GraemeWatson

Welcome to the future... Finally able to get the Hornby APT-P out in some era specific surroundings. I'm pleased with the results.

Experiments with "knitting" aka OHLE I've previously represented removable OHLE as per modelling era on my Durham Viaduct layout section (see profile photo set to LNER steam mode). For this, it was simply a case of Dapol catenary masts to provide a representation of something there. I've noted other people do this, and to be honest, it looks better than running pantographs without them. For Beasley Street, I've done a quick experiment with black thread, tied to the leading catenary arm, and looped over the little tabs underneath before tensioning behind the backscene with tape. Surprisingly, it looks decent enough to me, though there's no tension wire above, for now. I'll see how I feel about that as time wears on. Here's a mildly out of period RES Class 91 doing some posing. Also shown is my final separate OHLE gantry for the front. The other two are installed beneath the roof of the station. The side supports used Evergreen Strip H column. These were fitted into holes drilled into the baseboard. I cut them to the same length as the Dapol mast, including the screen thread, so I could affix the Evergreen H 485 4mm column to something beneath the board for stability.

Evening Ambience: There was a time when the darkness of night was barely mitigated by the tungsten glow of incandescent light. This is something that I've been keen to replicate. It was a challenge to take photographs in low light conditions, requiring a wide aperture lens and a high ISO film back in the day. Fewer photos than one would want exist of evening services such as TPOs for these reasons. Ironic then, that "warm white" LEDs from the gin bottle lights should work so well. I've left these as battery powered for now, which will be fine provided I don't forget to turn them off. The whole station section can lift away for transport and maintenance. Any definite aux power output from the controller would need a separating chocolate block connection to allow its removal unhindered.

Bea-hind the scenes of Beasley Street Remembering of course this was built to bridge a gap between two sections of a continuous run, here you can see how a rake of coaches can enter the scenic section and onto the theatrical stage, as it were. Happy to report that everything appears to be in good running order now that it I integrated into the continuous run. The beauty of it is of course that it can be removed for separate display purposes. Finally a few photos to show everything more or less back into position. Further scenic work and weathering is to follow, naturally.

Also, thanks to Graham T and Neil above for having the patience and forbearance to explain that YouTube stuff above; very grateful to receive such sensible information.

Catenary gantries Disclaimer: I do not profess to be any expert on catenary masts or gantries. With this disclaimer out of the way, in terms of making a "passable" catenary system for this layout, I utilised the products shown in the photograph. Dapol "Kitmaster" C017 Signal Gantry x 2 (Using two short sections and three long sections; two of each are in one pack). Dapol 00CAT1 Catenary system masts >The older masts from Dapol were painted and weathered, the current batch to my surprise, are not. Evergreen Stripstyrene Code 144 bar strip ================================ The Dapol signal gantry was kit-bashed into a longer gantry by using two short and three long segments glued with poly cement. The Evergreen strip was used to brace the top and bottom of the gantry and glued with poly cement. Two full lengths of strip and a single short length were used per gantry. The catenary mast heads were pruned below a knuckle segment on the mast, and glued underneath with poly cement. The Dapol masts come in long and short varieties in the pack; careful positioning meant I used two short and two long arms being mindful of how the actual live wire would be positioned above the track. It is my understanding that Dapol and Peco have gantries in development, but they've been talked about for a long time. With Beasley Street being an exercise of moving outside of my comfort zone, but also an exercise in fun, I decided that this sort of gantry would suit me fine. There are three of these gantries along the 3.5 foot length of scenic section, and will allow for perfect posing of electric locos without necessarily fitting catenary along the rest of my continuous run (which I definitely don't want to do). I am well aware that there are OHLE experts out there and equally well aware that my approach is flawed. I spent a lot of time looking at station-based catenary solutions on the real railway and came to the conclusion that they aren't all the same anyway. In so far as achieving a passable appearance, I'm content with this mild kit-bashing exercise. Overall for three gantries to provide coverage over four lanes used FIVE Dapol gantry kits, TWELVE Dapol masts (six short, six long) and one pack of Evergreen strip (with plenty left over).

Fantastic work posting this, I wouldn't have a clue how to do that with the link and the video thumbnail!

I've got some 3D printed foxes and some white metal seagulls from an older project that will be reused here. It will end up looking like The Animals of Farthing Wood!

