Jump to content
 

Blogs

Featured Entries

  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
    • 8 comments
    • 3,310 views
Go2

(5) The Fitting Room

Final checks on the design included seeing how well everything fits together. I produced this overlay showing the track plan and the 1937 map of Wantage as it really was, complete with all the relevant buildings.     Given the exaggerated loop on my new design etc. everything fits surprisingly well. The platform line and train shed (marked with an asterisk) were always going to be straightened a bit to allow for an extended platform for longer trains and bigger locomotives.
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

0
Rospeath Lane - BR(WR) Engine Shed

Post Scaleforum 2024

I was very concerned about taking Rospeath Lane to a Scaleforum at such an early stage in its construction. I shouldn't have worried, it was a great experience. I suffer from what; I have discovered, is called an imposter syndrome, especially when attending Scalefour events, either as a paying customer or exhibitor. I still feel like a newcomer to the society, what I am producing being fairly basic to the standards other members are achieving. So it was comforting receiving positive comments and
Yan

Yan in Exhibitions

5
Go2

(4) Evolution

Version one of the layout wasn't the answer, as described in previous entries. What to do?    Wantage is a good prototype to base my imaginary world on; a perfect stage for an eclectic range of locos and other stock. A few tweaks might be all that was needed. No longer being tied by the rules of the 2mm Scale Association's Diamond Jubilee Layout Competition was another thing to consider. I didn't want a layout any larger than it had to be, but a slight increase in dimensions might have
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Progress

0
Netherport and Basuto Quay - GWR 1908 7mm

Netherport and Basuto Quay Chronology

I have started thinking about trackwork for Basuto Quay (getting ahead of myself, as I haven't stated the baseboards yet, but there are reasons...). This has led me to think about how old the track would be at my 1908 modelled date, since it makes a difference to some construction details. That led me to think about the chronology of Netherport and Basuto Quay's development, and I thought I would share it here to see what people think.   The notes below are in three themes, colour code
magmouse

magmouse in Basuto Quay

6
Atherington Victoria & East Yard.

61. Dr Beeching calls; Rail-replacement 'bus while more work is done.

Monday, 23d September.   Following two years' procrastination after 'points failures' in the goods yard, I am restless to get on with the task of tearing up and relaying a fan of sidings.  The passenger station also needs finishing.   The first step, of course, is to make a list...       The first item took a day, just clearing and boxing the layout's scenery and stock.  I tried to capture the resulting atmosphere of a post-Beeching railway, but the
C126

C126 in B.R. blue goods yard.

3
Random jottings on my modelling.

Unexpected freebies from today’s shopping run.

A bonus from the weekly shop today.   By random chance there were two boxes of polystyrene sheet bits going for scrap as they were unpacking new stuff for stacking the shelves with Halloween items. Liberated for future scenic work.   Also liberated were three matching cardboard fruit trays - the original Plum Hollow/Reindeer Landing projects failed as the bases were badly stored, something fell on them and they twisted. These trays may well end up as a replacement.  
john new

john new in Supermarket freebies

0
Awreville O Gauge Diesel Depot

Extension Wiring

I use automation for the layout using the iTrain software, this allows me to run the layout manually or if I want automatically. I have added a touchscreen which allows you to set points, routes or switch lighting by just pressing on the screen which allows for very easy use of the layout and acts as a switchboard. The downside is the amount of wiring, each section of track has presence detection, each point also has presence detection, each point has switch feedback, there are servos to switch
Tommyp81

Tommyp81 in Build

0
Awreville O Gauge Diesel Depot

Extension Build

Whilst the layout is in my workshop I had a small section which ran from the depot across my work bench to three short sidings, this enabled me to run the layout at home but I knew I would need to add something that would provide more interest if the layout went to a show or exhibition. The current non scenic section curved off the depot and reduced to one line then fanned out into three sidings, this created a bottle neck when running the layout in automatic routes waiting for locos to clear th
Tommyp81

Tommyp81 in Build

0
Awreville O Gauge Diesel Depot

Buffer Stops

At the back of the yard I had fitted some Peco buffer stops, these have lamps on the top as part of the moulding so I thought I would try fit LED's to these. I purchased some 0402 SMD red LED's for them and set about trying to work out how to fit them. I decided to drill a small hole through the lamp to take the wiring back down under the baseboard but on the front of the lamp open it up slightly larger so that the LED would sit in the recess, as the LED's came pre-wired with enamelled copper wi
Tommyp81

Tommyp81 in Building Construction

0
MikeOxon's Broad Gauge Blog

A Tender for Viper

Amongst E.T. Lane’s many sketches and drawings, there are some of various tenders that were used with the early broad gauge engines. These sketches provide a window into a world that would otherwise have been completely lost.       These Tenders do make a rather weird collection of styles – some being adaptations of standard-gauge bodies, with the wheels mounted outside.   I have previously modelled the tender ascribed to Aeolus and adapted one of the designs
MikeOxon

MikeOxon in General

10
Go2

(3) And Then, No More

Continuing from the two previous entries...   The layout was full operational within a few months of starting work. Track had been built using copper clad sleepers and bullhead rail from the 2mm Scale Association, built to 9.42mm gauge. Here is a closeup of the fiddle yard board from the operating side. It was a combination of a sector plate with 5 tracks and 5 fixed sidings, plus two running lines onto the scenic area.     Here is a closeup of the scenic board, do
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Introduction

0
Kit-built stock for Henley-on-Thames

C60 and E151 carriages build - the cut and shut project

Two cut and shut carriages – using Bachmann sunshine carriages as the donor vehicle.   C60 all Third: This carriage is a bit different as it has recessed grab and door handles. The build follows my usual routine of cutting out a lot of the plastic wall of the donor carriage.     In addition I removed the end to get the correct length and added the cast bow ends onto the carriage:     The door handles recess was backed with strips of plasti
Kit-built stock for Henley-on-Thames

Autocoach upgrade

The Autocarriage rebuild. Starting with an Airfix model from the 70’s and the Dart castings kit, I plan to make a few upgrades to this carriage.     I have always been happy with the Autocoach, but latterly as my skills have improved, I have thought it was due for an overhaul. Seen here with the DJH / Hattons 48xx.   Back in the day – my hand painting skills left a bit to be desired! Here is the kit and the donor carriage:     The Air
Go2

(2) Getting Board

I described the decision to use Wantage as a basis for my imaginary location in the first instalment. Following this, I developed plans for the scenic section and fiddle yard baseboards. This included a hidden siding beyond the platform on a small additional board, to add a bit of operating flexibility.      Construction proceeded well to begin with. I quickly built the main baseboard, a small and basic rectangle. This shot was taken after the track was laid.  
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Introduction

1
kyle of lochalsh

Kyle - an update...and a visit at last...

Afternoon all,   Just an update on the last month and coming months for Kyle.   The layout appeared at the one day Cambridge 31A show last weekend alongside the 2mmFS Roadshow and received some nice comments. Generally behaved itself but a few locos started to stick on the main turnout and my friend Andy found a voltage drop across the frog so I need to look at that before the next show. Speaking of the next shows....Kyle will be appearing at Taunton Railex in October and the
bcnPete

bcnPete in General

3
Go2

(1) Sunrise

The sun set on my last model railway project a couple of years ago. Nice idea, but seriously flawed in a few, very critical ways.   Lots of thought has gone into what went wrong. Overall, it seems to be the best way forward for me. Alternative ideas for a layout never gelled properly; always too big, too complicated, too much like everyone else's layouts. How could I turn a croc into something I was happy with?   Here's the original idea...   It was based on W
Burghmirer

Burghmirer in Introduction

1
DBC90024's Blog

Making Tracks Four - A Johnson Street Retrospective

After an interesting exhibition this year, where I put two intermodal rakes together for the event, Malcolm, well, yes, obviously lol ... and having built on this, the Tesco train, but a Rails of Sheffield Class 88 didnt turn up as had hoped for, after KWML24's brief appearance     a number of DB electrics had a run out this year   Honegger (92042) - with Malcolm (90024) passing in the opposite direction     Bill (90028)  
The Farthing layouts

Edwardian motorcars (2): British Ford T Late 1912

Here’s another pre-WW1 motor car in 1:76 scale for the Farthing layouts: A Late 1912 British Ford T Tourer, made from a modified DAPR 3D print.    Caption: 1906 Alldays and Onions. Source: Getty Images, embedding permitted. During the 1900s the British motorcar industry grew quickly. Alledgedly some 200 firms tried their luck in the motorcar industry during this period, often evolving from other lines of production such as bicycle manufacture.   Caption: 1910
Mikkel

Mikkel in Motor Cars

29
MikeOxon's Broad Gauge Blog

Re-creating ‘Viper’

