The Bigbee Line

When is a door not the same door. This is the door when the platform starter was an LBSC wooden post. The door has a frame with diagonal braces. The when the platform starter was replaced with a SR rail built version. The door fitted has no braces.....

As a change I’m building the signal cabin. Up cycling cardboard packaging Stiffened with this... Then drawn on. Window area removed. I then cut some 4mm wide strips for the boards and glued on with PVA. Here is the progress so far with square bamboo used as the internal framing.

Tonight I filled in the track towards the loco release road and the goods siding.... It seemed to flow ok. But looking at the pictures. One section needs a tweak.

FILLING the GAPS I’ve started filling the gaps. This is the first one... This is the filling piece.... Then in place...

The dia.1927 were built fitted and unfitted. Unfitted 20’6” over buffers. Fitted 20’11” over buffers. The fitted had screw couplings and were “XP” rated. The LMS did not fit instanters they were a GWR thing. Later used by BR.

Ade Thanks. As Mr. No Patience I thought I’d have a test run. I removed the spring and used a piece of fishing line with a weight on the end. Test version.... This is the test weight - 2 keys... The pivot on this test is some tube. .. 2 keys are a bit too much, but show it works. Just needs some refinement.

Now I've got the boards all together and at a good height, I can start on some other areas. I looked at the reach required to the main sets of points... The 4 main turnouts can be reached from one position without moving. If I can get the loco release points working in the style of the sprung set on the prototype I can work from the one position. Just moving to uncouple the loco on arrival. The layout so far is 18' 2" by 48"

More weight training today. To get the last board (last so far...) in place I needed to move the Havant end of the layout another 12 inches out from the wall. Here are some views of the boards levelled up... A selfie to get all the layout in... The corridor coach seems lost.. The legs are set to ensure the cross levels are OK... My favourite view... Track to trim and wire.. Looking towards Havant..

Good afternoon, Have you thought of using card to create the boarding? I have a couple of small structures to build and think that card is the way to go. I use 'knotting' to seal and harden the card. This allows the re-use of most packaging card. Some of which is of very high quality. Could you share some pictures of the building, these are always of interest Thanks

Lowering the height has been a big bonus. I’ve laid out the track and need to get each section wired, then trimmed to size.

Phew. That was hard work. In 7mm the boards can be quite unwieldy. But it was boards down. Subframe down. Move stuff around then put the subframe back up in its revised position. Here are the first 2 boards up..... I soon had the third and fourth boards up.... Not joking, you need binoculars to see the other end. I need to fettle and brace the subframe. Leaving enough slack lengthwise to allow individual boards to be removed, for wiring etc. I’m starting with hand operated points, so a simple run round involves a bit of walking, on the real line the head shunt points were sprung, so some scope there. I’ve started laying the main platform road. It will be nice to have a loco running and do some shunting....

Today I’m having another shuffle. I’d like to lower the boards a little and move them as close to the wall as possible. I’ve some ideas of making the baseboard sub-frame slightly different. As it’s actually a ladder style frame and I want to ensure the baseboard joints are not obstructed underneath. This is my stylised track plan. There is enough room at the Havant end to shunt across with a coach or a couple of wagons. The next board would curve the other way. I’m looking for something to recycle as a pocket for the point controllers. I’ve found my stash of cycle spokes and want an either side arrangement. It must look neat and enable the operating knob to be recessed, avoiding the risk of snagging.

Three boards now lined up. The platform face can go in. Then the fun past... making some card mock ups of the station buildings. I actually need to move these boards as far along as possible and get the minimum distance towards the front to get all the boards together.

I’ve bent brass levers. Then wiped over with a soldering iron to tin the surfaces. Gives them a little more body.

Tomorrow I can get all 3 boards (2 platform boards and the end board) together. Over the weekend lay the main platform line through to the points for the run round. Using my improved droppers, add the wires as each section is laid. Then using the relationship datum points between various items mark out where all the main objects will go. I might give a height difference to the siding at the ear. Looking forward to it.

The beauty of having a sub base for the baseboards is I can slide them along.. So I was able to slide them along and do a test run with the new end board. This is the scene of the real station approach.... Note how short the headshunt is, just long enough for a terrier.. And here is the end board in position... I need to work on the levels now....

I’ve started trimming the board. Will get it all screwed up this afternoon.

Mike yes. They take the. Sheet tied. You wrap them round and the shape grips them.

Today the sub base has been moved back and extended. The buffer stops end of the board ended quite abruptly. Something was needed to soften the end. I’ve decided on a 20” extension with a 16” radius curve. I might put the head shunt buffers stops on this board, but mainly the approach road. Here marked up ready to cut in the morning.....

Just spent the evening wrestling with the baseboards. The boards on either side of the two boards I’d been working on were dug out of storage. I needed another 4 foot and to move it all back about 18 inches towards the back. A piece of sterling board next to my workdesk was in the way. So Mr Bosch came to the rescue. So here’s the end board... I will make a semi-circular board to finish off scenically. This is the other end board ready to fit,..

Just found this most interesting thread. At some point I will get to signals... I particularly like the LBSC lower quadrant signals, the handrail from the platform is in my opinion a most elegant, if not truly functional solution. Thanks for all the entries. Keep safe Ernie

Good afternoon, This afternoon I have been trying to form the base of the platform and lay the main platform line. After my step change in the appearance of track feeds I looked to sort out the main platform line from the points to the baseboard joint adjacent to the platform ramp. I found a section of track that would fill the gap with no need for intermediate joints. This was laid joined to the piece of track that would be the main platform line, laid using another section of timber to represent the main platform face. Once a section of track is laid I try and sight along the length to get the curves as smooth as possible, sometimes it looks OK from one angle, but as you change your viewpoint it shows a dodgy bit... The picture below shows the location of the platform. The timber just forms a support of the embossed styrene that will form the faces. The brick edging will will form the top edge. the middle will be filled with a balsa dust / pva mixture, not too rigid, to avoid cracking. This will then be topped with a sand mixture to represent the gravel surface.....

Today, I’m fixing the core for the platform. A strip of timber with multi cuts to assist with the bend... Selective compression has been applied, the bay can take 2 coaches... l cut the ramp to the suggested 1 in 8. Looks good.

Determined to make the feeds more invisible I decided to improve. The wires were fed from below and soldered to the side of the rail. To help not melt the sleepers the base was cut away to allow two sleepers to be slid away from the wires, with one sleeper removed. Here are the wires soldered in place and the joint ready to have the flux washed off... The sleeper adjacent to the actual join had the ends cut off and it was replaced in the four foot. The ends were trimmed to allow the end to site correctly. When painted the soldered wire will look to be part of the chair, the sleepers on either side were slid back in position.. The other end is still to be fixed...

Today started adding droppers. So dig out my Samuel L Jackson Motherf@ckin’ 100W iron..... No need for any pre-heat. It’s Functionality over Appearance.