trains12

Hi All Martin will try and produce a track plan this week. It may be a made up one of the old plans from the magazines but there could be a few gaps , like the coal mine and the MPD yard which have not been sorted out yet. Peter

Hi All Great news. We have finally got the light on in the shed and whar a differnce it makes. Will take a few shots and let you all see what it looks like with them on. Will now be able to make some progress at last. Cheers Peter

Hi All Still no power into the shed. It is getting too dark at times to do any work so little is being done. I have started to lay some of the track over the lift out section by the door and have finished laying the second layer of cork for the main line on the existing boards. With some light on the subject I would be able to get a heck of other work done. Still cannot belive that it has taken from end of march till now to get the electric installed. Any way here is a shot I have taken today of the lift out board.

Hi All Still awaiting the inspection and connection of the electric. Managed to lay more cork on two of the boards and build the lift out section at the main door, Have also now one of the Bridge of Muir boards up from the shop/unit but will need a van to bring the actual bridge board up to the layout due to it being 8ft long and so will not fit in the car. Will keep you all updated. Cheers Peter

Hi All Well a a few shots of the coal drop for the side of the canal on the new board. Have completed two of the new boards to-day and awaiting the cork to dry then some track can be laid when the new ballast arrives. Cheers for now. Peter

Hi all At long last got all the electrics connected up but now awaiting electrician to check all ok and then it can be switched on. Not bad after waiting to get it done for the last 9 months. In the meantime have moved a lot of the stock down and sorted a lot of stock out which will be going to get shut of. Have also built a couple more baseboards ready to start laying some track, but have been let down by a supplier. We ordered 7lb bag of Extra fine granite ballast but just out luck they have invoiced us correctly but sent coarse scale suitable for 0 gauge. Trouble is we opened the bag and that is when we found out! Will still have to try and get some Extra fine again. Cheers Peter

Thanks Dave for rating posts. You will have to come up and see us. With the elecrtics on by this weekend it will make a heck of a difference on lighting and being able to use the power tools so I am aiming within the next fortnight to have completed all the boards arouind the room and hopefully also will have the 2 main line track circuits completed and laid and then its connecting the wiring up on the new boards. So by the end of October will be running trains on the main circuit again. Hope to see you Cheers Peter

Hi all Well a little bit of good news! At long last I've a friend doing the electrics into the shed. Would have been finished yesterday completely except for the wind and rain which cost us a good few hours. Weather permitting he will be back Thursday or Friday to finish the job then at last we will be able to see in the place and stop running cables down with the joints between the 2 extension leads protected from the weather. In the meantime doing a bit of general modelling on buildings etc. and have completed the wheel drop kit, the crane for the nuclear wagon siding and just need to finish painting the wagon coal drops for the canal scene. Will take a few photos over the next few days and post them. Peter

Hi All I remember now why I was thinking of going to DCC - only 2 cables!! The views below are of the new end board for the junction from Whitland station onto the Scottish boards which will be down the centre of the room and these show the wiring for the feeds for the 6 points for the small loop that will be just after the junction on the branch before the transition to the scottish region from the GWR. It has taken all today to do this. The next few shots are of some of the ICI hoppers (Still awaiting a load to come) on the storage sidings at GTD. They will look impressive when the layout is connected behind 8F's, 9F's, Class 37's, Co-Bo's and various other locos. Trying to make up some loads out of resin and the use of cat litter to represent limestone. Hope you enjoy them and please keep comments coming. Peter

Hi All Thanks Ray for the advice. We have already decided to convert B o M to DC. The points are all Cobalts but are operated by DC stud and contact so these shouldn't be a problem. In the meantime only a small amount of work has been done due to hospital visit and also a disaster in the old barn study centre library. Have not been up there for some weeks now so went up earlier this week and found that part of the ceiling had come down with the torrential rain over the last few weeks. The result is that 5 bookcases full of books and documents have been water drenched. About 10 / 15 books and some plans are totally destroyed and about 150/200 books have got very bad water damage on one corner. The pages sticking together. If I can't get these all repaired the cost is going to run into thousands. All that has been done on the layout is a number of cable make up leads to connect across on the new boards and some cork laying has also been done. Attached are a few photos showing the leads and some of the cork together with a couple of shots of the new ICI wagons and a couple of the buildings. Peter

