Chris Chewter

After doing some tidying up some features like the speed limit sign. Now showing the correct 15mph. And the ground frame has been fitted: Also, the Doubleday photo shows a figure walking down the access road that looks very much like a Modelu figure that was already in my possession. He has been trialled in at least two previous photos, but I think here he shall stay. Firstly, the Doubleday photo; And the Modelu figure I also took a couple of nice photos off the iPhone. I might try again with the Nikon and run a photo stack with the locos in the same position. Im out of time today, so I’ll give it a go tomorrow and post the results if they’re any good.

Coal wagon cameo completed.

I’ve been a bit quiet lately as I’ve been awaiting another pack of point rodding to arrive in the post, so I’ve been assembling a horse drawn cart for the coal yard. Now the second pack of rodding has arrived, I’ve been fitting the rodding to the other crossover. Sorry if it’s another blurred photo. It’s really awkward to get the right angle, and had to put the iPhone into selfie mode to get this one!

So one lever frame of two levers and a long walk for the fireman if the loco is accessing the goods yard. At the end of the day, I should model what I can see, and I can’t be certain that there is a secondary frame in the area I’ve circled in the earlier photo. Now I’ve got to do the back breaking task of fitting it!

Whilst eating lunch, working from home, I've had another rummage through the photographs. The B&R video just shows the location where the upper frame as a black void. However this photo below seems to show something, but its really unclear. In which case the rodding that runs along the engine shed could be an interlock with the other ground frame? I presume you can't see the levers clearly as they push into the undergrowth. The original can be found here on Flickr: You can see the rodding that runs past the engine shed is a single run. Perhaps more evidence that this is an interlocking arrangement?

Below is the layout with the points numbered. Point 2 and 3 are on the main, and appear to have point locks, because the photos show ramps over these. The photo shows there is a two lever frame adjacent to point 7. Randolph suggests there was another frame near point 2, but there are no photos showing this. There is rodding running from point 2, alongside the track, past the engine shed and down to point 7, which I cannot understand why its there, unless the two levers operated points 2 and 3, and no locks were used.

So are you saying the pair of levers operate the cross over to the right hand side, with one lever operating the facing point lock? Then I presume the point rodding is a relic of the old signalling arrangement. Either that or there are no point locks, and the left hand lever operates a point further down the platform, leaving the fireman with a very long walk.

In trying to solve the mystery of the ground frame, I've managed to find a fleeting glimpse of it in the B&R video Gloucestershire Byways, but there is only a pair, when I would expect to see four (Two point levers and two facing point locks) It appears to be connected to the rodding that travels below the engine shed, along the side of the track to the point that controls the movement to the goods yard. Also, the point lock to the right has been removed, which would make sense as the goods shed was closed when the railcar was introduced, and only entry into the goods yard was then required. (I presume it would be clamped, but theres nothing in the photo) If you read Randolph, that suggests that there was two ground frames, and the other one was around here: But you can see the rodding continuing, and no ground frame in any of the photos. I can only assume after pouring over numerous photos, that this caption in Randolph is incorrect. As its not totally clear, I think I'll use my interpretation of a singular four lever frame, after all, my trackwork had to receive a bit of interpretation to prevent points being laid over a baseboard joint.

Whilst studying some photos of Tetbury, it appears that the two facing points are fitted with point locks and controlled by a ground frame. I think the ground frame is the cabinet by the bush in this photo, but to be honest I’m not totally sure. At least that’s where all the point rodding seems to run to. So some Wills point rodding was purchased. It’s chuffing fiddly to put together, and this is as good as the top half is going to get for the moment. All I can say is, fit your point rodding before you install your scenics!

Spent the evening taking videos of the layout to help me identify what else needs tidying up.

After sorting out the lighting and some gaps on the layout yesterday, it tipped down with rain, so I decided to have a running session whilst waiting for weather to improve. The canyon on the platform has been filled with some decorators caulk. It’s still visible but not quite as bad as it was before. I might give it another go later today.

