Newton Regis. Workbench wanderings through the 1920s and 30s the Great Western Way

[MrWolf]

Would you believe that the base coat is chestnut brown?

[longchap]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

You know you want to Bill...

 

 

Sorry for the hijack!

 

Great pickup Graham, I smiled with the memory of them at the old Wembley as I wrote that, plus it was Keith who inspired my to get a Telecaster! 

 

Bill

[Graham T]

i saw them here in Austria a couple of years ago - probably one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

[longchap]

49 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Would you believe that the base coat is chestnut brown?

 

Absolutely would, pretty much the same as my base coat of medium mud, followed by two of mahogany, then a couple of dark grey washes, all applied before the previous ones were dry. I reckon another grey wash every year should get it near black with time

[longchap]

In which a lesson well learned, is passed forward

Thanks to well-remembered advice from John Dew of this Parish, of not ballasting track before extensive testing (thank you John), my trackwork is still temporarily fixed to the boards with just track pins, so when I needed to rectify the tight curve to the livestock siding, it was a task of just minutes to lift the point and track clear of the layout for repositioning a few scale yards to create an easier curve, more harmonious with other trackwork.

 

 

 

The gap in the track above is where the point was moved from, then up a few inches to facilitate a more manageable curve into the livestock dock. I’ve now relocated that errant short piece of track and droppers into the new gap and I can get on with the more exciting work under the baseboards.
 
I’m happy to pass on this gratefully received lesson to further help others avoid messy and stressful lifting of ballasted and weathered track, so please thoroughly play with and test all parts of your trackwork before ballasting.

 

Best,

 

Bill

Edited May 23, 2022 by longchap

[Graham T]

48 minutes ago, longchap said:

 
I’m happy to pass on this gratefully received lesson to further help others avoid messy and stressful lifting of ballasted and weathered track, so please thoroughly play with and test all parts of your trackwork before ballasting.

 

 

And that's a lesson I have learnt to my cost...

[longchap]

Slow progress is of course better than no progress, but the fact is that January has so far been unseasonably cold, below freezing all day and well below at night. My temporary railway room needs the heating turned on an hour or two before being able to survive it. However, the bride found me yesterday, sat at the table in my full Nanook of the North outdoor gear, soldering small wires to point motors, when I’d not turned the heat on beforehand and she was far from amused!

 

This was the first time I’ve soldered such tiny wires and I’ve soldered eight of the little chaps to each of two point motors and the second one looks a little better, so I’m learning! However, I’ll not be hard wiring any decoders to locos any day soon!

 

 

I used Cat6 comms cable to connect the motors via an edge connector, to a local chock block, from where I’ll run a twin cable back to the control panel for power and then three of the small wires up to the point for polarity control, switched from one of the integrated DPDT switches inside the motor.

 

Hope it’s warmer tomorrow!

 

Bill

Edited May 23, 2022 by longchap

[longchap]

A red letter day for point control a.k.a. “by Jove, I think he’s got it!”

 

Stately, yet steady progress today and as I strung feeds together between electronic bits and bobs, the like of which I’ll never understand their workings, it dawned on me that in just a few minutes, I could actually have everything from the point motors through to the toggle switches set out on the bench and ready to test. Wow, but probably scary if it doesn’t work!

 

With a “no going back” mindset, I carried out the final continuity checks between switch and point motor and received beeps for all systems go, so I plugged the power into the switch base to see green ready lights on the base and toggle switch and as soon as my finger hovered over the touch toggle, the Tortoise gently whirred and I let out my breath and smiled, thinking it may only be a small step for this man, but a giant leap for Newton Regis!

 

 

 

The above images show the corresponding actuator of the point motor and led lights on the touch toggle in their different positions for the changed routes and as the points on this baseboard are already installed and tested, I now just need to change the harness edge connectors over from the test motor to the installed units under the board and clip the wires neatly in place underneath, then insert a track plan into a picture frame as a control panel with the toggle switches taped in place behind it in the appropriate locations. Job done.

