Jon73202

On 14/05/2012 at 16:27, marc smith said:

"Poynton Sneer Sidings". Another minimum space layout, by Marc Smith.

 

Following the superb recent rmweb members day in Taunton, I thought I'd better start a thread for this, my most recent layout. These days, I'm always scribbling notes, sketches or designs, and I'm always looking for scenarios or settings in which to place a railway..... even where none existed previously.

 

Poynton Sneer is one such place. Obviously the name is merely the product of my terrible sense of humour.

It is I think my 5th layout since Hendre Lane, some 4 years ago (where has all the time gone?) In fact, I’m lucky to have been able to build it – as some of you may know I’ve re-discovered my old hobby of playing the bass guitar. Another mid-life crisis? Possibly.....

I hadn’t intended to build this layout. I still have plans for a really small O gauge layout, which I thought something of a novel idea some 4 years or so back. That is STILL on the back-burner, as is my “Cashmores Newport†based scheme, and my Woodmores-inspired Barry scrapyard idea, as is my desire to resurrect John Spencers’ “Ruyton Road†layout (now in my possession). As is every other half-baked idea.....

 

So why did I start it? You may well ask...

My house is full of modelling detritus – I have lots of bits & pieces which I buy, and fully intend to use,

one day..... It started with a couple of second hand points- neither of which had actually been used. One I got cheaply from local shop, Lord & Butler of Cardiff – I think it was marked up as £10, but Peter, ever the salesman, saw me pondering it, and said “You can have it for £8!â€

I didn’t need it at all, but I again thought “one day.....†The other point came up on ebay, and at a similar price, I put in a cheeky bid, and got it, if unexpectedly! Both points are copperclad, one being Marcway. Both are short radius, and I think the reason no-one else bought them, is that in their original state, the curved rails after the vee were quite long, and rather sharp, and looked rather unrealistic.

 

So I set about “improving†them, cutting much of this curve away, isolating the crossing vees, and adding Peco sleeper chairs. Again in Lord & Butler, they had some second hand Peco O gauge flexi-track, which someone had painted – rather badly, I have to say. So out came the wallet again, and Peter also handed me some similar track, which had once been laid & ballasted – and he gave me this for free!

 

On seeing the Gaugemaster photo backscenes, I was quite taken with their industrial scene. It reminded me strongly of Port Talbot, as seen from the vicinity of the south side of the steelworks, not too far from Margam Knuckle yard – those who have seen my gallery will know I have spent some time there.....

On looking at my improved points, it struck me that I could build a very small layout, which included a run-round-loop, or at least the scenic half of one. Of all the layouts I’ve built recently, I realised that’s something I hadn’t done in a while! Actually, the smallest of them all “Bracty Bridge†does have a loop – but I seldom used it when operating at the few shows it has been to – it’s just much easier to not use it....

 

The layout was built very quickly, using my now favoured foamboard as a basic landscape. As I did with the last O gauge layout “Clarbeston North†I glued some small battens to the underside, to act as framework. This type of foambaord is new to me, as B&Q no longer seem to stock the “knauff†board I used previously. This foambaord is grey in colour, and is not as dense as the pink-coloured Knauff. It’s easier to cut, but I did initially worry whether it would warp. On top of the board, I glued some white photo-mount board – Hobbycraft were selling it 2 for the price of 1!. The photo-mount board was pre-cut to the shape of the trackbed, and is around the same thickness as a left-over piece of ply I used to make my sliding sector-plate.

The sector-plate is 2 tracks – each being long enough to hold just an 80 and a wagon. To give the sector-plate a nice smooth sliding action, I used a pair of drawer runners, recovered from an old dismantled kitchen unit, in keeping with my desire to keep costs down.

 

Those with sharp eyesight will see I have again used mirrors – will I ever build a layout without them now? Once again they are plasticard-backed poly mirror material. I bought a stock of this sometime back - I just knew I would need it again.

 

More on the design and construction again – I have already waffled far too much. Suffice to say, it isn’t quite finished yet, there are a few more things to do, before Poynton Sneers’ next outing, and they’ll probably all be done the night before the next show.

Poynton Sneer is just a tad under 5 feet in length, including fiddle yard, and I think that’s a pretty small layout considering it includes a run-round.

Any questions or comments, please feel free, but I’d just like to say thanks to the good Captain Kernow, for Poyntons first airing, thanks to Barry Ten for helping me set up & operate that day, and thanks to BCN Pete, for bumping the thread of my last O gauge layout – on that note, if anyone’s interested in “Clarbeston North†I am tempted sell it, to make way for a future build.

 

Good morning Marc, Just saying Hi.some inspirational work on here

I have 3 of the new Dapol class 73, all 3 suffer from poor running, don't like point work any ideas as to how this could be improved, livery problems are well documented so I won't go into that, however I will mention missing roof details, on the electrical end fibre glass roof panels should be 2 raised circular vents, very prominent in pics but Dapol missed them totally, Unlike Lima they moulded them correctly.....such a pity as I will not order anymore unless Dapol improve their quality control.....