Greengiant

Not long now to the exhibition this weekend. Martin

I use an Olfa laminate cutter which perfect for this job, basically it cuts out a shallow ‘V’ in the plastic. Martin

Pratts Bottom Village Hall, Norsted Lane, Rushmore Hill, Orpington, Kent BR6 7PQ 10am to 5pm each day Adults: £4 Children: £1.50 (under 3yrs free) Axe Edge & Thatch Marsh Colliery - Scale EM 4mm - Dan Wright ODMRS Member Brynllwyd - Scale 009 (OO, 4mm Narrow Gauge) - Bernard Morgan Fulton Terminal - Scale HO - Andrew Browne Whiteoak Light Railway - Scale 7mm/ft operating on 16.5mm Gauge Track – Martin Coombs and ODMRS Members Just Dublo Scale - OO - Rebecca Wheatley Admiralty Exchange Sidings - Scale 4mm EM Gauge 18.2mm - ODMRS EM Group Ashenden Junction - Scale N Gauge - Andrew Town Skeglington - Scale N or 1:148 – ODMRS N Gauge Group N E Where - Scale 1:148 N Gauge - Ian Redman Scallywag Corner - Scale 009 - Steven Rogers Roast Green Depot - Scale 7mm to Foot or O Gauge - Andrew Smith Little Totston - Scale OO or 4mm to 1ft – ODMRS Experimental Group Foxley Hill - Scale 1:148 N Gauge – Finlay Muirhead Wooden Tracks - ODMRS for little tots Kent Garden Railways Shop (See www.kgrmodels.com for more information) Loco Clinic - ODMRS Members Display of O Gauge Stock from club members The Club Cafe is staffed by ODMRS Members and Friends of the Society ODMRS Club Shop We are selling pre loved model railway items. All items are tested and serviced. We can sell your items too, speak to our club shop members in the club house: out of the rear door and turn left along the path.

Looking good Giles, at this rate you will need to start lifting track and laying tarmac! Martin

Lightburn on the Emblaser is leagues ahead of Laserweb. Martin

It was a good few years ago Whiteoak was put into storage with no plans for it to reappear. Fast forward to today and it has now seen the light of day again in not too bad a shape, if a little dusty, grubby and light damage, but nothing that cannot be fixed. These are some pictures after it's extraction, I was expecting worse, I thought the buildings would have distorted due to some of the high temperatures it would of had to endure during the summers, but they have faired well. The only real deterioration is some of the ink jet printed signs, they have faded somewhat, but simple enough to fix, I still have all the digital artwork. The reason for the extraction is an impending outing to our club's exhibition in January next year, so have a few weeks to get it cleaned and up and running again. After a quick brush and hoover, starting to look a bit more like it, lots still to do though. After spending some time cleaning, repairing and testing Whiteoak, the station building was removed to facilitate some repairs to the canopy, very pleased I screwed all the buildings in place rather than gluing in permanently. What this revealed was I never did finish the unseen side of the building! With the station building out of the way it allowed photo angles that were previously impossible. On testing I found a point in the fiddle yard that had not been fully wired up. The switch rails were not hard wired, and the frog was not connected. How this had worked for many years at a good number of shows without problems beats me. It was easy enough to remove and do my usual point modifying. Since building Whiteoak I have made a number of new locos that run on The Yard and Theobald's yard, these have now been tested on Whiteoak with only a couple of issues. The big Whitcombe exhaust fouled the exit through the backscene when exiting stage left and fouled the overhead framing in the fiddle yard on all roads, simple enough fix with a power file. One of the factories has some corner damage. What I am finding is the worst damage is what I can only assume is spider deposits, black or white dots all over the layout, the hardest hit area is the varnish on the dockside water, it has etched itself into the varnish and looks like the plague. Even T-cut will not shift it, so looks like some light sanding and a few new coats of varnish are called for to correct this damage. Martin

Not much to report on other than we are not far off laying down the rails and making the points, but we have been distracted by our other layouts which have impending shows coming up. We have been doing scale drawings of the rolling stock so we can start making the parts. Martin

He said on his Facebook page he was considering going on Sunday.

