Northroader

Looking forward to 2016 and broad gauge. Happy New Year!

I fancy the 4year old structures around the Kennet bridge were more of a "statement of intent" as they've looked pretty forlorn ever since. Heads will roll? Doubtful, the jobs have been split up with responsibilities spread round any number of government bodies and network rail in a way that can be bounced about quite happily with the buck not stopping anywhere. It ain't like it used to be.

No, I think by and large, your trains look really attractive running as clean units, even if it was becoming rarer to see them like that in reality. It's just the brake tender that looks a bit odd in a clean condition. I suppose I never saw a clean one, although the diesels could be quite decent. It's a lovely model and I would think the sort of thing that could become a collectors item, so needs careful treatment. Why not get some pastel chalk from an art shop, say black and umber brown, rub on emery paper and sprinkle the dust over the brake body, then dry brush over? If you don't like it, it will wash off with soapy water, and no harm done.

The brake tender will need filthying up a bit, it's a nice job but it won't look right til it's dirty.

While we're recovering from Christmas torpidity and struggling with the quiz, I thought I'd post a feature which is being kept for the rebuilt line. This is a "view blocker" which covers the join between the depot baseboard and the fiddle yard. I always feel that a scenic background is an essential feature on a model, and carry it round the end, so there is an exit hole needed for trains to pass through. The blocker helps to conceal this, and also support the back where it finishes. It's centred on a "poster" A3 size, which I draft out on my old computer, which gives general detail of the line being modelled, map, pictures, logos, to help set the scene. This is mounted on 12mm ply or chipboard board and faced with transparent plastic sheet, held in position by thin plastic angle (both from B&Q) secured by small screws. You'll note I make no attempt to mitre the corners, the angle is thin enough to overlap without looking too clumsy. Two steel strips (B&Q again) attached to the back, hook over the ply fascia strip glued to the front of the baseboard, and a diagonal brace is bolted to small angles screwed to the board near the top in the middle, which keeps the board vertical. This carries down to a short upright extension in the back corner of the baseboard. One thing which is needed is a patch over part of the back scene hole, needed now I've reduced the number of tracks through. Well, that's it for now, tomorrow night I'll have a "wee dram" to honour folks north of the border, Auld Lang Syne and all that. Happy New Year, everyone.

Enjoy Christmas with the family, shake off the bugs, and pick it up in the new year. When you get going again, you'll knock off the 460 and wonder why you lost interest, it's looking great right now to the rest of us. All the best.

If you're in ALSRM they give you a discount.

Big wordsmith, ain't been to peteRborough? Not even for a ride on the Nene Valley?? You''be got to be spoofing now!

The records of track maintenance kept by BR were scrapped by Railtrack after handover. One of my acquaintances likened it to "year zero" under Pol Pot. The result, as we all know, was Hatfield.

The article quoted is rather romancing about the degree the long concrete footbridge at SJ was/ is not used. It forms a useful footpath link locally, and also is on the route of a long distance footpath, starting at Seaton and finishing at Watchet, so that's me and the village postman. "A peaceful and blessed Christmas to you, brother Duck"

There's now a third point made to match the other two, for the far end of the loop. I projected the line from the second point, and lined up the new point on this. It was placed at right angles to the end, so that the extension could be on a cassette. Besides GP's and RS's, there could be F's and kettles appearing and needing to be turned. The extension line is being made for just a loco length, it would be more convenient when shunting to have extra length for a freight car as well, but it would add too much for the overall length. This set me off thinking about how shunting moves would be done- a bit late in the project, you'd say. I decided no problems would happen, easy if the train is on the depot line, more complicated on the loop line, but we're only talking of trains with two freight cars an a caboose moving round two sidings with three car spaces . With this point in place, there are several matters arising. Firstly, I've placed two freight cars on the front siding. The nearest shows that there's just about enough space for a team track, hard standing where a road vehicle can transfer commodities to a freight car- such as fruit to a reefer, oil from a tanker, sawn timber from a flatcar, giving plenty of variety in the fleet. The furthest car away shows where an industrial building can go, where the set square is. Again I can just about squeeze something in, thinking on the lines of a feed mill, supplying the local farming community, as Englefield is the sort of small town station for this. The gap between the two cars is where I'm thinking of putting in a road crossing. Secondly, it's becoming clearer that some reshaping of the depot will be needed, as the line will pass over the toes of the two passengers- sorry, customers! Waiting patiently for their train, maybe down as far as the industry in the near corner. More work... Well, that's enough for now. It's the time of year to give best wishes to all the visitors to this site, especially the select band who've been good enough to post their thoughts, much appreciated. Have a good Christmas with your folks, hope there's something special in the cardboard box under the tree, and that next year is a really good time for modelling.

Helping toward 15k, but relevant, wasn't the St. Ives line the place for doubled up 45's? Summer Saturday's, Cornish Riviera portions, running round...

Get the missus onside and you'll have a good railway, class 40, she's a treasure!

I was looking at the new overhead near Pangbourne, and also at the overhead "school" just NE of Swindon station, and see that the catenary doesn't end in pulleys and a dirty great weight hanging down the side of a mast, but with a small "drum" placed more centrally over the track, as Zomboid says, which must be the tensioner. Clockwork spring inside??