I’ve always been slightly annoyed that the fluorescent strip light could never illuminate the goods yard area properly. I’ve been shopping around for a while weighing up options. Even fish tank lights were considered at one point! In the end I found some 20w builders work lights on sale, so could light the layout for a reasonable £30! And I now have lighting to the goods yard. Hopefully you’ll agree that looks better than the glow from the fluorescent strip light.

Yesterday was a bit frantic at work, even though it only involved sitting in front of a computer, so I didn't make any progress with tidying up the layout last night. So just a general overall photo this morning.

Which ones or both? The yellow was suppose to be dandelions but are too big really. The purple were suppose to be something like a fox glove growing in the shadow of the sleeper panel.

Not every angle on the layout needs the benefit of a backscene. This is one of my favourite views of the layout.

Now the backscenes are in place, I can now explore areas of the layout that I haven't been able to photograph previously, such as the iconic goodshed.

I’ve lined up the backscenes. What’s odd is that the gaps seem to stick out a mile to me, but they don’t seem too bad in the photos. (Taken from an iPhone so they may be blurry in places)

Backscenes and socially distanced hardboard arrived. I made my excuses and headed out to the garage. Three hours later, And here we are: And I can now think about photographing the goods yard But, they are currently held in place by spring clips, so they’re a bit all over the place at the moment. I’m now a tad hot and bothered, so that’s enough for tonight, but if I can get them lined up, I think it looks promising.

Tried to get a few more focus stacks today. Set up the camera with the same light as the two focus stacks that turned out really well the other day. Sadly not as good but still a passable result. I had to retouch a few areas and get rid of some blurring caused by the focus stacking.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not quite ready to rip the platforms off just yet. However the layout does seem to be a treadmill of rebuilding as my modelling gets better, so no doubt the time will come when I'll be able to take that approach. I think filling might work. I've retouched the pannier photo to hide the gap and adjusted the brightness and contrast. The fireman checks the injectors of 3711 before setting back to the goods yard. I guess it must be 1958 and 3711 is allocated to the branch on test, as the loco was converted to oil burning by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in April that year. It was then allocated to Swindon before moving to Old Oak Common where it sat at the back of Old Oak, rarely to turn a wheel. A brief history and a photo of 3711 can be found on p32 of The Pannier Papers No. 2.

Notification received earlier today that the backscenes have been dispatched from the printers. Fingers crossed they've worked because without them, I'm struggling to photograph anything in the goods yard with a huge backdrop of out-of-scale brickwork! Tonight's focus stacks aren't as photogenic as yesterdays. I probably need to change the lighting. 5532 has just pulled its train into the platform, and has set forwards into the headshunt ready to run around the train. Also, does anyone know a way of hiding baseboard gaps? The layout was always built to breakdown into three sections in case of a house move. however this photo of 3711 shows the inconvenience of one of the joins! To be honest, I think the only solution to this is Photoshop, but if anyone has an idea, then let me know.

Tonight's focus stack concentrate on a slightly unusual but not unheard of visit of a pannier to Tetbury as it takes a visit to the coal dock during the working day.

Its early morning and the gardeners are hard at work keeping the allotments under control. The plants were created by taking the tips from a Seafoam armature, and lightly covering the top with PVA. This is then lightly dipped in some Gaugemaster light green leaves before being glued into place. Tools are from Noch. The steel drum barrel is the collar from a pencil which holds the eraser in place, which has been sprayed in metallic colours. The figure is from the Modelu Pendon gardeners range.

Managed to pull off a really nice focus stack tonight. Looking down from the cottage hospital, it looks like a 14xx is working the line today, and has just arrived with its service from Kemble. If only I had remembered to take the front tension lock coupling off!

I found yesterday, the software would stack the images together, and you ended up wondering if it actually made a difference. You then looked back at the original and you could see where the focus has been extended. Here's a stacked photo taken yesterday of the station building: And one of the un-stacked photos to demonstrate the difference the software has made: