d_s' Blog - Layout Latest

2005-05-09T13:57:00.000Z

30th August 2004.

That was the last update.

Lot of water under a lot of bridges since then, so to speak. Anyway. Welcome back.

A lot of things have changed, and a lot haven't - on the personal front, I'm still at Royal Mail, just 'celebrated' my third aniversary of starting there. In far better news, I'm now engaged to Laura, with the wedding planned for July 2007 :-)

On the layout front - Lansdowne Sidings is much as it was. Still needs wiring, but other than that, it's progressing as hoped. Slight change - and a recent ebay win - means that it'll be pushed back to Network SouthEast days rather than the present times, but a 33 with 4-REP set will provide the main interest, with the sidings converted to an engineers yard. I've also bought overlays for a Class 205 'Thumper' in NSE colours, so when they arrive I will be able to mix loco hauled and multiple unit stock.

On the 00 layout, a lot HAS changed. Basically I've decided to go totally modern image. I'm resurecting something that never should have changed in the first place - bringing the railway back to Hailsham - I've ignored the building of houses over a lot of the trackbed, and with the aid of Redevelopment grants, 'Southern', Network Rail and the local council have all worked together to bring back the rails (watch out for low flying pigs...).

Passenger stock will mainly be Bachmann Turbostars - with the odd charter - whilst on the freight front I've decided that the local rope industry would want a traffic flow - EWS happy to provide it with Bachmann's not half bad 'Shed' - yes, I've bought my first '66'. - and 3 VGA Vans.

It's not been a totally wasted winter - bought a lot of magazines whilst a lot of the now unneeded items have gone on ebay and are long gone.

The next update shouldn't take so long as this one did...

2004-09-13T21:51:00.003Z

About time for an update I reckon - though I haven't actually made much progress in recent weeks.

However, I have been out and about - Andover and Grantham shows last weekend (Another hammering for the YPRC...) - buying a few bits for both N and OO layouts (Including a Bachmann 25, Graf/Bach 33 and a few other mainly scenic bits).

This week isn't likely to be any different - I'm off next week to Norwich (and a week of photting anywhere and everywhere I can most likely - eyeing up a trip to Doncaster at the moment) - Unfortunatley not the superb layout though! - http://www.freewebs.com/doncaster

It should also be a good month on the Magazine front - a new Rail Express, which is always something to look forward to. Especially now every issue will have a 32-Page Modern Modelling Supplement...

2004-09-13T21:51:00.002Z

2004-09-13T21:51:00.001Z

2004-08-30T17:27:00.000Z

Today I've been continuing with the ballasting - and the bulk is now complete. Still waiting to be able to wire the layout, but scenically, things are looking a lot better than they have done. Not so much bare board now - with some turf material also laid between the platform road and the main siding. No pictures until tomorrow though, when it should all be dry!

Things I can - and will - be getting on with later this evening include a fascia for the fiddle yard - yet more Daler mounting board and pieces of wood. Other than that, there's also an end board that's measured, cut, and just needs to be fitted - and then I'll have to make a final decision on the station building.

2004-08-29T23:47:00.000Z

I've begun ballasting on Lansdowne Sidings this evening - never a pleasant job at the best of times.

Though it still needs to be wired, there was an uncontrollable desire to crack on, so I've started to ballast the bits that won't need feeds - the platform road and the main siding first up. It's going reasonably well, using Woodland Scenics Ballast and Scenic Cement (If anybody knows where you can buy eye droppers/pippetts, let me know - I've never been able to find them). The advantage of Scenic Cement is that it can simply be sprayed onto the ballast. Well, it works at the moment...

I've also recovered the last few bits of Instant Roadbed - http://www.ami-roadbed.com - and tried it with the far superior Woodland Scenics ballast, as opposed to the HO stuff bought at Leatherhead. The Instant Roadbed didn't stick that - well, it does N Gauge ballast. So well, in fact, that I'm considering Instant Roadbed for the 'OO' layout, based on the fact that it looks good, it's (very) easy to use and I hate the traditional method of ballasting...

2004-08-29T11:44:00.000Z

I've added a couple of pictures of the hardstanding areas to my Fotopic site. The pictures are a bit cruel - the edge doesen't have what shows up as an enormous gap in reality!

http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/p7116657.html

The 'tarmac' area around the fueling point, seen in the second of the two pictures, is currently represented by paper, as I need access for wiring when the soldering iron turns up.

2004-08-27T19:03:00.000Z

Another good day - with a trip to Ford and Gaugemaster.

This time I had some travelling companions with me - owner of car, provider of hot chocolate and holder of camera case ( ;-) ). As well as The Engine Shed, it's Friday - so Top and tailed 31's on the Bristol-Brighton-Cardiff run - some phots here - http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/c270722.html .

Bought at Gaugemaster

Knightwing Extra Large Power Boxes - N Gauge

Faller Road - HO/OO Gauge (For the street scene above the platform on the 'OO' layout

Knightwing Buffer Stops - N Gauge (Excellent little whitemetal castings, looks far better than the chunky Peco sleeper-built ones I was going to use)

Faller Foam walling - HO/OO - I love this stuff! - Unfortunatley, only one packet in stock, so more needed - but it really does look excellent.

Harburn Hamlet Brick Terraced Garden - OO

Unfortunatley, my soldering iron hasn't arrived yet, so no wiring on Lansdowne Sidings has been possible. I have though completed a bit more work on the tarmac/hard standing areas, and as I hoped, it does look excellent. With the Knightwing buffers being that little bit smaller, they should fit perfectly.

2004-08-24T16:45:00.000Z

Over the past couple of days I've been working on both layouts - with the OO Gauge layout now sporting an extra point. Instead of having a loop as a runround, I've decided on the far more sensible idea of a crossover set of points - which means coaches now don't have to be positioned carefully to avoid them being clipped by the loco. The headshunt created by this will also give me potential for a bit more shunting - it should be long enough to take a single coach - so perhaps a buffet that could be marshalled into the train to make it five coaches in length - or maybe just a disused siding with a condemmed van on, slowly rusting away.

Lansdowne Sidings is though still taking priority - and will, hopefully, be wired this week. I've also taken delivery of several items from eBay - a colour light signal, fueling point (excellent), Parkside 'Grampus' kit and Avis street furniture for Lansdowne Sidings, with the 50 mentioned on Sunday for the OO layout. It's a fine model, and hopefully runs as well as she looks.

I'm toying with the idea of covering a large part of Lansdowne Sidings with grey mounting board, to represent tarmac/hard standing. I've experimented with offcuts of the white board used as a backscene, and it looks the part - handily, it's also exactly the right height for rail level - so in theory there's the potential for a decent little cameo scene of a forklift truck waiting to unload palletised supplies for the depot from vans. I'll be playing around with that some more tonight - and I've also been thinking about the station building. Obviously it's not going to be a huge construction - and, most likely, it will be printed onto the board at the 'stops'.

I've gone for the effect of a modern, functional rather than attractive, station building - and the 'glass' front is vaugley based on a prototype, my local station - Polegate. I've not got any N Gauge figures here to check, but it seems accurate enough height-wise. Not the finished article - probably - but the current idea is here - http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/p6991782.html

2004-08-21T15:37:00.000Z

After last week's activity it's generally been a quiet week - with a few auction wins, but no arrivals as yet. Three of these are for Lansdowne Sidings, whilst one - a brand new Hornby Class 50 - is for the 'OO' gauge layout and, at 50 quid, is an absolute bargain.

2004-08-15T21:03:00.000Z

Re-reading that, I've also used 'also' far too much...

;-D

2004-08-15T14:04:00.000Z

Progress on Lansdowne Sidings is going well - all the track, on both scenic and fiddle yard sections is now secured, as well as the platform and signal box on the scenic section. I've also built the 'end wall' - behind the shed, and covered it with wall section, which looks quite effective. Kitchen knives cut Balsa Wood...

I've also been 'playing' - the NSE 33 and various railfreight vans have been used to test extensivley, and all seems to work well - except for one siding in the fiddle yard, which well, doesen't. Not sure why yet, but it's not really a problem for the time being, and can be fixed later.

I've also been asked/ordered to upload these - http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/c259429.html - 'Phots' - taken in and around Ipswich station, with one of Norwich Crown Point. None were taken by me, but instead by a 'purchaser of coffee, cheese twists and secret Sun reader' ;-) ...

Typically, I'm not there and a 'Dred' (DRS 66) turns up...

