MRDBLUE17

Hi Peter, Those latest photos are great and I can just imagine how much fun you must have had running that lot - certainly looks a busy Summer Saturday and even the engineers with the 47 on at the back ready for some Sunday ballast duties as well - excellent! For me I would probably want to go in the 108 sat behind the drivers cab looking through the glass ahead - brilliant as a kid doing that on trains out of Barrow to Lancaster! We had a school trip once from Barrow to Port Sunlight - I think the whole of the primary school went bussed to the station where there was a specially chartered train made up of several 108 units to take us there and back I think it was in about 87 but not certain as would have been 7 or 8 at the time. We never got another trip like that again! Thanks, Mark

Thanks for all the comments/questions: Pete the backscene will hopefully be photographs to suit the area - the main board will be a lot of sky through the trees along the back of the station area and need to get some hills right in the background around the viaduct - the backscene boards are not traditional shaped at each end with the idea being to draw you in and create different viewpoints - well that is the plan. The grass is just a very rough base using hanging basket liner and this will get lots of different scenic materials added once all the ballast, backscene etc are added so that it can all become overgrown which should add a bit more realism to the scene - I have been collecting some of the new Hornby trees which do look very good and should cover some of the trees found around the station as well. Good advice Scott - I have added it where it is for now for my own safety as it is the one part I don't need to go under. Eventually I plan to swap this with something more encased as need to run some other electrics for lighting on the scenic section and this will go back for eventual use again with my old N-guage controller but wanted to get my points up and running. Peter - Following all that DCC banter on your thread as you can clearly see all you need is 2 wires! If only that were true but it is well worth taking the time to put in lots of droppers so each section is live avoids any dead areas on the points as the little contacts under the blades tend to drop under heavy locos which can be really frustrating with sound locos but so far I am really happy with the way mine is behaving. 37401 was the first loco I got from Andi of Cairnsroadworks a few years ago on ebay it is the older Bachmann model but it is one of my favourite locos in its very battered condition so will be a regular performer on the line. Carl thanks for that and was really good to meet you at Perth! The wife did question your xxx comment until she remembered the naughty noch scene added to the back bedroom window on my other layout Victory Road! Rannochs will be a bit more Benny Hill if it goes ahead! Thanks, Mark

Hi Everyone, Been a while since the last update! The buildings had there outing to Perth show at the end of June on the DEMU stand and it was great to meet and talk to so many of you that had seen my thread on here and thanks for all the kind comments as well! Perth show also meant I could get some more items needed for Rannoch and thanks to Charlie at DC kits I was able to get hold of 3 Lenz 150 accessory decoders for controlling the points. I should have got the 4th one to complete my whole layout! I also got some more bits from ten commandments to allow some more scenic work to take place at some point. Anyway the wiring work for the points has been progressing well and all connections to the storage yard area are wired although will need to be soldered together and tidied up a bit when I get some more parts but was keen to get it completed for operating. The points are peco motors and I have an old gaugemaster transformer with 2 16v AC supplies used to power them - this will also be used to power some other lighting features in the future once some other components are made and wired in. This unit is well over 25 years old and came off my old N-guage layout that I had aged 7 which was included in the house we were moving too as the owner could'nt take it with him and was going to scrap it til my mother said I would like it. The viewing we were taken to included a special operating session so I could work everything when I moved in! Anyway the photos show some of the work involved and also some trains at Rannoch with 37401 North bound to Mallaig with some TTA's in tow. 66068 was in the south bound loop with the empty Alcan train from Fort William and I was suprised to see 60026 crossing the viaduct with an empty ballast working. I have added sound to 66068 by swapping the Bachmann decoder from another loco and 60026 is my only sound fitted 60 using an early Howes chip that appeared in Model Rail as part of the class 60 masterclass a while back and is too much fun to just sit in its box! Once all the wiring is done I will be able to get on with the scenic work and ballasting at some point in the future! thanks for looking any questions or comments welcome, Mark

