Dave Holt

I absolutely love the way the contours of your baseboards follow an outline bordered by geographical features rather than the usual perpendiculars. It really is quite refreshing.

 

It makes for something clearly more visually engaging than the average layout and there's a certain 'tantalising tease' about how it's going to look further down-the-line.

 

One of my favourite threads to follow

Thanks for the kind comments. I only hope I can live up to expectations!

Blimey, I've only just got back, and you've posted already!

 

I can confirm that Delph (Holt) looks pretty impressive, and the underside too.

Ah ha! I didn't have a two hour drive home after your departure! Thanks for your kind comments and ideas during the visit.

Dave.

Dave,

I'm afraid I don't know the details because they were supplied to me by someone else. He did mention that they were a kit of parts and are normally a variable voltage supply but he had modified tham to give a fixed nominal 12 volts. I'll ask the supplier for some details.

Dave.

Beast,

Thanks for the advice. As Horsetan has said, it's a bit late now to change. Prior to construction, I did quite a bit of agonising over the correct type of arm for the loop/yard entry but couldn't find a difinitive answer in either Foster or Nelson, so plumped for a standard arm - apparently the wrong option. I take it the miniature arm you refer to is the "calling on" type illustrated in Nelson, figures 4-42 & 4-43?

This type has the lamp on the opposite side of the doll to a standard arm, so I'm not sure the existing signal could be modified or at least it would be a major job.

I might just have to live with it, at least for now.

Dave.

MIke,

I'm sorry, but I don't know the make of the corridor connections - they're whatever Coachman fits - a springy card concertina arrangement.

As for the inter-coach couplings - you wont be able to make tham out as I haven't fitted them yet! I'm using a type supplied by Masokits - a mix of etched parts (hooks and mountings), brass wire (the coupling loop which engages with the hook on the next coach) & lace making pins (to represent the hose connections). A bit of a fiddle, but easy to use, adjustable for length - I like the buffer heads to just touch on straight track - and reasonably unobtrusive.

Dave.

Excellent panel, how did you achieve the Panel printing?

Thanks for the kind comment. The printing was done (by a friend) using Letraset self adhesive transfers.

It's just a case of being methodical rather than any particular electrical wiring skill!

Robin,

Very nice indeed. Ian does do a superb job, even if his turn-around time is now quite long.

Did he also do the weathering or has that been done since? This is very well done - just looks right for a used but well cared for express loco. Look forward to seeing it in the flesh, so to speak, at Wells.

Cheers,

Dave.

Thanks all for the kind comments and encouragement.

Robin,

No, the mdf roadway finishes either side of the track, so the whole bridge structure can be lifted out/dropped in during construction. Once the plastic card structure is complete, track painted and ballasted, the bridge will be glued in position (it's located by several screws through the base plates) and the top surface, incliuding the road surface completed.

As mentioned, I've allowed a 2 mm thickness for this surfacing, but at present I'm not sure of the best method/materials to use. The options appear to be card - either as a single 2 mm thick layer or two 1 mm layers or plastic sheet in the same thicknesses. I did wonder about closed cell foam sheet, which wouls easily allow impression of the gutters, but it might be a bit too vulnerable to damage/marking during subsequent handling/scenic work.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be most welcome.

In terms of the road way, I was wondering whether to represent the cambering. I note that Jim Smith-Wright has opted against this for New Street because it makes any vehicles placed on the road lean over and look rather odd. I suppose a flat surface is easier to do, if not strictly accurate.

Dave.

Dave,

Nice to see positive progress after the splasher set-back!

Regarding the Bachmann DMU, what have you bought? I believe Derby Lightweights were used to Hayfield - I went there once (with a potential model in mind - inspired by a photo of a C13 in the platform) in such a unit.

Robin,

Yes, that number of gauges and clips should keep things nicely square and in position! My arrangements were a bit more Heath Robinson!

All coming along nicely.

Dave.

Robin,

Very nice result. I must say, your attention to detail with this is somewhat higher than mine - all those bolts, etc! I can see you'll be doing quite a bit of work on the "Puffers" items!

As you know, I used the cast brass Mainly Trains stops for Delph, which gives you two ready made sides, similar to the ones shown in your next to last photo. I found it quite hard to assemble these with the cross beam and get everything in line and square in all planes, despite using some cardboard jigs to try to locate the 3 parts (and the sleepers). How did you manage this?

Dave.

Robin,

I've got a number of the "Puffers" type you can have (7 in total, including one which is broken into two pieces). I bought them years ago but decided to use the Mainly Trains cast brass versions for "Delph" - although it turns out that these aren't quite right for ex-LNWR locations, being the ex-GWR/BR standard type. However, they're close and with the bottom section burried in debris and grass will do the job.

Let me know if you still want any.

Cheers,

Dave.

Hi, Mike,

Thanks for the compliment!

It's P4. The ply riveted pointwork was made for me by Tony Wilkins who also did the track-work drawing on Templot - hence the integrated look and nice sweeping curves. Plain track is C&L flexible. Once the cosmetic chairs are fixed on the point-work and it's all painted (as on the end board), it is quite hard to distinguish the two different types of track.

Dave.

Robin,

It's certianly coming along now - great to see. Are you wiring up as you go, or is that all still to come? It seems to take ages, even on my tiny layout!

Dave.

Very nice efforts. If you don't mind me saying so, the tree in the bottom photo looks better than the others and really captures the open nature of real trees and looks most convincing. Excellent work.

I look forward to further developments.

