john dew

Thanks for the kind words Mikkel The track is only 9 1/2" wide and of course the terrace roadway is morel like a one way lane. It was originally intended as a very basic shunting plank so I could experiment with DCC and computor control. Both the scenic and operating potential have turned out to be much greater than I envisaged.....I almost wish I had 2 less roads in the storage yard I guess I am going to have to learn how to video to show the shunting.......I have almost finished the pick up goods routine...............17 different moves now I have to link them together Kind Regards

Apart from Signalling the station is now complete I have quite a few photos so I will try and cover it in two posts Looking from the west or brewery (to be built) end towards the goods yard and colliery end In addition to using the bay for the Siphon the autotrain from the secondary Branch will come in here so passengers can connect with the B Set service to the terminus The origins of the station building are pretty obvious.....a Ratio kit that I have had for many years......some way from its Southern roots on this layout based in North Wales......there has been a bit of cutting and joining and a reasonable amount of weathering so hopefully it doesnt look too out of place although I would prefer to have it overlooked by a terrace of stone houses rather than brick Dont be confused by the name...............Granby is the name of the layout and the, as yet, unbuilt terminus. Cynwyd is the name of the small mining town. I am sure there are plenty of Granby's (I meant to Google it) but none that I am aware of in North Wales. Cynwyd on the other hand is a real place about 3 miles from Corwen and was a station on the GWR line from Corwen to Barmouth. When I knew it, many many years ago, it was a very small village and when I googled it the other day it didnt look as though it had changed much. The station nameboard is an example of my home made dark stone and now I point it out you the difference between it and the base of the lamp posts is immediately apparent. The interesting thing is that this colour seems to be closer to photos I have of Didcot.......a little too pink perhaps but still closer than my efforts with commercial products. Whatever....... the original was made by mixing iron oxide into a white lead base so there would be all manner of variations......anyway thats my story. For those who are interested its a mix of Burnt Sienna, a lot of White and a touch of Dark Brown This is another shot of the bay.......you can see that at this end there is very little clutter and only three passengers......I think there are only 5 in the entire station.......the station will have a BSet from Granby about once an hour and the Auto train the same...... so apart from morning and evening I dont think one would expect to see too much activity. The Siphon is a Ratio 4 Wheeler with Shire Scenes sides......I am moderately proud of it and so havent yet plucked up courage to weather it which makes its pristine state more than a little unrealistic in 1947 The plan is to have the Siphon come into the Branch on the back of a morning BSet and get shunted in there by the Engine when it is doing its run around and then reverse the procedure with an evening or afternoon departure............all automatic I hope.........I will keep you posted This shot is looking back towards the Siphon and you can see I have justified its existence by inventing some Milk Traffic. Unlike some of my "inventions" I am quite satisfied with the credibilty of this. The Vale of Clwyd is or was very fertile and had a number of dairy farms despite their proximity to the mines in the Denbigh area I also wanted to have the Milk Churns create an image of something ie a Loading Dock, beyond the precipice Just beyond the churns you can see some concrete walls which is the original gents from the Ratio Kit. I have a couple of rather splendid Victorian Conveniences from Mikes Models and I was thinking of using one there but my wife over ruled me...."too overpowering" and you know what?.....she was right Here is the first shot of the footbridge in situ I will post again in a few days and show the shots from the other end of the station Regards from Vancouver

So here is a short update continueing my progress detailing the branch from the left hand corner towards the station This is the inner corner before the road bridge. In the background is the engine shed road, coal stage and ash pit complete with inadequate amounts of same! In the foreground the branch divides..... the far track climbs 1:40 to the main line and in the foreground the other track will have a tight curve for the sub branch autotrain and brewery siding The problem of filling really small corners on country layouts is fairly simple.....couple of hedges and a cow.....I find it a bit more difficult on this industrial layout..........I had some reservations about including this......another kit....... another cliche then I re-opened Stephen Williams GWR book and there was a photograph of the self same scene.......I feel much better now Moving to the right the other side of the bridge is the signal box.........this is one of my very early efforts and I think I followed Ratios painting advice a little too closely with the chocolate brown But I guess I can solve that with a black and white version.........I hadnt realised that in Photoshop you can have different black and white categories......this is ithe industrial setting So we are getting into the station approach now with these shots of a Mikes Model Water Crane Another of my "warts and all" shots..............The tail lamp on the BSet is in the wrong place and has to be moved (its also the wrong colour case I think) and the white you can see under the coach is a plasticard shim for the Kaydee......its been painted out now............the B Set has actually just completed my magical computor driven automatic run round You can just see the manual point lever for the engine shed road coal siding behind the crane This is as near as you get to a throat.......with the relief X over, the point to the engine shed road and the Bay in the foreground. I read, I think in Bob Essery's book that the Board of Trade would not permit steps at the end of platforms and insisted on ramps......so I guess I will have to dream up some legend here. It was fall here when I took this shot so that accounts for the green flock on the platform Now we have beautiful crisp sunny weather..........Regards from Vancouver

Thanks Guys We moved into this house in May 2007 and I started the baseboards in the Fall.....so about 2 years but as I wrote earleir I had dismantled a layout from the previous house that had taken 10 years to build so I could use a lot of the stuff from there.....although as I have frequently observed I usually had to paint the new viewing side This was my first foray into DCC so a lot of time inittially was spent trying to get the hang of that. You know you are absolutely correct ........I had never thought of it quite like that before.......the Town Centre architecture (apart from its unsuitability for a small Mining Town) is fine from a period point of view........ it is the signage of even the acceptable businesses that gives the game away. I am pretty careful to exclude TV shops and I used "Turf Accountant" rather than Betting Shop etc but its not really enough.........I guess they have got to go eventually Perhaps you could let me have the name of the Font you found.....I am about to construct some chimneys! Kind Regards