Hi Dave, That 107 looks superb! The weathering is very effective and adds so much to the bright shiny model I have seen in the shop! Great videos as well - that sound chip is excellent and some nice functions on it too. My 2 108's will need to get fitted in the future after hearing that! I'm glad you still have so many projects planned as it will keep the new updates coming on here so we can all see your layout! Thanks, Mark

Hi Peter, That 150 looks great at Lanbourne and adds further variety to your already interesting fleet and it goes nicely with your 142 - the colours look to be very good between the units as well! Now when are those 20's running your summer passenger services as in the photo! The detail around the little hut is amazing and the way you have created the weather beaten look is very effective! Thanks, Mark

Hi Pete, Those 47's look really good - the weathering and detailing really brings them to life and that shot for picture of the week is outstanding and a good choice by Andy as it looks so realistic. Very useful shots of the signal box as well as it is great for weathering and picking out the brick details. The 150 is a good choice to add to your varied DMU fleet and will look forward to seeing it at Lanbourne in the future. Thanks, Mark

Hi Dave, I moved to Edinburgh towards the end of 1999 when LRT still had some Nationals in service and back then lived in Stockbridge before moving to the south side in Newington. They were always on route 13 Lochend to Blackhall at the time and also used to see them on the 49 and 36 service. Until the Darts replaced many of them. They seem to have finished in service in 2003 and one was painted yellow for the museum shuttle bus that did appear on Waverley bridge but that was in 2002. I did a quick search of Edinburgh Leyland Nationals and found this link below and it reminded me of the old Atlanteans that used to be in service although I by the time I really noticed them they were mainly used for driver training but the link had a couple of photos from 13th December 1985 with 2 of them on service 27 WFS260K and WFS 295K. This route is usually doubles so probably mostly has been over the years but on most routes something different does appear to the normal types from time to time so a National might have worked it at some point. Interesting to note that the last traditional stepped buses in Madder and White - Alexander bodied Royales from 96-98 - There are 2 versions o this model out just now one limited by Harburn Hobbies have started to dissappear but the modern fleet is starting to revert to the traditional colours in a modern style instead of the white Harlequins livery. Just hope some models come out in that soon. http://www.jim.nisbet.dsl.pipex.com/buses/buses.htm Hope that is of some help. Mark

Hi Dave, That night shot of the 37 and 27 is brilliant. Your model of 37 043 is very impressive and would look good passing through Rannoch - not that I intend to model that era as I would have to buy more stock! I had noticed that LRT Leyland National on your previous photos that brings back memories as they still operated up to 2002 although usually only on route 13 as per the model and also on route 49 which I somtimes caught to or from work when it use to run down towards Leith! I like them but they certainly bumped along and the engine had a nice roar to it by then! Thanks, Mark

Hi Alex, Those two 60's look superb as always - I think your shed would look great just full of 60's and a few 56's for good measure as well! The lifting jacks are very well done by Bachmann - I might have to pick up a pack for myself when I see some. At some point I will be running my new rake of green BP tanks with a suitable 60 on Rannoch haing just picked them up from Morecambe yesterday! Just thought I would share with you the paint colours I use for brickwork in case its of any use to you. I have also reversed my painting method which I did during the platform faces as it seems to give me better results with slightly less work. I have taken to painting the plastic brick sheet using railmatch acrylic concrete colour paint as this seems to go on in one coat fairly well for me over the entire section being painted. Leave this to dry overnight seems best as it goes off completely. I then use 3 enamel shades for the brickwork - Revell Matt 37 which is a nice dull red shade and this is used as my main base colour - using a nice flat brush this is dry brushed on at a 45 degree angle corner to corner on the bricks as this helps keep the brush from only touching the faces of the bricks and keeping the mortar clean. I then use Humbrol Matt 62 a quite bright orange brown shade out of the tin this is used to pick out some highlight bricks and create some texture to the shades. I use a small brush and paint individual bricks neat for this. Do as many or little as you want. Since changing to this method I then use Revell Matt 83 which I dry brush on again to darken patches as this is a nice dull brown colour to help age and tone down the brick work. From this point you can then use andy dirty brown, black and green shades to weather the brickwork - I use tamiya acrylics for this just because I have some in but anything will do to create the effect you want. I use to paint the brickwork first using the enamels and then when dry ran some water over the surface before dabbing in the concrete acrylic shades - this works well to tone down brickwork but sometimes left the surface too white washed and pale and then I had to go over some bricks again to bring out some colour. Doing it this way works well on stone cast structures though. It is probably worth trying out a few methods and match colours from photographs as once you find the shades you like it is best to stick with these on all the related structures any offices etc or brick bases around fuel tanks as it will help create continuity and that extra realism throughout which your finished layout will have! Thanks, Mark