2004-08-11T21:47:00.000Z

It's been a very busy - and very productive - evening.

I've been up in the loft, and elsewhere, working on Lansdowne Sidings, and now have a board, with the cork trackbed glued and the mounting board backscene in place. There's still plenty of work to do - laying the track and wiring for a start - but now at least it looks like a layout - and exactly as I imagined it.

I've added a new Gallery to my FotoPic site, with 5 pictures of this evening's work.

http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/c256421.html

A reminder - my email address is stuart@fairway39.freeserve.co.uk , and I welcome any comments on either layout.

2004-08-11T18:56:00.000Z

Progress continues on 'Lansdowne Sidings' - today I've worked out the final track layout, including that of the fiddle yard, and also bought the controller.

As it's been my day off, I took a trip to Ford, and The Engine Shed.

Bought;

This month's Continental Modeller
6 Peco ST-11 Double Straights (N)
2 Peco N Gauge Buffer Stops
Gaugemaster 'Combi' Single Track Controller.

The 'Combi' unit will power Lansdowne Sidings - two feeds, one to the track running into the fiddle yard, another for the headshunt to access the Pikestuff Modern Shed, built today (Very easy to put together, nicely designed kit). This should provide more than enough power for what is really a pretty simple layout. The idea now is to make the scenery look good enough to hide that fact - easier said (typed?) than done...

2004-08-10T19:16:00.000Z

Well, the baseboards for 'Lansdowne Sidings' are now completed. Baseboards, as I've added a second - identical - baseboard to the plan, which will be used as a fiddle yard. This will mean a slight change of track plan - not yet worked out.

The two boards will be used as modules, and are completely seperate at the moment - I plan to bolt them together, allowing them to be split for movement. Also looking at the Graf/Bach Turbostars - particularly in SWT livery. Tempted to go with two eras - Network SouthEast using the NSE 159 and 33, and the present scene - SWT Turbostar (This could also use the NSE 159) - and a few GBRf machines - those CJM 66's and 73's - expensive, but quality.

2004-08-07T20:17:00.000Z

Disaster!

Well, sort of. Tonight I cut the wood for the frames of 'Lansdowne Sidings', but before attaching them, I decided to see exactly how long the 3-Car Network SouthEast 159 is. While it would fit in the platform OK, it won't fit in what I loosely describe as a Fiddle Yard (more of a single hidden siding really).

This is a bit (well, a little more than that) of a problem, and means it will have to be bigger than originally intended. I'm sure I can rise to that challenge...

2004-08-06T21:22:00.000Z

Not much to update in the past couple of weeks - it's been too hot.

However, I have bought the mounting board for 'Lansdowne Sidings', so that'll take priority soon.

I'd also advise you to check out Steve Jones' brilliant website http://www.electricnose.co.uk - which is seemingly updated pretty constantly at the moment.

2004-07-18T16:32:00.000Z

Hmm, that's odd - the blogger dashboard has changed. Not sure if you're seeing any changes, but I am - and I like them.

Anyway - been up in the loft today - and it all works. Played around with DC wiring (Two controllers, 1 feed from each) - and it all works well. So - I'll probably just stick with DC for this one, simply as it's not complicated enough to use DCC. I'm keeping the equipment though, and I've got one or two plans for a test track/depot to simply experiment with that.

FotoPic Update

http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/c233681.html - Pics of the Wessex Trains Top & Tail 31 set at Brighton (Friday 9/7/04)

http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/c231593.html - Ford & Littlehampton

http://stuart8662.fotopic.net/c231588.html - Ipswich - Only one pic on here at the moment (47303) , but more will be added when I get the time. 47303, incidentally, got herself into trouble last week, and has now been moved to Crewe, where I believe (thanks to http://www.wnxx.com ) that repairs have been authorised. Hopefully we'll see her again at Ipswich one day - the 'clag' was superb!

2004-07-14T21:47:00.000Z

I see from www.wnxx.com that 47303 is in trouble - moved by road today from Ipswich to Crewe after failing on a Felixstowe working. It seems that the loco is unlikely to be repaired, and will be a spares donor.

47303 was happily 'clagging' away when we arrived at Ipswich on Wednesday, so if she has worked her last, it will be a shame. 47303 at Ipswich last week.

I've also put up some pictures taken at Ford and Littlehampton - Ford & Littlehampton - Personally I find the new 375/7's a fairly attractive design, and they are certainly nice to travel in - legroom, air conditioning and a useful Passenger Information System as standard. They do though, spell the end for the 4-CIG/CEP/VEP fleet that I've spent a fair few journeys on over the years. I'll miss them - can we have an RTR model please? - I'll take 6...

Full Ipswich update in full course, plus a few pics from Stratford and the 31's at Brighton.

2004-07-14T18:53:00.000Z

Fairly slow on the update front for a while, but I've been quite busy with other things in the last few days.

Testing will continue this week - going to try and hook up a second pair of feeds from the controller so that the whole layout can be tested (read 'played with' )

After that it'll be wiring for DCC - but in the interests of not blowing things up, I'm planning on asking various DCC experts about what feeds should go where etc. It should also save some money... ;-)

2004-07-10T14:20:00.000Z

The first of several new collections - selected pics from Ely

2004-07-10T09:26:00.000Z

As expected, all three new locos work perfectly - and, as hoped, the 47 fits in the headshunt.

Fotopic update in progress, will link when it's done.

2004-07-09T17:18:00.000Z

Went to Norwich on Tuesday - but before I left, the Class 24 arrived. It's definatley BR Blue now!

As well as having a great time, seeing a lot of freight and spending several (understatement) hours on Ipswich station and taking a load of 'phots', I also went shopping. That was completed today, coming home via Stratford ('Photting') and Ford (Shopping).

Bought;

Heljan Hymek
Heljan Class 47 BR Blue
2 Bachmann Mk 1 SO's Blue/Grey
Bachmann BSK Blue/Grey
5 x Bachmann China Clays (No Hoods)
Noch Tennis Court
2 x TCS Decoders

Phots will be uploaded later!

2004-06-30T21:33:00.000Z

Well, I thought the first DCC loco would be a Class 25. Instead, it'll be a Class 24 - Brand new, eBay, £37.50 including Delivery.

That'll do nicely.

I also see that Hattons are selling DCC Decoders - so unless I can get some on my travels next week, It'll have to wait for a few days. Mind you, it will have the 'honour' of being the first loco to run on the new layout.

2004-06-30T16:59:00.000Z

Some pictures from earlier;

Not the best of photos - Headshunt & sidings. Note the gaps in the sleepers - they will be filled!

The platform road and entry to runaround loop - Bachmann Mk 1's posing.

Finally, an overview of what will become the scenic part of the layout - taken from the Fiddle Yard. Mk 1's again on duty, with China Clays sitting on 'Station Road'.

2004-06-30T15:40:00.000Z

Success!

The last two sets of suitable points bought from Train Times, and installed in the loft, by lunchtime today. All the trackwork is now complete, and manual testing has begun - 4-Coach trains are fine, and as for China Clay trains, I reckon you'd have a maximum of about 12-14 wagons - more than I expected, which is good.

There's not a lot I can do now until I get a loco suitable for testing - that'll be Saturday at the earliest.

2004-06-29T18:01:00.000Z

It's off to Eastbourne tomorrow - the cash is in place, and this time tomorrow, the track should all be in place. Well, that's the plan anyway.

No progress upstairs today - there's really nothing I can do until I get the points - but there has been progress on the eBay front, with 7 items packaged and despatched this afternoon. Two or three more will be ending tomorrow.

I've also decided (rather spontaneously to be honest) that tonight, I'll build and paint the Knightwing double Portakabin kit. I plan to finish it in the sort of sand/beige colour that I have those listed on eBay, and with appropriate signage.

2004-06-28T20:21:00.000Z

The new pack of Cork Tiles didn't last long - four or five of them quickly sealed down on the layout boards. This evening, I've been quite busy - all the cork is now down, and tracklaying has started - though I still need a couple of pairs of points to be able to finish off the run-round loop and platform roads. These can wait, possibly until next week when I'll have the money.

eBay has been busy - I've sold several items today, and will soon be packing them up. It'll be good to send them tomorrow, with a day off on Wednesday to look forward to.

Also took some pictures tonight - mainly showing the progress. The fiddle yard end is more or less done - just the other track to put in, and that will have to wait until the points are around. The pointwork that leads into the sidings looks impressive already - I've had a change of heart, and used Medium instead of Small radius here, and I think it has worked - it does look pretty good.

