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shanks522

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Blog Entries posted by shanks522

  1. shanks522
    Hello all,
     
    I've been plodding along with this doing a little bit at a time, the ballasting is all finished and now requires weathering with an airbrush.
    The scenery is almost complete to a basic level, the freight yard has had a concrete pad fitted (needs painting) and ballast pile, On the station side the platforms have had a coat of paint and some lamps fitted although i managed to knock half of them off when moving the layout, there is also a factory unit and some retaining walls in place,
    I'm not going to do anything with the town section above the station other than paint it a flat grey, i had considered doing it but i would end up spending a fair bit of money that i can't really recoup when its sold.
    Other than the outstanding scenic items to do i also need to install the point levers and connect them up, once that is done i will hopefully sell it on and gain some much needed space in the railway room.
     

     

     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  2. shanks522
    Hello all,
     
    Well its a been a while since i posted in my blog so i thought i'd share something i've been building today.
     
    My brother Stuart has recently sold his N gauge layout and a fair bit of stock as he is heading towards married life and with two layout's in two scales it wouldn't have gone down to well with SWMBO, however he started to venture into DCC a while ago and didn't wish to loose his controller or the few DCC loco's he had. Whilst he was going through items to sell on we came to an agreement that i would take some loco's and the odd bit of rolling stock and in return would build a small layout for him to use his DCC system.
    What i've built is a small terminus capable of holding four coaches and a loco, there are going to be two platforms, one slightly shorter than the other, a couple of freight sidings with a very small cement yard and a line going into the fiddle yard where there are any number of freight facility's.
    I built the boards yesterday out of 9 mm ply, the scenic board is 2' 9'' by 12'' with a 5'' backscene and a matching fiddle yard that fits on top to create a box when not in use.
    Today the majority of the track was fitted with modifications to points etc for dcc, point motors fitted and a first fix of the electrics, once the basics where installed it would have been rude not to test it so i connected the controller (NCE powercab) and it shorted straight away, this had me head scratching for a while then i finally realised i hadn't cut the copperclad, what a plonker! Won't be doing that again. Once the little niggles had been resolved trains ran very smoothly and i spent an hour testing things, All in all a fairly productive day, I'm sure Stuart will start a layout thread when i deliver the layout to him but in the meantime here are a few construction pics.
     

     

     

     
    Partially complete fiddle yard with my new toy for testing.
     

     
     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  3. shanks522
    Hello everyone.
     
    Have been completing quite a few boring jobs of late like electrics etc and one job that got finished today was the lighting pelmet. Its nothing fancy, just a length of ply with some bracing a fluorescent light and bob's your uncle, I have built it so it slides in position either end of the layout using the frame that supports the facia.
     
    Other news has been purchase of a Branor Systems Kam truck, (no connection just very happy customer) What a great little piece of kit, I have always wanted to see the layout from the drivers perspective and this is a brilliant way to achieve it, only down side is that i have found loads of work needed to tidy the lineside up. I'l post some youtube clips once i've worked out how to upload them.
     
    Lastly i would like some advice, I would like to paint the front facia and lighting pelmet but am really unsure of what colour to use, have you any suggestions?
     
    Thanks for reading
     
    Graham.
     
    Kam truck.

     

  4. shanks522

    December Work

    By shanks522,

    Hello,
    Some small jobs have been completed over the last week or so, first to be completed was the remaining ballasting outside the Mail terminal and also a small section behind the fuelling point. Fencing has been added to the retaining walls, fuelling point and also the mail depot, various painting and weathering done.
    Built a Hurst PCV thats been sitting on the bench for far to long, just needs to be painted now. Whilst doing this i also shortened the gap between my mail vans, simple little task of removing the coupling, loose the spring and glue the rapido straight to the bogie but only one end of the vehicle, that way when there coupled together theres still a spring on one side for a bit of play.
    Couple of new additions to the layout, 2 Dapol 86's, and very nice there are to.