Thanks for the comments......glad you are enjoying it..........I am making good progress now with it being winter here and doing the fun stuff like detailing......it will be less interesting when I start track laying again I sympathise with you moving house......thats what happened to me 2 1/2 years ago this is actually Granby III.........Granby I was really coarse gauge and doesnt count but Granby II was around for 10 years and I learned a lot from it and most of the bulidings and accessories that I use came from it......one of these days I will post a photo of a derelict 8 road Engine Shed and turntable which is the only trackwork I salvaged from Granby II and which I am still hoping to incorporate into the layout Good luck with your new layout and let us know how you get on.....its good to talk to another GWR fan Kind Regards

Thanks Bedders.......I worried that my prose style might be too stilted.....but its too late to change now I have a routine where the B Set and a Prairie comes into the Branch and runs around the train and out again.....all automatic....it involves a series of 5 short (ie 2 blocks per schedule) schedules.........works 95% of the time The pickup goods is rather more complex even when I fudge by always dropping and picking 2 units only (to keep the length constant) I am up to 4 schedules just to pick up and drop off the coal empties..........but it is getting there. I thought I might write in more detail about it (a) when its at the 90% level and (B) when I start track laying on the 10' section at the end of the room......essential but not exactly riveting Regards from Vancouver where it is again crisp and sunny

Thanks Guys Never seen such activity before I kind of thought that might be the case......I had better do some more weathering Thanks Nick modelling alone, as I do, I really appreciate feed back, not neccesarily just praise (although thats nice) but any comment pointing out flaws......it aint ever going to be perfect but plausible I do aim for Well there is "chaff" and good humoured dialogue and this little lot is exactly what I was hoping for. All the lamps are Mikes......The yard lamps, the street lamps on the terrace and the shops and I am just fixing som station lamps on the branch. I was lucky enough to buy a job lot from a dealer here in Vancouver! Absolultely not! Keep them coming Regards

Hi Mikkel Those comments are very kind of you Mikkel.............I am flattered to get them from somebody I consider to be a GWR expert............your website was a huge influence and resource when I was trying to build up some knowledge before starting to model............not a lot of information in Canada. Thanks for confirming the identity of the brake van.......and is it appropriate to use on a branch pick up in 1947? I hadnt realised DS Models had ceased trading......they had a number of kits on my wish list......currently on hold while I am in layout building mode. I was lucky enough to get a lot of Mikes Models before they stopped trading......Street, Station and Yard Lamps.....a Coal Crane that I cant find room for yet.......... it would have looked out of place on the branch and a number of water cranes one of which I am just about to install as I detail the platform Again many thanks for your comments I really appreciate feed back Kind regards from a very sunny Vancouver

Now for a little light relief....I am starting to work on the station and this seemed a perfect example of coarse gauge modelling and Murphy's law x3 The sharp eyed will have spotted a gap in the retaining wall by the station The plan being to build a pedestrian footbridge to provide access to the station from the street and hopefully provide a better visual connection between the foreground and backscene. I have a couple of staircases from an old Knightwing kit that I used to on a previous layout to lead down from the station buildings to the platforms This shot is horribly out of focus (the coal wagon is ok.....I just have to get a grip on depth of field ) but shows the general idea and exposes problem #1..........its kind of tall I rummaged around in the scrap box and found the other unused components and exposed problem #2 I knew I had to do a little painting and cutting down but forgot I had used one of the, at the time redundant, roof modules for some other project.............Wills sheets to the rescue and finally a crystal clear shot recording yet again the downside of only painting the current viewing side! So lots of work to do and of course I have run out of Railmatch GWR Light and Dark Stone.........not an item you readily find in Canadian Model Shops I will keep you posted

Thanks 57xx I am glad you like it.....I was getting a little worried about the absence of feed back......wasnt sure if it was my writing style or that it currently is essentially just another iteration of the GWR BLT............hopefully I will get more comment when I start on the signalling and planning the terminus on the other long side I think the Brake Van is a DS White Metal Kit. I got a friend in the UK to buy them (I have 2) about 10 years ago. I felt, rightly or wrongly, they were more appropriate on a branch of this nature Kind Regards

