tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203375992024-03-07T20:08:55.910+00:00Line To NowhereMatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-86055328897207740732021-06-25T13:41:00.000+01:002021-06-25T13:41:02.789+01:00Great Western Railway Journal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some years ago I foolishly listed my Great Western Railway Journal and Model Railway Journal collections for sale on eBay. Quite what possessed me to do so I can't really remember now but suffice it to say, I'm jolly glad they didn't sell.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Having since completed my collection of the entire publication run of GWRJ (the final issue of which was published in 2017) and having entertained the idea of getting them bound into proper volumes for some time, I finally got round to it and here is the result - quite stunning if I do say so myself!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFuSzYI5BDRvEKxtG0vQk8AUHwXqi-s3bIUfTF-ucvPYOmalkHzVKzxTYRfaHpOqY5Pl9X-24An6cXVeXwQqpq2AYC-Wny1GsiKdL6fvObiflFMb_aipFHYht0BnKlzgV9GtnmQ/s3338/PXL_20210616_125022262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3019" data-original-width="3338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFuSzYI5BDRvEKxtG0vQk8AUHwXqi-s3bIUfTF-ucvPYOmalkHzVKzxTYRfaHpOqY5Pl9X-24An6cXVeXwQqpq2AYC-Wny1GsiKdL6fvObiflFMb_aipFHYht0BnKlzgV9GtnmQ/s320/PXL_20210616_125022262.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXvlTbKXvLwSJXkR-CcrWbTlMGC2sr_NhgNsZqq-l3cmteyLg9XE1v2AEa6Sf-LRhGvsYDEnvKikx1pa6fR5qynoNbQkM7jH2XdsXQvBohoo3kHbOprH4co9Dp8-XQdEMqq-I7w/s4032/PXL_20210616_134316527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXvlTbKXvLwSJXkR-CcrWbTlMGC2sr_NhgNsZqq-l3cmteyLg9XE1v2AEa6Sf-LRhGvsYDEnvKikx1pa6fR5qynoNbQkM7jH2XdsXQvBohoo3kHbOprH4co9Dp8-XQdEMqq-I7w/s320/PXL_20210616_134316527.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQo52vuqCYn4xx2dgb6vZ_gU57zAb1PNF_UAmQofZp2zoZ8JdkKB36DvoUWccP-xJ92_GTgUvHb48Jt5D-DTpNOO0YOuhSwUMi5dqzqS_Xt7OxvEpK1qQnWT5T0DU5tOO7MMUUgA/s4032/PXL_20210616_134409230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQo52vuqCYn4xx2dgb6vZ_gU57zAb1PNF_UAmQofZp2zoZ8JdkKB36DvoUWccP-xJ92_GTgUvHb48Jt5D-DTpNOO0YOuhSwUMi5dqzqS_Xt7OxvEpK1qQnWT5T0DU5tOO7MMUUgA/s320/PXL_20210616_134409230.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfOZ5lFPuxjuhz5XG1brjZQ-RcujArxRXpKdMIMedt9blvnsv9Uvy-BvtHWocRgx5JtyPgCxHWlmiiMTiJzvNr8jSO-W_rifNgDtQavW2e4MU8W13OjFcGjVopQsBL2MHQSEgiA/s4032/PXL_20210616_134353025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfOZ5lFPuxjuhz5XG1brjZQ-RcujArxRXpKdMIMedt9blvnsv9Uvy-BvtHWocRgx5JtyPgCxHWlmiiMTiJzvNr8jSO-W_rifNgDtQavW2e4MU8W13OjFcGjVopQsBL2MHQSEgiA/s320/PXL_20210616_134353025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zUthxTYkjRnnbgpmJKtQu8YOKF3JLHdoCUEir4SxJKTndvo2AlwqsBhtaAlKVIdeVdShEMccwUZdeFAhEFdOQ3uoEFccEOf8KseZmKrUnGZlujAy3RrJDxWuKjzGPfrIP8n1pg/s4032/PXL_20210616_134343195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zUthxTYkjRnnbgpmJKtQu8YOKF3JLHdoCUEir4SxJKTndvo2AlwqsBhtaAlKVIdeVdShEMccwUZdeFAhEFdOQ3uoEFccEOf8KseZmKrUnGZlujAy3RrJDxWuKjzGPfrIP8n1pg/s320/PXL_20210616_134343195.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>And by the way - hello again to anyone reading this.... it's been a while!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-36396176243389277232016-01-21T14:28:00.004+00:002016-01-21T14:28:45.189+00:00New minimalist blog designPhew, that's blown a few cobwebs away!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-25961825914324329422016-01-20T12:24:00.000+00:002016-01-24T10:41:35.686+00:00Mid Suffolk Light Railway - the ultimate line to nowhere!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TCvO8ekPl-Wc5rzTitedfxxYp5c9H2VDRH7H172dXO0O0Zq7clF2bu4rgAHwD3g8cq4qqwWAx1mq9ukoolndOfdphtnsJqn8AJmeoDHzpZeKe0c80ieCCrtdL9nAgQyTYR2S7A/s1600/mid_suffolk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TCvO8ekPl-Wc5rzTitedfxxYp5c9H2VDRH7H172dXO0O0Zq7clF2bu4rgAHwD3g8cq4qqwWAx1mq9ukoolndOfdphtnsJqn8AJmeoDHzpZeKe0c80ieCCrtdL9nAgQyTYR2S7A/s320/mid_suffolk.jpg" width="244"></a></div>
I recently purchased a second hand copy of Peter Paye's excellent book 'The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway' (Wild Swan, 1986). It's a superb book with a wealth of information and some wonderful and evocative photos of this charming and much-loved railway backwater.<br>
<br>
If ever there was a line to nowhere, this is it. The original proposals for the railway were for some 50 route miles linking up with the existing GER network at 3 points and consisting of two connected 'branches'. In the end only 18 miles were constructed, ending at the relatively insignificant village of Laxfield in the middle of the Suffolk countryside - the 'middle of nowhere' to all intents and purposes.<br>
<br>
Most of the tiny stations were located in the middle of open countryside and served small villages or hamlets several miles from the railway itself, and the line retained much of its old-world character right up to closure in the 1950s.<br>
<br>
Although my primary interest has always been in the GWR / WR I have a definite soft spot for the GER / ER branch lines and byways. In fact anywhere that is a bit out of the way and off the beaten track really. Some people are inspired by images of crack express trains powering along the main line but that has never really inspired me so much as the rural backwater with its ancient rolling stock, weed-grown trackbeds and empty platforms.<br>
<br>
Anyway, I can thoroughly recommend the book.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-86338908166748516152016-01-14T23:30:00.001+00:002016-01-21T14:41:02.681+00:00Hello again!<div dir="ltr">
