nickwood

Can you get a bi-coloured LED? - assuming you are using DCC?

Hi Neal, no plain old DC I'm afraid

I'm looking for some guidance on the placement of lamps on the loco and autocoach used on a terminus to fiddle yard layout. The train will run coach first into the station and obviously loco first to the fiddle yard. 

The options as I see it are;

1) Have a single lamp headcode on the autocoach and tail lamp on the loco.

2) Have a single lamp headcode on the loco and the tail lamp on the loco.

3) Have a single lamp headcode on both autocoach and loco

Whatever lamps are used it will be a compromise and will only be correct in one direction of travel for 1 & 2.

Option 3 will be incorrect in both directions because there would be no tail lamp but it would be correct at the front in both directions of travel.

My gut feeling is to go for option 3 but I thought I would canvass opinion first. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lima-BR-Railfreight-Class-31-Diesel-Loco-Phillips-Imperial-31327-weathered-/390558716039

 

One careful owner, slightly...weathered?

The description says "Hand Weathered". That would be right....and the paint is probably still on his fingers !!

Thank you all for the kind comments and my apologies to michael for not responding earlier.

Marc - I agree that there is so much on RMweb that you are always stumbling across gems that you miss. Threads fall off the radar very quickly.

Dai - That made me laugh Yes it was a burp and has already been mentioned earlier in the thread. I didn't notice it during editing

Shunting can get quite tricky and is lots of fun.

Much Murkle is in the garage and all the stock in the house. It's been too cold to spend much time in the garage over winter but I would like to do some more photos and video soon, especially as I've been working on some new stock that needs an airing. Hopefully spring will be here soon.

Hi Brian, just found your thread. Shed layouts don't normally do it for me as most seem to be about the stock rather than the surroundings which interest me more. You seem to have managed to give equal attention to both and the results are simply stunning. The weathering on your buildings is subline and the detailing really brings it to life. Love it and hope to catch it at a show near me sometime.

The lighting on the photo is poor Jules and doesn't show that there are about four different shades of green used. Although I use Woodland Scenics I also use a lot of Jarvis scatters for variety and they are cheaper.

The dairy has turned out very well Jules. Well done.

If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, there is one thing that I think you could easily do which would improve the look scenically. Your fences could do with some extra growth along the bottom especially around the posts and perhaps a few bushes or small trees along the fence line. This would give your scenery more depth and interest.

Something along these lines (hope you don't mind me posting a photo in your thread), a few sprigs of woodland scenics fine foliage planted along the fence line and some coarse or lumpy scatter material along the bottom of the fence line. Maybe a few dabs of pva on the fence post and along the fence rails with some fine scatter to represent climbing growth.

Hope it helps

Hi John

I have followed your work on Granby elsewhere as you know but I've not seen photos of the early work before. I've seen your descriptions of the building of the various major areas on the layout, Goods warehouse, station roof etc but it's good to see an overall shot of the room as things developed in the early years to get an appreciation of the scale.

Much appreciated that you've resurrected the thread.

Hi Jules, and Merry Christmas

Personally I think the backscene as it stands detracts from your excellent modelling. Apart from the bubbles, I hadn't noticed before but the backscene appears to be showing a winter / early spring scene with no leaves on the trees. I would redo it and if you can take the opportunity to get a similar one that is set in late spring / summer.

Hi Nick

 

That completed lighting has made all the difference to the view of the layout. I'm sure it will be a great success on the exhibition circuit. I will have to try and take it in if I have a short break in the south somewhere, of course you may get an invite further north.

 

Jim

Thanks Jim. I don't know where you are but it will be north of home territory at the Cradley Heath (West Midlands) Exhibition on 13th October 2013.

Jim

We all make mistakes and cover them up somehow. One of my major mishaps resulted in the Goods Shed having to have a thick growth of ivy on one end to hide it My weighbridge office was the first building I made for Much Murkle and after I had made a few more buildings my technique had changed / improved so much it had to be rebuilt as it was no longer up to standard. We learn as we go along and will always find plenty of things that we will do differently next time. It's all part of this great hobby

It's been a while but I've made some changes to the lighting. I found that just having the fluorescents at the back caused some problems with shadows and loss of detail at the front as some had suggested I might. So I've added another row of the same lighting at the front.

I've always considered that if you want to show your layout off at its best it has to be presented well and an important part of that is good lighting. Hopefully I have now achieved this. You can see the arrangement looking from the end.

Compare the next shot below taken from the front .....very bright and some shadows cast by the other lights in the garage

with this one with the garage lights turned off.

Note that the angled shadows by the bridge and the chimney in the distance that you could see on the backscene in the previous picture have all but disappeared. Also note how well the surrounding area is lit (remember all other lights in the garage are off and it is very dark outside).

I'm very pleased with the result. I now just need to get the fascia painted and I can move on to other things.