I may have solved the problem with shops not fitting in, that I was whining about in my last post......... Make them Black and White! So the goods yard, goods shed and retaining walls are all done This overall shot shows how I am dealing with the other corner of this side of the layout.....in the foreground the branch to the mine curvers around to cross the duck under, which I have to build. that completes the other short 10' section at this end of the layout. Above that there is a gated private siding to a timber yard/mill that I am going to build on the unfinished bit next to the Cattle Siding. The retaining wall will be extended to provide a viaduct for the two road main line that you can just see above the wall exiting from the storage yards. Beyond that the pristine plywood is destined to be a colliery....sometime in 2011 I guess This ground level shot shows the main branch and the colliery branch in the foreground. The cut out is to accommodate a road that will lead down to the duck under This is scratch built from Wills Sheets and as I described in my previous thread I built it for my first layout and cheated by not finishing the side away from the loading bay.........ie the side that is now exposed......so all that side is relatively new plus the office that was added This shows the high level main line a little better.....next job is to paint and ballast. The road bridge is my fudge to create an exit from the yard I enjoy detailing and it probably delays progress when I fiddle around with little items rather than focus on pressing ahead with construction. The straw bale and midden were donated when my wife had a hair cut. This shot of the yard shows clearly the divergence of the branch from the station into the main branch and the colliery branch.....the unfinished bit is for the signals for the junction The kaydee magnets are rather obvious but that was one of the decisions one takes......in terms of cost, wiring, time and complexity. They are extremely effective....more on this later The bilteezi back scene is, I think, temporary. It fits the space perfectly but I am not sure if the marked difference between it and the Metcalfe units is acceptable even for a coarse, broad brush modeller. I suspect I will eventually build 2 more metcalfe units and a scalescene Warehouse....I think I need some height there This is the yard viewed from the station end....towards the goods shed I have tried to make it look busy but not too busy......just enough to justify a daily pick up goods and maybe a couple of vans from the autotrain Mikes Model Crane......one of my favourites The pick up Goods is just backing in to the siding.......I use RR&Co and am just developing the yard shunting routines.....lots of work to make it mechanically perfect so the couplers just graze the magnet but not foul it.....I have had to fiddle around with the speed settings so that the loco a Collet 0-6-0 has enough power to push the waggons but not too much that they derail......right now they are running at a scale 5mph which is probably fairly prototypical............the plan, for those who are interested, is to uncouple the guards van, couple 2 empties, couple them to the guards van and then uncouple 2 full vans in each road.......all automatically so the stop markers in each block have to be very carefully positioned.......lots more on this but I will probably post it in the DCC section when it perfected (well near perfect) This is the coal yard siding and I am beginning to feel more comfortable about its location although I am likely to get hammered by the experts for not having a catch point to protect the main branch line...........I wonder if GWR used scotch blocks? I cant remember who's loading gauge it is but it works well on the wall. You can see how far I have had to bend the coupling on the Brake Van to operate....it should really be mounted lower. So thats both ends of the branch completed.....I just have to do some repairs and detailing on the centre section plus a major cutting operation on a footbridge and the branch is done.............except for the signals which will have to be a separate post.......probably in the Sugnal Help section because I will need feed back for that project Regards from Vancouver

OK change of scenery....I did some more work on the Goods Yard today but nothing worth photographing so I thought I would post some work I did earlier when RM Web was down. This is the Branch Engine Shed which is at the opposite end of the layout.....you can see the location on the track plan. Like most of this coarse gauge layout its heavily based on Kits......the Shed is by Ratio...... my very first model when I first started 15+ years ago. With one reservation I am quite happy with the finished result.....I wanted to convey the atmosphere of a a small, fairly busy, shed set up in a confined industrial/town setting. The shed will eventually be home to a couple of 0-6-0 57xx tanks running the Autotrain and the banking duties......in fact you can see the start of the branch line leading up to the main in the foreground. The reservation is the Metcalfe Town Centre Shops which you can see above the retaining wall.....and to my mind look quite out of place...they should be grimy stone mills or run down shops/pubs but that means time away from the main construction so for now I will put up with it and just moan from time to time The coal stage is scratch built.......nothing too complicated! I have a Ratio Kit with a Mikes Models coal crane but it didnt look right so I made this. I suspect most of the coaling would really have been done direct from the waggon There is an ash pit but its not too clear and I know there is nowhere near enough ash......Someone suggested BBQ ash so I carefully didnt clean out the last BBQ went to collect the Ash only to find someone had cleared it all out....to be helpful ......so there will be some additions to this next summer. Ive tried to put a lot of detail like the hydrant, washout hose, fire irons and ladder but not too many people because I doubt if a sub shed like this would have more than 4 or 5 (ie for two locos) on shift ever. Regards from Vancouver

I have to say I am getting seriously frustrated......this is the third time I have tried to post and each time I preview when I go back to edit I get page expired and when I refresh my post has gone.....so this is third and last.......... you will get it as it comes............. no preview To continue......as I experimented with RR&Co I realised that the branch had much more operating potential than I had originally envisaged. Furthermore I was worried that the long coal trains, a "signature" component of the layout were in danger of clogging the main line operation (20+ wagons ...way below prototype but still 7' long) However if I raise the (undesigned unbuilt) left hand terminus boards by 1" I can set up a narrow 2 road storage yard which will provide the branch with an autotrain (naturally), a daily workmens train. daily pick up goods and bi weekly cattle train. Roundy roundy for sure but with RR&co I believe I can achieve automatic out and back.....ie the pick up goods comes down from the main, shunts the yard, departs to the storage yard and emerges some time later, tender first, brake at the back ......all untouched by human hand. More importantly I can connect the yard so that I can store the coal trains there and they will be able to appear to go to and from the (unbuilt) coal mine in a more plausible manner and I will be able to bank the laden train up the 1:40 incline to the main....again courtesy of RR&Co Nothing like nailing one's colours to the mast! Anyway thats the plan and you should be able to read about it in the new year! Meantime I am focussing on completing the trackwork on the two end 10' connecting boards and detailinf the various elements of the branch My particular focus right now is the yard as I try to complete the relay discussed in my earlier post This is what the yard looked like 2 weeks ago......more like the proverbial bomb site.....quite appropriate for a 1947 layout These shots show the relaid cobblestones in the yard with the space built up for the shed.....this time I have set the underlay so that the pavings are flush with the track...........much better The main branch line going to the storage yard is in the foreground......the line above on the old layout went in a very non protypical fashion to the cattle dock............now it goes to the colliery and the cattle dock siding is contained within the goods yard........again much better I am working on completing the retaining walls and I should have shots of those tomorrow. Kind Regards from a very wet and windy Vancouver

