ba14eagle

An update on whats been happening on Baker Wood.

Track has been ballasted and weathered. The buildings have been stuck down and terrain bases stuck in place. Next thing will be to get messy with the modelling clay and filler.

Away from the baseboard, Ive started painting the backboards / scenes.

I like to video layouts, so really don't like perspex frontages. Whats worse, exhibitors hanging hands and arms over the backscene! (which means they are leaning on it 😄).

I would never knowingly lean on a layout.

I for one would be very happy to pay for top & tail tractors and mk3' to Mallaig this Summer.

It would make the long weekend we've got booked and paid for - only an 18 hour round car journey 😲  from Wiltshire! - worthwhile.

57 minutes ago, Irish Padre said:

Oh I like this. I have visited Bramley training area in Hants, which has fascinating remains of its railway system. The buildings look just right. As for the Lynx - fire/rescue training hulk? If I recall aright there was an old Sea King frame at Lyneham used for just that. 

 

You've just made me remember, Bramley was the inspiration for the layout setting - but with a narrow gauge railway, not standard gauge. I got the recent book about Bramley and that stimulated my interest.

Welcome to the first post about my new 4mm scale / 009 narrow gauge layout.

The baseboard is one of the excellent Tim Horn baseboard kits, with an option to fit the additional backscene boards. The size is limited by the fact the layout will have to spend most of its life in the loft, but I did want the option of being able to take it out to exhibitions - if anyone would want us - and currently, my good lady is quite happy for me to do the building work in our lounge, rather than disappearing up into the loft most nights. The board is 3ft x 18".

The layout is another one from me, portraying an internal military railway. Again, it cant decide which branch of the British forces it serves, so expect to see a hotch potch of different rolling stock. However, the catalyst behind its build has been the launch of the Bachmann RNAD rolling stock, so it leans that way.

I wont be very good at posting loads of pictures demonstrating what i'm working on - as the photos below will confirm - but will try and post when there is a reasonable bit of progress made.

The only thing that is currently fixed is the track layout, which has been wired up and works. I was going to use wire in tube control for the limited number of points, but a chance opportunity to buy some secondhand dcc concept IP analogue motors, led me down this route. This is the first time I've used slow action point motors on a layout, so this was a bit of a learning curve, but I'm pleased to say I've learnt a lot of lessons and they seem to work well.

I'm currently looking at where I'm going to place various buildings and scenic focal points, but haven't made any final decisions. The scenics will be quite heavy on the use of foliage and trees, mainly in order to try and distract from the small dimensions and tight curves - whether I succeed in doing this, well, only time will tell.

The first photo shows the whole baseboard - hopefully, it will be obvious which is the front and what is the back.

The brick built building serves an unknown purpose and has no track inside - the door is fixed. The 2 Hornby Nissen Huts have been out on the garden railway, so have real world weathering, but will have plenty more done.

The Lynx helicopter has also come in from the garden - why it has been dumped at this site, I don't know, but I thought it might provide a talking point and interesting modelling project.

My last 2 pairs of dioramas have been pretty much completed.

The town / street scene is permanently fixed and just requires a few more people and a couple of road vehicles. Like a previous module where a friends Land Rover Discovery featured, on this one, a Bedford "Bambi" camper van appears - in the colours that were carried by my late Fathers one. (The fire engine is temporary - I cant help but think the scene needs a bus!)

The desert scene is crying out for a Wylie Coyote and Road Runner cameo, but I am really struggling to find some small enough to work.

Ive spoken with a couple of 3d print guys, but none have been able to help and Ive scoured the internet for jewellery charms, but to no avail, so far! These 2 modules can be used together (they look best as pictured) or separately.

Ive now got enough to make an interesting circuit, so will be available for exhibiting, if anyone is interested or anyone else wants to join up at a show.

Just before Christmas, my Wife and I travelled on a charter that WCRC supplied a mixed bag of mark 1 and mark 2 stock for. Both times we tried to exit the train, the supposedly steward operated manual door locks would not budge and getting off the train became a real concern. In fact, my Wife, who has ptsd, started to suffer a panic attack, being trapped within the train. The railtour operator barely supplied 1 steward for 2 coaches by the end of the day, so actually avoiding being overcarried became a bit of an issue.

What would happen in the event of an emergency? This cavalier attitude towards passengers needs to stop - once and for all. If WCRC and others cannot fall into line, who cares if they carry on trading or are closed down?

3 more diorama' have been completed! These are a bit light hearted. Ive got 4 more in build, with only a few left to complete, before i've got a whole circuit of my own.

Before Christmas I became aware of the Kato N gauge Mini diorama kits that were being distributed by Gaugemaster, Osborns and TrainTrax and thought they looked a lot of fun. I'm supposed to be building a new OO9 layout, but these have taken over a bit. Anyway, they are giving me some scenic modelling refreshers, before I crack on, with what I hope, might even be an exhibition layout (small as it will be).

Ive always been interested in the modular layout idea, but never been confident enough in my skills to build any - I have always thought that I would never be able to line up my track centres properly. These tiny kits get over that! I have about 15 kits currently started, but these are the 5 i have finished.

As others have done, some are being built as individual modules and others are being made & used as pairs. I have a couple more ideas for pairs that i am working on and a couple more single ones. Beyond that, I dont know where I am going, but having a couple of Sisters are into crafting, I am thinking of giving them a couple of kits to go free range with.

Here are the ones i've done - apologies for the poor photos - and yes, I think Ineed to attend to the drunk tree in the first one!

This was the first time I have ever modeled a Winter snow scene and am happy with end result achieved using various snow and ice products. 

A work colleague and his Land Rover "Disco Doris" feature in the second pair (look up Kitty LandRover online)

The last picture features my nod to the 1973 film classic "Digby - the biggest dog in the World"

The modules have all had their dimensions enlarged slightly, but without comprising their connecting faces / points to other modules.

Did any attendees get any photos of the Kato mini diorama circus? Pretty pls.

9 minutes ago, Coldgunner said:

Not long got home, a bit underwhelmed if I'm honest. Generally the layouts were good, but I started feeling frustration for a number of reasons:

 

- Doddery sods stopping to have a chat in the aisles. People need to start being a bit more considerate of others around them.

- People constantly pushing in front of me at layouts and traders stands when I've been patiently waiting. Had to walk away sometimes as my internal voice was shouting "**** OFF!". Not only do they push in front, but then proceed to stare into the distance.

 

The layouts were great and many of the traders had some nice stuff, but I wasn't getting the same bargains I did at previous shows. Its a long way for me to travel to a show and I'm re-thinking whether I should go next year. Starting to see the same stuff, the same layouts, the same traders each year and its starting to lose its appeal.

 

Another minor greivance which I don't think is shared by most people here is layouts not doing anything. I get that you may be running to a timetable or sequence, but layouts with nothing going on for extended periods of time are incredibly dull to me, even when the quality of the layout is superb. I know I'll get some stick for this, but it is my personal opinion and no personal offense is intended.

 

 

Despite having never been to Warley and probably never will, I fully agree with your sentiments, highlighted above.

I really get hacked off with groups of people standing in front of a layout or a trader just having a bloody chinwag! There are other places around venues to do that - go do it there!

Through advancing years and lessening medical fitness, large shows can be become a bit of a marathon for some of us and inconsiderate souls obscuring what we've come to see, eats up precious energy.

I know people have paid to go in, just like I will have, but please be a little more considerate.

Layouts where nothing is happening, is often linked, I tend to find, with operators and viewers having completely inappropriate or nonsense conversations - why? 

I am looking for some BR Mk1 bogies if anyone has any spare or would swap some for some Commonwealth bogies?

Bought my first kit today and cant wait to get started on some of my ideas!

Hi. My apologies if this doesnt belong here, but i recently discovered for sale the Kato Unitrack Diorama kits and wondered if anybody had tried them out? I am currently working on a small OO9 layout, but thought these looked kinda fun - and even I could reach a good enough standard to make a whole load of them join up.

Some video of the show - it was too many to look at all of them, especially as many had featured many times before.

Videos of chaos available post show 😄

Have you a 6" track setting gauge? Or was it bent by hand? 😮

On 03/05/2023 at 08:26, PaulRhB said:

I went for a heavily rusted example 😆 still need to weather the tyres though. 
 

Sorry to go off on a tangent Paul, but does this building appear in any other threads? I'm quite interested in its size and construction.

OMG! Summer Hampton is running! Some new items of rolling stock are given a test run on my O gauge garden railway - and I'm happy with the results. But why are O gauge 3 link couplings so bloody fragile? I just have to look at them and they disintegrate. The Minerva Trains Siphon has already lost the complete fitting off one end. Its even worse for those of us who dont have indoor areas and have to get stock out for each running session - the coupling up is a nightmare.

On 31/08/2023 at 23:06, big jim said:

59 passing Swindon while I was on a ballast sit on, 5 minutes previous it was glorious sunshine!

Ah, the good old days of Swindon Panel - proper signalling.

I was at ScaleLink yesterday and about to buy a BCK when I noticed that none of the coaches had the yellow first class stripe or door number 1 applied. They didnt seem to be available on the labeling sheet supplied either (which actually seemed to contain a lot of transfers which were completely irrelevant) - was that the norm for these models?

On 25/06/2023 at 12:08, Temeraire said:

That’s the BBQ over and cleaned up for another year! I hope you all enjoyed yourself and the catering was up to scratch. Thanks to Paul, Mike, Chris, Scott, Iain, Rhys & Andy for their company.

Thank you again for your hospitality. A pleasant few hours with some good company and Mike. lol

I am looking for a Blue / Grey CK if anyone has a spare they would be willing to sell - pretty please.

Bovis Wharf is on the Upside, opposite this location

Too many pages to scroll through so pls help me out.

My TPE DT has an axle that doesnt turn freely - anyone else got a fix?