After what seems like an age, I've dug out my original layout photos for this that were present on the former iteration of RMWeb and I will be looking to re-upload them soon.

So after a busy weekend and a few busy evenings, I have integrated the layout into an existing continuous run, and the two central lines are up and running. The distant and nearside line may well purely be used for window dressing at this stage (i.e. parcels service on display) but I can live with that for now. The whole segment can be removed if needed for exhibition. My next current task is to make another set of catenary masts on the kit-bashed Dapol gantry. Photos will follow at that stage, with ballasting and overhead wiring to follow later on.

Major layout buildings: Pavement The pavement is made from grey EVA foam. The paving slabs were hand-scored using a steel ruler and a fresh scalpel. Wills kits Victoria paving slabs were used as a template for sizing. The kerb edging was painted with "concrete" colour acrylic. The station is a Bachmann post-war system built concrete station and canopy (44-0013 and 44-0015). I was attracted to this product because it fit the overall aesthetic I was going for, but I've also not seen it used anywhere else online. Canopies and covered walkways were something I recall from the "modern" urban landscapes I remember, many of which no longer exist. Election posters featuring Margaret Thatcher adorn the station, which place the layout in the era of history around the time of the General Strike of 1979 (see below for additional information about that). The Social Club is a disguised Bachmann Red Star Parcels building. I designed and printed my own pub sign and named it "The Bashers and Main Men Social Club"; this is a nod to the masterpiece that is "The Bashers" documentary that was part of the Channel 4 "The Other Side" series. The Wimpy Burger is a disguised Hornby Skaledale R8749 Faulkner Electrical. Again, I drew up my own artwork for the signage and advert. Wimpy restaurants were a staple feature of the not too distant past and I was surprised to learn that they still exist in the UK, but not in the North! The Winter of Discontent/General Strike Keen-eyed readers will note the pile of bin bags outside the Wimpy. These are Peco model scene mail bags (5089). I carved off the GPO logo with a scalpel and removed the tags. They were sprayed with Humbrol Matt Black acrylic and then given a few coats of Humbrol Gloss Varnish Acrylic to create a sheen. These represent the piles of rubbish as seen in The Winter of Discontent; the series of general strikes between 1978 and 1979. It was a fairly significant moment in British history, but I've never seen this feature on a layout before; I'd love to know if anyone else has modelled this. If you are not familiar with it, have a look in Google images, the photos are quite surprising. I wanted to include it as a polar opposite of the kind of whimsical, twee Britain which more regularly features in a model railway.

Basic Scenic overview For the platforms, I have used Peco platform kits and used their separately available concrete sides; these were primed and given base coat acrylic sprays of Humbrol light grey and desert yellow respectively. Weathering to follow in due course. The backscene is a Gaugemaster GM706 large industrial backscene (300mm high approx). This was glued onto the 3mm ply and 5mm foam board composite backboard with Deluxe Materials View Glue. Bubbles were removed by rolling over the backscene with a clean sponge paint roller. The backscene is an unusual choice granted. Most commercially available backscenes I considered present either industrial warehouses or variations of country suburbs. I really wanted a more harsh Northern/Midlands industrial feel. There's a market somewhere for someone to make a composite photo of concrete buildings but avoiding anything too glassy and present day. The only other one I considered was a Peco Concrete City Scape, but I didn't really think the cartoon type backscene would work "for me" on this occasion. The basic retaining wall as seen at this stage is made from 5mm foam board with white EVA glued to the surface (Bostik multi-purpose glue). This was then painted with the same Hobbycraft acrylic paint colour "concrete". The photos show the backscene in situ, as well as a general overview of the platform arrangement and concrete style superstructure. The track is laid upon 3mm EVA foam which will aid the formation of a shoulder later, and the remaining ground surface shows the textured paint quite nicely. This is not in lieu of definitive ballasting, but helps kill the otherwise bare foam baseboard surface and allows for better update photos until the ballasting is complete.