I guess this will be the first and last entry........for reasons described in my topic I have decided to go down the old fashioned route although I do agree that the split has generally diminished/diluted the attraction of both ways of recounting one's layout experiences Regards from Vancouver

Thanks for the kind words Mick and it is, indeed, time to write about the foreground or Branch. The sub title talks of a "Novices Experiences!" So here goes: To start with I have attached the original track plan which represents the way the layout looked at the end of the summer. It is not to scale but does show the layout. As I said in the first post the main focus is on the uncompleted (actually not started) left hand side of the room. The branch was just intended to be part of the screen in front of the storage sidings and provide me with a test bench where I could learn by experience the challenges of installing a DCC layout for the first time. The actual measurements are now 14' x 11" so there is not a lot of width to play with and at the time I was concerned with the space required for the (then unbuilt) exits on either end of the storage yard which required 36" min radius curves. As a result I compressed the branch length resulting in a number of design/operational flaws including facing points to both the coal yard and the overcrowded goods yard. Anyway I pressed ahead completed the track laying, wiring and testing without too many problems and then finished the ballasting and actually posted pictures of the yard on my old thread. Then as I continued to experiment with DCC and computor control, and great fun it was, disaster struck...........the points are all electrofrog and the polarity is (was) switched by peco switches. Three of the switches failed (there is a whole series of threads about what bad new these switches are and I totally agree).......the point would throw but the power to the frog wouldnt switch. Naturally, even though, it was the front of the layout the switches were very difficult to access.....I solved this by surface mounting them and concealing them under structures......but it was a real pain because it is quite difficult to get surface mounts positioned exactly right so they will throw both point and switch. And then this little beauty went! So thinking positively (albeit with some difficulty) I decided to focus on finishing the storage yards where I was able to apply some of these lessons by switching first to peco micro switches, then to regular microswitches and although these are working fine I have been convinced by the arguments on this forum to switch to Tortoises which I am using on all new installations. Once the storage yards where completed, 24 points and 20 blocks later, I realised I had overestimated the space required for the storage yard so I decided to bite the bullet and rip out the 3 way point and relay the goods yard so that the entrance would come from the relief loop....eliminating the carriage siding and I could add a bit of length : I am quite pleased with this relay which is now completed because it opened up a number of operational possibilities which I think I will have to write about tomorrow because its getting late and for some reason I cant attach any more files More tomorrow.....and there is a happy ending

This is a continuation of Granby Junction my somewhat sporadic layout thread on RMWeb3.....retitled to give a clearer indication of content. I started a blog but realised , even though I didnt get a lot of feedback on Granby,thats what I really want to generate. A topic seems to me to be a more appropriate format in which to have a discussion where the contribuitions can be easily read within the original context. I model alone, dont really belong to a club other than RMWeb and it is to the RMWeb community that I turn to whenever I have a query or problem. So even though I describe my modelling as broad brush, coarse gauge and parts of the layout look like cliche city......well right now its a GWR BLT in front of a largish storage yard without entry or exit.......... I hope that this weekly report ( well thats the plan) will generate a reasonable amount of comment, suggestions and criticism (I have very broad shoulders and I want to learn!)......particularly as I start to design the other half of the layout. You can read the story so far on the old web site.......viewtopic.php?f=9&t=34266& start=0&st=0&sk=t& sd=a . For those who dont wish to trudge through a load of old posts here is a brief summary: the layout measures 18' x10' . The long left hand side (which as yet is completely undesigned is intended to be the focus of the layout with a joint line (GWR/LMS) terminus handling a varierty of passenger trains along with a four road engine shed. The short ends essentially just serve to connect the long sides although the end nearest to the camera will have a viaduct and coal mine The long right hand side , which is almost complete, consists of a ten road storage yard , concealed by a narrow street scene in front of which is a low level branch terminus with goods yard and sub shed. Here is a quick overview.....lots of detailing still to do The room is rectangular, the layout is an elongated oval resulting in outer and inner corners that have to be landscaped (or in this case "townscaped") Here is the outer corner A mixture of Townscene cut outs and Metcalfe Houses. The track in the foreground is the four road exit from the storage yards. I like Metcalfe units (usual disclaimer) they may not suit the purist but with a little detailing they are perfect for broad brush coarse gauge. Here is a before and after of the inner corner More Metcalfe Kits and the start of the retaining wall that runs the whole length of the left hand side These shops are not quite in character.....as I wrote in my last thread....too prosperous...too smug....too southern (spoke an ex-scouser) not gritty enough for a welsh mining town.........but needs must...they were a relic from a previous layout and at least fill the gap. Iain Rice's book on Industrial Layouts was a big influence in my design......he maintains skew bridges are a key signature item....here is my version Here is the long narrow street scene that conceals the storage yard........more and more Metcalfe Units The houses are set up as sub units so they can easily be moved to access the storage yard. The rudiments of the station are in the foreground. The walls are Langley Kits some are over 15 years old. The "Ivy" is intended to cover wear and tear but it is more difficult blend in units painted this summer with the originals These two shots from either end of the room complete the summary of my backscene progress........hopefully the sheer length of the terrace serves to convey a more gritty Northern atmosphere. This has turned out to be a lengthier summary than I intended......in the next day or so I will write about my progress with the branch station. Regards from Vancouver......where it is still raining