Hi Jonny 777 Here are a few shots of the buildings of GTD being made some year ago. Hope you like them. They show some of the comsruction methods and also the fun using a crane to lower the units into place. You can see a lot more on my old thread Great Tunsley Dale. Most of the builds are made from foamboard and plastruct items as well as curtains rail loops and the two large round towers are from toilet connections ( I hasten to say new items not used ones) The small tower by itself I was short of an item so I cut four inches off one of the outside drain pipes. Nothing is safe when I am around modelling, Peter

Hi all Ray, thanks for your comments, here is some information on how we are going to control it all. Any comments or advice will be much appreciated especially on how to do the dual aspect as you know I'm hopeless with electronics. Another problem that has had to be overcome is the control panels which now will be placed at the front of the layouts instead of at the back as in case of the layouts being at a show. This is easily done in most cases by having sufficient cable lengths to allow this. Where it causes a problem small extension cables have/are being produced. While laid up last year I spent some time looking into the case of DCC operation of the new layout. Two of my layouts are DCC: Water Mill Halt and Bridge of Muir (B of M) but as only B of M would be used, plus having worked out the cost of conversion of stock/engines as well as the rewiring, the conclusion was to leave it all as DC and place a switch in the control panel of B of M to allow switching to either DC or DCC when needed. The existing control panels will be modified so that the two main lines around the room, with the exception of the two Scottish layouts down the centre, will be able to be controlled from one panel but still retaining section switches on the individual panels to allow train movements at like the MPD and the quarry lines. All the point operation will still be controlled from the individual panels by the probe and stud contact. The point motors are a mixture of Hornby, Seep and DC Concepts slow acting motors. The main controllers are still being retained as Gaugemaster hand held units, with the exception of Bridge of Muir which will have duel controllers using both Gaugemaster analogue hand held and NSE DCC units. Would like to hear from other members what their opinions of this are and any advice would be most gratfully received. Peter

Hi all Here are a few of the shots which I have taken of the building of the coal mine. please accept my apologies if these have already been repeated elsewhere but these show the basic structure and pit head gear together with the compressors and fans. I have now started the painting of these and willtry and get some shots on over the next few days. In the meantime still awaiting the electricity which is causing some problems on using the power tools to make the baseboards. I have come up with a genius of getting Wendy's bike on a stand connected to a small generator and then get Wendy to pedal as fast as she can to generate some power or install Bertie (our dog) inside a tread wheel. Building some more baseboards today and hopefully by end of weekend will have all the layout connected round on main circuit with baseboards. Peter

Hi all One last shot which I'd forgotten Peter

And a few more shots.

Hi all Sorry I didn't put the photos on, little hiccup, but anyway here are some now. These show the new baseboard built to link parts of GTD with some of the buildings just placed on. The gap at the front where the West Works is will be filled in and have scenery. Still a lot of work to do and then the biggest thing is going to be the wiring. Sorry if a bit out of focus but need to get my eyes retested

Hi All Well after three days of hard graft we have finally erected the main 7 boards of GTD together with a couple of the side boards and some new ones with new legs fitted. Have not been able to try out the system yet as we still do not have any elecrtic connected into the shed. Fitting in GTD has reduced the amount of space that was to be available for the coal mine boards, but upon closer inspection they have been found to be very heavliy contaminated with mildew from the old barn where they were in storage. This will mean that a completely new track layout wil lbe made for the mine. I have attached a few shots of the mine as it was a short time ago it's at present in the stages of being painted. ( it has only been twenty years in the making). Anyway I will take some shots tomorrow of how it all looks at present. If there is anybody local who would like to join in please give me a PM and I will say where abouts near Caernarfon I am.

Hi All Here are a few photos of the state of play at 4,00pm today. A view of the storage sidings from GTD Part GTD that is now to be used at end of the MPD Part of the new layout station called Whitland General veiw of the room A view of the coaling stage snd ash plant ready for the MPD What will be the MPD at Whitland station Whitland station Whitland station cheers Peter

Hi All Many thanks for the comments lads keep them coming. Well in the last few days I with Wendy have managed to erect the storage sidings and the two boards of Whitland station as well as two of the three boards that will have the new MPD on them. In the process we have reduced the leg height by 4in.(100mm) which will allow us to bend over the 3ft wide boards of GTD without breaking our backs. It is hoped that by the end of weekend we will have some of GTD up from the shop unit and and liftout across the door fitted. Still awaiting to have the main cable for the electrics fitted as well as some locks its now going on for three months now with no power in the shed. Will try next week with Wendy if the sun stays out and no rain. Will put some photos on of the progress in the next few days. Peter

