SparxD428

I have decided finally now on the name for the layout. Acton Green. Apparently there are only 7 British Rail / London Underground stations with Acton in the name so I thought the world was crying out for an eighth in a fictional sense. Also it turns out the Piccadilly Line couldn't stay above ground when it came to this part of town so they dug it a nice tunnel like the ones further east (or at least they will in a few years time when phase 2 of the layout is contemplated !) In terms of where the layout is actually situated in real terms I would have to imagine that the stretch from Ealing Broadway to Acton Main Line is a little bit longer and that Acton Green sits here. Purely so in the future I can run freight trains Eastbound to locations via Acton Wells Junction / North London Line. More scenics tonight by the way but nothing worth photographing yet. Cheers, Stu.

Excellent sir. In regards to DCC chips I seem to remember you saying you use Bachmann chips in your 50s. Which part code/rating? I am going to order a few soon with my controller and I know all yours run pretty well so was going to start down the same chip route. Can you let me know bud? Just the DCC chips, I am not contemplating fitting any sound in the first round of DCC conversions ! Cheers, Stu.

Hi Scott, Thanks mate. I am hoping that by January after Santa has dropped by I will have a DCC controller and have installed a couple of chips into the 50's that the layout will be in a proper ready to run state, so everyone is most welcome to drop by one weekend for an inaugural test running session. You might have to bring a loco or two to stop it being too boring watching the same Vacs go by. As for the bacon sarnies, well I haven't killed anyone..yet. Sure they'll be of acceptable quality. Cheers, Stu.

Steady progress on the next set of footbridge steps this week. Also printed an additional backscene for the scenic break overbridge to try and make it look a bit more London at that end. Using the old Hornby buildings at the moment turned the other way round and it doesn't look too bad. Cheers, Stu.

Detailing on Platform 4 is coming along now. Have nearly finished the footbridge steps, just a couple of girder supports drying at the moment which will prop up the back. I have cut down 1/2 canopy and it seems to look pretty good mounted next to the steps, as well as positioning 2 more canopies on the curve. I will kit bash some edges to make these less block and more of a transitional curve. Satisfied with the days work so far. Of course couldn't resist a pic or two, nor to see how the future might look with an Oxford-Padd passing through. Cheers, Stu. View from under the road bridge scenic break Views from platform level And of course what an Oxford-Padd may look like here

Main body of the first set of footbridge steps has now been completed. The door side is platform side of the Up Relief (Platform 4). A half side of platform canopy will also be mounted on this side to finish the effect when in place. Just got to paint it now and finish some minor detailing. As for canopies for the steps, I am not going to attempt those now. Maybe in future I will build a replacement set with cover in GWR style but for now these will have to do. Lighting a bit funny on the first pic but they should do. Cheers, Stu. Full steps set Close up lower half

The last few days I have started constructing the first of the footbridge steps down to the platform. The prototype might actually make the cut. I think I am going to need to make 3 different shaped sets for the 3 platform bases. I have been using different thicknesses of card, Wills flexi-brick sheet, cotton bud stalks for the handrails and tons of glue. I have cut many pieces and individual steps and whilst they do not look uniform I quite like the mad effect, it may give me an excuse to print a caution uneven steps sign. The first set are based loosely on Paddington but those down to the Underground platform Hammersmith & City lines, to give them a "London feel". After cutting out many individual sized steps from card and meticulously sticking them together one by one I have begun to wonder at which point in life I started going completely crazy... Will try and post a pic or two at the weekend when they are further along. Cheers, Stu.

Updated the DCC Bus diagrams since the last time I posted them mid way through. Layout trackplan now complete. Finished trackplan with dropper/bus connections annotated Bus Radial Map Start to Finish Hope they're legible. Cheers, Stu.

