dibateg

The O1 is mine for Basford  - along with 6 other 2-8-0s already built!, Hall is a commission Mike.

Hope you are doing ok in France?

Tony

I'm grinding along with this project in the mornings and it took ages to work out how to fit the vacuum pump - even though I have done it before. It has to be removable as the AGH wheels have the axle attached and need to go in at right angles to the frames.  With the parts I had the pump sat too low below the running plate, so I had to extend the crosshead arm. After a fair bit of cursing, I worked it out and it stands on two studs. Nearly there...

The O1 is painted and just awaits a front number plate, it will look better once it's weathered.

Thanks Richard

I decided to start with the most difficult and critical part first. I've been involved in layout building groups all my adult life, but never built a layout on my own, so sometimes I'm thinking, I haven't a clue what I'm doing here! So I spent a lot of time measuring and checking position of the Templot printouts before finally marking it out to cut. Then I put the whole assembly across two Workmates and gently made the cut - only to be interrupted half way through! I advised that I was concentrating hard..... and needed to be left alone.... Actually it has been quite stressful as I am so determined to get it right. I know that's nothing in the current situation and its always possible to repair/renew - its just the time.

I've been known to take soldering irons, slitting disks and blowtorches to finished models ( for repairs or modifications ) and that can be a little nervy - especially if they belong to someone else. I put that down to experience rather than nerve...

I have been a little stuck on how to proceed, but have come up with a plan now. The Templot plan will be glued down with PVA ( tests have shown that although the paper wrinkles up a little at first it settles down overnight ) and for the moment I will pin the track down with track pins. They will be removed after the track is ballasted. That will allow for testing and adjustments. The storage yard will just be pinned down after marking through the Templot plan rail positions.

I was going to use wooden sleepers on the scenic turnouts, but they are just over half a mill thicker than the track sleepers so I'm not sure what to do there.

The storage yard is plotted out with some custom points to save space, but I will utilise as many Peco points as possible in the design ( which has been evolving as I think about train movements ) as a time saving measure.

More to come, especially if it rains...

Regards
Tony

Thanks Terry, the back is on the mend, now its the arm after trying to axe out a tree stump!

Well, 10 years in the planning, I finally have track fixed down... I have been inspired so much by the efforts of other modellers and their layouts, it is time to try and catch up although who knows if I'll get anywhere near to the excellent layouts I've been following, but I'll give it my best shot.

I've begun laying in Babbington Junction aka the start of the storage sidings. The critical task was to cut through the turnouts with a piercing saw and then fix everything down, ensuring that is all lines up. I've started laying in the plain track, which is not all fixed down yet.. Rather than having it all offscene, I thought it would add additional operational interest to represent Babbington Junction - even though it was only for a colliery branch. Although I'll be using it for all traffic.

The bridge is lifted - and propped by a scruffy piece of wood. Lets hope that alignment is stable over the next few years... I checked that the Tortoise would operate the turnouts before I glued them down. Nothing is final, anything can be changed...

Yes - the cinder guards, I tried modelling them in 4mm scale by drilling holes in the cab side and soldering .3 brass wire and gluing a glazing strip in. Invariably the 'glass' pinged off the first time the loco was handled. So I substituted the glazing with  a fine strip of brass and painted it a vague gunmetal/silver colour. Not perfect by any means but at least there was something there and it was not too obtrusive. A small supplier of 7mm scale fittings produced some very nice cast ones ( I think they were actually made in the US ), like these things do, the range disappeared ( for the second time! ) . Fortunately I had exercised my philosophy of buying stuff when I see it available and bought in a stock of them. In O gauge, things come and go of the market quite quickly. Its an excuse to spend money....

Tony's photo of my K3 shows them

Regards

Tony

Andrew - Cinder guard = sight screens? I think the hinged glass screen on the cab side has various names....

Regards

Tony

Thanks Tony - 

the numbers do seem a bit small, but some of the O1s seemed to have smaller numbers. The next size up seemed a little to large, so yes, I've agonised over that. I've scraped them off on other locos to replace them, only to go back to the original size. Ah well, I'll tone it down with weathering and we'll see. I'm glad to see there are other fans of 2-8-0s, the closest thing to a pacific that I own is a V2!

You'll be glad to know that some of my 7mm locos squeak too, It seems to be nickel silver wire in steel wheel to be the worst, so I tried replacing them with phosphor bronze wire and that squeaks as well...

My locos are all DCC, but they have to run perfectly under DC conditions first before I'll consider fitting a decoder. It was Geoff Taylors Barmouth Junction that converted me, a complex layout that benefitted from the lack of section switches. Part of the sequence had an Ivatt sitting at the station gently hissing away, whilst other movements were taking place and that atmosphere in miniature was wonderful. For Bytham though, there is no practical advantage to running DCC from what I can see, the station layout is relatively simple and the cost and hassle of installing decoders in all your locos would be prohibitive to my mind.

