Grimleygrid

Yesterday I picked up some concrete sleeper track from Exactoscale and have to say that I am very impressed and very pleased with it. Tested it out by sitting a couple of locos on it and have to say that the track does look very good. Here are a few photos taken earlier: More wood work was carried out this morning with the last pieces of wood added. Hopefully photos of some locos on shed tomorrow, weather permitting!

Hi Lewis, a good idea for a future project, many years in the future me thinks! Wouldn’t mind a model of 45112 to have running with my present day fleet. To start off with I will be modelling EWS/DB over the past few years due to the majority of my stock being for this period, but my plan is to model it set between 1988 and 1992. Hi BigT, in a word No! I used to have a lot of Lima, Mainline and Hornby stock which would have been perfect but when the newer improved higher spec models came out I started getting rid of them. All they were doing was sitting in their boxes so didn’t see the point of keeping them. Had about 35 Grids with the majority being Large Logo, Railfreight, Red-stripe Railfreight and Triple Grey, just the job for Boxenby. Now all I have is three Bachmann choppers, not much to fill it up with! The doors will have to be kept shut so that you can’t see that the shed is empty! The Grimley deficit will be reaching levels similar to the UKs in order to get enough stock to fill the inside and stabling sidings! Last night I took a couple of photos: This taken from the rear looking in towards the front: Just noticed a kink in one of the battens! Will try and take some photos of a few locos sitting inside the shed if the weather permits over the weekend.

Hi Peter, I keep seeing your 45 and it really makes me want to get one! Rest assured there will be a few Peaks residing inside Boxenby shed! As I just mentioned once painted the inside roof should look quite good. It is funny that you should mention the car bonnet as Grimley Senior suggested a while ago having it on hinges in order to show the inside and allow access. My plan is to have locating lugs at each corner to make it easier to put it in place after removal. I will have to wait and see as my plan is to have the girder supports for the roof as a separate frame made out of brass sections. But like everything until you are at that stage when ready to start work I will just think about it and come up with ideas. Quite a few hours were spent on both Saturday and Sunday gluing and pinning the different sections in place. I am relieved to have got this finished as I have wanted to get this done for a few weeks. Apart from one piece of wood which I hope to fit either tonight or tomorrow the roof supports are finished, this has been a long job! This now means that the main frame or shed structure, what ever you want to call it is now finished and very sturdy. Will add some photos later. I have not decided whether to make a start on covering the building in plasticard or to make a start on cutting out the channels for the inspection pits. One thing I would like to do is to lay out some track with a few locos and see how it looks. If the weather is sunny and dry at the weekend I may try and do it.

Hi Mark, you don’t need to apologise I should be saying sorry for not having made more progress and it being a boring thread! To be honest I had hoped to have done more work on it by now but this has not been possible, not sure how long it will take but the lighter evenings will allow me to do some work when I get home. Alright, I have to come clean it is N gauge! I am sure there must be another large depot some where, surely I can’t be the only nutter to build something of this size?!! Yes they are very good photos, I have always wanted to model a loco up on jacks so hopefully this will allow that to happen. But probably a 56 raised up. I am very pleased with the SMP track and hopefully will be in possession of some Exactoscale concrete sleeper track. On Sunday I was looking through the shed from rear to front and have to say I am very pleased with it so far although it is difficult to imagine looking at wood! But once covered in plasticard and painted and weathered it should hopefully look good. Thanks again for the comments.

Many thanks for the info Flood, very helpful. Well it really is coming on now and looks superb, a really detailed layout. More photos please! The DBSO looks good sitting there, I never did get used to seeing them in Anglia livery. ScotRail suited them best.

Hi Mark, looking good. I just love your viaduct, it was made for a Scottish LL 37/4! The DB Tractor looks a nice model, I didn’t order one of those due to funds being allocated to my new project but quite fancy one after seeing it on Rannoch Moor. It will look good passing over the viaduct on a charter!

Superb work Sir, your shed looks excellent, certainly does capture a 1980s carriage shed! Look forward to seeing photos of it in position. Hope you don’t mind me asking but where did you get the extractors for the roof from? They do look good.

