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Neil C

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  1. Neil C

    Early days...

    By Neil C,

    The plan:
     
    Re-use an existing 4'x1' baseboard to create a simple micro-layout that:


     
    can be stored on its end under my stairs
    allows some simple shuffling of wagons around
    doesn't look too cluttered.

     
     
    Where I am so far:
     


     
    Baseboard exists from previous layout
    Track has arrrived (Peco Code 75)
    New Xuron track-cutters have been delivered
    Track-plan exists in my head
    Stock exists but needs weathering a 3-link coupling-ing.

     
    Some more background can be found on the old site at: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=50633
     
    I hope to properly start work later this week.
  2. Neil C

    Era/Region Dilemmas

    By Neil C,

    Part of the plan for this new layout is to keep it as simple (both in terms of scenery and trackwork) as possible in order to reasonably move region according to whatever stock I have at hand to run.
     
    Currently I don't have a great deal, and what I do have is mainly Southern in origin (BR liveried Q1 and M7, plus a green 08 shunter, a selection of green Mk1s). I have just acquired a Darlington-based Standard 4mt 2-6-0, though, and have a long term plan to build something based properly in County Durham. But then there's the forthcoming Beattie 'Well' tank...and Heljan Type 2 Sulzers...and so on. Oh, and I've got a Heljan Class 15 pre-ordered. So, it needs to be flexible.
     
    I would love to show a trackplan, but at the moment I don't have one drawn out in a usable file (not only am I adjusting to the new RMWeb, I've just shifted from PC to Mac, so I'm feeling a bit technologically clumsy). Words will have to suffice at the moment.
     
    Thus, the premise is this: a backwaters branchline off a secondary mainline, somewhere in the south/north east/east anglia/forest of dean/north cornwall - delete as applicable - has reached a stage of near closure, truncated due to flooding/uneconomical engineering works further up the line, and a small halt with goods facilities remains about 3 miles along the remaining route. It clings on to life for three (slightly improbable) reasons. The nearby colliery is still producing just enough coal to be viable; a nearby town and country house sustain a small amount of inwards goods; very occasional special trains taking guests of the country house (shooting trips, etc).
     
    The trackplan consists of two points, and an off-baseboard fiddleyard/stick. No runaround loop, so propelling moves will be required. I'll do a separate entry on possible operating moves a little later.
  3. Neil C

    Influences

    By Neil C,

    As mentioned previously on the last incarnation of RMweb, the things that have led to this plan are:
     


     
    Neil Rushby's fantasticShell Island
    A holiday spent walking around the Forest of Dean
    A longstanding interest in the colliery branchlines of County Durham and Northumberland
    This Youtube footage of a Northumberland branch line at the end of its days
    Mines a Pint's Deadwater Burn

     
    I'm seriously constrained by space, and am happy to with the idea if simple shunting, but at the same time want to create a believable scene; my last effort just had too much track on the baseboard to allow for much scenery. So, I've decided to go for probably less than I could fit in, in the hope of making for a better overall appearance.
     
    It's also important to me that the operation if believable: that these trains are going somewhere for a purpose (even if that purpose relies a lot on the imagination, and some slightly tenuous fictitious circumstances).
     
    Hopefully it will work...
  4. Neil C
    After a good few weeks of inactivity (work; christmas; real life, etc) I've actually done a small amount of modelling today. The two turnouts were modified to allow proper live frog operation, and the track was cut to fit, using a shiny new pair of Xuron cutters. It might not sound much, but psychologically it feels important: for some reason I'd been putting off the point modifications for far too long, as I just couldn't get my head around them. This explanation helped a lot.
     
    Next I need to mark up where the various holes need to be drilled, and get on with the drilling. Then wiring up and connecting the point motors (SEEPS left over from the last layout).
     
    I've yet to work out exactly what I want to do with the fiddleyard, but I think a 'fiddlestick' solution may work best. I plan a trip to a DIY store for inspiration soon.
  5. Neil C

    Action

    By Neil C,

    I have, at last, laid the track and wired it (almost all) up. I seem to have managed to get the live frogs working properly, just need to wire the point motors to throw the blades.
     
    I might even manage a photo later. A trip to B&Q is planned for some 'fiddlestick' inspiration.
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