Matloughe

I went away and thought about this - I wanted to say thanks for your comments; I had a look at the brand of paint I was planning to buy and you were quite right it wasn't moisture 'resistant' shall we say. So I have plumped for a different Acrylic basecoat that is resistant - so far I have put it on the fiddlestick and provided there are no issues that jump up immidiately i'll then go and coat the main boards as it were. 🙂 So this evening there has been some minor progress; the majority of my O Scale items have been stored in the Garage which has in the past had a rodent problem. Now I am fairly certain that has gone away of its own volition (as well as an ultrasonic generator) and I have retrieved the last of my stock and the three(ish) yards of track out there - without too many issues raised from my Partner. So this evening I took my track cutters to the track I had on hand, and by putting it all together I have come up with the following: There is a 6cm gap from the end of the sleepers to the front of the building - I make that a gap of about eight and a half scale feet - probably a little too tight for a rail served warehouse but in an era before pallets where everything was hand bailed on and off its probably not entirely unreasonable of a width. The Phorpes Bricks wagon is at the end of the short (2 wagon) siding, where I had planned an end loading dock of sorts (ignore the skewed boards here, they are just placed together - I still need to get some toggle catches for them). But looking at it; the warehouse will have a small shopfront at the far end of that building which will mean it cant really move too far from where it is. And we've established there is only eight and a half feet of space from the warehouse to the platform edge where the small GWR 4-Plank is sitting. So I think I will have to go away and have a think about this siding. The vague operation I have planned is that the long siding is the main one that has two wagon spaces and the short siding at the back has space for two wagons but only a loading/unloading spot for the rearmost one the idea is to put three/four wagons on the boards and shuffle a small pack of cards and shunt the wagons to how they are drawn one at a time. Anyway, nothing particuarly exciting just more planning and mock-ups slowly getting there! Kind Regards, Gary

Those are some really good examples Goldfish, what track are you using? Those coaches look good as well. Kind Regards, Gary

When I've built things in MDF before I have just used either emulsion or Acrylic Paint with no ill effects during the interim. I think I also sealed one with PVA glue but that took ages to set and didn't take paint well. I know a local (to me) DIY chain shop sells MDF primer, the smallest can (250ml) is almost £6! Which is a quarter of my monthly budget. I'll do some more reading and see what's best, perhaps I'll have to just bite the bullet and pay out for proper sealer. Kind Regards, Gary

Hello Everyone! Whats this, two posts... within a year of one another - goodness gracious! I did say I would try to make some progress. Today was slow - after the usual half-term activities for a family of four - and then schooling my eldest on why challenging me to play various video games that I was playing before he was even born wasn't the greatest idea. I managed to crack open my baseboard kit I bought from eBay and I am very happy with it I have to say. So I will say from the outset, I am not in anyway afilliated with the seller - I have just been impressed by their product if you want to know more or have a look at it yourself, drop me a message and I'll try and link you the listing so you can look it up yourself. So the kit consists of two modules, each of them are 40cm wide by 20cm in depth and 15cm tall back. And they come with some useful connectors to hold them together. Its made up from 3mm MDF according to my calipers I used for measuring them, the connectors are good for holding the two boards together for a Diorama (as advertised) however I think for my purposes I will be looking for some clips or similar to keep the boards more securely aligned for running trains. I am aware I am using something not designed for this purpose and will have to beef things up somewhat - but as it stands it is perfectly useable I am also pleased the central crossmembers have cut outs which would be useful for wiring etc. It also provided an excuse while the boards were dry fitted together to ger Fenchurch out to get an idea of scale - and to make sure what is in the mock up on Train Sim does vaguely translate to reality. So the next step is to grab some decent PVA/Wood Glue and stick the boards together and then take up some sort of option to seal the boards against further moiusture ingress. I am thinking of using plain Acrylic paint for this purpose. And on that terrible disappointment of very little progress I will leave you with what is possibly my favourite photo of Fenchurch from this evening. If you want to know more about the board kits - please send me a message and I'll find the listing from eBay for you to take a look at. Stay Safe! Gary