Thanks for the photos Peter, 535 looks right at home at Llanbourne especially on the fuelling point. Can just imagine it idling away! Will have to get one of those at some point as it does look rather nice. I bet there were quite a few bashers on board for the 37 working and probably a few disappointed Crompton fans too!

Look forward to seeing the photos of your LL 47 later in the week.

Nice photo Beast, good to see a 60 on a different working!

Excellent layout, the Bute tunnel area looks superb especially the point work. Look forward to seeing the steel works.

Have to say Kevin that I am loving the UKF Fertiliser wagons, just how I remember them! The UKF fertiliser working used to be my local freight trip with 31s, 37s and 47s on it. After school on a Monday we used to go down and see what was working it. Now that was a long time ago…..Towards the end it used to consist of ten to twelve OCAs. Great weathering!

Thanks Lewis, yes it is going to take quite a few hours to finish, I am trying nit to think about it either! One day……. Not much progress has been made on the shed building over the past few weeks due to being busy with other things, which has allowed me to work on the track plan. This has now been finished: Yesterday I managed to spend a couple of hours working on the shed, making a start on assembling the roof supports. The main cross pieces were glued and pinned in position and hopefully later this week the long sections which run from front to rear can also be glued. This will be a job well done as once the main structure is assembled my plan is to cut out the channels ready for the inspection pits. Looking forward to the clocks going forward as the lighter evenings will allow work to be done when I get in from work! This is a quick photo taken to show how the roof will look from the inside:

Thanks for the advice Bloodnok, once I am ready to put the roof on I will look into the options. As mentioned before I have been thinking about the removable roof for a while but until I am ready to actually fit it, it is difficult to see what the possibilities are and how it can be achieved. You and LNERandBR are correct you just know that something will stop and need a push! Sods law Cromptonnut! I have been quite busy with other things over the past couple of weeks and so there has been very little progress made on the shed although a lot of time has been spent on research for other areas of the layout. In particular I have started looking into track and preparing a final plan, as it should not be too long before we are reading to start laying the first sections. After reading through numerous threads on here, visiting different sites on the internet and talking to Mr. Nevard, I have decided on the track for Boxenby. 00 gauge SMP Bullhead flextrack, Exactoscale concrete sleeper and Peco code 75 points are to be used. Last week after talking to Martin Wynne and Gordon S, who were very helpful, I have started on a track plan using XTrKCad. A good few hours were spent getting used to the program and then a track plan was produced although it does need amending. Yesterday I spent some time coming up with a final plan in Illustrator which will help me produce a track plan in XTrakCad. Well hopefully! On Saturday a box of track arrived from SMP and I have to say that I am very impressed. I am not an expert on track but it certainly looks good to me. Yesterday I put a loco on it to get an idea of how it will look:

Superb layout, great work and excellent detail. Love the shed and fuelling points, I agree with PCM look forward to seeing photos of your stock on the layout. The photo of the LL 47 reminds me of visits to Bounds Green depot when the long range fuel tank 47s were there moving the sleepers and other coaching stock around. Always did like the Eastfield ones, 47665 with the large Scottie dog was one of my favourites of that batch.

Hi Cheesy, It really depends on your budget and also which model you prefer. I have only seen the new model in a box and not next to the original to have a good comparison. Have heard mixed reviews of them. I have a couple of rakes of the older version (I am not in the same league as Mr. Dagworth!) which were bought many years ago and after weathering I am more than happy with them. Yes they are old and I am sure the newer model is far superior but behind a Grid and trundling past would you really notice? I don’t know. Here are a couple of photos of the HAAs that I weathered last year: I am happy with mine and could not afford the time or money to replace the 70 odd old ones that I have. The main thing is that you are happy, whether that be with the older or newer models. Hope that helps.

I am surprised at you Leon going over to the dark side……..leaving behind 37s, 56s and 60s, very disappointed! Love them or hate them the Bachmann shed is a very good model, I have to confess to owning a couple myself but please keep that quiet! Looks good on your layout, do you have any covered steel wagons? Whenever I see photos of your metals Grid and Petroleum 60 it makes me want to get some sector locos!

