nharding99

So here is a trial fit of the backscene. Some apertures need cutting out where it crosses the tracks and it does need some trimming. For me the carpentry has been the least enjoyable part of the project. I think I always knew it would be and I have procrastinated it several times! My friend Mike will help me, he's a busy guy so I have to be patient in waiting for his much appreciated help. The timber yard is taking shape. I need to finish off the walls and add lots of bundles of wood, perhaps some machinery, general yard clutter and personnel. The office door will likely be repainted into matching red. And on the station platform some benches have now been added with some diesel oil deposited on the tracks. The station can now be declared "complete"! That's all for now! Nigel

So the yard lights have been planted and wired up. I have installed an on-off switch on the control panel... Due to the unavailability of any C list celebrities I flipped the switch myself for the big "switch on" and the lights came on... I need to do some tidying up around the base of the nearest lamp but I'm quite happy with the results. Cheers for now Nigel

The yard lights are temporarily tacked in place. I'm deliberating about the bases, the 2 furthest from view will be okay to be disguised with some overgrowth of bushes. I'm thinking that the one in the foreground really needs to have a square cut out for the base so that it can be sunk down and planted. I would then need to get the filler out again, smooth it over and paint the yard surface again. I think I need to do it though. On the right hand side of the layout the apartment block has arrived, been put together and planted. The timber yard structure is taking shape. I'm working on creating some brick walls (not shown here) as an enclosure for the timber business. The close up view of the flats shows that there must be a Labour council in office (not necessarily a reflection of my own political views but let's keep politics out of this). That photo also reveals that I need to do some sweeping up of scenic scatter! That's all for now. Thanks Nigel

On my workbench tonight, some yard lamps courtesy of Kyte's Lights. I wasn't really too bothered about having miniaturised lighting on the layout but I do quite like to see a nice twinkle in a goods yard or at a MPD so I thought I would give these a try. I think that the height of the lamps is good but they are quite chunky so you can see that the subject on the left has had its original ladder cut off and this has been replaced with a fine brass one from Etched Pixels. When the ladder is painted and the gloss toned down I'm sure it will look much more realistic. Ironically the lighting in this photo isn't great. Also worth a mention - I picked up a copy of the latest Hornby Magazine (I don't always buy it) as it is an edition dedicated to micro layouts. There's an article in there showing some very small actual train formations which I found to be very interesting. Short train formations will be the order of the day on this layout so I found it reassuring that there will be plenty of scope for 2 or 3 wagon trains and the article has given me some great ideas. Cheers Nigel H

That's looking very good Colin. I like the compact signal box, it looks good sitting there. I use the Dapol Easyshunt couplings. They are less obtrusive than the standard Rapidos and function well with magnets. DGs would look even better though I found then rather fiddly when I tried them out and you either have to dispense with any existing NEM sockets or come up with a solution to fashion a plug that fits into the NEM socket. It can be done but there are limits to my patience. I'm looking forward to seeing further developments. All the Best Nigel H

Ha ha, you can't beat a bit of local rivalry. Some of my family live in North Staffs, my cousins grew up in Biddulph. There used to be a huge rivalry between Congleton & Biddulph. Going back further some of my ancestors came from Mow Cop and Wolstanton (so it was interesting to see your Wulstanton Road layout on the exhibition circuit). As for the scenery, it has all evolved quite organically, a bit at a time. For the nature side, I think I need to introduce more variety, different types of plants and bushes. I have a couple of trees that haven't been planted yet. The buildings have come along one by one and I've just thought about what I think would look right in a particular spot, there has been no overall master plan for the street buildings. The layout has been measured up by a friend who works in the timber industry. He will create a backscene and when ready he will bring it to me for fitting and fettling. I'll most likely paint a typical grey Manchester sky then attach some TownScene rooftop prints and some low relief buildings where necessary. Again, I haven't really planned this too much, it will be easier to visualise once the back scene is in place. My daughter has reminded me that she wants some kind of "shout out" to her on the layout! Cheers Nigel

