mason

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thanks james, iv only done the rust effects so far and a slight dry brush of light grey just to give it a dusty look and the pics are pretty rubbish as my camera is playing up, but thank you for the tips and thanks phill glad you like the rust, i think i kinda over did in some slight areas tho the more i look at it?

thants excellent, does sound like alot of work but i think it will be worth it in the end, do craftsman not do the kit anymore???

hi matt, thanks im pretty pleased too, ill try and take some more pics soon, preferably in daylight as the camera doesnt like our lighting in our house lol?

Hi all iv just been brought an old Hornby class 47421, i want to bring it uptodate and make it into maybe an ews or dutch livery, can anyone advise me on changes i need to make, i think the obvious one is the 2 plastic lines down the side lol? and im very sorry about the poor quality?

hi all, after reading the articles in the november issue of railway modeller, i thought id have a go at some of the same

these look amazing mate, love them, the pic with the 2 coupled looks fantastic

ok following the success of the first outing for pilot road ( photos of which can be found on sandhills gallery and the corby exhibition thread ) and operating the layout for 2 days solid i realised a few things 1) the layout is very operational and i had fun making all sorts of mives 2)what can i do next and its number 2 that im kinda stuck on, i have so many ideas but i dont want to add to many box files and make it an isore so to speak. and i fear that more extensions would require a larger fiddle yard also i have a couple of ideas and a couple of other projects in mind aside from this, so im gonna throw this to the masses and see if anyone is on the same wave length as me so comments, replies which ever it is, go wild and finally thank you to all the great comments that you all gave when you came to corby

well 2 days to go till my first layout that iv built is in its first show at corby, im pretty nervous to be honest, iv been to shows and run other peoples layouts but i think its slightly different when its your own. hopefully have some good pics when i get back on sunday to show the fully finished article well at the moment anyway

looking good pete, kinda kept this one quiet or iv not been paying attention again great work look forward to seeing more

