SparxD428

So I have taken the plunge and begun the expansion of Acton Green, although technically it will be a separate layout. I will start a new thread once I actually start building the layout, which will be a TMD with the purpose really of displaying loco's that are not running and freeing up space in the fiddle yard, as well as having a couple of unconnected carriage storage roads. The main scenic area will be 6' x 2', with a small off stage space for running loco's in and out and pushing carriages on to the carriage roads. That is the plan anyway. But first the boring stuff. How do you build over something you never intended to with limited access to build and mount frames? Well I deliberated for a day or two before deciding, "There's always a way". And here is how I planned to do it, and what I have executed/tested so far in pictures..(across 2 posts because of size) 1. Clear all the storage roads of stock etc. in case of the usual falling tools incidents to minimise damage 2. Construct the first stage of a lattice frame, and mount it to the wall behind the storage roads. Using 2' x 1' timbers it is sturdy enough for the job in hand. Note the bloomin awkward location of the telephone point that feeds our landline slap bang at the ideal height for the TMD baseboards, hence this complex support structure to overcome this problem. 3. Remove the backboards from the storage road. Again gives me another headache on remounting with limited access (the answer was found accidentally..). Then attach stage 2 of the lattice structure. The 3rd level has legs at the end which reach the floor for further support. The 4th layer is the crossbeam which will hold the "cradle" which will support the layout baseboards. 4. Cut the backboards in to 2 x 12" pieces, and remount at 45 degrees (using glue for now) using the lower beam as support. These will be tacked for further support tomorrow and look quite nice now although you wont see anything of them once this project is completed. More to come soon. Cheers Stu

Been busy with a minor expansion on the layout . It's currently only to the frontage to make it more aesthetic (to my eye anyway). Barely 2 inches of 3mm MDF fitted to the front and cut in a more gentle curve shape, to form a walkway alongside an imaginary canal. I have also added a larger curve inside the opposite end where i will form a nicer scenic drop to the curve from the viewing side. Also, an online package arrived today containing some new track... Hopefully my materials will arrive tomorrow.. Then I will have no excuse but to solve the conundrum I may have mentioned before about adding a separate TMD layout over the fiddle yard ! I may yet start a new thread for this separate project but I won't be rushing it. For now some pictures from today showing some of the expanded front from station to overbridge, and one of a Duff on an inter-regional. Cheers, Stu

Seeing as I've barely run the layout in the past 12 months it's working pretty well without needing a track clean. Cleaned a few odd spots but seems to run OK, so in light of this brave new world there might be some time for some modelling and running trains. So tonight a few services ran. The 08 needs some attention so is waiting to be towed to Old Oak. In the meantime 31268 arrived on the parcels and is needed as yard pilot, so standby loco 50031 will take the parcels stock back to Bristol A special light engine from Didcot has been sent to collect the weekly oils and take them to be reunited with the oil rake. A rare appearance from 20063 as a lone engine without its twin. May post a bit more now as I'm getting back in the groove. Cheers, Stu

Another 6 months has gone by and not much done on Acton Green. That may be about to change in the coming weeks as there might be a bit more time to finish off some of the outstanding things on the layout.

First time I can say I have done some modelling (of sorts anyway) today for a long time. So much so that my close eyesight has got much worse in the last year I even struggled in my reading glasses with the close work. As I may have suggested previously, number 26 has a new guise. After some botched efforts at removing the numerals and names, a hasty effort to mix up some acrylic blue as close as I could to the (incorrect) Hornby NSE blue was used to cover things up. I will have to reweather the areas that have been wiped and painted again and also lightly on the numbers and around the nameplates but all in all I'm reasonably happy to have what was one of my favourite Vacs on the roster. On the workbench.. And on its first turn under its new guise I may yet try and do the thin black window surrounds circa late 1988 / 1989 but think I'll enjoy it as it is for now. As is typical now I am getting my modelling mojo back, its back to work tomorrow and probably away from home most of the week too. D'oh ! Cheers, Stu

