TrainMan2001

2 hours ago, Fishplate said:

 

Looks like 54 is (roughly) the average then, although (@Mark Townend + myself) / 2 = >54.

 

So we need some more Young Muddlers .

 

Mrs FP and I used to be proud to bring the average age down quite considerably when we visited National Trust properties. Now we have moved through the average age range and on to just noting the younger people compensating for us . . . .

Well, at 22, I'll bring the average age down a bit.

2 hours ago, bluedepot said:

vanfits and pig iron wagons are next in line i believe.

As it happens, it looks like Peco have announced their first Vanfit releases:

Pictures found on Rails of Sheffield's website.

19 hours ago, KNP said:

And a quick aerial view from you know who....

 

 

 

Strange! I didn't think he was into photography... or railways...

Dave,

The new backscene looks great! What methods do you use to paint the buildings and greenery (acrylic, oil, etc)? Thanks!

- Kenyon

Nice to see more pre-grouping wagons announced! The renders look great so far, and I really like the livery variation in the BR pack.

On 11/12/2023 at 02:24, 47606odin said:

Well, having just purchased a couple of the railway series locos in OO for a project, it’ll be good to see your interpretation of a more realistic version of the railway. It’s my intention to make my locos more of a realistic version of the railway locos, keeping their faces, but less toylike hopefully. 
 

I shall be following your progress

 

Sorry for the late reply, I've been a bit busy. Which locos are you making? Even though this layout is based on the Railway Series, my locos will be Bachmann N Gauge locos modified to look more like they did in the Model Series, rather than the CGI Series. I have Thomas done so far (though I plan to redo his face eventually). If anyone would like me to go more in-depth about what I did to him, just let me know.

As far as rolling stock goes, I'm planning to make bogie versions of Annie & Clarabel, then have some NW-lettered wagons mixed with real wagons.

______________

I also ought to update you everyone about the signal box. I got the brick part built, and I tried to do a wash to make the mortar lines grey. However, I don't think it looks good from a distance, as the mortar lines overpower the color of the brickwork.

As such, instead of plastic brickwork, I'm planning to go with printed card/paper brickwork instead. I have some old Metcalfe kits, and I think the overall brick effect on them looks better (at least in N Gauge). I do plan on mostly scratchbuilding my own structures, rather than using Metcalfe ones, though.

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I've been a bit busy, and I've also been thinking a lot.

A couple of months back, NHY 581 posted about some bed trays he purchased from Ikea that could potentially be used to make a layout. The post ended up being inspiring, because I realized that I could create a layout that would be easily transportable, be decently sized (for N Gauge, at least), but also not take up a lot of space overall.

After finding out they're available in the States as well, I bought 3. This will allow me to create a layout that is roughly 12 inches × 62 inches (or 300mm × 1587mm).

As far as the layout plan goes, I've always liked the idea of doing an interpretation of Elsbridge Station based on the Rev. Awdry's notes. The idea is that I'll be able to make a layout that I can run Thomas, Percy and Toby on, but hopefully will look realistic enough that I could swap them out for real engines.

As far as the track layout goes, it'll be an amalgamation of the illustrations and Awdry's own plan for an intended layout. I've also looked at various station layouts on disusedstations.co.uk and model layout plans for further inspiration.

Above is a look at what I've come up with. Since Elsbridge is on a branch line, the track will enter and leave the layout as a single track line. Since Awdry placed the goods shed and dairy close to the river (and I kept that, though the river will be off scene), I've added a level crossing just before the station (left side). Points allow for the station itself to have two lines, which is how it has been illustrated in every book. Behind the station would be Station Rd, where I'm planning on making low relief buildings depicting shops, pubs, hotel, etc. To the right of the station would be the yard. The track curves here, and I put a double slip in to bring the station lines back to the main, and also to allow a way into the dairy sidings without putting points in an awkward place on the boards. The second line continues as a heads headshunt and entrance to the goods shed, similar to Awdry's plan, though the headshunt doesn't extend onto the bridge. At the moment, I have excluded the siding with the coal staithes, but I'm sure I could find a place for it. The single line would finally leave the scene towards the bridge.

Over the coming weeks, I'm planning to prepare the boards for track laying, though I'm not planning to order the track (Peco Code 55) until after the New Year. I recognize the significant change in scale that this project will be, so the only deadline I'm planning on setting for myself for now is to get the track laid and wired by Summer.

In my next post, I'll probably show what I've done with the Signal Box kit so far, and my plans for it going forward. Thanks for reading!

Hello all,

The signal box kit and crossing arrived, and it looks like I should have plenty of room to work with for the diorama. The picture shows the box it'll be made in, without any work done on it yet (note: the Metcalfe signal box is standing in for the Peco one). 

I have also begun work on the Peco signal box. So far I've put the brick base together, and gotten the walls, doors, and windows together and primed for painting. I'm planning on painting it in maroon & cream, with white window frames.