PILOT ROAD - Box file madness by mason original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:45 am thats exactly the reason iv steered away from them although i really really want them, they be perfect for my new project lyvden sidings __________________________________________ Comment posted by Chris56057 on Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:17 pm Looking very good Neil, its coming together nicely. I like the overgrown grass area around the buffer stop, a nice touch. __________________________________________ Comment posted by dabberchris on Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:59 pm What a cracking little layout. It's superb, a lesson in 'less is more.' As a boxfiler myself, I've finally found a theme I like and so will be making my 'definitive' box file layout over the forseeable future... ...until the next 'definitive' one of course. Well done and thanks for sharing it with us. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:58 pm thanks for the great comments guys, really means alot and that all my hard work is benefitting others in inspiration and enjoyment. chris, cheers mate, hope ya looking forward to runnin it in october lol __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:53 pm hi all just a quick update to keep things going, im going to have a running session later on so hopefully some pics with stock in it also iv posted a question in the queries threads, but ill ask the same on here to, just to keep things together. its been suggested previously in the thread about a arc welding sim in the factory unit, but im rubbish with electrics, so can anyone help with a simple circuit or something to achieve the arc weld light regards neil __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:54 pm ok i made a little progress and back stepped a little too, i decided that the woodbros building looked a little to much across the back and i felt the whole layout needed a little more dimension instead of rectangle, so i stripped the wood bros out and put in an angled wall with a little hangin basket liner on the top a scratch built oil tanker, which will eventually have some pipes going in and out the building next to, i think it looks a little better and doesnt look as bare as before,iv seriously gotta get the details done on this now as the corby expo is nearing quickly and i want it to be looking good for that, what do you think????????? regards neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by Chris56057 on Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:05 pm Looking good mate, you've used that basket liner to good effect. Look forward to seeing it at the expo. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:07 pm tell ya what mate itll b nice to have a good mess about with the layout, i seem to be workin on it all the time, am gonna take a viewers view also tho when your operating it too lol __________________________________________ Comment posted by F-UnitMad on Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:14 pm mason wrote: ...I've made good and tidy the wiring underneath, which lead to a play, i mean test run No, no, they're definitely called "Operating Sessions"... The inset trackage really looks good- as does all the concreted area, in fact! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:25 pm thanks f-untmad, it looks better than it did when the print started to fade so i washed it over with grey humbrol. operating session, thats the term i was looking for, got 2 days of full of operating sessions soon __________________________________________ Comment posted by rommel on Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:19 pm hi son i see i did give a brain after all i like the box file idea keep up the good work rommel __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:30 am thanks dad, yeah i did learn somethin all those years of trashing your layouts in the shed glad you like it hope to see some of your stuff on here too soon __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:34 am hi all, not much to update at the moment as im waiting for stuff thats on order, which will hopefully be here before the show in corby in 2 weeks time nut in the mean time iv noticed some things that im not to happy with and not sure what to do with so im going to open it up to ideas and suggestions. iv noticed the front of the box files are a little unsightly and a bit damaged also. im unsure what to do with these tbh, not sure if i should put brick paper on and show the oposite side of the gate, recover it and paint it black, put some pics from the thread with a write up, confused i am if included a pic of the offending part that i need ideas for hope someone can help here regards neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by Matloughe on Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:48 am Firstly I must say this is fantastic work, the superb detail in such a small space is absolutely brilliant. You have actually inspired me to attempt my own boxfile layout as an interim project, i'm undecided as to what to model, i've got a steam era idea in my head and also a London Underground idea as well. Can i ask, how do you join the box files together? Are they bolted using the wooden batterns underneath? Can the files be split for storage? And likewise power between the files, is this using the conductivity of the Fishplates or do you have additional wiring to help? As I said, love the layout keep it up! Cheers, ~ Matloughe __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:01 am thank you so much for the compliments matloughe, and it such a great feeling that what iv done inspires other ppl to have a go too i think the underground idea would be fantastic, as far as i know nobody has done that idea and a box file is perfect for it as its pretty enclosed great idea to answer your questions, basically the 2 scenic box files are joined together via a block underneath which is simply pinned and glued so it is centred between the 2 boxes, on the end of the box which connects to the fiddle yard, the block is left half hanging over the end so i can simply slide the fidle yard ( or another scenic box )in to it. the wiring is the smpliest of simple, its dc for starters, so iv wired the feeds on the 2 scenic boards into a block and separate feeds for the fiddle yard roads, these all go through the bottom of the boxs ( hence the blocks which act as feet to raise them for the wiring ) and join to a large block then to the controller, its not fancy and very simple just right for my electrical level (0 ) hope this helps and anything else i can help with im more than happy, i hope it runs as simple as it sounds at its first public outting in 2 weeks time __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Sun Sep 27, 2009 10:56 am Great work as ever Neil! What i did with the front of the scenic section of chitton was cut it off and hinge it to the base, so that it forms a flap. this means when you are showing or operating thr layout, the front is not in the way and you can see the layout at eye level if you want to, works great for photography! Ill put some pics up if you want, but you can probs just find them on the Chitton thread aswell i think! Danny __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Sep 27, 2009 4:42 pm right been a busy day for a change, iv finally done the back scene with some sky prints on the bottom half and painted the top half black, also added a few little details here and there, some pipework from the tank to the building, some diused sleepers, rails and some old wheel sets laying around, unfortunatly iv not got my cam and my phone wont load the pics onto the laptop so im pretty annoyed. iv also done a kind of write up to display at my first show in corby in 2 weeks, im not sure how its gonna come out on here as its done in word so fingers crossed it comes up pilot write up.odt (442.76 KiB) pilot write up.doc (439 KiB) added a 2 versions not sure how they come out regards neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by BarneyElf on Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:07 pm I got that Scalescenes freebie too - unbuilt - until now, it's great to see how it looks in 'real life' . Your 'boxfile' layout is very well done and very beleivable. The way the photo's have been taken, it makes your layout look bigger and more powerful. If you have achieved this level of realism in a couple of boxfiles, what could I my self achieve with a 9ft x 2.5ft bench. I am in the process of beginning a layout ... Best of luck for your future boxfile layouts and keep up the realistic photos... Kindest regards BarneyElf __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:49 pm tahnk you so much barneyelf, really nice to recieve compliments like that, hopefully be adding some more finer details this week when the post arrives . i chopped and changed the scalescenes building a little and added the interior also, and it needed a little dulling down as its printed in gloss. your 9ft x 2.5ft size layout sounds interesting i wish i had the space to create something that big, i have so many projects i need to get out of my head and into real life thanks aagain and good luck with your own project, i hope to be leaving compliments for you soon kind regards neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by matto21 on Wed Sep 30, 2009 4:46 pm Looks good! I really like the 'backdrop' of warehouses etc, looks great in the full length photo above! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:44 pm thanks matt, alot has changed since that pic tho, added a few finer details tonight unfortunatly the cam still isnt working so i cant show any pics , added bins, pallets, barrels and ballast, and a few railway folk also __________________________________________

