dj_crisp

I've been enjoying researching WR signalling and I know there will be plenty of gaps in mine but I'm going to have a go! (My effort will be a bit more modern set in the 80/90s mostly)

Best way to unwind after a days work on the PC.... hack a few centre car interiors about! A trial fit before i glue everything together and prime. I had a spare interior from the 121 DTS build so I've combined the two for the 116 TC. I won't be able to use the pin connectors for the interior lights so will use some oldschool wires and hot wire it (well hopefully!) I had to remove a partion wall on the long stretch of the standard class but while not strictly correct in it's seat layout I think the 3 parts will be passable when painted. Now i just need to add a step in and work out what bits are different on the underframe. It's a pity but there seems to be hardly any photos of such things so I'm going to guess it's fairly similiar excluding the waste pipe

Hi Rich Sadly not - it's an exhibition that I'm going to put in the diary for next year as it looks great and I really want to go... mostly to catch up with everyone! Hope you have a great time - Your layouts looking brill and i'd like to see your china clay wagons someday soon :) Will

The point rodding looks rather splendid! It's inspiring me to have a go on mine :)

Class 116 update: Well I've decided to have a go at doing a second TC but this time using only Bachmann shells so a TCL & DMS has been hacked. i have questioned my sanity doing a second one but it does mean the hinges and door bangers line up ;) The challenge was removing the window frames and keeping it all smooth. An ok job sitting in the garden with a beer but I'm never removing frames again! Only the first coat of primer has gone on to help highlight areas for improvement but I think this will be the TC for the 116 set. Not sure what I'll do with the spare as I have no plans for a second 116! The DMBS still needs extra work around the vents so will be smoothing that off, resanding and priming, but i did get the airbrush out the other day and spalshed about some yellow. As my preferred precision yellow has dried up unexpectedly I've mixed up a a new shade based on what yellow paints i have left. My phone camera has made it look a bit brighter than reality! And a rarity for me - deliberate (!!) damage applied to the DMS! I plan on modelling the last BR Blue 116 set which managed to stay blue until its demise in the late 80s. However sometime in the 80s it got a whack so I've had a go at representing this. Haven't decided to make it look rusty or leave as is as it did seem to get repainted over. The markers will get tidied up but I've been unable to remove the light guides so rather than break them (as on my NSE 116) I'm leaving them in and will paint the edges at some point. Will

I'll put it in the diary... might be a little far "north" for me. But hopefully catch up soon Cheers Will

Some blue ones.... I've put some EM wheels in just to see how they look on the layout. Will do a proper conversion soon... which basically means aligning the brake blocks. I'm quite pleased with them :)

Absolutely! I'm trying to do the last all over blue 116 set ;) Just need to decide which shade of Blue to go for! Cheers Will

Layout looks stunning! I'm gutted I didn't get to go to Railex and see the layout but hopefully next time it's out and about. Will