Now as far as the track plan goes, I like the idea of doing this one, that has the points as part of the scene:

@Michael Hodgson, I believe you mentioned that in this case, I would want a signal like 262. Assuming I need one of those and 1or 2 of signal 270 (depending on if they'd be placed within the diorama space), would you know roughly what the placements of such signals would be? Thanks for your help.

That's all for now, but I am looking forward to working on it more!

4 hours ago, MyRule1 said:

@TrainMan2001 has already said that they have looked at a number of photographs and the picture of Brigg supplied by @Dunalastair fits the bill exactly, so we should turn to the other parts of the original question and other issues. These are related to the parts of the diorama and the fact it is set in "winter".

 

But let's return to the signal box as the geographic location of the diorama will be set by which signal box you have chosen. Presuming it is a Ratio kit, they make two, GWR and Midland. In general if you have chosen the GWR you will need lower quadrant signals and for the Midland they would be upper quadrant.

 

As to Winter - own would you like it depicted? The common feature in the UK is that most trees, except conifers loose their leaves in winter. The grass is not so green and there are no flowers. You also have the spaces  in the diorama that are not railway. If these are going to be "the country" then cultivated fields might be just ploughed land. Then we come to the weather. This varies if you are modelling the GWR in Cornwall then it might need no particular attention but the Midland in Cumbria and the GWR in Wales might have significant snowfall.  Rather than spend time in this post about this perhaps you would address these points in a reply and you could then be given the appropriate advice.

 

 

Hello, thanks for the reply! As far as where the diorama is set, it'll be a bit ambiguous as these form my motive power:

I also have Dapol's new release of Stepney on pre-order, as well as Rapido's SECR Wagons.

Other than that, I currently have some BR wagons that I run behind Thomas and Percy, SECR Birdcage Coaches for the C Class, and the Bluebell's 6-wheel milk tank.

The signal box is the Peco kit, which I'll add the Ratio interior to, and I'll plan on painting the signal box during assembly, rather than leaving it unpainted.

As far as coloring goes, it looks like the Bluebell has options for either Yellow(ish) w/ Green Trim or White/Cream with Dark Red Trim.

Looking at various photos of the Bluebell in winter, I'm thinking of doing snow that mostly covers the ground, but has a few areas where taller grass/weeds poke through the snow.

Other than that, I'm not really worried about depicting a particular prototype exactly; I'm mostly trying to see what I can do with scenery and a couple buildings.

6 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

There needs* to be a stop signal (type 370 above) both sides of the level crossing at Danger to protect it when the gates are open to road traffic.  That for the outer track might be at or near the platform end.  There would be another such signal prtoecting the points into the yard.  Type 260 would be present in both directions, but off-scene.  Type 262 is for a junction, which does not apply here.  It would be quite unusual not to have a (trailing) crossover between the two main running lines at such a station.

 

But I assume your diorama is only  the bit inside that bold rectangle, so the station layout itself is irrelevant?  If so, you may not need any signals, as it is possible that both signals protecting the crossing would be outside that rectangle.

Thanks for your help with the signals! I've tried to re-draw the plan to hopefully better show the crossings relation to the station. You are correct that the rectangle shows what would be on the diorama. My idea was that the station would be just off scene before the level crossing, presumably with the signal box between the two to control the crossing and the points in the small yard. Here are two variants of the scene with the change in signal box position, showing one with the entrance to the yard being just on-scene, and one with it being off-scene (I don't have track for the diorama yet, so I could adapt to either plan easily).

As far as the signal itself is concerned, I thought it would be nice to include on-scene as another point of interest (and also to help suggest that the crossing is just outside of a station), although if it would still make more sense to be off-scene, that is fine.

Also, the level crossing will be the Ratio one with gates, and I believe it is the type with 4 half gates.

Thanks again for your help! I hope this helps explain what I had in mind a bit better.

1 minute ago, Paul H Vigor said:

I would move the box closer to the crossing and relocate the hut to the otherside of the box. Don't forget, the signalman may operate the the crossing gates with a wheel located within the box. Signalman would require good view of passing road traffic.

Thanks! I thought that might be the case. I'll be able to adjust the plan for a while, since I'm still waiting for the signal box and crossing to arrive from the U.K.

Hello all,

I've been thinking about building a little diorama in N Gauge for some time, and ultimately decided to do a level crossing and signal box in winter. I have about 16in x 10in of space in the box I've chosen, so it won't be powered. 

The idea is that it'll be a steam era double track gated level crossing, just beyond a station that has a small yard (shown in the poorly scaled drawing below). I've studied some level crossing photos, and so far I've been able to work out that there are typically signal boxes near level crossings, so I plan to include one, as well as a small hut. 

I also have a few questions. I've noticed that some level crossings have signals near them, so I've looked at the Ratio Signal kits, but I was wondering which type would be correct, or if the diorama would be too small for a signal to be included on it? Here are the signal types I have looked at:

- 262 is a junction or bracket signal (home or distant - lower quadrant)

- 270 is a single post signal (home or distant - upper quadrant)

- 260 is a single post signal (home or distant - lower quadrant)

Other than that, I'm also planning on including lineside fencing and telegraph poles, because I'd assume that signal boxes would receive messages from those. I think that would help the scene look better, unless it would make it look to busy?