PILOT ROAD - Box file madness by mason original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:35 pm Hi any update on how this boxfile layout is coming along? __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Aug 24, 2009 7:03 pm hi 18B, there is a little up date, just a little more weathering to the hard standing. the new section ( box file) is being brought tomorrow along with some plasticard and a few scenic details to add a little life to the place. also hopefully an 08 will be purchased shortly to reside around the yard ready for the corby show in october ( hopefully its still booked for it ) its been nice also reading that this box file has inspired someone else to have ago also, ie trainsrgr8's blossoming boxfile which is coming along nicely. i have to say i ahve been a little pre occupied with visiting my new local areas signal boxes and rail network, which is kinda dragging me into other projects, bu i may use my local signal box as a basis for another box file system which will be slightly different, hopefully thank you for looking again though, i should have some new photo updates by the end of the week. iv also looking for some track on the cheap for the next 2 sections, 00, flexi and a couple of right and left hand points. yep thats me trying to keep it cheap again, but my old man always says " if ya dont ask ya dont get " cheers neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Mon Aug 24, 2009 7:07 pm Cool what boxes you been to? I ask as I write this from inside the signal box I work in, wish I could see the otherr boxfile pics, yours come up fine but the Chitton ones don't I'm itching to start my own, and I need to get together all the odds and ends of my modelling stuff, then I will do, alex __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Aug 24, 2009 7:17 pm hi alex well iv recently moved to deeping st james in cambs, oddly enough the box is 2 mins from me and its strangely called st james deeping not sure why, but its a fantastic box with lovely scenery around it, screaming out for modelling. which box are you working at alex??? my father is an ex signalman, so i like to see all the local boxes and when he comes to stay i take him to them, think we also got tallington, which i think is a power box now, helpston and spalding and not sure if there is one at bourne. iv been trying to find pics and details about st james deeping box but failing badly. you should start ya own box file, working in a signal box is perfect for that with the space and the inspiration around you, fantastic, i know id like to do that for sure __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:16 pm Yeah it's great fun! And, because your doing it on the cheap, if it all goes wrong, it can go straight in the bin! Recylcing bin ofcourse! Do post some more pics when you can Mason, its been a real inspiration to me! When you can Camb, i take it you mean Cambridge?? thats where i was the other week on my hols! Danny __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:36 pm i sure will danny, hopefully by the end of the week will have somethin substantial to photo yep sunny cambridgeshire, where abouts where you on your hols??? really cool iv inspired you and hopefully a few other folks too, its cool too becuase after a few hrs modelling you can fold up the lid and stack them flat on the book shelf.....is that a new concept to shelf layouts..... __________________________________________ Comment posted by millsie on Tue Aug 25, 2009 1:38 pm deeping st james, only about an hour or so from myself, will you be attending the spalding exhibition on november? martin __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:55 pm i sure will martin, will you be attending the corby show in october, corby is where i used to live and be a member of the club there, hopefully this boxfile layout and myself will be there along with a couple of other rmwebbers, dont think corby is far from you is it???? __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:47 pm well time for an update withpics at last i here you cry basically iv made good and tidy the wiring underneath, which lead to a play, i mean test run i also brouht 2 new box files from tesco, unfortunatly i didnt realise that box files came in different lengths and heights , the tesco on is shorter but higher, so they have become a pain in the arse to join together, is this a conspiracy against rail modellers so they have now been put aside for another project i have in mind. enjoy the pics and as always comments welcome cheers neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:04 pm I got mine from Tesco! Buying a boxfile was more complicated than i thought too! Looking good there Neil! Need to get off my backside and get moving on Chitton again now, after a day off......gardening Danny __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:09 pm yeah its weird really i thought they would be around A4 size and no veriation, the wilko ones i have for pilot road are nearly half inch longer than the tesco ones its always good to have a little break, refreshes the modelling mind i reckon. thanks for the kind comments danny nice to see your box file off the ground and going, i like the mainline 09, very nice __________________________________________ Comment posted by Ragtag on Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:40 pm Looking good. Encountered the issues with boxfiles too - mine was one lying in a dusty corner given out by the uni full of useless info (read: lecture notes) from when I started my masters degree In the end I decided to stick with a single file for Kerseycleugh, it should do the job for now. __________________________________________ Comment posted by millsie on Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:58 pm to your answer mason...er...yes, depending when it is! my two files were bought from morrisons and wh smiths and they are of same manufacture, i just hope the two i bought from wilkos are of same size, now you have said that haha. no further progress as of yet, as i need some points, and once i have enough items i will start a thread. All my projects will be in 009 as thats what i have a 'thing' for atm, but i could do a 00 one but there seems to be an influence of theose at teh minute martin __________________________________________ Comment posted by agentskj on Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:49 pm I got to do one of these layouts __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:43 pm thanks all for the comments, little update, pilot road will be at the corby mrs exhibition in october. so iv decided to leave the next section for now and concentrate on lighting and the finer details like ppl and the welding light and a sound track of sorts as discussed earlier in the thread and more than anything i need to sort my stock too all i gotta do now is part with some cash and get on with it __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:19 pm That's really good Neil! Shame I can't make it, would love too see it in the flesh! Carry on the great work! Dannyy __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Sep 05, 2009 6:25 pm just a little update, finally got some basket liner and gave that a whirl, and i think its lookin pretty good, really easy to use and looks really realistic, i didnt think it would to start off with, when you see it in the back, but once its in place it looks good __________________________________________ Comment posted by matto21 on Sat Sep 05, 2009 6:37 pm Looking great, you've done well with your hanging basket liner! __________________________________________ Comment posted by Beacon on Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:21 pm Just looked through your thread after embarking on my own mini layout in mini drawers rather than a box file. Yours looks fantastic. I particularly like the interior view you've created for your buildings and the surprsingly spacious look you've achieved in such a small space. I hope I can manage the same! __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:44 pm Like the look of the hanging basket liner! May give that a try myself! Danny __________________________________________ Comment posted by millsie on Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:51 pm danny is pretty simple, in my birchwood thread i used it on there, 99p from wilkos and i jus cut it up and glued it down with UHU simple! then i ruffled it with a fine paint brush to make it more grass like viewtopic.php?t=33082 its some where in there on the first page lol __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Sat Sep 05, 2009 9:52 pm Thanks Milsie! Wilkos it is then! lol Might have to wait a while though unless i go tomorrow, as i start college on monday! Danny __________________________________________ Comment posted by millsie on Sat Sep 05, 2009 9:59 pm altho saying that i cant get anymore from my wilkos, as it burnt down last night!(pic to follow hopefully), but they are round and come in various shades of green, you can get a roll of it but i havnt foudn where from yet __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Sep 05, 2009 10:51 pm thanks guys for the great comments, iv wanted some basket liner for a while and i wanted some for another project that iv got going on. it was surprisingly easy to use i thought id have to touch it up and pull it around abit but i just pressed it into some pva and thats that i got mine from instore, it was a bit pricey at ?‚??3.49 a bag, but you get a hell of alot, when i folded it out it was like a giant grass rug definatly worth the cash. beacon look forward to seeing your thread regarding the draws sounds interesting, i dont think there was any theroy behind the space, i just kept the track work to a minimum but interesting enough to mive things about in a near realistic manor, i think the lesson is dont over do it thanks for looking and commenting hopefully the next update will bring some details added, barrels, pallets, forklift and railway folk and maybe a belfour van __________________________________________ Comment posted by Ragtag on Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:39 am Looking great, think I'll also give the basket liner a try. Saying that, I'm finding the ?‚??8 Ikea drawers very tempting atm - I wanted to buy some to hold stock but I'm afraid to in case I wake up one morning to find myself starting another layout in them. __________________________________________

