MichaelW

Hi Jeff, I've been having internet issues, so haven't been here for a while. Your fellside is looking good - adding the back scene boards really does give it some focus, and makes it easier to see the hill. How is the wiring coming on?

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How about using the tag 'Lunester Thread' for non-layout threads? Means we can see all of what we're up to easily, (and Andy Y can find us easily when the men in white coats come calling!) I agree with you about the wiring Jeff - so much to do, and until you've done a goodly amount, you can't really tell that anything's happened...

Looking good there Jeff. You didn't fool me with the hillside in the valley this time Spent another day away from the layouts, but may get a chance to play this evening...

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Hmmm... A thought comes to mind - what does the valley do beyond the viaduct? The hillside around the tunnel needs to fit in with that, and the tunnel would then be cut into that hillside. Is the portal parallel to the line of the hillside, or (as I discovered this afternoon I'd done with a couple of walls in the great bathroom rebuild ) is it going to be a bit squint?

Hi Jeff, Yes, that looks much better - I can hardly see the tunnel mouth in the first shot, so it looks much better to my eyes. I do agree that the former above the tunnel needs trimming back, possibly so it, like the tunnel mouth, is just visible above the 3rd former. Michael

Hi Jeff, I'm not convinced by the relative positions of the tunnel mouth and the hillside. I'm not sure why though, it may just be the angle of your second photo, but I just get the impression that he tunnel mouth is outside the hill, rather than inside, as if the hill has had to be built out to reach the tunnel mouth, whereas normally they are built inside the line of the hill. Hmmm... I'm not expressing this very well, I'll draw a diagram again... Having drawn the diagram, I think I've worked it out - the line of the hill is under the sides of the tunnel mouth, and it flattens out not far above the line of the tunnel. Why did they build a tunnel, and put the mouth there, when they could have just dug a cutting - far quicker and less costly? How to fix it? I think moving the wall end of the formers towards the viaduct a bit will sort part of it, gradually easing the concave curve in the middle of the formers, and making it keep going up rather than back above the tunnel would sort the rest.

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Morning Jeff, Another of my silly ideas - is the wall by the viaduct original garage or a Jeff special? If the former you may be able to move it out a little to gain a little room, and make it stronger in the process Oh, and if you are taking pictures into the tunnel, you could always have a board to place across the back of the tunnel to make it a black hole - just remember to remove it before you start running trains again. Alternatively, use a couple of layers of black bin liner plastic, cut into fronds, over the end of the cover - it won't knock stock off, but it will help block out any view of the fiddle-yard and wall behind. Michael

The office sides do look convincing. I particularly like the way you have got the effect of corrugated sheets. Did you get them through individual pieces, or are they formed in a single sheet?

Hi Stephen, I'm not sure I follow your signalling plan - I think you should be looking at something like this: Remember, signals are there to control trains, and a signal with a proceed aspect gives the driver permission to travel as far as the next signal. Essentially, you need a signal wherever you want to be able to control a train to stop. So, approaching the station from the South, you reach a feathered signal a little way before the junction (to allow for overrunning the signal). From here you either are given a proceed aspect on the main line, or a proceed with feather for the loop. Either way, you reach a signal before the junction at the other end of the station, which controls you over the left-hand junction to carry on down the mainline. Coming from the North, again, the feathered signal is a little way before the junction. This also has a feather for the avoiding line. At the other end of the loop, again a pair of signals control access across the junction. What is the purpose of the spur in the top right of your diagram? If it is intended as a running line, you would probably get feathers on the two signals at the right end of the loop. If it isn't, then it's more likely that shunt signals would be used. Michael Edit for inability to tell left from right...

Now you mention it, yes, they were weren't they. They did a lot for the look of the station! That does seem a long long time ago. Perhaps I should get on with the layout I was starting to build back then...

I'd like to be associated with the comments of the previous posters Your attention to detail with the roof of the shed is amazing. Somehow the hole in the roof makes the shed look more, erm, whole...

Hi Jeff, I see you've been busy again. You're making good progress with those hillsides, even if you are creating a world shortage of plaster in doing so Despite having a day off due to catching another lurgy, I've not managed to do anything of note, other than to pick up a coach from the post office, and wishing I had a layout large enough to give my trains a decent run... I think I agree with Peter - tweaking the tunnel mouth away from the points a little would be a good idea. And I think you're going to have to put some extra sleepers in the gaps in the tunnel mouth. Edited to say: Lots of posts appeared whilst I wasn't typing this, and you seem to have answered my thoughts already...

My Grand Central Buffet arrived today - and very nice looking it is too! Now I just need a layout to run it on

Nothing sad about studying hillsides - it's a shame more people don't before adding their scenery... What's the difference between spending hours comparing photographs of the brake-gear on a 9f with a model, and doing the same with a hillside? Other than the fact getting the hillside right is so much more noticeable and will make the end result more believable, even if the 9f on the viaduct never had the banded brake blocks, and they should be plain. It's the whole scene that matters, and you obviously care about that! (I can remember seeing some layouts which had amazing models of engines - all sparkly clean and ex-works, really finely detailed, and smoothly running - running on track with ballast at best haphazardly applied, single shade of green scenery fitted around the track, and pulling what would best be described as trux... Doesn't matter how good one part of the whole is, it is the whole that matters!) [/rant]

You've been making good progress again today Jeff. I was briefly confused by the first couple of photos - I thought you'd completely rebuilt the scenery again... Question for the portable layout builders though - when using plaster bandage, how do you deal with baseboard joints? Confuddled Lunester (If that's not being repetitive )

Good to hear that you have been making some slow progress Gordon. I hope your enthusiasm returns soon. In the meantime, how's the golf going?

And there was me thinking I hadn't posted much since the last count... Re- hill heights - I'm sure you talked about having 6' of hillside reaching back over the fiddle yard, is this still the plan, or are you going to stop the hillside before the fiddle yard so access to it is easier? And a silly thought for the fiddle yard - have you considered a re-stocking siding - a length of track reasonably separated from the rest (though connected) so you can swap stock off and on the track without having to reach over / around the trains already sat in the fiddle yard? I suspect it's a bit late and you've already planned for that with the track spacings in the fiddle yard...

Evening Jeff, I'm back from my weekend away from the internet, and I have to say I can't see the difference in the photos you've posted. But then I do think it's cheating to make us spot the wiring changes you've spent the weekend doing in photos of the tops of the boards. Seriously, you've done a lot of work there, and all to the better. I stand by my earlier comment, the last few pictures are seriously impressive!

That sounds a good plan Jeff. And I do like that pack-horse bridge Jason suggested. In return you should challange him to make the clogs he's thought about Time to start my weekend away from RMWeb - I hope you have a productive time, and there isn't too much to read on my return!

That's partly why I picked Arten Gill - one side is steep sided valley - I think you could treat both your valley sides the same. Short masonry approach, 2 arches over steep sided valley, one arch over water-course, two arches over steep valley side, then onto token embankment into station. Doesn't Garsdale station start just off the end of a viaduct? Hmmm... Now I want to start playing with embankments and bridges, but I won't have time till next week

Yes, I've had that happen a few times. Though in my case it was generally City Link that got the parcel. Fortunately the City Link driver always found a way to leave the parcel safely, otherwise it would have had to be returned to Hattons as the depot is over an hours drive away (5 mins to the sorting office...).