Those points lead into the sidings , seen here with a rake of China Clay wagons. The sidings are over 10-wagons long, so there should be plenty of room for shunting and the trip workings to the clay dries.

Finally - Lansdowne Sidings - work has stalled for the moment, but I'm pleased to say that the board is still flat - always a good sign. Tested the NSE 33 for the first time last night, and it's a very smooth runner.

Priority must go to getting the points - and, going back on what I typed about 3 minutes ago, there's a chance that I might go to Eastbourne for these on Wednesday. After that, the approximate order is;

1; Lay rest of track
2; lay extra piece of track in front of fiddle yard as DCC programming track.
3; Test layout with ordinary DC controller (Before it's switched to use on Lansdowne Sidings)
4; Wire for DCC
5; 'Test' extensivley (also known as playing trains...)
6; Begin scenery - Platform will be the priority, as well as the bridge to hide the fiddle yard and the street scene above the station.

After that?

Well, depends how long it takes. And how long it takes me to divert funds to the loco fleet instead... - a Bachmann 25 is likely to be the first arrival, purely because they (look) pretty easy to Chip for DCC.

2004-06-26T21:08:00.000Z

Bowing to constant requests - alright, just the one - I've set up a photo album on my Fotopic site for my layouts.

Tonight I took 4 shots to get things started - two pictures of the board (Covered with various wagons, coaches, boxes and track) - and a couple of pictures of the 8-strong China Clay rake that I bought today. As well as that, there's a clearly readable track plan - the album is here , with my FotoPic homepage Here

You can also see my current eBay auctions Here .

2004-06-26T19:07:00.000Z

Went to another exhibition today - Enfield Town MRC, at Kingsmead School. Though the local surroundings weren't exactly great, the exhibition was good - with the venue split into four main areas.

Layout wise, nothing really caught my attention - nothing 'Modern Image' at all unfortunatley. There were some nice layouts though, as well as one or two that looked a little out of place - but what was good was the trade support. Bratchell Models & Signs of the Times as always worth looking at.

I did, however, still spend some money on bits for the new layout;

4 Bachmann China Clay wagons - No Hoods
4 Bachmann China Clay wagons w/hoods

Signs of the Times;
2 x Advertising Hoardings
1 x Station Platform Detailing
1 x Speed Limits
1 x Platform Signage

Railway Modeller "Introducing DCC" booklet

1 Bachmann Blue/Grey Mk 1 BSK

1 x Knightwing Double Portakabin kit

Last night, I successfully installed the new boards in the loft, and prepared the cork tiles for laying by putting them in place on the board, before leaving them to react to the conditions. Also had a little play with track - and as a result, changed the plan. We've now just got the one fiddle-yard - Plan here.

This saves space - the idea now being that the main line and the lightly-laid branch converge just off-scene , ahead of the scenic break, which will possibly be a girder road bridge.

Unfortunatley I can't do much at the moment - one more pack of Cork Tiles (actually about 6) is needed, so that'll have to wait until tomorrow, or possibly Monday after work.

Incidentally, Wednesday is my day off, then the week after off as well - in between all that (Saturday 3rd), my 20th birthday. Donations accepted... ( ;-) )

2004-06-24T21:34:00.000Z

Penalties eh?

Bloody Hell.

Oh well, back to trains tomorrow.

At the moment, I'm absolutley gutted.

2004-06-24T20:00:00.000Z

Before that though, a trackplan - just five sets of points?

Guilty as Charged, guv'nor.

Photobucket has shrunk things , but you can still clearly see the basic trackplan.

2004-06-24T19:56:00.000Z

Well, England are scary...

1-0 as I type, but it's been well, tight at times.

Up in the loft, the old boards are now up the tip, with new boards (only 10' by 2' as planned instead of 10' by 4' as before)

Tomorrow I'll go about screwing the boards to the frame, and then will 'do the usual' with Cork.

For now?

COME ONE ENGLAND

2004-06-22T15:53:00.000Z

Well, the loft looks like a bomb's hit it - unfortunatley not a nuclear bomb, as it would save me having to take the wood up the tip.

I had a bit of a tidy up with spare track, then got down to the real job - pulling up the wood. Had a few troubles - next time I'll screw things in straighter - but other than that, it's going fine.

2004-06-22T11:30:00.000Z

'Progress' continues in the loft - there's very little track still remaining in place at the moment, and later I'll take the front board away. As it's not damaged (only one of the end boards is (you may remember I put my knee through it...) - it will hopefully be reused.

Considering trying to get 'Planning Permisson' to use it on the other end, making an L shape and giving me a decent length fiddle yard at either end. If that's given, I'm toying with the idea of having the 'Mainline' fiddle yard simply a headshunt with a set of points. Track would then run underneath the street section, hidden from view (The scenery would need to be lifted out for derailments) and into the Clay Dries fiddle yard. It would definatley save space - everything prepared in one fiddle yard before moving round the back to appear at the 'right' end.

I've also completed a few Knightwing kits recently - three Portakabins and a Gate Control Barrier. The gate for the latter is missing, presumed in a Wealden landfill site (Don't ask...) - but it could still be pressed into use somewhere. Just a word of praise here - Knightwing kits are really well thought out and easy to build - and given that the RTR Manufacturers are currently a bit patchy with decent D&E support, it's good to know that there are plenty of 'cottage industry' types helping us out. On that note - My membership pack for Diesel & Electric Modellers United - arrived yesterday - joined at Burton, and it looks to have been a good decision.

With the change of layout plans, however, I won't be needing those Portakabins. So - with Knightwing kits and Signs of the Times um, signage, I've decided to paint up a couple of these useful kits and sign them out. Not sure what I'll do with them - probably end up on eBay. Although it still needs a little touching up with the paintbrush - will probably leave the door - my Freightliner one is shown here .

On the Lansdowne Sidings front, I've had a quick look and it seems 2-Coach trains are the maximum. Still awaiting an NSE 159 (and a 'Dutch' 33). When they arrive, the layout will again become a 'quickie'. I had thought about heading to Focus today to buy some wood to make it into a box, but haven't got round to it yet. Maybe this afternoon - It'll need a glue gun...

2004-06-21T11:57:00.000Z

Again, it's been a few days since the last update, so apologies for that.

Truth is, I'm not sure that I like the current layout idea. It's good, but it has a few flaws.

1; Size - The board is essentially a 10 foot by 4 foot block. This makes it difficult to access the back of the layout - and makes the planned fiddle yard very difficult to reach.

2; Operational Potential - Sort of tied in with #1 here - as is, the layout is really too small. The depot is fine, and the idea of the long sidings at the front would work well, but with a straight run of about six foot, things just look congested and 'fixed'. It's hard to explain, but I just don't like the way it's looking at the moment.

3; Train lengths - too small - the 3-Car DMU would just about fit in the platform. The Loco-Hauled Specials that I really wanted? No need to ask - I haven't even bothered to test.

4; Interest - It just isnt interesting. It would be an ideal plan if the layout was bigger, but it isn't - even if there was an operating hole in the baseboard to allow the fiddle yard to be behind me when operating it would be better, but that's not an option.

I think - aside from my long-held plan for a large layout based on Three Bridges/Haywards Heath with lots of stuff going on - I've always been drawn to small, compact layouts - hence the 'N on a Shelf' plan (Which, incidentally, is still in full flow - coaches for the 33 and platforms arrived recently).

So...

Layout planning as I type. Current idea; Cornish China Clay branch in the mid 70's. BR Blue - last of the Hymeks on freight and Westerns on passenger (Heljan are producing some superb models at the moment - my Hymek was a sensational runner, and if the Western is similar then I'll definatley go for this idea). Bachmann 25's, new Hornby 31 and Heljan 47's/Hornby 50's sharing the Passenger duties.

The passenger station is a terminus, and a popular holiday resort - justifying loco-hauled services direct from London (Westerns, 47's, 50's) and Local Passenger workings from Plymouth & Penzance (25's, 31's). The line to the Clay dries is lightly-built, so only small locos can run down it. A BR 04 or 08 is currently used for this (Bachmann) - the wagons (Clayhoods) 'tripped' up to the station yard (2 sidings, currently looking at about 5 foot long) - where the wagons are taken on to their destination by a mainline loco (Hymek, 31, 47, 37 etc). Empties are then left in the sidings to be worked back to the Clay Dries. Occasional mixed goods trains - couple of vent vans and a tanker maybe - would also work down the branch to provide fuel for the locos that work at the dries and supplies etc.

