kevo

Hi all . have ing got bogged down with the dreaded traverser problem . i kind of left the whole layout alone for a good few days . have ing been chatting with my long term railway buddy . he was looking at the layout and said your old 03 shunter would look good on there and this weekend haveing met up for a trip 2 a local expo he handed me a bag with my old 03 in it . it had conpletely slipped my mind we had done a swap some time ago . he had no use for it so we agreed a deal and so now its back and i do like the size and look of it on the layout . so here is a few pics . o yes there is a few changes bit of grass now laid .

cheers all for the comments ,two more pics nothing much of interest but this shows the the new draw runner i have just been playing around with for the traverser which is now turning in to a right pain even tho its smaller than the the other one i used ti dus not matter how i possition it the inner slider still has a over hang . and with the last runners i tried shortern them they just fell to bits so i doint think ile be going down that road again may even scrap that idear alltogether and try some thing different .

Hi all just thought u might like a bit of a up date of some things i have got on with . The front of the layout i will box in so it gives it that looking at TV look . this will all be painted black at some stage . i have allso got some couplings sorted on my china clay hoods and a brake van , so i can now do a bit of shunting . i have allso just recived another pair of draw runners for another go with the traverser thease are much smaller in size so just may be i can get it to work much more smoothly fingers crossed .

Thanks Mark but ime afraid its more out of alinement really my fault as i hurried it .by the time i had finished it it was to late but ime sure i can fix it .

Thanks all for yr kind coments . have ing had two faulse starts with layouts allready i kind of slung this one together but so far all ok except the dreded traverser again its not working as it should due to a wonkey crossmember the traverser keeps jam ing up . this pic i have used before but can show roughly how i need it to move across to the hidden sideing . so a bit of surgrey soon i hope will sort it was thinking of again trying draw runners again but when i tried to shorten them they fell to bits . o the joys of wood work .

Hi all i have made some good progress on the layout in the last few weeks so i have put in a few up dated pics . yes i no the 1st thing your point out is the class 20. well due to the sale of my last layout all my BR locos went with it apart from my class 20 and my trusty 08 so thats my excuse i have seen a pic some where in a book of a 20 hall ing some hoods . still much more to do , a conecting pipe to the slurry tank and grass and bushes next hope you all like it cheers

well james the best way is to keep it simple . i looked at other peoples work as a guide 1st .my 1st two used draw runners and worked really well . what failed on my kenwards coal layout was the two levels of the box files . didnt matter how hard i try i couldnt fix the problem shame as i liked the layout . one lesson i should take on board is not to conplete half the buildings etc with out getting every think working propperly 1st i get the same problems with uncouple ing magnets they either work brilliant or not at all , then i spend time trying to sort it all out . and loose interest in what ime building .

HI James . yes what you see is the mock up for the next layout as the original NCB one got scraped due to problems with the traverser . and that i am afraied is as far as it got . but you never know i may just start again

no problem mark i looked up yr layout b .rilliant work . i might even have a go at a o gauge micro my self one day

Hi Mark thanks for your comments you have given me some excellent tips there especially regards the taverser plate . i tend to do bits of dry brushing now and then in the past i tried to plaster it all together in one go disaster ! i do like the look of your o gauge micro poynton sneer . ile have a look for it later is it on the RMweb ? yes the stone work and every think elese will all blend together when the scenery starts i hope .

thanks luke i am still not 100% happy with the stone work colour i have looked at a good few pictures in books etc to try and get it as near as i can . 2 more pics. showing a bit of traction and rolling stock . so far i only have the 08 and some covered hoods and 3 hoppers CDA's . o yes and a few box vans . more than enough to get started . but defenatly need some more shunters .

thanks from one kevin to another . i was going to use a old peco type one . but by makeing my own i could make the whole bridge fit the size needed . after it to was primmed i have more or less keep building up the shades of stone by just dry brushing .

the drier warehouse has been painted 1st primmed with grey and given acrylic washes of white and mixes of more grey and a tad of weather ing also there is the other building or bagging warehouse and the slurry tank . i just made them up from pics on the net . i have to addmit this is my 1st crack at a western region layout out so its all guess work on the real thing industrial wise .