     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  5. shanks522
    Hello all, I've been struggling the last few months to get any progress on the layout, There's always things to do but i seem to loose interest quite quickly at the moment, I keep myself busy by building kits or weathering stock etc but work on the layout (especially scenics) has ground to a halt. Nothing major i know but having to wait for kits etc is preventing me doing other work so the knock on effect is nothing gets done and my enthusiasm starts to dry up.
     
    Well this morning i've had plenty of enthusiasm, I have started working on a pelmet for the layout to house some lighting, and i had to test it. So i got the camera and spent an hour just watching the trains go by.
     
    Early morning sleeper running late.

    passes a late running engineers working.

    Next a light engine 66 running North.

    Then on the upper level a pair of EWS 66's on a steel train.

    on the lower level a super voyager rushes towards Euston

    In the UP direction the Pretendolino speeds to Birmingham whilst a freightliner 47 heads for Thamesport.

    Upper level again, this time a Mail train arrives from Plymouth.


    The 08 wastes no time in taking off the rear three vans, then attaches them to a Dover bound train.

    All of a sudden i hear a whistle, Oliver Cromwell working south to Southall.

    In a hurry to catch 70013 i miss a London Midland desiro heading into London,though catch a 60 on a fuel train.

    A few minutes later a Loadhaul 60 passes with a scrap train, then on the lower lines a GBRF liner speeds North.

    67026 has just been fired up and i think is on her way over to the Mail Terminal.

    Once coupled to her train she gets the road and is off to Redhill.

     
    Thanks for reading
     
    Graham.
  6. shanks522
    I have been having a little tidy up of the layout and something that resembles a workbench over the last few days and found a cheap airbrush i bought many moons ago so set about doing some weathering and a respray, The respray is nothing grand, its an olive liveried seacow i picked up specifically to paint in Mainline blue, shame is its the wrong variant but It'l do, i've addded what transfers i can find but need specific white Seacow lettering and Tops panel. (Sure i'l find something somewhere) Whilst painting the wagon i looked at the lovely clean Dutch ones, and as beautiful as they are i think in the mid 2000's they really wouldn't be that clean so decided to weather the whole rake, partly with the airbrush and the rest with weathering powders, i'm quite pleased with results so far, there not fantastic but at normal viewing distance i think very effective.



     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  7. shanks522
    Play with new toys of course.
     
    Hello, Work on the layout has been at a very slow pace this last few months, having to spend a lot of time working on the wiring has drained a fair bit of energy out of me and although i'm happy with what i've achieved, i find that endless wires, burnt fingers and a loss of temper don't do much for my modelling enthusiasm. However, with some time off work, some new toys for christmas i find myself wanting to get on with some work. christmas gifts consisted of a Bardon aggregates 66, a Trainsrail 37, a BDA, MOA and two PCA's plus the remaining mk3's a require for the pretendelino, all in all very spoilt to which i thank my lovely partner, little boy, parents and brother.
    Work on the layout has been to get the housing area fixed to the board and scenery completed around it, I first had to repair a damaged point motor, then install the pillars to support the raised ground, the houses were then screwed down, papier mache built up to the bridge and flock etc applied. The ballasting has also been completed over the pointwork with just a small amount remaining outside the Mail terminal.
    Now for some photos, I received a new camera for my birthday last month and am still trying to better my skills, so heres some for starters.

    I have been playing round with the zoom function and am quite pleased with the results.

    Then with the lights out, i know its very dark but i really quite like this one.

    Had a bit of a stock take (literally) and i now own 8 class 66's, i'm not a great fan but do like the liveries.

    And last but not least, A while ago i was building some kits on the kitchen table when my little boy asked if he could build one, with not much help at all he produced this.