Hi All Many thanks for the comments Andy, Dave & Imsforever. Well in the last few days I with Wendy have managed to erect the storage sidings and the two boards of Whitland station as well as two of the three boards that will have the new MPD on them. In the process we have reduced the leg height by 4in.(100mm) which will allow us to bend over the 3ft wide boards of GTD without breaking our backs. It is hoped that by the end of weekend we will have some of GTD up from the shop unit and and liftout across the door fitted. Still waiting to have the main cable for the electrics fitted as well as some locks its now going on for three months with no power in the shed. Will try next week with Wendy if the sun stays out and no rain. In furture I will be only entering information and photos on the new thread "The Final Dream" but I do not know how you place a link from this thread to the new one. Any one out there that can help without going to Andy Y. Will put some photos on of the progress in the next few days. Peter

Hi All I have decided to start a new thread after coming back from over 12 months inactivity called The Final Dream. This is to be the last real layout that I will be building and will incorporate parts of my exhibition layouts - Great Tunsley Dale, Bridge of Muir, Glen Gillie, Loch Inch,and 2 of the old layouts from Manchester a station based on Whitland originally, in South Wales, but completely altered over the years and it is hoped the layout for the coal mine model which you will see in my workbench thread. The thread will start with the building of the shed over the last 12 months. With the ups and downs with my health it is only now that I am starting to get the layouts reassembled. Attached are some photos showing the inside with the start of the pictures and paintings being hung. We are still awaiting the mains electricity to be connected so it tends to be rather dark at present. With the insulation that we have put into it in the floor, walls and ceiling it is quite warm inside. If there is anybody here in north Wales who would like to help and get involved we would be only too glad of your help. Just pm me and I will give you details. Cheers for now Peter ps Sorry can't get this linked to my other threads, if anyone can help would be grateful otherwise will have to ask Andy Y if he can do it

Hi everybody Its 12 months since I was last on with the saga of the new shed. In that time I have been in and out of hospital having had an accident to my hip after a major fall, massive chest infection. On the good side though I did have a holiday in Canada for nearly a month last September and attended my eldest daughters wedding. Did get some good shots of Cananian railways as well as some beautiful scenery. Anyway the result of all this was that it was end March this year before I was fit enough to resume work on the shed. The inside has been all completed with the new false ceiling, lighting and painted floors but we are still awaiting over the last 3 months for an electrician to connect the mains cable from the house to the shed. In the meantime we have started transferring a lot of the paintings and memorabilia from the old barn and store into the room. The next stage is the transfer of some of the layouts and re-adjusting them to fit into the room which is inside 17'6" x 46'. Attached are some photos taken the other week showing the room. Will hope to take some showing some of the layouts being installed but due to my health problems it is taking a little longer.. I was sorry to read in the past threads the death of Alan Downes, he will be sorely missed. cheers Peter

Hi Peter Thanks for the comments. The end walls are being tied back to the A frames due to the builder leaving them in a far from satisfactory state. There is a least in on end wall a eight inch (200 + mm) deflection both in height and width so when it is windy they move. The roof is having a suspended ceiling which will be insulated and fitted with 12 strip lights. Most of the ring mains have now been completed other than those down the centre which will be completed when the new floor is fitted. Still a lot of work to do and I am atb the hospital again tomorrow. Any way Wendy is of work next week so she will be helping with it all. Cheers Peter.

Hi All Well the painting is completed and all the electrical trunking has beedone other than the light switches. Cable laying will start tomorrow in the meantime the end wall are to be tied back by wire cable to the 'A' frames of the roof Peter

Hi All Well in the last two weeks a lot has happened. The builder has left the job because I wanted the roof properly finished off in long strip lengths and he was not going to do it. He then complained that his tressles would not reach it and I did not have anything to reach the roof that would fit between the stream and the side of the shed. Also the end walls which are moving in the wind he said to screw them to the railway that would hold them in place .Anyway he came back between 6pm and 7am on the Sat/Sun and took his planks and tressles and left some bits of Ship lap. So to date the ship lap has to be finished off, the end walls have to be strengthened, the floor has to be sorted out. The walling seams are to be finished and covered and the roof covered. So we are trying to get another builder in to finish some of the work . The only trouble is he has now been paid for all the work. Anyway enough of that, Inside all the ply panelling was completed last weekend and the walls have been having the first coat of paint completed. The false ceiling trusses have been started together with some of the electrical cable trunking. So here are a few shots of last weekend before painting started Hope to have the second coat done by weekend then we can get the electrics installed. Peter