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devondynosoar118

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Blog Entries posted by devondynosoar118

  1. devondynosoar118
    I had to take a difficult decision today. Despite great patience from the exhibition manager I have reluctantly decided not to debut the layout over the May bank holiday.
    The reasons for this are:

    The station building and platform is unfinished The control system is not finished- all switching would be via hand of god method. I have 2 chipped locos, but key items of stock are still absent, despite offers of loans from Kris I feel I will not be able to do justice to the traffic in my chased time period. There is no fiddle yard. More alarmingly there are no legs! I will not get the electromagnets or couplings done in time The engine for the van to move the layout is sitting on the workshop floor!
    On the plus side I reviewed my list and I got about half of it done. The yard is now fully functional and I drove trains all over it today. I am sure this way I will have a much better display and a layout that I can operate more prototypically. I have been looking at computer control systems for automation as well. That I suspect is a whole new can of worms.
    I am a bit gutted, having never missed a deadline I have set myself before, however I can take a breath to plan developments. Perhaps Taunton in October or Truro?

     
    Thats all folks!
     
    Til next month...
  2. devondynosoar118
    For all the latest SDR news and superb pictures-Please click Here!I finally managed to get a few hours at Staverton today, hoping to see the Dukedog in action before this weekends Cambrian gala.
    It was almost a shame to work as the sun shone down but I got out the paintbrush again to finish the shed door. I didn't bother to photograph that as there were historic works afoot.
    For the first time in at least 40 years the crossing gates at Staverton are being replaced. The new ones were made last year and very carefully painted over the winter ready to hang.
    The first new gate, lifted out of the second goods shed by hand.

     
    As you can see it takes two workers to each spectator...
     
    The road railer is deployed to lift the very heavy oak gates into position. The PW dept taking great care with the lift.

     
     
    Lifting onto the hinges

     
     
    Now back to the weathering of the title. stock movements gave a good opportunity to collect a few pics of the late plywood vent van, in BR bauxite, many of which lasted well into TOPS. Note the great display of peeling paint.

     
     
    LMS liveried plank wagon- again in a very "model" state for well used stock.

     
    As the gate is off, we are using flag men today, which gave me a chance to capture Collet goods 3205 at the head of the dining car set being given the right away, which then gave me a puff of steam at the right moment!

     
     
    A great quick visit, the only downer being the absence of the Dukedog, which was scheduled to pull the dining car set.
  3. devondynosoar118

    Taunton

    By devondynosoar118,

    ]Went to the RM meet at Taunton today, a big thank you to the SWAG crew for organising it so well and to all the exhibitors for providing such high quality layouts. Thanks to all friendly RM web'ers for saying hi. What follows is only a few pictures, I am sure other more talented snappers will post a more complete set of pics. I did take shots of almost everything but not all were that good (my camera work, not the layouts!) so if I have not shown your work it is my lack of ability, not the astonishing quality of your exhibits that is at fault.
     
    Highbury Colliery- simply stunning 2mmfs

     

     
     
    Kris's Avonwick

     

     
     
    Catcott Burtle

     

     
     
    More on my stumbling efforts some time this week. Thanks again
  4. devondynosoar118

    Engine Shed

    By devondynosoar118,

    Following a long and highly informing (for me anyway!) discussion on the forums I have now done the basic carcass of the engine shed. There is still some fettling to do, I have to put the smoke channel in, as suggested by Kris, tidy up the corners and put on the roof, as well as the roof lights. I am fairly pleased with the progress so far but any improvement suggestions are welcome.
    This is the front view which compares fairly well with the prototype. Some compromise about lintel height was required for loco clearance.

     
    The top view showing the purlins, the top ones will have to come off to make space for the smoke channel. Distortion from macro lens not wonky plasticard!

     
    Top view from the front

     
     
    Just a quick prototype view

     
  5. devondynosoar118
    I have finally got the back scenes on, but not glued permanently. Aside from one or two spots where I need to put some strengtheners i.e. on the joints and ends of curves, I think it has worked out quite well.
    Here are the 2 station boards.

     
    Its made a big difference to how the layout flows, now its on to track weathering and fixing, plus wiring the bus and point motors!
    I might even get to start the engine shed thanks to help from you all with the measurements.
  6. devondynosoar118
    I am amazingly a little bit ahead of schedule. I am sure this won't last!
    A few hectic hours work and another dent in my credit card completed the trackwork in the yard. I also did a temporary goods shed from the metcalfe one. Here's the track, which has all its droppers soldered on and is ready to paint and wire.

