RobAllen

Nothing so grandiose. It's a bit of ply with two bit of 2x1 on each side. The track's merely held down by three wood screws and the buffer stop is a nail. I intend to mount the electromagnet's power connector and push button soon though. I'll also sort out another power connector for the track so that I can use it for DCC programming. I suspect that I should get a different shaped connector for that one and make it common with Holcombe.

Morning all! I'm back from conference and so have a mountain of paperwork to catch up on…

After I “finish” Holcombe (so that I have some actual experience in layout building), I would love to follow in my dad’s footsteps and model Bath (Queen Square). He did it twice: once in OO and then in O and they are very different from each other due to space considerations. I’m equally aware that my efforts wouldn’t be a patch on @queensquare’s, but it would be fun to build and operate a 1930’s version! (Not to mention the minor problem of not having the space to even contemplate something like Bath, of course!)

I enjoyed reading the article on the plane home from Amsterdam yesterday. Excellent layout.

Back from a conference and made up a test track with a Seep GMC-EM1 electromagnet on it for testing. It requires a 5mm hole which is slight too big for the sleeper space of HO track, but seems small enough for Peco Bullhead track. I have HO track on my test track: Nice that it worked. I remember my dad’s electromagnets had a half-inch bar across the top, but it seems that the small stud of the SEEP one works well enough: These are two of my dad’s wagons. Interesting that the couplings are different sizes. I assume that the wagon has the 4mm version and the van has the 3mm. My thoughts at the moment are that if I can get away with just a 5mm hole between the sleepers of the bullhead track then I’ll be able to choose where to put the electromagnets after I lay the track as I can work out where they need to be as I play test. I’ll also need a lot more Sprat & Winkle couplings!

I read it as the station building would be above the platforms creating a scenic break to hide the trac curves.

Mother’s Day means visiting the mother in law. An event that will be better looked upon as having been completed.

Given my complete and utter lack of experience, simplification appeals! These cardboard mockups are my first attempt ever at this sort of craft work. Building a “proper” model of the station building will be quite challenging enough that I’ll skip the bay window.

This is something that I hadn't even known I needed to think about :)

Bath Queen Square too.

Today, I had another go at building a cardboard mockup of the station building. Now that I know that it's going look like the "standard" ones on the Bath Extension, I've use the scale drawings for Midsomer Norton in All About Midsomer Norton by J. Childs this time. I started with my trusty cereal box and remembered that the ends have gables that need to be filled in this time: The tops are scored and bent over so that I have something to attach the roof to later. After cutting out the side, I had the basic shape done: The roof is slightly longer than the building and is in the background. I added it and then started on the canopy: This was glued onto the roof and then I realised that I'd need some sort of post to hold it down to the correct angle. I made up a couple of bits of angled cardboard that fix to the bottom of the building: This horizontal part on the ground is then weighted down with a little bit of lead. The track and points have arrived, so I've positioned everything on the board to see if the plan really was printed at 1:1! Firstly the platform side: and then a view from the other side: To my eye the proportions look much better. I've not done the gents on the end of the building, but it feels like it'll fit nicely. Next up is obtaining an electromagnet or two and experimenting with it. I was tempted with Dinghams/Flippems couplings, but they seem to be one way only, which feels limiting, so I'll probably go with Spratt & Winkle. I want to see it working on a bit of wood first.

Looks good to me! Nicely done.

As Melcombe Road Sidings is inspired by the Co-op siding at Twerton just outside Bath on the S&DJR, I clearly had to purchase this model from the SDRT!

An Historical & Modelling Guide to the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway from the SDRT has has some comments for coaches between 1931 and 1947: "Some of the Somerset and Dorset stock was used on the stopping services between Bournemouth and Bath, but Southern stock replaced it quite soon. The Branch received demoted stock." "General services on the S&D were later dominated by SR (Maunsell and Bulleid) and LMS (Period I, II and III) designs. A number of ex-LSWR and MR coaches also appeared. Train lengths were generally three, four or six coaches for the main line stopping services, and only two or three for the Branch. Many excursion trains included at least one LNER Gresley brake composite usually next to the engine. Livery changes in this period, followed the particular owning company's style, as appropriate."

Took the 1P to the club yesterday and put in one of the Hattons DCC decoders that I picked up in the closing down sale. It's a very nice runner but needs dusting!

For the last 5 years or so, I have charged a day-rate to all my clients, rather than hourly and bill to the half-day. I track the hours more for me than them. Over the course of a contract, it all comes out in the wash, and neither myself or my clients feel short-changed, so it works well-enough.

In other news, I worked too hard last week! I didn't become a well-paid consultant to work these kinds of hours! 🤣 More seriously, it's so nice to have a work to do and onboarding to a project is inevitably going to take more time than average…

I wonder how many people are able to take 3 consecutive weeks of holiday on a regular basis before retirement? My mother-in-law has been widowed for many a year now and very much enjoys cruise ship holidays. Personally, I can't imagine a worse holiday! Along with package holidays, they are much a marmite thing!

Impressive. I’m following with interest.

Until you see it in person, it's hard to understand how big this layout is. The scenic section 27' long by 5' deep and really has to be seen. Lovely layout.

My card slipped at the Redditch exhibition today!

Yes. I VNC'd into the Pi to use DecoderPro to create a roster which was magically available on the iPhone's WiThrottle which was nice. My motivation for getting a system with JRMI in the mix was that I wasn't motivated to program DCC decoders using an keypad. There's also PanelPro which looks interesting as I'll be using DCC for my points and electromagnetic uncouplers.

FWiW, I've gone with "The Full Works" DCC-EX & JMRI system from Chesterfield Models. For £155 they provided two boxes: the DCC command station and a Raspberry Pi running JRMI. Net result is that I turn them on and the system is ready to use in a seconds with no need to wait for a laptop to get going. I have an old iPhone, so I spent the tenner on WiThrottle for control. To configure JMRI, program locos and setup accessories, etc. it's easy enough to connect my computer to the WiFi network that it creates and VNC into the Pi to get at JMRI. Early days yet, but I'm happy that it works as my research implied that it would.

Very compelling arguments! Unfortunately, my wife and mortgage provider have this unreasonable expectation that I should earn money…

Changing tack, I've plugged in the DCC-Ex command station and Pi containing JMRI that I bought from Chesterfield Models and it works! DCC conversions required to the rest of my stock and the minor matter of building a layout, but another step along the way.