Granby Junction by John Dew original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:50 pm .As I said the last time I attempted to write about my layout....I have serious misgivings about starting the thread...the standard of modelling on the forum is generally awe inspiring and significantly better than anything I can aspire to. Apart from showing my screw ups and bodges to the world I was also concerned about the pressure of contribuiting updates on a regular basis.......I was right about that one....I only posted 3 times. Anyway after much humming and hawing I have decided to have another go if only to put in a clearer context my frequent cries for help..particularly on the DCC forum. To summarise the layout will be GWR/LMS 1947.....seconds before nationalisation...no B.R. but I can have Ivatts. Based on North Wales (Wrexham?) with coal mining and heavy industry. This is my first foray into DCC and eventually computor control. The "Railway Room" is 10' x 18'. Last winter I built all the benchwork The plan is to have the main station on the left hand long side and storage sidings fronted by a branch station and goods yard on the right hand long side. I havent worked out how to deal with the entrance....duck under or drop in? I am thinking of some sort of viaduct but that is many months away This layout aint going anywhere! I use 2"x 2" legs, 2" x 1" supports and J Girders made from 4" x 1" and 2" x 1" . Although we use kilometeres and litres we still adhere to 'imperial" measurements in Canada. On top of the girders I place 4" x 1" joists secured by L brackets (not shown here) The joists have been notched to allow for the backscene, wiring and in this case the lower level of the branch line. 3/4" Ply for the trackbed is laid on top of the joists. The overall width of the baseboards is 31" with infills at the corners to allow for 36" minimum radius. On the right hand side the storage sidings occupy 20" with 11" remaining for the branch line and intermediate back scene This was my original layout attempt for the branch station but a combination of poor tracklaying and the two back to back curved points didnt work ie lots of derailments so much to my frustration I had to rip up the three end points and start again This works fine although I have to insert a very brief 24" radius curve right at the end. I have added a short siding in the shed area. Hopefully the little stretch of wall gives an idea of the start of how the storage area will be concealed...above the wall will be a narrow intermediate back scene. I still struggle with XTRCad so maybe this switch panel will give a rough idea of the layout. Obviously not to scale! To further demonstrate my technical incompetence I havent mastered how to insert wording on to photos......but this should also help understand the layout! There are lots of compromises and I am afraid some non protypical layout here...it gets worse when I go into the goods yard...but at least it works......next post DCC and wiring! John __________________________________________ Comment posted by taylork on Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:32 am Hi from one end of the world to the other (Oz) Looks like a good start, How about a track plan and a close up of the cluster of buildings sitting together in the second pic. I am modelling Wigan Wallgate ( a little to the N E ) in about the same time period. The buildings look quite atmospheric in the distance and a couple look remarkably similar to a couple I have been scratch building. Look forward to more posts Kevan T __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Dec 06, 2008 6:04 am Thank you....its going to be a long haul. The track plan I am working on.....I am really weak on XtR cad and I find it very time consuming.......I will try and load a plan from RR&Co....I have the demo version Do you mean these buildings? You werent supposed to see them! They were temporarily stored on the baseboard. They are a montage of detailed Metcalfe houses and factory with a Townscene backing from the the last layout. I hope to incorporate them overlooking the exit from the storage sidings in the RH corner above the work bench Regards __________________________________________ Comment posted by noakesy123 on Sun Dec 07, 2008 7:17 pm That looks superb!! Nice big space to work in, and that townscene is brilliant. Keep up the good work! Thomas. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Dec 07, 2008 7:46 pm Thank you! Its amazing how rapidly the space gets used up.....I was hoping to have 4 mainlines running out of the storage yards but now I am having doubts. Right now I am testing the wiring on the second branch board, the goods yard, and had hoped to post pictures later today but I find one solenoid on the three way point has burnt out so now I have to take it out and wire in a relacement.........grr sometimes this hobby is not as relaxing as I hoped __________________________________________ Comment posted by mikemeg on Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:15 am John, Looking at the photos of your railway room, you're clearly a fan of L S Lowry. What other art bedecks your walls? Regards Mike __________________________________________ Comment posted by peter m on Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:06 pm Looking very nice there. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:15 am Hi Mike Well spotted! My wife originally came from Manchester and I have always had an attachment to Lowry's so over the years I have collected quite a few....all prints unfortunately. I like them in the railwayroom because they reflect the sort of atmosphere I am hoping to create. I guess the following pics are a bit off topic and I hope this doesnt offend the Moderators or perhaps I should start a new thread....Art and Your Layout Now back to the layout and this increasingly tiresome 3 way point Regards edited to remove smiley in incorrect place __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Dec 10, 2008 4:33 am Finally fixed the 3 way point. Changing the burnt out motor was straightforward but I then developed a vintage case of Murphys law. The more you change the worse it gets......I could power two roads but not the frog of the third........finally and I mean finally I realised I had wired the frog wires to the wrong motors!!! At least that was different...... Everything now works and the goods yard board is connected to the station board giving me 14' x 11" of working layout I am afraid the photography mirrors my modelling.....coarse gauge. Forgive my amateurish attempts to reflect light. The mini switch panel gives an idea of the track plan Having completed this, instead of finishing painting the track and starting the ballasting, I couldnt resist putting some stock and a couple of buildings in place Most of the buildings on the branch are kits......the Ratio Cattle Dock is immediately recognizable . The goods shed was scratch built from Wills Sheets for my first layout. I can totally relate to the short cut thread in the general. I didnt bother finishing the wall on the non viewing sides........and of course that is the side I need to show on this layout......so it had to be rebuilt and re roofed and I added an office The point at the side of the goods yard leads either to the cattle dock or is a continuation of the branch to the main line....a rise of 3/4"......I