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A few bits of progress to report over the past couple of weeks, firstly the Decks on the F/Y have been screwed on. They are mostly level but we will be putting aluminium runners across it and we’ll pack these up to ensure they are exactly level too each other. After getting the tunnel assembled we felt it was finally time to get the last bit of landscaping done. This is the section above the tunnel mouth which for the moment will remain as a separate piece. Once the track is painted and ballasted we’ll stick this bit down This is a great example of how the styrofoam is worked, it is added I. Blocks and then slowest sculpted into shape As we’ve finished the assembly of the branch bridge and tunnel we have now moved on to the arch bridge, the main structure (again 3D printed) has been assembled and the the first bits of brick cladding added onto it. This has allowed us to just confirm it’s final position

Today we connected all the boards together and powered up the layout for the first time. Couldn't resist running a bit of borrowed stock on the layout (the stock is from the layout Shwt, Elmore is based early crest western steam) The video shows a basic sequence which is designed to keep at least 1 train on the layout at any one time. (we've all been sat watching a layout waiting for a train to appear!)

A big moment for us last night! We’ve been slowly working our way through wiring the boards, the last board to do was the most complicated as it has the most point work on it plus it has both mega points units on it. it also has the incoming DCC feed, so last night having connected up all of the track droppers to the main bus and wired in the frog juicers we could finally plug in the DCC and get a loco moving! The point servos are fitted yet so we could only do trailing moves through the pointwork but was great to see it moving and test the frog juicers actually work.

While fitting the tunnel mouth, we have also been working on the cassettes, mainly how to transition from plain track to the aluminium cassettes. previously on Shwt I’ve used plasticard packers under the aluminium to bring it up to rail height. This worked okay and we also fitted a detailing piece in between the tracks. Itwas a bit of a novelty really but it’s surprising how much it gets used, because of the smooth surface of the cassette, you don’t notice stock that’s not on the track as it doesn’t bump down the sleepers This time we chose to complete 3D print the support for the transition, this is the art work for it and also it’s construction luckily EM gauge is quite specific over it’s wheel dimensions so the rerailer can be made close to tolerance Notches are filed into the aluminium to accept the rail and provide a seamless transition

Over the last week we’ve been making the tunnel mouth and retaining walls which attach to the girder bridge on the branch. It’s mostly made from slaters plasticard although the tunnel portal itself is from a wills kit to get the correct profile there’a a few bits to be added now like the parapet wall and the wings on either side but it needed to be this far to test fit. there was a little bit of foam to cut away but it went in without too much trouble (amazingly!!) It doesn’t line up with the track completely as we wanted to try and show that it’s diverging away from the mainline more than it does, so it’s a bit of a compromise. And of course the track curves back to go straight onto the F/Y

Quite a few bits going on behind the scenes at the moment, wiring on the boards continues. There was 2 faults on the control panel which you could see on the demo video of it, these have now been fixed, a simple error but a pain to put right with how many wires are in the panel! as you can see everything is now illuminated, we now need to finish the layout to run it from! also going on off they layout is an unusual piece of stock which was commonly found in South Wales and dean forest, this is the Western region autocoach, made from a suburban 3rd brake coach. This is a Comet models kit which is to their usual standard. I’m also building an Autocoach trailer which will run as a pair, although officially the trailer could go between any autocoach and an auto fitted loco. These were converted all 3rd coaches which had through rods fitted underneath for auto working, Again it’s another Comet models kit

There’s a great YouTube video of Exeter West box which has loads of useful sounds which I have used, I’ve tried to pick out a pull for a signal close to the box, a pull for further away and the replacement of a signal. crikey you’ve named more than I can!! Haha

Thanks Pauls, I just wanted to add a bit of atmosphere to the box area where ever you replace either of the section signals, 5 seconds later it plays 2 bells train in section (although this would be the reply from the next box) I’ve actually done 2 different bell sounds depending on which signal was cleared trying to do entrance bells was far too complicated!

Progress is slowly moving ahead with the wiring on the layout. one big step forward which was worth noting this week is we finally powered up and programmed the Control Panel for Elmore. On the last couple of layouts we have use solely IPhone or tablet control for changing the routes and drinking the trains. It works great and we really love it, however it’s not great for guest operators, especially those who are from an older generation and aren’t as good using the tech. Making a layout which was a bit more user friendly was one of the goals from the outset so this was the solution. A conventional panel I felt would have been a step backwards as it wouldn’t have allowed the use of smart devises to operate the layout. another option was to use accessory decoders with Local manual overrides Switches, after a bit of experimenting, we found although the local switches change the point they don’t feedback any info to the computer. This means the computer can believe the route is set but in fact the points are in the wrong position so the idea of a panel which talked to the computer which then controlled they layout seemed like the only solution. The great advantage of this is we can take advantage of all the interlocking potential of the computer, allowing just a single button press to operate a route, changing points, signals and locking out opposing routes I’ve done a brief walk through of the panel now it’s mostly running which can be found here

And so the fun commences!!

