mudmagnet

Coming along very nicely there Bill. Having static applied grass really makes a difference. It transformed the appearance of Orchard Road. A couple of hints that Darren01 showed me though (it was his Grassmaster that I borrowed), was to lightly vacuum over the grass when applied, whilst the glue is still wet, which helps to bring the fibres upwards and when dry, a further layer or patches can be applied over the top. Flick some watered PVA onto the grass (an old tooth brush is useful) and then apply more fibres on top - a lighter shade works well. The slurry loader and shed look great. Look forward to seeing more progress!

Ah, yes, a triple grey, but it won't stop with one though - I would need 3 or 4 then, plus a couple more 50's !! I could go the other way time wise and have a couple of Warships / Hymeks / class 22's ! Thanks Richard. I am quite tempted by the domino headcode, perhaps in a month or two! Thanks Bill. That is the trouble - where do you stop? The original intention was to have loco classes that ran into Devon on a regular basis and the 37 is a little indulgent as they didn't run in these parts very often! I am also tempted by a 45 or 46 which ran up to Meldon Quarry with the ballast trains .... Thanks Lewis, does make a good change from those 25's. I don't think I need anymore 25's, although I have looked around to see if there are more for a good price. They do run very well! Richard

Hi Neil, Thanks. I've had a little run up and down today! I agree, does look right at home on Orchard Road. Might need to get another one now!

Hi, Just a shot of the class 37 on Orchard Road. Now need to get on with something else!

Hi Ray, Good to see that you have been getting in with the testing. I will need to pop over and have a go!

Hi After a busy day, I put Orchard Road up again for a little run of my 37 and opportunity for a few photos! 37038 arriving at Orchard Road Another view of the arrival of 37038 Awaiting re-fueling A class 50 has also arrived for re-fueling Both locos ready to leave for next duty.

Hi Darren, Thanks. I finally bought one, seeing that I have been talking to you about getting one for quite a few months. Was actually the same one that we saw at Minehead the other week! Thanks mobi323 I've weathered this one myself, taking inspiration from several photos and selecting the elements that I wanted to copy. I will take some photos on Orchard Road over the weekend! Looking forward to running it up and down Orchard Road as well!

Hi Neil, must be eyesight - I forgot that it is an 09! I didn't notice the coupling either!

The wheel lathe looks great with some colour. A bit of weathering will make it look superb!

Yes, I was thinking the same

Standard Bachmann decoder now fitted and has been running up and down Tawbridge - just need to get onto Orchard Road at the weekend. Orchard Road currently still boxed up, so may just get one board up for photos only - all depends if I feel like having a 'play'! One of my neighbours wants to come over as well, so may be a good opportunity!

Good to see the overall views Neil. I like the final shot with the 08 - simple but effective.

A new loco has found its way to Orchard Road - although yet to actually be photographed on the layout - this will follow shortly. A Bachmann class 37 has been added to the roster and awaiting a decoder before being run on Orchard Road. The pipe work and coupling wires yet to be finished at both ends.

As a change from making the buildings, I've had a go at weathering my recent purchase - a Bachmann Class 37. This is one of the older versions, purchased second hand at a recent exhibition and need to fit a decoder for DCC. I can live with the slight issues at the front end (windows and valance). Unfortunately only one set of pipes were in the bag, so need to get a second set for the other end and will then paint / weather both sets of pipes together.

Thanks for the photos - very helpful. I have also spaced the ends of the scenic boards onto the packing boards with a strip of hardboard to protect the track ends. Look forward to seeing DitD again soon. Cheers

Thanks Ray, The construction is quite straight forward really, being boxes, made of four sides and glued together! I will bring this along to the club on Tuesday. I will also take a photo showing the construction inside when the roof has been finished.

Looking great there Ray! You have been busy! How do the servos work? Looking forward to seeing more!

Hi, as mentioned on my Burrington Arms thread, I have made a start on one of the buildings - namely a yard office. At the same time, I made two of these, plus a further two further offices (without the brick chimney, but will have stove chimney through the roof). Current progress is shown in the two photos. Construction for all follow the same basic principles, repeated here from the the Burrington Arms layout thread. The timber cladding is from Evergreen sheets, with brick plasticard plinth and chimney. The window and door were made separately, with the door planks being individually glued onto a piece of 20 thou plasticard. I have yet to finish the roof, which will be grey paper, cut into strips and glued in place, which will then be lightly weathered. The wooden walls have been painted initially white with a little light brown added and when dry, was drybrushed with white over the top, although the colours are little washed out in the photo. I will spend a bit more time when the building has been finished. The bricks were first painted with slightly thinned buff paint and then drybrushed with leather colour paint. I will add a few slight colour variations later. Thanks to Matto21 for the method of painting the bricks - certainly works well, although the colouring has not been finished yet! Also, to follow will be the Bachmann class 37, bought yesterday and destined for heavy weathering! I have been trawling through books and internet to come up with suitable prototypes - so watch this space!

Hi Damian, Thanks for posting the photos showing the breakdown - useful to see how other people pack their layouts. One question though, and apologies if you have already covered this, but am I correct in thinking that the three boards stack one on top of the other, resting / securing to the end boards? Do you have a photo showing how these are packed in the van? Good to see that the end boards have served another purpose as 'steps' to reach the rear / higher parts of the layout!

hi James, Thanks for the comments! I'm not sure that I am a 'quick' modeller, but do tend to focus on one thing and then try and get finished, otherwise I end up with plenty of started / un-finished projects - oh hang on a minute I have plenty of those as well!! The stone work was carved from tile grout. There are some details earlier in the thread, but as a re-cap, the basis of the bridge is plywood, over which the tile adhesive is applied. When dry, this is lightly sanded to get a smooth / flat surface. Then a small area is dampened with water and the stones carved. The tile grout is very hard to carve when dry, so needs to be damp to enable it to be carved. Working on a small area at a time works best. When finished, the whole stone work is painted using a light brown acrylic and then the stone colours are dry-brushed. All paint is Citadel Warhammer paint. I hope that this is helps, but let me know if you need anything else. Cheers

I hope that you have your passport?

hi Simon, This is one the best N gauge layouts I've seen for a long time and was good to see it again at Minehead a couple of weeks ago.

Hi I've created a new thread for the new project 'Burrington Arms'

Excellent Dave! Nice subtle weathering! What's next ? A 700 for Darren ?

Well, the new project will be a different to this one - i.e. not a depot. It will be based on the Exeter / Barnstaple line, featuring a small station, with all but one track removed yet keeping the station building / waiting shelter / signal box / good shed. Plus there will be a small yard. I don't want to give away too much at the moment! I will need some more wagons though! I will add some more details in the next few weeks. I don't think that a layout is ever truly finished as there always seems to be more things that could be done or in the very least repairs due to transport / exhibition damage! I feel now that it is time to put Orchard Road to one side and divert attention to something else. I am very pleased with the way that Orchard Road has turned out and the comments - so thanks. That's not to say that work will not continue - so watch this space. Cheers