PILOT ROAD - Box file madness by mason original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Sat Aug 15, 2009 7:13 am Excellent Really like box files and this looks great, I espcially like the continuuity in style of the buildings etc, I certainly need to get cracked on with my own ideas and this certainly gives some inspiration just printed a few pages for even more inspiration to go in my "indexed box file" My plan is for an N layout using the Ikea wooden draws. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:41 am be interesting to see a box file in 009, definatly would look good martin. thanks very much 18B, glad you like it and glad its of some inspiration, even though iv not done much in the past 2 weeks due to the house move and not actually having a table to work on at the moment doesnt help iv been planning in my head and on paper the next box file section which will bring the doudle track into a single track kinda creating a run round loop i guess and a siding with a shed for wagon repairs. the single line will run off scene to the fiddle yard which is 2 track and will make the fiddle yard box file a sort or section plate travese style yard, well thats the way it is in my head i think id like to exhibit this too, so im gonna try and shoe horn it into the CORBY MRS show in october, if that would be ok fran????? i also need to tidy the wiring up because its still in testing stage state, and i would like to in the future have a little dcc sound on it. not sure if that would be to much ata all to be honest open to comments as always thanks all for looking __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:58 am DCC sound would be perfect on something like this, Hearing the 20 tick over, the buffers clank etc etc would be fantastic. Posibly over kill? would be a back ground tape of general sounds, e.g. lorrises reversing, leaaving, ark welding crackle, etc? __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 15, 2009 9:03 am overkill yes, do i like it OH YES sounds a cool idea really, just every now and again though as i think if i wa doing a show and he background sounds where on all the time id go completly mental and sell them before the day was out but i like the idea very much __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Sat Aug 15, 2009 9:12 am I couldn't tell you who the company is but the effect is very good, especially under ac ar or in a railway arch etc. Add sound and you have a sure fire winner. Can you put a pic of the two side of the factory please __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 15, 2009 9:39 am yeah definatly a winner ill see if iv got a pic on my pc, if not ill try and take one, not sure if ill be able to upload it though as im on dial up till my broadband is fixed and the dial up doesnt like it when i upload onto here __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Sat Aug 15, 2009 9:44 am Is it all Scalescenes stuff that you have used, saw it mentioned on here about using Patercard, never thought to use that __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 15, 2009 9:50 am heres one i have on here at the moment, it shows a little of the right side and most of the left im trying to post the actual image i used so you can get the idea the buildings are a mixture of scalescenes and using some stuff from the CG textures site which is fantastic for little bits and wallings and factory sides and the images are pretty good scale and easy to use definatly worth a look. __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:15 am The hardest thing with putting internal pics to the buildings is getting the perspective right, but these appear to work really well. A note for the future is perhaps to block the view from an angle, so that the inside is only viewed from head on, thus giving the right look perspective wise. Are you leaving the lids un decorated or are you going to add some back scene / sky?? __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:31 am it was hard trying to scale the pics right and not making them look to big or small. tbh i really not sure what to do with the lids. i feel that they are really to high for putting sky or anything on, but i might have a play about with them soon, i dont want to remove them as the stack really well together obviously but i think i might see what the sky looks like on it, maybe a industrial landscape with sky behind maybe, and work the lids so they stand up and fold down also. i think im gonna invest in a Hornby select or a Bachmann ez command for the dcc as im using a very heavy H+M duette as i have lost my red power cable for my dc bacmann controller __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:40 am Back scenes today are infinately better than what was on offer only a few years ago. May be? do half in sky/industrial back ground and paint the top half black?? that way the sky wont look to high and the lids can stay as one? There's a market for you there, internal building papers? Industrail, Domestic, Locomotive works, Signal Box? etc etc etc __________________________________________ Comment posted by ModellingMatt on Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:05 pm I like the first look of the interiors, and the idea of engineering sounds - and the flicker of the welding as well of course! Another advantage of a micro layout is that one can do so much more to it __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:41 pm thanks 18B, i may think about the interiors but im not too sure ill be any good with it, think i was pretty lucky with it this time round thanks modellingmatt, i really like the idea also, i just need to find out if anyone does a welder chap with the lighting rig, the noises i can sort no worries. im sure iv seen a layout on here somewhere with something along those lines. not sure where to start if im gonna scratch build it. __________________________________________ Comment posted by shortliner on Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:45 pm Welders http://www.modeltrai...s.co.uk/n15200_ ... gory_id=83 I think Express Models do a welding flash kit also this http://www.trufx.sca...led-flasher.php __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:37 am thanks shortliner thats fantastic cheers __________________________________________ Comment posted by ModellingMatt on Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:49 pm I'm not sure you even need a welding figure. With the doors half open he could be in the hidden part of the building with just the light and the sound coming out of the door... I'm looking forward to seeing the results! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:26 pm even better idea matt, thanks just gotta get the right gear for it now, getting the sounds is easy as ill record something from work. iv been looking at th bits on the express lighting site and the links that shortliner sent me, thanks again so hopefully there should be some results to show soon think i may have to put it as a video though __________________________________________ Comment posted by rouse2037 on Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:40 pm Looking good! Always great to see a boxfile or three put to good use. Keep up the good work. Cheers Roger Rogue Trooper rocks __________________________________________ ??? posted on Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:37 pm 18B wrote: Back scenes today are infinately better than what was on offer only a few years ago. May be? do half in sky/industrial back ground and paint the top half black?? after much thought about what 18B said i decided to have a play about with the backscene folding parts of the box file so i did a little diggin on the world wide web and came up with a couple of pics that i think might fit, pls give me your comments and ideas also __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:55 pm Hi, those pictures look a little foriegn? They also look like they would be better suited to starting right at the very botom of a back board, given that they have roads and ground cover on them. Perhaps, seeing as the backs already have buuildings on them, half the board could be sky with the top half painted black, thus when stood up as a right angle the sky doesn't dwarf the scene, but the board doesn;t have to be cut?? __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:17 pm hi 18b yeah i think your right, iv decided to do go with what you have suggested, doing blue sky so far up then black on the remain going to get another box this week and start the next section and then do the backscene all in one go. __________________________________________ Comment posted by 18B on Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:36 pm mason wrote: hi 18b yeah i think your right, iv decided to do go with what you have suggested, doing blue sky so far up then black on the remain going to get another box this week and start the next section and then do the backscene all in one go. excellent, hope it works and look forward to the results, what is the next section? id you mention a station? Really like the whole boxfile idea. alex __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:00 pm well hopefully the next section will bring the 2 lines from the current section into 1, creating a run round and also a siding going into another industrial area, thats the plan anyway. iv also been given some celotex, which is kinda 70mm thick foam wall insulation andi have a 4 x 1 ft board dyin to have the foam attached to it with a small run round and some flowing scenics, so my mind is slightly distracted with thoughts of that i may even go into the steam, terrier small loco type period, which is gonna be a learning curve as iv usually modelled modern image, id like to base it on some where real, but thats for another thread __________________________________________