Yes, I'm a Congletonian through and through All the Best Nigel

I have made some progress on the right hand side of the layout... The river area has seen the addition of walls and plenty of foliage. There's some damage to the retaining wall that needs fixing or disguising and the wall needs extending slightly to the edge of the board. As I mentioned last time, I have added a couple of mounds near the signal box, just to help break up the overall flatness. As they say, every little helps. On the area above the bridge I have extended pavements, secured the supermarket and added fencing. The space in the middle of the grassy area is awaiting the delivery of an apartment block courtesy of a Chinese seller on a well known auction site. So I imagine it's literally on the slow boat from China. In the foreground I needed some sort of industry so decided on a timber merchant (memories of North Rode timber in my home town). I've started to put together a 2 storey shed using some leftover parts, balsa wood and plasticard. I need to square it up a bit better by adding some cross bracing. I think that's all for now. Thanks for reading. Nigel

With the paint still drying and the roof still to be added ,The Global Catalogue Company building is nearing completion. It will be easier to get the roof cut to the correct profile when the back scene is in place. My slightly wonky walls and window aperture cutting mean that this is more of an impressionistic piece than a scale engineering masterpiece but it is unique and is hopefully evocative of a Manchester goods yard building. Not pictured here I have also been doing some terra-forming (I felt that certain parts of the layout looked too flat at the front so I have gone back to basics and added some small mounds with plaster bandage.) Nothing too drastic but once I have re-scenicked (is that a word?) that area then I think it will look a little bit better. That's all for now. Nigel

The industrial building at the rear of the goods yard is taking shape. Also in view are some spare conflats (currently on offer at a well known Liverpool/Widnes retailer). This is the second building I have scratch built (the first being the station building). I tried a slightly different approach this time, I created layers (some stiff card with a couple of layers of plasticard embossed brick. I need to get a bit straighter and more accurate with my lines but I think it will pass muster. You can probably spot the deliberate mistake (misaligned window aperture which was mistakenly cut out and has been refilled. I'm hoping I have done enough that it won't be too visible. I need to add a simple roof and the top section will be painted to represent a stone or concrete layer. The whole building is, of course, yet to be painted. I'm thinking that the building will be branded as a mail order company - "The Global Catalogue Company" - a nod to Great Universal Stores in Ardwick, Manchester. That will also justify the conflat traffic. Cheers Nigel

Just a quick update... I discovered last weekend that the headshunt was "dead", some kind of electrical breakage. I found that a wire had detached from the power bus. That has now been fixed and I have spent some time making all of the connections to the power bus more robust (mainly with some dabs of solder). I have added the road/ramp that descends to the goods yard. I used a bit of spare balsa wood for that. I'm currently working on a low relief factory that will be sited next to this ramp at the rear of the goods yard. Early days yet, I'm sure that cutting out the window slots will be fun! In general the philosophy is to try to add some individuality by not using off-the-shelf kits for everything. I decided quite early on that I didn't want a "Metcalfe city" (good as many of those buildings are) and I'm trying not to have a "Kestrel city" either, I already have 3 Kestrel structures so I want to add greater variety now. To make things consistent I'm trying to ensure that all foreground modelling uses plastic structures, I may use some low relief card as I back on to the back scene. Speaking of the back scene, I have an offer of help from a friend who works in the furniture-making business to help me with some carpentry. That should ensure that I don't botch it up! That's all for now! As ever, thanks for reading.

Can't wait to see how it all unfolds Matt! I like the way you have created more storage space by tagging 2 storage sidings to the inside loop. I agree that Severn Models buildings are excellent. There's a Severn lineside building on Trinity Road. Good luck!

Join the club :-) It's definitely an inspirational layout!

Hi Matt, That's great to hear. Hopefully you have been paying attention to Lymebrook Yard, the exhibition quality layout that is the basis of my layout. Do share your progress with us all and good luck with that. If I ever do produce a follow-up layout then I would do something more rural, just to contrast the urban scene of this one. I do have a love for the Cambrian Coast which goes back to my university days, I'd like to do something relating to that one day. There's no rush though. I'm wondering if countryside might be a bit easier actually, less buildings to think about and put together? Anyway, best of luck with your project and thinks for your interest, it is quite flattering and is appreciated.

