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Claude_Dreyfus

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Blog Entries posted by Claude_Dreyfus

  1. Claude_Dreyfus
    As some may have been aware on the previous incarnation of RMWeb I, and a number of others, have been regularly posting updates on a our club project ??“ the 00 layout Weyford-on-Sea. Although a large layout which is currently taking a lot of our efforts, it is only part of our club endeavours and interests.
     
    Weyford is of course not the only layout from our club that is represented on here, there was a thread with a number of pictures posted of our N gauge layout Cottleston Park, as well as our projected new layout, Torii Ito ??“ Japanese Suburban in N. This blog is designed to cover all these projects, as well as new plans, designs and to hopefully provide an insight into our club and what we get up to. In view of this, it may be fitting to give a small overview of who we are as a club.
     
    As our name suggests, the club has spent most of its years located in or around the village of Liphook, about mid-point between Guildford and Portsmouth on the Portsmouth direct line. It is not a big club, about 12 members or so, but what is lacked in numbers is more than made up for in diversity of interest, ranging from T Gauge up to G, via Z, N, H0e, 009. Ho, 00 and 0 ??“ with members interested in both DC and DCC. We have members who are involved with the N gauge society and Gauge 0 Guild, as well as innumerable other country societies.
     
    A quick plug here??¦ If anyone here comes from the Petersfield/Haslemere area (or further afield; I have a 36 mile round trip every Friday!) and are after a club to join, let us know.
     
    As a further point, below are the links to our layout threads on the old RMWeb:
     
    Weyford - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=32646
    Torii Ito - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=42332
     
    Anyway, enough of the publicity??¦we??™ve been working, as you will see??¦.
  2. Claude_Dreyfus

    Weyford on Sea

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    A quick recap??¦
     
    Weyford on Sea is our club??™s 00 layout, intended to depict a former Southern Railway terminus in the 1950??™s. Plenty of Dorset sun, sand and sea, served by lots of lovely Bulleid Pacifics, King Arthurs, Lord Nelsons etc. It is unashamedly a harking back to the days when holidays usually meant packing the bucket and spade, and hopping onto the train to the coast??¦
     
    When we left you on the earlier RMWeb, work was continuing apace in the docks area. This is fed by a branch line from the main station. There is an island platform, with a couple of loops and a few sidings. Most of the track work around here is being set into the ground, which is both a long and tedious job??¦plenty of foamboard and DAS modelling clay! An initial flick of paint has gone over the DAS, and things are starting to look promising.
     
    Eventually much of this area will be covered over by the ferry and flying boat terminals ??“ Weyford has direct links with the channel islands , which is based on the terminal buildings at Southampton and is currently under construction. Pictures will be posted in due course!
     
    Anyway, I have taken a couple more pictures showing the progress with track inlaying, as well as scenic work with the cliffs and embankment retaining walls. Full marks to Tony for the foamboard constructions, which currently look a little WHITE, but will very much look the part after a nice flick of paint. You will be glad to know that the main line bridge will soon be sorted out as well??¦.



  3. Claude_Dreyfus

    Petworth Town

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    So we have a location; a small market town in the heart of West Sussex deemed important enough to have its own branch line connection to the ???main line??™ two miles to the south. In hindsight it should have been clear to the LBSCR that they were on to a hiding to nothing, Petworth station was just about breaking even, so how the town could ever hope to sustain a branch of its own was a mystery ??“ the Lords of Leaconfield were a very persuasive lot!
     
    Ever since I had this idea, to me there was only one location for the station site; what is now the town??™s main car park.
     
    http://maps.google.c...petworth&tab=vl
    Zoom in to the third notch from the top and pan down by two clicks; the car park is obvious.
     
    The shape of the car park, along with the surrounding geography, lends itself perfectly to the site for a small station ??“ single platform with a couple of sidings. Nothing flash in terms of goods traffic as the heavy agricultural stuff was handled at the junction station.
     