I need to get transfers made up for another job I have going on and was contemplating getting the Bedford ones done as part of the other job. Martin

Some new rod support brackets arrived very promptly from Darkly a while back, they came in as four to a pack including nuts, bolts and an allen key, including shipping cost came out about £25, not too bad. Fiddly things to fit because they are tucked up in the corners of the machine. The only way I could get the new one to fit was to loosed the one at the other end and shuffle around the bar until they lined up again. Having now got my head around the whole support height value, alien to me because I have always used cutting mats and never had to consider the support value, obvious now, but they do say anyone who never made a mistake hasn't learnt anything, or something like that, I am now back up and running. A new area for me is working in 4mm, takes some getting used to having always worked in 7mm or 16mm, so some techniques of construction do not translate to the smaller scale very well. I have at last cleared all my wife's card cutting requirements which the E2 performed brilliantly, which meant I could now get back to the station footbridge step units on our clubs new 4mm layout. Therefore I have been busy burning through sheets of 2mm MDF and thick card creating all the parts for the step units. It has been impressive how fine the E2 has managed to cut. One of the drawings to be imported into Lightburn 2mm MDF Cardstock Martin

I now have all the outer side pieces done, so I can start gluing these up and then onto painting. In the main towers there is a small ventilation grill, I tried cutting these as they are but things were a little tight, so I opted to make them in two layers with offset bars. They were also cut with tabs so they will be easier to paint. This is a strip of offset bars with a few spares. When two sets are laid over each other it gives the effect of much finer bars. My next task it is draw the layers for the window frames, these will consist of a base layer of acetate and then probably three card layers to make up the frame shapes and thickness so they fit nicely into the recesses in the wall while not being too deep set back, well that's the plan! Martin

Thank you. I use a diode laser, not as fast as a CO2, but takes up no more space than an A3 printer, can be easily picked up and put in a cupboard. The maximum material size I can get in is 500mm x 300mm, which is more than adequate for my needs. Generally I cut 2mm MDF, 3mm ply and heavy coloured card which does for my modelling needs. I usually work in 7mm and 16mm scales, but getting used to getting stuff done in 4mm the club layout. I have an Emblaser 2, they now do a much cheaper version called the Emblaser Core, but this is not Class 1 laser machine, i.e. it does not have a safety cutout lid, so you need to wear protective glasses and/or make your own container. Martin

With all the steps installed in one unit... ...attention turned to the lower infill panels to complete the lower inner wall. One of the side outer walls with cutouts for windows, doorway and raised panelling. Some of the panels and frames along with a doorway frame. Outer panel temporarily in place, brick pillars still to do, plus handrail bending and drilling jig to create. Martin

Thank you Andi. I think the traffic lights you refer to are actually pedestrian crossing lights. The road they are located on we have taken liberties with to fit on the curved boards and is now a roadway into what will be a builders yard. Martin

Work has been continuing with the creation of the CAD files for laser cutting the Station footbridge step units. These consist of two sets of step units, made up of a sub base unit which performs the main structure support function as well as locations for the step treads themselves, to the outside of this will be laminated further laser cut panels which will contain the brick and framing details, packed out to various heights using laminations of card, at least that is the plan! This is the CAD file for one unit.. The two sub base units taking shape, the step treads in one of them already installed, whether this is a worthwhile exercise or not I don't know because in reality I doubt you will be able to see much further than halfway up the first flight and only if you crouch down low enough and peer under the canopy. Martin

Cellulose thinners will probably strip it, may need to check a glued bit first. Martin

Work has begun painting and weathering the station canopies. A bit of the roofing has lifted on this one! Martin

Houses that face the station along the back road now have front gardens. The Range Rover is a model of one that has sat on a driveway of a house in Orpington, rusting away since the late 70s. Martin

Shops and a pub have started to appear on the road bridge which disguises the exit to the southern most fiddle yard. Martin

Bill, The new station also has four platforms. Martin

Thank you. I drew the canopy framework and cut them on my laser from 2mm MDF for the main framework and legs. The legs then had Plasticard strips added to make them look like girders. The fascias are laser cut from 1.5mm ply, the roofing sheet is Slater's corrugated sheeting. I have no idea about the AWS magnet colour, will ask at the club tonight. Martin

Bill, The original station had four platforms. Martin

Thank you. Our first show booking is for our own club show, The Orpington Model Railway Club in January 2021. Martin

Yes the station was moved from the divergence part of the line to a bit nearer London, making Station Road not near the station anymore. We have photos of the old station and the new station being built. In the winter you can can get an idea of the old station because the leaves have fallen from the trees and bushes, not blocking the view so much. Martin

We have had a test run of the layout, pleased to say it went well with only a few small tweaks needed. Martin