I thought I had done the Brunel ‘freaks’ to death and was thinking about what I might try making next. Then, I started reading the series of articles about Broad Gauge engines, published over several issues of the Locomotive Magazine. Starting with the January 1901 issue (Vol.6), a monthly series of article described in considerable detail ‘The BG Engines of the Great Western Ry’.   In fact, this series, which continued until February 1903, has been used ever since as a major source fo
MikeOxon

MikeOxon in General

7
Tales from Pagosa Junction

Episode 1: Waiting for a Train

Introduction   "Pagosa Junction" - a name that came on some dry rub decals with a whitemetal kit for a diminutive HO Scale Depot that I've built.  A whitemetal kit was something new for me to try.  It was a bit different, perhaps a little off-beat or even quirky, but it was fun to make - and turned out better than I thought I'd be able to do.  I guess that sums up my modelling philosophy.  So no, there's no connection with the abandoned Denver and Rio Grande Station of the same name, e
Keith Addenbrooke

Keith Addenbrooke in 2024

8
Playing with 1/50 scale

The 1/50 project a sector plate, part 2

Control. Hmm.   The first thing is to detect where the sectorplate is. I messed about a bit and decided to try optical detectors. I tried the idea of having one as a a reference and then driving a lead screw a given number of turns. Sounds elegant, but you are not driving a sectorplate in a line, you are driving it in an arc. Either the lead screw has to pivot, or the connection from the lead screw to the sectorplate has to accommodate lateral movement. Messy, and draggy if you try to
Paternosterrow

Making Mountains

I work at a holiday cottage complex in Milltown, Co Kerry doing a bit of occasional maintenance, but business has been generally bad since Covid.  The on site Bistro/restaurant closed 3 yrs ago and lettings just dried up.  However, nothing's over till it's over and we recently had interest from someone who wanted to run the Bistro as a new Coffee Shop.  I was asked to do a bit of remodelling and give the place a general shine up after being empty for a couple of years for them.  The new people a
Navyport - A cameo in OO and OO9

Initial thoughts...

First of all - the why, the where, the what, the when and the how.   Why - Inspiration When our youngest stated his desire to join Her Majesties Royal Navy (as it was at the time), it opened a whole new fascinating world to me. Both historically and technically I have been intrigued and inquisitive about the whole Naval establishment, both ship-wise from the Mary Rose and HMS Victory to the new aircraft carriers, and infrastructure-wise from HMS Raleigh to the Admiralty.
Stubby47

Stubby47 in Inglenook

2

  • Blog Statistics

    2,575
    Total Blogs
    22,152
    Total Entries

  • Blog Comments

    • Yan
      Post Scaleforum 2024

      By Yan · Posted

      Thank you for leaving the comments and thoughts guys, much appreciated.   Both Butley Mills and Ditchling Green are with new owners that are currently refurbishing them. Even the modelling skill and composition still shine through, so they were both well worth seeing in the flesh. One of Iain Rice's layouts I'd like to get the opportunity to see is Trerice.
    • BarryP
      Post Scaleforum 2024

      By BarryP · Posted

      It's good to see so many positive reviews of a model railway exhibition. I did dabble in S4/P4 way back and Iain Rice's writings were inspirational. I saw Butley Mills when it was first shown at Scaleforum in 1987 and I loved it. Gordon Gravett's models are fabulous and I would love to see them in the flesh, as it were. I did visit two shows specifically to see the magnificent "Pempoul" layout that the Gravetts built, that was the finest I've ever seen. I'm dabbling in "O" Gauge and an opportuni
    • Keith Addenbrooke
      Post Scaleforum 2024

      By Keith Addenbrooke · Posted

      Good to see it was a positive experience - and really nice to see a couple of photos of Ditchling Green (I didn’t realise it was still around).  Always struck me as a lovely layout: an early example perhaps of the ‘less is (so much) more’ approach to railway modelling that is now widely appreciated.  Keep up the good work, Keith.
    • Mikkel
      Post Scaleforum 2024

      By Mikkel · Posted

      The layout and info display looks very good. Thanks for posting photos of the other layouts, always a gift for those of us abroad - especially when they are this good.   Imposter syndrome is common I think, it can hold us back but on the hand I'll take that over bragging anytime.  
    • Mikkel
      Netherport and Basuto Quay Chronology

      By Mikkel · Posted

      That sounds like a good approach Nick, thank you for clarifying. A sense of space is so important, less is more and all that.   The Penzance photo shows unloading of flower traffic from the Scilly Isles (no date). It features on the front page of this volume by Tony Atkins. The book is perhaps not unexpendable and a tad dry, but it is informative and some of the photos are lovely.    

  • Blogs

×
×
  • Create New...