nickwood

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

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. 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. 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 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.

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.

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.

Maybe not quite as soon as I thought as my iMac hard drive has decided to play up and it's being picked up for repair in the morning. Will be at least a week before I can post any pics as I'll be struggling with my iphone for internet access until then.

I've been slowly (very slowly actually) beavering away on the fiddle yard extension which has to be completed before I can finish the fascias and lighting. I had thoughts that I could have a small frontal display area on the extension to the fiddle yard, when I built the frame I decided it was just too small to be of any real use for a meaningful display. I've therefore decided to enclose the extension at the front and use the space for the fiddle yard operator (me) to keep a couple of spare loco cassettes and a cup of coffee The extension is now complete and the front fascia is nearly there. I've still to start the end fascia boards but I have made a start on the lighting battens. I haven't taken any photos of this work so far but will post something up to show progress soon.

You've made some rapid progress there Jim. Most of the photographs I've seen of Hemyock are taken over the river and it looks like you are recreating this admirably. A very spacious feel. I like it a lot.

Hi Les I can't believe I haven't found your layout before now. I've just spent a very enjoyable evening reading through the thread. Some wonderful photos, especially the B&W ones and some great modelling. The way you've blended the backscenes in give a feeling of the railway in the landscape, I could go on and on. Love it!

I've just had a look at your link Ian. I think I'll save reading it until I have a bout of insomnia

That looks really good Jim. What have you used for the mortar on the stonework? The balsa ramp looks good too but maybe consider coffee stirrers next time, they are a great source of FREE timber for models. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

I do operate from the back of the layout. I've ordered 30W T4 Triphosphor Fluorescents which link together. One over each board. I may supplement these with clip on spots if i find it necessary but we'll see.

Bit more progress with the fascia to report. Each bracket now has a 100mm deep strip of 6mm ply glued and screwed to the ends. The short end of each strip is set to be directly over the line of the baseboard ends. The first pair in place. The fascia board itself is another strip of 6mm ply, cut 1220mm long and 250mm wide. A short, approx 300mm long x 50mm strip of 6mm ply is glued 10mm below what will be the top edge of the fascia and when dry two further pieces of 6mm ply are glued to this strip at each end so that they correspond with the projections on the bracket. A close up of one end. Confused?? All will become clear in the next photo. The fascia simply drops over the brackets holding itself in place. ...and from the front. The second fascia can be seen ready for fitting to the left of the layout, but before I can finish things off I need to make the extension to the fiddle yard board. That's all for now folks.

Having completed the cassettes and played trains for a while, my thoughts have now turned to improving Much Murkle's presentation in the hope that I might one day get that elusive first exhibition invite. Truth is that I have spent more time when visiting exhibitions this year looking at the presentation of layouts more than the layouts themselves. I have always intended that MM would have a deep fascia to the front and side with integral lighting but I have been struggling with the design of a cantilevered structure to support it. It wasn't until I saw Moor Street at Railex earlier this year who's fascia and lighting was supported by spur shelving that a solution came to mind. I had the good fortune recently that my wifes employer were getting of some spur shelving and there was just enough for what I needed and I got it FREE, result !! I've made a start, six upright slots are bolted to the baseboards, inset 70mm from the end of each board. The biggest problem was getting them aligned so that the slots were completely level in relation to each other. Lucky I have a laser level then Two of the uprights Bolted to the baseboard, they are surprisingly strong. The brackets which slot in. I drilled two holes through the side of the first bracket and then used this as a jig clamped to the others to ensure that the holes were all in the same position. I had a number of hardboard strips cut to exactly 100mm wide, left by some roofers when they laid the flat roof on my garage extension last year. I knew they would come in handy some day. I cut them into 600mm lengths and again using the first clamp as a jig drilled holes so that I could bolt one strip to each side of the bracket. The top back corner was cut off to ensure it didn't foul the upright when removing it. The photo shows the bracket temporarily in place. Hardboard is quite flexible on its own so needs to be braced. The brackets are 12mm wide so I sourced some 12mm thick softwood to provide the "meat in the sandwich" which provides all the stiffness needed. Strips glued into position on one side. The short strip on the end will provide the fixing for the slot on fascia and needs to be absolutely square and flush with the end of both hardboard strips. A number of glued brackets weighted until thoroughly dry. and finally (for now) a completed bracket ready for the next stage. More to come soon ....

The first one is from early recollections of avidly reading RM in my youth - Marthwaite (David Jenkinson I think but stand to be corrected) Second would be Gainsborough Model Railway Society's Kings Cross to Leeds in 0 gauge - I operated Leeds station on many ocasions in my teens More recently Geoff Forster's, Penhydd

Thank you both. It is obviously a compromise when you have limited space and I'm not averse to anyone making comments or suggestions of this nature. I am not likely to take up your suggestion this time John as I was very keen to get as spacious a feel as I could in the small space that I have. An extra siding would take some of this away I feel and at this time I also have no appetite to start ripping up scenery and laying more track. I was well aware when I designed Much Murkle that the siting of the coal yard was probably not the best place along the siding, but if it was at the end of the siding then other goods traffic unloaded where the coal yard is now would have to exit the yard through the coal yard, not too desireable either I think. It also helps give a little more interest to the shunting being sited where it is. Also I have plenty of other things to be getting on with, not least the fascia and lighting rig. More of which soon...

Hi Andy Thanks for those comments, very kind of you. When researching I came across a number of photos of Cider Factory installations in the Hereford area in the early to mid 1900's including a staged photo in Bulmer's yard that was the inspiration for the loading dock in Rancoutt's yard. The shorter field grass is Woodland Scenics medium turf. The longer grasses are static grass, a mixture of spring and winter fibres from Mininatur. If I'm ever fortunate enough to get an exhibition invite I'll post the details here.

Hi Jim A good start to a great subject. The relationship between the engine shed and Carriage shed looks about right to me. Iain Rice included a plan of Hemyock in his book on Layout Design and they were quite close to each other. You appear to have planty of space for scenic development and it should make a wonderful layout. I look forward to seeing more.