dseagull

That looks stunning, very nice indeed.

For a low-cost (free in my case!) baseboard, I've reused a TV unit which was going free on Facebook; http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1330/entry-17377-take-one-tv-unit/

Thanks Kevin! - Yes, it's an intriguing prospect although I suspect Ripe certainly wouldn't have justified a station in reality. Looking forwards, I have track plans for both Litlington (not the one which I started either!) and Alfriston, based on Iain Rice plans - I see it as something of a 'long haul' scheme which I can work towards for many years to come.

My latest is this small station building for Ripe; Wills Sheets provide the brickwork, windows from the bits box (Wills and Ratio most probably). Lintels are thin cardboard, roof is Wills Slate. Ratio Bargeboards and Guttering. The lean-to Gents has a roof made of balsa, with a dried baby wipe, painted accordingly to represent felt. The interior is Balsa and Scalescenes sheets. I only have the one photo of the completed building taken in decent, natural light, but the others are from the construction stage. All feedback, good or bad, would be welcomed! Platform Side; Gents; Forecourt side

Just a quick, one-picture update - if the weather allowed, I had planned to take the layout into the garden today to work on it and take some pictures, but 'Storm Katie' has other ideas - I'm not risking it with it blowing 50/60mph winds at the moment! Anyway, the station building is now done,so I did brave taking that outside for a quick picture in natural daylight. I'm really quite pleased with it, and it seems to 'fit' well. The LBSCR red colour was obtained by taking one of the printed poster boards to Hobbycraft and matching it as closely as I could with their Acrylic paint selection - I usually prefer Tamiya, but on this occasion Revell 331 'Purpurrot' got the nod. The slight 'sag' on the guttering is down to either my photography skills or the limitations of my phone camera, because when the building sits on the layout, it is not noticeable!

Beautiful. Really catches the rural, bucolic atmosphere I am aiming for with my current project - if it turns out half as good as this I will be delighted.

That's really nice - and the 'layered' board works really well. Wish I'd read this before I installed some on my station building!

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working on the first of the buildings that will be required for Ripe, with the signal box (a small, platform mounted type) and the station building. After a couple of false starts, I'm happy enough with the Station building to post a few photos in it's incompleted state - incomplete as it is missing a roof, guttering, bargeboards, glazing and one window frame, as well as painting of the two exterior doors and windowsills (I don't have a suitable colour in my paint stash at present). Platform Side; It is a simple building, with a ticket office, waiting room, separate ladies waiting room (this was the 1920's ) and an office. I had been looking around for a while, and couldn't find any kits which appealed, so in the end, I bought the Staverton station building kit from Scalescenes to use as a template, took an inch or so out of the length and scratchbuilt from Wills Sheets (English Bond Bricks). Windows are from various sources, Mostly Ratio and Wills kits which I found in the bits box. I seem to remember buying a Wills Craftsman Pub kit once and using all the sheets for entirely different projects, so it is quite possible there are some of these too. Lintels are simply thin cardboard, cut in a strip and measured to a consistent (two brick) distance over the top of the window. With a large opening at 'front of stage', I have bashed together an interior using the original Scalescenes parts and some posters/timetables printed off from Google Images on LBSCR poster Boards, found on StationColours.Info , scaled down by the totally unscientific method of reducing the image in Microsoft Word to the same size as the GWR Boards in the kit ( http://www.stationcolours.info/index.php?p=1_3_SR ) . The boards were then simply printed out, Pritt-sticked to thin card, and attached using the same glue onto the 'woodwork' from the Scalescenes kit. I can also see that I have got one of the poster boards slightly lower than the other, which is frustrating but not too jarring on the eye. Hopefully once the building is bedded into the platform etc it won't be too noticeable. Side Elevation I decided to add a 'Gents' as well, which is more Wills walling, with a simple roof made up from Balsa and covered with a dried (unused!) baby wipe, painted grey to represent a felted roof. It's the second time I've used this, and I like the effect it gives. The window/skylight is cut down from a larger window, and the door is from the Peco Modern Office Buildings kit - this is simply a flat, brown door with a raised doorhandle, so in order to 'age' it, I scribed panel lines using a craft knife and steel rule, and then scratched in some wood grain. This picture doesn't show it off especially well, but it looks surprisingly good. Road Elevation Finally, the road elevation, which will be hidden from normal viewing, but still needed to be completed to a decent standard in order to allow for photos across the station yard. Another door here in the same style, more cut down windows for the 'high level' windows in the station office, and a whacking great hole for another window which I will need to source. Windowsills throughout are a bit of a bodge - Wills tongue and groove boarding, cut down to one 'strip', with a chunk carved out of either end to allow the sill to sit in the window opening. It's something I've done before, and has the added benefit of being easy to run a blade across the width to produce a slight taper. The whole thing is mounted on a piece of Daler Board, which will be cut into the surface of the platform (I knew there was a good reason I hadn't yet stuck it down!) Brickwork is painted with Tamiya and Humbrol acrylics, semi-dry brushed on to the brickwork after the mortar was painted with Tamiya Tan acrylic - the age-old method of painting on, then wiping away (another baby wipe!). The bottom edges, and the shady corner where the gents meets the wall has had some olive drab to give a bit of mossy/dank colouring. The actual colouring is a little better than it appears here, as these pictures were taken on my mobile in rapidly fading light this afternoon! I should be able to finish the building off this coming long weekend, after a trip to Uckfield for some more supplies, which will hopefully also allow me to get the few bits (paint, guttering and a window) I also need to finish off the signal box too. In the meantime, I may make a start on the half-relief goods shed/store.