     
    Graham.
  8. shanks522

    Fueling point

    By shanks522,

    Hello, Its been a few weeks so i thought i would give a small update, Had a clear out of some of my older locos which dont quite fit in the era i am modelling, but in doing so i bought two new ones whilst using a well known auction site. first off is 66200 in EWS and then 60006 in British steel blue, got the pair for a 100 quid, very pleased with both.
    The fueling point is pretty much complete now, needs a few more people, vans etc and some weathering but i'm quite pleased with the overall result, I have also fitted lights in the yard, the buffer stops and in some of the buildings. some new signals have also been fitted but are awaiting wiring, next hurdle i've got is to construct the control panel.

     
    Graham
  9. shanks522

    Mail terminal building

    By shanks522,

    Very little work has been done on the layout of late as it is moving rooms and has had to be dismantled for a short while, so today i had a few hours and thought i'd try and get some work on the mail terminal, the building itself is very boring and i'm hoping that with the trains and general clutter around it will fit in quite nicely. It has only been sprayed in primer but i actually like the colour so may leave it so, all it really needs now is the lights fitting inside to highlight the platform and a gentle touch of weathering.
    Graham.
  10. shanks522

    stock increase

    By shanks522,

    Nothing much to update other than some extra stock, I've been working far to hard of late so thought i'd treat myself, recently picked up a Loadhaul 60, The dummy EWS 67, 4x MOAs( very nice to) a dutch seacow, pair of container wagons, also the Bachfar offices and a lovely piece of technology that will run one of my signals automatically. must catch up on weathering and detailing now.
     
    Graham.

  11. shanks522

    Little update.

    By shanks522,

    Its been a fair few weeks since i've done any proper work on the layout and have got some time off work to try and push things forward a little, spent some of yesterday cutting and fitting the required timber for the upper level and also started on the point motors, the junction outside the mail terminal can't have point motors fitted underneath the board because of the lower level trackwork and framework supporting the top level, Its been a bit of trial and error but i'm going to use wire in tube connected to Peco point motors. Signals are next on the agenda, most can be reused from the original layout but now require one signal with feathers for the upper facing crossover, I'm also thinking about installing a trailing crossover from the freight line to the Down main? although not sure.
     
    Graham.

  12. shanks522
    The layout has been out of action for a while whilst it moved rooms, but now in its new home i've been playing (i mean testing of course). with the layout packed away it gave me a little push to get on with things i had been putting off like the mail terminal building and some weathering of stock etc, so tonight i borrowed some of my brothers new acquisition's and played about with the camera. I have also been planning what's next? I need to complete the timber work for the freight line just behind the retaining walls and then start on disguising the mainline that lies in front of the mail depot, ideally i'd like to use some sort of office's where the 73 is but not to sure as to scratch build them or wait for the farish office blocks?
     
    Graham.
  13. shanks522

    Helix is complete.

    By shanks522,

    Well last night i finished construction of the helix, I'm quite pleased this section of the layout is done now as i really enjoy watching the trains climb and decend the slope,(shame it'l be hidden) Its a fairly step gradient of 1 in 39 and i spent a few hours testing different formations of wagons and locos, Most stock is fine but the new JGA's are quite heavy and all the locos struggle except the Farish 60's. In a way i'm glad because it means i've got to use specific locos for freight trains. The other thing i've found useful is that helix adds about 6-7 feet to the running line enabling me to run two trains on the same track, when one is on the lower UP diverging line the other is passing on the top level DOWN line.
     
    Graham.
  14. shanks522
    Well i've survived christmas so now back to modelling, My family were all very generous over the festive period and i've now got a lovely rake of TARMAC JGA's and a Freightliner 57 (I wanted the chassis for a RES 47). Whilst out today shopping for handbags i managed to slip into the local model shop and grab a couple of points i needed to complete some of the upper level trackwork, It looks a little strange in the photos but hardly any of it will be visible when complete with scenery, both the 57 and 66's are sitting in what will be the mail terminal and i'm going to disguise the mainlines behind some sort of office block about 6 inches back from the signal.
    I'm having to add pointwork in all over the place at the moment and have found that in doing so i'm opening up all sorts of different operating moves which i find quite an enjoyable part of constructing a layout, never been one for sticking to a trackplan.
    Also had some of my brothers stock over for a run, very impressed with the 150.
     