PILOT ROAD - Box file madness by mason original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ Comment posted by F-UnitMad on Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:20 pm mason wrote: ... over all im pretty happy with it. hopefully positive comments but all are welcome And so you should be... only just caught up with this thread - I really like it! __________________________________________ Comment posted by Chris56057 on Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:25 pm The inlaid track is very convincing Neil, nice work. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:18 pm thanks f-unit, glad you like it, i cant believe its not even a week since i started this, already got ideas for the next module, but gotta put it on hold for a week as am moving house cheers chris m8, hopefully we can take this to a few shows, no messing around with transport on this one __________________________________________ Comment posted by IanHolmes on Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:45 pm Looking good. The 3-D pictures inside the buildings are a nice effect that works well Ian __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:05 pm thanks ian, i thought so too, when i originally did the building the inside was just brick wall paper, and i sat back and looked at it and realised it had no depth, just looked like a door with a brick wall behind it, so am pretty pleased with that and your good comment means i got the effect i was looking for, thanks again __________________________________________ Comment posted by mines a pint on Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:09 am the 'interior' looks really good as does the track inlaying! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:07 am thanks again russ, works kinda stopped, well for a few hours anyway, got boxes to fill hopefully a trip to the model shop later will bring some smaller details, and some fencing for in front of the wood bros unit. im kinda stuck on what to do with 1 certain corner, to the left of the belfour unit, so im open to any ideas on what to do with it. __________________________________________ Comment posted by stubby47 on Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:33 am How about a couple of stacked portacabins, with some engineering stuff left in a compound outside. Stu __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:43 am thanks stu, thats the kinda thing am after, also gives scope for some little cameos, like a guy welding in the compound, and storage of allsorts of clutter cheers stu, just gotta get the cabins now lol, think they may cost more than the whole layout __________________________________________ Comment posted by matto21 on Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:46 pm Excellent! Love it - looks brilliant! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:35 pm thanks matt, im glad its looking good, just wanna get some details in now, make it look like its used tbh i havent even ran much on it yet, think a running session is in order __________________________________________ Comment posted by ModellingMatt on Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:51 pm This hits my minimum space buttons! Really nice, and you seem to have done a lot very quickly. Can I suggest you don't do much with the blank corner? Manybe to pallets lying around or an abandoned skip and leave it at that? Sometimes less is more... __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:37 am thanks matt, i cant believe how quick its come together either, and im glad it hits your minimum space buttons too. i personally think that iv proved the fact that space and money is no object, and its a fact of the modellers desire to build something to there means, regardless of money and space. i started this project with these facts in mind due to moving to a smaller property, without room for sheds or a spare room to use. and as the project has progressed iv seen the potential of doing such a project has, i.e the modular aspect of using the box file style way of building a layout, and also as i have very minimal stock, its perfect. ok my minimal space rant over with , and back to the space in the corner. i like the idea of matto21 offered of the portacabins, but as im trying to build this on a shoe string and i think that the cabins will probably cost more than the actual layout, i think less is more thinking is the way to go, probably pallets or even a pile of sleepers or never to be used track, which would be keeping with the building being owned by belfour. i think im going to put a fence across the wood bros building to separate the 2 units and fill the yard with wood stacks etc and a couple of forklifts. again thank you for the great comments, things will slow down a little now as its packing and moving time cheers neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by Klingon on Sat Aug 01, 2009 11:00 am Neil, why not sit a couple of figures on those pallets in the corner? Lunchtime __________________________________________ Comment posted by Barcaneatpete on Sat Aug 01, 2009 1:58 pm Looking good - Its amazing how quickly a boxfile layout can come together and this is a prime example - will keep watching with interest - Pete __________________________________________ ??? posted on Sat Aug 08, 2009 1:47 pm hi all, only a little progress to report at the moment as house moving and unpacking has taken over. firstly, thank you everyone for your kind comments, this project seems to be pretty popular. thanks fran, i think a little lunchtime break on the pallets is a must, just gotta whip some pallets up and grab a few figures, hope all is well with you and all down the club managed to dig the layout from beneath the boxes today and covered some areas of the hard standing with a mixture of humbrol matt greys to give it a bit of concret type texture and then a bit of black weathering in the yard and between the rails, and a little greenery in corners and down the sides of the walls and fiddle yard entrance. ufortunalty i have no pics as the camera is somewhere, unknown to anyone __________________________________________ Comment posted by millsie on Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:27 pm wow! looking good, i had started a 009 box file, its interesting to see how you have hired the boards on teh 2x1, where as on mine i just used a couple of poundlands finest pencils to get it just off the base, and then i used a sheet of 60thou plasticard over that as the base board, the gap inbetween is designed for the wires, if i can get a pic of it ill post it martin __________________________________________ Comment posted by jonpandkatew on Sat Aug 08, 2009 4:49 pm Hi Mason, This looks really good. - Is the remaining non-inlaid track going to be ballasted? - I only ask because I had to recently completely abort a box-file because using the water/PVA/dripping method I managed to drench the cardboard and it warped incredibly. I don't know if the pva-track-ballast method would avoid it - I added in a secondary baseboard in my following attempt. Jon __________________________________________ Comment posted by F-UnitMad on Sat Aug 08, 2009 7:21 pm jonpandkatew wrote: I had to recently completely abort a box-file because using the water/PVA/dripping method I managed to drench the cardboard and it warped incredibly. I don't know if the pva-track-ballast method would avoid it - I added in a secondary baseboard in my following attempt. Jon On the Boxfile I built I laid my track on a piece of MDF and ballasted it away from the Boxfile. As it was O scale (yes I did say O scale!) I used the lid as a loading Dock, and that warped when I applied PVA and ground cover, but I was able to bend it back into shape after it dried. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:53 pm thanks to all for the nice comments. millsie, i would like to see the pics if ya have them sounds good the remainder will be ballasted i may do a fine mix of sand and ballast but just thin pva down only slightly, i dont want much water in the base of the box file tbh i never reallythought about a secondary baseboard, i kinda just cracked on with it __________________________________________ Comment posted by witherbrowsclass90 on Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:12 pm looking very good however i must stop reading as the few empty box files in the house are calling out to be turned into a layout hmmmm we shall see - brilliant stuff here though __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:16 pm thanks witherbrow, you know it makes sense to have a go and its really good fun, and tbh its not a major thing if it dont work out, go on get that box file going __________________________________________ Comment posted by millsie on Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:12 pm ok, as promised, here are the pictures of my attempt at a box file, which i feel i must now finnish! the pencils are enough to support teh board but also give enough room for any wire in tube point system and for the wires here are poundlands finest pencils, 50 for ?‚??1 didnt need all 50 but they will come in handy next is the sheet of 60thou plastic cut to size NOTE: slaters plasitkard does not fit, as its A4 sized and the box is bigger than A4! and the plastic in place total hight gained about 5-6mm hope that helps martin __________________________________________ ??? posted on Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:15 pm thanks martin, the pics are pretty cool and an interesting way of giving space within the actual box file, kinda the reverse of what i did, and ticks my boxes of doing it on the cheap how much more have you done with the box file. an update on this one too, well not much to update at the moment, a little bit more greenery added and some more weathering to the hard standing, i promise pics will follow as soon as i get off dial up and my broadband is online again. __________________________________________ Comment posted by millsie on Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:27 am tbh not alot, althought i did buy another box to make either into the fiddle or another part of the scneincs, bearing in mnf tht once again it will be 009 sorry for the bad spelling, but its 4.30Am and im a little worse for ware , the computer was already turned on!! for some reason so i thought i would have a browse:) i will make - yet - another thread about my box file project...when i wake up! god knows what time that will be happy moddeling martin __________________________________________