Hello Everyone, I hope everyone is doing well - I have been somewhat out of the modelling loop recently; my modelling "mojo" has been lacking somewhat and with everything that has happened over the past two years I had focused my attentions elsewhere - I took up Hex & Counter wargames as a solitare hobby which helped keep my sanity as well as focused on ensuring the family had a regular income coming into the house as my primary focuses and as a result everything else had fallen by the wayside. However with the turning of the year into 2022 it has certainly felt like the winds of change were blowing through the house (and not from christmas brussel sprouts either!!) and as time has gone on I have returned to what has been my main 'hobby' over the past twentyish years. From my previous posts I had planned a mini-micro consisting of effectively two sidings and some sort of traverser/fiddlestick to serve them both as a 'starter' project to kickstart my interest. Recently I had ordered a diorama baseboard kit from a well known auction site as well as a warehouse/shop pdf building kit to be the main building on scene for a project to get me back modelling. I was very grateful for the opportunity the past weekend to attend my first exhibition since 2019 and see Heaton Lodge Junction and other fantastic layouts and it has certainly got me thinking for how to start a project. So my plan was to produce something effectively consisting as I said of the end of two sidings serving some sort of warehouse with its own loading platform and end loading dock - the baseboards I have are 80cm long, by 20cm deep and with a backscene of 15cm high. I also have a 40cm x 10cm Fiddlestick to act as of the rest of the world. With these dimensions in mind, the fiddlestick is large enough to accomodate a LBSCR Terrier locomotive and a 'standard' sized wagon - notionally using the BR 16t Mineral Wagon as my 'base wagon size' I have produced a tentitive mock-up of what I have in my mind in Train Sim and have shuffled some wagons around using some suitable rolling stock to get a feel for the design before I continue my physical work. The rearmost siding is large enough to accomodate two wagons, and the front siding large enough for four wagons - the idea being to shuffle some cards for operation and move the wagons around to reach the goal that the cards represent. I do need to tweak the mock up slightly as it is a little bit too generous on overall length but this does not detract from what is planned. As you can see I am looking at a pre-grouping time period, although I have pre-ordered a Southern A1X for myself! And I am looking at 7mm/scale as it just 'looks right' especially from my experience seeing the layouts as I said at the Bath & West showground the weekend just past. As its half-term; I am hoping to make some progress on building the Diorama boards at least by the end of the holidays and then with something 'physical' I think progress with start in ernest. Until then - I will keep adding items to my shopping list for this layout; and I will look at getting them as/when I can. My goal is - as I have said before elsewhere; not to go further into debt with my modelling activities I am committed to clearing overdrafts and credit cards where I can so progress will be slow as I only have a limited 'budget' each month to buy things outright with. To be fair my Terrier pre-order is on credit card, but I have enought money stashed aside to clear it when its charged. I hope everyone is doing well - I look forwards to seeing progess on your own projects. Kind Regards, Gary

I was told there was some secret hand or pasty shake I was unaware of. Huzzah! I have to say I don't fancy the Torbay Republic :-) Gary

Is there room for a non-SWAG member who lives within the SWAG area to attend. I am more than happy to prove my Pasty eating skills and love of strong sweet tea. Not to mention my persuasion for all things green, Olive/Malachite/Brunswick with or without copper caps. I haven't been to a SWAG day since.... 2017 or 2016 perhaps. Gary

Good Morning Terry, There hasn't been much further progress - I have bought a few items for the layout such as a LB&SCR buffer stop and I have been looking at some laser cut low relief warehouse units from a certain online marketplace to use as a backdrop - but aside from that as strange as it sounds I haven't had the time to dig it out of the garage to make some more progress really. Reading back the thread I find it crazy i started this in 2020; since then I lost my full-time job then worked part time in two different supermarkets on night shift and finally in January 2021 i got a much better job in the education sector. I have got some ideas in the pipeline however so fingers crossed I might be able to make some progress over the darker winter months. At the moment I have diverted my attention to a small 4mm layout literally on a shelf for a 'quick & dirty' project. After that i'll probably look more seriously back in 7mm. I do have my eye on a lovely laser cut kit of an LBSCR Signal box... I just need a layout to put it on first!! Kind Regards, Gary

