barrowroad

Hi Dave, Chris has produced around 100 etched sides and 60 bases for all the pits so I just need to glue them together and fit in the holes. Once fitted I intend to glue strengtheners under the pits similar to the one under roads 10 to 16. I will also position two at right angles to form the basis of a support for the turntable pit well. The track for the pits will be fixed using functional chairs attached to 2mm x 4mm lengths of plasticard representing the longitundinal timber baulks. There were originally two 30ft pits on sidings 1 & 2 alongside the shed but drawings and photos show these were lengthened to 60 ft with two similar pits added to sidings 3 & 4 in the mid 50's... so within the period of the model. The Workshop was accessed by 20 ft loco turntables off an extension of the shed through road. By the 50's only two remained - on number 2 & 4 from the rear of the shed. That cuts down the number of turntables I need to make!! What are you doing about the mill building? Cheers, Robin

The new floor for the roundhouse has been used as a template to cut out the turntable pit and the inspection pits using a router. At the same time all the pits outside the shed have been cut as have the four inside the Workshop - a total of 38. I need to add a few more pieces of 6.5mm ply under the turntable to strengthen this area - in the meantime I must remember not to lean on this area of the board! Here are a couple of photos showing the result. The cut out for the shed pits remind me of the splashers of a Stirling Single!

Having collected some more parts from Chris at the Ally Pally show last weekend, noteably a new shed floor, I have spent some time this week marking out the positions for all the inspection and disposal pits on the layout in preparation for a routing session. I made a visit to the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre in Chippenham and obtained digital copies of a number of ex Swindon Works Drawings including the 60ft Cowans Sheldon turntable for Barrow Road, Water & Drainage diagrams and drawings for new preparation pits. It is the latter drawings which have given the necessary information to accurately position the pits on the layout. The new shed floor was required because I discovered the 24 roads are not all at the same angle radiating from the turntable.... I must do my research first!! The shed has two lattice girders supported on octagonal columns, which support the shed roof. There are four columns for each girder and the two centre ones of each set are positioned between pit roads 4&5; 9&10; 16/17 and 21/22. The spacing between these roads needs to be wider than the others in order to give sufficient clearance for locos. Other parts collected from the show including show new windows - the originals did not have the arched frame 1mm inside the outer edge of the window - and sets of walls and floors for the inspection and disposal pits. Here are a few more photos of the front of the shed before the new windows are added. The first photo also shows the original shed floor with the equi-distant spacings of each pit road - roads 16&17 are visible in the top corner. In the meantime I have made further progress colouring the front of the shed....... watch this space.

Good to see you can still view the blog...keep in touch... the front elevation is now fully coloured and will be laminated to the windows, glazing and interior after the weekend when I collect the new windows. Best wishes, Robin

I have spent some time assembling the front elevation of the shed but needed to wait to collect some amended parts - my fault - as I found a photograph showing an additional window by the office block. This window was only noticed when I enlarged a photograph of the shed interior - of course once observed it became very noticeable and I had to add it to the building. The exterior view of this window is obscured partly by the office building itself and partly by the porch entrance to one of it's doorways. York Modelmaking kindly provided some additional windows and mdf brick arches for the windows which I have fitted carefully. I took the opportunity to add an opening for the stores serving hatch and doorway to the front elevation. Of course problems arise in pairs and I also noticed - again in another very recent photograph - that the rear elevation has another window and a doorway. See the window and doorway to the left of the pannier tank in the next photo courtesy of Patrick. Again the photos taken from the outside do not show either feature as they are obscured by the toilet block immediately in front of the window. I am pleased with the results of my modifications and glad they appeared before I assembled the building. In modelling such photographs tend to appear afterwards. The modifications can be seen in the above photograph. As a taster here is part of the front with the brick overlays added.

Hi David, The brickwork on your buildings looks impressive...what have you used? Robin

Hi David, The brickwork on your buildings looks impressive...what have you used? Robin

Very impressive....you have been busy. I like what you have done to disguise the 'hole in the wall'. Running rights are of course granted for your locos on Barrow Road. robin

Hi, The whole layout will be at the Scalefour AGM in Bristol on Sat 5th June and the 2 shed boards will be at Scaleforum in September 2010. Robin

Here are a few more photos taken during the group meeting

Hi Dave, The track laying is looking good... I have to add cosmetic chairs - is it easier to grind the rivets or file out a groove in the back of the halved chairs with a round needle file? I have used the latter method before but admit I had not considered the former. What size slitting disc do you intend using for the rail joints? Cheers, Robin

Hi David, Fiddle yards for just the shed are no problem as they will just need to handle one or two locos. For 3/4 or even 11 coach trains on the main line.... the group have talked about a combined fiddle yard for the group layout Brinkley & Barrow Road which will be circular rather than end to end. Something for the future! Robin

Following a visit by friends in the Scalefour Glevum Group here are some photograhs taken with some extra stock including a fabulous rake of coaches. Johnson tank and Blood & Custard rake courtesy of Morgan Maroon rake courtesy of Paul

I have added the rest of the templot track plans and added a few locos for atmosphere - most of them are still in RTR state and will need chassis conversion to P4. The templot is in need of some tweaking as it was done with a 55ft turntable inside the roundhouse before I discovered that a 60ft Cowans Sheldon unit was installed in 1927. The Jinty on road 8 is a P4 converted Bachmann as is the WD on the exit road. All the rest will need converting.

Martin I think Dave is referring to my question about using a banker on his computer SIM of driving a Black 5 up Fishponds bank rather than whether Jinties were used - which of course they were. Robin

Indeed it will - of course this will mean removable AJ's of my locos as I don't want them coupling up whilst operating in the shed yard, however if I get round to a suitable fiddle yard for a 10/11 coach train on the main line they will be needed!! Robin

I'm going to take a look at the latest 4mm 60ft Cowans Sheldon turntable kit from Metalsmiths Ltd but may end up making one.

I collected the shed building from Chris at the Watford Show and have now had a chance to have a trial assembly of the building on the boards...... here are a few photos.

The shed is indeed on the left as you head north. I hope you coped with the 1 in 60 Fishponds bank which starts at 1 in 89 underneath Barrow Road arches. Did you collect a banker for this ascent? - usually a 4F or Ivatt tank. Cheers, Robin PS There are some photos posted by Danny Cockling on the S4 website in the Area Group section.

Some trackwork has been laid on the main line.......

Hi Tim, Indeed it is - the latest photos on RMweb only show the narrow half of the layout - I'll send you some updated shots if you like off line. Robin

The viewable section is just over 16ft long by 3ft 8in at the shed end. The layout will be exhibited for the first time at the S4 AGM in Bristol on the 5th June 2010. Hopefully the shed boards will also be at S4um this year as a demonstration exhibit.

The coal plant was made for me by Pete aka 'Gravytrain' and was based on photographs of the prototype with assistance from a drawing in BRILL Summer Special 8 an article by Donald Flook. The drawing in the article is not of the Bristol Coal Plant and needed some modification.

Here are a few photos of developments on the boards - more to follow as I catch up with work over the past 2 weeks

What a fabulous shot.....and please congratulate your dad on his modelling skills... a wonderful layout. Robin