Tortuga

@GMKAT7 Will you be starting up a build thread for T.N.Y.Q. (The New Year Quicky)? It’d be really interesting to see it develop. I think that’s more of a Desk of Doing than a Bench of Bodge - those appear to be computer workstation feet! Either way, it’s better than my own Ply Plank of Poor Progress!

I prefer the first of your two views because of, weirdly, the view of the rest of the room. For some reason, in the first shot, my brain is seeing buildings (unless I zoom in), but in the second it looks like… the rest of the room. Nice work on the WKT by the way, continuing to follow with interest.

Yesterday’s work resulted in the ply “face” being fitted to the corner frame; an attempt at the support leg; partial removal of the lower, narrow frame and a start made on its wider replacement. Unfortunately, a level check along the depth of the layout revealed the support leg was 3mm too short - and I measured more than twice before cutting! - so first job today was to make and fit a longer leg, before continuing work on the lower frame. I’ll shape the ply “face” when I start work on the scenic boards, since it shares the profile of the cutting with the end of the adjoining scenic board, but for now, it’ll stay like this. Last job today was to shift everything stored on the remainder of the narrow frame onto the new corner frame to keep it out of the way while work progresses: Looking the other way, the remains of the narrower frame awaits removal: Onward!

Cross framing and temporary support leg now in place. Most of the frame to the left was removed after I took this photo, but further progress was halted due to an urgent demand from my eldest daughter to play ‘CoraQuest’.

Middleton Top complete then is it?

Worth saving the rails? Might they fit the C&L Trackbase sleeper panels?

Following the advice given, I’ve gone ahead with a board depth of 750mm: any deeper and I doubt I’d be able to get them out through the loft hatch! Wood butchery has already begun, with the corner board (first installed at the start of the project) being removed and a new framework taking shape in its place: There will be a supporting leg in the corner nearest the camera and a cross frame inside the outer pieces. The framework to the left is at the right height to support the scenic boards, but needs completely redoing to accommodate the changes. Onward!

Double post due to who knows why?

I can imagine that taking it all apart and packing it away must be quite hard after all the effort you put into it. However, look how far you’ve come since you started! Reading between the lines of some of your later posts - the repeated mention of “Chuffnell Regis 2” - it’s obvious that your skills have improved to the point where you feel you “could do better” than what you’ve already created. Now you’ve got the perfect excuse to start again, but with the advantage of already having stock and buildings ready to go. You’ve often mentioned the baseboard and track not being quite as good as you’d like, so you’ve also identified skills to improve on. Given your dabblings with the LMS, have you considered modelling a junction between them and the GWR? Not necessarily a station, but maybe a set of exchange sidings?

Good point. Also, fiddling with 3-link couplings, hence the 2’ 5 and 1/2” rather than any deeper. The furthest track is 550mm (21 and 11/16”) from the front edge by the way. Very true. I was toying with extending the scenery up to the wall, but I’m not sure how to accommodate the “intrusive corner” pushing in at the left hand end? As shown, the back of the layout is parallel to the front, but curves with the line of the track.

Where?

Having finally got Project Offspring’s Mega-Wardrobe/Bookcase/Desk to a more or less completed state, I currently have more time available to devote to modelling pursuits. However, having got something to run under its own power, my enthusiasm for ‘Whaley Shunt’ has lessened for some reason and I’ve been looking to spend some time on “the main layout”. Unfortunately, the sporadic and geological progress on Alsop have left me with a partial supporting frame, several versions of a track plan, two partly assembled boards, no clear idea of what the next part of the project was and a dissatisfied feeling with the whole thing overall. As a result, the re-revised, revised layout plan (mk2) v3.6 - I think that’s what iteration I was on - has been scrapped, and a new layout plan (taking all the available space into account this time) has been started from scratch. I’ve got rid of the traverser fiddle yards in favour of maximising space on the scenic section and I’ve swung the ‘Buxton’ fiddle yard through a further 90 degrees to form an “island” in the centre of the railway room, which allows it to accommodate a much longer version of the Alsop Moor Quarry Train than previously. In addition, the whole scenic section is now on a curve of extremely large radius (over 11m), which avoids the intrusive corner while being sufficiently large to hopefully negate any issues with curved platforms. Two versions of the layout plan are shown below. The first has scenic boards of 610mm (2’) depth (board joints are indicated by the three lines perpendicular to the track) The second has boards of 750mm (2’ 5 and 1/2”) depth: The track is the same distance from the backscene in both cases; only the depth of scenery at the front of the layout changes. Thoughts please folks - which depth should I go for?

That’ll do me!

