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nebnoswal

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  1. nebnoswal
    This photo shows the expanse of space and several times now I??�ve been quoted as saying I have too much space, what modeller ever say??�s that?

     
     
     
    As the year has rolled on, work progressed gradually, most of it just tidying up. Ever so slowly I moved on towards the development of the station, yards and surrounds. At the same time research has continue, the biggest gain being some aerial photos taken by the RAF in 1947. These have both helped and hinder the building progress, mainly in the redesign of the cattle dock and station yard area.
  2. nebnoswal
    Well, this the 1st entry on the forum about my N gauge layout. I'll get around to transferring from the old site, once its up and running again.
     
    I started this project officially, back in August 2008, well that??�s when we started making the baseboards. Some would argue that the idea was first hatched back in 2000 when I first saw the track diagram for Stur. Over the preceding year I did some researching and lots of reading. Having to spend some of my valuable time flying round the sands of Iraq did cut into my time.
    The layout is built on 2 open frame baseboards, both measuring 2080 mm x 1100mm. It is made form rolled C-section light steel, as used for shop-fitting, and has 7mm plywood tops. The design is same as 2 other N gauge layout to be found downunder; Grassington and Thresfield by Greg Goodchild and St Albans by fellow forum member Sithlord75, aka Kevin Knight. You could kind of call it a modular layout, as you can connect 2 layouts up to a 10 track 2m long traverser, which can hold upwards of 20 trains. When taken to an exhibition it has a frontage of 6m, and it hold all of our running stock for a weekend.

    My version for Stur differs slightly from the prototype, but it??�s my hobby and rule No.1 applies. Firstly, Stur was single line working with a passing loop. Moving North to Stalbridge or South to Shillingstone require a token. Having the want to run trains, I??�ve expanded to this have both up and down lines, ie. more trains. Also to avoid having to put points on the baseboard join, I shoved them further to the left by a scale 50 feet, this means the station platforms and good yards are an extra scale 50 feet long.
    Research, especially from 20000 km away, has had its moments, but the internet is a wonderful thing. There are too many names to mention from the S+D trust, S+D heritage trust, the Sturminster museum and members of this very forum.
    So where is Sturminster Newton? It is located in Northern Dorset. Up until the 1980??�s it was a large market town, and was host to the largest livestock markets in the UK, held every Monday. This market was served by the S+DJR/LMS/BR until its closure in 1966. It was also home to some famous poets in the 19th century.
  3. nebnoswal

    UFO works

    By nebnoswal,

    Well I was warned. This whole having a baby thing seriously cramps your model train time. Douglas is fast approaching 7 weeks old, but he still can't put N gauge rolling stock on the track.

    In between all the old chores and new responsibilities that come with being a new father, I’m still trying to find some time to get out into the garage and ‘do some trains’. I dug up the boxes containing UFO’s (Un Finished Objects), with the intent to try and finish some of them off. I was doing really well until tonite when I finally run out of transfers.

     
     
    So I’ve just sent off a new order to the NGS, so far I’ve managed to complete 11 wagons, averaging about 1 every 2 nights, a bit slow I know, but dirty nappies won’t wait for anyone! There is a mixture of Chivers, Parkwood and NGS wagon kits. Now that I’ve taken the photos of them, it really shows up some the blemishes, so still some more touch-up work required! Bigger pictures are in my gallery.

    Half way through this unfinished exercise I realised I was going to need some loads to put in the open wagons. Flicking through a pile of books showed there was variety of items that could be moved by rail. What did take my fancy was a Crab hauling a dozen bogie bolsters with cable drum reels. Having a look at what was available on the current market place; neither the plastic or whitemetal versions were to my liking. A bit of a search of the internut and I found just what I was looking for. Some lasercut kits for cable drums from the US, the scale maybe a bit out I think they look a lot better, just need to chain them down.


    Lasercut and laser-etch appear to be giving the modelling fraternity a whole new direction for kit-building. There are quite a few members here who have been exploring this option, with some wonderful results. Here down under there is a company making exclusive wooden N scale kits from lasercut. They give a good finish, especially considering a majority of them are kits of wooden wagons and coaches. I've had a bit of a dabble with them, and am seriously considering commissioning some work.
    http://www.rmweb.co....8_661_29163.jpg
  4. nebnoswal

    Update 1

    By nebnoswal,

    I'd start by apologising, it has been quite sometime since I add to/ updated this blog. Over the spanning time the modelling mojo has ebbed and flowed. I've been encouraged by Sithlord to get my act together and post some updates.
    Work on the Patriot has continued, ever so slowly. Applying the lining decals has been an experience

    Just as I was about to order some nameplates, the NGS shop closed, so now just awaiting the modelmaster section to be updated to order some plates.
     

    The lining in the tender needs some attention. Using microset/sol and mr softner have had average results. Even consulting Phil Badger (1/3 of Ixion), still couldn't improve them.
  5. nebnoswal

    Update 2

    By nebnoswal,

    The last couple of months has seen me trying to finish of some the many UFO's. On the list were some LMS 6 wheeled CCT's. These are brass etches made by Etched Pixels, which glue on to a 3D print body, which in turn fits onto a NGS 6 wheels chassis from the stove R.

    These were quite simple to build. I opted to solder the sides together and then glue the body. The body's come with or without rainstrip. While the printed strip is a bit thick, added brass wire and shaping was a tad difficult

    Roof and end painting occurred today, now they just need decals. That is another story, for another time.

  7. nebnoswal

    Van on the rails

    By nebnoswal,

    Two weeks on and the luggage van has hit the rails. I finally finished a majority of the detailing bits. It had its first run around the layout on an old set of Minitrix Mk1 bogies, with no problems. Even the steps on the solebar cleared the platforms at Stur. All that is left are the cables on the ends, the inside window grills and the next major obstacle; the roof! So a question to all your blog readers out there, how do I shape the roof to the right profile, without having to buy specialist equipment? And a second question while I'm at it, about cleaning-up the brass. I've given it several scrubs in hot soapy water with a toothbrush, a good going over with a fibreglass brush and also with a wire wheel on the dremel. But I still I can't get it cleaned-up. Any suggestions?

    Whilst this has been my first attempt at soldering a brass kit, I learnt some valuable lessons:
    · Even though I read the instructions, always go back to them.
    · Learn your railway terminology; find out what is a rubbing plate, solebar etc....
    · As per any making or building project, measure/fit twice – cut once
    · Unlike plastic kits, brass is forgiving and can allow you to fix some mistakes (like the underframe truss soldered upside-down on the solebar )
    · A good soldering iron is very helpful.
     
     
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