It's been nearly 4 years since I last posted on this blog (and to be honest I wasn't even sure whether I hadn't taken it offline ages ago - but clearly not) so whether anyone will read this I have no idea. But hello if you are! This feels a bit like the first tentative trip over a weed-grown, mothballed branch line after years of inactivity...<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Over those 4 years I have had a chance to reflect on my then haste to discard or sell off my model railway assets and realised that it was the result of an all-or-nothing mentality that had characterised my approach to much in life up until quite recently.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Maybe it was turning 40 last year or something, but I have started to approach life a little differently lately, realising that it is actually possible to sustain a range of different interests alongside one another without being totally consumed by one at the expense of all others, and that it is possible to take an interest in model railways without necessarily having to own a model railway or be in the process of building one.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
All of which is, I am certain, absolutely obvious stuff to most people, but somehow it wasn't obvious to me until these last couple of years!<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Thankfully my haste to rid myself of all my model railway 'stuff' didn't go beyond selling my small collection of RTR locomotives and rolling stock and a couple of other bits - all of which are easily replaceable if ever I decide to get back into active modelling. The rest is boxed up in the attic (when our second child arrived in 2014 the 'railway room' was taken out of service as such and converted to more pressing needs!)<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
One thing I came extremely close to selling but which I am extremely glad I didn't end up parting with is my Model Railway Journal collection. I went so far as to list the entire lot on eBay back in 2011, but thankfully they remained unsold and I still have them all. In fact I have now brought the collection up to date with the issues I missed out on over the last few years. I've also extended what was at that time an embryonic collection of Great Western Railway Journals into a complete set (most of which I haven't yet read, but just owning them gives me a sense of great satisfaction!).<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I was interested to read in the recent obituaries to Bob Barlow that for many years, even when he was involved with MRJ itself, he never had his own model railway, so I don't feel so bad about claiming an interest in something to which I can't attach any great exhibition-piece of my own handiwork.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Henceforth I am quite content to be known as the eponymous 'armchair modeller'. I won't be making any commitment to writing on here regularly - or at all - but neither will I avoid doing so if there is something I feel inspired to comment on, be it one more than or 5 years from now, so the blog remains 'open for business' at least in the 1960s branch line sense whereby there might not be much 'business' happening for very long periods of time! Whether I return to active modelling at some point in the future who is to say, but that really matters little at the end of the day - there's no compulsion to <i>have</i> to do anything.</div>
Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-83546977624629704312012-03-09T12:40:00.001+00:002016-01-21T14:41:20.101+00:00Currently for sale on eBay...Bachrus rolling road worth over £100 - currently £25!<br />
<br />
AB-180 gravity-fed double action airbrush and air hose worth over £40 - currently £9.99!<br />
<br />
Rotacraft RC230 tool kit and accessory pack - currently £5!<br />
<br />
If you're after a bargain, get on over there: <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/mattots/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686">http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/mattots/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686</a>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-72129866457670893562011-09-15T21:37:00.001+01:002011-09-15T21:59:58.633+01:00MRJ 209<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiU_RDYnrsWNHaQ2mDC0REWYnCNys1eZj3F89x9U0zr9uiaeYLzVvFwlUbosxkZykKHZ0PamfvVPheIdJ-8t8SOvj05aVQOEfa2J5cV453eUIOev3seDJoL8dL28iM5veRqxLYQ/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0.2em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiU_RDYnrsWNHaQ2mDC0REWYnCNys1eZj3F89x9U0zr9uiaeYLzVvFwlUbosxkZykKHZ0PamfvVPheIdJ-8t8SOvj05aVQOEfa2J5cV453eUIOev3seDJoL8dL28iM5veRqxLYQ/" /></a></div>
Well, how about that... you wait 8 months for a blog post to come along and then two turn up together! And this one after I had effectively announced my temporary withdrawal from the hobby yesterday!<br />
<br />
Anyway, my wife kindly picked up the latest issue of MRJ for me while out shopping so I've spent a pleasant couple of hours this evening perusing its contents. <br />
<br />
In my usual non-conformist style, the thing that grabbed me the most in the whole magazine is the full page advertisement for Gordon Gravett's new book (published by Wild Swan - who else?) called 'Modelling Trees - Part 1: Broadleaf Trees'. The cover picture, reproduced in the ad, is just breathtaking (at least if, like me, you're as bothered about the realism of things like trees as you are with crossing vees and coupling rods!). Naturally it's gone straight on my Christmas list.<br />