The wiring is now complete for Ripe - not a great deal of it! - and the frog juicer has been installed to deal with the polarity switching. It needs testing, but lack of a suitable test loco means that this will have to wait for the time being. The annual bonus from work was lower than expected (across the board, not just me!), which, combined with Charlie's birthday and the Car Insurance stymied my plans to buy a Bachmann E4 last month. I do have some BR Blue stock to move on which will be a substantial amount towards one, but it currently lives in my parents loft, so needs to be retrieved first! Once I have tested - and also built the detachable fiddle yards - it will be ballasting, but before I can move on to that, Point Rodding will need to be installed. I am planning to use the Wills kit for this, but thinned as per Geoff Forster's efforts on the wonderful Llangunllo - http://radnorailways.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/point-rodding-pt2.html . LBSC Point Rodding was also round, rather than square, but I think careful work to thin down with a scalpel will help to discuss the kits' Western origins, and if not I can always say the independent CVR got some on the cheap from Swindon! As well as the wiring, I have also put in the platform - made from Stripwood sides, with a thin balsa top, which will in turn be covered with Daler Board. Some polystyrene, and stripwood offcuts, serve as 'filler' underneath this first surface, which I hope should prevent any warping of the board when painted. You can see in the background of the above, and this picture of the other end, that I have also put in the base (from 5mm foamboard) for the road surface. This first mockup of the shop from foamboard was built to the wrong size, as I stupidly forgot to take into account the thickness of the road! . As I was pondering how best to represent a typically 'Sussex' flint and brick building, the latest MRJ came out, and in it, Gordon Gravett shows how to make exactly this using DAS on Foamboard, which is the way I will go. The road to the side of the shop leading to the track will be replaced with a road sloping down towards the track to cross on the level. Along the backscene opposite the shop, I think a simple wall - something like that shown here; will do nicely, as there will be no room for anything on the other side of it. I aim to redo the shell for the shop over the next few days, and also get the base for the road in place, with the top dressing to follow much later...

Apologies Don, I thought I'd replied to this last week! Yes, that certainly could be an idea! - my version works fine, although I have left the springs in the points to ensure contact. One of the biros I used was totally empty, whereas the other tube came from one which had been trodden on, and was still fairly full. I washed as much ink out as I could (not an easy job!) but it is still a bit 'sticky', so could have done a better job. In hindsight, maybe a 'blast' of WD40 would have done the job better than a bowl of hot soapy water?

Very neat brackets, especially considering they are carved from one piece of plasticard!

Best wishes Gordon, the layout will always be there to come back to once the CME is back on his feet.