Marginally related, having used both the 473 and 121 services to visit both offered different experiences. The 121 was very much a venture into unknown territory for me, a trip to Lewes - then finding the ex Southdown Bus station - then first trip on an ESCC Optare Solo and then relying on the driver/my own infrequent trips to Sheffield Park by car to hit the bell for the right stop - all fun for a Feburary in 2010! :-D The 473 left a much more lasting memory on me - the trip from London to East Grinstead was uneventful - I arrived early so had to wait for the 473; the trip to Kingscote was equally uneventful I was looking for Imberhorne Viaduct but couldn't see it like I remember on an older Heritage Trip. It was bitterly cold at the Bluebell that day - I was the only First Class Passenger in the Chesham Set and the steam heat was up on full - toasty warm! :-D I believe Fenchurch (Might've been Stepney) had some issues that day and they debated cancelling the last trip from SP to KC; it eventually ran with Fenchurch rather late (there was talk of a brakevan special) which gave me my experience of travelling by Steam in the Dark (it was winter) just before I arrived at Kingscote it dawned on me that there would be no 473 as we were delayed by 45-60 minutes. Thankfully though the Metrobus Driver waited for us and there was the site of a cold but invitingly lit up Dennis Dart waiting for us to take us non-stop to East Grinstead. Sorry for the random thoughts but reading these last few posts on linking bus services i'll cease my ramblings now and return to the business at hand! :-) Gary

Thanks I suspect you are quite right upon looking back it appears that both versions are quite different aside from naming. It does look limited in operational scope but potentially useful for a quick project - it's interesting as I had planned a very similar layout the only difference in my plan is that the platform was an island with a shuttle line at the back. Kind Regards, Gary

Thank you to anyone who has had a look - I've found what I was looking for. Roxeth by Ian Buck a very compact terminus designed to fit onto the footprint of 3x A4 sheets of paper. Have a good Evening all! Kind Regards, Gary

Afternoon All! I hope you're all well? A bit of an odd one; I've seen somewhere on the Carendt website a small 00 layout of a fictional LU terminus. I was wondering if it anyone had the name of a link as it interested me and now I've spent two days trying to find it! I think it was described as a Branch off of the District Line, with a GER type station building and two-car surface stock train in the platform. Possibly was just a line into the platform and another into a siding with a kickback to hide the fiddleyard at the front. I know it's a long-shot but it captured my interest and I am frustrated I didn't bookmark it! I'm fairly certain I googled it afterwards and they layout looked like it had been expanded upon slightly - perhaps was originally a competition layout entry? Kind Regards, Gary

Thank you for your kind words, you've definitely one-upped me as I only have one Midland van which you'll see below: I've spent some time out in the Garage today and managed to butcher the boards together into looking a bit like a layout Being made of MDF it was fairly easy to cut - initially I tried with my woodsaw but it just mangled it so I returned to scoring through the board with a sharp Stanley knife - there is still some more tidying up to do - due to the positioning of the slots and tabs of the board it is advantageous to keep a small lip at the middle of the board and along the back for structural integrity. The plus side of getting it together was I could plonk some stock down and get a 'visual' idea of what I wanted to achieve with the layout: So the rear siding with the loco and GW wagon would be approximate the length it is shown here, I have it planned for 14" and the forward track with the wagon and van to be 28" from the left hand end of the layout. The rear track will end in an end loading dock and have space for approximately 2 wagons for shuffling about of a 'standard' wheelbase. The End loading dock will also form the platform adjacent to the front track for unloading wagons or vans. Next job is to rummage about in the garage and glue the board together and primer it. I think it will end up a horrid shade of Magnolia initially as I have a half-used 15l tub of it kicking about. To clear the 'lip' between the boards I think I will put down a layer of Cork to raise the 'bed' of the layout up a little. As for control system I am planning on having the Fiddleyard as a 'dead yard' using a length of Peco Setrack as a cassette - its just long enough as the loco and wagon are sitting on one length of track - I may use a small sliver of wood under the track to bring it up to the level of the layout and either employ slide bolts to lock the FY track cassette to the correct layout track or I might just solder some Code 100 rail to the outside of the Code 124 and use them to line up & transmit electricity. So with just a section for each onstage track - I might split the front track into two sections and the possibility of having some lighting in the forms of lamps on the layout there isn't anything special for the wiring. I am planning on DC operation with just throwing the switches open for DCC operation if needed. With the fiddleyard there isn't anything special planned - I have an idea of making it operable from the front or the back by rotating that module 180 degrees and having exits on either side of the FY Module so I can run it from the front and if/should I take it anywhere I can operate it from behind if needed. The only other consideration I haven't even begun to think about is couplings - being a shunting layout having 3-links potentially may be a pain especially operating from behind leaning over the backscene and over the scenery. So some progress but much more to think about! Stay safe everyone and keep on modelling! ~ Gary

