Mansfield - a slow burner…

[Andy_C]

Inspection pit drilling…

[Duncan.]

Hi Andy,

It is good to see steady careful and well considered progress. I am looking forward to seeing it in the flesh soon.

Cheers

Duncan

[Andy_C]

Mash-up of 2 two lane Modelux engine sheds to make a four lane one. Part finished, obviously. Needs some touching up, windows adding, plus some glazing from clear plasticard - v fiddly. That might wait for another time as I want to get my track laid. Also commenced glueing the platform edging to the wood template. Also v fiddly.

 

Hopefully I might have platform 2/3 island nearly done tomorrow, so I can commence laying the track there as well.

 

I'm going to try the plastic glazing/glue on the smaller windows - I have some spares to practice on.

[Andy_C]

Todays progress. Also commenced the curves in to the loop next to the station, plus soldered a few droppers to points. Next visit in the Railway room is later this week.

[Andy_C]

Had an hour spare this evening, so added another internal inspection pit. 
 

Awaiting a few bits by post, to then see how the coaling stage and ramp will tie into this part of the layout. Need to decide how brutal the incline will be. Looking at actual photos, the inclines seemed v severe. 
 

I’ll do some more research. Thoughts on how to approach to incline slope appreciated…?

[Andy_C]

Further steady progress this weekend, incl my 1st session with an air brush (priming platform sides). Diesel depot roughly tracked to gauge dimensions, and TT installed. Big thanks to my friend Duncan (you’ll know him from the fab Shirebrook layout), for the catch point😇

[Andy_C]

The diesel depot here will be my 1st attempt at a Scalescenes card model, so any hints and tips gratefully received…

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Andy_C
Image wrong way up

[Duncan.]

Hi Andy,

You have all the best ingredients for a great model. Looking forward to see the diesl depot in place. With a pair of 20s and a 25 on shed!

Cheers

Duncan

[Andy_C]

This evening was mainly configuring the MTB MP1 point motors - all 14 of them. I've learned to sort these motors with care, as I don't want to accidentally alter the cam, and then the motor or frog change not work correctly. I've been caught out before this way, so I check the motors are all working correctly, and the frog polarity changes.

 

I've also had a look at how the Peco TT is wired, to ensure the two roads going to this don't hit the 'dead zone'. Now to acquire a motor and power supply. The fuelling track next the the diesel shed will also be the programming track, so I've also purchased the correct switch for enabling this to happen.

 

Need to be patient, tho. The TT will need priming and at least some base coats of worn colouring applying. Awaiting the spray booth for the airbrush, so I can further build on my 1st tutorial of how to airbrush...

[Duncan.]

Thanks Andy for a very enjoyable  day progressing  the layout.

It was great to see the progress you have made. It is very satisfying  for me to be connected to a layout being built with care and respect to the prototype. 

[Andy_C]

Good day yesterday. My good friend Duncan called over for the day, so he was set to part-time work (fed, of course).

 

Duncan designed and constructed the tunnel entrance in these photos. Its rather lovely, in a dirty, battered kind of way.

 

The relief to the right of the tunnel. will follow the wall as it decreases in slope. The relief will eventually be at board level. the left of the tunnel will have a road going up  and out of sight. The polystyrene was partly a bit of fun playing with shapes to see what the hill would look like, and just to give that side of the layout some depth.

[Andy_C]

The care taken to lay the track and wire up correctly paid handsome dividends yesterday. Several loco's were CV programmed (thanks to those who helped me on here on another thread I posted about CV's), and spent a nice amount of time pulling stock around the mainlines and Goods yard sidings.

 

The loosely laid points next to the platforms are the station good yard sidings. This is the final main part of track laying needed, which will be completed before the end of the month. The actual tracks coming from these points won't be fully set until I've settled on a suitable goods shed. The shed at Mansfield was big, so some kind of mashing of a model, or even some kind of scratch build, will be needed. The Scale Scenes good shed may be a good starting point.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Andy_C

[Andy_C]

Plenty going on, but I’ve been slack with the updates! These photos show the points leading from the loop track next to the station, into the goods yard. They are laid, but not motored up or droppers added yet. Awaiting the next delivery from DCC Train Automation. Need some more MP1’s. All points are now laid tho. That’s a strange feeling.

 

The yard and station will have clear links to Mansfield, although the station is obviously influenced by the 3 ft curve at its south end, which Mansfield in reality doesn’t have. Nor did it have a loop round the station, which had been introduced to aid running trains. So, it’s a bit of ‘own initiative’, plus a clear nod to the town station and yard.

 

The only track left to lay are the siding lines from the points shown, and 2 lines to the turntable. Then that will be the physical track laying done.

 

I’ve purchased a modelling tray, which means I can be social whilst building stuff. My 1st attempt is a Scale Scenes diesel shed for the other side of the layout. Card building is fiddly but,  as with the other bits I’ve done so far, it will get easier. Mistakes will be made, but that’s all part of the learning curve.  I’ll see how that goes.

 

The airbrushing lessons this time round included platforms edges being primed, and different colours added to provide the foundation colours for the turntable. Rust will be applied to the rail on this, this coming weekend, and then that will be constructed and working. Weathering that will take place later. 