have yet to decide which will be the principal route to the branch......it kind of depends on the location of the main station.....more of this later. Having previewed this I have to be honest and admit that I was quite chuffed with the goods shed shots and then realised I hadnt shown the new non viewing side so I rushed downstairs and took a couple of shots.......... In the spirit of total transparency The camera can be very penetrating.....I cant believe the gap in that awning! Oh well it is the non viewing side. I need to post about the electrics and DCC and then I am almost at real time on the layout..... Now I have to paint the rails and ballast and install the ground cover.....cobblestones etc but I cant install the main structures or the intermediate back scene until the storage yard is installed and before I do that I have to make some major decisions about the location and nature of the main station on the left hand side of the layout Regards __________________________________________ Comment posted by noakesy123 on Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:49 am Well Done. That Goods yard is great. A layout never looks good until you fill it with stock... __________________________________________ Comment posted by mikemeg on Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:06 am Many thanks for taking the time and the trouble to photo some of the art in your railway room. Your layout is beginning to assume all the character which you seek; just keep at it, it's very good. I am fascinated by the art in people's modelling environment,, not least because I paint some of this railway related stuff. Once again many thanks Mike __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:50 am Thanks Noaksey......I just need to get cracking with the kaydee conversion and I can actually start playing in the yard.....the qicker I can get stock out of the removal boxes the happier I will be No problem Mike, glad you enjoyed them.....not sure if the notices constitute artwork but at least they add some light relief. Now back to the track painting Regards __________________________________________ Comment posted by bickybtrains on Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:15 am Looking good there John. William Also of Canada __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:59 am Thanks William Whereabouts? Canada is a big country!! Regards __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:37 pm Lots of rail painting but nothing very photogenic.....hopefully I will have finished the sleepers and paved the coal yard by tomorrow. Meantime here is a summary of the electrics. This is my first foray into DCC and I can honestly say if it wasnt for this forum and particularly the guys on the DCC sub forum who have patiently answered my dumb questions I dont think it would have ever happened......thanks guys!! After much research and many questions I opted for Lenz I think the system is quite brilliant. The slow running is quite exceptional. It took me a while to sort out the button controls on the handset. My favourite errors were punching the deceleration button thinking I was going into reverse....pressing escape ( which with Lenz switches the control to another loco) frantically punching the acceleration button apparently to no avail......until I realised another loco was tearing away down the track! I was very leary about chipping the 30 something operational locos I have collected. Cost is obviously a factor but I was worried about screwing up. So far no worries...... I have chipped 6....one plug in and the remainder soldered using Trains4U excellent guide and Iain Morton's book. I have still to attempt split chassis......of which I have a lot! I started with Lenz Gold and then realised I was over specifying and shifted to Silver. Other than changing the address and reversing the direction of a couple I have made no programming adjustments. Wiring is definitely simpler than analogue although it might not appear so from these shots This is largely because I am setting up for eventual computor control so I have the main DCC bus (Red and Black), to avoid track power loss a separate bus for the point motors (Blue and Orange), a feed back bus for the track power (Brown and yellow) and an Xpress net bus so I can relocate the handheld controller around the layout. The DCC power only comes from one transformer but the layout is split into sections using Powershield Circuit Breakers from Tony's Trains The points can be controlled by the hand held.....surprisingly swift....punch [F5] the point number and +/-. Very handy when you are shunting. I have set up an old fashioned manual system alongside which is useful for testing and reminding me of the point numbers If you are wondering about the mass of orange wire....that is me slavishly following the Lenz manual which showed a common for each point input.....it took me another installation to remember what common return means! The gizmo at the right is the occupancy decoder which indicates which blocks are occupied.....not much use right now but essential when I have spent the money and have this up and running. Only the branch track is laid right now but the storage sidings are set out on the plan and that is my next big project Hope this post wasnt too long winded for those not interested in DCC Regards from a very snowy Vancouver __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:51 am Happy New Year to all. Its been quite a productive holiday despite the flu.I have almost completed all the ballasting. I used some of the tips gleaned from the ballasting thread. Particularly spraying the ballast beforehand. Initially the spray was too coarse and blasted it all over the place then my wife donated a used scent spray.....perfect.....except the residual aroma wasnt quite in line with the gritty industrial atmosphere I am attempting to re create! Overall its a bit of a good news bad news story. The good news its much better than my previous efforts...the bad news it isnt quite as good as I would like and nowhere near as good as some of the examples on this forum.....generally the problem was impatience plus I didnt pre wet it enough......anyway its cast in stone now. Yhe yard is paved with Wills cobblestones used in a previous layout ....they were far too dark......I have drybrushed them with Grey and although there is still work to be done I feel they are more realistic now. I laid them on a sub layer of mat board (mountboard in the UK?) given hindsight I should have used 2 layers then it would have been nearer rail height Another iniative from the forum..... I painted the sidings, but not the main line, with diluted black grime......normally I just paint the rails with rust and the sleepers with grime BEFORE ballasting.......there is still quite a lot to do but I think it will be quite effective. The coal staithes are separate from the goods yard and lead directly from the main line Grimes is my brother in laws name.....I abhor the play on words one sometimes sees "A Splinter Timber Merchant" Regular viewers may remember that this first part of the layout is in essence an 11" x 16' plank in front of the, as yet unbuilt, storage yard. This accounts for the weaknesses in the yard layout like the coal staithe set up. It also means I cant install the retaining wall until the storage yards are done. I am also not going