Hi Alex, I really like the look of the shed - your careful choice of materials will pay off with the overall result and mocking up a small section gives you the best idea of how the whole shed will look when finished. I did the same when making the platforms on Rannoch the only thing now is painting it all and the only tip is take your time with it as you can get a lot of subtle shades in your brickwork which will just bring the whole building to life even when nothing is moving. In fact weathering all that building could actually be quite a fun job if you can et out in the garden doing it in the sun. Great to see the progress continues - although lets hope we don't have too much tme for modelling when England progress tomorrow! Thanks, Mark

Hi Everyone, I am trying to get on with Rannoch as and when I can although the hot weather, football and now tennis are all having an impact. I have started to make post it notes of sections of the layout using reseach shots found on the internet to get the details right as much as possible. These are very basic scribbles to show positions of things with little notes to show what each dash or dot is meant to be. This will save me some time as I can just get on and do some modelling when I have the chance. I have finished painting the south end section of platform. I did this section first as it has the tightest curves around it and also being a small section would allow me to get the look of it right using the materials available to me. I have finished painting the plastic sections and added some pink granite chips in the centre as the real thing. I am pleased with how it has come out but on the rest of it I will be adding the thin concrete slabs painted white that edge the ballast sections from the brickwork. The colours used for the purple shades in the brickwork used for the paving are a base of railmatch acrylic - West Coast Railway Maroon with some red brick humbrol dry brushed over the top and I am quite pleased with that. The narrow row of yellow nobbly slabs was painted using railmatch brake dust with concret for the edge slabs with the whit edge picked out. To be honest this small section has taken ages to get to this and I am not looking forward to doing the rest of the platform but I want it to look right so it has to be done. I did enjoy adding the fence along the rear of the cottage that will appear at the North end of the station. This is by ten commandments and you get some nice drilled cast posts and some very fine nylon wire. I used my hand drill to add some small holes for the posts to go in and fixed them in place with some superglue. I had marked out a line for these first and put the posts in at 1 and a 1/4 inch gaps. The posts were painted with 2 coats of railmatch concrete. The wire was then threaded along the top row, then back along the next and so on before being cut at each end and superglued to set the right tension. I have also added a pack of there cable trunking as well to suit based on photos of the real thing at the North end of the station - I must get more of this at Perth. This still needs to be painted but I am pleased with how it looks so far. I also altered a wills shed kit by cutting it shorter before assembly and have distressed the door slightly to make it more weather beaten, still more work to do but it will sit in the cottage garden. If anyone is going to Perth exhibiton on Saturday I will be taking the station building from Rannoch to display on the DEMU stand so you can get a close up look it then. Although it still has a lot of fine details to be added before it is complete you will be able to see how it has been built so far. Hope you like these little details and will hopefully meet some of you at Perth if you can make it. Any questions or comments welcome. Thanks, Mark

Hi Dave, I really like the weathering on the 150 you have done it really brings that livery to life. I have one in the first north western blue livery and also got a cheap 150 split from a set. It is a real shame about the motor block in them when even the 108 arrangement would have been better with internal lights fitted as well. Still might have to fit those etches in the future. Have you seen Harburns are doing the Swoosh livery with model rail. Not sure if you plan to go that modern on Waverley but I remember that livery on them during the first few years I lived up here so already have my name down for one. The 107 is a really nice model - very sharp printing and I will look forward to seeing yours when it is done. I really want a 101 in that livery for Victory Road as they were in the final years of operation in the North west. 37043 is a cracking model as well and another fine addition to your fleet. Pete - a 150 would look good on Lambourne and would add further variety to your impressive fleet. Thanks, Mark