<br />
Talking of Christmas lists, and somewhat off the subject... I've been considering investing in one of those Noch Grasmaster static grass applicators. I know they're ridiculously expensive for what they are and I know I said I wasn't going to be doing any modelling, but part of me still hankers after being able to play around with the odd little scenic cameo piece - you know, just a few square inches, a bit of grass, a tree... </div>
<br />
But that reminds me... I'd better get on and update the MRJ Index with this new issue...</div>
Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-60198959838385718222011-09-14T14:27:00.002+01:002011-09-14T14:27:16.583+01:00Taking stockI realise it's been many months since I last posted here, and even more since I wrote anything directly modelling-related. The short version of the story is that I've realised I just don't have the time (I've only found the time to write this because I'm off work sick!) or space for modelling at this point in my life and so the project I had been working on bit by bit over the past few years has been shelved - or more accurately, put in the loft - for the foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
But what has led me to this decision? And how is it that others seem to manage to juggle the demands of daily life and the constraints of time, space and money with a successful sideline in modelling, while it has proved so difficult for me? I can't fully answer that other than through the old cliche that 'everyone is different'. Personally, while I could in theory <i>make</i> time for modelling, it's either time that I know <i>should</i> be spent doing other, more important things, or time that I'd <i>rather</i> spend doing other, equally non-important things!<br />
<br />
My weekends generally tend to fill up with family activities and jobs around the house and garden. And on weeknights, once our 3-year-old is finally in bed and asleep, the only thing I'm good for is crashing in front of the TV for an hour or so until my eyes are too heavy to keep open!<br />
<br />
Another problem is that I can't just 'dip in' to a bit of modelling when I have a few spare minutes, because there's nowhere that I can leave things permanently set up. With a 3-year old roaming the house, you just can't leave bottles of thinners, flux, soldering irons, paint, super glue, scalpels, etc lying around on a table - unless maybe you're fortunate enough to have a dedicated room you can lock up between shifts - which we don't! And coupled with that, I'm excessively tidy - so the mere thought of having a great pile of bits and pieces just 'left out' somewhere bothers me too much, especially when the only possible bit of space doubles as an office, computer room, library and walk-in wardrobe!<br />
<br />
The result is that an hour of modelling often requires the best part of an hour just to get everything out, set up and ready, and clean up and tidy away afterwards. And that's time I've just not got.<br />
<br />
Coupled with these practical considerations, I do think that my decision to 'go P4' probably didn't help things in the first place. Even if you don't factor in the additional time and effort required to re-wheel RTR locomotives and stock, the overall ethos of trying to get everything as close to perfect as possible ('getting it all right'), while appealing to a perfectionist like me, also has tended to put the brakes on any kind of 'just get on with it' kind of approach that, while it carries with it the risk of failure, is much more likely to lead to some kind of end result than the kind of endless faffing about that has been the name of the game for me!<br />
<br />
I'm not knocking P4 or suggesting that others shouldn't go down that route - just that it probably hasn't helped in my case! I'm not the sort of person who can just whack in some replacement wheels and leave it at that - frames have to be widened, brake hangers have to line up properly... the very things that 'getting it all right' is all about really. And as I found with the Bachmann 45xx, what might have seemed like a relatively straightforward task of replacing the wheels ended up becoming a long and tedious process that never got finished.<br />
<br />
I look at the models of Chris Nevard and others who have stuck to 00 gauge and embraced the compromises, and realise that once you accept that there will be a few details that don't quite measure up to the real thing, you can still achieve something that looks and works remarkably well. In fact, if I could build something that looked half as good as some of Chris's creations, I'd be more than happy! That said, I don't see switching back to 00 at this point is going to really help with the other, more pressing issues.<br />
<br />
So for now I'm just embracing the title of 'Armchair Modeller' and getting on with life! Even if I don't post on here very often for the foreseeable future, this blog will remain up and running. Hopefully at some point I'll find I'm able to pick up the modelling again and continue the story.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-26547602456673556202011-03-05T17:29:00.001+00:002011-03-05T18:56:45.347+00:00MRJ Index for mobile web browsers<div><p>I've been making a few tweaks to www.modelrailwayjournal.com for those of you who may be viewing the site in a mobile browser (these days if you have a reasonably modern phone its often easier to use it for quick web searches than a desktop computer - that's certainly my experience anyway).</p>
<p>While the website was already perfectly usable on a mobile phone, it should now 'fit' the smaller screen size a lot better.</p>
