Tortuga

What it says in the title really. At the start of December, my dad ordered a wagon kit (listed as being in stock) from Osborn’s Models and received an email to say his order was being processed, but has heard nothing further. A week before Christmas, he tried contacting them by phone to find out when it would be delivered, but only got a recorded message saying to email instead, which he did, but he’s had no reply to his email either. Has anyone on here had a similar issue with or know whether Osborn’s Models are still trading?

Why, ‘e’s not dead yerrona! ‘e’s just restin’!

Buffer positioning is currently on hold, as all buffer stops have been removed in favour of the ongoing pursuit of Priority 2: thanks to those who’ve contributed so far, I’m leaning toward option 1 or 2 rather than my original favourite of option 3. Tonight’s work has resulted in point motors being fixed beneath the points on the extension board and a flurry of soldering. Stay tuned!

That looks in a very similar state to both my workshop and my railway room! I certainly agree with mess being a massive demotivation, but I managed to clear a small area and focus on a touch of wiring amongst the mess today, which has definitely buoyed up my spirits!

Suggestions / thoughts needed please! I have no idea how the end of the loop at Shallcross terminated after the incline was abandoned, but the other end (north of Ladmanlow) terminated in a rail-built buffer stop, so this seem a likely option. The ends of the tracks seem to have been heavily overgrown: http://manlocosoc.co.uk/sutherland/slide-webone-off.cgi?ws-021&11 So, where looks to be the best position for the buffer stops? So both are fully on the board with a minimal headshunt (still holds an 8F)? So both are mostly on the board with just the very ends trimmed flush to the board edge? So the backs are off the board and trimmed to the vertical rails? (That edge will be (prototypically) overgrown to disguise any section of the buffers that has been trimmed back to fit)

Hmm, that looks kind of close to Whaley Shunt in its extended form, but with a kickback siding and one siding reversed…

I like this.

Excellent work Rob! Good to know that the maestro has used the same part on his masterpieces. Are yours secured firmly to the baseboard or track at all? Mine seems a touch too lightly attached: one heavy shunt and… Because I’m me, there will be an element of hackerage involved - same as yours, the lamps need to go and the tie rods need adding - as I intend to add plates to the vertical rails in place of the bent bits either side of the track rails.

Oh ho! Bricks are in position at the end of the extension board! This can only mean one thing… Yes, the last lengths of the track are currently being stuck in position ready for wiring up; Priority two is underway. Now folks, I need some advice. Is it worth bashing the PECO buffer stop into a representation of the LNWR rail-built type? The main issue is the slight mismatch between the depth of the plastic ‘rails’ and the Code 75 track - is this likely to be as obvious once the track is ballasted and weed covered?

Lightening holes drilled and the ends are back on their respective boards. First trial joining seems OK, but some tweaking of the track alignment was needed - ran out of time to double check it tonight.

Priority 1 has been achieved. I repeat, priority 1 has been achieved. Alignment dowels fitted to the joining ends between the inglenook board and the extension: for some reason, I always struggle with getting these right, which is why the ends will need filler and paint to disguise my first attempt! I can now proceed with drilling lightening holes in the joining ends and reattaching the ends to their respective boards. On to Priority 2!* (* or 3 or 4…)

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all on here and especially those who follow my ramblings on either of my threads! December marks the anniversary of the Whaley Shunt thread and a chance to look at progress over the year - in short the layout has progressed from this: to this: Over the course of the year cork has been laid to (hopefully) achieve that ‘buried sleeper’ look so characteristic of the C&HPR; track has been laid; a new frame (for the inglenook board) has been made, together with the extension board; the track on the inglenook board has been wired up, together with point motors and a CDU; and finally, I’ve run a loco on the inglenook board. For the New Year, priorities are: 1) Sorting the alignment dowels at the joint - the eagle-eyed among you might notice the inner ends of the boards are missing! 2) Completing track laying and wiring on the extension board. 3) Completing electrification of the layout - a walkabout controller has been ordered and I need to finalise where a small point control panel will go. 4) Building / adding couplings to some rolling stock!

Ah, that’d be why! Now moved further along the line, to more closely resemble its position in reality I assume?* (*and therefore NOT the bridge at the end of the platform of the station I was thinking of - I really don’t know much about where Cwm Prysor fits along the line to (from?) Blaneu.

Glad I kept following this thread - nice to see Cwm Prysor progressing again. That bridge in the distance of the first photo looks sort of familiar - is it the one by the preceding station, which (IIRC) you were intending to model before you decided to move on to Sudarian pastures? (I had a quick look back through the last few pages, but the photos weren’t displaying)

The above paragraph has piqued my curiosity. It sounds like you originally used coach bolts and wing nuts to join boards in conjunction with pattern makers dowels, but that you no longer use the dowels: can I ask why and whether using just bolts has any noticeable effect?

As long as it passes the normal viewing distance test, it’s fine!

Looks better than the “blob” of whitemetal at t’other end of the bogie and pretty indistinguishable from the two in between - good work sir!

Thin piece of wire drilled into the end of, and hanging down from the spring, then put a small blob of filler on the end of the wire, leave to dry, then file to shape?

Reminds me of the advert in the early 2000s for some sort of communications company (I think): ”Yes, we’ve received the pre-production sample. Did you think the name ‘Tiny Tim’ was supposed to be ironic?”

Good luck and best wishes.

Is that the same theory as behind the colouration of the SAS Pink Panther Landrovers - blancmange pink = perfect desert camouflage?

Ooh fancy! I’m guessing the laptop is slightly longer than its recess? Does the front edge of the laptop hole need to be in line with the Dynamis control and with rounded corners?

Every time you post a shot of the timber infill being installed, my mind sees a train of weird silver cauldron wagons until reality reasserts itself and they resolve into a row of nuts.

Ah yes, one jar of paint is not with the others. TOTAL CHAOS!

The new arrangement in the railway room for Alsop (through station) means both fiddle yards are on the left…