Splitting the baseboards! This is our technique for strengthening the track around the board joints We drive a brass nail in either side of the board joint, it’s angled so it goes in almost underneath the rail. once hit down so it’s under the rail height with a punch, you can then use a punch to bend the nail so the head is under the rail The rail can then be soldered to the pin before the rail is then cut on the baseboard edge I’m sure there’s lots of other ways to do this but we find this a good compromise between ease and something which isn’t too obvious

I was really lucky to find this Perservance models Q13 Hawksworth inspection saloon on ebay. Interestingly like a lot of Hawkworth designs they were built under BR but Swindon pride got involved when it came to their painting as they were all turned out in fully lined GWR chocolate and cream it was a real mess when I got it, it has been folded inside out so all of the body detail was on the inside and it was soldered with electrical solder which they couldn’t get hot enough so it was thick and lumpy. Luckily it cleaned up nicely

Ten weeks after we started, we can now say the track work is now finished. All that was required this week was to finish off the 2 points at the junction and add the check rail which we discussed last week. We are really please with the check rail, it just adds to the illusion that the curve is tighter than it really is now the track is finished, any excuse for the inspection saloon to make an appearance! also work continues with the point rodding, all of the stools are in on the main run, just got to work back towards the box adding the appropriate bits as we go

Today we finished the last bits at the station end, this was mostly the platform crossover but also some cosmetic bits on the other points. We’ve also started work on the 2 points at the junction. This should be finished on Monday One thing we’re currently considering is the addition of a check rail along the blue line, partly because it’s not modelled often but also because it would add to the illusion of the lines separating

Having just Completed the glazing on my B-set and the Collett full brake, I couldn’t resist posing them for a few shots A local passenger departs Elmore The afternoon Milk train arriving with empty milk tanks

Progress this week has been focused on the 3 way point, I’ve done all sorts of track over the years but I’ve never made a 3 way point before. It took a bit of thought to get the chairs in the correct spots and As always there’s a few lessons learnt! generally I’m pretty happy with it and it’s nice to see the track nearly complete now. All that’s left is the platform crossover and the 2 points at the junction before we can start wiring it up

Carrying on from The work on the signal box on Thursday, I wasn’t very happy with the block shelf, it looked really empty, especially for the period, lots of indicators for various bits of equipment but also plungers to release the levers. I didn’t spend too much time designing these as they are so small but hopefully it will give an impression of something being there Also designed and printed this week were the steps for the ash pit, the shed pit and for the outer girders of the bridge, We’re still not quite sure on the handrail yet but I’m reluctant to cut it short just yet alongside these side projects, track work still continues, at the station end it’s only the 3way and crossover which need work, the others are all complete, we can then do the 2 at the junction and all the track will be done!!

Recycling a signal box this week. We already had a signal box from another layout which never made it onto the layout do to changes of plans, so to get it ready, we’ve repainted the lever frame and moved some bits around in the box to make it right for Elmore

The wills rods and rod spacing is actually too big for O gauge! Haha the big issue which I tell people is you will really struggle to get the rods into some of the tight gaps they should fit through, you should be able to get 3 rods 3 rods between sleepers or down the side of a platform face. With the Wills you just can’t do this

Thanks Paul, of course with my profession it’s something I want to get looking right Haha, I hope I never have to dig in another one of these stools or the crank legs again!

Some interesting bits of point rodding going in today. This is the section across the bridge and the first compensator, it’s a bit of a tight squeeze through the bridge but It’s the same as the prototype. The other option would be to have rollers attached to supports welded to the bridge sides. There is a slight rise to get up to sleeper level through the bridge so some custom made stools were required for this rising 0.2mm on each stool

This week we have ticked off one of the major jobs on the layout, this is getting the main bridge stuck in place, this has meant we could continue with track laying over the bridge and run the plain track up towards the F/Y. This completes the maint track work on the layout and just leaves finishing off the points now! the curves in this line is to try and deceive people that the 2 tracks are going away from each other as it enters the tunnel, of course it had to come back straight to go onto the F/Y as seen in the other shots, a plinth for the signal box has now been added, this brings it up to the correct height against the track and at the correct distance, it now has a much more commanding stance over the track finally work is still progressing slowly experimenting with point rodding, being made up of my own 3D printing and parts from modelu I was asked on another forum why not use the Wills kit over making your own, this photo shows the answer

Yesterday we managed to have another good day on the layout. Track work continues, mainly adding closure rails including the first bits of the 3 way. Also the crossover in the platform has progressed to the same state as the others After painting the abutments of the main bridge during the week we’ve now attached these to the layout. The bridge section has had a first coat of paint, the final colour will be a lot lighter. We also attached the culvert to the layout, when compared to the main bridge this is quite a small structure but with all of it’s angles it’s just as interesting. Glad we did it as 2 separate spans rather than 1 long culvert lastly we’ve been playing with some 3D printed bits, some for point rodding bits but also some Western region apparatus cases which will be dotted round the layout in the appropriate places

A quick paint job on the abutments and they are now ready to be attached to the layout. I always paint my bricks by firstly covering the whole area in a stone grey and then dry brush on the brick colour after. It’s a slightly longer process but I’m really happy with the finish it gives

After the success of Monday’s efforts on the bridge, the second half of the printing was done today. This meant the bridge could finally now be assembled and glued together. the corrugated section on the top is to relieve some of the printing stresses which caused warping previously. Once ballasted over it won’t be seen. of course we couldn’t resist putting it in situ and trialling some track across it! next job is to paint it and the abutments ready to be fixed on the layout