Hi Ian, I've been OK cheers and you? I've just caught up on the Tidworth thread two minutes ago, sorry to hear your sad news earlier this year mate. Loving what you're doing with Tidworth now, just imagine Me, Mike & Phil being let loose at an exhibition with all the more potential for shunting mishaps, short circuits etc. ! I've been pretty busy with work and then the football not to mention the million jobs to do around the house on Mrs.P's list but we're getting there. I am not putting a timescale on it but I am seriously thinking about building a TMD layout over the top of my fiddle yard as somewhere to dump engines and stock when they're not in use. Maybe a useful winter project if I can get the wood built and cut beforehand, as it will be a challenge to achieve without the forward planning element when I built the layout. If I can stop losing money on the horses/football I might be able to invest in a some new Heljan 47's or 45's when they come out in the future ! Have to catch up soon when I'm not taking my youngest to Reading FC home games. She was very upset your boys got our Icelandic warrior Jon Dadi Bodvarsson this summer ! Will have to try and get over or round one day in the near future. Cheers Stu

So it's been a very long time but the layout still exists and after a bit of track cleaning got some trains running again yesterday. This website looks a lot different since I was last here too As the winter rolls in I might get some time with the layout and get a bit of the modelling feeling back. Welsh Parcels with 37284 as motive power 31 awaits its next turn after arriving with ECS for a special hauled by 47500 Aerial shot of the station. Nothing new here Cheers, Stu

A bit more work done today on the layout as well as a few new arrivals as well although nothing major. I have toned down the yellow ends on 20063 as they were far too heavy, no pics as I still need to complete the weathering. The Police are now mobile in Acton Green thanks to the arrival of a Rover SD1 seen here on a rapid response call. In the civil engineering department moving on towards the later 1980's, a couple of CLAM and TOPE wagons have arrived. I have begun weathering the first one but have a bit of work to do on the others. Seen here with a departmental owned 33 at the front. Hope to be at home this week and get some more things done. Cheers, Stu

Not been here for a while and stumped by the new site skin and layout for a moment. Don't have a clue how I find my content any more without searching it, but anyway some progress has been made with the final block of flats. Just needs a foyer and front entrance constructed and a few minor details. Managed to run a few trains as well today but work will intervene again to curtail the finishing of the layout this week. Sunday service. 50014 on a Padd-Plymouth waiting to cross from wrong line running to the Down Main Snaking across the lines 31 running light to pick up a short 16T coal train left earlier by 73137 The block of flats in the scenice break corner taking shape Whilst will those passengers ever leave the Central line via a train...?? Cheers, Stu

Not much modelling done due to various reasons including injuring my wrist playing football and spending some time off work last week. Managed a little running session this morning and hope to get back doing some detailing next week and over the holidays. Side on view of the layout stations above and underground. 50026 on a rare stopper on platform 1 whilst 31 awaits the road wrong line on a parcels back west HST thunders through towards Paddington. Cheers Stu

Underframes look pretty good on the 66's Mike, particularly in the pic of 66068. Weathering is a strange state of affairs from personal experience. Sometimes you can step back and say that looks good. Then you apply the same technique to the next item and it doesn't look quite so good so you're not the only one with this conundrum ! Cheers Stu

Thanks Peter. The layout had been missing a 31 for a long time so it was good to get that angle covered, just need one of the Old Oak 31/4's now for ECS moves and the odd turn. I always loved the 20's so I had to find an excuse to have some variety and run a pair on the layout. There may be a few 20 railtours running through Acton Green, as well as the odd special freight for sure. I do remember seeing a pair of 20's at Didcot around 1985 although they were probably more common there than further up the London end of the WR although I have seen a picture of a 20/pair of 20's on a freight on the main between Paddington and Reading in the mid 1980's so the scope is there. Cheers, Stu