Don't know how I managed to miss this! Sounds a really good spec for these units and I will certainly be getting one in Northern livery. Although not a unit I know well I did use to see them between Carnforth and Lancaster and odd times at Morecambe on Leeds services and as this fits into my West Coast plans for the future will fit in brilliantly and add yet more variety to my Northen and First North Western liveried units. Really hope this goes well for you Charlie and Arran. Shame about the lack of a flushing toilet though but I suppose that makes it a more realistic feature! Thanks, Mark

66725 Yings at Rannoch with the sleeper and close up detail of the platform tops Thanks, Mark

Hi Everyone, Not been updating much lately but have been making slow progress on the layout. I have painted the interior window frames of the station white ready for glazing to go in and then I will look at some interior details - quite basic but I need to do some so I can add some lighting later on. I have transplanted 2 sound chips from factory fitted sound models into 66 068 in EWS livery and 66 725 First GBRF as part of my ongoing plans to get lights and sound into the core Rannoch fleet although I have already stretched the time frame a little. I have got all the platform brick facings built and fitted now and have made a start on the top sections. I have had to compromise on the brickwork on the top as there isn't a suitable source and just started playing with colours but thought you would like to see a cruel close up of how it is starting to look. The edge slabs look ok and the representation of the square textured slabs are not too bad either. the close up shows the gaps to be quite large in the brickwork but once weathered and some weeds added you won't see this - I hope. I have been able to start running trains again since the DCC wiring has taken shape and 66725 appeared at Rannoch with the sleeper coaches. Although not run in practice it looks really good on it and is seen Yinging at Rannoch. Photos to follow below. Dave just let me know when you are up here again and if I am around you can come and play! Thanks, Mark

Hi Alex, Gald to see you are still making progress - it will certainly look quite different once the plastic sheeting goes on the depot although if like me progress will slow down now the football is on constantly! The 60 looks great by the way! thanks, Mark

Hi Pete, Great to see an update, the buffer stop is looking good and the detailing on the cars really brings them to life. It is interesting to see more info on here about road vehicles as it helps to get the details right for all those little cameo scenes that really help make a layout come to life. Keep up the good work, Mark

Hi Dave, That HST video was good fun! You caught the best of the weather we have had so far this year in Edinburgh - great photos of the Deltic both real and model. I was working that day so missed seeing it. I really wanted to as well as I still have never heard a real Deltic running! If I'd known you were up you could have had a visit to Rannoch! Thanks, Mark

Hi Gary, I guess out of all your options above I like the idea of the traverser with loco release - possibly at each end so that you can detach the loco of the departing train and then when it appears next will have a nother engine on the front - the one released can then be moved up to the other end ready to join the front of another train out of the yard. This would be hands free, avoids risk of dropping anything and adds operational variety and interest for yourself at home and for your exhibition outings. Regards, Mark

Hi Hugh, First time I have seen your layout on here and I think it is cracking. The overall plan fits the space really well and doesn't look cluttered and the buildings all seem to fit in really well. I actually quite like your signal box as it is but I will look forward to seeing it develop further with any more tweaks and details that you decide to add in. Keep sharing your pictures as it is well worth seeing. Thanks, Mark

Hi Claggy, That last photo gives a really good impression of the size of your layout. The open space helps set the scene in the yard sidings and the platform is acutally quite large when you look closely with the train alongside it but looks small in the context overall. It will be great to see the Ferry in place as well. Your layout is always interesting to see and I will look forward to seeing more of it. Your sound project sounds interesting (no pun intended) I have recently got a model of 37423 in DRS condition and would like to hear your recording as it might be good to have the sound of the real loco in the model! Do you have any videos of it? Thanks, Mark

