Andrew D

That’s a fantastic building you’ve completed there. As for the poor running, that’s a real shame. I guess if the locos run well on other layouts then it must be the track. I play test as I go along, and I’ve found that ballasting causes way more problems than painting the rails. So it might possibly be the inset rails? My box file track is anything but level. The 0-6-0s seem to cope very well, and when 0-4-0s stall on the points it’s because the wipers have lost contact with the back of a wheel, which I intend to right by making makeshift pick-up tenders as was sometimes done for small tank locos. Hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

88…89…90! DONE IT!!! Never mind an evening’s entertainment, that’s taken me a whole week to read through this entire thread. What a great story - and some fantastic tips that I intend to copy emulate. I hope to get to see the layout again in the flesh some time. Meanwhile, I think now deserve some celebratory cakage.

Thank you! Yes, one of the reason I’m using the Mainline 0-6-0s is because of the split chassis that makes them unpopular with DCC aficionados, and therefore cheaper to buy for us DC people. The split chassis arrangement makes light work of the insulfrog points, although I have found that adding some Heath Robinson pickups (see earlier post) also helps. When the layout is presentable I’ll see if Ian is interested - but bear in mind it’s taken me a whole year to get this far! I went back to issue one of The Dispatch to check out your brewery layout and WOW! Impressive stuff, I really liked it. Cheers.

While I acknowledge that there is a long way to go yet with the scenery (ballasting etc), I am very pleased with the performance I’m getting from a controller that cost me £20 to build and two locos that cost me £15 and £30 respectively. I made a wee video with a layout update and a shunting session. If you want to skip straight to the shunting to see how the layout performs, it’s at the 10 minute mark. https://youtu.be/ZZCuSNWtsyQ

This looks utterly amazing, I’m in awe!

I’m already a fan of The Dispatch. Looking forward to seeing it.

Thank you! Do you have a thread here on RMWeb? My search has drawn a blank…

After the ‘Two Steps Forwards, one step backwards’ progress of January, the past couple of weeks have seen some tenable progress. Yes, we finally have a bakery and the whole raison d’être for the layout. The low relief factory wall and warehouse are all made from pieces from @LCUT_creative. Great products, good price, and formidable service. The pieces were sprayed with Poundland red oxide primer before assembling, and this was then coated in regular interior filler which was immediately wiped off with a damp cloth. This was then washed with watered down acrylics with a drop of washing up liquid, as always mixtures of the cheap but great quality primary colour acrylics from The Works. This is then weathered down using chalk pastels, again from the works. These are whittled into a bowl using a knife and applied with a stiff brush. Signage is made by Scale Model Scenery - a great product, but unfortunately the main sign is a bit too big. You get four signs all the same size - I wish they did two of this size and two of half the size instead. I’ll be suggesting that to Justin & Tina at Model Rail Scotland I’m absolutely delighted with the effect, and I also prefer the way I have done the windows (painted black) to the way I did them on the engine shed. I’ve decided to get another 6 windows from LCut at MRS and revisit the engine shed. I have two questions. First off, in this overview, I am wondering what to do in the area to the right of the station by the open wagon. I’m wondering if I could put a coaling stage here for the locomotives given the lack of space by the engine shed. That way, if I want to change eras, I could build the coaling stage on a base plate and make it removable, so I could maybe exchange it for a fuel tank if required. Failing that, there is always the ubiquitous coal merchant and staithes. My second question is about Buffer Stops. I have the Peco versions to build, but they take up valuable space. Does anyone know if beams were ever mounted to walls to act as buffer stops? These are the two sidings I have in mind: If anyone has ideas about these two issues, I’d be glad to hear them. As you can see, there is still a long way to go. I can’t wait to continue experimenting with the ballasting. But I am delighted with how it is looking so far. As always, thanks for reading.

Many thanks for the replies @Steven B and @Steadfast. That’s certainly given me somewhere to start and great food for thought. It’ll be a few months before I even start the layout but now at least I can begin the fun bit of planning and research. While Rule 1 will be invoked when playing, it would be nice to have some decent stock for pictures etc.

Like a thousand people before me, I shall be building a layout around the NGS Hunslet following the reviews about its groundbreaking performance. I was at a loss at which livery to choose, so I went with RMS Locotec, simply as it looked the prettiest! I want to build a small inglenook shunting puzzle micro layout primarily for fun, but I would be nice to pair half-correct wagons with the wee loco. I’ve found photos online of this loco in use in about 2005 on engineer’s trains, but I’d like to use it with shorter wagons in an Exchange Sidings context. Apologies if this all sounds ridiculous, but I don’t know where to go to see what kind of wagons were in use at that time. Many thanks.

This is in incredible Eddy. The YouTube content is great for a noob to 3D printing like me. I don’t have a machine myself but a friend does so I have access to one. I’d love to see a demo of how you paint the brickwork etc as you’ve done a cracking job. Cheers!

I have to admit, it was my favourite layout of the show. I'd definitely love to see it again. Still wading through the 89 pages... So pleased it was a success for you, I really enjoyed Ladmanlow.

I’m very much looking forward to MRS and would like to thank all those who are working so hard to organise it. For folks who are anxious about going to a crowded event, I’d recommend an FFP3 mask if you’re able. Have a Google. Make sure it’s properly sealed around your face and you’re good to go no matter what anyone else is or isn’t doing. I wore one all day yesterday at Donny (and glad I did) and it was no big deal. The amazing people working in ICUs up and down the country wear them all day every day.

Thanks to all those who made the show such a success. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although after lockdowns AND living in a remote place, I found the heaving throng to be overwhelming at times. I found out that Hell Hath No Fury like a determined Bargain Hunter. I have to be fit for a big job next week so it was an FFP3 mask for me - nobody judged me for wearing it and I extend that courtesy to others (other than those using their rucksacks to barge people away from the traders!) Next time I’ll hop on the bus and go into town from 12-3 I think. And a message of caution for anyone tempted by free tickets through joining RMWeb Gold. Yes, the tickets are indeed free (thanks guys). BUT my ‘free’ ticket ended up costing me over £300 in hotel, meals, and a ton of irresistible bargains! D’OH!

Was good to see this at the show today and meet you (excitable man in black hoody looking for inspiration for an n gauge inglenook). When I asked if you had a topic on RMWeb you never warned me it was 89 pages long! That’s my evening’s reading taken care of

Yes. I’ve come to exactly the same conclusion about my next layout too. It has to be on a board. No more box files, which is a shame as I have 7 sat in the loft!

To say the past few weeks have been ‘frustrating’ doesn’t come close. I have seriously considered scrapping the layout multiple times, only stopping because I actually like it and, as a ‘skill builder,’ I do want to see it through to completion. The frustrations are, after all, learning experiences in themselves. It started off when I went away in the caravan, and realised that 3 box files + fiddle stick is too big. The original plan was 3 boxes and no fiddle stick, but the traverser idea failed and the 3rd scenic box came into being. However, I realised that I could still have a lot of operational fun when faced with limited space with just the two original boxes as a kind of inglenook - but it would mean introducing isolating sections (to be able to release the loco bringing trains in) and wiring the whole thing up properly. Fortunately, I had planned for this eventuality when laying the track and had already soldered ‘droppers’ to the track where they would be needed. I’d also allowed for possible failure of continuity through the point blades, which happened in a couple of cases. One of the million disadvantages with box files is that there is nowhere to mount cheap toggle switches, and I don’t have the skills to make a switch panel. After agonising over the cost I bit the bullet and bought Peco isolating switches and a holder, together with a 6 pin DIN plug and socket to connect the switches to the layout. Only when the package arrived from Derails did I realise I’d goofed, and the DIN socket was for panel mounting, but I wanted trailing. Bang went the free time I had to do the wiring. I was also planning to paint up some wagons and ordered the transfers without consulting the gurus at RM Web. Suffice to say I’ve been one of the unlucky ones with the supplier of said transfers, and so far it’s been five weeks since the order went in. So there’s been no wagon painting while I wait. After an order on the Bay of Fleas for a couple of 6-pin DIN plugs and trailing sockets, I waited some more. When the necessary arrived, I then spent an evening procrastinating and wondering how on earth I’d solder the plug before actually doing it, and realising that it was nowhere near as difficult as I thought it would be. The first pin took about half an hour to solder, the last pin took about 10 seconds. Just as I got into it… I ran out of cable. Or is it wire? Either way, there was no more. So, another order went in via The Bay to a nice model shop in Thirsk. CM3 models were extremely efficient and the cable arrived very quickly, but my free time was no more. Eventually I had a free evening and went to continue the wiring. The soldering iron seemed to take a long time to heat up… because it had chosen this moment to give up the ghost. It was at this point that I felt that God/The Universe/Whichever Belief System was trying to tell me just to pack it all in. But I didn’t. I ordered a new soldering iron. And tonight I finished the wiring! Sadly my Dremel is back home (I am staying with family for a while) so I can’t make the necessary isolating breaks, but it all seems to work. Suddenly, it all seemed SO worthwhile! The switches are mounted on a boxfile off-cut along with my home made controller which delivers awesome slow-speed results from my old Mainline locos. If I want to run more modern stock it’s easy to switch that to a Gaugemaster Combi. I’ll get some velcro to attach the relevant controller to the control board. So here you have the missive as to why it’s taken me a month to wire a box file layout. But… we got there in the end! Next job is the low-relief factory, then I can complete the ballasting. Thanks for reading.

Looking stupendous my friend! You must be well chuffed. I’m in awe of your skills. Of course, some of us are still patiently waiting for that video…

A big thank you to @LCUT_creative for the excellent service as always. I ordered a few bits this week, paid a reasonable £2.50 p&p, and my packet arrived the very next day. I’ve always been impressed by the excellent value, and the speed of service from LCut. Definitely deserving of our business, at least in my experience.

That does indeed help, thank you Martyn.

Ian, your valued assistance with my 08 question has brought me to your thread, and I'm enjoying it so much. I also like to refurbish older models and as my skills are nowhere near as honed as yours, so I'm enjoying learning some great tips. Cheers!

Ian, you are a Gentleman and a Scholar, thank you so much for taking the time to do that. I've checked against my trusty Mainline 03 and it's about the same (49mm), and well below the 55mm clearance that I have. I can only come to the conclusion that the Hornby RailRoad Class 08 is over scale. Looks like mine will be heading to the Bay of Fleas very soon. Thanks again Ian, Andrew.

Hi folks, my boxfile layout has limited headroom (needed for structural integrity) and my delight at picking up a Hornby Railroad Class 08 for a song at an exhibition was short-lived as it was too tall for the layout. All other locos and rolling stock are OK. I’m eyeing up a Bachmann example on a well known auction site, but don’t want a repeat of the above. I know that Hornby RR can be considerable over scale (i.e. Caley Pug). Would some kind soul please share the height measurements of their Bachmann 08? From the top of the rail head to the top of the cab? Many thanks in advance.

THAT is absolutely stunning. I'll have to try this technique myself. Great job!

For which I have apologised and amended my original post. My experience of my content being watered down through the editorial process obviously does not apply here, and it's not a dig at the contributors that I acknowledged as knowing what they are talking about and seeing the bigger picture.