Today my wife went shopping and asked me to finish off the vacuuming. This was a good idea, I vacuumed the whole layout because I hadn't operated any trains for weeks and the scenery had left quite a bit of debris on the board and amongst the tracks. I may be in trouble later but hey ho :-) After a good clean up the trains ran well Here are some noisy DMUs crossing at the station: The 101 probably needs to have its volume reduced a tad, both are fitted with sound. It's good to take a break from building!

Some build progress on the AM4 units (aka class 304). I think that the cab ends will look better when fully painted and jumper cables fitted. As ever, close-ups are a little cruel. Gaps still need to be filled. You can see that I have started to fix handrails, though I will need to add transfer lining before those are permanently fixed. Matt varnish should eventually tone down that shiny look. I have fitted Gresley bogies. I wasn't happy with the front bogie being positioned too far back so those front bogies have been cut out and positioned further forwards (not so noticeable on the connected ends). I haven't yet sourced a pantograph (Dapol spares would be ideal but they are rarer than hen's teeth) and I haven't yet sourced a power chassis, nor front buffers. In the real world, I believe that this is the first train I would have travelled on ca.1965!

There have been more developments in the goods yard... I have added concrete infill up to the rail for the conflat area. This has removed an awkward looking step. Further across the good yard, more detail has been added including a loading gauge and some yard clutter (oil drums etc). The small engineering factory (Electro Infinity Engineering Ltd) is now glued in place. There is a weigh bridge and office with signs of intrusion from nature (overgrown grass)... I think that a few more outcrops of will grass will be added in due course. That's all for now :-)

Some more progress on the goods yard. A couple of run-down line side buildings have been glued in place. In general I seem to be working from front to back! I couldn't resist posing a few wagons... The retaining wall has been extended with it's downward gradient ready for the road. The factory with chimney is now in its likely final location. We are now 9 months into the project. Although things have been a little bit slow this year I'm reasonably pleased with progress. Still alot to do though :-)

So, about those AM4s... This is how far I have got. I have started to clean paint off the shells of some old mark 1 coaches. Note to self, try to avoid those with white paint on the inside in future. The Electra graphics have arrived and look impressive. I'd like to try to add handrails to the cab ends (3D printed from N Train). The handrails were painted a distinctive orange in the days of green livery. Gresley bogies are on order from the NGS. I plan to motorise one of the centre cars (the TC rather than the motor brake which will have the pantograph mounted). Does anyone have any recommendations? What have other multiple unit builders used? I'm aware that the class 158 chassis can be shortened as per Grahame Hedges' articles. I don't want to go down the Green Max route as the wheel spacing always seems a bit short to me. Has anyone ever used a class 150 chassis for this length of unit? That would be DCC ready which would suit me. This is a long term project but I'm hoping that it might become the jewel in the crown :-) Thanks

Thanks Colin and good luck with your project. Is there somewhere that you are sharing progress?

The article on "Modelling with a Disability" was quite different from the usual articles on offer and though I am fortunate to enjoy good health, it helped me appreciate that that is not the case for everyone. It was interesting to read about useful medical aids too. A humbling article in my opinion and well done to Mr Faulkner for sending that in.

I have added more detail to the street scene opposite the station forecourt. Terraced housing and shop are now in place, as is the "milkman" scene! The backscene is a trial print and fit, it's something that I have created using Photoshop. The real one will be higher and will use a more robust supporting structure, currently it's backed with card and blu-tac-ed in place. Down on the platform the waiting shelter has been glued in place. Progress has been a little slow, the next "big" job will be the backscene. Cheers for now! Nigel H

Thanks Steve. I've created a kind of lean-to base which extends the chimney and leans against the boiler house...

Thanks Scott. That sounds do-able!

Just wondering if anyone has fitted Easyshunt couplings to a Farish Peak (class 45)? Here are the bogie side frames, viewed from the top. This assembly has its own rather compact coupling box behind the buffer beam. I'm not even sure how this opens up and whether I would have to cut open the base to remove the existing coupling (which has lost its spring so is drooping). I suppose I could remove the Farish box, check clearances with the front axle and then add an NEM coupling box from the Dapol conversion kit which may protrude forwards. Has anyone done this? If so could you share a photo or two? Thanks Nigel H