Hi Jim

It's coming along nicely. I really like the platform stones, something different to the norm and looks really good. The gravel falling down to the river bank is also well observed

I know what you mean about working in unheated outdoor buildings this time of year. I have the same problem

I'd like to add my congratulations on a lovely layout. I echo what others have said about the spaciousness of the scene, difficult to achieve in a relatievely small space. I particularly like the little less obvious touches like the station flowerbeds and the telegraph wires. What have you used for those by the way?

Well done and another GWR layout to keep an eye on

What a great layout. Somehow I've missed it completely so far, but there's always something new to discover on RMweb :-)

 

Everything looks so well built, and the casettes and rack are an inspiration.

Thanks Mikkel, I appreciate your comments. I'm pleased with the cassettes, they work well. I try to keep things simple but do take some care with my workmanship. It has the disadvantage of slowing progress sometimes though.

Nick, I'm pleased you have those 'invites', I'm sure MM will be well received.

 

As to the lighting I'm no expert but that which I have you can see in my Hintock post #9. These are CFL's of the highest lumens in spotlights on a track supplemented at the front RH end by two 1000 lumen bright white florescent tubes out front.

 

I have no problems with shadow's in ordinary use but for photography supplement them with photo floods and a set of halogen work lights.

Thanks John. I've had a look back at your lighting and it does indeed seem to give a good spread of light to Hintock. I'm not sure that I would live track spots would be practicable for a portable layout though. I think the extra fluorescents I've ordered should do the trick but we'll see. Hopefully they will arrive on friday.

Like others, I've only just caught up with this. Very pleased I did.

 

Particularly enjoyed the shunting video, and the cider mill is a nice idea.

 

Look forward to seeing this at St Barts.

Thanks Cold-ash. You obviously don't live far away from me. As for seeing it at St Barts (Newbury Club's annual show venue) I'm not sure about that. I have approached them but not had a response as yet. Highly unlikely that Much Murkle will be there next February but I should be touting it for 2014.

I also want to say thankyou Geoff, for all the inspiration and fantastic images you have provided us with through Penhydd. This one must be one of my all-time favourite images here on RMweb (and there are many!):

 

I would like to add my thanks as well Geoff. On the old RMweb,"Penhydd" and "Postcards from Pudley Lane" where the two layouts that inspired me most when building Much Murkle.

Thank you both.

Breaking news...Much Murkle will be at the first Cradley Heath Exhibition on 19 October 2013.

Ordered some more T4 strips lights for the front. Hopefully will arrive and be installed next week.

Jon

Like Jim I've only just managed to catch up. Anything with a GWR BLT is good as far as I'm concerned. I wish I had the space to extend mine in a similar fashion.

All good GWR/WR layouts should have a dairy it's an excuse/reason to have Siphon and tank wagon trains and don't forget the full brake as well, enjoy building it.

Regards 81C

Mine's obviously no good then

It doesn't matter what you are going to fill the corner with Jules, any additions to Mayshill can only be a good thing.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Much Murkle has had it's first exhibition invite.

It will be attending the 2 day show at Andover, Hants in August 2014 it was invited for 2013 but I couldn't make the dates. I'm very excited to get the invite but I'm hoping that I might get one or two more before then as it is a long way off.

Thanks guys

I've done a bit of experimentation today with the light positions and come to the conclusion that I need another bank of tubes at the front as well.

Great to see the progress you have made Nick, I look forward to seeing it being completed and out on the exhibition circuit some time in the future. With regard to the lighting I can see both points made by Michael and yourself are relevant especially when I look at your last photo where shadows are cast, a tricky one to resolve, hope you get it sorted.

 

Jim

Jim, don't be fooled by the shadows you see in the photos. the layout lighting isn't even switched on. They were taken under the normal garage lighting and two 500W halogen work lamps !! they give some rather harsh lighting and deep shadows.

Mickey, thanks that is definitely one way of looking at it.

Michael, you do have a good point about losing detail in the shadows. The main reason the lighting is at the back is to eliminate shadows on the backsceneas far as possible. I can play around with the positioning and I have been looking for some suitable clip on spot lights for some supplementary lighting at the front. I haven't found anything suitable yet though and may now consider some more T4's.

Well the long awaited fascia and lighting is finally done and some photos taken. Apologies for the harsh lighting and shadows but these were taken tonight with some extra halogen workshop lighting supplementing the normal garage lights. The layout lighting is not switched on. Here's an overall shot before I go into detail.

I've shown how the front fascias clip over the supports earlier in the thread but here's how I have supported each of the end fascias. The corner uses a hinge with the original pin removed and a new smaller diameter drop in pin used to keep things together and aligned.

The lighting bracket is extended and a magnetic catch used to stop things flapping around.

The front fascia boards are aligned and held together with a hinge and drop pin as well

The T4 linked strip lighting is mounted on timber bearers that slot into the support brackets. This can be seen a bit more clearly two photos above. the timber bearers also shield the operators eyes.

A view of the front of the extended fiddle yard board

and from the operating side. It may not be much extra space but it will be so much more easy to operate having somewhere to detach and move the loco cassettes without having to remove them from the layout.

Once I get this little lot painted I can then get on with some proper modelling.