    It always looks so blocky and clumsy before painting but having seen the work involved I am glad i didn't have to build all those sets of points!
    The goods shed is a compromise, I am not going to have time to measure the original and do a proper scale model this year if I want to do the station building properly, so I ordered the Metcalfe one which is too narrow really and clad it in plasticard to get the stonework right. A few chops to the (too short again!) office and its getting there. There is still detail work to do such as guttering, barge boards etc.

    There is also the small lean to hut to put on this end that is visible in some of the immediately post war shots which I will assume was there in 1943-44 unless someone out there knows otherwise.

    Here is a view from the station throat. Overall I am moderately happy with the results, there are a few gentle dips in places on the board joints but I have run plenty of wagons through these without de-railment so hopefully they should be ok.

     
    I have also got a proper Dapol 55xx to be 5525, which will get a re-paint in wartime black, having discovered my bloody farish Prairie was of the large variety. This should solve the loco shortage. Next I am going to scrub and paint the track and the base colour for the yard, then fix it temporarily and test the wiring.
  7. devondynosoar118
    I have set myself the aim of exhibiting Kingsbridge this year. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing. Here's the job list I think it needs to be OK (not finished!)

    Complete station board, including the major buildings and structures. I might ignore a few secondary buildings if I run short of time Get the second loco converted to DCC with a digihat Complete the third scenic board Complete wiring of boards. build a control panel- stud and probe for now get backscenes printed build a cassette fiddle yard do at least some of the fencing ensure there is enouch stock to run a timetable and write it Fit DG couplings to both engines and some of the stock, probably just the B-sets and split the wagons into cuts of 3-4 for basic shunting. Fit and wire the electro magnets in the yard. build some bloody legs! Build lighting rig finish second flight case test run at least 2 full opperating sessions Do you think this is possible by June/July? Is there anything on the above list that I could ditch and what would be top priority, after finishing station and wiring.
    This is the "ready" bit, minus photographic backscene.

    I will get pics of the reallt unfinished bits this week.
  9. devondynosoar118

    Backscenes 2

    By devondynosoar118,

    As the weather has been sunny this week I have finally got the backscenes done for the first few boards. They will be sent to a printing co. for finishing to the right size, 18" high, 2 curved fixed and 1 straight removable piece of hardboard to form the structure.



  10. devondynosoar118
    Another busy week for me on the SDR! As you can see the weather was glorious and painting was in full swing. I have decided to only put the stuff I’ve been doing on the blog and the pictures of day to day operations will go on the preservation forum.
     
    The weather boards are taking a lot longer than I thought and so far I have repaired this;

    And finally got topcoat on this;


     
    The lads have taken full advantage of a dry week and primer was going on the finished outside planking. The inner layer will be done when they finish the outside.

    Work on the engine end (front?) is well underway and the next big step will be to get this sound enough to re-make the windows.

    Rod and the team have done everything to such a high standard and have worked as many days as they can to get the outside done before the rain starts!
     
    Had to include a quick shot of 28xx 2-8-0 number 3805 on the service train today as it was so sunny and the engine looked perfect.

    The Morris sunbathing outside the station.

  11. devondynosoar118
    I thought it was about time I did some work on the real railway and through friends was directed to the South Devon Railway Association. The website is here:SDRA and the "fan" site is here: SDRonline
    I am currently working at Staverton Station with the excellent gentlemen of the Staverton Preservation Group and they put me to work on general maintainance duties. There are a huge range of jobs available, including PW and Singnalling as well as engine and stock maintainance, all through the Association.
    The Toad that will become the new staffroom, showing its newly fitted planking and steelwork.

    Collet goods 0-6-0 3205 with a down train

    The first crusty bit of paintwork for me!

    The up train, from the top of my ladder

    Todays hard work on the Toad's other side saw the planking caulked and fitted.