I can do it - minus fiddle yards at either end - in 8" by 2". Although it'll be the Third layout I've started this year, hopefully it'll be third time lucky.

Some eBay listings to do, no doubt...

2004-06-14T15:23:00.000Z

Another busy week. On Friday, went up to Norwich for a long weekend, arriving back today.

The result?

A lot of 'Phots' - the majority now online at http://stuart8662.fotopic.net

2004-06-06T11:15:00.000Z

We're back - via Burton.

Went to the DEMU Showcase yesterday, and apart from spending plenty of money, had a really good time. Very impressive selection of layouts, and some pretty good trade stands.

Bought;

Signs of the Times;

CCTV Cameras
Depot Signs
Health & Safety Signs
2 Sets of Ad hoardings

2 Knightwing Portakabins
Knightwing Security Fencing

Lenz Transformer (So we're now fully DCC Ready...)

Woodland Scenics - Fine Turf
WS - Underbrush Med Green
WS - Underbrush Forest Green

2 Sets of 5 Cararama Cars

Model Railway Design Planbook (Flint, Lunn, Gibbons et al)

Complete set Railway Modeller 1998

So yes, a pretty good day all round...

2004-05-27T20:18:00.000Z

A while since the last update, but that's because there's been little to update - mainly just a few arrivals from the reallocation machine that's known as eBay...

New arrivals;

3 OBA Wagons Repainted to 'Dutch' engineers livery - eBay
Faller Office Block - eBay (May be relisted, as it isn't as good as it looked...) - eBay
Bach/Farish 33 'Spitfire' in NSE Livery (N Gauge) - First 'N' arrival for a while but one that was always on the cards. Looks superb.

Today though I took the trip to Ford again - delays on the way back, but other than that, a great trip as always. Didn't take the camera, and of course then saw a Voyager and SWT Desiro at Brighton - typical. For the second time in a row it was South Central 377's all the way...

Bought;

Couple of old magazines (1 BRM, 1 RM - mainly for the journey home)
Bachmann Mk 1 Intercity Livery SK
Bachmann Mk 1 Intercity Livery BSK
Bachmann Mk 1 Intercity Livery FK
Peco 'Y' point (and I've just checked - it's Code 100, so those converter fishplates will be out again :( )
2 Rolls Peco Underlay (Which should be enough to finish off, easily)
Razor Saw (For those ISM Wagon kits)
Knightwing Gatehouse Control Office
3 Minitrix BR Blue/Grey coaches (N Gauge), Secondhand. Should look good with the new 33.
Faller flexi stone walling (00, but it's going on the N Gauge Layout to hide the fiddle yard)
2 Faller tunnel portals (00)

All in all, a good days' work. Now for the Bank Holiday in the loft..

2004-05-21T17:50:00.000Z

Well, they just can't help it - a very nervy Brighton penalty shoot out win last night (apologies to Swindon, who were mugged).

The ZDA arrived today, and is a fine model, and should look good when those engineers sidings eventually get finished.

Last night the shed was put in place, but I didn't spend too long in the loft on account of a thunderstorm...

2004-05-20T13:26:00.000Z

The 'shed' arrived today, and looks excellent - should be heading upstairs soon for a testing session.

Also arrived were two ISM N Gauge kits that I'd almost forgotten about - looks a fairly simple job to construct.

On that note - the current incarnation of 'Lansdowne Sidings' has been placed on decision. The decision being - can I get away with that warped board?

If - as is likely - I'll decide that I can't - then as much track as possible will be rescued, and a new shelf purchased. First though I'll have a bit of a measure, as potentially there's room above my bed for a small shelf layout - obviously screwed to brackets in the wall, but still removable for working on.

This new found Nthusiasm (geddit?) has led me to buy the item I've wanted ever since I saw it was to be released - a Graf/Bach Class 33 as NSE-liveried 'Spitfire' - eBay item 3194430835, for those interested. Saw the real loco at Eastbourne once, for reasons that I've never discovered - certainly made a change from the Slammers...

I think that the gap available on the wall is 3 foot long - but hoping obviously that it's longer - either way, the same trackplan as on the current setup will be used, although slightly changed to represent a small branch terminus with engineers sidings. The plan is to have the two engineers sidings (overgrown, but still used) at the back, with the passenger platform in front. This will allow a single platform road, with the headshunt in front for access to the small loco shed.

With the small size, operation will obviously be fairly limited, but should still provide some entertainment. Again, it's supposed to be a 'quickie', but I'm still going to go for the full scenic treatment and, who knows, maybe try to get it into one of the magazines.

2004-05-19T21:34:00.000Z

Another successful day off really - hoping for a couple of parcels tomorrow to get the items I'm currently waiting on from eBay.

The engineers sidings are going well - though underlay will be needed to finish them off. Before long though all stock is going to have to come off the track for a big tidyup - boxes all over the place at the moment, and it's getting a little crowded.

Still - 3 days to work before another day off - then Bank Holiday weekend will draw even closer...

Toying with the idea of getting three or four Bachmann coaches for Railtours and Charters - the long siding next to the shed should be long enough for these. Perhaps those West Highland liveried ones - but I'd also like a rake of Network SouthEast coaches too - they would look impressive behind a similar liveried Hornby Class 50...

I suppose I might as well 'blog it - I've been thinking about it for ages - imagining my dream layout. It might need a lottery win to complete, or at least serious changes in 'Planning Permission' from them who must be obeyed - Continuous run all around the loft, fairly big station just south of Gatwick Airport in the present day - taking on the charateristics of Haywards Heath and Three Bridges stations in real life. How does this sound?

8 Coach South Central 'Slammer' stock splitting at the station, with one portion going towards Eastbourne, the other Bournemouth (IRL, this happens at Haywards Heath)

Gatwick Express ECS workings to depot (IRL Three Bridges)

South-North Intermodal and Car Flat (Bachmann/Electrotren) workings from Southampton Docks

Non-Stop Brighton line workings

South Central London-Sussex Coast (Eastbourne/Hastings) services

South West Trains London-Southampton/Bournemouth services (Slammers, Turbostars and 159's)

Engineers sidings (Three Bridges) with attached small loco depot (again, EWS Three Bridges).

Steam/Diesel charters from the Coast to the Capital.

Pipe dream? - Yeah, but it would be great... Imagine all the trackwork around the loft, three sides of a massive oval scenic, with gentle curves either side of the station rather than the Settrack ones I've currently got, with a big fiddle yard on the other wall. Long rakes of coaches for the Charters, as well as very long Intermodal and Car Flat trains, hauled by Freightliner and EWS 47's/66's - Magic.

The last picture on the superb Doncaster layout shows what the car flat train - something I've been visualising a lot - would look like.

And with that, to bed. Work tomorrow. Households too. With pens :(

2004-05-19T13:57:00.000Z

Two arrivals this morning - the Hornby Sprinter (Good runner, nice looking model) and the Bachmann 08 (Superb slow runner, looks great in the Freightliner livery). Unfortunatley, if anything I really wanted the Shed to arrive - it's needed for clearance testing.

Lots of work though this morning - the Engineers sidings just need tracklaying and underlay, then it's the fiddle yard and headshunt (at the front of the board). After that, the bulk of the 'heavy' work should be complete (though a board needs to be bought for the backscene, and the holes cut in it for the Tunnel Mouths).

Priority though has to remain with the wiring - testing with ye ancient Hornby controller is getting a bit frustrating (but is also good, as it all works perfectly), The DCC 'kit' still isn't in the loft yet - I'm eyeing it warily - but a Transformer and layout wire still need to be bought anyway.

2004-05-18T22:35:00.000Z

Some good progress this evening, especially on the depot, with two sidings now laid with underlay (the stabling siding and one shed siding), with the second shed siding in place awaiting underlay and track cutting.

I did miscalculate on the points underlay - one more packet, frustratingly, is needed for the Depot sidings.

Hoping for big deliveries tomorrow;

Due from eBay;

Hornby Sprinter (absolute bargain at 37 quid, Mint Boxed)
Engineers OBA (Nicely weathered)
Hornby Diesel Shed (again, looks nicely weathered)
Bachmann 08 - Freightliner (Mint)

2004-05-18T18:04:00.000Z

The Bachmann 37 (I'm not going to attempt to spell it twice ;-) ) works very well, able to crawl away at the slowest possible speed on the controller.