    Graham.
  15. shanks522
    Had a good few hours modelling this weekend, ballasted the diverging line so i can complete the bridge's both front and back, then made a start on the Mail terminal, I made a mock up last week and have been toying with all sorts of ideas of what to do, I was going to try and fit three roads in similar to Bristol but there's just not enough room for the pointwork (three way point in N would be a god send), So settled for the two lines instead. Also started to construct the actual terminal building, at the moment its just a shell but will get on with insides, roof details etc later, plan to install lights to.
    One thing i'm really struggling with is photos of Willesden PDRC, must have spent nearly all of yesterday (Except for xmas shopping) trying to find photos of the terminal on the Net and in magazines, also need to find a supplier of Brute trolleys in N, pretty sure i've seen some on here? and some good Vans and Trucks to convert to Royal Mail vehicles. should keep me out of trouble for a while.
  16. shanks522
    The last few days have been very fruitful indeed, birthday yesterday and some great gifts arrived, my lovely girlfriend got me a schenker 66 and a JGA, brother some more JGA's and my parents a 67 and a lot of track. This now means i can get on with the upper level, just finished building the right hand side incline and laying the track, also picked up some plasticard and paint to make a start on the Mail terminal. Still a little undecided about this section, I'm toying with running the overhead wires along this stretch but not sure?
    Graham.
  17. shanks522

    Smithdown rd Junction

    By shanks522,

    Welcome to Smithdown rd Junction, a lovely part of North London where railway lines emerge from every angle connecting East to West and North to South, The layout is supposed to portray somewhere around the wembley area, with the main lines on the lower level, two going to Euston and two diverging to the east to connect freight and mail to other London termini. The upper level will have a Mail terminal, a mainline running from the north east to the south west, and a freight connection to the WCML from the south. This is a rebuilt version of the original layout and i will post pictures over time comparing the two. The time frame will be around 1999 to 2007 ish.
  19. shanks522

    It moves.

    By shanks522,

    Hello, Its been about two months since i've done anything on the layout due to it being stored while i destroyed and rebuilt a bedroom, that now finished i can start on its new home. The layout has its own legs which are fine but now it's going to be living in the smallest room in the house and because i am still working on electrics and the fiddle yard dragging it out to work on is quite hard. I needed a different approach so that access to the rear of the layout would be easier and came up with the idea of mounting a frame on the wall, then attach drawer runners with another frame on top to support the layout.
    Well today i built it and i'm really pleased with how its come out, when the layout is pulled forward i have just shy of 2' of space at the back which is ample. Glad the layout is back up as my mojo was slowly dwindling, now to play with new toys.
    Cheers
     
    Graham.


  20. shanks522
    Hello all,
     
    I'm working on several different projects at the moment and almost all of them are at a standstill either due to the hot weather or awaiting materials so today whilst feeling a little bored i got on with something that has been put aside for months.
    A few years ago i purchased a selection of Kato unitrack to see what it was like and possibly build some kind of test track, at first i would set it up on the kitchen workbench (sorry table) and would run in new locos and just have a general play around. Months would go by and occasionally it would be set up with different ideas but usually would go back into its box awaiting its next play time, then about six months ago i was having a clear out in the workshop and discovered a scrap of 9mm ply about 2' 6'' by 4' 4'' which would make a good size test track, i played around for a few days with the track and settled on something not to complicated but more fun than a simple loop, it has two circuits with an additional loop at one end a couple of goods sidings and a bay for a loco or dmu.
     