    Immediately to the north of the site is a large building which is the former bakery. For Petworth Town, this is an ideal, albeit small-scale, source of traffic. In addition, the main street up from the south passes at a lower level to the west of the site. The houses which line Pound Street are an interesting array of Georgian and earlier structures.
     
    What of course is lacking are the railway structures, which inevitably will need to be scratch-built. There are plenty of candidates; however the first list of buildings and their prototypes are as follows:
     
    Station Building ??“ Fittleworth or Selham ??“ I really like the idea of the LBSCR ???Country House??™ style, as at Midhurst, Cocking, Singleton and Lavant ??“ as well as the Bluebell railway and several others, however this may be a little large and overpowering for the site.
     
    Signal Box ??“ Midhurst South
     
    Goods Shed ??“ Fittleworth (more a small office than a shed of any substance)
     
    Railway Cottages - Petworth
     
    Passenger trains are in the hands of a set of Etched Pixels 4-wheelers (have the kit, still to build it!), freight stock will come from a variety of sources. Motive power, as already suggested this will be in the capable hands of the Terrier tanks ??“ until Dapol produce the Stroudley D1 that is??¦
  4. Claude_Dreyfus

    Cottleston Park

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    Cottleston Park comes out of storage.
     
    Last Saturday our club??™s N Gauge layout, Cottleston Park, was finally set up following a year in storage. Fortunately it was secure and dry, so the scenics are none-the-worst from their ordeal. Controllers are being plugged in on Friday, so we can see how the electrics have fared.
     
    Originally built as a UK outline layout, set from the 1980s onwards, changing tastes and club membership has resulted in insufficient UK stock to do the layout justice. The question is what to do with Cottleston Park, which is a nice looking layout, and in recent times has become more and more reliable. Looks like a change in the location portrayed may be in the offing, but where? Watch this space??¦
     
    The layout is due for exhibition in February, so we have a little time to do some modifications. New pictures will follow in due course??¦
  5. Claude_Dreyfus

    Cottleston Park

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    As promised, here are a couple of photos of Cottleston Park.
     
    Scenicly things will change, mainly in terms of buildings in the town area, most of which are standard Kestrel kits, out-of-the-box Liddle End, Farish paper-on-block and Metcalf. All have done their job in a respectable fashion, however this was really the main weakness of the layout. The only real plus points in this department are the contributions from Tony G, especially his total transformation of the kestrel shops in the 5th picture - the quality here has to be seen to be believed!
     
    Anyway, a very bare layout looking away from the station, the Kestrel semis had yet to be unpacked when thsis picture was taken. The bushes will need tidying up and general improvements.

     
    Next is a view of the main lines heading up the 1/40 gradient towards the dual carriageway crossing on the flyover in the distance. The difference in shade of the ballast is deliberate, to emphasise the main lines - which also use code 55 track. I like the gentle sweep of the curve, and the stark contrast between this and the more down-at-heal yards to the left. Don't worry, that is not a loco depot in the distance, but a stabling point which when running to full potential is a very useful operational feature to have.

     
    The wind turbine is motorised, although the blades turn a little too fast. I like the visual impact this thing has, although it needs to have its base blended into the scenery a little better. The original concept was that the land this occupies, as well as the industrial units in the forground, was originally a locomotive shed; complete with turntable. Only the turntable pit remains, now filled with water - hence the pond being circular!

     
    Now back to the town. Tony G helped rescue the semis to the right of the picture. Also to the right can be seen the branch line, which certainly adds a little more operational interest.

     
    Tony's fine modelling can be seen in the row of buildings towards the back of this picture.

     
    Finally, some trains! A pair of Japanese units more likely to be seen on the Chuo main line out of Tokyo...