Very busy day on the layout yesterday. Chaos ensued as Paddington was shut meaning all WR trains terminating at "the station with undecided name". In fact it was because I had to shift a lot of the stock out of the storage roads so I could complete the last main line and storage loops as well as wiring it all up and logging on my bus diagram. At just after midnight the station was cleared and the first train to run round the Up Relief was hauled by Hood. The lifting hatch is just about working OK considering the angles of the track I have had to lay on it. So now I could say the wiring of the bus is complete for rail power anyway. Just 5 point motors to still do on the scenice area. The storage roads have all had the holes drilled for point motors but I won't be contemplating them for a long while just yet. Also made further headway with retaining wall in the station area earlier in the week and hope to complete that part later today. I did take a few pics of a very full layout as well as overview of the storage roads. Cheers, Stu. Non English Electric Power is quickly despatched back west English Electric Power is held in the shed & yard for aesthetic purposes ! The reason for the chaos. Now finished 10 road (4 through, 6 storage) fiddle yard.

More and more grey and brown painting and weathering. Have spent all day working on platforms and finally getting there. 2 of the 3 platform bases now complete, just waiting to be glued down although i will wait a while for this as I have a dilemma on future Mk3 stock which I would plan to run only on the fast lines which are the inners and so of the tightest radius. The old style Hornby Mk3 and also all new Mk1 & 2 stock pass without problem but have feeling full size Mk3 may not - however I may be wrong. So some tweaking is still possible but so far reasonably happy with the platforms, After all real ones look quite weathered and beaten don't they. Just a couple more pics of grey and brown... Cheers, Stu. Platform colours taking shape at western end. Overall view of the long (12ft) scenic side from behind the layout taking shape slowly.

Thanks Peter, I think I am going to be in need of this as I removed number 20 from the box last night and she has also developed a squeal though of significantly less annoyance as well as a ticking fan. Maybe I need to make a plank model of 2 roads of Doncaster Works or Laira to start housing the wounded Vacs !

More steady progress this weekend although not much to look at. It has been several shades of grey (refuse to do the pun..) in trying to get the areas of baseboard that may end up between ballast as exposed ground concrete and also platforms to the correct shade. I have painted the wooden platforms (What will be the rarely used Down Main platform) as well as the brickwork that supports them to another shade of brown. I am trying to get that WR weathered 80s look and so far i am happy with the results. Will try and make the card platforms and brickwork to a very similar shade to keep the station reasonably, though not perfectly uniform. Decided to let some of the DC loco's stretch their legs whilst they still can. Without tempting fate 47402 is running superbly for a Lima machine after i serviced it last year, and once i get DCC savvy and a few of the new style loco's up and running this is the first candidate to try and convert. Hopefully I will be able to purchase a controller in the next month or two and i am going to do this, convert at least one loco to DCC/sound and fully test all of the track and wiring when its finished, before I even contemplate ballasting ! Took a couple more pics tonight showing some progress. Cheers, Stu. 47402 waits in the down main platform - now painted though i need to tidy the edge white line and add a yellow one for standing behind when trains pass. Viewed from the other angle. platform brick brown has been toned down to something more suitable. Rail side painting has reached the overbridge on the relief and yard lines, as well as the concrete shading being subtly lighter on the baseboards.

Thanks Pete, I will look into the worm drive as the possible cause when I get number 4 up on the jacks next. Out of interest what type of grease do you use for the worm drive, is it a silicon / Molycot type grease? Cheers, Stu.

Layout is looking awesome Rob. Liking this very much. Cheers, Stu.

More work on the layout this weekend. Rail painting has inched towards the half way mark. Point motors on the scenic section are now up to 11 out of 16 wired and tested. Storage loops up to 7 out of 10, and 3 of the main lines are now complete powered circuits and run pretty well. I decided to bring out my old scratchbuilt semaphores from Westquay, JUST as positional references for the colour light signals i intend to install (5 in total), as well as the old Hornby signal box by the bridge, to see whether aesthetically a scratchbuilt disused signal box would sit right in that location. Also put a bit of platform furniture out to get a feel of how it is developing. And to finish off, 50004 has developed the worst squeal ever. I lubricated the No.1 end wheel bearings to no avail. I have a feeling its going to be the fan drive that is the problem. Cheers, Stu. Looking down the line, semaphores and signal box represent locations for light signals and possibly a scratchbuilt disused signal box I am considering. 50011 in the bay.