Hello Everyone! A nearly full-time lurker here on the forums I have lost my modelling mojo with my current project of an LBSC Terminus station so have decided to pack it away and start on a smaller project as a taster/venture into 7mm Scale using the bits & pieces I have collected over the years as (hopefully) an inexpensive and completable project throughout this winter lock down. I have bought three laser cut MDF A3 sized baseboard kits from a well-known auction site (at £12.50 a pop - quite reasonable!) the plan is to use two glued and bolted together as a scenic section and the third one to be a detachable fiddleyard/fiddlestick. Planned Scenic Boards I was very taken with Lydlow Goods and Halstead when I encountered them and thought that Lydlow Goods would provide a nice relaxing shunt to escape from the stresses of the real world. Having worked it out roughly with a full-scale plan on paper I have planned for two lines to enter from the left hand end with the front track being approximately 28" in length and the rear track 14" in length terminating in an end loading dock. This roughly equates to two wagons on the rear track and four on the front track - but only with unloading spots on the right-hand board for two wagons. Basic plan would be to move wagons one or two at a time to the front track - and empties to the rear track to head off to the rest of the world. I have drawn up a basic full-sized plan (as extensive as it is...) I don't want to share it fully however as I haven't yet thought about the backdrop of buildings to make scenery up and I want to roughly plan them down on paper. The only slight issue is - I was playing around and managed to get the three musketeers together and its hard not to think of the smaller scales and what would fit in... perhaps I should buy some more baseboards for other layouts in different scales! 7mm "Fenchurch", 4mm "Brighton Works" & 2mm "Boxhill" If anyone is interested in some glacial progress then stay tuned! I'll be sealing the boards with paint and cutting the MDF for the two scenic boards to make them into one. Stay Safe and Keep Modelling!

Thanks @jamest - nice to know it isn't just me! I've been working nights quite a lot and consequently not really been up for doing much. My doctor has signed me off due to having an injury on both knees so I have been having my thoughts turn to making some sort of layout/diorama. I've found looking on a well known-auction site a supplier who sells A3 sized diorama baseboard kits and I've bought two of them at a very good price - I am not quite sure if I should use one of them and a fiddlestick to produce a micro or even perhaps join the two of them end to end to produce a micro that is going to be almost 3x1 in size again with a fiddlestick. The idea is to just get on and do something rather then talk/plan without actually getting anywhere. Lets face it with lockdown 2.0 and being signed off... what else can I do - I've already got several yards of track and rolling stock/locos, wiring switches only thing I appear to be missing is solder and flux :-D If/when there is some progress I'll pop it up on here. Thank you all for your kind comments. Kind Regards, Gary

Thank you all for your kind comments! I have been enjoying the journey so far; I really have enjoyed the tinkering - when the little ones have gone to bed I can get out the lining paper and draw the plan at full-size to get a feel for what will fit in the area - but its time consuming! Thanks for the heads-up Pete! I will have a look at it; I was thinking of possibly replacing the body on the Lima chassis with something else - like the Skytrex Y6 tram body perhaps if I can sort out the running problems. I have ordered from 422 Modelling a LC&DR brake third body to replace a rather battered GWR Toad I bought second had a couple of years back that has rubbish bodywork but a good chassis as a quick & easy carriage for under £20. It'll be a good basis for starting with at the very least. Kind Regards, Gary