Hi everyone, Thanks for your comments and feedback it is very welcome. Good question Pete! Fortunately a lot of the edge sections will be fairly straight or will be cut into short straight sections to follow the platform faces. The small squares are quite flexible so will be able to be glued in position and bent to shape without to much trouble the edge slabs will be cut out on the curved bits with little notches. This will take a bit of trial and error to get them to flow and also to create the illusion that they are all still square. I no longer work in Kirkcaldy but the platforms there are on a gentle curve and I use to study the slabs in detail whilst waiting for my train home so long as it looks right then it will be right is my theory but only time will tell if I can achieve this! Lewis glad you like the updates and detail - I am no expert on anything but I always try and pick up what I can from other people at exhibitions, model rail, model shops etc and to be honest through chatting with everyone on here and looking at others layouts and techniques has been of great use as well and really helps my layout along. Still lots to do until I get it where I want it to be! Thanks, Mark

Hi Everyone, Have managed to get a few more jobs done on Rannoch so here is the updates and photos of progress. Alex - funny you should mention a 37 as I have transplanted one of the first sound decoders I ever bought the early Howes 37 as this sounds great and is very drivable with lots of thraash at starting into 37 406 - must get on and finish the weathering at some point but it does sound good - only issue the cab lights are not working now and the connections are good do any CV's need changing? Any help appreciated. I have built and painted the brick sections for the inner platform face - I used a different technique to the one I normally use of painting a brick shade then adding water and a dab of cement to fill the mortar lines to painting the motar first and then dry brushing the brick shades on and I am really pleased with how these have turned out - they took a bit longer to do but the colour is stronger. Still stuck to my preffered brick colours: Revell - matt 37 red shade used as the main base for brickwork. matt 83 brown colour which is good to age brick work and for darker patches and Humbrol 62 a brown/orange shade for highlight colours on bricks. I use railatch acrylic cement shade for the mortar. Weathering will be done later but browns, greens and blacks get mixed into washes to do this and work well. As you will see from the photos the brick sections have been built up and painted and laid out to best match the sections together. These are assembled into 2's using plastic weld and then superglue has been used on the back and also on the card platform structure before joining as this gives a strong fixing especially to create the curved faces. A little plastic weld in the joints between sections once in place just help to hide the joins. The final job on the roof section was to add the lead flashing aroud the base of the chimneys. A simple job but a little tricky due to the size and shapes to fit them into. I did these over a couple of evenings to get them right. I use tamiya masking tape 6mm wide. This is laid on my cutting mat and cut in half along it to make two long strips. Railmatch oily steel acrylic is a good shade as gives a nice dirty weathered look but still with enough shine and this is painted onto the strips and left to dry. Next it is just a case of cutting the strips into smaller sections and sticking to the roof around each chimney stack. With a bit of time and a little extra glue on some corners to keep everything in place they make a realistic looking lead flashing. A final touch up with paint may be needed to cover any glue and trimmed edges but they add that finishing touch to the model. I have also worked out how the platform top will be finished. Eventually a base layer of art card will go in place once all the wiring for lights is in place. I have found some suitable sheets in Harburn Hobbies - I think slaters or wills that come in A4 sized sheets. The larger block slabs will form the edge stones and will have 3 lines scored in them like the real ones. The yellow square slabs with the raised dimples are created by using a sheet of tiny raised squares to create the effect and are at least small enough to keep the scale of things looking right. Brick sheet is then used to create the walkways which isn't the correct pattern but I can't find anything else suitable so this is the best compromise I can find to make all the textured levels work. Pink granite is used on the rest of the surface which will have some square strip edges holding it all in place. I have taken a couple of pictures to show the effect and welcome any comments on this before it gets done. Thanks for looking and hope you like the update. Thanks, Mark

Dave that last photo is superb - the lone figure looks real the way the light is catching him and that 37 looks great as well. You can come and photograph Rannoch when its finished! Thanks, Mark

Hi Dave, Those Scare crows are amazing (cracking job gromit - might be more appropriate) All those pictures with the natural light just add even more to the atmosphere of your layout if thats possible. The weathering is just right and gives the cleaner patches of rail blue colour that greeny/faded tint in the bright sunlight which really helps set the period. The coach detailing is well worth the effort as well as it brings the scene to life. Your updates never fail to impress me and already looking forward to seeing more! Thanks, Mark