of the buildings or anything that I ought maybe to do differently most appreciated. I may not get round to acknowledging individually, but I am always grateful.

So far I have glued down and ballasted about four yards of track. I'm combining the techniques, glue and ballast the track after the fashion of Coachmann, then spread some more and flood with PVA/water/detergent/pigment. So on the way back from the park, I stopped off at the chemist to get a dropper or similar. The pharmacist over heard me asking if they had anything larger and gave me a pair of 60ml syringes! That should do me. Once the children are in bed, I'll pop down and do a bit more, and get some other trains running for another video. If I'm feeling really brave, I may even try to mount my phone on a wagon...

I went round the side of my house last night to shut the gate because the dog got out. And I saw clearly visible through the basement window, my railway with about £2000 of stock sitting there. Saying that, there's not much scope here for stuff to get sold on, and if any is found, they'd ask me first. Edited to add that I will now be locking the side gate and fitting some obscuring mesh over the window - I need the light, but I'd like to be secure as well. I like the idea of using your local Police Station as get me home. I think that's a good enough idea that it should be suggested to Sat Nav programmers as an option.

Thanks, I may well try that. The cost isn't so much of an issue, I have a big pot left from building the house for the layout to go in (see the first photo in this topic!). In fact, I think I'll start settling the track properly in the morning, after a bit more playing tonight.

I may well end up doing the ballast with as you suggest, but I want to fix the track down as well, without pins. I'll have a go on the bits that will be hidden using the different methods to find one that has the right balance of ease, speed and looks. Obviously looks is going to be most important, but the others will have some bearing. On that note, I'll be listening any suggestions of how to ballast 180 feet of running line from anyone who has any.

Today is a Big Day. I now have four tracks all operational. There are a few things to tweak, but I need to pop into Town and get a couple of the gauges for separation between the two tracks, or measure them. Also, I've got to make sure everything is lined up and all the curves are smooth and look right, and all the straights are straight. I have a couple of steel rules that will help with that. These tweaks, though, will mainly be done when I come to ballasting, which I think I may do by painting the underlay with PVA and then putting the track on, lining it all up, then pouring ballast onto the wet PVA. I'll clearly have to add more to bring it up to the sleeper tops, but I'll deal with that when I get there. So now for some pictures and a video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/ybzm1AlM9bE

I've managed to get the pictures off my phone onto my laptop, so I'll do a quick update. Since the last time I posted, I've been busy. The upper circuit is well bedded in and the link from the sidings to the upper circuit works fine. My large logo blue Vitrains 47 is perfectly happy taking 11 freight vehicles up, and my modification to the coupling between two CargoWaggons works even on the stupidly sharp corner between the sidings and the outside world - so why don't they supply couplings that have the buffers touching? And while I'm very happy with the strength of my 47s, why won't they go any faster? For my birthday I got a box of track which should see the bulk of the track done, certainly the running lines and links should be done. Just waiting now for my packs of joiners to come from Hattons. I have most of the lower outer circuit down, but ran out about 3 yards from the end. For now, I'll finish by sticking some pictures up. This one is my Christmas present - a coach kit. Not as fine as some of the more expensive models, but great fun to put together and looks just fine in a train. While I was getting over my hip shaving operation, I played with my ViTrains 47. There's more to do, but for a first ever effort at starting to weather a modern image model, I'm quite pleased. It's not finished by any means, but it's a start. These show the progress on laying down the new underlay and finishing the baseboard for the lower circuit. Hooray for lots of pieces of board and lengths of timber lying around.

Today I finished the baseboard and laid 90' of underlay. Now I realise I don't have 90' of track. Fortunately it's my birthday later this month so I'll be getting some then I hope. No pictures, I can't work out how to do it on my phone. I'll post some soon though.

This site seems to have some useful stuff. http://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/RR_GWR_Express_460.html

I'll be watching this one. I need three - Princess Alice, Princess Charlotte and Queen Charlotte. But I'm not too fussy about the details (sorry...). If I can find the right donor, great, but I was previously going to have them rebuilt as Castles, so using a Star will be an improvement on that! Tom

Another thing I've mentioned in the past, is that if you have your layout somewhere clearly identifiable, take care which photos you post on here or the internet in general. To reiterate, Crime Prevention/Reduction/whatever they are called now officers/advisers are a very good source of information and advice. The two I've known at work have been retired long serving officers with the experience of how crims get in as well as what they do with their ill gotten gains. And they like a cup of tea and a biscuit, so they'd be likely to come round and have a look as well.

While I'm somewhat limited in my freedom to move, I have a desk in the lounge next to the radiator. I also have a kitten. The last two kittens we got, last year, are very independent, so I've been lavishing attention on this one. Finally it has worked. I set my desk up with everything I thought I needed, but the kitten added herself as a means to get rid of my painting water (still clean). I have also finally found myself a cat who will sit on my knee and get in the way when I try to get on with stuff. The thing people complain about has finally happened to me So, here is my modelling desk. In the background is my ViTrains 47 that I will be fitting the detailing pack to once I can find the instructions and some prototype pictures, and weather it also. As an aside, neither of my ViTrains 47s goes anything like fast enough. How can I make them go faster? They are both chipped now, but were slow even on DC. I haven't got access to CV fiddling yet.

Currently I have two weeks or more off work having had my hip resurfaced. So I can't really go leaping around in my basement laying track and stuff. However, I can make some kits up and do some weathering once I get past the staying still stage. And thinking time is always good. Got pages in my note book about things such as Narrow Gauge sections, how to close couple things, what I really want from the railway, and what I need to get now so I can finish it. Longing to get back to it, but it must wait.

During these night shifts I'm browsing my dad's slides on the laptop and reading books. Picking up ideas about what weathers on locos and the strange colours things go. I'm confident that the colours are mainly true based on things like sky and grass. Also in my Shed side on Merseyside book, I'm finding scenes to incorporate on the model. I like the L&Y Pug on the dock side streets with the tall buildings behind. That scene would go well with a small brewery tank as well, so it's going to feature somewhere on the model. More activity on the layout should follow at the weekend.

As usual, photography shows you the bits where you could do better... So I'll do better next time.