Station super structure The super structure was intended to be representative of an urban through station, and Birmingham New Street certainly provided some inspiration. The prototype wasn't traditionally one of my favourite stations, though I find it much improved and easier to navigate than ever before. I've never built anything like this (e.g. modern) before so it was an opportunity to try something new and have fun. I also wanted to have catenary, so I was mindful of a suitable height and used some spare Dapol catenary masts as a height gauge. The floors and road surface were made using 3mm plywood and foam board secured by PVA glue. Foam board can warp over time, as can 3mm ply, but in my experience this combination is better and remains sturdy yet light. The station pillars were cut from PSE timber. The unique thing here is that the fixed width of the PSE becomes a fixed height when turned on its side to become a pillar. Trying to cut six pillars of the same height is more tricky than cutting six of a similar width. At the very least, a fixed height means everything above should remain straight. The pillars were backed with decorative pine wood strip to create curved edges, as were the long segments of the concrete sides. The decorative pine strip allows for the subtle introduction of curves for a trendy concrete shape feel. Pillars and sides were coated with DAS Air Dry clay (white). This was rolled flat with a rolling pin, using two thick bits of plasticard as a height gauge at either side of the flat clay; this ensures that the same thickness is achieved each time, as the plasticard prevents the rolling pin from flattening the clay beyond the required depth. The clay was affixed directly onto the wood with neat PVA glue spread liberally on its surface. It was then tactically scored with a clay scribe to simulate moulded sections. It was then allowed to dry for 72 hours. During the drying steps, I kept an eye on the clay and either added water with a paint brush on any cracking sections, or made a running repair with fresh clay. Any cracks that did occur were very minor. Once dry, dry wet-and-dry sandpaper was used to smooth it over, and to remove any thumbprints on the clay surface. The clay covered pillars and sides were then painted with Hobbycraft acrylic paint conveniently called "concrete". One coat with a slightly watered down paint, which was readily absorbed by the clay, and then more or less immediately after with neat paint. The photos show the layered foam board/3mm floor as well as the fixed height pillars cut from PSE. They finish off with the clay pillars and sides prior to sanding and painting.

Wiring information: The layout essentially has four lanes of straight track. 16/0.2 dropper wire and 24/0.2 track bus wire was used, as supplied by CM3 Models using a power distribution board and DCC bus line filter from Brimal Components (no connections other than as a satisfied customer). The distribution board acts as a means for the two power outputs to be distributed to the track via screw-secure terminals rather than having to strip and solder every connection. Though perhaps overkill, I added dropper wires at the beginning and end of each lane. As each lane is only about 3.5 foot, I deemed that sufficient and only really wanted to mitigate against a power loss if a loose connection occured. The DCC bus bar line filter is soldered between the two bus wires at their end. It has no polarity so can go either way. As I understand it, it protects against DCC voltage spikes. The photograph shows an early stage of the wiring, with a hub-and-spoke arrangement from the power distribution board. I would have preferred a linear array of wires fixed at right angles, but the starburst wiring was more resource efficient on the length of wire I had in hand.

I suppose I meant more specifically ballast once I had my masts and gantries up rather than after the wires themselves, but I agree with you

Birmingham New Street was an annual part of trips to Warley Show, and although not my favourite experience during the renovation period, I've definitely been attracted to its charm as a large scale intermediate station, and it is a rather hallowed ground for blue diesel and electric locos of some calibre.

Baseboard construction: The layout is made from a plane square edge (PSE) timber frame, with 5mm plywood top, and foam board surface layer. The PSE was cut with a second fix saw and a mitre joint saw box. The 5mm ply was cut with a tenon saw. Track is mounted on EVA foam to help create a ballast shoulder later on. I've used Peco Code 100 because I find it easier to mount stock on it, and it's intended to integrate with a Code 100 continuous run when not removed for display. The track plan is essentially four straight lanes, with two platforms. The ends of the track have copper clad sleepers to add structural integrity, and brass rod and tube to connect it to a fiddle yard or the home continuous run. Given that ballasting is a toward-the-end task, to avoid working on a bare surface, I like to use Rustoleum textured stone spray paint to create a pseudo-ballast surface. Hopefully this comes across in the photo. It makes it look more tolerable than bare wood or foam, especially when doing early progress photos. I will only finish the real ballasting once I've finished fitting the catenary. Coming next: Wiring information.

