cnw6847

Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing it in a more complete state with the city backscene too.

Thank you. I think a suggestion is all thats needed really. Be interesting to see what its like when its all installed and sceniced.

To be honest by the time it’s all done I don’t think it will be very noticeable anyway. Only the zoomed in photos highlights it. To me it just gives a brief impression of something beyond.

The card version is about half mirror compared to glass full mirror, if you see what I mean. I didn't really want full mirror as I think it shows too much going on. The camera on the phone may show more light in there. It will be darker when everything is in place too.

I thought about installing the road underpass bridge last night at dads but realised I’d forgotten the side walls 🙄. Its been painted and weathered except for the concrete road which may need doing afterwards to blend with the rest of the road. The depth of the bridge is really the size of two kits. As it’s fairly dark at the back there didn’t seem much point in getting a second kit. A friend of mine suggested a mirror card option to reflect the scene creating the depth. I cut a piece out and placed it directly against the back of the bridge. I’m pleased with the outcome.

A little progress to report. At Monday nights Waveney Modellers Group monthly meet I started assembling a Walthers River City Textiles background low relief kit. There are enough parts in the kit to make a rectangular building though albeit not enough windows are supplied. I shall blank the back unseen ones out. The ends are made from two pieces. I cut the cork out and test placed the building. It will go right up to the edge to look like it extends beyond the layout. The track will be in concrete, the siding had to be moved slightly to allow room for the building. After the photo was taken I removed some off the bottom so the large loading doors will be level at ground level One of the platform shelters was put in position and the front track placed in the rough position. The bridge needs installing before track can be laid. Dad and I discussed the upper Blommer Chocolate siding and we decided it better to go all the way behind the building

Progress was a bit limited last night. I really need to get the bridge finished and in place in order to lay the upper tracks. The station platforms really need to be finished too but they can be removable for a time. I did lay the back stand alone commuter track. This is the one i'm thinking about having a shuttle system for then the upper front two tracks can be operated separately along with the lower level. The layout will ideally require two operators and could have three trains running at a time. I laid out the other track to be used once bridge is in position. The commuter track laid is on the right A piece of foam board was cut to give a rough idea what the end backscene will be like and it blocks the fiddle yard out quite nicely. Dad found up a tank car to pose at the Blommer Chocolate siding. A couple of commuter coaches sit on the newly laid station track

Thank you for posting the link. I had seen about the Blommer factory and also the Chicago Tribune factory. A shame really a its a really interesting switching area. There are some excellent video clips on youtube. Thank you, it seems to mean more now. Although not a exact replica of the area hopefully the layout will give an impression.

I think the metal extension looks ok. How does it measure when positioning boxcars? You could always adjust it so two are parked together beside doors. Thats if you're using the same size boxcars.

My brother did a similar conversion at the time and my dad sprayed it into Railfreight Grey. It was proper modern image at that time.

It looks like the Athearn SW7 chassis. I don't think they've reissued it with DCC. I wonder whether a Proto 2000 SW chassis would fit

I had an unexpected evening at dads last night so a bit more progress was made. While we had tea we watched some youtube videos of the Blommer Chocolate, Chicago Tribune and the Morton Salt switch jobs. Some sharp curves to them. Well worth a watch for interesting switching. I've laid the Chicago Tribune siding with a fairly sharp curve (2' off the point) and the siding will go through the building the length of three 50' boxcars. I cut a piece of cereal packet the size of the space available with a boxcar size hole in it and I think it will just work. (it wouldn't stand up without the spanner! 😂) I may make it a little narrower on left hand side although a boxcar clears it with plenty of space and it hides the exit of the layout. There will be a backscene the building goes against though. The lower fiddle yard was also laid.

Thank you Simon and for your ideas. Much appreciated. If we move the points further down we’ll really make the headshunt too short to get the loco and boxcars in. The CT building is planned to only be a maximum of 1” deep, probably a bit less and that can go flat across the backscene. Will see what it looks like and if we don’t like it we could think about possibly make a change. Currently the road crosses at the end of the points. The track going out under the line high was something we did think about but thought accessing the hidden sidings might be tricky.

I spent last evening at dads and a little progress was made. To start a little bridge tweaking was done to allow the rear top section to fit properly and to double check everything is in the right position. Thats now sorted and the bridge has been removed and brought home for painting. The bridge really needs installing before any track laying on the top level so we had a look at the lower level. As all the track had been removed for baseboard work it took a little while refreshing our memories and setting it out. Dad had some spare track so kindly gave it to me for the project. The first point was then installed which is the angle line to the front of the board and the back siding to the Blommer Chocolate factory. I laid the chocolate siding but it may need slight alteration when the building is built and in position. The second point was laid which kicks back to the Chicago Tribune building. Ideally i'd have liked the CT building siding more to the front of the board but its not really possible but as its compressed into a much smaller space than the real thing I think it will work ok. The building frontage will be about 6 inches so room for the boxcar entrance and a lorry loading point. The siding was just placed in position to see what it looks like. After measuring the length of the track in front of the CT access it appears we should be able to get three boxcars with a MP15 and possibly a GP15. A birds eye view down to the Blommer Chocolate factory which is on the right. Schneider trailers seem to be regular at the factory so had to try one in place. The Chicago Tribune siding goes off to the right. It needs laying properly next time. The building will be just before the black on the fiddle yard and will act as part of the backscene.

I think sometimes there’s the zoomed in internet/magazine photo factor that quite a lot of is lost when items are running on a layout and seen bye eye a few feet away. Your 31 looks excellent.