Ah, no. One aim of Whaley Shunt is to try and use up stuff I’ve got sitting around rather than consigning it to the tip. I already had four PECO stops, so I thought I’d try knocking them into a representation of the LNWR type. I do already have an example of Dave’s excellent kit on Alsop and would be the alternative option if the PECO/plasticard attempt didn’t work. Did I succeed?

All this: …to hold this in place while the glue sets: Thats the first part of the retaining wall substructure in position. Happy with that and the buffer stop, so I’ll treat myself to some ‘Miss E’s Jack O’Lantern Pumpkin Ale’ since it needs drinking up!

While the glue sets on the retaining wall sub-structure, its back to buffer stops and my first attempt to convert the PECO offering into an approximation of the LNWR type: From the front… …and from the back. Thoughts?

Nice work there Geraint! I think Wills Coarse Stone sheets are a pretty close match for the stonework of the Chapel Road bridge at Whaley Bridge (so I’ll be using those), but the retaining walls either side are definitely more akin to the Derbyshire Drystone walls. Right now I’m trying to work out how to build up a supporting structure for them using cardboard mock-ups: These are just for the retaining walls. They’re topped by drystone walls, which I estimate from the reference photos to be between 4’ to 6’ in height. I’ve also started carving some leftover cellotex foam into shape for the course of the river. In due course, I intend to use cellotex to fill in the spaces either side of the cutting, but first I need to work out what to do about the row of cottages that back onto Shallcross Yard. These are positioned much further from the line than I’ve got room for, but I’m thinking of ignoring reality and having their yards more or less directly back onto the top of the retaining wall.

Thanks for all the input gents. Obviously embossed sheet isn’t going to cut it (there are no shortcuts!) and I think the best shot is going to be individually laid DAS / Polyfiller stones.

Nooo! Please don’t remove your earlier photos of buildings! H*ll, if nothing else, I need them for inspiration, when I think “Hmm, what technique could I use for this?” Length of walls. Hmm, there is a question. For Whaley Shunt we’re talking five or six foot of walling in total, about four feet of which is more akin to a retaining wall, up to a scale 15 foot high (60mm). On my other layout (Alsop-en-le-Dale), both sides of the track have a boundary wall for the full length of the scenic section (about 4 metres), plus there are assorted field boundaries… …umm… yards I guess?

If everyone followed those lines of thought: 1) positioning of structures would look contrived - a kit won’t necessarily “fit in”, but that’s OK (see point 2) 2) why bother with scenery at all if people only look at the trains? Bare baseboards all the way! In fact, forget the signalling as well and don’t bother to hide the wiring either; no-one’s going to comment as they’re only here to look at the trains! 3) because striving to reproduce the feel, that essence, of the past in as much detail as possible is such a bad thing. I feel “rivet counter” is being misused these days to insult those of us who are trying to reproduce the “essence” of realism in miniature, by those who can’t be bothered to try and raise their own standard of modelling. Rant over *gets down, puts soap back in box, exits stage left*

Going back to the weed killing train, from this photo, it looks as if it’s made up of Toad brake van, mess van (coach), tank (for weed killer) and 3 No. tenders (for water) presumably with one fitted with the pump and spraying gubbins: are you going to add a second Toad? I thought I’d read that the trains were top and tailed with a brake van to simplify running round? Also isn’t three water tenders a bit much for the LM branch? Or is it clearing the mainline and picks up the branch en route?

Cheers @2ManySpams those photos really clarify your explanations! Many thanks! For clarity, this: is the type stonework I’m trying to replicate.

B*gger. Was hoping I’d found an easy way to represent those retaining walls! For what it’s worth, I agree with you @Middlepeak - definitely individually laid DAS “stones” for the drystone walling (in the same manner as Physicsman). I know Al used hacked plasticard for his walls on Ladmanlow (to great effect), but I figure hacking DAS will be more finger friendly! I might be best off scribing those retaining walls though: what d’you reckon @JustinDean? Build an underlying structure then lay and scribe DAS directly onto that or make scribed sections away from the layout and attach them in place once done? How did you go about your walls on Middleton Top? @NHY 581 Cheers! I’ve had a quick look at Spam’s Western Thunder thread via the link, but need to look at it in more detail. I can’t view the photos as anything other than a thumbnail (without becoming a member of Western Thunder) though, which makes it a touch difficult to visualise what he says! I’ll try and check out his layout thread on here (assuming he has one / the photos are still in place).

@JustinDean @Middlepeak I’d appreciate your thoughts on whether this offering from South Eastern Finecast is a close-ish match to the rough stone walling at Shallcross? Not sure whether its also close to Derbyshire Drystone Walling as well?

Excellent news! Looking forward to it.