to put some of the fragile stuff in like yard lamps and noticeboards until this is done. You may well ask why dont I get on with the storage yards then instead of fiddling around with detailing..............Firstly I am waiting delivery of a load of Lenz occupancy detectors but thats just an excuse really.....its the broad brush detail stuff that I really enjoy plus it gives me the opportunity to get old friends like the Mikes Model Yard Crane out of storage......built this over 10 years ago.....still need to replace the handle More ideas from the forum.....Tea Bags for soil and Teddy Bear Fur for grass....normally I have just used Woodland Scenics. I am not sure about the Tea Bags maybe Canadian Tea is different.....the fur was something else.....bears were not available (Yes I know I live in Canada and every summer we have Bear alerts) but the dog was persuaded to part with his pet (toy) monkey......you have to believe all this.......so after suitable painting it has been used between the main and the yard.........there are places where it is (I think great) and others where it looks like Austin Powers chest hair!........judge for yourself .......sadly these shots also show the bad news part of the ballasting I am not sure about the coach body.....I keep worrying that this part of the layout (the only part actually done or near done) is in danger of becoming GWR BLT Cliche City............how will I ever get Beest 6606 to check the signalling Would you believe it is still snowing here __________________________________________ Comment posted by 3millmodeller on Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:04 am Very nice work and greetings from Oz. It seems I was not the only one making an effort on the holidays to get the scenery started. As I have just started the first layout in 20 years I have to say that the forum is great for techniques and ideas even if the standards are a bit higher than my efforts at the moment. I see you got stuck into the ballast, I for one do not like the ballasting task at all so will be leaving it for next weekend. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Jan 04, 2009 6:20 pm Thanks 3mill I hate ballasting with a passion so I kind of grit my teeth and press on to get it over with. I think your layout looks great.....I see we have the same taste in Bilteezi Tenement blocks! The viaduct is really good, I am hoping to incorporate one into Granby but thats a long way down the line. How do you handle the entrance by the door.....is it duck under or hinged?..........another problem I have to face eventually __________________________________________ Comment posted by 3millmodeller on Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:52 pm Thanks for the kind words I only just started the scenic development on the weekend so early stanges yet. The viaduct raises a cautious tale regarding computer printed stone work. I printed and scanned copies of the sides (it was a single arch builder plus kit) but as soon as the water/glue hit them the colour leeched out entirley. Only option is to strip it all off and start again. The vintage bilteezi are sceduled to be replaced by some handbuilt items, although I did find nu chance that 4mm buildings can be modified for 3mm scale with a bit of effort. The access is by a hinged flap over the doorway with rail alignment kept by copper clad strip. __________________________________________ Comment posted by peach james on Sat Aug 29, 2009 1:47 pm John, I finally dug out your layout thread- I've been busy over here on the island, playing with the computer control, getting it to sort of work. There should be a update soon on my layout, detailing some of my experiences with RR&Co to date, and some things not to do. (I have to be somewhere other than work to update it though...) Your layout looks good, similar to so many others. If you make it over to here (Vancouver Island), then try and let me know- there are a couple of layouts over here which are worth visiting. (I'd hardly include mine, but for the computer control- I don't know of anyone else who is trying it near here. There is a fellow on Whidby Island who is heavily involved though) James Powell Victoria, BC __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:28 pm Hi James Not sure if this should be a PM or in the DCC section.....anyway your post is a timely reminder that I have been neglecting this thread. Although I have been away sailing a lot this summer, hence my late reply, I have actually made quite a lot of progress with both tracklaying and scenery so hopefully I will be able to post some updates in the next week or so. I think my most satisfying progress is with RR & Co computor control.....although the layout is nowhere near complete I have been able to reproduce at the touch of one button: Passenger train leaves teminus and enters storage siding over 4 turnouts which are all automatically set Train stops with engine over Kaydee magnet Engine reverses a millisecond and uncouples Engine moves forward a few inches clear of the coaches Second Engine leaves relief spur (point having been re set) Second Engine Couples with Coaches and departs for terminus (relief spur point being reset) Original Engine reverses thru the siding, which is now clear, into the relief spur...point again reset At the same time I have an autocoach shuttling back and forth into an adjacent siding with the storage entry throat points being reset each passs. I am sure this is commonplace to RR&Co veterans but to me this absolutely amazing. The abilty to fine tune loco speeds and speed limits is astonishing...............I think I will reprint this in the DCC section.......I would like to see more discussion there...I find the RR&Co forum a little stacatto although the guy from Whidby Island P Turvil is super helpful. What stage are you at with RR&Co? PS I dont often get over to Victoria but if I do I will try and contact you beforehand Regards __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:22 pm Summer is over so I guess its time to update this thread. Despite the absence of posts I have actually made a lot of progress. The 10 road storage yard is now completed and operational.....DCC and RR&Co computor control with 22 separate occupancy detected blocks......I think some are redundant now because apparently RR&Co will allow 2 locos in the same block when shunting. I have also installed the sky backscene and the trim for the backscene and front of layout In the foreground you can see the two road exit from the storage yard. I have maintained a minimum of 36" radius but still managed to gain some space so the hole in the right hand corner is destined to become a coal mine which will create a load of additional traffic through the branch at the front of the storage yard Just to recap the layout is approx 18'x10' in the shape of a hollow square with the boards generally 30" wide. I am still struggling with print screen the red box says "10 road storage sidings" I will change the colour code next post The only sections with track laid are the storage section with the branch in front and the 4 road main line exit from the storage yard and even that is not quite true as I have just started ripping up the branch goods yard even though it was semi detailed and operational......well sort of.... I continued to have problems with the 3 way point at the entrance to