Keep the photos coming - we talked about the colours before, they remind me of 'Eastern Steam in Colour' from a few years ago. Just right!

Best Regards

Tony

Frank - please don't take exception, my statement was somewhat tongue in cheek.

We all have our own ways of doing things and they work for us. None are necessarily the best or right way. That's the joy of the hobby  - variety in models and techniques.

Best Regards

Tony

Great to see the selection of O4s.

I think the O1 is a handsome looking engine. I've almost finished Annesley's  63854, made from a David Andrews kit. It doesn't look quite right without being weathered. 

I would never ever build anything with a live chassis, DC or DCC it just opens up too many problems. All my locos pick up from the loco and tender - you can't have too many pick ups. I remember the lads spending an hour completely dismembering a flying pig on Kirkfield Central as it was playing up, it turned out to be the leading van on the train with a brass underframe and a rubbing brake causing a short via the couplings....  As for the American system, I've only ever had trouble with it, the lazy option!

Engine picking:- some O1 had cinder guards, some not. Maybe the Annesley ones had them fitted for running the Windcutters.

Regards

Tony

Looking good Terry - I like the mixture of properties in the background.

I hope all is well Way Out West!

Regards

Tony

I've completed the turnout assembly for Babbington junction, the next job is to install it on the lifting section> I can then start working out in either direction laying track. it's been a good excercise to get back in to it.

That brass tube boiler looks interesting - you'll need to get some heat in to that to get it to take solder......

What's your plan Tony?

Regards

Tony

Jamie - JLTRT 4F - the screws are steel, I think they are 14BA. I get mine from BA bolts:-

https://www.ba-bolts.co.uk/

The loco is set in gear, which is obviously set by the position of the weighshaft. You can just about see the valve spindles move when the loco is in motion...

I worked out today that the goods yard approach road can join Vernon Road off scene by curving around more tightly. That means it can be much more tolerably graded.

Meanwhile the first point is made up, this one will live on the lifting section and really be off scene. I'm using 31.5mm track gauges.  It has an alarming crossing angle of 1 in 15... It made a good practice piece to restore my track making skills, as it is some time since I made up some track, in 7 and 4mm...

Thanks chaps - 

Yes - the 5 arm is for controlling movements out to the carriage sidings and engine turntable. Those are imagined off scene, and as it is such an attractive signal, I wanted to model it.

I wonder what's not right with the 5 way Peter? On the original plan it is shown between the goods yard lead in and the bay run round, but photos clearly show it in the position marked. I didn't seem to be able to access that .gif...

Compromises of course and as I am departing from the original plan a little I'm considering moving this thread to layout topics - except that I don't know how....

Regards

Tony

I have Peter - I couldn't fit it in, and it would be really nice to have it, so that has to be offscene, I didn't want any gradients. Although I did consider creating a lower level return loop to represent it, but that was going to make a lot of work for one person and also destroy the openness of the centre well, which is where I wanted a sociable space - if I ever get friends to come around... The other option would be to extend the room beyond the 12 feet granted by the domestic authorities.

Regards

Tony

Having wrenched my back using the rotovator yesterday, I'm spending some time having an easy day planning the control panel and signalling. I've come up with this rough plan. Lever numbers are based on the original box which had 90 levers.

Thanks guys - I'm reviewing the goods yard access road, I may well shorten the long siding and bring it round tighter to exit the layout at a higher level, so that it would join Vernon Road offscene.

That's the problem of building this in isolation - so it's helpful to have extra eyes!

The cork is now down and the plans laid out again, there is plenty of open space, I want to try and create the feeling of the railway in the landscape. I was fretting about the width of the station boards and working on them - but they are designed to come apart so they can be shifted into the middle of the room to be worked on. The backscene will be attached to the wall.

I'm glad I made the boards strong enough to withstand my weight. Here's the view looking 'west' to the station, with the Bulwell Common line coming in from the right. Weights are holding the newly glued cork down. Lines here, from left to right:- headshunt, down from Bagthorp Jn, down from Daybrook, up to Bagthorp and Daybrook - that seperates later off scene.

I've managed to re-assemble the frames after painting, and pre-weathering. It always takes ages and never works first time despite making sure everything goes back in the same place. I had to go for a change of number as 63591 didn't have a roller bearing fitted eccentric rod ( there was a shortage post war ), so have gone for 63854, also of Annesley shed.

Its so nice to see 90040 and 90299 still in service, and how could anyone forget the flying turd!

Regards

Tony