PILOT ROAD - Box file madness by mason original page on Old RMweb __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:08 pm Well here goes, i decided to jump on the box file band wagon, due to moving to a smaller house and losing my very large kitchen/model rail room. ok, it started with a trip into town and the purchase of the new Hornby mag with the scalescenes freebie, which then followed by a dash to wilkos for some kit building card. i happened to glance at the boxs files, which where reduced to a mere ?‚??1.97, so i got 2, flew home with excitment and started building, i decided to use the scalescene kit from the mag, 2 points, a few oddments of track and some trickery with a few images and some hole cutting in the box file ends, i few bottom supports and within a few hrs id got the basis of a small, industrial layout, measuring just 29" x 10" and easy to store. then it hit me, i need a fiddle yard too, off to wilkos to get another box file it then occurred to me that i had spent a total of around ?‚??13, which included 3 box files, printing card and the Hornby mag. i have to say iv surprised myself how easy it was to get this project off the ground, after all you eliminate the hassle of building baseboards with the box files and i already have plans for a few other modules to build to add to it. well ill leave you with the pics of the progress so far, which has only taken 2 days all comments and tips and pointers welcome cheers neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by IanHolmes on Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:15 pm I like what you've got started there. Very believable arrangement of track and buildings. That scalescenes freebie looks good Ian __________________________________________ Comment posted by Trainsrgr8 on Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:40 pm wow! ?‚??13 and 2 days work, this could be a good solution t ease to boredom over the summer hols! Hope it all goes well! Danny __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:48 pm thanks for the positive comments chaps, im pretty pleased with it so far, obviously ballasting and the finer details to be added, and a little more stock, maybe another 08 and a 33/26/27 type loco, iv already thought of the other module to have a relief siding with another industrial building, and maybe one with a through station, to be honest the limits are endless __________________________________________ Comment posted by mines a pint on Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:51 pm Excellent- love stuff like this! these boxfiles are really catching on arent they! -might I respectfully suggest some extra bracing on the roof of the 'Balfour Beatty' it looks a little as warping has already happened, and more could occur, might be an idea to stop to it sooner rather than later when everything is fully bedded in? __________________________________________ Comment posted by IanHolmes on Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:54 pm mason wrote: thanks for the positive comments chaps, im pretty pleased with it so far, obviously ballasting and the finer details to be added, and a little more stock, maybe another 08 and a 33/26/27 type loco, iv already thought of the other module to have a relief siding with another industrial building, and maybe one with a through station, to be honest the limits are endless Ballast? I'd go with inlaid track myself in that situation. Another idea to consider... Ian __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:57 pm i see what ya mean now , think i need to get the builders in for some repairs, before the goods inside get water damage __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:00 pm yeah that is an idea ian, i did think that at the start but for some reason swayed away from it, but your right it does make sense in the situation, and save alot of cdam, blasts and f**K its __________________________________________ Comment posted by mines a pint on Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:03 pm mason wrote: i see what ya mean now , think i need to get the builders in for some repairs, before the goods inside get water damage Is that building the freebie then? -pretty good considering, think it needs to go on some thick card though or maybe plasticard if you in a damp environment- I can never use card/paper based kits as I model in a cellar! -shame 'cos though I dont really like the superquick/metcalfe style of thing the scalescenes is really top notch! Inlaid track is invariably less messy, though getting everything to fit right can get a bit more involved! __________________________________________ ??? posted on Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:07 pm yeah its the freebie from the Hornby mag, the only downside is that its printed on gloss paper so you have to de-gloss it and because its not on there website you only get 1 shot, hence the dodgy tin roof, but all in all its not bad for a bit of a bashing session. i do like the scalescens stuff they are as you say top notch gear __________________________________________ Comment posted by Chris56057 on Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:27 pm Excellent idea their Neil, the work so far is very good. Its making me consider something alike for a possible N gauge project. __________________________________________ Comment posted by IanHolmes on Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:33 pm mines a pint wrote: mason wrote: : Inlaid track is invariably less messy, though getting everything to fit right can get a bit more involved! Best bit is Russ, this track layout is all straight lines apart from the two points __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:44 am well i think ian im gonna try the inlaid track today, but im a little unsure about the points, how do i inlay them, or do i just leave them for the sake of sanity iv heard ppl talk about using 2mm then 1 mm plasticard, but besides using filla type stuff, which is gonna add obvious weight to the box files, what other options are there???? __________________________________________ Comment posted by dave_long on Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:03 am Fab Foam. You can get it from Hobbycraft and other retailers. A4 or A3 sized sheets and is a very good thicknes and easy to work with. Andy Y has used it between the rails on his Keyhaven layout. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:14 am fab foam, sounds cool thanks dave but i decided to use some card i had laying around as a base and printed a concrete texture onto some thick white card, it seemed to have worked pretty well, got the first setion done and decided its time for a coffee and a dose of RM i think it definatly needs some weathering and weeds in the cracks and corners, but all in all not a bad effort and keeping within my low low bugdet as always all comments welcome cheers neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by stubby47 on Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:23 am That inlaid stuff looks pretty good to me Neil, just make sure it's low enough on the outside to allow the track tops to be cleaned and low enough on the inside so the loco wheel flanges don't ride on it and lift the wheels off the rails (yep, voice of experience...) Stu __________________________________________ Comment posted by IanHolmes on Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:29 am Looking very good so far Ian __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:32 am thanks stu, firstly love your box file harbour, it has been alot of insipartion for this, and yeah i made extra sure, every section i added that went near a rail was checked with a loco and a wagon. i did find something out tho, my over bridge is too low it was high eough for an 08 and a 20, but ran a 60 on it last nite and it got stuck so the over part of the bridge has been removed and im gonna green it all up to look like an old bridge thats been abondened long ago, maybe some pipage over also thanks for the wise words tho stu __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:36 am thanks ian, was your good suggestion, and if it went wrong i was gonna blame you __________________________________________ Comment posted by Ravenser on Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:27 am mason wrote: yeah that is an idea ian, i did think that at the start but for some reason swayed away from it, but your right it does make sense in the situation, and save alot of cdam, blasts and f**K its Inlaid track is almost certainly more authentic , but it does require a certain amount of work to make sure the flangeway gaps are ok (I have fairly vivid memories of hours of filing and fitting plastikard strips as a teenager when building a tramway) Getting a 20 on a box file is good going... __________________________________________ Comment posted by 76079 on Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:22 pm Excellent box file. Question: how did you manage to secure the box files together? __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:08 pm 76079 wrote: Excellent box file. Question: how did you manage to secure the box files together? hi 76079, to answer your question, i basically used some lengths of 2x1 underneath, 1 in the centre and 1 at each end, which in turn create stabillity and feet, that also give space for the track wiring underneath. i pva glued the wood strips to the underside and used small tack pins to pull it in so they fitted nice and tight, i also glued the central pillers where i had cut the 2 box files with pva, the fiddle yard is removable, i left the right hand foot overhanging, and set the foot on the fiddle box back slightly so that they would just slot together without any fuss and line up easily with the sides of the box files. hope that clears your question up, if there is anything else i can help with pls dont hesitate to ask cheers neil __________________________________________ Comment posted by RJL1993 on Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:08 pm Looking good so far. __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:40 pm another update, had a little play around with a few images, and i found a few interior factory pics, which got me thinking to adding depth to the scalescenes building interior so this is what i came up with cheers neil __________________________________________ ??? posted on Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:05 pm well busy afternoon, raining outside so i finished the inlaid flooring, bar weathering and weeds but over all im pretty happy with it. hopefully positive comments but all are welcome cheers neil __________________________________________

Hi all hopefully this works and im on my way to creating and continuing from where i left off with pilot road from the old forum and i think its fitting that this weekend is pilot roads first public outting at the corby exhibition. im also going to try and use the programme that martin wynne has kindly supplied to help us transfer our efforts from the old forum so i wish myself good luck regards neil