<p>The mobile layout is triggered automatically based on screen size so if you've got a particularly hi-res phone display you may still see the desktop version. The functionality is identical either way.</p>
<p>I've only tested this on my own phone (a HTC Desire) so if you notice any major problems on your particular device/browser let me know.</p>
<p>UPDATE: I just noticed that it reverts to the desktop layout if I use my phone in landscape mode, so I need to sort this out when I get the chance.</p>
</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-27347394225693245802011-01-15T22:01:00.001+00:002011-01-15T22:01:41.044+00:00This is what £500 worth of railway books looks like...<p><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2atJS3RqMWp9QP2Zi1bw-dYAyF7l8bdyCU5o0MI0aMRq3IQGZXa27toJLmRjEB054RXSyLP7bIVi58y0KbHDkfK9KvcGB_T7SFiYeZaESoSV2cztICrc33m5K6AvEUeu0bdPlYQ/'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2atJS3RqMWp9QP2Zi1bw-dYAyF7l8bdyCU5o0MI0aMRq3IQGZXa27toJLmRjEB054RXSyLP7bIVi58y0KbHDkfK9KvcGB_T7SFiYeZaESoSV2cztICrc33m5K6AvEUeu0bdPlYQ/s400/IMG_20110115_212956-picsay.jpg' /></a></p> <br/> <br/> I picked up this car-load of second hand railway books from Nene Valley Railway Books today. Incredibly, I got this lot for £50 thanks to a 90% off sale! Amazing! <br/> <br/> There are a handful that I may sell on, but there are some real gems in there, including some quite rare old OPC books. <br/> <br/> Here's the complete list (I haven't got round to adding then to my books page yet): <br/> <br/> - Adley, Robert - 'The Call of Steam' <br/> - Adley, Robert - 'In Search of Steam, 1962-1968' <br/> - Allen, Dr. Ian - 'Gleneagles to Glastonbury, steam in the thirties' <br/> - Atthill, Robin - 'The Picture History of The Somerset & Dorset Railway' <br/> - Awdry, Christopher - 'Encyclopedia of British Railway Companies' <br/> - Blenkinsop, Richard James - 'Silhouettes of the Great Western' <br/> - Blenkinsop, Richard James - 'Shadows of the Great Western' <br/> - Blenkinsop, Richard James - 'Big Four Cameraman' <br/> - Bradley, Rodger, P. - 'GWR Two Cylinder 4-6-0's and 2-6-0's' <br/> - Casserley, Henry Cyril - 'Steam Locomotives of British Railways' <br/> - Christiansen, Rex - 'Cambrian Lines' <br/> - Dalton, T. P. - 'Cambrian Companionship' <br/> - Dart, Maurice - 'The Last Days of Steam in Plymouth and Cornwall' <br/> - Esau, Mike (compiler) - 'John Ashman FRPS Rail Portfolio' <br/> - Esau, Mike (editor) - 'The Nostalgia of Steam - Classic Steam Images by John Specner Gilks' <br/> - Forsythe, H.G. - 'The Railway Vanishes - An Appreciation of a Lost Era' <br/> - Gammell, Christopher J. - 'Around the Branch Lines, No. 2, Great Western' <br/> - Gasson, Harold - 'Firing Days, Reminiscences of a Great Western Fireman' <br/> - Gasson, Harold - 'Footplate Days, More Reminiscences of a Great Western Fireman' <br/> - Herbert, Ron - 'The Working Railway - A Railwayman's Photographs 1960-67' <br/> - Kneale, E.N. - 'North Wales Steam (1927-1968)' <br/> - Lingard, Richard - 'The Woodstock Branch' <br/> - Montgomery, S.J. and Nicholas, D. (compilers) - '100 Years of The Great Western' <br/> - Morrison, G.W. and Whiteley, J.S. - 'The Big Four Remembered' <br/> - Nixon, Les - 'Classic Steam - An evocation of the twighlight years of the steam Age' <br/> - Nock, O.S. - 'The GWR Mixed Traffic 4-6-0 Classes' <br/> - Nock, O.S. - 'Great Locomotives of the GWR' <br/> - Nock, O.S. - 'The British Steam Railway Locomotive 1925-1965' <br/> - Nock, O.S. - 'From the Footplate, Reminiscences of the last years of Steam' <br/> - Nock, O.S. - 'British Locomotives of the 20th Century, Volume 2 1930-1960' <br/> - Nock, O.S. - 'British Locomotives of the 20th Century, Volume 3 1960-the present Day' <br/> - Nock, O.S. - 'British Locomotives of the 20th Century, Volume 1 1900-1930' <br/> - Parkhouse, Neil & Pope, Ian - 'Edwardian Dean in Colour, Volume 1' <br/> - Paye, Peter - 'The Stoke Ferry Branch' <br/> - Paye, Peter - 'The Saffron Walden Branch' <br/> - Paye, Peter - 'The Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow & Braintree Branch' <br/> - Peters, Ivo - 'The Somerset & Dorset in the Fifties, Volume 1, 1950 -1954' <br/> - Peters, Ivo - 'The Somerset & Dorset in the Fifties, Volume 2, 1955 -1959' <br/> - Pollins, Harold - 'Britain's Railways - An Industrial History' <br/> - Semmens, Peter W.B. - 'History of the Great Western Railway. volume 1 Consolidation 1923-1929' <br/> - Semmens, Peter W.B. - 'History of the Great Western Railway. volume 3 Wartime and the Final Years 1939 -1948' <br/> - Semmens, Peter W.B. - 'History of the Great Western Railway. volume 2 The Thirties 1930 -1939' <br/> - Siviter, Roger - 'Rhythms of Steam - Images of the Steam Age Railway' <br/> - Smart, John (editor) - 'Branch Line Memories' <br/> - Vaughan, Adrian - 'BR (WR) Signalling' <br/> - Vaughan, Adrian - 'Great Western Portrait 1913-1921' <br/> - Whitehurst, Brian - 'Great Western Engines, Names, Numbers, Types and Classes, (1940 to Preservation)' <br/> - Various - 'The Train Now Departing - Personal Memories of the Last Days of Steam' <br/> <br/> I just need to find somewhere to put them all now (and find time to read them!).Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-40043212259667473982010-12-30T17:28:00.001+00:002010-12-30T17:28:37.463+00:00<p><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAp3drXsOc3mEZnPDWUWwPjeNFSAnEuyC9TR2f4hSqPWc64RPwboO9yFrZdS6hCDtWX_THnopUdz3U5wF70PERCJZqLKemk0y1FmHhfqzTj-1q6ugwGZ0Go14V68_nUp2l9GScA/'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAp3drXsOc3mEZnPDWUWwPjeNFSAnEuyC9TR2f4hSqPWc64RPwboO9yFrZdS6hCDtWX_THnopUdz3U5wF70PERCJZqLKemk0y1FmHhfqzTj-1q6ugwGZ0Go14V68_nUp2l9GScA/s400/IMG_20101230_171824.jpg' /></a></p> <br/> <br/> Ends and backdrop temporarily positioned in place. <br/> <br/> Despite its size, the layout is going to weigh an absolute ton when its complete! I really should have made the baseboard lighter, but there we go! Perhaps I'll keep the backdrop detachable rather than permanently fixing it in place. Mind you, I don't intend to attach it until at least all the under-baseboard work is complete.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-26081057376589099652010-12-29T12:11:00.001+00:002010-12-29T12:11:01.389+00:00Mobile-friendly versionI've just activated the mobile-friendly version of this site for readers viewing it on a mobile device. It doesn't appear to be customisable as yet (or if it is I've not figured out how to yet) but it does make the site much easier to use on a small screen.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-74890166460872167872010-12-29T10:29:00.000+00:002010-12-29T10:29:20.026+00:00Christmas woodworkingWhile I pluck up the courage to install the electrics and turnout mechanisms I decided that a less daunting but equally necessary job was fitting the backdrop and fascia.<br />
<br />
I prefer the all-in-one, wraparound style of backdrop with no visible joins or corners, but not wanting to sacrifice any of the already limited space I opted for the more conventional approach of separate, flat back and sides instead. The joins will be hidden using bathroom sealant before painting and the corners disguised with trees (the back of the layout will pretty much be lined with trees anyway). The backrop will simply be painted to represent a clear blue sky.<br />
<br />
A fascia board will be fitted above the front of the layout which will eventually carry the layout's name (whatever that may end up being!) and hide/support the lighting - a 3' long lightweight 30W fluorescent strip light. This will be detachable to allow easier access while working on the layout.<br />
<br />
The backdrop is made from standard 3mm hardboard, pinned and glued to a framework of lightweight stripwood batons, and will be screwed and glued to the edges of the baseboard frame.<br />
<br />
I'm in the middle of preparing the various sections ready for fitting to the layout, so will post some photos when I've made a bit more progress.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-24208090937030883142010-12-18T22:32:00.001+00:002010-12-18T22:32:32.984+00:00Electronics was never a strong point...<p><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuikDMoFvpJRUxmH8gO0ESeaJQ4IE3CBs53_zYp_Ck9TCYMGZYsMUmaUqRFUOSNloXSiNHXu8jh3fR0K0Xq5W12F1J6oob4blo5Q9rwgv36FU6eXG62lFBcmCIWD4xpll68Umr_g/'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuikDMoFvpJRUxmH8gO0ESeaJQ4IE3CBs53_zYp_Ck9TCYMGZYsMUmaUqRFUOSNloXSiNHXu8jh3fR0K0Xq5W12F1J6oob4blo5Q9rwgv36FU6eXG62lFBcmCIWD4xpll68Umr_g/s400/IMG_20101218_222127.jpg' /></a></p> <br/> <br/> I figured I should roughly draw out the track sections and what will be wired to what on the underside of the baseboard. Trouble is, even with a simple track plan like this I'm struggling to figure it out - but I'll get there eventually! <br/> <br/> I've cut some copper-clad circuit board into strips, which I'll glue to the underside of the baseboard where the dropper wires protrude, so they can be soldered to it. This should increase strength as well as providing a connector point for the wiring. <br/> <br/> (Oh, and don't worry - I glued some pieces of cork onto the corners of the baseboard surface so I could turn it over without damaging the trackwork!)Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-86446967159493704292010-12-04T15:07:00.001+00:002010-12-04T15:07:39.110+00:00My plan to introduce some variation into the track levels has fallen at the first hurdle! Although I managed to cut through the baseboard relatively easily using a jig-saw, it is still fixed absolutely rock solid to the frame underneath. <br/> <br/> I tried using a cutting disc in the mini-drill to separate the baseboard from the frame members, but the disc broke almost immediately, sending shrapnel flying everywhere, so in the interests of safety I quickly gave up on that idea! <br/> <br/> Saws and chisels are out of the question as there's limited space to work in anyway, plus there are dropper wires sticking through the underside of the baseboard everywhere so I need to avoid knocking them and breaking the soldered rail connections! <br/> <br/> So unless anyone has any bright ideas, I think I'm going to have to give up on the idea and live with a flat baseboard. (I may still be able to have a gradient on the rear running line by just lifting the track itself and adding a sub-base on to of the baseboard surface - at last this would avoid the same problems, although of course out could being its own set of problems! <br/> <br/> Oh the joy of backward planning!! <div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-60940817372356997862010-11-23T21:56:00.047+00:002010-11-25T14:13:10.440+00:00Thinking vertically...well, maybe just slightly less horizontally!<br />
<br />
Seeing 'Hadley Road' at the Warley exhibition reminded me of something that has been simmering away at the back of my mind for some time - the desire to get away from the 'flat baseboard syndrome' and introduce some subtle gradients and differences in elevation into my model. (By the way, I really should come up with a proper name for it, but that's another blog post!)<br />
<br />
The Forest of Dean railways were notorious for their gradients. At many locations, due to the hilly terrain and inconvenient location of the collieries and other industrial workings, sidings and branches had to rise steeply or drop sharply away from the running lines, which themselves often had very taxing gradients (1:30 on the Coleford branch for example).<br />