Hello all! I hope all are well? I have decided to take the plunge; i am selling off the majority of my 4mm stock and items as it no-longer holds my interest (apart from a small number of items that are special to myself) and I am going to embark upon a 7mm scale project. I have been dabbling in 7mm since about 2012 on & off and acquiring stock & items when on special prices with a view to completing a layout 'at some point' or 'in the near future' well now that time has come; during the pandemic I had converted my Garage/layout room into a home office and the layout was stored. Then I was furloughed and on my first day of furlough I was told that my services were no-longer required and work finished there & then. After a week or so I finally ventured back into the garage to put the office stuff away and tidy up with setting the layout up and it was at this point I dropped the layout and caused damage to the scenery and electrics in a fit of frustration I finally decided that enough was enough and I was switching to O Gauge - and this brings us to today neatly. So having found alternative employment I am now looking at starting the O Gauge project; I am planning to utilise my existing boards which consist of three 3' 6" x 1" boards arranged end to end to give me an overall length of 10' 6", with a 7' scenic section currently - its ironic as the boards were built for an O Gauge project and ended up with 00 on them for speed/expediency in 2013!! I am slightly torn between two plans either an extended version of Halstead that fitted in 5' x 1' or the second plan which has really caught my attention was in Railway Modeller in May of Trevarno Station on the Helston Railway. Frustratingly I have a Linux computer and it just does not want to play ball game with AnyRail for track planning so I have currently been on the floor with a roll of lining paper and compasses and pencils trying to plan both plans out for what I want in the limited operational area - I am also trying to figure out if I can fit a run-around loop in the width available in a freelance light railway BLT as a third option. Layout-wise I am very much a novice, I am aiming for an LBSCR/Southern Railway flavour possibly as a light railway or even a preserved line - I just want to enjoy the modelling experience rather than focus too heavily on historical accuracy with this layout as I want it to act as a lead into another perhaps larger project further down the line (if you'll pardon the pun). I'm not adverse to constructing new boards for the layout and having a more expansive project - but I have limited funds if I buy new wood for boards I wont have anything up & running anytime soon. I understand that 2' wide is a better option for 7mm rather than trying to cram stuff in. Stock-wise I have three locos, an exLima BR Blue Shunter with wheels that don't like Peco point frogs. And Ixion Hudswell Clarke and most recently a Dapol A1 Terrier "Fenchurch" I have a smattering of kit-built wagons built and several yards of track and peco points. Sorry for no photos or anything exciting but I am just in the preliminary stages of designing. And am trying to hone in on what is best to do within my budget available. Anyway enough rambling, I hope everyone is well, stay safe and keep modelling! Gary

I don't frequent here often anymore; but having read your thread from start to finish I believe you should be proud of your achievements! I am certainly going to subscribe for more updates! Take it slow & steady and you'll get there - can't wait to see more. Kind Regards, Gary

Hello Everyone! I hope we're all doing well? Since my last update its been a tale of two-halves; on the plus side the layout has been assembled in its entirety in its new home: the recently cleared out Garage: I even managed to repurpose some old Breakfast Bar stools I had for use to seating whilst working on/operating the layout which is fantastic. Sadly however before I could get stuck in, disaster struck and my Furlough ended - so now although the layout is set up in the Garage - I also have a desk in there as well and have been focusing on my accounts work rather than actual physical work on the layout - the only major thing to have happened is for all of the platform to have been removed and the push-pull set finally has new bogies fitted and buffers after a mere 6 years without them!! I have managed some theoretical work with the help of others: I have with the help of others figured out and am going to implement a signalling scheme based on what we believe is the best LBSCR practice of the time for when the line was built. This has been very interesting to say the least and has opened my eyes to sometimes what the rule-book says is gospel doesn't always translate into what physically existed. I have also been experimenting on butchering some LNWR signals virtually on Paint to see if I could get a convincing from 3 feet away LBSCR set of signals but am unconvinced currently. I am currently debating if I could/should backdate the layout to LBSCR days rather than SR days but not made a firm decision yet - I am going to trade in some stock and am thinking of getting one of those Hornby Terriers I've seen so much about just what colour scheme??? Aside from that and working in the Garage my other 'hobby' has taken over my life, I've been playing far too much Star Fleet Battles - currently I have a small campaign going with the four main Galactic powers which has been thoroughly entertaining; not to mention I've been trying to teach myself Advanced Squad Leader but that is much more of a slow burning project! I'm hoping having returned to work that I can loosen the purse strings somewhat and have some actual progress next time. Until then stay safe! ~ Gary