    The storage sidings after the PW crews shunting on Monday

     
    Thank you to all the regular Staverton volunteers for making me feel so welcome and I hope to bring you all more as I continue. Look out for the Diesel gala on November 6th and if you want to enjoy the SDR for less there is a special half price weekend on 30th and 31st October. Train Timetable SDR
  12. devondynosoar118

    Backscene

    By devondynosoar118,

    Just a brief update, further to discussions about the backscene, this is a picture of the test one on the scenic board.
    This was an offcut of hardboard I found at work. Its 15" high but I may have to cut this down a bit to fit the crate or make it removable.
    Has anyone done a removable backscene? This board is flat so should be ok as there are no curves in the backscene.

  13. devondynosoar118

    Odds and Ends

    By devondynosoar118,

    I must apologise for my slow progress but house repair tasks have taken all my time at the moment! Progress on Kbridge since last time has been confined to;

    Wiring completed on the throat board and the ballast and yard surfaces laid. All the point motors were tested too and amazingly everything worked! Thanks to all those who contributed solutions from here. Backscene added to the scenic section- this is currently a trial size as I am unsure wether it will all fit in the crate I have designed yet, so I may have to make it a removable one on this board and fixed on the other 2. What is people's preferred material for backscenes? Mine has curves in all the corners so needs to be flexible. Started work on blending in the bridge arches and finishing the wing walls So not completely zero progress but slow. I will post some more pics shortly but in the meantime though I would share these from the Isle of Wight steam railway.
    WD austerity 0-6-0st

    Beautifully restored southern 4 wheelers

    Station and works.

  14. devondynosoar118
    I had time for some photography, but ended up with a mixed bag of subjects, so I split this into two posts, one from the layout and another from the real railway.
     
    The “Noch off†static grass applicator. Total cost less than £10. Made from an electric fly swat, an icing sugar shaker, with removable screen. Also shown is the fine nozzle made from a cut down plastic kitchen funnel and some mesh.

     
    Some of the effects produced using a mix of 2mm and 4mm fibres.


  15. devondynosoar118
    Managed a walk along another section of line when it wasn’t raining. As I have been trying to push my compact camera a bit more lately I thought I’d do a few shots in B&W.
     
    Here are just a few pictures of the remaining bits of infrastructure lurking in the undergrowth.
     
    Crossing gate hinges
     

     
    Crossing lamp (red glass removed)

     
    Sleepers next to the track bed.

     
    Line side fencing

     
    Unknown post/sign

     
    Remains of the bridges

     
    Kris’s “Avonwick†bridge from the reverse angle.

     
    The beautiful brick arches

  16. devondynosoar118
    Fresh from holidays I didn't feel like wiring so I did some scenery on the single line board instead. I have used a mix of fine scatters for the grazing land as even 2mm static grass is a bit long. So far only 1/2 the planned texturing has been completed as trees, hedges and fencing etc is still to go on. I have more clump bits and static fibres to apply to the embankments too.
    whole board
    Branch passenger train in the entrance to the cutting. Little line of bushes is the start of the hedge.
    Close up of the nearly finished bit of the embankment.
    View from just left of the bridge. Contrast this with the shot of the real location underneath.

  17. devondynosoar118
    Uncouted costs and grey hairs after beginning I finally ran my first fully digital train yesterday!
    Thanks to help from here I fitted the decoder myself, it was nerve wracking but worked in the end. I was slightly annoyed to find that my Lenz Compact only let me alter 7 CV's, even on the programme track. If anyone knows a way round this I would love to know as I was hoping to do some more tweaking to the CT chip I put in.
    I am going to be pretty busy this week as I have to get the Van ready for our holiday next week so I probably wont get any pictures until nearer the end of the month. The trackwork on the throat board is now finished and painted, just have to wire in and fix the point motors.
    So I'll sign off til later by saying thanks to those who have offered their help and advice that's got me this far.
  18. devondynosoar118
    Have done a few pictures today!
    Only the goods trains are started as Dapol aren't producing their "B" set coaches at the moment and I can't find any for sensible money. as my setting is the 1940's much of my stock is weathered to give it a more dirty and battered appearance as befits a railway which is busy with the war effort and where resources for maintainance and cleaning are limited.
    Dapol 45xx pulling a mixed train of Farish and Dapol wagons

    Dapol 20t Loco coal and 45xx

    GWR 7 plank, PO 7 plank and GWR mineral wagons.

    Branch "toad" awaiting final signwriting.

