Lacathedrale

Well yes in retrospect that would have been a good idea

The turnout at the rear of this photo is the problem - there are a few others as well. I wonder if is worth trying to pull it up at this stage though, it's fairly well bedded in. Next time I will be putting my track on a removable piece! Unfortunately since this shot was taken, hillsides either side have been built up and various joints and droppers soldered in place. I'm kicking myself really, because all it would have taken was a more measured approach to powering rail and a few runs with the loco to draw out these problems, but I had to rush it

There is something about the aesthetic of full depth sleepers and brass rail and big tinplate running on varnished wood baseboards that really makes me smile. It's almost as if they exist in a photograph where the depth of field draws your eye only to the subject, and not to what surrounds it - which recedes in a complimentary aura.

That's a fair point. I think an interesting medium would be PVC/copper tube cut to lengths inside a magazine holder - quite how I'd avoid not cutting myself on all that knife edge copper however, I'm not clear Though I've gone with plastic in lots of situations, I really would prefer to go down the wood/metal route going forward - it feels comfy.

Thanks Mr. Snooper - I built a small cameo in 2FS (see my signature) and got further along than anything so far, but my track laying skills weren't up to it. Definitely time for a revisit

Godstone Rd is now no more - as of this weekend the layout and stock have been offloaded via eBay. I want to say that I learned alot from the layout - but in retrospect it was all lessons that I knew already but evidently needed reinforcement. I enjoy kit/scratchbuilding, hand laying track, and designing things. I hate baseboards, wiring, and all the supplementaries. I still haven't finished a layout, and obviously an future layout will involve yet another foray into the seemingly endless purgatory of baseboards, electrics and underlay instead of actual model making. Were it not for my need to actually have a purpose for running trains, I often feel like I would be better off as a diorama maker... That said, plans for a future layout are afoot.

Hello, I thought this might be the most appropriate place to post, but please feel free to tell me that it should be moved elsewhere. My efforts so far have primarily been in building track and some chassis kits, but with handrails, spring wires, actuating rods, dummy axles, as well as strip, bar and sections of brass, plastic and aluminium I've ended up with a real mess in my wine bottle holder: Any thoughts or suggestions on making this pretty gruesome arrangement easier would be greatly appreciated.

So effectively a shorter blade?

Ah yes, I haven't bent the check rails at all - goodc catch on that - but it's definitely over the end of the blades. So a bend on the curved stock rail, as per a normal turnout - who'd have thought? May I also ask since you're here what the 'stock gauge' marking is, a few timbers up from the end of the blades?

Thank you - this was only ever going to be a lab piece so I'm fine with it being a bit wonky Thinking out loud, should i have put joggles in the rails where the switchblades are? My test wagon runs through but there's an obvious 'tick' when it's going past the ends of the blades.

Ah, I went ahead and soldered them with the existing k crossing setup and it works, just! What are drive stretchers?

Against all odds, it appears to work through the curved route, and when set in place the straight routes are fine too! Huzzah! Unfortunately, I think I've provisioned too short a piece for the remaining switch blades. I'm happy to consider this a victory and move on to the 'real' version, unless there's some obvious way of fitting them to gauge/etc. given the rail opposite:

Thanks to the kind help of a number of chaps in the hand-laying-track area of the forum my single slip is progressing. I am doubtful it will actually function, but the construction process itself is nowhere near as daunting as I'd thought it would be. In the following shot the curved stock rail is just laid in place:

Ah, I think I may understand - the difference between the diagram above and your (Izzy)'s slip, is that like me you've got an insulating break much closer to the vee, so the whole assembly of stock rail, point rails, knuckle, closure and switchblades can all be electrically joined and at the same polarity, right?

I tried to taper the 'opposite' side of the rail and bend it straight in 2mm, but I just couldn't reliably straighten them out!

Thank you both - I'll do that. Looking at a wiring diagram I've seen online here though, the LH closer rail/switchblades look like they are going to need to be in three isolated sections: http://www.stciers.me.uk/home/track_wiring/s_slip.htm That diagram doesn't include the obtuse crossing knuckles but seems to show roughly where the polarities need to be? Is that right? Seems to go against @Grosvenor 's suggestion of doing it in two pieces (unless the suggestion is to start with two pieces and then bisect each!)

I've never really understood the hinge-jig method until now, that's wonderful, thank you!

I have totally lost my place with this, after having it packed away for a couple of weeks Any help on what I should do next? The other straight stock rails? The left hand closure rail? The switch blades?

I have access to a 3D printer that could print coaches, but I wouldn't know where to start on obtaining the 3D files - any ideas? I don't want to take anyone's hard work without their appropriate reward!

I have that book! I can see the interiors for the coaches listed on the Worlsey Works site (http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/2mm/2mm_Southern_Pregroup_SECR.htm), that's really nice. It looks like the etches represent the 1921 stock?

I don't think I'll ever be able to figure out how preceisely to gap these sleepers - I thought it was perfect but had to reshuffle the layout a little, and now there's a 2mm gap, enough for a wheel to drop in and almost derail a wagon

In an attempt to move beyond the confines of what could otherwise be done with RTR track, my first effort at building a single slip is going well, despite some mistakes made which may make it ultimately unusable: Despite my best efforts using the common crossing assembly jig, the knuckles are a little tight. I tried the method of planing one side of the rail and bending it flat, then fulling planing the other - this just resulted in an equilateral instead of right-angled triangle in plan view. I'm not worried though - I deliberately made this as a sacrificial piece of track!

AH, that makes more sense! Thank you! @Karhedron , Marylebone was the source of modification to the Minories plan for sure - I am however, going to try to resist the urge to cram more in - three platform faces, a carriage road and a loco pocket seems like it will be more than enough! @Flying Pig my gut feeling is to go for GER - I have happily found some MRJs with info.

I've got a set of SECR wellington brown birdcage stock on pre-order (I'm modelling N - so no lake available unfortunately) - for the Pullman, this would be the right arrangement, but probably a ktichen/parlour car? http://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co205818/pullman-car-company-called-topaz-railway-carriage Would a birdcage brake just be there to sub in for one of the specific 'boat train coach' brakes? I like the fact there may be luggage in flats or vans - great detail Thank you!

I'm thinking about putting together an SE&CR boat train for an Urban termini layout whose notional time period spans 1910-1930 or so, but aiming towards the earlier. I would like to include an SE&CR boat train, and I see that Worsley Works include a set of etches - I was wondering if anyone had any insight onto a formation that I might be able to use? My longest platform is only long enough for five coaches plus a loco (chronologically a D, E and then L-class in my time period, I gather?). The etches available are: BTK 7 Compartment BTK 6 Compartment BCK 5 Compartment CK 7 1/2 Compartment I would hypothesise that a BTK-CK-CK-BTK rake would be broadly acceptable, but I have no real idea - is there any guidance on this? I appreicate the trains would probably be much longer! Thanks!