I've also began to lay the underlay (confused? Me too), and have started on the depot sidings.

Mainly though, I've been online - and been looking at a number of Modern Image modelling websites. Three of the best I've found so far - and there would be more, but for a lack of space - can be found on the sidebar. Whittle Green and Dyserth Road are both superbly detailed layouts, while Electric Nose is the site I check for updates on every time I come online - to put it mildly, it's rather good.

2004-05-17T18:28:00.000Z

Busy day today - went to 'The Engine Shed' in Ford for a big shopping session.

Purchased;

2 Metcalfe Terraced House Fronts (to match my recently built kit)
Peco Underlay (Various bits. Easier than ballasting, and doesent look too bad (he said hopefully)
Bachmann Class 37 Regional Railways 'Eisteddfod Genedlaethol'
Knightwing Portakabin Kit
Couple of old magazines
Rail Express (for the modelling supplement - good magazine, I'll be buying it more regularly from now on).

Tonight too will be busy with some eBay wrapping to do (quite a lot), and hopefully some more work in the loft, including building the depot sidings.

2004-05-14T11:45:00.000Z

Work quite often amazes me, but today, it wasn't for a bad reason. The Atlas Commander - DCC Controller - arrived today. 4 days after being posted. Not bad you might think - but it came from Australia

Well done RM, I'm impressed.

As for the kit itself, looks good. Need a transformer though, but that can wait for a few days. For now, it'll be the ancient Hornby controller and a couple of feeder wires.

2004-05-13T21:20:00.000Z

Progress 'upstairs' has currently stalled until I can go and get some more points (probably over the weekend. However, work is still ongoing - built the Metcalfe Terraced Houses today to go alongside the excellent station building.

Very disapointed to miss out on a large office block on eBay which would have really helped, but I am hopeful that the 08 will soon be here. Roll on the weekend.

2004-05-11T21:25:00.000Z

Well, the inner loop is now complete, and the main running lines are done - which just leaves the depot/engineers sidings, the fiddle yard as well as the headshunt and the two front sidings to be laid. The Turbostar seems to handle the tighter inner curves fine, and - apart from a worrying crack from the baseboard at one point (Not under the track thankfully, and should be easily fixed), today has been a great day.

It'll all change though - back to work tomorrow - but at least that 08 may arrive.

2004-05-11T17:35:00.000Z

Progress has been great today, and with no significant hurdles found, I'm really pleased with what has been a busy day off. At about 4pm this afternoon the first train worked in the loft - the Bachmann Turbostar performing perfectly on the outer of the two loops (the inner loop not yet complete).

The curves are, as expected, a little on the tight side - forced on me by the layout of the loft (The board is up against a rather immovable wall - the side of the house). However, I still think that a continuous run layout will offer a lot more operating potential, and I'm more than happy with the track plan. The result? - there is a bit of an overhang that fouls the other line. It's not too bad - and will be worked around by only having trains pass in opposite directions on the straight sections.

I've also got an Atlas Commander on the way - the American equivelant of the Lenz Compact - so DCC it is.

Finally, I've started thinking about the locos needed for the layout. Although passenger work will be mainly in the hands of DMU's - the Turbostar and the forthcoming Bachmann ScotRail 158 - several locos will be needed for the depot and the freight. One of the new Hornby 31's (in Dutch livery) will be essential for the engineers sidings, at least a couple of 47's (Heljan), in both EWS and Freightliner liveries, a new Bachmann 66 (livery to be decided, I'll probably get two because I like the GBRF livery as well), a Bachmann 08 or two (one, in Freightliner livery, is on it's way) and probably single examples of the Bachmann 37 and Hornby 56.

If that's not enough (it is, says my screaming wallet...), I'm also considering a 'Heritige' fleet, containing one or two Steam locos for Specials and a Hornby Class 50 and Heljan Hymek in BR Blue for the same reason. Hopefully the new Heljan Western will be a cracker (and if it's anything like the Hymek, it will be) - if it is, that too will find it's way into the loft.

But enough of that - that second loop needs doing...

2004-05-11T10:45:00.000Z

A trip to Train Times this morning resulted in the purchase of the required 'end' curves - all Settrack, so those converter fishplates will come in handy - I've decided to keep with a mix of Code 75 and 100, Code 75 for the main running lines and sidings and Code 100 for the end curves and a three-way point (unavailable otherwise).

Also purchased;

Bachmann 25T Queen Mary Brake Van - S&T Depot (eBay)
Metcalfe Terraced House Fronts (Low Relief)
Metcalfe Shop & Bank (Low Relief)
Track Pins
Peco 3-Way Electrofrog Point.

Uber.

2004-05-10T17:28:00.000Z

Track's arrived :thup:

Got home from work, and there it was, sitting by the chair. Apparently it arrived by courier at 8 ish this morning. Which was nice.

Now I've got no excuse not to get started, and with a day off tomorrow, I'll be up in the loft to make a start later.

2004-05-09T14:17:00.000Z

It's been a eBay day today - and I've listed 5 more items, including the N Gauge PCA's and Atkinson Engine Facility which are now un-needed - as usual, full list is here

Really hoping that the track arrives tomorrow - I'm getting a bit concerned about it - and more than a little desperate to crack on.

2004-05-08T11:34:00.000Z

Turbostar's arrived, and what a beauty! - I'm not usually too excited about multiple units, but this looks awesome, and it will be good to see it running.

No track. Again - so hopefully that'll arrive (very) early next week, and then we can get on with it...

2004-05-07T13:45:00.000Z

The Sprinter for Lansdowne Sidings arrived on Wednesday as part of the 07.00 Town 9-Rural 4 consist - code S(top)O(rdering)B(loody)P(arcels) ;-)

I've also ordered a Bachmann Class 170 Turbostar in ScotRail livery, which hopefully will be here tomorrow. This 'sets the scene' really - Scotland, and the present day scene - but I'm toying with the idea of not making things too set both geographically and time-wise - I like the idea of having different loco pools for different times - the ScotRail present day as one fleet, a (say) Scottish mid-80's fleet (37's, proposed 26's & 27's from Heljan) and (again, say) a Network SouthEast mid/late 80's fleet (50's, new Bachmann coaches, 31's etc).

Still waiting for the track - though construction of a Metcalfe station has begun well, and is in progress. Looks a bit 'grand' really for the modern scene. I'll finish it and make a final decision - there's got to be some excuse..

2004-05-04T17:42:00.000Z

Changed plans a little today - with a revised track plan for the '00' Layout. Basically it just tidies up a few problems - there's now a headshunt to enable the Industrial sidings at the front to be shunted without using the main running line, a better (straight) stabling siding next to the shed and perhaps most importantly of all, a crossover between the two main lines to the fiddle yard behind the backscene.

I'm also looking at going Code 100, rather than Finescale Code 75. There's only really one reason for this - simplicity. I'm going to use Setrack Second & Third Radius curves at either end, and although I've got fishplates to convert Code 100 to 75 - and a lot of Code 75 track on the way - a three-way point is essential for the Fiddle Yard, and this is currently only available as a Code 100 unit.

It'll also be cheaper...

2004-05-03T16:56:00.000Z

Well, it's been a while since the last update - but there's not much to report.

I've been in Norwich, and aside from an arrival for Lansdowne Sidings - 6 wagons (of which 4 will go back on eBay after the 'change'...) and a lot of eBay sales, there's been little to report.

Went after a Turbostar on Saturday, but returned with just a Bachmann catalouge, some un-needed Peco fishplates and some very much needed modern advertising hoardings.

Hopefully a bank holiday's worth of delayed post will see some track arriving tomorrow...

2004-04-29T18:32:00.000Z

Well, a lot of eBay sales later...

Nigh on £533 in :o

Off to Norwich tomorrow, and there's a new model shop to check out...

2004-04-27T15:40:00.000Z

It's begun!

Track ordered for the '00' Layout, and a trip to Eastbourne today resulted in a couple of purchases. Firstly, a Metcalfe '00' Mainline Station Card Kit, which makes up into a pretty impressive model, and should look good on the layout.

Secondly is the first of several Bachmann Intermodals , this pair in EFS livery. The detail on the underframe is absolutley amazing, and I hope the forthcoming Bachmann Class 66 is as good.

2004-04-26T14:37:00.000Z

Well, what a weekend.