Work has continued on the Ripe layout since the last update, with some significant progress on the 'boring bits', with all track now laid and wiring to be tidied up tomorrow, once the glue holding it down has had plenty of time to set. Going back a little though, this was the scene a few nights ago. Excuse the snapshot again, which has been taken on my phone and edited for size. As you can see, the pointwork has changed, which I have salvaged from the previous Litlington board, as I wanted medium radius points rather than the previous medium and small combo. Over the last couple of days I have also been giving consideration to controlling the points. I was originally planning to use Tortoise Motors, and indeed the Peco points have been modified so that Frog Juicers can be used to switch polarity of the frogs in preparation, but for now, have decided to leave them as manually operated via wire-in-tube. What I have done though is worked out a way to do this 'on the cheap'. The catalyst was, oddly enough, tidying my desk at work, where I found a Biro which was completely exhausted. Looking at it, I thought the ink tube could come in handy for something, and took it home. I then got some copper wire of approximately 1mm thick, put the wire through the Biro tube and began experimenting. After testing off board, and a strong coffee, I bit the bullet and drilled a hole underneath the tiebar, and another on the front fascia, poked the Biro tube through, then threaded the wire through and up through the hole (with another piece of tube to keep it straight through the baseboard). To my great surprise, it worked perfectly! Here is one in place, it isn't the easiest thing to photograph, but you can see the (before cutting to height!) wire poking through the points and the front of the board. The tube has been glued to the underside of the board, and also taped over for security, with part of the Biro Tube left through the front to avoid the wire going out of shape. Given the small size of the layout, I have also removed the webbing between the sleepers on the SMP plain track, which is something I have never bothered with before, but certainly will be in future as I am very pleased with the results. I am also playing with arrangements for the occupation crossing, and am keen on a small signal box, of the platform mounted type, with the platform ramp in front of it. The placeholder one is 'handed' in the wrong direction unfortunately, and the steps would not be there on the real thing. The signs on the mock up shop are from Scalescenes, and were simply added to pass some time tonight and make it look a little less stark! As always, thoughts are more than welcome!

Here's the ballasting one http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/80480-ballasting-without-tearson-thin-sleeper-track/

Progress has continued with some more additions and work on the Ripe layout/cameo. After screwing the various pieces together (angle brackets and a couple of mending plates from Screwfix, and some 19mm screws from Wickes), I used some spare Fablon/Sticky Back Plastic purchased from Poundland ages ago for one of Charlie's homework projects to neaten the front up, as there were a few marks and chips from the process of screwing it all together. This neatens the front of the layout up nicely. I had planned to use Cork tiles to provide underlay for the track, however my stock of these appears exhausted and, not wanting to spend £10 on a new packet of which I needed 3, I decided to look for other options. A trip to Poundland again brought the solution; These are Foam sheets in A5 size, sold for kids craft activities. They come in a pack of 10, with five different colours, and as the place suggests, cost just £1. I was expecting some variation in thickness, but they all seem remarkably the same, they cut very easily with kitchen scissors, and stick down easily and quickly with bog standard PVA. I saw these on Saturday, but didn't buy them straight away, so yesterday afternoon it was a quick trip into town before they closed at 4 to grab some - should have gone with my instincts when I first saw them, as they are ideal for the job. I imagine Hobbycraft would do these in bigger sizes, but no doubt more expensively! I have now also cut the track (SMP with Peco Code 75 Pointwork) to size, and, with the discovery of a couple of points in a bag beneath my desk (one Medium and one Small Radius), have decided to go with these so that I can get going, without having to wait until payday to buy some new ones. This has had the effect of straightening the track a little, so I have introduced a slight curve to the 'main', which now curves away from the Seed Warehouse siding before running offstage. The points have both had the springs removed (I can only assume they were salvaged from some long-forgotten layout or another!), but I think the depth of the plinth will allow me to use Tortoise Point Motors with no problems, probably with the switches for them poking through the front fascia. I also dug a few bits out of the cupboard to enhance the 'visual plan'/3D Mockup - although the platform section at the back which is serving as the bay is too wide and too long, so has to be viewed with some imagination. The Litlington Goods Store though does fit nicely, and in the absence of anything else, I may well use this - or I may build another, more low-relief version. The Tree front right was a helpful find, as it had conveniently been made 'low relief' by having most of the back cut off already! - and it has also made the decision for me that there will be a hedge running along the 'rail side' of the white (Woodlands Scenics Incline) slope, which will serve as the base for the farm track. The big change though is the building at the back left - previously, it was to be a cottage and sit up against the backscene, however by moving it forward towards the tracks a little, at the expense of a garden, I can have a road going behind it - in the picture above you can see a Morris Van (also a placeholder, although a horse and cart would look nice!) poking out from behind it. In the last post I mentioned having some doubts about the road from front to back, so this has solved that problem as well - with the cottage now becoming a shop (the front will be facing the backscene). Construction of this will be brick and flint, to really 'set the scene'. The level crossing remains, however it will now serve for road access to the farm and the Seed Warehouse only, rather than being a public road. The Crossing gate shown is just a placeholder - MSE list an LBSC level crossing, which will be ideal for the job (Geoff Forster has made a superb job of their GWR example on his stunning Llangunllo So - on the whole, some genuine progress, although there is a bit of a sinking feeling that the 3' I chopped off the back would have come in very handy! (I'd love to put in another siding for the coal yard, some allotments and a bridge over a stream, but there is simply no room) - still, he who never compromised never made a model railway, and I must adapt to the space available to me!