 

A happy day not quite over, as I plan the panel configuration and location, together with that for the DCC station and mains power interfaces under the board for track and accessory busses.  

 

Message to Mr Dew :  You said it wouldn’t be a problem John, thank you so much for your confidence and support.

 

Best,

 

Bill

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At 6'4'', Bill is a tall chap, then again, when horizontal he is rather long and people often used to trip over him! . . . and so a nickname was born

Edited May 23, 2022 by longchap

[john dew]

Thank Bill........never had a moments doubt.

 

They are a pleasure to install and so reliable. I find the zzzzzz as they move across so satisfying.

 

Are you going to be able to set routes with your DCC system?

 

Best

[longchap]

33 minutes ago, john dew said:

Thank Bill........never had a moments doubt.

 

They are a pleasure to install and so reliable. I find the zzzzzz as they move across so satisfying.

 

Are you going to be able to set routes with your DCC system?

 

Best

 

I'll use the DCC just for programming and driving the trains John, while the control panel sets routes. It has no moving parts and a flush glass easy clean finish with LED route indication. The panel has space for up to eight touch control switches and one of these will be for the branch starter signal.

 

Bill

[Graham T]

52 minutes ago, longchap said:

 

I'll use the DCC just for programming and driving the trains John, while the control panel sets routes. It has no moving parts and a flush glass easy clean finish with LED route indication. The panel has space for up to eight touch control switches and one of these will be for the branch starter signal.

 

Bill

 

I'll be interested to see how you do that Bill.  A control panel is on my (seemingly endless) list of things to do.

[longchap]

33 minutes ago, Graham T said:

 

I'll be interested to see how you do that Bill.  A control panel is on my (seemingly endless) list of things to do.

 

I've always avoided electrical work, not fully understanding it, so building a control panel always seemed a daunting task. Fortunately a railway modelling forum chum suggested touch toggle control, so I ordered some parts a year ago, which have been waiting until now to put in an appearance.

 

More soon,

 

Bill

Edited January 21, 2022 by longchap

[longchap]

A funny Thing Happended On The Way To The Railway Room Today

 

While rummaging through my electrical accessories for choc blocks earlier, I discovered a forgotten unused 100 metre coil of CAT 6 comms cable, left over from a project which I thought would come in handy one day. Just s well I only bought a 10 metre coil of the same just last week to make up the point motor harnesses!

 

Just as well I've a cup half full attitude, as my cup now runneth over with CAT 6.

 

[MrWolf]

Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

 

Which is why I have sheds full of junk. 

[longchap]

I got into a rhythm this morning with point motor wiring harnesses, in setting up a production line and obtained considerably reduced production times due to repition and familiarisation and before I knew it, I had five of the six needed on the workbench. I am also rather pleased with the increased proficiency of my soldering technique as well.

 

Leaving the last harness until later, I was keen to get back to more interesting things, so installed the control panel electronics to the baseboard, the wiring from the two point motors on that baseboard to it, then plugged in the corresponding touch toggles and finally the power feed and once again, everything worked with a satisfying slow change of the point blades and route LEDs. Phew, thank goodness for that. I now need to source a small picture frame and draw and fit a track plan to it, so I better find my artistic head for the next bit.

 

 

 

I even had time to fit the DDC hardware to the fascia panel, but will have to remove it again for painting sometime. The space between the blue power base and black NCE pluggy thing will be filled by the control panel with the route controls stuck on behind.

 

TTFN,

 

Bill

Edited May 23, 2022 by longchap

[longchap]

Quick rant regarding current high to exorbitant mail order pricing

 

Not yet able to tackle the final wiring stage of the layout, due to restrictions from the doctor and bride, I’ve been doing some planning, or perhaps even scheming? The later certainly sounds more fun to me in a furtive way and I’ve ordered in specialised equipment from a French surgical equipment supplier, since precision plastic surgery is very much on the agenda.