<br />
Given that I made the baseboard that I'm using well before coming up with the final track plan - and the track plan itself came well before any finalising of the layout as a whole (yes, completely and utterly the wrong way round to do things!), I've ended up with a track formation that is absolutely flat. Now obviously this could be compensated for to some extent by the surrounding landscape (in the limited space available), but how much better to actually introduce some variation in the track levels and gradients if possible....<br />
<br />
Until now I assumed it was water under the bridge. But after seeing Hadley Road I came back and took a fresh look at things, and I think there could be a solution. Not the most conventional solution, by any means, and possibly not the sort of thing anyone would recommend.. but a possible solution nonetheless!<br />
<br />
Ideally I'd like the main running line at the back of the layout to have quite a steep rising gradient right to left starting just after the turnout, so that at the leftmost side of the layout it's a scale 5 or 6 feet above the adjacent running line. This would work out to about a 1:30 gradient.<br />
<br />
Then I'd like the sidings leading into the screens at the front to drop down slightly from right to left so that where they enter the screens at the left hand side the track level is a scale 3 feet or so lower than the running line that leads around behind the screens to the empty wagon sidings.<br />
<br />
There are several issues to be addressed if I go ahead with this:<br />
<br />
1) How to cut the sections out?<br />
2) How to reposition them at the new heights/gradients.<br />
3) How to ensure a gradual transition between level and gradients.<br />
<br />
It would be ideal if there were some way of easily separating the cork underlay + track formation from the baseboard itself. However, given that it was stuck down with wood glue, I doubt very much this is a feasible option.<br />
<br />
I think the only realistic option is to cut them out as entire sections - baseboard + underlay + track - using a jig-saw.<br />
<br />
However, there is a potential problem here - the baseboard surface is screwed to the underframe at various points, not hidden by the cork underlay! Fortunately I have a few photos of the baseboards taken before the undelay was added, so I should be able to guesstimate their position, locate them and unscrew them where surface sections are to be removed - so long as the screws don't lie immediately beneath a rail. A couple of timbers can easily be removed temporarily, but I don't want to start taking up whole sections of track!<br />
<br />
Anyway, assuming this doesn't present too much of a problem, repositioning and re-fixing the cut-out sections should be fairly straightforward. I also don't foresee any problems with the overall strength of the baseboard once the pieces are cut out as the underframe will be left intact (I suppose there is a possibility if it proves impossible to access the screws that I could cut through the underframe sections as well, then add in new bracing pieces etc but that all seems like a bit too much effort for what is at the end of the day a fairly minor enhancement to the overall design of the layout!)<br />
<br />
Aside from this, the only real question mark hangs over how to make a gradual transition between the level and gradient. (This would be essential on the rear running line, although could potentially be avoided on the front sidings as they could be set on a continuous, even gradient along the whole length of the layout - or alternatively set on the level but at a slightly lower level than the other tracks.) Given that the baseboards are 8mm MDF unfortunately I don't think they'll bend sufficiently without some extra work. The only thing I can think of is to carefully make a series of lateral cuts through the MDF - without cutting through the underlay or trackwork, along the length of the transition gradient. It would need some sort of jig to hold the sections upside-down without damaging the track and, presumably, use of a cutting disc to avoid cutting through the underlay and track too!<br />
<br />
As I said, this is all a bit unconventional, but do-able I think. It might seem like a lot of effort for a potentially minor thing, but on a layout of this size every little detail helps, and I do think that it would be a worthwhile effort.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-36635567191103674942010-11-21T22:25:00.001+00:002010-11-21T22:27:00.297+00:00National Men In Anoraks ConventionI made the annual pilgrimage to the Warley Exhibition at the NEC today. I don't visit many model railway exhibitions but being only an hour's drive from the NEC, and it being the biggest show of the year, its a shame not to really - and it was well worth it (although my feet ache now from walking round all day!)<br />
<br />
I'm sure others will do a more thorough job of writing up the event, and if you were there then you'll have your own favourites, but here's a brief run-down of what caught my eye - in no particular order. (I'm afraid I only had my mobile phone with me so my photos weren't high enough quality to post on here really.)<br />
<br />
<b>Hadley Road</b><br />
A nice 0 gauge depiction of a fictional location on the GWR Forest of Dean branch, which captures the location very well with its heavily wooded backdrop, steep branch line gradient and characteristic station buildings. The corrugated-iron-clad coal screens are very similar to the sort of thing I envisage having on my layout, although mine will be modelled end-on.<br />