Dave.

Robin, There were lots of different designs of buffer stops, so you perhaps need to determine which type(s) were used at Barrow Road. For Delph, I mistakenly thought the stops were BR standard rail-built, which were similar to GWR stops. I later realised that they were actually LNWR, which makes rather more sense! Luckily, except for the bottom of the upright members, whci at Delph were obscured by debris and vegitation, they look very similar. I used cast brass kits from Mainly trains at Watchit(?) - they use Code 75 rail and can be built to any gauge. They do the same kit in white metal. In myopinion, these stops are a bit on the low side because the buffer beam is below standard buffer height (14 mm), but they generally capture the overall impression of that type of rail built stop. You can see them in some of the photos on my blog.

Dave.

Coming along very nicely, Robin.

Does the dead-end track between the ash handling plant and the main line end with a buffer stop? The alignment almost looks like there should be another point to re-connect it to the outside coaling road!

Dave.

All looking very nice indeed. The tie bars look like they might be the Masokits items? Now you've taken the plunge, when can we expect the Class 40 and Peaks to put in an appearance? Dave.

Dave,

It's good to hear of positive progress following your set-backs with this loco.

Perhaps we can see it in the flesh, so to speak, at S4 North?

dave.

Robin,

The Crab is looking very nice indeed in BR livery - looking forward to seeing it weathered.

Good to see further progress with the track, as well.

Dave.

Dave,

Yes, it is going to North Wales - Llandudno, actually. I don't know if it would have stopped at Rhyl, but there's every chance - and for you, I can arrange it!

I agree the stock is a cut (or three) above the usual excursion stock consisting of old, mainly non-corridor stuff dug out of some winter holding siding in the middle of nowhere, but the first 4 coaches at least (the Period III) are based on a photograph in Larry Goddard's Delph book. It was a Greenfield to Llandudno relief which I've extended to start at Delph. Loco was a Newton Heath Crab.

Dave.

Robin,

It's good to see an up-date after a bit of a gap. Progress looks good and the advance of track-work is certainly starting to bring it to life and give a better impression of how it will look. The coal hoist insert looks very neat and I'll be very interested to see how you go about making it work such that it stops in just the right places.

Looking forward to more installmants,

Dave.

Dave,

I didn't really know either, although I chatted to Tom over Bramblewick at some S4 do's- he didn't take me up on my view that a nice WD with 16 ton steel wagons would look good on it!! - but it is a sad fact that age is taking its toll.

Sorry to read of your trials and tribulations with the J10 splashers. I'm not sure if this is part of your venture into EM, but the coarser flanges can't help with splasher clearance. Mind you, even in P4, we need larger than scale clearances for working parts for reliable working, partly due to our excessive suspension travel and general slop between moving parts. After all, a 0.125" clearance between some valve gear parts on the prototype would transloate to 0.04 mm in 4 mm scale - guaranteed to lead to a clash!

I'm sure you'll find a satisfactory solution. As you say, slightly over-size splashers will probably not be noticed by most people, if not over done.

Regards,

Dave.

Hi, Knuckles,

Welcome to the wonderful (if sometimes frustrating) world of P4. Your sample length of track looks good and very neat - I hope you've got satisfaction and encouragement to progress from it.

That said, I'm a bit bemused as to what you are trying to achieve with a short length of curved track. If it's just a first stab at making some P4 track as a learning exercise, all well and good. If it's intended to form part of a larger project, such as a test track or part of a layout, I think you might run into problems when you come to join several sections together because, although the track looks quite smooth, it's unlikely to be exactly the same radius all along, especially with the way you constructed the curve template. To ensure smooth track on a layout, as already mentioned by someone on your previous entries, the plain curved track really needs to be built in situ or at least on templates created in situ - we're not making a P4 version of Settrack!. Plain track usually connects to point work, and since this is less adjustable for geometry, you need to fix the design and position of the points before you build the connecting plain track.

To draw the track plan, these days a computer ploting programme such as Templot seems to be the best solution. However, if you don't have access to it or know someone who has, the next best way is with paper templates (S4 Soc, C&L, P4 Track Co., etc). you can curve points to a degree by cut & pasting the template onto some backing paper. This also applies to curved plain track, although not essential - but it does help with sleeper placement.

The best manual method to set out a curve is by off-sets, as described above. If your not into formlae and calculations (its pretty straight forward with a calculator or computer) then you can draw fixed radius curves with the aid of string, as you did. However, rather than tie the pencil with the string and generate a wobbly curve, it would be better to just mark a series of dots a few inches apart and then join the dots using a flexible strip of wood or a steel rule stood on edge. These continuous materials tend to addopt a smooth curve when bent. Use pins, screws, etc to help hold in place whilst you draw along the curve.

You mention wanting to run Pacifics round your nominally 4 foot curve. If the locos have some side play on the centre axle and the bogie/truck sufficient throw, my experience is that it should be OK - but beware of unintended tighter radius sections/kinks in the main curve. Entry into your curves will look better, give smoother running and reduce the risk of bogie/truck wheels grinding on the backs of steps if you use transition curves. These are explained in the S4 Soc manual. Again, if you don't fancy calculating the off-sets, a rough alternative is to arrange the circular curve to "miss" touching the straight (or larger radius curve) by say 10 - 12 mm, then over a length of 400 - 500 mm (half each side of the tangent point - where the curve radius line meets the straight at right angles) blend the two lines using the flexible strip. Transitions really do make a huge difference.

Regards,

Dave.