 

As I’ve lent my favoured Swan-Morton scalpel to a friend in the UK and will not be getting it back soon, I needed a replacement, so began looking through offerings from the usual suspects. Goodness, how depressingly expensive the rates were for both scalpel and blades, with shipping from Amazon alone (from several countries) requiring a restorative cup of tea and a lie down!

 

Fortunately, I found a local specialist medical supplier and their pricing was economical and with a 5,90€ shipping fee on orders up to 100€, otherwise free. Fortunately I restricted myself just to a No3 handle and 100 blades. Check out Distrimed.com if you’re a Swan-Morton user, near France.

 

I’ve been noticing increasing similar comments to my own across this and other railway forums of late and only hope that prices, including some bizarre merchant’s shipping rates, may eventually moderate if or hopefully when the world settles into more harmonious revolutions.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill

[Graham T]

You can't beat a good bit of scheming Bill

[Graham T]

On a similar note, I had another encounter with the joys of taxes and import fees just now.  A little while ago I ordered some figures from Modelu, all 1:76 of course.  Unfortunately when the package arrived one of the figures was O gauge.  Modelu have replaced it for me, and the single figure arrived today, marked on the customs form as a gift, value of 3.18 euros.  I had to pay the Austrian post office over 8 euros in fees.  This might be the most expensive figure on Chuffnell Regis - I hope so anyway!!!

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Graham T

[longchap]

It's often difficult to fathom how the customs and postal service work out the Brexit Tax (yet another Boris disaster). Hattons seem to have it pretty well sorted now, but besides them, I simply do not purchase anything mail order from the UK now.

 

Commiserations Graham on the Boris tax on your Modelu "gift". Enjoy its painting as it prepares to take it’s place and interesting history as part of Chuffnell Regis.

 

Crack on,

 

Bill

[Graham T]

I think they use a random number generator...

[longchap]

Often a true word spoken in jest!!!

[longchap]

Ah, it's so good to get back to the clubroom, although it's a bit bare with all the pictures missing from the walls! Must dig out some replacements to cheer the place up a tad.

 

Here's one to be getting on with.

 

Very best,

 

Bill

[Graham T]

Certainly is good to have the site back again Bill.  I'm now wondering if I can be bothered to try re-uploading 100+ pages worth of pics to Chuffnell Regis...

[longchap]

Quick tip, how I paint roof slates

 

Please note that this is not how to paint slated roofs (not tiled, they're a completley different material), but it’s how I paint them, as having spent a lifetime working in the construction sector, I’ve been up close and personal with most parts of buildings and plenty of slate roofs, so I like to paint them to look the part, mainly in good serviceable weathered condition, but showing signs of subtle localised discolouration and weathering. Don’t forget that roofs are subject to more weathering than most parts of the building and so get a lot of rain streaking, washing various deposited elements downwards towards the eaves / gutter.

 

The rood below is typical of my approach, this being Chudleigh goods shed.

 

The roof slates were added using Scale Model Scenery’s laser cut strips glued to the roof with a 2mm  overlap and painted first with an overall light grey wash, then all slates individually, but rapidly coloured with subtle shades mixed from a complimentary colour pallet of white grey, tire black and blue grey (three colours are enough), until the roof was covered, then finished with a thin mid colour wash from the above pallet, applied in a downward direction with a flat brush, to bring everything together and indicate rain streaking.

 

 

 

 

Finishing touches such as lichen can be added, but I usually resist representing slipped and broken slates to Company buildings, as before the war, the GWR (others were available) kept their property in good order.

 

Hope this helps and please feel free to add your tips for modelling believable roofs, perhaps tiled structures, as I have yet to model these.

 

Best,

 

Bill

[Graham T]

I've used a similar technique Bill, but think I may have overdone the colour variation on my signal box a little.