<br />
<b>De Hezelpoort 1927</b><br />
One word: jaw-dropping! It has 4mm figures RIDING BICYCLES along the street for goodness sake!!! The way the trains disappear off either end of the diorama without the aid of fiddle yards or cassettes is truly ingenious.<br />
<br />
<b>The Mumby Lumber Company</b><br />
Extremely high standard of detail and realism in the buildings and scenics. The interiors of the sawmill and workshop are simply outstanding.<br />
<br />
<b>Rymenzburger Chnollebahn</b><br />
Without a shadow of doubt this was the best-in-show for me. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but to me it's as close to perfection as you can get. I don't think I've ever seen such incredible REALISM and DETAIL. I just love the idiosyncratic agricultural prototype, little petrol engined 'locomotive', run-down, neglected atmosphere, digital sound, and... did I mention the DETAIL?! I just can't even begin to imagine how you go about achieving such realism in a model, even at this scale.<br />
<br />
<b>Ynysarwed Sidings</b><br />
I must admit I was a bit indifferent towards this layout when it was featured in MRJ not so long ago, but 'in the flesh' it made quite an impact and is one of the best 2mm layouts I've seen.<br />
<br />
<b>Bridport Town</b><br />
A very high standard of modelling. In a way, a little on the 'clean/neat' side for me, but still there was something about it that caught my eye. I particularly liked the way the exchange sidings and end of the main line platform are modelled at the front of the layout as a static feature - it shows a bit of out-of-the-box thinking, adding a significant dimension to the layout as a whole, despite only taking up a minimum of space.<br />
<br />
<b>Penlan</b><br />
The scenery on this layout is very effective and realistic for what is a reasonably large layout. The overall effect is extremely convincing, cohesive and realistic.<br />
<br />
<b>Pattingham</b><br />
Although not one of my 'top' layouts of the day, this one just caught my eye because it drew my attention to the sheer amount of 0 gauge you can fit in such a small space, without it feeling unnecessarily cramped.<br />
<br />
<b>Gas Works</b><br />
Another 7mm scale layout. I love the way the buildings really do tower over the railway and dominate the whole layout - extremely effective.<br />
<br />
<b>Ellis Road</b><br />
And yet more 7mm...! (Does anyone else get the feeling I'm modelling in the wrong scale?!) Another interesting and very nicely detailed 'shunting plank'. I thought I'd seen this in MRJ but a quick check on my modelrailwayjournal.com website seems to suggest otherwise.<br />
<br />
<b>Gas station diorama by Kathy Millat</b><br />
I don't know much about this except that I almost missed it as it was just sitting in a glass case on a table with some other stuff. I wish it had been a bit better displayed as the level of detail looked absolutely incredible. No railway, but for sheer realism it looked amazing. Does anyone know anything more about this?<br />
<br />
Well, there you go. Honourable mention should perhaps go to Copenhagen Fields - just for the sheer impact it makes when you see such a vast 2mm scale model. There were too many people and too much to really take it in, but it certainly elicited a 'wow' when I saw it! Also, Barmouth Bridge - the backscene really makes this one. And Wansbeck Road which is looking good with its recent extension.<br />
<br />
I left with a bag full of bits and pieces from Squires Tools, a few more back issues of Great Western Railway Journal to add to my slowly growing collection, and a copy of Wild Swan's brand new book "The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway" (which will be put away till Christmas!).Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-82201587098221472032010-11-20T20:17:00.000+00:002010-11-20T20:17:07.637+00:00Lego TOUsSo, in true Lego style, here's a step by step guide to making your own Lego turnout operating unit!<br />
<div><br />
First, here's the completed unit - slightly modified since the previous photo to make it a little more compact, and to reduce the length of 'throw'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAYS-HICO1cLoW5mYQ9LDfPaP5VS_x8WtxD1v2C9IFK2_HDAEEKTPlo6u7zeD8AhInZhMWbNSyHFVGY7IwgO2SwFkzRoEpqwO56CBtgZ3JHa-EtyuBd2oVeyZFNIKVnVejrKv4w/s1600/complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAYS-HICO1cLoW5mYQ9LDfPaP5VS_x8WtxD1v2C9IFK2_HDAEEKTPlo6u7zeD8AhInZhMWbNSyHFVGY7IwgO2SwFkzRoEpqwO56CBtgZ3JHa-EtyuBd2oVeyZFNIKVnVejrKv4w/s320/complete.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are all the pieces that are required for each unit. I cheated slightly by cutting the 8x2 flat strip into 3 pieces using a razor saw but there are 'real' pieces made to these sizes. The colours obviously are down to personal taste! In addition to the Lego you need a length of hollow brass tubing (mine is about 2.5mm dia with a 1mm dia central bore (the length depends on the thickness of your baseboard - it needs to be long enough to extend up to just below track level, in my case about 4cm).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyImZchzgga2S-9-1w8AwLYZWQeI_MNpBRseCPtKRQv_dWCZ4IUbXEhoKCUgT2KK_HsQJnOn0ZwHg56E5YBWOjXsqGccnk6U1hqe1ZeW9PhC0kd4c4YPozCOSz2d_yZTVjk3MC0A/s1600/all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyImZchzgga2S-9-1w8AwLYZWQeI_MNpBRseCPtKRQv_dWCZ4IUbXEhoKCUgT2KK_HsQJnOn0ZwHg56E5YBWOjXsqGccnk6U1hqe1ZeW9PhC0kd4c4YPozCOSz2d_yZTVjk3MC0A/s320/all.