  19. devondynosoar118
    Am currently wiring and soldering everything! Apart from trying to find an all encompassing idiots guide to code 55 point conversion all suggestions from here have been adopted for the wiring, so thank you for encouragement.
    I will hopefully have a day modelling on Tuesday so will post some more pictures of the track development. I hope to complete the simple tracklaying on the scenic base pretty quickly so I can experiment on it with ballast.
  21. devondynosoar118
    <p>Hello again! This layout is nearing its seventh birthday, which came as quite a shock to me when I realised. With that in mind I am now determined to get it to a point where I can run trains. I made a crash list of jobs that needed doing, top of the list was to finally sort out the control system and point wiring.I had despaired of ever getting any of this working in a coherent way and it was one of the many reasons the layout ended up in transport boxes in my workshop. Having toyed with numerous methods I bit the bullet this year and decided to use an NCE Mini Panel and decoders to control the Seep solenoids. Having trawled around for decoders that were both "affordable" and powerful enough to switch solenoids, I saw a seller on Ebay with several Team Digital SMD84's at very reasonable price. These looked ideal, especially since they do 8 points per board, meaning I would only need two. They had an onboard CDU and were serial bus compatible to boot.Having finally built the control box- see my layout topic, I got my head around the wiring and installed the decoders. Amazingly they worked when I called up the default address through the track bus from the handset! This led to needing to program all the macros in for route setting, which meant changing the output address' on the SMD84, the instructions of which appeared to be in "Greek."Finally to the point of this entry- how to change the address' using NCE Powercab and the "Smart Program" feature of the SMD84.
    Make sure you have the updated manual- early ones have a misprint. The corrected one can be found here- I opted to set ONLY the one decoder up at a time, so track power/DCC was carrying the signals, not the serial bus. I did this by hooking the decoder up direct to the power cab. Smart Program on the SMD 84 uses ACCESSORY COMMANDS instead of the program track or other direct method of CV setting. For NCE systems read any "c" in the SMD instructions table as 2 on the handset and "t" as 1. The LEDS on the board are set up so they flash at different stages of the smart program. To change the output address from default (1-8) you push the "Smart Button" until the red led pictured starts to flash, then let go.
    The smart button is the small push button in the centre of the frame at the edge of the board.
    You are now set up in "smart mode" ready to set the output numbers. I wanted the points on my first board to be numbered 101-108, so I pushed "select accessory" on the power cab and set the first number. The screen should look like this.

    When you have the right number, push enter, the screen will then give you the option of sending the command. If you want STALL MOTORS to be addressed then push "1" if you want SOLENOIDS, push "2."

    Once the command 1 or 2 is sent the SMD84 automatically remembers the eight outputs from the starting number, this worked fine for me.
    ​What to do if it goes wrong?
    Pushing and holding the Smart button on the SMD 84 for about 18 seconds or until both the LEDS in my first picture flash ALTERNATELY will reset the board to factory defaults when you let go the Smart button.
    Setting CV 29 Value
    I did this through Ops mode programming for an accessory decoder, off the NCE screen. See their manual, I only had the one decoder connected, a good idea IMO. You can change the accessory decoder address to enable ops mode programming via the DCC bus, but my brain was hurting enough for one day. Recommended value of CV 29 for an NCE system is 24 which will allow you to control the SMD84 via the DCC/track power ysing NCE macros. See note about the serial bus below. The SMD84 WILL NOT change CV 29's value until reset, I switched it off then on again but you can set CV 7 to a value of 0 to do that. You can tell if CV29 is wrong or any other mistake has been made because it starts doing its own thing. See note above!
    So thats how to do that. I realise this is a fairly dry blog entry but I couldn't find a step by step for it, so I made one.I must thank Nigel Cliffe for his invaluable help and superior knowledge.
     
    EDIT- I have contacted Team Digital to find out if their command bus is NCE compatible, they have confirmed it is NOT NCE COMPATIBLE, so you must use the SMD84 off the track power/DCC. This is less of a problem in smaller scales and on little layouts as due to the individual firing of the solenoids and the onboard CDU the current used is fairly minimal. Team Digital advise the use of their "DCC Booster" if you have sound locos etc and want more power- http://www.teamdigital1.com/prod_catalogue/dccboost_product/dccboost.html
  22. devondynosoar118
    Whilst reviewing my galleries I realised I had not updated the blog, so here are a few pictures of progress.
    We have got the second board and its track done, which I will update next time, despite the first version of it warping in the warm at work and me having to make it all over again.
    The young people have done all the plaster work and we have designed and built the building shells on the left from foam board.

