stevegant

The layout varies in width on various sections. Anything from 2 foot deep down to about 16 inches at the narrowest point.

Finally solved the mystery of my second hand Hornby 121 that would not run on DCC. Upon close examination the 8 pin socket had solder tracks that were bridged on the underside. Removed the socket and all the wiring and hard wired a decoder in. Just need to look at fitting lights now. It's actually not a bad runner (not in the same league as a Bachmann 108) but considering the price (second hand at a show) I am happy. Having removed the huge couplers I may now turn this into a little detailing project. Then decided to find something to fill the empty billboard that's been sitting in the corner of the layout for a while :

A little weathering completed today :

Oooooops .... A whole year with no update. Laundry Lane is still alive and well ! Most of the focus has been on finishing converting all stock to Kadee couplings and fixing some minor scenic issues. Some new stock has arrived throughout the year. A few pics from this morning. You can't beat some large logo : Finally got hold of the Modelzone limited edition RNA barriers for my Nuclear Flask Train : Also got hold of Flangeway 'Snow King' snow plough to match 'Snow Queen' (it's only taken 4 years to get hold of) : And some general clutter starting to appear :

It's been a while since the last update but today I have had a chance to play ! Having recently purchased some of the excellent Bachmann MK1 coaches I set about close coupling them. I opted for the replacement draw bars from Keen Sytems. These are a direct replacement for the exisitng draw bars and have the advantage of putting the NEM pockets in the correct place. I have opted for Kadee coupling at the end of the rake as this is what I use on all my stock. I used the knuckle couplers supplied by Keen to join the rest of the coaches in the rake. This is what Keen Supply : A gave them a quick clean up with a file and then set about removing the bogie from each coach and replacing the draw bars with those from Keen. It's a bit of a fiddle to get the self centering spring back into place but by the time I got to the third coach I was getting better/quicker each time. The end result (nice close coupling) : And this is the effect as the coaches open up slightly to negotiate curves : I am very pleased with the effect. I did find that the knuckle couplers need a quick swipe with a file to allow a pair of them to engage easily.

Here's a quick video that gives a cab ride around the layout (hopefully this will help clarify the rather simple track plan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZAhTV6VEF4&feature=plcp

Thanks for the picture of East Usk Yard - that will give me some inspiration !

A couple of other views around the room :

Thanks for the positive comments - much appreciated ! The layout plan is quite simple : In essence the focus of the layout is the TMD area and stabling sidings as shown in the plan above. The layout then has a double track right around the room. The overall layout is approx 10ft x 7ft.

And now some up-to-date pictures :

More scenic work took place in 2011:

More construction in progress :

Work continued within the depot area :

Next stage in September 2010 was the retaining wall :

Kadee fitted HAA's with sprung buffers look excellent when close coupled (yes I know I need some real coal loads !): I am not normally one to frequent the kitchen so Mrs G was a little surprised when I came home with one of these ! So why would I want a Turkey Baster ? Well, it appears to be an excellent way of applying PVA/Water mix to ballast. Only cost a few pounds and allows a very controlled flow of PVA/Water mix. Started some ballast work Rails toned down with lick of sleeper grime. Sidings ballasted with Javis Brown mixed with some assorted scatter. Today work started on making a backsecene. Basically, some 6mm MDF cut into strips..... Grey primer spray, various washes of blue emulsion tester pots, some grey, some flat white and finally matt sealer. Much of this will be hidden by buildings and the lanscape anyway. (The neighbours must think I've gone mad !) Once dry it was back inside to install the backscene and continue tidying up some ballast work around the stabling sidings and depot area. Still got to pefect the weathering but getting there.

Moving forward it was on to the track laying. I went with the SEEP point motors although since I did this in 2009 I see that there are many much newer options. Typical construction mess ! And finally a couple of working loops : A rather random shot but in earl 2010 I started to have an experiment with the Kadee couplings : I decided that it was time to make a permanent home for my controller - a piece of spare block board and some ball bearing runners were turned into a sliding shelf : Firstly I decided that it was time to make a permanent home for my controller - a piece of spare block board and some ball bearing runners were turned into a sliding shelf : I know that the Elite is not well regarded by all but it suits my needs and is much better with the recently added 1.4 firmware.

Having browsed through these forums for many years I thought it was time to actually start a topic about my own Layout. The journey started in December 2009 .... Well, having previously been a fan of 'N Gauge' I thought it was time for a change and a move to OO Gauge. One of our bedrooms had previously been used as a place to dry laundry which seemed a waste so work began on 'Laundry Lane' ! The room had been painted brown by the previous owner and needed a 100 watt bulb on the brightest day . Layer upon layer of self adhesive borders had been stuck onto the plasterboard - oh Joy !!!! A quick lick of paint and several hours removing the border and ready to start. The blank canvas with battons fitted around the walls: Next it was time to construct some baseboards so it was out into the garage armed with my trusty jigsaw and some ply. Several hours.... well actually a few days later it was back inside for a test fit. (Additional bracing was added to each board once I was happy with the fit). Now the exciting part began. The first baseboard was installed. Each board has been made with a lip at the back that will rest on the battons that were screwed to the wall. The baseboard frame was then screwed into the battons allowing for a little packing where necessary to account for the fact that the walls and floor were of course not quite tue. Metal legs with adjustable feet have been used to make sure that all is nice and level. The first board : Next 2 boards in place .... And the start of the lifting section - a test fit before further bracing added. Fortuntately my measurements were OK and the door can still be opened when the section is lowered !