Introducing Beasley Street, my attempt at creating something with a late 1970s flair, having previously modelled more whimsical Britain. This has been built between June 27th to August 29th 2022 and has come along remarkably quickly. It was born primarily out of a spare 3.5 foot baseboard, a collection of Blue era diesels and beyond, and an interest in mail and parcels trains. This is a 3.5 foot module, so all told, can fit a loco and two coaches on the scenic section. However, I've built it to fit into an existing continuous run, so I'll be able to run full length trains through it. The option exists to use an off-scene fiddle yard for exhibition use. Overarching disclaimer: I'll make reference to several products to make it easier to inform readers how I did things and for myself to remember what I used. I have no connection to any of these suppliers, other than as a satisfied customer. ================================== My objectives: To have fun! To create a passable, fictional seventies/early eighties layout using an existing spare baseboard; essentially the era of Margaret Thatcher, the tail end of which I recall from my youth. A depiction of anything other than twee countryside Britain, with a focus on concrete structures inspired by what I remember and what are now mostly demolished. Latitude to reference British favourites of the past. The ability to host parcels and mail trains acceptably; especially at night, the way I remember it, with no bright LED lighting, just that nice soft yellow glow of lamps. Some sort of ability to display a collection of 1:76 cars and buses. ================================== The name Beasley Street comes from the John Cooper Clarke poem of the same name, and is essentially about grim Northern existence in the era of Punk. He's always been a favourite poet of mine, and this interest is also shared with my wife. Over the coming weeks I'm intending on showing how I created the superstructure and highlight some of the cameos I've fitted onto the layout.

Same situation as you. The wider D loop NEM pocket couplings won't work because they foul the hanging bufferbeam detailing on the loco. As strange as it may seem, my best result was removing the metal hook from the 91 coupling, and turning ir upside down in the loco and that improved coupling capabilities with the Margate era MKIVs. I can also recommend replacing the wheels in the Margate MKIVs with new Hornby ones. The older ones had quite a lot of pock-marking on the rims with age

Interesting idea. In the world of "Limited Run" physical editions of video games, they do exactly this. Half the stock is set to go live with a favourable time for the East Coast of the USA, and half goes live with a favourable time for the West Coast. After that time, unallocated stock is then available for however long the numbers last. They also don't do this without at least one weeks' notice of what the product "actually is". The only downside can be an internet based "scrum" the likes that Hornby experienced with their Class 66 Captain Tom, which can be frustrating as a customer unable to login. My own experience yesterday, I saw the announcement. I own the old and new Bachmann versions of Class 24 Experiment and the relatively recent Hornby RTC stock. I instantly looked at the website and noted with interest the remaining stock allocation of 275 models left out of 400. If I hadn't have seen that I may have foolishly waited a few days, but as the cost was £120 with shipping included, I was prepared to just go for it, which I'm glad I did.

Many thanks for taking the time to reply again, and with photos. It has helped confirm a need to replace the pizza cutter wheels (the new ones are not as cheap to buy now as they used to be!). I've re-wheeled a few of my MKIVs with Hornby 12.6mm wheels and noted a positive effect. In your last photo, you can see how potentially the MKIV coupling could ride on top of the 91 coupling. In my experience, it has been doing that, and that is potentially implicated in my coach derailment. I ended up putting the slim NEM coupling into the 91 "upside down" and removed the hook. The lower lip on the slim NEM now faces upwards and deflects attempts from the MKIV coupling to over-ride it. The only other problem I have is that on my lead coach behind the 91 I fettled the resin moulded end to the coach (which includes buffers, a prototype not yet made by Hornby) and those of course, get in the way... Edit: I wonder if the better idea would be to replace the Hornby 12.6mm wheels with Bachmann 12mm wheels, lowering the coach height and therefore the likelihood of over-riding?

This account above is very similar to what I am seeing on my layout. It's a large, full room affair with generous curves. I run several loco/full rake/unit combos and have not had this issue with anything else. Despite it's age, the old Margate 91 still manages to glide through in comparison. Quite simply, I cannot leave this new 91 to run around the layout without giving full attention to the emergency stop button (digital user) because going over any point, even when set to a straight path, is fraught with drama.

First thing I did. No joy.

I've tried two; "For the Fallen" and "Durham Cathedral". Over point work, they run like someone in high heels walking over a sewer grate; they either fall in or trip up, 80% of the time.

So my original Intercity Margate ones have pizza cutter wheels, and when I coupled them with a loco on a flat table, the D loops ride over the top of the 91 slim coupling. Are the ones you have tested newer ones (possibly) with better wheel sets? Many thanks.