Hello all! @DavidCBroad From what I can see of the prototype, (I should stress its based on and not a copy) the platform is arranged as an Island without differing levels - the 'bay/dock siding' was probably on used for the most minor of traffic in the 22 pictures I can see online there are 4 vans (all of which look like they are Stroudley or older) 1 Flat wagon, 6 opens of which are 2 PO's looks like one 5 plank and one 7 plank and four what look like Open A's or Open D's with one of them sheeted with a tarp rail. I'd imagine the vans were for farm produce or consignments each way or for perambulators for walkers to the attractions in the area. The Flat wagon has a horse & cart with what looks like logs adjacent to it so I'd imagine was a special conveyance. The covered open wagon for general merchandise and the remaining opens/PO's for a mix of uncovered loads or coal/coke respectively. None of my photos show any Brake Vans being left at the Dyke and all trains are exclusively passenger in the main platform or the railcar - again in the main platform, but no Brake Van on the end either. @bécasse your knowledge of the workings of the Dyke Branch are really fascinating! I'd seen the freight was via a mixed train just like Hayling Island. I know I am stretching the boundaries of introducing two-train working; I had planned for a daily pick-up goods on my BLT. I am wondering however if rather than a SR BLT if I really should be working on a LBSC BLT - purely because it seems to be the fortunes of the Dyke had long since passed by my established timescale of 1936 had arrived. Kind Regards, Gary

That must be the shunt signal on the starter!!! The one I have been banging on about. You can't clearly make it out but there is something there.

Thanks for your comments Grovenor, the disc/shunt signal (not quite sure which yet) will be at the toe of point #7 yes - I was in a rush yesterday and didn't have the time/inclination to mark the diagram correctly - my bad I know! That'd be fantastic Martin; provided its not too much trouble? It'll be interesting to see. Thanks for the diagrams I wasn't too far off on my guesstimate of the signalling when I revised it downwards! Interesting that I can't see shunt signal #9 on any photos I can find of them - not even the nice clear full-page shot of the Dyke on page 82 of "Southern Infrastructure" taken from what looks like the very tall home signal shows it! And there is definitely something on the Starter half-way up the post on the same side of the lamp its not the counterweight as its on the opposite side of the post right at the bottom. "IG" is my sort of internal designation for a layout; when I build something for it for the first time it is marked with the layout it was designed/built for - I always find it interesting to turn a building over and find a different layout's mark on it - most of the fiddleyard is marked as "BP" for my older minories layout as the wood was recycled into Ifield Green. It looked good as a 'fake' signal box code so I went for it. Thank you to everyone for your assistance! Kind Regards, Gary

Based loosely on Devils Dyke, just transplanted elsewhere Martin. Kind Regards, Gary

I've been studying the prototype thoroughly and I've spotted an oddity; it looks like as the Dock Road IRL wasn't for passenger use like I am proposing it's exit was covered by a Ground Signal only and no catch point!! - however on the main platform starter there looks like on the single arm a raised ground signal as well. The problem of looking at 100+ year old photographs with bad resolution is I cannot quite make out what it is aside from what looks like a lamp case - if I did the same thing and made the dock road freight only it would eliminate #11 from my plan and #4 would become a ground signal only - but I'd probably have to add the raised Ground Signal on the Starter and possibly a shunt signal on the Home in place of #11. Kind Regards, Gary

Thanks for your input; I've had a bit of a re-jig and come up with the plan below - and I've renumbered the levers correctly as per the diagram I believe. I've removed the Advanced Starter and Outer Home - but made the Distant a 'working' signal, I'm assuming a Limit of Shunt Board somewhere along the line prevents a loco wandering too far down the line without permission - would it be worth fitting a Shunting Disc adjacent to the Home Signals to control any shunt movements back? The link to the full sized image is here - to make it easier to see. Again ignore the white levers they are just there to colour in should I need them. The revisions in place bring the levers required down from 17 levers to 12 levers. #6 is the FPL for Crossover #5 from the Main into the Dock Road including the Catch Point #8 is the FPL for Crossover #7 for controlling entry into either the main/dock road or the loop. Normal lay of points is indicated and differs to the original image. Kind Regards, Gary