    Overall scene,
     
    A view down the trench, towards the main gun emplacement, at the front, which has yet to have its cupola and gun added, and the half relief ruin at the back which we decided had been turned into an observation platform by the artillery, we will add a tower to the top for the observer.


     

    The loading dock, made by spraying textured paint over foam board, with thin strips of masking tape to make the joints in the prefabricated panels.

     

    View down the tracks from the fiddle yard.
     
    As you can see the building shells still need work, we have to add more texture and detailing, plus the gun emplacement needs to be completed. I am thinking of using the batteries of the Atlantic Wall in WW2 as design inspiration, or the Maginot Line as both have interesting shapes that might fit. All the controls for this board are done- I will take some shots of the point operating mechanism as it was very easy and cheap to build. It has had trains tested on it and all worked but it was tricky driving on it with such a short length of track.
    I have started the first loco, with the chassis and base plate done, but the young people are designing it, I sent them off to look up Clayton designs and the Panzerzug (google image search this if you don't know what it is!) for inspiration. More in a few weeks, after Taunton.
  23. devondynosoar118
    After another 3 sessions we have got a bit further, with the shape of the basic hills and features done. These are made from scrap insulation board from a skip, which was glued with no more nails.
    On the track side of things it has all been wired and is awaiting a coat of paint on the rails and some point operating switches underneath before a final test and ballast.
    The young people have done over half the soldering, both of droppers and setting up the power to each track section. Though controlled by DC at present provision was made for DCC in the future. They have also learned how to lay track and fit elecrtrofrog points. We ran our first train at the end of the session this week! Apologies for the colour reproduction in the photos, the light in the basement of the youth club is really poor and it was dark outside,


  24. devondynosoar118
    I managed to complete the base board for the first section of our narrow gauge Games Workshop scale railway last week, mostly from scrap wood and after some digging in the loft, e-bay bargain hunting I got some track sorted.
    The young people have started track laying this week after a discussion about the limits of board size, end to end running and loco release. They have decided to have the main running line near the back as a through line, with this module being a passing loop (short!) or relief siding serving a bunker or artillery complex.
     

    As you can see the baseboard is not very long or wide, to allow us to link it to our modular gaming boards and for ease of storage. It just fits in my Minor!
     

    Here the current selection of rolling stock can be seen, comprising of a load of (very) old Triang wagon chassis, which are suitably bulky and should survive beginners handling and provide a good basis for scratch building. The first Loco is a cheap Bachman American diesel with a simple motor bogie, again allowing scope for chopping to suit, but coming with all wheel pick ups and a light bulb for a headlamp.
     

    After some practice cutting on scrap bits of flexi track we started by learning to lay set track as the running line, then moved on to the trickier flexi lengths in the siding/loop, here the kids are doing some awkward transition curves as we needed at least 6cm between the tracks to allow for wide overhangs on the wagons and stock. This meant the nice electrofrog points had a bit of a shallow angle for the siding, meaning bending was a bit fraught!
     

    At the end of 2 hours we had this, long enough for the loco and 2 wagons, or storage and unloading for 3 wagons. The siding will be modelled as a stop for troops on their way to the front and as an unloading spot for artillery shells for the nearby battery. For the running line we will have a flack wagon and elements of an armoured train, Panzerzug style, with troop carriers and covered wagons.
    The track will now be mounted on foam board and the scenic work can start when they have decided what to build. Homework this week was to research and draw some designs for the armoured train!
  25. devondynosoar118

    Skiver...

    By devondynosoar118,

    My apologies to all on the SDR for my absence this month as I have been moving house.
    Mention must be made of the huge effort put in by all the volunteers to keep the Santa Specials running despite the apalling conditions recently.
    I would also like to wish Merry Christmas to all my fellow preservationists and enthusiasts!
    I am returning to duty as soon as my place defrosts a bit. In the meantime I thought I'd put up a picture from the beginning of the season last year, 5526 simmering away after taking on water at Buckfast during the Thomas weekend.

     
    If you want to keep up to date and find out train times and events for next year see SDR Online Here
     
    More entries to come after Christmas
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