the goods yard and I was never happy with the way it lead off the the branch line......so I have decided to bite the bullet and extend the carriage siding as the goods yard entrance and take advantage of the space created on the other side of the 2 road storage exit.....I am also going to start my conversion to tortoises here........yet another challenge! Although I have a fair amount of time to spend on the layout I have huge problems determining priorities..........Track laying, Scenery, Chipping the loco stud, converting to Kaydees, weathering the stock, mastering (or at least learning) the RR&Co programmes......the list goes on and on. In many ways I should focus all my energy on track laying and leave the scenery and structure until it is completed......budgetary considerations make this unrealistic......DCC with computor control is very capital intensive.....on the other hand I have loads of buildings,kits and scenery from my previous layouts so once I can locate them in the various storage units its relatively easy to clean them up/modify them and put them in place.......so I tend to do a little bit of everything Right now I am focussing on getting the scenery in front of the storage yard complete and the relay of the goods yard These shots show the difference in level between branch and storage.....this will be covered by retaining walls and behind them 1/2 relief Terraced Houses......just beyond the station you can see the mock up of a road bridge and beyond that the houses and mill that occupy the corner where the storage exit curves round In front of the exit curve I have a larger space and I am trying to work out how to fill this effectively The Metcalfe kits and scratchbuilt warehouse were from a similar scene in my old layout except they faced the other way...... The house backs have a little detailing with Wills drain pipes etc. I filled the gap between the houses and the Mill with some backscene cutouts but I think I will remove them they look too flat and artificial The 4 road main line is only 9" deep because the branch and brewery will occupy the front at a lower level....so I have to use cut out backscenes here The line is rising 1" because I need the clearance for a low level 3 road storage for the branch under the terminus This is the start of the mainline scenic section so the track is ballasted and there are home signals (not working) controlling the down line.....when I finish the embakment there will similar signals for the down line. So thats the progress to date....now I have to finish the 1/2 relief terrace houses. Sorry about this duplicate I have spent forever trying to get rid of it Regards from a rather damp Vancouver __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:53 pm The Metcalfe 1/2 Relief Terraced houses have been detailed and placed in position between the branch line and the storage lines They are set up in modules that can easily be moved so I can access the storage lines. The walls cover the gaps The walls are from Langley and this section is at least 15 years old and has seen a lot of service! The moss/ivy conceals wear and tear! Generally I hope to separate the different vintages of wall by bridges etc but here I have a ten year gap side by side which will eventually require some attention. At present there ae two modules of houses and one of shops I need 2 more Metcalfe kits to finish the run and I have another 7' of wall to install on this end but I am leaving it until the goods yard relay is complete These shots are not great but I think they convey the overall effect of establishing time and place and serve to conceal the storage yards This is from the engine shed end and this from the station/goods yard end..... In the left hand side you can see part of a bridge which is the current project and is the start of filling this area in front of the storage exit Thats this weekends project Regards from Vancouver __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Oct 08, 2009 5:00 am I have filled in the area that I talked about in my last post......surprise surprise more Metcalfe 1/2 relief buildings They are set up to imply that there is more depth and there is a street going off to the right. They are again moveable modules because they are shielding the throat of the storage yards and I have no doubt once I start intensive operations there will be all manner of problems in that area. The connecting pavement segments are permanently in place and show little vignettes of the railway and backscene beyond This shows the overall effect with the road bridge added Iain Rice's book on Industrial Layouts has been a big influence on the design of this layout. I believe one of his "signature elements in a welsh industrial scene is a skewed road bridge.....this is my attempt The bridge is removeable because it is over a couple of key points on the branch line. The supports on the near side are rather large but they hide the two point motors that I had to surface mount after the peco polarity switches failed. The area in front of the bridge will have the signal box and the area beyond will have the small loco shed My remainng Langley walls are destined for the goods yard end so I am using Wills here but the bridge hides the difference.....they do need toning down though. The near grey ballasted track will run past a brewery to a 3 road low level storage. The far one rises to join the high level main line and on to the terminus as yet unbuilt and un planned! This is the landscape view with the station platform waiting for its buildings. The picture has to go.....I know! I also need to build some chimneys to cover the join in the sky backscene From a distance I think I have created a reasonably credible urban scene.....closer to I have some misgivings. The last Metcalfe shops are a little too smug and prosperous....more home counties than the gritty industrial mining town I was aiming for. My only excuse is that the buildings were already to go and complete the storage screen if I had modelled from scratch (which I may eventually do, although I rather doubt it) it would have taken weeks. I have been building the layout for 2 years now.....less than 40% is complete and I am not yet in a position to run trains on a regular basis......compromises compromises Apart from my doubts about establishing the location I am also worried about establishing the date.....1947.... in a more positive fashion. I am pretty careful about locos and rolling stock (although I have a lot of shirt button logos that should go) but I dont have many cars or lorries......I am building a couple of coopercraft kis as Army trucks and I plan to have some squaddies on the station........the forces were a far more visible presence in those days. Maybe I should plan a couple of cleared bomb sites and a pill box or air raid shelter Enough of worrying about the glass being half empty..... after all the layout is progressing and our local hockey team have just beaten Montreal 7-1 (think Liverpool v Everton) Regards from Vancouver __________________________________________

Hi Gareth Any advice on removing the tender top from the chassis on a Hornby 28xx? Or should I be posting this in the help section? Once I have done this I can think about chipping it.....right now the engine buzzes but the wheels dont turn and I cant get inside to see what the problem may be. Regards from Vancouver