     
    Apologies to all those who cannot view these pictures yet; myself included so I hope they turn out fine! Hopefully your turn will come in the next day or so!
  6. Claude_Dreyfus

    T Gauge Musings

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    Some may recall a while ago I was looking to build a T Gauge model. Now I know space cannot be used as an excuse here, the issue was simply one of time. During the interim, I did a little bit of work on John's 'Lynnbottom' layout, on the scenic side. Now the T Gauge manufacturer, Eishindo, have a number of exciting items in the pipeline including points (hurrah! ) and the Kiha 40 diesel railcar - much to look forward to.
     
    Something that has been planned for quite a while are road vehicles, and I have been itching to get hold of some. Fortunately I live about 10 miles from one of the main UK dealers for Eishindo products, Gaugemaster. Whilst down there the other day, collecting my Dapol Terrier 'Brighton Works' I noted a package marked 'T Gauge vehicles'. Investigations confirmed that these were a sample pack sent over, therefore representing one of a very small handful in the UK (probably single figures).
     
    Slight problem though....they are unpainted kits!
     
    Pictures below....


     
    The detail is incredible - these are taxis...

     
    ...some with open doors!

  7. Claude_Dreyfus

    Weyford

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    A few more pictures from the last week as a progress update.
     
    The next job around the docks area is to complete the platform tops. This is in the capable hands of Ben and looks pretty god so far. The M7 is one of 009Matt's forays into the big stuff .

     
    Evidently Hornby know something about the M7 that none of us at the club were aware of

     
     
    Finally, also from the workshops of 009Matt are a number of soldiers out and about on the cliff top...

  8. Claude_Dreyfus

    It's Showtime!

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    A landmark decision was made made on Friday.
     
    As of next year Cottleston Park will be no more, replaced for one show only by Cote-le-Stone and thereafter as a Japanese outline layout!
     
    Work is already started on the scenics to shift it away from the UK scene to something a little more exotic...
     
    Shows to be attended next year will be the Alton Febex - as Cote-le-stone and then the Midhurst show on the 28th February in full Japanese splendour!
     
    A Japanese name was selected last Friday, however may need to think again as this matches the name of one of the Tokyo underground lines...can't really have that, so a couple more ideas will be kicked around and hopefully agreed in the next day or so.
  9. Claude_Dreyfus

    Cottleston Park

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    A few more snaps of Cottleston Park (still being referred to as such until a new name is decided upon (although should it now be Cote-le-Stone?)).
     
    First up is 009Matt's Tomytec Portram. Looks good and runs well, but the question is how long will it remain like this before it get butchered into the latest incarnation from the East Hants workshop?

     
    Next up is a visior from Hong Kong - a Ktt set produced as a limited edition by Kato. Yes, the loco does look suspiciously like an SBB class 460. A very unusual model, but the carriages are a little sensitive over the points...

    Another incursion from Holland - a class 1800 locomotive...on Swiss stock?!

     
    Ahh, thats better. Something else from the land of the rising sun. This is the M250 container FMU - 16 cars of impressiveness! The prototype runs between Tokyo and Osaka along the Tokaido main line in 6 hours. Not a common sight as it tends to make these runs at night...

     
    Finally something a little more sedate. One of the new Kato DE10 locomotives atop a rake of Micro Ace Wamu box vans. The detail on the wagons is very good, and each of the 15 carry individual numbers - they came in a single book set. They are also fairly heavy for their size and it's just as well the little DE10 is like its full size brother and packs quite a punch in haulage terms.

     
     
     
  10. Claude_Dreyfus

    Weyford

    By Claude_Dreyfus,

    With all the excitement of the Japanese layout conversion getting underway, attention has somewhat shifted from Weyford. Work does continue here, with attention being mainly given to adding the cobbles to the yard end and painting the 'concrete' at the other. Martin is busy fitting the cobbled surface...

    At the other end, Ben has been experimenting with spraying painting the concrete surface.


    Further scenic work is continuing down at our host's house, where a number of new buildings are under construction, as well as further scenic treatment to the board linking the docks with the main station area...
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