AndyB

Hi Keith. As ever a lot of good points to digest. I think if you were to focus on narrow gauge you'd have the chance to do something really nice. Even if the space is more restricted. I've lost count of the minimal space narrow gauge layouts that have given me a "Wow" moment. These layouts seem to tell a story much better than their larger cousins. A 4' x 2' narrow gauge affair can pack a punch. Whereas in standard gauge the same space would be very restricted. Long live the OO9 rabbit warren!! To your thoughts on the pace of life and modelling. I read a thread recently...it may have been part of this blog??... where completing a layout left a huge gap in the person's life. They'd forgotten that each part of the build WAS the hobby and should be savoured. Not raced through to get to the finishing line. That's the kind of thing we do at work. And hobbies aren't work. That's why on my own layout I've happily spent days trying to resolve one particular problem. Technically it was you that resolved it before I went mad. But you probably get my point. When it comes to the shopping side of it we probably do a lot more of this than is healthy. And oftentimes purchases don't give long-term pleasure; a bit like a sugary snack. Pausing to think it through is more likely to give longer term benefit; a bit like an oat bar. And of course you've shown the value of turning some scrap material into a unique wagon load. For pennies! And I'd hazard that's given more pleasure than winning many an ebay auction. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a new start in 2024! Andy

@WhitehouseRoad whenever I see a layout planned in an outbuilding I always think first about whether tge building is damp proofed, insulated and free from drafts which convey dirt and dust onto the layout. I've learnt this the hard way and had layouts wrecked by mould. Others will likely pitch in about helices being technically challenging...and best avoided if at all possible. Anyway, it's good to be starting a long-term project abd I'm sure this will keep you busy! Andy

1975. The National Railway Exhibition organised by the MRC found me enthralled by The Newton Tracey Branch constructed by Keith Ames. A beautiful N gauge GWR BLT. ©MRC I've no idea how long I stood by the halt hoping one of the trains might stop; they never seemed to. But there was definitely something about the bucolic scene with a pannier tank trundling through it that caught my imagination. I'd like to think that it partly inspired my Nantford Spinney layout many decades later. ©MRC

Well that seems to be fixed now. The horizontal rod is back in its brackets. It's funny. I was so focused trying to spot a problem with the front wheel-track interaction. Whereas the actual cause was 2 inches to the left. Anyway solving that has given a few of my neurones some exercise over recent days. Which is no bad thing.

It was after taking numerous photos of that section of track, and finding it no different from the rest of the track that I flipped the loco over and found this... There's a thin rod that runs the length of the loco and ends in a T piece. The T piece fits into a pair of brackets, one of which is bent. The whole rod hangs free. My hypothesis is that it catches onto a sleeper acting like an anchor and causing the front of the loco to rear up. I'm not going to try and fix this today as I'd need to bend that bracket back again. Not a job I want to rush. Anyway. Onwards and upwards; I've a Brirish Finescale B6 point to finish.

I'm going to call this my "lost sheep" post. On the section of track laid so far all my locomotives trundle smoothly (M7, 4F, 4-CEP, individual wagons and coaches)... ...apart from the Q1, which bounces as if it's hit a rumble strip when it passes this pair of sleepers (marked with a spot of Typex). And inspite of all efforts I haven't found what's causing the problem. No obvious kinks, blips or other obstruction on the track. I can't move on till the humble Q1 can join the rest of the rolling stock in running smoothly. Must be time to ask SWMBO to bring a fresh set of eyes to the problem.

Hi Keith. That's really good progress. What's the next step on those wagons? Some weathering maybe to tone the plastic down? Not being au fait with the US genre I searched for some images to find out what they would looking after being in service. And found this grain train and this set of grain elevator photos. A bit of dry brushing and powders would take them to the next level, I think.Lots of fun to be had there!

Hi Keith. So there's a lot of thoughts in this piece. So Im just teasing out one bit to reflect on. "... when I get something new I guess I want to feel some of the buzz I did when I first got started..." For as long as I can remember I've always spent a long time mulling over purchases. I think this started about 50 years ago when I had to choose a "big" Christmas present. Should it be a Class 37 or a Class 08. Money was tight so there was a real responsibility on young shoulders to choose something that would be valued. Of all my model railway acquisitions that loco is still with me. And yes, there was a buzz to it. But a lot of the pleasure was in the choosing. For me a new acquisition (generally) has to fit in with an overall plan which rakes a bit if research and mulling over; Ive not changed that much!. For example, did a locomotive work the line I'm building? (Yes, I do stray from time to time). But overall I'm collecting a single theme around southern region locos. I guess to an extent that reduces the excitement a bit; I'm buying it because its the right thing to get. But longer term I'll know the finished layout will be internally consistent; and there's a lot of satisfaction in that. Proof is in the pudding. When I saw my last layout completed and on the front cover of RM it was one hell of a buzz. It sounds like you could pick a subset of your collection and build a layout or diorama. Perhaps in that creativity that's where you could find longer-lasting enjoyment? And if you do then pick another set of kits from your collection and do it again. Seriously, offer it to a magazine to publish. You'll be chuffed to see it in print.

Hi @DavidMcKenzie thanks for taking time to add a comment. And a really thought provoking one at that. Since posting that last photo I've been looking at the layout again and am definitely warming to a plain sky background. I like the way you did this on your Maids Morton layout. I think you're right. The sharpness of photographic backgrounds can be too much. Ideally I'd want to push the horizon backwards, not pull it forwards. As you say distant views do get less distinct. This view looks over the Wey valley with the railway line a couple of miles away. Thanks again for your insight. Andy

Thanks Nick. Hope all is well with you. I've recycled some trees from Nantford Spinnney to try out your idea. The roadbridge brought forward and some trees shoved placed behind it. I think that may do the trick!