A quick update on a few DMU projects on the go.... all are my first prime test shots which show loads of areas needing lots of improvement! I'm attempting a 116 TC bash using a Bachmann 117 centre car and spare Dapol 122 bits. I'm debating on how successful this is going to be. One side is a nice tight fit; The other is strangely about 1mm different so I've used some plastikard to fill in the gaps; Initial primer blast shows lots of tidying up needed but i think there could be a chance of an ok centre coach. If not i may have a 2nd go with some more spares. The windows seem the same size which is important but there are small differences in height positions of door bangers and hinges which you don't notice until trying to match them! I'm not sure (well I'm hoping) these will be that noticeable when on the layout though. Also started is the 116 DMS and DMBS. Bachmann 117 bodies with Dapol domes; The DMBS has the most work... I might have a go smoothing the join between the dome and the rest of the body but overall I'm quite pleased. Mods include drilling out the Guards door handles, filling in the side vent, changing the vents and thinning the front cab windows. And the big question is.... is t worth removing the window frames from the sides....! A couple of windows need a bit more smoothing but hopefully its not too noticeable that I've filled them off.... and while doing this i did question my sanity as I've now done 3 coaches! Problem is I always seem to create extra work due to knife slips, dropping bodies etc so theres been plenty of fixing my errors too! And hopefully a fairly straightforward project is a early 70s bubble as I've always wanted to do a blue one with two-character route indicators. I don't have any dimensions but those supplied with the Dapol body don't look tall and thin enough. So a little filing later and I think they look a bit better (original at the bottom); Thinned as much as i dare! Usual mods is an improved roof, new vents, thinned front window ends and the body is hacked down ready to fit a Bachmann chassis. And finally the oddball.... First couple of coats of paint on the roof - I'll paint at least one more coat after it has had a day or two to dry so it won't end up this patchy.... until weathering! I like using acrylics to attempt to get a little bit of texture on the roof as Bachmanns factory finish looks too smooth to me. Well thats the excuse for the brush strokes showing! Original plan was for a super quick n simple conversion with no respraying needed (other than primer on the roof. But removing the old headcode box caused the front to crack above the windscreen wiper casuing the front to crack. So thats been filed and filed ready for some yellow blending in although my shot of the unit at Penzance on flickr is pretty scruffy so may get away with some weathering! On the other side there is a knife slip which following alot of swear words (to myself ;) ) has been sanded and filled. I seem to have got away with the light grey part of the scratch so just need to feather in some blue. Typically it's on the curve of the lining though so that won't be fun painting that bit. But weathering the roof might be! Lots of stuff to keep me busy over the next few months! Enjoy the sunshine! Will

Excellent. Many thanks! I'm very tempted with a blue grey one!

An interesting release! Anyone know which of these were used much in Devon/Cornwall in the late 70s/early 80s? Finding photos of them while in BR use is a bit tricky. Thanks Will

Oh I couldn't resist sneaking in a 50.... And left one hiding ;)

I finished off my regional railways 122 this week by adding in some glazing. While it's not as good as laserglaze hopefully it looks ok! A little out of period for Oldshaw but Guy let me run it in! Cheers Guy! Overall I think it needs a good session on the rolling road as I felt the mechanism was a little tight. Will also tone down the lights too. The 122 is close to being my favourite DMU. Overall I'm quite pleased how this has turned out. A final shot of the bubble sneaking past on of Guys rather splendid signals!

I doubt this update is of much interest as I've just been doing track alignment! For some reason I've never got the closest bit of concrete track right and the alignment was all off being too low. So I've taken the plunge and built a new adjustment switch and relayed the cork track base to have a small camber. Things look better now although far from perfect. Next up is hiding my mess ups which sums up my modelling and especially woodwork skills. I can't cut circles so filled in the incorrect holes with squares(ish) The copperclad exit from the main lines and branch have also been fitted so hopefully this won't move and stay in position. (the branch track will be finished when all roads on the traverser is finished). Eagle eyes will notice I made a right mess up and prior to fitting the backscene cut the rails too short on the (painted) main line and branch. You can imagine what i said to myself! Anyhow I've "created" a safety feature by soldering two very short lengths of rail to the copperclad so in theory they fall off if knocked and not shift the track. Of course that won't happen but at least they seem to have bridged the gap. And finally I've soldered up some of the last roads for the traverser - not a particularly fun task as these lengths of rail have sat on my workbench for the best part of six months. As H&G don't have the size i can squeeze into the space i have it's going to be two halves joined together..,. and if i ever do another layout they're be useful for those too. I'll see how successful this all is in operation, but i was encouraged to see an exhibition layout using this approach and it seemed to work. In this photo two roads are glued so I'll work through the rest as the week goes by. I think it's nearly time to start wiring these all up to see if they work!