Thanks for any advice that you can give! So far I've ordered the signal box + interior and the Level Crossing itself, so I should be able to get started soon.

1 hour ago, Roy Langridge said:

A great announcement, BR Blue with not a headlight or orange stripe in sight. Does life get any better?
 

Now, how do I justify both…

 

 

 

Roy

Double head them.

Hello,

I've been looking for a Graham Farish C Class in SECR Green, and I haven't been able to find any for the last several months of searching. I thought I would post an ad here to see if anyone has one they've been thinking about parting with? It's alright if it's used, as long as it's capable of running. Thanks!

Edit - One has  been found, so I no longer need help with that.

Is there a screw holding the NEM socket part of the coupling to the wagon floor? When I got my Quarry Hunslet, I had to adjust the tightness of the screw to get the coupling to the correct height to connect to my wagons (Peco L&B Wagons & Bachmann Slate Wagons).

If that's the way the couplings are held on, it might work to adjust the tightness of the screw. When I did my Quarry Hunslet, I had to check a couple of times to get the right height (too low out of box, then tightened a bit too much to make it too high, and had to loosen it a little). Hope this helps!

To add a bit to the discussion, I received a Quarry Hunslet (Britomart) for Christmas. Upon testing it, I found that it didn't run super smoothly at first and needed help to start, however, after running it in, it now runs very smoothly and can start and stop on it's own. With that, I'd probably advise people to run their examples in to see if that improves running qualities before sending it back.

Is that the real Hall or is that a replica?

6 minutes ago, ed1234 said:

 

I suppose this is a prototype / period question: today, the equivalent of this scene would have a ten foot high metal fence between the locomotive and the two members of the public having a chat in the background, with 'Danger of death' notices everywhere and probably razor wire on top. All sensible precautions of course to keep the soft squishy humans away from the heavy metal locomotives. But in the 1930s, were railway yards really as 'open' as depicted here? Or is this modeller's licence, and the 'real' 1930s LM would have a wire fence or similar between railway and public road?

 

I appreciate no one-size-fits-all answer, and this is a dockside scene which might have different rules (both for railway safety and public access), but just curious. 

I'm in no way claiming that this is the answer, but one might suppose that people back then had more situational awareness than now, seeing as they didn't carry tiny screens that constantly demand their attention. They'd certainly be more likely to take notice of a giant metal object starting to move near them.

To add to that, perhaps people have become complacent around such things as well, seeing as you need only walk through the front door to come face to face with a bunch of quickly moving motorized vehicles, which probably generally move faster and are more common than they were in the 1930s.

In the US, there's some commercial support for both HOn3 and HOn30, which are very much incompatible with each other.

10 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

But you need to compare like with like

 

Hornby OO R1282 Mallard record breaker £249.99

 

Hornby TT Easterner £194.49

 

Gaugemaster N class 800 £212 (closest current set I could find)

 

There are more basic sets cheaper but a close comparison is more in OO and close in N at retail prices. 

Apologies for the quote several pages late, but to add to what you said, I've put Hornby's TT:120 starter sets through the Pound to USD converter, and the prices for them are ~$30 (or more) lower than the most closely comparable US starter sets in HO and N at respective RRP's. And you get more straight track + a set of points.

1 hour ago, eldomtom2 said:

No sales for TT in the US - even more obscure of a scale there than it is here.

I know I'm only one person, but I'm in the US, and I was tempted by TT when Peco made their announcement. This just makes it a little harder to resist. Plus, at model railway shows here, there are usually a couple of European models or layouts on display (one of the ones I've seen was even TT scale). I figure there'll be at least a small market here.

Hi Kevin,

If I remember right, a while back you said that you design buildings on modules to be removable from the layout, correct? I've been thinking about using that sort of idea to make a temporary layout on top of my desk, but I was wondering, how do you make sure all of the edges and scenery line up with each other well and avoid awkward gaps or seams? Thanks!

Hello, I don't have a terrier myself, but I did a quick search on the N Gauge Forum, and this is what I found about removing the body shell: "to remove the body which is held on with 4 tabs, 2 mid tank and 2 on the cab sides. You can use a flat bladed screwdriver or knife to pop the body off".

I hope this helps. Good luck with repairing your engine!

My apologies if it has been stated somewhere and I missed it, but does anyone know what the minimum recommended radius for these is?

Goodness, I didn't realize it has been so long since I updated you guys on the project!

In short, I have been painting Thomas' body and wheels, and I finished the new 3d model for the running plate and ordered it from Shapeways.

I also learned how to do waterslide transfers, and began working on Thomas' red lining today!

That's all for now. Next I'll finish off Thomas' red lining, and then I'll just be waiting for my Shapeways order to come in!

-TM2001