    This was used a few times but in reality i didn't need a test track so it just sat against the wall in the railway room, however, upon clearing the bits and pieces box recently i found quite a few scenic items that could make it into a half decent layout so with this in mind i'm going to use what materials i have to get it to a reasonable state and sell it on.
    The track was glued to the bare board months ago but i never bothered to frame the ply as it was used only a handful of times so today i set about making it a little more rigid, to cut a long story short it now has an outer frame with some cross bracing, a central backscene that doesn't fully cut the layout in half and a removable town section across the station. The idea i've got for the backscene is to view both sides of the layout separately with the scenery continuing in a U shape around it, one side has the station which will disappear under the town, the other will be more rural and go into some tunnels.
    Like the title says i'm building this purely to sell on, so whilst i will get pleasure from the construction hopefully someone else will enjoy a ready built layout.
     

     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  21. shanks522
    Hello all,
     
    I seem to be having a few productive days of late, Todays task was to push my brothers new layout along so out came the tools and i made a start on the bridge that forms the scenic break to the fiddle yard, nothing to adventurous, embossed brick for the walls some plastic strip and a couple of Peco bridge sides job done. I was going to leave it a redish brick colour but instead decided on an engineers blue brick that has been fairly weathered, overall i'm fairly pleased with it.
    Whilst the paint was out i painted the base colour to the aggregate yard then fitted the conveyer, hopper etc plus some fencing and a portacabin.
     
    Other work recently completed has been fitting all the platform edging, hiding 3 Dapol uncoupling magnets in the track and about half the ballasting, one thing i or he needs to do is source about 4 feet of code 40 rail so i can install the 3rd rail into the platforms.
    One platform has now been filled with decorating filler and sanded flat, i can't finish platform one until the bridge is fixed in place so need to get it glued in and crack on.
     
    New bridge
     

     

     
     
    Graham.
  22. shanks522
    Hello,
     
    Spent a pleasant day at the Bexhill model railway exhibition with Smithdown Rd Junction, A lovely show, some very good layouts and a very friendly atmosphere.
     
    heres a few pictures from the day.
     
    Really impressed with the signals on BLS Sud Rampe.
     

     

     
    Detford.
     

     

     
    Ashington.
     

     

     
    I think this is Nant-y-glo Mine.
     

     
    Hayes lane.
     

     
    Mineral point.
     

     
    And lastly mine.
     

     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  23. shanks522

    New toys

    By shanks522,

    Hello all, Theres not really much i can write here as the photos will speak for themselves, A few new locos joined the fleet this week, they were resprayed and weathered by Mercig studio's, i'm over the moon with them. (no connection with Mercig other than a very happy customer).
    37229 & 37069

    37203

    90019

    Altogether

    37's on the fuelling point

     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  24. shanks522

    Kato layout finished

    By shanks522,

    Hello all,
     
    Finally finished the Kato test track / layout. I've done odd jobs to it over the last couple of months but just never seem to get anywhere fast so for the last few days i concentrated on getting it completed, There is one remaining job which is to connect up a final point motor but i'm waiting on a new lead arriving, once thats done i shall put it in the classifieds here and hopefully it will get a new home.
     
    Few pics of the finished layout.
     

     

     

     

     
    Cheers
     
    Graham.
  25. shanks522
    Hello all,
     
    I haven't used the blog section for a while but thought i'd share a new project i'm building with my dad.
     
    Many many moons ago ( 1963 to be precise ) my father went to Austria on a school trip and despite being a dyed in the wool steam fan was very taken with austrian electric locos, this planted a seed which would years later manifest itself in this new layout that is currently under construction.
     
    My dad recently discovered that a company called kleinbahn were still trading and also still producing models that he'd purchased back in the 60's, by current standards the models are fairly crude but they have a certain charm that makes them very enjoyable, ( so much so that i've got a few items now! ) he's bought a fair bit of stock and we are now in the process of building a layout in the spare room.
     
    A few photo's to show the progress to date.
     
    A general view of the fiddle yard which sits beneath the future main station.
     

     
    A few loco's on the stops.
     

     
    The opposite end which curves 90' and starts to climb up to the main layout.
     

     
    More to come soon!
     
    Graham & David.
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