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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

Yesterday we also got quite a bit more done on the trackwork, all of the plain track on the station end is now in, including the buffer stops, the concrete pots for the loop line and the section across the ash pit in the shed It’s really nice to see it now all in place, and we can work out if all the stock fits where we hoped it would With track laying into the shed it also means we’ve now stuck down the ash pit and shed floor, so this is now it’s final location. we really like the shed scene, it’s nice and compact but full of character Couldn’t resist digging out the signal posts and making sure they are still At the right distance from the track

Bridge deck attempt 28!!! Maybe not but it feels like it, pretty Confident with this version, it fits nicely into the slots on the girder section without being too loose or tight. It now has recesses in the top which helps to reduce the stress built up in the curing process causing some of the warping. So fingers crossed!!!

Lots more progress on track work yesterday, the second line (arrival line) down from the bridge has be laid and the head shunt which stays level up to the river is now in including the buffer stop The 3 way point and the Y point that goes into the bay are progressing nicely The last section of the main platform has now been laid including the buffer stop, this meant I could work back towards the crossover on the loop line as well connecting in the catch pit for the cattle dock and the first section of block and beam track has gone in as a test for the loop

First 3 sections of flexi track on the layout, we are using fast track by Exactoscale. The bit going up the gradient is the outgoing track, we have also laid the bay platform (with buffer) and most of the main platform along side it We really like the way the track sweep round the corner and up the gradient to the bridge Couldn’t resist Putting the inspection saloon on to see how it ran on the track also an auto train in the bay and what will be something like out branch freight

First bit of work on the layout in a couple of months. Last night we started the track work in ernest. We have fixed down all of the point timbers for the station end (just the 2 points at the junction left to do, hopefully we’ll get some rail down soon we also cut away the cork around the kadee magnets and they are now in place

Thanks Rick, we wanted to do a really run down section of line. Originally a double track line which was then reduced down to single line and then truncated at the crossing. Both the platforms are disused as there are no longer any passenger trains

From the 3 of us who built ‘Shwt’. We’re very proud to be in this issue of BRM. Some fantastic shots of the layout and great video shots too, shame people have to hear me talking over them! Lol! Thanks BRM

This week I’ve also assembled a Mike’s models light yard crane. As supplied it comes with a rear counterweight, this was removed to make it correct for our use seen here next to it’s bigger cousin, the 6T heavy yard crane, the small crane will be situated in our goods shed. usually a goods shed would be fitted with gibbet style crane but as the design we have is not a through shed, it required the greater reach of the light crane a good example of this is the one at Princetown the lifting capacity of this crane was only 1T so anything over that would have to be unloaded on the outside heavy crane

Buffer stops roughly placed into location, that’s something else off the list ready for track laying

Although we can’t do work on the layout at the moment, things are still progressing in the background, tonight we’ve been assembling the buffer stops ready for when track laying starts. These are Lanarkshire models kits which have been glued together with a piece of tissue paper in the joints to electrically isolate them.

As a bit of a break from the engine shed, we’ve done a bit of work on the culvert. We’ve managed to get it painted, it was in 2 separate parts which have now been stuck together with a strip of 60 thou plasticard to support. for what will be quite a simple structure once on the layout, it was a complicated piece to design as it passes under 2 separate lines one of which has a point above. it fits in this hole under the train

Some more work on interior detailing of the shed, trying to resemble what was at Wallingford shed. next job is to fit some side cabinets and some fire buckets (image flipped as we’re modelling the opposite hand) We’ve also added the water tank roof which we can now start to detail

Thank you very much Adam, I’m a massive advocate of 3D printing but it definitely has it’s limitations. the main one of course is unless your using a resin printer (which have their own limitations), the surface quality isn’t good enough. However I find it perfect for making the shells of buildings, it’s ABS plastic so plastic weld can stick styrene to it and it takes a fraction of the tame to design and make John

Amazing the difference just adding the roof to the building has done to the look of it, the end is now very much in site as all I need to do is add some detailing bits and fit the windows it’s also made a massive difference to the light level inside the shed

The first section of track officially stuck down on the layout! This is the catch pit which was seen in some recent posts, Ideally I would have left this until track laying has started in earnest. However that is a fair way off at the moment! The catch pit, being flat and unsupported it has started to curl, so it was worth getting it stuck down to stabilise it.

Further progress on the shed and surrounding area. on the shed. All of the brick has been painted (white washed on the inside). Not keen to keep the white plastic, the underside of the roof has been added. We’ve gone for Battens and then vertical planking which we’ve seen used on several goods sheds. we’ve started assembly of the main chimneys which has suddenly given a lot more character to the building. The basic assembly of the doors is now complete, We need to score in the line of a ‘man door’ on the one side and add some fittings like hinges Having an hour to spare yesterday a simple coaling stage has been put together, it still needs steps to the one side and to be painted but this nicely completes the shed area. (Although we still need a water crane)

Progressing well on the engine shed. All of the brick detail work around the top of the building is now in place, the window Cills and lintels have been added which makes a massive difference to it’s appearance. The roof trusses with the smoke gutter are done, a bit of guess work on this as there are no pictures and at least it will hardly ever be seen. finally, Plastikard roof has been made with barge boards attached, the office chimney has been attached to this. I now need to make up the 4 chimneys for the main building

I hope everyone is well at the moment. one bonus of more time at home is more time for modelling. We’re finally prepping for the track to go down. One of the Jobs that needs to be done first is the hard standing/catch pit for the cattle dock. We have chosen to do a brick one very similar to the one at Shirley (Solihull) This is is now ready to go down although the rails are just temporary and need to be slid out. it will eventually have the full length rails slid through and sleepers either side

A day at the desk with no distractions today so some good progress on the engine shed. I’ve assembled the shell and got most of the cladding done, all that’s left now is some detailing bits around the top similar to the water tower, Cills and lintels and then think about the roofs. I’ve also managed to do the concrete floor around the pit so this is now at the correct level. seen in this shot next to the water tower. It will be close to this position when on the layout hopefully tomorrow I’ll get chance to get some more of the detail work finished

Gearing up for track laying, all of the jigs have been found and checked started making progress assembling some GWR concrete pot sleepers, first 40 done, only another 200 to go

Work progressing on some of our coaching stock. 2 siphons for the parcels rake, the outside frame is an old Airfix and the inside is the Lima model with addition detailing to make it the BR build version a K42 Collett full brake for the milk train, built from a comet models kit a bristol division B-set (diagrams E140) made from a pair of a Airfix coaches a set of 64’ Mk1 suburbans, these are replica railways coaches

Quite a bit of work on the layout yesterday Which has really helped show the feel of the layout, we couldn’t help pose a couple of trains for the photos at the end The Pits have been clad and painted, the short one is for the ash drop which will be alongside the coaling stage, the other is the main pit inside the shed Also progressing nicely for this area is the water tower, it’s now had all the brick work added, I’ve just need to finish the Lintels, Cills, Doors and Windows. Now this is done the shed area is really starting to come to life The yard crane has had a good coat of primer, it now needs to go into it’s final black colour with white top and white operating handles. seen here with an Open C which it will be loading timber from. finally we have added scupltamold to the plaster cloth surface on this edge, the layout now needs to be turned so we can do the same to the other side it’s not that easy to see but it’s the closer side of the river, we thought we’d pose a train to see how it looks entering in on the main line