1; Didn't get to the East Grinstead MRE, thanks to some ludicrous train ticket prices. Bah :-(

2; 47 works fine, tunnel mouth built for 'Lansdowne Sidings'

3; '00' Layout raised to baseboards, new trackplan drawn up, 16 items listed on eBay.

What, I hear you cry?

Well, I'd long worried about it, but the testing period revealed a few harsh truths about the '00' Layout. The board simply wasn't long enough for a decent terminus to fiddle yard layout. With no space available to simply chop it in half and make a 24" by 2" layout (unfortunatley!), I've canned the whole thing.

The Instant Roadbed wasn't as good as hoped - it holds the track well, but ballast seems to present more of a problem. I've still got a little bit, but it's unlikely to be used on the layout. I do though have an idea - lay the track on the roadbed, put the ballast on, then spray on a lot of 'Spray Mount', 'UHU Spray Glue' or similar. It might hold, it might not - it'll be tried at a later date - it'll be back to 'traditional' methods for the new one.

The replacement for my little Southern/Western Region branchline is the polar opposite however. Still '00', we're going totally modern image, based up north somewhere, perhaps Scotland - a rather vauge description at the moment I know, but it's all detail.

It's also Continuous Run rather than Terminus-Fiddle Yard, which should allow for some interesting operation - Layout plan here .

First thing to remember when viewing the plan - There's an extra 4" in length available (ooh-err missus) - so the track won't start to curve until just after 8" in. This means a good 6" straight running, as well as the curves, before the train disapeers into the fiddle yard.

I'm looking at Scotland for a number of reasons. Firstly, plain and simple, it appeals to me - the original idea was a mid/late 80's setup, with those Bachmann West Highland coaches (Model Rail/Harburn Hobbies I think), but that's changed into the present day scene because I want to operate Bachmann Intermodals and the Bachmann Turbostar in the rather snazzy ScotRail livery.

(Pictures from the excellent and highly reccomended Hattons online shop)

So what of the layout? - well, Passenger and Freight services - passenger trains mainly multiple unit operated, with Freight hauled by EWS livered 47's, 66's (When they are released) etc. There's also a small depot (obligatory) and a couple of engineers sidings (I'm a big fan of the 'Dutch' Grey/Yellow livery).

At the moment, there's not much to see - the track from the old setup (RIP) has gone, and the board is back to bare cork. Three of the cork tiles had to be replaced (paint on them), but otherwise it was a fairly painless task.

Low relief shops and houses will be Metcalfe kits, but for the large area between the mainline/depot and the road which those shops & houses face onto, I'm unsure - perhaps a Garden Centre...

2004-04-24T09:37:00.000Z

2 down, 5 to go - both 47 and Brake Van arrived today, and look excellent.

Lansdowne Sidings though is in my bad books - the shelf isn't actually flat like I thought - It's warped. Though I always planned to build a box-like structure for the front and sides, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to carry on with this board - it may pay in the long run to just go and buy a new 3 foot by 8 inch shelf and resuce as much track as possible. We'll see.

Progress on the '00' layout is far better, with more ballasting done last night (as well as a fair amount of test running!)

Off to the East Grinstead show today, so we'll see what comes back.

2004-04-23T15:18:00.000Z

Well, Lansdowne Sidings has gone from a bare pine shelf to a working layout in a matter of hours. The shelf was covered in cork, then more cork stuck down to form a roadbed for the track, raising it above the surface of the layout. It all runs fine - Vans & 08 with the 08 and some vans tested.

View Across The Layout

The 4MT is a solid runner, though going forward, doesent seem to like one set of points. This will be looked at, but everything else seems fine and it's happy in the other direction - made very light work of a van train. Unfortunatley, it seems a bit fragile - already some pipework has come off after a trip off the baseboard (Wrong direction set on the controller), so this needs repairing.

Other than that, it's been a pretty good day - more ballasting needs doing on the '00' layout, and a couple of holes need to be drilled/wires soldered to track on both boards - but other than that, the basics are nearly complete.

2004-04-23T08:42:00.000Z

\o/

Both 4MT and Track for Lansdowne Sidings came today, leaving just wagons (Southampton Model Centre) and 5 items from eBay (47, Platforms, Magazine, Sprinter and Brake Van) to arrive.

Off to have a 'play' now in fact...

2004-04-22T20:03:00.000Z

Well, it wasn't a fluke - after first testing on Tuesday I connected it all back up again today, and the temporary controller still drives the locos.

No need for that drill - the Instant Roadbed more than holds the track, which has saved me a lot of time.

There has been a fair bit of progress today - the jury is still out on the AMI Instant Roadbed - it holds the track very well, but dosent hold the ballast as firm as first hoped. Totally ignoring the instructions to 'Spread a generous amount of model ballast over the surface of the Instant Roadbed' is a good idea - put a little ballast on, spread it with your finger, then 'tamp' it down - I used an ancient Lone Star '000' Gauge Platform. Work a little at a time, and it does well. Otherwise, it just seems to be easily brushed off.

Cruel enlargement of my trackwork, but a low shot across the diesel stabling sidings. I think it's effective, but there's still plenty of sweeping up to do here with the little paintbrush.

Ignoring the low quality 'for web' picture , this shows you what I've mainly been working on today, though the platform road is also mainly complete.

Again, I need to do a bit of tidying up with the brush - but the diesel sidings do look quite effective, even at this early stage (and another low quality shot).

Both Hymek and 03 have been used to test today, running over nearly all parts of the layout, with the ballasted sidings recieving particular attention. You can also see I've decided not to ballast inside the engine shed. Hopefully there will usually be something 'on shed', so it won't look a lot different, but it seems a waste of good ballast (and time!) to bother with at the moment.

Really hoping for a packet delivery tomorrow - I'm a little worried as to where some of my bits have got to (ooh-err), and it would be nice to test the new 4MT over the ballasted track as well.

Still haven't got round to 'corking' Lansdowne Sidings yet, but if the track comes tomorrow it'll see a fair bit of work.

2004-04-22T08:17:00.000Z

2 Days in a row, no parcels. They must be saving them up for me.

However - major progress could, potentially at least, be made in the loft today - I've got hold of a drill and a couple of fine, 1 and 2 mm drill bits, so tracklaying can begin properly today. No promises, but hopefully I'll have at least the platform road ballasted come this evening - that's pretty easy to do, no power feeds there.

It's looking very tight on that 'First powered testing by Friday' on Lansdowne Sidings though. Last I heard, the order was 'in packing'. Might be an idea to enquire about the other two as well...

2004-04-21T17:42:00.000Z

No post today. Again.

Some packets are though on their way - both too and from the 'depot'. 2 Parcels have already gone, sold on eBay, and several more will be wrapped for sending on Friday.

I'm hoping for the majority of the track for 'Lansdowne Sidings' to arrive tomorrow - as well as some more wagons - and that 4MT.

As for actual progress, today has seen very little - though I've measured up for the platforms, and will be building them in the near future.

2004-04-20T13:29:00.000Z

The new locos, however, weren't the only ones to get a run today. Lima Class 40 40052 and Hornby Class 58 58039 'Basstelaw' were also both given a chance to stretch their legs. Neither have worked for some time, but both performed suprisingly well.

For the '40, it's a last goodbye - reallocation via eBay is imminent, with a cheque arriving this morning. The 58, another former favourite, may well be kept, but is unlikely to be used on this layout. I also seem to have two dead Intercity 125 Class 43 Power Cars, and with their coaches long gone, they may well follow to make more space.

2004-04-20T12:48:00.000Z

It works!

New extension lead (which does just about reach if you put a can of paint on the wire to stop it falling through the trap hatch...), combined with an ancient Hornby controller (70's at least).

What's really impressed me though is the loco's - they are all magnificent. As hoped, my current 'favourites', the 24 and Hymek are both very smooth runners - especially the Heljan Hymek, which creeps away at a very slow speed. The N makes a bit of noise, and seems to either go or stop - but this will probably be corrected with running in and a better controller - it still runs perfectly, and looks a picture. The WD, 03 and Terrier all work well - but the Q1 is an absolute peach. Smooth, quiet running, only just beaten by the Hymek.

It actually went far better than expected, and I'm delighted. Some haulage testing was possible as well, with the Terrier performing particularly well on both van and ECS duties.

2004-04-20T10:38:00.000Z

One extension lead successfully purchased - it certainly seems long enough at around 4 meters, but the proof of the pudding will be in the ea..testing.

There's an old Hornby controller upstairs which I think works - it used to - and that'll do for the moment, though I've also got a Gaugemaster Loco Tester/Controller which will be used when it comes to wiring proper.