I find our local Wickes store is the best place for picking up off cuts at knockdown prices. Sorry, I forgot to say after my previous post on points, I boned up on Cashmores Yard and Poynton Sneer. They're great, both for craftsmanship and reviving memories of old bits of railways. I'm sure the new project ("?????") will be another in that tradition.

When you use hardboard as scenic back,I was shown a good way to curve it, in a Cardiff workshop, as it happens. You can go down to about 4" radius curve. Mark out the area where this is, start and finish. Then fill bath or other with water, and place the sheet in, with at least the marked out area fully in. Leave for at least 4 to 6 hours or bit more. Take out, covering bathroom floor with water and get slaughtered by missus.. No, careful when taking out, work on plastic groundsheet or similar. Clamp some scrap bits of sheet, ply or whatever, either side of the markings, and gently bend. Watch for any tendency for layers to flake off on the back. If this happens it ain't wet enuff or you're trying too hard. Leave it with one end flat on the floor and t'other against a wall or some such vertical, to get a right angle bend. Then let it dry out, something like 24 hours plus, before removing the supporting sandwich on each side. Bingo.

Keep this post going. We'd like to know how you get on. Good luck.

I reckon those coaches on the S&D were coming off at Templecombe, then on a stopper down the main Line through you know where. What you really, really need for Christmas is a set of Thompson non corridor stock.

Between dressing the edges and rolling, you missed out the bit where you punched out a 1000 rivets, presume on half etch, but still very neatly done, especially after rolling both ways! Model shaping nicely. I think the gas tanks like the cordon carried pressurised oil(?) gas for supply of the tanks on the gas-lit carriages, the station platform gas lamps would be suppllied by the local town coal gas supply?

Nice to see my 'avatar' on your building! Quite interested in the small radius points issue, as I tend to do restricted size stuff, but just up from micro. I have to admit I've never come across the Lima point, showing what a sheltered childhood I've had. It's hard to believe their 4F 0-6-0 would go through it? Anyhow, I enclose two efforts of mine. The first you can blame on the folks from Agenoria, sadly withdrawing because tightwads like me would rather waste their time scratchbuilding than buying a decent kit with a much better finish.. Anyway, at the base of their stand at shows they used to have a small circuit with an 0-4-0 chasing round, I'd estimate at about 10" radius. So, I tried a pizza layout on a 36" square board, 13" radius. (In O) First photo is a point off this line. Operation proved it could be done, the snag was doing propelling movements through the points, which was a no no, and certainly no use in your shunting layout. This line is currently on hold, although I've worked out what I can do with it (no, not that!) On to second photo from the next tryout, which is a small BLT with larger points, I guess about 18" radius. I can do shunting by hand through this one, and at present pushing on with wiring up to properly try it out. Maybe in a few weeks I'll be in a position to start a topic on this one. The unknown is if a new Dapol Terrier would go through it, I suspect not, and it's a lot to pay to find out, although a tempting loco.

I hope I haven't been too much a prophet of doom, certainly I don't want to put you off a great hobby. If it is all completely new to you, maybe a small line to gain experience, build up stocks, and get expertise, would be good sense, as you propose, rather than being too ambitious with a big oval at your first attempt. In the meantime, you can get an electronic thermometer with max and min recording, and see just what does happen up there. Also in the meantime, have a good luck round this website, and see what people are getting up to, there's immense variety, and you'll find something I'm sure you'll identify with.

I've been in my present loft for years, but until I had a conversion, expensive but well worth while, it was grief! It ain't just heat, there's cold as well. I made it that summer peak to winter low, there was about 40degree difference, so you must allow for expansion/contraction, unsoldered track joiners with flexible jumpers in particular. You also get dew forming in the cold, so oxidation/rust can happen. There's a window for reasonable working conditions for some weeks April and September, rest of time iffy for comfort. Your photos show you're trying some insulation which might help, but you need to bear in mind roof spaces need ventilation to preserve the structure, which conflicts with your comfort, and you really need good expert building advice if you start trying improvements. Sorry to sound a wet blanket, I'd like to see you succeed and enjoy your modelling. There's a good site, worth reading up on here, by Mallard60022, 'In the spirit of Seaton Junction' which gives a good idea of modelling in a loft. Anyway, all the best with your project.

Since my last post I've been working on getting the two points installed. One good feature of the new design is that the electrics are much simpler. The old set-up needed five section switches, the new one just two, to feed into each end of the loop lines. The lines meet in the middle at a baseboard join, so there's a natural gap in the rails. Both the sidings are off a point on the opposite board, however, so jumpers are needed on those lines. The really fiddly job, the way I do it anyway, is point control, so here's a picture as a warning! As well as the points now working, the second siding at the front has been cleared away, and the point into it replaced by plain track made up from recovered material, giving a clear run all along the front of the board. This should please the top-link engine driver on her next visit. Now off to the far end to see what I can do there.

Even if you apply Christian charity to a difficult situation, that bridge at Wantage Road (The Grove) is progressing at a terribly slow pace, it seems to me. hOw long have they been at it? How much longer to completion?

The Deltic "sound" was highly distinctive mainly because there were two engines, which would move in and out of synchronisation with each other. this produced a very slow throb. In those days I was in digs in York, half a mile from the main line, and hearing an express leaving headed South on a quiet evening was really atmospheric. I'm no expert on the DCC scene, but to conjure this up would be difficult.