F-UnitMad Posted May 9, 2021 Author Share Posted May 9, 2021 32 minutes ago, Regularity said: I have noticed that (at least in Maine!) the loco would bear the name "Chris Ellis", but in photo captions it would be referred to as "the Chris Ellis". Yes, good point. They will also refer to plain numbered locos as "The 1234"* in the same way. * other locomotive numbers are available. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 Did a bit of ballasting today, the main line by the side of the transload spurs at Shortside Yard North. Currently drying out from the 'wet' water/dilute pva/eye dropper process. Tedious.... but necessary, of course.... 11 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 ...and a bit more while I was in the mood and things seemed to be going well..!! A bit further up the main line past Shortside North... And around North Bend towards Green Ridge. This was the curve I relaid from an unworkable 26" radius to an easier & more generous (!!!!) 36" radius.... Of course, 'places' such as North Bend and Green Ridge are in reality seperated only by a matter of inches, but I like to think that naming bits of what is really a relatively small layout helps to convey an impression of distance, at least in the imagination, and create the idea that in the real world they could be seperate by several miles, at least!!! 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted May 16, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 16, 2021 Do you hit it with a hammer before or after ballasting? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 24 minutes ago, Northroader said: Do you hit it with a hammer before or after ballasting? Trade secret, sorry. 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 I ...... HATE ........... BALLASTING....!!!! But the results are worth it.... I realised today that I haven't ballasted a switch in ages The switch at the north end of Portway Yard soaks this evening in dilute pva.... Onwards and upwards..... 12 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted May 31, 2021 Author Share Posted May 31, 2021 15 hours ago, F-UnitMad said: I realised today that I haven't ballasted a switch in ages The switch at the north end of Portway Yard soaks this evening in dilute pva.... ...and a quick check this morning revealed it has dried out ok and wasn't all gummed up!! Wow!!! Success!!! 5 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMO Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 Great news! Ballasting isn't the most interesting thing in modelling I have to do that of my layout too! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted June 6, 2021 Author Share Posted June 6, 2021 (edited) More glacial progress... the second switch to be ballasted - the one from main line to freight branch - soaks in dilute pva.... Note the mis-match of the ballast at the toe of the switch - I shall have to pretend some maintenance and fresh ballast was done on the main in the recent past. All my straight switches are #6's. They look fine on the freight branch, but at the planning stage I did print out from the FastTracks website plans for #8 switches, to see what they'd look like on the main line. They were rather longer than the #6 - obviously!! - so I decided to go for #6 instead, especially because the extra length of the #8 would have shortened the car capacity of the siding at Portway Center. But just sometimes I do wish I'd gone for #8's on the main, and having ballasted this one, tonight is one of those times. But hey-ho, the job is done and there's no going back this time. A good lie down in a dark room and that slight tinge of regret will pass. Edited June 6, 2021 by F-UnitMad Spelling, D'oh! 6 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted June 6, 2021 Author Share Posted June 6, 2021 One thing that has worked at this point on the layout is the contrast between the main and the siding & branch. There's much more in terms of weeds and dereliction to be done to the siding, but the differences are plain to see, including the fact the main is higher than the siding, by about 5mm. The rail heights are also pretty obvious (main is Code125, sidings Code100) and of course the difference in maintenance standards!! PS - feel a bit better about the #6 switches from eye-level views like this, as well.... 8 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 (edited) Had the same problem, was going to give the new ballast a dark wash, but instead laid a few old ties about, as if they had replaced and topped the ballast up, may still tone it down! Edited June 7, 2021 by long island jack 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted June 7, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2021 To cheer you up, Jordan: https://wp.me/p3M0JV-1pQ 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 (edited) Happy to report the switch is working and not gummed up, all ballast dried out (it is warm in the loft in this weather!!) I've been a bit concerned because often in the past I've over-diluted the PVA, resulting in ballast that looks like it's stuck down, but isn't, especially when caught by something when track cleaning. This time around it's been a rather thick dilution of 50/50 PVA & water - hence my concern with the switches - it goes on a tad gloopy and takes a while to soak in, and a bit more spraying with 'wet' water first, but it's drying nice and solid* as a result so I haven't had to go over any of it again. *Edit - except for the switches, of course!! Edited June 7, 2021 by F-UnitMad 5 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMO Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 To avoid to glue the miobile parts, you can use WD-40. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 5 minutes ago, JAMO said: To avoid to glue the miobile parts, you can use WD-40. I have heard of that advice before, but not sure how it would affect other areas of the switch, as it too would soak into the ballast? I think it's mainly for switch blades that are hinged or have a pivot of some kind, and probably with plastic ties; mine aren't like that, the blades just flex from somewhere along the ties where I stop spiking them down. But they slide on extended tie plates as per the prototype, except most of my tie plates are cut from thick brown paper (or thin brown card, not sure which!!) so I don't want dilute PVA getting in between the blades and the plates, which could jam things up once dried out if it did. So far, though, so good. 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMO Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Ah, ok! I understand. So the solution is to drop the glue very precisely. It's a long job but it's necessary to obtain the best result. In your case, the WD-40 will be not the solution. I don't have used this technique. I've just seen somebody doing that on the web. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted July 2, 2021 Author Share Posted July 2, 2021 Apologies for the lack of updates in the last few weeks, but there's been nothing to update!! Life, the Universe & Everything seems to have got in the way, and I haven't even run any trains in the last couple of weeks!! But still here, hopefully will have more progress to report soon!!! 3 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Western Star Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 On 02/07/2021 at 16:14, F-UnitMad said: Life, the Universe & Everything seems to have got in the way... Seems to me that you have been thinking about the Life and Times of Arthur Dent and trying to come to terms with the lack of railway interest in any of the books about his experiences. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted July 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2021 (edited) On 02/07/2021 at 16:14, F-UnitMad said: Apologies for the lack of updates in the last few weeks, but there's been nothing to update!! Life, the Universe & Everything seems to have got in the way, and I haven't even run any trains in the last couple of weeks!! But still here, hopefully will have more progress to report soon!!! I can sympathise: a message that has been on our family whiteboard…for months simply says: Edited April 10 by Keith Addenbrooke 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted July 4, 2021 Author Share Posted July 4, 2021 21 hours ago, Western Star said: Seems to me that you have been thinking about the Life and Times of Arthur Dent and trying to come to terms with the lack of railway interest in any of the books about his experiences. At least I haven't had to lie in the mud in my dressing gown in front of a bulldozer, to prevent my layout's demolition to make way for a Hyperspace Bypass.... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted July 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2021 “Brain the size of a planet and they want me to ballast the track” 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 15, 2021 Author Share Posted August 15, 2021 Well after several weeks of relative inactivity - apart from some highly enjoyable play timeser, umm, I mean operating sessions - this afternoon I bit the bullet and had a bit of a ballasting frenzy. I've been concentrating on the main line. Today I've done the line past the industry spurs, round the corner past 'Downtown', and the curved switch that leads into Portway Center from the south. I should get the hang of this ballasting lark by the time I'm done. We've had the "Golden Spike" moment - is there a "Golden Ballast" moment?? In the meantime, I'm also glad I didn't lay a lot more track!! What I have is enough for satisfying operations, and doesn't take much time to clean. 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted August 16, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16, 2021 Interesting that you find a simple layout allows interesting operations. It also seems to me to be more in keeping with a short line. Don 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 16, 2021 Author Share Posted August 16, 2021 13 hours ago, Donw said: Interesting that you find a simple layout allows interesting operations. It also seems to me to be more in keeping with a short line. Don I've really only followed the sort of advice Lance Mindheim wrote about a few years ago now. It just takes a bit of faith at first to believe it works in practice!! 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 22, 2021 Author Share Posted August 22, 2021 (edited) Carrying on the ballasting while I seem to have the mojo, and temperatures are warm to facilitate drying out the dilute PVA. The main line is all done, attention now turns to the freight branch, starting with the curves south of Portway Center. There isn't much room for 'abandoned' track on this layout, but it's a feature I like as it adds a bit to the imaginary history of the Railroad. In the top right is the beginnings of the representation of torn up track to the equally abandoned old grain elevator. There is fresher ballast where the switch "used" to be. I really should've modelled a 'modified' switch with various rails & frog removed, but I only had the idea after track laying was done! This is a Walthers HO kit I didn't want to throw away, plus an O Scale elevator would be too large for the site, and I like to think this arrangement is - or will be - a fairly successful attempt at perspective modelling, when it's finished. In the other corner is the old Downtown area of Shortside; again these buildings are remains from the old HO layout that I didn't want to get rid of, as apart from some rudimentary scenic work they were the only buildings glued in place!! With trees and foliage eventually obscurring them to a degree, again my excuse is it's another exercise in perspective modelling... The branch ballast is a mix of Woodland Scenics Fine brown & grey ballasts, to look older than the main in front, less well maintained, and try and get that sunken, bedded in look of secondary US track. Edited August 22, 2021 by F-UnitMad 15 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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