Dewchurch 3

[Graham T]

1 minute ago, MrWolf said:

Now you have a good foundation on which to build.

 

I know that a lot of us prefer the more creative side of building a layout, but without the track, baseboard and electrics being spot on, you're going to struggle.

 

Think of that as trying to paint a replica Rembrandt on a carrier bag.

 

You've cleared the first three hurdles now.

 

I still have moments where I contemplate ripping up all of my track to re-lay it.  With the benefit of hindsight the most important failing seems to have been not modifying the electrofrog points, so I'm reliant on the switch rails (?) for electrical contact - which is proving to be a bit hit or miss.  

 

Any idea of that modification can be done without lifting the points?

[MrWolf]

You can modify your points in situ. I did it with some of mine having forgotten to do it previously (my points are good old insulfrog in deference to some of my antiquated locomotives) Instead of bridging the two outer rails with a short piece of wire, I drilled a small hole down through the baseboard on the outside of each rail before feeding a loop of wire up from below and soldering it to the outside of each rail. It's not noticeable once painted and ballasted. @Alister_Gseems most knowledgeable about losing the dead spots in points and particularly the implications of doing so with electrofrog points. It's been covered in my thread, I'll have to take a look and find where. I'm not sure how to search within one particular thread though!

[Graham T]

Thanks Rob, that would be really helpful.  You can search within a single thread like this:

 

 

Sorry about the thread hijack Clive!

[Gopher]

3 hours ago, Graham T said:

Thanks Rob, that would be really helpful.  You can search within a single thread like this:

 

 

Sorry about the thread hijack Clive!

No problem Graham - I agree with Rob it is possible to solder wires to the stock rails on the points without lifting them.  Definitely worth doing to build in electrical resilience.    

[Gopher]

Welcome to my subterranean world.  My chaotic wiring (actually better than the last layout because at least the wiring is strictly colour coded , components labelled , and and I've complied wiring notes).   

 

Also my turntable drive.  I'm considering fixing the cam back onto the drive shaft and reconnecting the micro switch to  stop the turntable when it is aligned).  It is a fiddly job to make this work consistently, so I may cop out and just rely on the mark 1 eyeball.     

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Gopher

[Graham T]

That looks better than mine, to be fair.  I'm not looking forward to getting back under the baseboards to wire in the new track (that's why I'm focussed on the scenery!)

[Gopher]

In other news - all the signals on the station and loco yard board have been installed.  There are no colour light signals on Dewchurch 3 - just good old semaphores.  

 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Gopher

[Gopher]

3 minutes ago, Graham T said:

That looks better than mine, to be fair.  I'm not looking forward to getting back under the baseboards to wire in the new track (that's why I'm focussed on the scenery!)

Don't blame you Graham - scenery is much more fun 

[Graham T]

I'm distracted by the battleship - very nice.  She's a Brit I think?

[MrWolf]

I was looking at that too. I couldn't put a name to it either. It puts me in mind of HMS Warspite in WWI condition with the twin funnels, but there's no way I could offer a positive identification. Over to you Mr G.

[Nevermakeit]

Could be a King George V battleship? 

[Gopher]

4 hours ago, Graham T said:

I'm distracted by the battleship - very nice.  She's a Brit I think?

It is indeed King George V - Tamiya kit I made years ago.  I also have USS Missouri and Bismarck sitting together on another shelf.  

[Gopher]

I've spray painted all track with Railmatch sleeper grime, and then spent ages cleaning it and testing it. 

 

Started to make the new platforms for Dewchurch station.     Still very much work in progress, with much fiddling and bodging to ensure rolling stock does not snag on the platform edges.   There is a slight curve on the longer platform,  and a curve leading into the rear of the shorter (middle platform in the photo) which has caused the odd swear word to be uttered.   My basic test is that if a Bachmann Auto coach can run with out hitting anything or derailing - then most if not all of my other rolling stock should be O.K.     

 

I tend to measure- cut the pieces to the required width and then wonder why the coaches snag the platform.  Of course I should use the pen taped to the side and end of a long coach to get the required dimensions.  Takes away all the fun of bodging - (which should be my middle name)    

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Gopher

[MrWolf]

I find that if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing wrong and several times.

 

I marked out the position of my platform several times until I was happy with it and nearly forgot the two runs of point rodding beneath it.

 

And that was on a straight piece of track.....

[Graham T]

12 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I find that if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing wrong and several times.

 

And there you have the Chuffnell Regis layout building ethos in a nutshell

[Graham T]

20 minutes ago, Gopher said:

I've spray painted all track with Railmatch sleeper grime, and then spent ages cleaning it and testing it. 

 

Started to make the new platforms for Dewchurch station.     Still very much work in progress, with much fiddling and bodging to ensure rolling stock does not snag on the platform edges.   There is a slight curve on the longer platform,  and a curve leading into the rear of the shorter (middle platform in the photo) which has caused the odd swear word to be uttered.   My basic test is that if a Bachmann Auto coach can run with out hitting anything or derailing - then most if not all of my other rolling stock should be O.K.     

 

I tend to measure- cut the pieces to the required width and then wonder why the coaches snag the platform.  Of course I should use the pen taped to the side and end of a long coach to get the required dimensions.  Takes away all the fun of bodging - (which should be my middle name)    

 

That's looking very good.  I must get on and build my platform soon.  When I say build, I do of course mean bodge...