Traverser realigned.... phew! Thankfully my aligned jig (two holes in a straight bit of ply) has worked. I now have 4 usable roads for the main line which I think will be better. I also have hopefully left enough space for a potential locking mechanism. Next up will be building a bracket of sorts to prevent the inevitable DMU over a clift scenario. Im in two minds to either have a simple bracket with cover or something like a key lock cover. And the exit copper clad sections have been cut. I hate cutting copper clad as I do it by hand and these are about 2mm thick. Might be all I get done this bank holiday as the weather is pretty good. Enjoy yours!

Thanks Lez - very useful info. I have an aluminium angle which is intended for use on the backscene corners for some strength. I think I'll attempt some precision drilling on that to see if I can drill proper holes. Might have to buy some sharp drill bits! Thanks Will

Seems a good plan!

Hi Lez Many thanks! My tool selection is pretty limited other than an old mini drill. I'd say I'm close to useless when it comes to precision for woodwork... or any of my modelling tbh but am OK with the art of using filler ;) Please don't go to the trouble of designing anything too sophisticated as I doubt I'll be able to execute it. I might have an idea... not sure it'll work though. There's enough space between the base of the traverser top and the top of the table for a metal bar/section of wood that could be drilled to accept holes. So I could fit a bolt to the side and have vertical locking rather than a more traditional horizontal effort. The reason I suggest an bar is that my other traverser is open frame at this point. Thanks all for your help on this! I hope to be able to spend some time Sunday having a bash at the layout.

I think we both have the same challenge with locks...! I'm sure there must be a neat solution.

Hi Rich Thanks for the info.... I've been watching your thread with great interest seeing as you've managed to build an entire layout in the time it took me to lay a point! It is a G&H traverser and I'll be joining two up to get maximum storage in the space I have (so I can run a 50 and 4 coaches). I'm after a solution for locking bars. If I had more space I'd have included an extra board between to cater for locking in a more traditional sense (i.e. a pair of bolts with lots of slots). I'm thinking of having a bolt attached to the side of the traverser with locking holes in the side of the baseboard. Not sure it'll work as the locking will happen a fair distance from the tracks. Alternatively I can only think of having bolts for every road with locking occurring each side of the double track. I think you're right... time to realign! Cheers Will

Thanks Rich. Thankfully I didn't have to think about the gaps between the tracks as they're all set at the double track width... and the branch is simply a multiple of those so there are occaisons when the main line and branch all line up. Also the station exit will be the same to try and keep everything standard. Well that's the plan... I just need to try and execute it! The plan for storage was simple really... the branch to have 2 lines (one freight, one passenger), 4 for main (one "express", one freight, one misc and the other passenger DMUs). The misc one could then also operate both the main and branch. As its nagging me I reckon I'll be having a 2nd go and then get some filler for the massive holes I've made.... then will have to paint it all to hide the mess I've made! I haven't yet worked out the best approach to locking the roads in place and as I'm very limited on space I suspect it'll be difficult. I'm looking forward to some projects that are more about building things than fixing and hiding my mistakes! Still live and learn.

I was almost pleased with myself.... fitted a backscene panel and then went about installing alignment dowels. I've had a bit of a battle to get this far but it looks like it might just work.... Plan was 4 sidings for the main line, 2 for the branch. However me being worried about the balancing of the traverser has meant while 4 can be accessed by the up line... only 3 can access the down. Really annoyed! And I also need to extend two tracks as I previously cut the rails short forgetting about the width of the backscene. Some days I do wonder about my ability in this hobby! So just debating whether I bin tonight's efforts and attempt to realign the traverser or live with 3 sidings for the main line. Neither are ideal.

Sounds like you got things sorted in the end. Excellent! Should you get a 10 function decoder I found I needed to do some hard wiring on mine. I can't remember if this is one where I bought the wrong decoder type so had to hard wire two extra functions as I think I did less hard wiring with the correct decoder.

Hello Rich What decoder are you using? For mine I've used a 10 function decoder and managed to get seperate markers, tails, night, day and cab lights for each end. It did involve a bit of a re wire but off memory the circuit board was OK to interpret. If it helps I'll dig out my notes on it as I can't remember what I did. Cheers Will