There is no arguing with the reliability and availability figures that Sheds have given freight companies which is very impressive. Yes they worked straight out of the unlike the 60s but you have to put this into perspective. The 60 was a completely new design, the 66 was built using proven and off the shelf technology which was readily available so EMD could offer a cheap and affordable loco. Both locos do what they are designed to do, a shed is a jack of all trades and a 60 a heavy freight loco. The US Rail Industry is in a completely different league and can offer cheaper locos than we can in the UK. The future does not look bright for them but until DB get a replacement a handful will remain in traffic to cover the diagrams which need the extra power. If you look at this time last year and then the tail end of 2009 DB were trying desperately to get rid of them. This even meant double-heading some services; Tunstead to Oakleigh hoppers, Robeston to Westerleigh, Lindsey to Westerleigh and a couple of times on the Lindsey to Jarrow. As the fuel bill started to soar questions were asked why this was happening and low and behold a 60 returned to Peak Forest and a few more to IM. Now we see 59/2s venturing from Merehead to Warrington and now Margam it just proves that DB need a few heavy freight locos. Six 59/2s will be stretched if they are to cover all these diagrams and things pick up at Merehead…….. Like them or hate them the 60s are still going strong and under the original design by now they should have been overhauled at least twice. It just goes to show how good engines they are to keep going after the treatment they have received. I am sure most engineers would agree that treating machinery in such away i.e. store for months, back into traffic then store again etc., etc. does little to help it mechanically. Still I am sure a shed would be in much better condition with the same treatment……..

Hi Pete, I am planning to cover the roof in plasticard with the skylights made using a brass etch, depending on cost. Going to see if PH Designs can help! I agree CromptonNut, totally bonkers! I am very pleased with how it is progressing and glad that you like it. Thanks Big Bob, my plan is to have one of the roof sections removable to allow you to see the detailing inside the shed, probably above the four through roads (1 to 4). This should also allow you to see a few of the dead-end roads too. I may also see if it is possible to have the roof above roads 13 to 15 removable so that you can see a loco up on jacks. Come on Bachmann where are those lifting jacks?!! It is funny as I am planning to use clear plasticard and spray it but hadn’t thought about leaving it so that you could see through! Like I say that is the plan but will have to wait and see when the roof is being added.

Saturday I managed to do a bit more woodwork and dry fitted the majority of the roof pieces. A few are missing but will be added during the week. I am nearly at the stage to glue all the pieces on which hopefully if the weather is ok will be done next weekend. A few photos of progress:

Agree with the previous post absolutely stunning, love the block of flats top modelling. The road effect looks really good, Jim has come up with a great method there and you have mastered it perfectly. It certainly does look good.

Well despite quite a few hours work there is still very little to show for it! Over the past few days a lot of time has been spent working on the roof which has taken a lot longer than I had expected. But perhaps that is just because I would like it all finished now! Small channels/grooves have had to be cut out of all the cross pieces in order to allow the long sections that will run from front to rear to sit in place. This whole structure will support the roof. I have to say that I can see light at the end of the tunnel especially after dry fitting some of the long pieces in place yesterday afternoon. It is starting to look like the roof of a building! Here are a few photos of progress showing the long pieces placed on top to see how it will look when finished. Please excuse the mess! Some slight adjustments will need to be made when the cross pieces are placed in their final positions to make sure that the long pieces are running parallel. Hopefully next weekend will see more progress.

Hi Mark, not sure how I missed it but just seen the photo of 60029 on the BP TEAs, superb! The Bachmann bogie tanks are lovely models and do look good in a rake behind a 60, I bet that looked good passing over your viaduct!

Thanks Vac_Basher, I agree it is insane! Peter, I wish my woodworking skills were as good as my Fathers! I have to confess that he has done the majority of the work to which I am very grateful. The shed is coming on albeit slowly and should start to look a bit better once the rest of the roof structure is in place. Then I need to start working on the metal work inside the shed, this is going to be interesting! I keep looking through photos of locos inside Toton and want to make more progress, problem is at present it is a tad chilly in the garage??¦??¦. Thanks J, it will look better once covered in plasticard and painted and weathered. Also once the track and inspection pits have been put down it will give an idea of how it should look once finished.

Excellent weathering on 31323 Peter, just right and how I remember them. Love it! Can just imagine it idling away!