bit more on my no point micro . this is the bridge i had skimmed it with tile grout . then sanded it semi smooth then it took about 3-4 eves doing a bit at a time carve ing out the stones slow process bit enjoyeable . well sort of !

hope the two pics show how the traverser works . and it shows the hidden side ing . its about as basic as i could make it as my 1st attemp i had used small draw runners but i had to shorten them and they fell apart . all i used was some black plastic L shapped section from B&Q glued to the timber cross members so the traverser slides across there is a over hang as i needed to get at least a shunter and 3 wagons and yes steve is right i have yet to putt a stop block on it . i do need to do a fare bit of tweeking yet to get it to line up every time . and the traverser plate is removeable buy just two wires to a conecting block

cheers luke i was a not sure if this little project was going any where untill a few weeks ago . but fingers crossed its growing on me . so i didnt start a post , i have done a bit more work so in the week i should post some more bits . one thing i did start on was the over bridge i had some bits of hardboard left over from the backseen nothing much to lookat at the mo but ive some tile grout left over which i shall skim over it and carve out the stone blocks

Hi all . after the none starter with my box file project which was let down by the traverser i did have another faulse start with a small amercian project . this got to a addvanced plamming stage then this was dropped for what i have now stuck with . a small chaina clay micro. but one big differance there are no points ! its just two sideings and a fiddel yard track conected by a really simple traverser . its just about workable to do some small bits of shuntting . i have borrowed some idears from other layouts i have seen on the net . this is the progress so far . ile post some more up dates as i progress .the dryers warehouse is based on one of my favourite china clay micros is wayne's trevanna dries u can probly see a near coppy of his . hope he doint mind . thanks for looking .

No problem wayne thanks for reply . i kind of thought i could be a sector plate . i realy like watch ing the clip on u tube the whole layout is a real gem . the track plan is nice and simple and only one point as i can see ? . i only build small layouts my self so thats what drew me to yours ,i am in the middel of building another micro layout but problems with the traverser have caused me to scrap two atemps all ready . so mrk 3 might do a sector plate less hassel . all the best kevin . ps look forward to any up dates on trevanna dries

HI Wayne i have been comeing back to look at your layout loads of times i really like the compact style of it . just like to ask . dus it use a sector plate or a traverser in the fiddle yard ? thanks kevin

Thanks luke i had built up some american stock as i have had plans for a us type layout mainly based around the grain industry but again it would be small if it goes a head

Well have ing slept on the idea over nite and much scribe ing on paper in my work break to day i think i just may be able to re do the original plan again but this time timber and MDF the traverser will be on small draw runners . but i have decided to use some of my American stock . any way this is the mock up so far . the 2 box files came to 74 cm long so i will make it a bit longer this time 81 cm long gives a bit more room to juggle larger stock . fingers crossed and hanging on to interest i hope to make a start this week end . and this time i shall use a dead frog point to keep it simple .

Hi james thats what i am hope ing i did save all the buildings , and i all ready have a sheet of MDF to start again . The problem was that the original box file bases where not level and the tracks to the traverser would not sit level no mater what i did .

Hi all well bit of a sad up date . my adventure in to a box file project has fallen flat i just had problem after problem in turned in to a car board sandwich in the end so thought ide share some last pics a bit different to the normal instead of the build progress its build demolition . still i have saved the buildings so may be a mrk 2 will emerge .

after a lot of head scratch ing there will be 3 tracks . i used the lid of the 1st box file for the traverser base . i wanted it all to be as simple and basic as possible i have used some plastic L shaped strips for the sliders and just glued them to the base so they lap over each other . there is just enough room to get a class 20 and one wagon on the class 20 would be a bit large for the layout but it will give me a choice to run a small bo bo . any way as a bit more progress get under way more pics will follow

as this is my 1st up date on the re vamped site my fingers are crossed that it works . one job i have had to get on with was some sort of traverser i decided to use another box file