Hi Rob, The retaining walls were a painstaking process but ultimately rewarding I think for the finished effect. The backing is mostly 3mm MDF cut to size and mounted on thin strips of wood. I tried mostly to make them slope but it didnt happen in some places. The MDF was then covered in Wills flexible brick covering cut to size, with strips cut for joins etc. In some places I overlaid the background with more brick sheet cut to archway shapes. The painting is just a mixture of acrylics. I used brown or burnt sienna, mixed with black for the base colour. When dried I whitewashed the whole thing with white acrylic but very diluted. Finally I then applied more mixed acrylics but trying to "dry brush" it on or dab it carefully using a sponge to create the effect. I think in some places I may have just done 2 base coats of brown, then done the whitewashing and used a sponge to wipe off the excess white on the brickwork. On the section where the road drops down to the speedlink platform I cut some strips of card to add as a stone covering and painted and weathered them in grey. I'm sure there are technical terms for various parts of the brickwork but I have to admit I'm no builder Hope this is useful. Cheers, Stu.

Added a few more scenics picked up at Warley last week including line speed restriction signs (pre/)80's style, tube safety railings and a war memorial planted in the open market space in front of the snooker club. I have finished the first round of weathering on 4 of the "new" Yeoman PGA wagons and have a workable rake of 12 now running behind the old Mainline 56 for the time being. The new 20 and 31 run reasonably well, and I have added some interior detail and passengers to 2 of the old Airfix Mk2D coaches as well as renumbering them to running examples from 1985-88. Hoping to do some more modelling today and get a few more pics. A couple of harsh pics of the underground don't do it justice but have thrown them in to show tube railings and the mocked up 1962 cab emerging from the tunnel as well. Cheers, Stu 56079 rolls through Acton Green on the down relief hauling 12x PGA from Purfleet back to Merehead quarry Tube safety rails in evidence at each end of the platform on the Central line What better way to disguise things than adding more greenery at the bottom of the road to the speedlink platform Tubular rails also in evidence here painted yellow. The war memorial can just about be seen on the street above

After a successful Warley as part of the Tidworth crew , whilst there I took the opportunity for a couple of early Christmas purchases, including:- 6 x Old style Yeoman PGA wagons which gives me now a rake of 12. They are mid weathering etc. to make them look more in keeping with the later Hornby examples although as far as I remember there was never a full uniformity with logo, colour etc. on those trains mid 1980's. Another Mk1 BSK and an NCV to bolster the coaching stock numbers 2x Esso TTA's to make a longer tanker rake ...this which has been needed for some time , although an ER example a Ped has been a requirement. May leave this as 268 for a while s it was in BR blue through 1985-87 Then there was a left side purchase..... Now the front example is the new purchase, a Bachmann 20063. The rear loco is my ancient Lima 20 which I have de-motorised , weathered and am in the process of tidying up as a dummy. Unfortunately the cast metal body is too much for the Bachmann example on the fiddle yard curves so I will have to run it single whilst I construct a lighter chassis for the dummy 20. I will probably renumber 063 as it was an Eastfield loco through 85-86 so even less likely than any other 20 to run through Acton. I know one of the green ones 20064 towed Rodney back from Saltley around 87/88 but I like the blue too much, so imagine they will appear on a railtour or a diverted freight occasionally. Just couldn't resist some variety. Have been detailing some of the old Airfix Mk2D's as well so plenty going on at the minute Cheers Stu

What a great weekend crewing Tidworth with everyone and a thoroughly enjoyable, laughable experience at Warley in many senses. I have a few points of note for everybody 1. PaulRHB - you got my best side in the last supper photo (for all those unaware I'm the bald geezer with his back to camera) 2. The German TV youtube channel that will have the cab ride is https://www.pilentum.de - Marcus said it will be uploaded probably by next weekend 3. If we get any comments along the lines of "I saw Tidworth at 10am on the first morning and nothing was happening" - there was a power cut for about half hour affecting us and surrounding layouts ! 4. Mike - after eating breakfast cutlery and crockery from the canteen should be placed on a tray ready to be washed up, not discarded in to the bin ! 5. Mike (again) - we were on stand A38 for the weekend. Where were you between 9am and 6pm ? LOL Seriously though cheers all for a great weekend, Stu