Lansdowne Sidings hasn't been forgotten, with the purchase of a tube of 'No More Nails' to stick the cork down. Too much really, but I can always keep the rest as spares. Testing will definatley begin today (It will in about 10 minutes actually...) - and I'll probably 'No More Nails' the cork to the shelf for Lansdowne Sidings as well.

He logged off, intrepidly heading for the loft and testing...

2004-04-20T08:23:00.000Z

Normal service resumed - 3 parcels this morning.

The buildings for Lansdowne sidings are perfect , and have confirmed my decision to go for a small stabling point. Really disapointed at missing out on that NSE shelter though now - the rest of the modelling is superb, and it would have looked great.

The Bachmann/Farish '08' is also here and it too looks excellent - all that's now stopping me beginning layout construction proper is the lack of a lot of the track - which is on order, and should hopefully be here before long.

Last but not least, a Bachmann 'N' has arrived. I've wanted one ever since I sold my previous 'Southern' model - bought, then changed my mind on layout type. She looks grand, but the model is in the wrong box - Late Crest instead of early emblem. As I'm mixing the two anyway (at the moment), it won't really matter.

Elsewhere, a couple of cheques have arrived - so it'll be up the town later to pay in the cheques - and buy an extension lead, as well as some glue. Glue? - Well, got to stick the cork down for 'Lansdowne Sidings' sooner or later...

2004-04-19T21:33:00.000Z

Well it's been a distinctly quiet day really - a single picture taken on the '00' Layout before the camera's battery ran out (now recharged), and nothing in on the postal front.

Hopefully - and it should be, if what people selling items on eBay have told me is correct - there should be more than one parcel tomorrow. Hopefully.

Incidentally - stuart@fairway39.freeserve.co.uk if you have any suggestions for a name of the '00' layout, or any other comments/questions - the trackplan, again, is here

2004-04-19T18:43:00.000Z

Another day (hour?), another eBay win. This one will be the last for a few days - at least until there's some money coming in from sales.

It's a dummy 2-Car Sprinter unit - deciding against paying a frankly extortionate price for the Network Southeast 159 I originally had my eye on, spotted this and, despite going a couple of quid more than I had intended, it's in fact ideal for Lansdowne Sidings.

Dummy though - so what I'm planning on doing is running it as a 'failed' unit - dragged to it's destination by one of the loco's from the stabling point. Another loco can then come off shed and take it back off scene. When I eventually do get a powered Sprinter (again, preferably a single-car unit - ISM do a kit apparently), it'll make an interesting 'occasional' working anyway - especially if I *pipe dream* get things up to Exhibition standard.

Update 22.33 - Fixed dodgy link. Twice.

2004-04-19T14:58:00.000Z

I've actually done very little today - which is good, as I'm on holiday, but bad, as I really want to get to work on both layouts this week.

There was though, time for a picture - Fleet Inspection - most of the Loco Fleet there, bar Bachmann Standard 4MT Tank and N Class, both of which are on their way.

(Left-Right; 03 (Bachmann), Hymek (Heljan), Terrier (Hornby), 25 (Bachmann), 24 (Bachmann), WD 2-8-0 (Bachmann) and Q1 (Hornby))

At the very bottom of the picture you can also see the stock drawer - and the majority of the wagon fleet. The coaches (Bachmann Mk 1's) and Parcels Vans (Dapol) are underneath the vans (All Bachmann I think), a couple of Brake Vans (Bachmann/Hornby), a Sand Wagon (Bachmann) and 4 Cattle Vans (Bachmann again).

The picture also shows something else - theres not actually that much room for loco - especially steam - stabling. With the current fleet, it's quite simple. I imagine one of the Pilots (03 or Terrier) in the main siding, waiting with ECS or Vans, One from the Hymek, 24 or 25 on a passenger train on the platform road (waiting to depart or arriving) and either the Q1 or WD waiting in the Cattle Dock siding to take out the van train - anything else will be stabled. When the new locos arrive, however, there's not really going to be much space - one of the four 'mainline' steam locos will have to be off-stage at all times. It will be easier though - both N and 4MT will be passenger-hauling locos, so it will even the balance up a bit.

Still tempted by a Bachmann 20, Heljan Western or Hornby 31 for that other diesel road 'slot' though...

And then there's the new Grange, and the new Hall (Hornby/Bachmann respectivley).

Good fun though!

2004-04-19T08:27:00.000Z

Wot, No Post?

No arrivals today, which is a bit of a blow.

Continuing the hunt for an extension lead today then...

2004-04-18T17:15:00.000Z

The hunt continues - we've found an extension lead, but curiously there's no plug on the end of it. It's also not the extension lead we were looking for, but it may well be called into service anyway (suitably repaired).

Most importantly though, it's been a very busy weekend on eBay - items won shown below.

Lansdowne Sidings;

08 Shunter

Misc buildings - an absolute bargain

Railfreight Brake Van (Mintrix I think)

RES Class 47 (Grafar)

'00' Layout;

Bachmann N Class

Not just busy, but also expensive - but there's plenty going as well, so it about evens up. Sometimes though, absolute gems come up on eBay. I spotted this one, then went to bid - and someone else has got in before me. For just 3 quid, he's got a real bargain

You win some, you loose some. It'll be a busy week on Town 9 with packets...

2004-04-17T22:26:00.000Z

Lansdowne Sidings, they are a'changing.

Finding nothing to serve as a factory, I've now decided that the layout will form a small stabling facility - for the 'lower' sidings at least (those after the point connecting fiddle yard to what would have been the small shed sidings and van sorting sidings.

Time isn't fixed yet - but will, most probably, be around 1993-95, because that suits the locos that are on order from eBay. For the top two sidings, I'm undecided - I've just won some Grafar Platforms - these could either form part of a loading dock for a factory, or they could become a platform - which would then need a DMU of some kind to run a passenger service.

Typically Farish/Bachmann are soon bringing out a Class 170 2-Car Turbostar, which would be ideal. Unfortunatley, it wouldn't really sit well alongside their Class 33 'Spitfire' in NSE livery, once seen at Eastbourne and definatley one to buy.

There's not actually a lot in the way of multiple units currently available it seems in N - what I'd really like is one of the Class 153 Single-Car units...

As for the '00' Layout, we're all ready for testing - ready to go when I find an extension lead. Easier said than done, that...

2004-04-17T18:29:00.000Z

The 'Atkinson Engine Facility' came today. And you know what? I don't know why I ordered it. It's absolutley ideal for it's task, but not for what I want it to do - not double track, just single. Looking at the pictures, I should have noticed this. Oops.

It might now become the loco shed, but I currently haven't decided. As for the factory in/out? - I'll have to have a look around.

2004-04-16T20:20:00.000Z

A few more pictures from this afternoon - Just a general tidy-up, as well as checking a few things for eBay. Powered testing could begin the moment I find an extension lead...

Platform Road, Headshunt, Cattle Dock siding and general clutter - see the black things next to the fan? - former destination panels, bought in Collectors Corner, Euston, circa 1990(ish).

Pointwork - Running line, main siding, tiny bit of headshunt, parts of both Diesel stabling sidings and the road to the Steam shed visible - as well as the Water Tower and Signal Box (deciding where to put them), and plenty of leftover bits of Code 75.

Fiddle Yard behind the tunnel mouth - yes, that's it - plus the Diesel Stabling sidings and the Steam Shed. Deciding weather to replace that Superquick shed with a new Metcalfe model at the moment - It's a little battered, but was a £2.50 bargain from Scale Rail years ago, so I'm not sure at the moment.

You'll notice then, that I've changed my mind - again - with the shed placement. It does look better where it is now, but I'll do another 'posed' picture with all the locos before I decide.

Finally - tomorrow's post. My last delivery before a week's holiday, so hopefully there will be some goodies waiting for me. Also considering a trip to Trainwest at Chippenham tomorrow after work - it's a near 4-hour trip though, and a £23.10 return fare (SuperSaver). We'll see.

2004-04-16T14:38:00.000Z

A trip to the bank this morning revealed a big suprise - not only not overdrawn, but much, much healthier than I had anticipated. As a result, I took out 20 quid for the weekend - and I've just put in another order.

The '00' Layout was always going to need a 4MT Standard Tank, so one is on it's way, with a couple more items for Lansdowne Sidings as well - a Tunnel mouth (to hide the piece of track that'll pass for a fiddle yard) and a P & O Lorry, which I'm sure I can shoehorn into the scene somewhere.