[Gopher]

Station road in progress.  Quite therapeutic laying individual paving slabs.  Took hours.  Still got to weather things - road, station platforms, add walls, fences, dummy street lights and, build the entrance road to the goods yard, plus lots of land scaping.     I really need to test the layout more fully  before I get carried away.

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Gopher

[MrWolf]

The road looks like it will pass the bicycle test easily enough! 

[Gopher]

10 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

The road looks like it will pass the bicycle test easily enough! 

Thanks -  yes hopefully.  I used the same approach you suggested for Dewchurch 2.  Filler, PVA, and gouache.  I then painted the end result with Humbrol enamels once it had dried.  It is definitely smoother than my previous efforts.  Once I add the road markings, and hide the less smooth bits with well placed vehicles - it will hopefully look even better.           

[MrWolf]

I'm having similar fun and games with my layout. I need to put in a B road, but first I need to build the level crossing, which looks like a royal P.I.T.A.

I would find it easier to make a full size pair of gates to be honest.

[Gopher]

Bit more progress on the loco yard board.  Added some Wills granite setts under the engine shed and around the turntable.  I had salvaged some from the previous layout, but of course most of them did not fit, so had to cut some new ones. Then paint and weather them.  I'm still experimenting with placement of the buildings.  I also want to add bit of vegetation.

 

Also reinstated the canal bridge.  Bits also salvaged from the previous layout, but true to form some did not fit so had to cut some odd shaped new sections.  I think I need to revisit the weathering on the bridge  

 

Testing has commenced - running various locos over parts of the layout.  This has unearthed some snags, i.e. some locos short circuiting on one set of points, and some steam  locos derailing on a curved cross over.  Both now fixed.  Just shows the value of testing before ballasting.  I had to realign some track to fix the derailment which I could not have done easily if the track had been ballasted.  I had to tweak the back to backs on two locos, and generally frig about with one frog on a three way point where the short circuit was occurring.  Some loco wheels were bridging the gap on the frog and causing the short.  As well as checking back to backs and widening the gap in the frog, I also painted part of the frog - effectively insulating the very small part of it which was being touched by some loco wheels, and causing the short.  Seems to have worked, but will probably have to touch up the paint from time to time. 

 

I was worried about re-using all the points I had salvaged from the last layout.  I took great care in lifting them, and then checked they were level, still in gauge, and (fixed) any problems.  Mainly re-soldering some loose sleepers.   The good news is they all seem O.K.  ,and in fact the one point giving me the frog problem referred to above is brand new.              

 

I'll keep on adding the scenic elements to the loco yard and station, but will carry out more comprehensive testing before I ballast.  I also want to fix the station platforms down to double check clearances before I ballast.   

 

                    

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Gopher

[Edward]

Very nicely modelled! have just skimmed through the posts which enjoyed greatly.   Added myself to be a follower

so will look to future postings.

By the way two of your buildings seem to have an air of the M&GNJR : ie the station building which looks like one of the "Pavilion" styles and the Goods Shed which looks like the medium shed designed by Wilkinson & Jarvis.  I may sound very knowledgeable but it all comes from the 2 volumes by Nigel Digby on the subject.  I just about finished a model of the goods shed : wondered how they got the flue pipe from the office to the chimney?

(the spell checker seems to have gone a bit crazy)

 Anyway congratulations !

[Graham T]

All looking very good Clive!  And I'm incredibly jealous that you have a turntable that actually works...

[Gopher]

13 hours ago, Edward said:

Very nicely modelled! have just skimmed through the posts which enjoyed greatly.   Added myself to be a follower

so will look to future postings.

By the way two of your buildings seem to have an air of the M&GNJR : ie the station building which looks like one of the "Pavilion" styles and the Goods Shed which looks like the medium shed designed by Wilkinson & Jarvis.  I may sound very knowledgeable but it all comes from the 2 volumes by Nigel Digby on the subject.  I just about finished a model of the goods shed : wondered how they got the flue pipe from the office to the chimney?

(the spell checker seems to have gone a bit crazy)

 Anyway congratulations !

Hello Edward, thanks for taking time to read my ramblings and thanks for the compliment. 

 

The station building is a Petite Properties kit, which I just liked the look of.  I am not sure what it is based on but may well be the M&GNJR.  It reminded me of some of  the stations on the GWR/Western region.  Mainly those from one of the absorbed lines i.e. Barry railway.  I thought it would not look too out of place on my Western Region layout, and was a bit smaller than it's predecessor (on Dewchurch 2) - so made the station look a bit more spacious. 

 

The goods shed is a Timber tracks kit.  I think (from talking to the proprietor at a model show years ago) - that it is a generic kit but based on a GWR building.  I know he used to produce kits based on real buildings e.g.  Broadway, Tetbury.     I'm not totally sure how they got the flue pipe from the office to the chimney on my shed.  Here is a photo of a similar goods shed at Toddington - it looks as if the fire/stove must be in the corner of the office.  It appears to be the same arrangement on his kit of the Broadway good shed, and my shed.

 

I wonder whether the stove/fire was actually in the goods shed ( which does not seem logical and would make for a very cold office).  

 

I am guilty of buying kit buildings I just like the look of, and hope they do not look too out of place.         

Edited February 21, 2022 by Gopher

[Gopher]

13 hours ago, Graham T said:

All looking very good Clive!  And I'm incredibly jealous that you have a turntable that actually works...

Thanks Graham.  I have been following your turntable struggle on your thread, and also Neal's thread.  Glad you have finally got it sorted.  I have been tempted by the GWR kit - but I think I'll stick with my Peco turntable       

Edited February 21, 2022 by Gopher