Thanks all, it's certainly an interesting topic! - Maybe I can justify the move the other way as mentioned.

Excellent! Many thanks both.

Indulge me, if you will, whilst I set the scene. It's 1920, and farmer P.Oberon of Wiltshire (I believe he has a brother with the GWR ) has visited the Hailsham Fatstock Show, and as a result, has arranged to purchase Bessie, the winner of 'Best in Show' from Wilfred Larby of Claggetts Farm in deepest Sussex. Would it be beyond the realms of possibility that Mr Oberon arranged for one of his stockmen to travel with a Cattle Van (say, the 'Beetle' of 1909 which just happens to be available in kit form from Parkside) to Sussex in order to ensure the safe arrival of his new purchase, or would Bessie have been moved from LBSC van to GWR one at a suitable exchange point? Short version: Can I justify a Parkside Beetle (1909 version) kit on a layout set in LBSC territory? Thanks!

After a quiet couple of days following construction (or at least putting together - it hasn't been fixed yet!), I have had a look again at the sides/middle divider that came with the TV unit, with a view to using them. I initially rejected these as sides/wings due to the height of 6.5 inches, but having looked again, and as the layout is designed for eye-level viewing, I have decided to use them. Cutting them down to size has given me the sides and wings - you will have to excuse the poor quality snapshots, taken on my mobile with less than ideal lighting, and resized on paint.net. You will also see that I have gained a backscene board - this has also been re/upcycled - it is the front of a draw unit from a cheap chest of drawers which has fallen apart under the weight of clothes my wife has put into it - that it is a different colour really doesn't matter as it will be hidden in any case, and the slight (it's about quarter of an inch, and very frustrating!) height difference will be resolved later in the post. The holes are where the handle used to be. I wanted to see if my 'vision' would work, so knocked up some quick card mockups from a box purloined from the recycling - it is simply held together with sellotape, so isn't particularly accurate and is more to show what I am aiming for, although the Station Building is accurate in dimensions as an aid to planning. Starting front left, we have the seed warehouse, with the part relief cottage rear left. In the middle is the station building, and to the right, the goods store. The rising ground at the front(Polystyrene resting on a pile of business cards at one end) represents the farm track, although it is very tight, and I think I might abandon the idea in favour of the farm track in favour of just a grassy bank. Looking to the left, you can see where I am going with the seed warehouse with a shelter/loading bay sticking out over the tracks. I have also very quickly mocked up the cottage garden wall, but I think this will either need to be higher or perhaps just a simple fence instead. Finally, I thought the whole 'box' was lacking 'something' to finish it off, and then I remembered that I had lopped 3' off to form the baseboard. Luckily, I cut this in one length, and put it in a sheltered spot of the garden. When I retrieved it earlier this evening, it seemed to still be OK despite some rain over the past few days, and after cutting it down a little, put it on top to see how it looked - with the idea that it would finish off the 'front' of the layout, as well as hide the slight height difference in the backscene when viewed head on; The whole process has answered a few questions for me - and also, inevitably raised a few more - I now don't know about the road - but overall I think it has been a more than productive evening, and I am now confident that all my amendments and 'trimming' of the layout plan has been worth it, and I will be satisfied with the end result. As always, your thoughts are more than welcome!

Thanks Mikkel - A live backscene would be a superb idea, but for now I think it will just be a plain, neutral sky blue colour! - never say never though...! There will be fiddle yards, yes, but they will have to be detachable for storage and only come out for operation!