Hi Sub, There is a bit of a gap but nothing that i can't live with. its probably too tight a curve if you were building an exhibition layout to high standards but i guess your viewing point could render that redundant if your coaches conceal the platform from the viewers side. I am happy enough in the space i have anyway. When the platforms are completed i will put up some pics with stock in the station so you can get a good all round view, though that may be a fair few weeks away yet. Cheers, Stu.

Hi Sub39h, The inner curve (down main) is a standard 3rd radius (505mm) and the up main is 4th radius (572mm) although they are not quite 90 degrees as i squeezed the track a little away. The relief lines are approximately 700mm and 760mm respectively, so the largest is about 30 inches in old money. These are more of a complete quarter curve. So it's a little bit tight in places. Cheers, Stu.

It just keeps getting better & better Peter. I love the colours in the ballast in the new section, you just seem to get the blend and shades absolutely nailed. Like the inspection saloon & D200 as well, just all round superb modelling. Cheers, Stu.

Another busy weekend as the layout progresses. Mainly with wiring this week. The 2 main lines are now fully "DCC bussed" along with their associated fiddle yard loop and siding. I haven't updated the bus map yet as there will be some tweaks to the route as the relief lines and fiddle loops are placed. So i thought i would have a DC running test session, single loco at a time to also check again the lifting hatch alignments. A couple of minor hiccups but nothing too major, and mainly only the very old DC loco's make the odd jump, the newer and those that i will eventually convert to DCC seem to be OK. I also decided that i needed to unbox all the decent stock and get it on the layout to get an idea of how it will look in the future and i have to say i am quite happy so far. And so i thought i'd post a few more pics as below 50 004 St.Vincent on the down main with a service from Paddington I had to shorten the fuel point buffer stops so i could fit 3 x TTA wagons on the fuel point, although only because i own 3. It wouldn't have been any bother to only have fitted 2 ! The old bay platform will be mainly used for parcels traffic along with some shunt manoeuvres and the odd DMU. So it was out with the BG, GUV and a couple of Brutes. And finally a view through from the lifting hatch scenic break, where the station disappears under an imaginary road and roof. this allows me to model only the half station format but still can have a loco & 5 visible on the down main, Loco & 6 on the up relief if needed. Some tidying up is needed and the conundrum of cutting the final difficult platform pieces will need to be solved. Logic says i should have started this end and built the overbridge after, but hey thats no fun is it !! Cheers, Stu.

Some more work tonight but less scenic more wiring and drilling, the DCC bus is slowly getting around the layout. Did take a couple of pics of where I am with the basic platforms and shed frame as I said last week. Why on earth did I even think of trying to make curved platforms, both sides and on curves of tight(ish) radius - ok not train set tight but still a leap of faith for any commuters. Luckily, Platform 1 on the down main will be realistically barely used like most in exisitence between Paddington and Reading at the time, so most traffic will be on the relief lines platforms 3 & 4. A couple of piccies. Cheers, Stu.

Thanks guys, I am liking these suggestions. I have future plans for a tube station as well. West Acton Broadway is leaping quite high at the minute.

Top video Andy.

I have been busy again, slowly slowly. However I have been thinking the layout needs a name. As its imaginary location now is somewhere shoe-horned west of Acton Main Line (to enable freight traffic across the north London lines) and probably East of Southall, I have been thinking. East Drayton ? or Brent Vale ? I can't really shoehorn Acton in to the name as North/East/South/West are all realistically taken as proper locations. Answers on a postcard please.. I am thinking East Drayton at the minute. Cheers, Stu.

Will be following this one with interest too Pete. Cheers, Stu.

Been very busy this weekend starting to build station platforms, as well as a single road stabling shed, and laying out the final trackwork positions for the relief lines and storage roads. Unfortunately my phone has developed a swine of an error stopping me taking pictures which will take some fixing. I will try and get some pics up this week taken from the work phone or another camera source if i can't get mine working in the foreseeable future. Cheers, Stu.