Not much time for modelling this week due to work commitments or next week for the same reason. But there was a window of operation this evening. Lack of DMU's means a hastily cobbled together set for a local to Reading with some interesting traction After a shunt release from platform 4 on a parcels service number 14 waits a road to reverse in to the yard Inter regional action again with vac traction on the Brighton - Manchester today Nice end of platform line up for EE fans Cheers, Stu

Decided to have an hour or two running some trains tonight after repainting some of the concrete section of the final block of flats. Some different variations and an incident occurred.. A defective coach was removed from a westbound service and laid up in the yard So Old Oak sent something borrowed down with an old GUV as a barrier vehicle ready to collect it later Meanwhile the Brighton - Manchester Piccadilly (via Kensington Olympia) rolled in to platform 3 47500 is being fuelled. Has Acton Green become Brush / Sulzer city ? Luckily Saltley needed to get 31 back to OC so used it to pilot number 4 on the Birmingham - Padd View from the platforms "under the bridge" Meanwhile the Central Line is still quiet. I am hoping to pick up a few bits and pieces at Warley to vary the traffic slightly in the coming months. I will be helping out Ian (Temeraire) as part of the Tidworth on the road crew at Warley so if you are visiting drop by and say hello. Cheers, Stu

Looking good mate. Keep it going. Cheers Stu

A bit of weathering done on the brickwork of the final block of flats today. Interrupted by a few trains and some slices of Acton Green life 47500 back on more familiar services on an up parcels to Paddington. First 2 pics taken from an angle across the layout not really visible unless you have ET's neck. From the more conventional standpoint 50014 Warspite is the standby loco this Sunday Whilst a new group of people, the bashers have appeared on Platforms 2/3. Do they contemplate taking number 20 to Hereford this afternoon? Life on the bridge is still a bit busy What more does this town need? Chippy and the pub are still doing good trade Cheers, Stu

This is a truly magnificent layout with some amazing detail and innovation. Inspiring stuff, keep up the good work. The Mk3 looks fantastic with passengers and LED lighting. Cheers, Stu.

More work done on the flats today, just a bit more brickwork and some painting of the concrete balconies. Painted a few more figures as well, toned down with black jackets and trousers instead of garish yellows and lilac's. Am going to make these into a group of bashers/spotters hanging around together near the end of the platform. Gave a few more locos a run out tonight as well as further track cleaning. Some pics.. 37 on the fueller with 45 arriving on an up parcels from Bristol. More pics of 45103 56079 on shed before running light to Pump Lane later to pick up its stone train. Cheers, Stu

Thanks Ian, Slowly getting back in to it now. Yes I am in for Warley, have the Friday booked off work so plan A is still on. If Tidworth wants to go 1987/88 for an hour or two at Warley I have 9 items I could bring along.... Will speak soon to sort out final plans for the travel up and weekend. Cheers, Stu

This afternoon I have actually cut some brickwork and painted what will be the concrete parts of the final block of flats , well the first coat anyway. Got distracted by some trains though. Will hopefully get some more done tonight. My favourite "flat view" location for photo's on the layout is in front of the fuel point at the end of the platforms. 33004 in residence this afternoon 50021 Rodney turned out on an additional to Birmingham running in to platform 3 HST passes through slowly en route to Paddington Not a usual duty for an ETH Duff but 47500 is on the Ripple Lane tanks today Emerging from the ironwork Approaching the station with a 50 waiting to depart in the distance Cheers Stu Cheers Stu

Heavy duty track cleaning tonight on the scenic section followed by a few trains, biased towards Vac power. A few moving pics taken tonight (aka blurred) to mix things up a bit for once. Trying not to take the same thing a million times but with shape and size of layout not always easy. Lesser Spotted 50004 St Vincent gets a run out tonight on a Padd-Oxford 50029 on a Paddington bound vans waits at the up relief signal before winding its way into the station With the 08 in the shed for attention 33004 is the shunting/standby loco. Going to be digging out the paint and scenics box this weekend and getting on with what needs to be finished Cheers Stu