Hi all, A hiatus in track laying whilst the British Finescale shop has been off line gave me a chance to put the platforms together. And also to start thinking about the backscene; I'm keen to try out a photographic one. And for N gauge they are 9" in height. The height would be perfect at the rear of the layout. But this may cause a problem at the sides and front. The station platforms will finish very close to the backscene. I've mocked it up using some white foam board and black plasticard in the images below. As you can see the proximity of the backscene really makes it tower over the platform and station building. And a backscene featuring predominantly trees is probably going to make this even more apparent? I'm wondering what to do about this. One option might be to put an overbridge into the scene? On the prototype there is such a bridge...but its about a mile away. Your thoughts would be very welcome! Andy

To the original point about track manufacturers I've previously used Code 55. And on my current layout use Code 55 out of sight in the FY with unifrogs. On the scenic area I'm using British Finescale. Whilst I'm still a novice with it, making the track is just threading rail into sleepers. There's a noticeable difference in reduction in noise between British Finescale and Peco Code 55 as rolling stock goes over it. Good luck with scaling down. I never regretted it.

Well that's one way. Or you could try this way...

Thinking minimal track work. Ian Futer's Victoria Park. https://princestreet.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/ian-futers-victoria-park/ https://esngblog.com/2020/10/27/the-three-point-trick/

Hi Simon. I think the idea of a small urban terminus for your EMUs sounds great. A couple of points ('scuse the pun??). If you're operating EMUs you may not been the run round loop in the station. There's only one FY siding which is common to all parts of the layout. And vice versa. The arrangement of the FY could do with a bit of rationalisation perhaps. Also it might be that you intend to extend the length of the FY sidings. But your upper platform is quite a bit longer than any train the FY can accomodate? I'm sure others will pitch in ideas for you. There was a design by Paul Marshall-Potter called "Manitoba Quays" in "Ideas for Layouts #7" (2015). This was designed for BR(S) EMUs. It'd be worth seeing if you can get a copy. Cheers. Andy

There was a recent thread in the Modelling Musings section which brought up the subject of mortality and cracking on with building "something" rather than just letting life pass you by. There's merit in picking a subject and running with it till it's complete. Doesn't really matter if it's not the ultimate fantasy layout; after all fantasies are just that. Few people on here get to start building their layout of a lifetime. Fewer still get to finish it. We also have to recognise that there's often hard slog in completing something. Especially when the whole includes tasks you don't like but have to work through. I Iike the new train. Ausgezeichnet! Andy

Time for an update! Having ironed out the problems I'd been experiencing with the fiddle yard it's been a pleasure to crack on with track laying on the scenic section. So this week I've carved out plywood for the station throat on the middle board and a flowing curve that returns the track to the fiddle yard. I haven't quite enough British Finescale track to progress any further for now, but hopefully you can get a sense of how things are progressing. This part of the layout is where locos can stretch their legs a bit. And a nice spot for photos to be taken in the future. I've swapped some of the pointwork around in the goods yard. It's now a direct copy of the real Bentley in the 50s/60s. When I get a bit further I'll bounce an idea of how I think the cattle pen / loading bank were used. An overview of the layout. Definitely a work in progress, but progress is happening. 🙂 For now I've got a bit more cork and track to secure in place. Cheers for now. Andy

Thanks all for your ideas. I went with a hybrid solution. First off straightening out as many kinks as possible using a steel rule. Followed by eyeballing the track end on, placing a finger where there was a kink, and easing that out. Working my way down the length of rail. Then repeating the process a number of times if new kinks appeared. Once it was "de-kinked" I glued it in place. There's a little bit of work to do to remove glue from the sleepers.

I guess one question is this. Will the layout be moved? For example to an exhibition? If so then the answer may be different than if it's a permanent home layout. BTW. Nice bit of modelling!

I'm starting g my first section of track laying using British Finescale N gauge track. One difference I've found to Peco Code 55 is that I get a lot of small kinks in the track. I'd like to hear how others have resolved this? I've tried using a Tracksetta template but with limited success. Looking down the length of track it still looks more like a care-worn industrial tramway than the sleek mainline I'm hoping for. Thanks in advance. Andy

No layout update today, but there will be something to show later in the week. Instead, I wanted to reflect on this photograph taken by my youngest; it's not a million miles from the station portrayed by my layout; it'll make a nice cameo scene. Today our village gathered to remember those from our rural community who left to fight in the two world wars and tragically didn't return to their families and our community. The scene in this photograph hasn't changed in a hundred years and would have been very familiar to those named on our war memorial. It's a huge privilege to live peacefully here and be able to remember those who left but didn't return.

I've used lengths of skirting board glued at right angles on twonof my layouts. Seems to work OK.

For anyone that's interested The Telegraph carried an obituary earlier in the week. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/11/08/peter-townend-steam-trains-railway-shedmaster-kings-cross/

I had something similar. A layout built on top of kitchen units in my garage. Garage walls had a damp proof sheet, insulation and dry lined. The floor was raised and insulated. The layout sat on kitchen units. These were OK to start with but either humidity and / or the weight of stuff in the cupboards took its toll. The mdf worktop sagged and the layout needed adjustable legs to keep it level. My advice would be to build build a proper solid bench to put the layout on. And as @Fen End Pit says, brace the layout MDF.

So I'm pleased to report that the layout is back in situ and a Class 33, a 4MT and an M7 have negotiated all the re-worked joints successfully. At long last its possible to move on to new challenges and make a start on the scenic part of the layout. I sense a bit of carpentry and Code 40 track laying on the horizon...🌝