[JeffP]

Making excellent progress.

I'm enjoying your exploits.

[Andy_C]

This afternoons progress was sorting lots of little jobs out. Some Rusty rails paint applied to the turntable base rail and runners, with a bit left over for more track painting. The diesel shed is finally ‘up’, and the working model fits the tracks fine. It will sit on some plasticard that will be level with the shed rails - more experimenting required. 
Platform 1 (northbound) has its edging, and is ready for its 1st coat of mid stone.

 

Used some Redutex to continue the retaining wall from the coaling stage. Rather a good colour match. Next job will be to continue with the diesel shed, using some Redutex corrugated roofing in place of the supplied printed card.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Andy_C

[Andy_C]

More shed work. 1.5mm plasticard gets the height as shown. I might try to mount some thinner card on that so the top of the rail is level with the ‘concrete’, so to speak. I finished today at the stage of the guttering being ready for fixing on. Next stage is the roof.

 

An 8116 and MP1’s delivery arrived today, so plenty of work available to be completed… 

[Andy_C]

1st photo - Today was about woodwork. There needs to be a section that lifts out so I can get to the window. The unpainted part on here is that. The road will go from Belvedere St across this section, and rise up to the left. 
 

The other photos are of balsa shaping and getting the height right for the goods platform. Mansfield had such a platform, and images I have show it was higher than the passenger platform. I’ve again had to be flexible with this, but the images I have show box van floors being the same level as this platform. The last photo is the pva’ing of two lengths of balsa together to get this height right.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Andy_C

[Andy_C]

This weekend involved checking track and cleaning recently painted zones, then running in a Sonic J50, which seems to spontaneously want to change direction when running. Further investigation needed. 
 

Fitted 4 more MP1’s. I have 4 left, and will need 3 more after that to complete point fitting(plus one more 8116).

 

Todays photos are a long view of the sidings and two engine shed locations, and then a full view of the whole room, for perspective…

[Andy_C]

This photo shows the sidings for the goods shed, which is next to the station. The tails of these sidings will be adjustable, as I need to mock up the goods shed(which was huge), and the cattle dock, to get the proportions right. As such, these tracks are temporarily in place. I can sort their droppers near to the points, which is this weekends job. I have the single engine shed track on this board to finish. That will then be all the track laid. I then need to build and fit the motorised TT, which is on the other side of the layout - then that will be all track laid. 

[Andy_C]

Running day, today. Testing all the track to find any glitches. My Dapol 9F didn’t like some bits on the anti clockwise loop, but was ok in the other direction. All the other locos were fine. Decided I have enough coaches. 😉

 

The photo doesn’t show the suburban sets I have, and this is probably the only time the 9F will pull passenger stuff, but I do have a few photos of 9F excursion trains going thru Mansfield. 
 

Plenty of planning for the next stages; ballasting, station building and canopy, signalling and all sorts of other stuff. 
 

Thanks as always to Duncan for the humour and wise advice. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Andy_C

[Andy_C]

Tidying up after yesterday, but time for a proper goods rake…

[Andy_C]

Today I continued soak testing the track, to be presented with a very strange fault/short at this x-over, which is quite crucial as it’s at the north end of the station (there wasn’t on in reality, but the compromise is to aid running trains). I checked ‘everything’, incl the frog wiring etc, only to be informed it’s an issue with one of the blades. Can you spot which one? I didn’t see it, but a photo to a valued (and experienced at this kind of thing) friend got an instant response/solution. 
 

My 9F is in 1st place as the most flaky loco on my track - if there is the slightest fault anywhere, this loco will find it. A little solder on one point, front pony back-to-back slightly out, so experimenting with that cured the derailing. 
 

 

[Duncan.]

I like your model Andy, I think it will be excellent  when complete as you are building it in a careful and precise way, we'll done.

Cheers

[Andy_C]

Today involved plasticard cutting of various thicknesses to make the foundation for the diesel shed. Took quite a while. I want the surface to be smooth, so once the plasticard is correctly aligned, I’ll prime it and then paint it weathered concrete. I might have a go at the yellow warning lines next to each track, too. Once in place, this ‘slab’ will then get weathered. The shed track and inspection pits have not yet been painted - another task. This shed needs to look new - as if it’s just been finished - to fit in with the era.

 

The Scale Scenes shed is not the final shed that will go here. I’ve purchased the recently released Railway Laser Lines shed to construct and put here. Fortunately the dimensions and track widths don’t need changing.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Andy_C

[Andy_C]

Today I had 10 mins, so had a faff with DigiTrainsPro (DTP)and WiThrottle into the Yamorc 7001. DTP wouldn’t stay logged into the Yamorc. WiThrottle seemed to be working much better, but logged out once. More research needed. 
 

I like the idea of DTP, as it appears you can route plan in it, but not if it doesn’t work! I’ve emailed the creator, and the connection issue is being looked into.

 

WiThrottle was easy to setup. Just get the ip address from the Yamorc controller interface on the laptop, add it to the WiThrottle setup in the correct place, and done. Just need to see if the disconnection issue was isolated. Didn’t spend long enough with it today to establish any patterns or causes.