2004-04-16T13:28:00.000Z

Another one's arrived - this time containing a large chunk of the track needed on 'Lansdowne Sidings'. Unfortunatley, not all of it is here yet, so I can't really progress - but the plan will be printed and as much done as possible.

No other arrivals - but today may see some departures, with several auctions (I suppose I should advertise them - eBay ) ending this evening.

2004-04-15T21:53:00.000Z

Looking at that picture again, I must remember to clean greasy handmarks off of wonderful-looking Class 24's before taking photos... :-D

2004-04-15T21:21:00.000Z

An enjoyable hour or so in the loft tonight - no layout progress as such, but a bit of a tidying up session, as well as the main task of clearance testing.

Not long now... - Class 24 (Bachmann) poses on what will become the platform road with a couple of Mk 1's in tow.

The clearance work went well, and I now know exactly what will fit and what wont;

Loco & 2 Mark 1's - both fiddle yard sidings, Platform Road, Main Siding
6 Vans & Brake Van - Both Fiddle Yard sidings, main siding, Platform road.
Loco & Two Siphons (Parcels) - Both fiddle yard sidings, Platform Road, Main Siding
4 Cattle Vans & Brake Van - Cattle Dock siding, main siding, Platform Road, both fiddle yard sidings.

The evening has also seen some 'reallocation' announced. 6 Vans, 2 Coaches, 2 Siphons and an unused Point have all gone on eBay - after seeing precisely no use at all since their arrival. Hopefully the sales should pay for most things on Lansdowne Sidings.

2004-04-15T13:22:00.000Z

More thoughts on Lansdowne Sidings this morning - Rockware Glass PCA - involved quite a lot.

I'm considering changing the factory from an Office Supply depot to a Glass factory - this would mean different types of wagon both arriving and departing, with the above tankers bringing raw materials in, and the vans shipping products out. On the plus side, the PCA's would be suitable for both periods of planned operation - the late 80's and the modern day scene. It would also make for more interesting operation than just vans - the tankers will need to be marshalled into the yard, and then taken away again as empties, meaning more complex shunting. There is the space for this, and I've decided to go ahead - four tankers have now been ordered.

They'll be joined by two Railfreight MFA wagons, for use on short engineers trains. When not in use, I imagine these living on the siding in front of the loco shed.

2004-04-15T09:02:00.000Z

They're here! - Well, sort of.

Just the wagons this morning - I was hoping for the track as well, but it seems that is still winding it's way down. They are nice wagons though - two Peco VBB's, Two VEA's and an OBA Tube Wagon - all in railfreight orange/grey livery.

I'm undecided on the tube wagon - it might go back on eBay, or it might be kept for that stock siding by the shed - but the rest are fine. The VBB's are shorter than I remember as well, so I may well have a couple more than first anticipated.

As I've got today off, I could always nip into Eastbourne and have a look. Mind you, I'll only end up spending more money - on both layouts!

2004-04-14T22:23:00.000Z

As part of the tracklaying on the '00' Layout, I tested the sidings to see how much stock they could take. The 2-coach trains I want to run fit fine, and looking at it, I can probably attach a Dapol Siphon for Parcels traffic to the end of passenger trains.

Vans too are promising - 6, plus the brake van - anything else seems to foul the running line. That's enough really - I've also got four cattle wagons which fit fine in the cattle dock siding, so it would be possible to have quite an intensive schedule.

Couple of pictures;

General view of the Shed area

This one shows most of the motive power - From left to right; Hornby Terrier, Heljan Hymek, Bachmann 25, 24, WD 2-8-0, Hornby Q1. The picture was taken on Sunday and now all track has been laid properly on the roadbed, unlike in this picture.

Layout Plan

This is the '00' Gauge layout plan - though as you can see from the previous picture, it's been moved towards the front of the board a lot more. This initially caused some problems with the pointwork in the middle, but hopefully that's been fixed with the Xuron rail cutters and some butchering of plastic sleepers.

Ahhhh bliss, tomorrow off work, layout progress good, and a whole day of the brilliant Planet Rock on my digital radio.

2004-04-14T20:45:00.000Z

And we're there - Tracklaying on the '00' Layout (it really does need a name ASAP...) is complete. No pin holes in Peco finescale track though, so *sharp intake of breath*, I'm not going to pin it down. Using AMI Instant Roadbed , I hope that it won't be needed.

Actually it went well, fairly painless tonight - vans and coaches have been moving over the layout with no derailments or other problems, and (touch wood), it's all going as planned.

Had an email from a supplier of Pikestuff products too - it seems that they are splitting my order, so I imagine one of the two buildings is out of stock. It'll be interesting to see which of the two turns up first - part of me wants the Atkinson Engine Facility, which just looks great and will have a starring role on Lansdowne Sidings, but part wants it to be the small loco shed, which looks a lot easier to construct. We'll see - I imagine I'll be woken up by a colleague tomorrow with at least one parcel.

2004-04-14T18:47:00.000Z

Off up to the loft in a minute to finish that tracklaying on the '00' Layout.

I've also submitted the Lansdowne Sidings plan to a couple of 'Micro Layout' websites. At 3 foot by 8 inches, I think it fits into that category.

Hopefully the track will arrive tomorrow.

2004-04-14T11:38:00.000Z

Well well, one arrival - three still on their way.

The 00 stuff, as expected, came today - excellent. 2 Peco Left Hand small radius finescale points, a pack of finescale fishplates and a Peco single-road tunnel mouth.

I'll connect it all up this afternoon, before some fairly extensive hand-testing with a few vans and a brake van - if that can move over the whole layout without problems, then it'll be the biggie - wiring.

No progress on Lansdowne Sidings is possible though until the track arrives - after that, things should progress quickly - setting a nominal target of the end of next week (Friday 23rd April) for the first powered testing.

2004-04-13T21:53:00.000Z

See, I told you it would be a quickie.

The formerly unnamed N Shelf layout/project now has a name - Lansdowne Sidings - named after the road which I live in (how original).

Priority number one though will be tomorrow's post. Hopefully I will have little to deliver, but several parcels myself - one is on the way with vital '00' Gauge track - 2 sets of points to form a fiddle yard, fishplates and a tunnel, while 3 others have the track, some of the wagons and most of the buildings for Lansdowne Sidings.

With all this hopefully arriving in the next couple of days, and this Thursday - then all of next week - off work, things will hopefully progress pretty quickly on both layouts.

2004-04-13T19:45:00.000Z

We all do it.

Browsing on eBay is always a dangerous thing for me, and this time I've been tempted by some Railfreight wagons totally out of the era I'm modelling. Even 'worse', they're N Gauge.

A look around the loft revealed an old pine shelf, which once lived on top of my wardrobe. I'd already measured it a while ago, and at just 3 foot by 8 inches, it's not going to be the biggest layout in the world. Suits me - some Pikestuff kits and all Peco Setrack needed is on the way, as well as the Railfreight vans.

The aim is for a 'quickie' here - but hopefully with lots of potential for some detailed scenic modelling in a very tight, closed space. As well as the vans, I'll need an 08 for shunting, and a larger 'mainline' loco to move the vans in and out of the yard - current favourite is a Class 33.

That would put us in a late 80's/early 90's modelling era, which gives me a bit of a dilemma. I'd quite like to have the layout suitable for running in two different periods - the mentioned late 80's, but also the modern scene. The surroundings wouldn't change much - there were big, standard industrial units then, and there are now - but the loco's would. I'm not having problems finding locos - EWS 08, and EWS 37's, 47's shouldn't be too hard to get - but the wagon stock is a bit different. Railfreight vans for the late 80's are easy to find, but can I find anything suitable for today? - Can I heckaslike.

2004-04-13T16:23:00.000Z

I'm planning to build an 00 Gauge model railway based on the British Railways Southern region - in a fairly loose timespan of 1955 through to 1965 - early Diesels, with both types of BR logo on the steam engines. Main traffic will be passenger, with occasional freight and, more frequently, light engine movements on and off shed. The Western Region also has running powers, running inter-regional trains to a nearby coastal resort - their locos then travel light to the shed before working the return trip.

Good progress on the layout over the weekend - all track is in place, awaiting final fishplates before wiring and extensive testing. Three Bachmann/Mainline vans and a Hornby brake van have made up the test train so far, hand-powered.

Still haven't decided on a name for the layout yet.