luke the train spotter

So today I have ballasted a lot of the new track with a layer of beach sand sieved to remove any possible pebles. I have also added in a piece of plastic painted grey in the inspection pit to keep the rails in gauge. This should keep everything nice and smooth when operating the layout.

Today has seen the track sprayed brown to give the first base of weathering and the basic landscaping completed. This was done with some scraps of foamboard and plaster bandage. I didn't want to build it up too high since it will be covered in thick shrubbery and small trees as well as overgrown grass. I've also made up a set of cardboard steps to go on the other end of the inspection pit. Once the plaster bandage has dried up I can begin on the ground scenics which will be a layer of dried beach sand everywhere following the exact same method and using the exact same materials as used for the original cronton ground works.

Heard rumors that you're thinking of adding a giesel injector to the loco too.

So more progress with the layout today. Firstly I have painted a few basic backscene with some low hills. This was done the same way as Finlarig and distillery yard. i have also connected up the wire in tube point control to the point as well we cladding the inside of the engine shed with plasticard, painted light grey and finished with a black wash. It still needs a lot more work and detailing but the interior is getting there.

Thanks. I'm thinking that a B2 and a Janus would really finish off the colliery fleet nicely.

So I plan to fully detail the interior of the shed (something I began to do today) and maybe add an open wooden gate which could be something to look through for an interesting angle. Apart from that I don't plan on a cameo except maybe a couple of crew members having a fag. Just trying to keep it simple really.

So a big push today with all the track laid, wired and tested as well as the backscene getting a netrual light blue colour. This will have some low hills, a grassy bank, trees and a few colliery buildings painted on it probably tomorrow. Here is some stock posing on it. I also made the sector plate in the fiddly yard. This is very small and can either take a loco or a wagon on it but nothing above an 0-6-0 wheelbase. I should probably also sort out some lighting in the fiddle yard.

So Ive decided to not extend the new siding infront of the fiddle yard and block it off with the fiddle yard. With it only being 7inches long and 10 inches wide and most of the space will be taken up by a sector plate, stock storage is essential so I can't spatially afford to extend the siding unfortunately. I have however decided to open up the other end of the layout and fully detail the interior of the loco shed so you can look through it to offer up some interesting photo opportunities. The fascia was completed today using some 5mm (ish) mdf which has been screwed and glued in place. I really like the curved corner of the top bit of the fascia and this was achieved by using a plate as a template. I know it looks nothing like the original cronton but all the original buildings have been preserved and will be re-used. Once the new track is laid and ground cover is down it will start looking like it's old self. Next job will be painting the backscene and getting some LED lighting strips sorted.

Absolutely love that layout. A true masterpiece.

That's a good suggestion and I'll look into it. The reason why I have currently decided not to do it like that is because I wasn't sure what to use to hide the fiddle yard up. Suggestions welcome.

Just showing the plans of what the layout will roughly look like. Baseboard extension is on the cards today.

I'm hoping that it will be worth it and I have all the scenic methods I used on this thread so hoping to use them so that the new cronton will look just like the old one, or maybe even better.

So let the demolition begin! I removed the fascia, coal loading tower and the clunky code 100 track and smoothed where the track will go down to baseboard. I also popped into my local diy store and picked up some mdf in case they shut for corona so next jobs will be extendending the baseboard an extra bit, laying and wiring track then fascia.

Well with my A levels cancelled, work and school shut for the foreseeable future looks like I'll have quite a few weeks of bonus modelling time. So far I've kicked this time off by working on a starwars A wing kit with a diorama to build for it but the real project for me will be to extend and rebuild Cronton colliery sheds. The rough plan is to relay all the track with the peco bullhead stuff, add a point for additional operation potential and extend the layout by a foot in length as well as making up a fascia for it ready for the 2021 exhibition circuit. All rough plans at the moment but I hope to get some sketches done soon.

Another vote for plan 1.

Just looking back on this layout and thinking about what I'd do next time. The biggest thing is change is the use of foamboard as the fascia. This was a very easy material to work with as you can cut it with large scissors, it takes pretty much any non solvent based glue, is lightweight and cheap. The downside of this is that it is in fact quite an easy surface to damage when moving the layout. During transportation the layout experienced a few bumps and bruises that I'm sure wouldn't have mattered had I used a plywood fascia. An advantage of having a pretty fast turn over of layouts is that I can correct this error for next time! Ive also realised that I've not got round to posting any pictures of stock running at the exhibition by being rather occupied with my A level mocks. I'm aware that my real A levels are just around the corner but the run up to my GCSE exams 2 years ago were some of my most productive modelling times ever so I'm gonna keep modelling options open, after all I do need to sort a uni layout out at some point.

Great looking layout! Just wondering how is it eco friendly?

Me too! It would suit my growing industrial fleet and allow me to get a B2 too. I'd probably add an extra foot on the length, relay the track using the bullhead stuff, maybe add a point and re-do the fascia. Could be a good layout for the 2021 exhibition circuit.

Hahaha we'll see what happens. I quite like the idea of rebuilding and extending cronton colliery sheds.

I don't have any solid plans yet but I'm pretty sure that I'll downsize as finlairg felt a little big. We'll see though. I can't decide whether to go branch line again or build another industrial layout that could take the form of a Colliery.

Bit of a strange one this and an end to the layout for me. The second day was very good, again no problems what so ever. I was operating with my good friend Henry who brought some stock with him. Cut a long story short and we had traded his 24 (a model I'd been after for years now!) For Finlarig. This will be converted to a north eastern region halt as part of a roundy layout. I hadn't planned to move on from this layout so fast but seems like I now have some free space and another invitation to the same show next year.

All set up and ready to go!

A shameless plug to the show that Finlarig will be at. If you're going to be there please feel free to stop and have a chat. http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/events/20234-EborGroupofRailwayModellersExhibition

About 1.05m but the layout itself is also quite tall.

Seems that the pressure of the exhibition has increased my rate of work! This afternoon's efforts have seen a mock set up of the layout. I've taken the layout out of the train room (aka a walk in wardrobe minus the shelves) and set it up with completed skirt on trestles. Then I lined the fiddle yards with 5mm foamboard with the top layer of paper removed. This just protects the flanges from any damage that can occur over time. Here's a picture of what the layout looks like set up from the back. Just thinking what to take as well as stock etc and I think it would be a good test to take my super compact boxfile work bench and show it off to the world and see how well it stands to transportion etc. I'll keep you all posted as the exhibition draws nearer.