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Using a round needle file, file notches in adjacent faces of the 12x1 pieces so that when placed together they provide a tight fit for the brass tube.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEUxxlSy9YmfsZ4Mzzkdbm1DO9sTKQ2X4J72CD1CeSTdm3bUZmGpRQfKeFjkDR4kU_UFRxLJnwlivveaWNnle1SZKaxwQaanSNJ7EnDrZn8wP5sbL2FODm4F9EUKfBJi5jFhbqQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEUxxlSy9YmfsZ4Mzzkdbm1DO9sTKQ2X4J72CD1CeSTdm3bUZmGpRQfKeFjkDR4kU_UFRxLJnwlivveaWNnle1SZKaxwQaanSNJ7EnDrZn8wP5sbL2FODm4F9EUKfBJi5jFhbqQ/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Insert a connecting 'pin' into either end of one of the strips.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZshzXKQ8D8lrvhP2Rgi9FMp1OEHp5wlObosWJKtihZZx8Po4ktyOPNIEo4VPeUYBLqbUJininmVOJ7KAZBfpRgcO8mPSca7CdJN98On6nIc6Ui4HTmrBhIjBdAB6Zbd-lP1jzw/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZshzXKQ8D8lrvhP2Rgi9FMp1OEHp5wlObosWJKtihZZx8Po4ktyOPNIEo4VPeUYBLqbUJininmVOJ7KAZBfpRgcO8mPSca7CdJN98On6nIc6Ui4HTmrBhIjBdAB6Zbd-lP1jzw/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Clip the two strips together.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpO1aFqfr2FimTcu83VQxRMmI9jzdZ4CN4n43zLxSfHNSorpJo53Z-bUAdwbyBz3EiZ9MD2QiL9vQxoQ5ts6krTrjrGhVr_lAIXWuhLESpVjmElid0QlPZyH9UymCIVKp3XwyXew/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpO1aFqfr2FimTcu83VQxRMmI9jzdZ4CN4n43zLxSfHNSorpJo53Z-bUAdwbyBz3EiZ9MD2QiL9vQxoQ5ts6krTrjrGhVr_lAIXWuhLESpVjmElid0QlPZyH9UymCIVKp3XwyXew/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Insert 4 pins into the outer faces of the strips as below. These act as stoppers limiting the 'throw' of the unit.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7FK3dK6ryxsYg8L_HN9cutKU2Jkb5InIGpGanqRpqy5xSJZFRUcax6Se40QrzPn8BpQIPweO9vgDQ_mJuWCcTS1YK6fLKqs_wIQhHI8KRpFwkqIxR0xVWFE5nVhfiXJT7XjAOQ/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7FK3dK6ryxsYg8L_HN9cutKU2Jkb5InIGpGanqRpqy5xSJZFRUcax6Se40QrzPn8BpQIPweO9vgDQ_mJuWCcTS1YK6fLKqs_wIQhHI8KRpFwkqIxR0xVWFE5nVhfiXJT7XjAOQ/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">5. Add reinforcing pieces to the underside at either end.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiylwvif2FsfzdALNCGEHPVlaZd24aIytlYQffd0VkX6VC_lucb-lShoa5k0fh_1QU9NIjwb2Zgi7_rijai7_A-S5KUp4L_sFDHpem89jWuBp6HPYsM3N_3tP1RCi_28313h6eBw/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiylwvif2FsfzdALNCGEHPVlaZd24aIytlYQffd0VkX6VC_lucb-lShoa5k0fh_1QU9NIjwb2Zgi7_rijai7_A-S5KUp4L_sFDHpem89jWuBp6HPYsM3N_3tP1RCi_28313h6eBw/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. Add reinforcing pieces on top.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Vxf_IURFfCpW4zCi5yOyqHjakH6wT_ohMiY2C3G-DAwnAVv6QkMGfsAHyWamrlp-_0NXTRqWLtop2NRAq8n_Lgt7zpH5Qc-Oa55ZQyQ9J8fOin6uO8__ihwt4PKiGUd16TV3g/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Vxf_IURFfCpW4zCi5yOyqHjakH6wT_ohMiY2C3G-DAwnAVv6QkMGfsAHyWamrlp-_0NXTRqWLtop2NRAq8n_Lgt7zpH5Qc-Oa55ZQyQ9J8fOin6uO8__ihwt4PKiGUd16TV3g/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7. File the tops off the two 2x1 pieces.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWDN6llvsLd2jSajvIwqZXmWayBxBKIRuJxC_r3UdHMwbaLMn7s-T1YIMfvau-7hl7FEAi7uIdZclTLlQBE5jnevxdSdEye0fD_AyRlmfJnK3aUI1HNFJUCTGjwF-GrMWGV4WcA/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWDN6llvsLd2jSajvIwqZXmWayBxBKIRuJxC_r3UdHMwbaLMn7s-T1YIMfvau-7hl7FEAi7uIdZclTLlQBE5jnevxdSdEye0fD_AyRlmfJnK3aUI1HNFJUCTGjwF-GrMWGV4WcA/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">8. Clip the 2x1 pieces to the protruding pins at one end. These reduce the throw of the unit slightly more (may need removing once everything is hooked up depending how much 'give' there is in the whole assembly.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMW21PyKMF3VrIVRZuWl_ABcPF3LEVE1LEP74Q0xHUSPxwh3MkjThHV51YH5vOLqBzw8fxpAWO8c5aQFunb1i_1eQDh4lYGfijpei7TOHW5oufTH5-VPUeLK5EersX7enzDeUFA/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMW21PyKMF3VrIVRZuWl_ABcPF3LEVE1LEP74Q0xHUSPxwh3MkjThHV51YH5vOLqBzw8fxpAWO8c5aQFunb1i_1eQDh4lYGfijpei7TOHW5oufTH5-VPUeLK5EersX7enzDeUFA/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">9. Insert the brass tube. The exact height can be adjusted once the unit has been installed, and the rod fixed in place.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatdyE0C9_Cb3bJyma58rQ4MFk1yWE5KQeqVaR7NBHs-2IoX3aJxZHGA4Ukzm3RzXzLQwS7Sflcb2WUun4BYr7XAogRmrz8s0fVOPztv37e7EFVhXlbwyDODWrq97B4vKYZF1uYw/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatdyE0C9_Cb3bJyma58rQ4MFk1yWE5KQeqVaR7NBHs-2IoX3aJxZHGA4Ukzm3RzXzLQwS7Sflcb2WUun4BYr7XAogRmrz8s0fVOPztv37e7EFVhXlbwyDODWrq97B4vKYZF1uYw/s320/9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">10. Drill guide holes for screws in the four corners of the baseplate.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmanwU8jA1YmfXSj8UGrlb_u2vwH9ezeay8GCf-N9-H6XIb2F2CsZ7NFQqQwiskb6VT4V5gsds1Gug7qhKj3LxLpPX40ShHjumrZp3KZGoo9opIALYr6dvjE6gxHaZvHNgROGsQ/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmanwU8jA1YmfXSj8UGrlb_u2vwH9ezeay8GCf-N9-H6XIb2F2CsZ7NFQqQwiskb6VT4V5gsds1Gug7qhKj3LxLpPX40ShHjumrZp3KZGoo9opIALYr6dvjE6gxHaZvHNgROGsQ/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">11. File the tops of the centre two strips of the 4x4 piece (the exact amount will be determined by the ease with which the moving bar slides back and forth once the unit is fully assembled - it doesn't want to be too loose or too tight).</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RozNJ6OAmloMDlsdxyJsOsTEKCmKoS1uuGmv6OgRjZU1C9tu_CKdAhBwn7oKHzln8dvt7yuEDE6al7NFH0vgUvCPNJUBvHsNK_-RiDJlfQBK9Snoaw9G-4Zk5MBt-djinayQbg/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RozNJ6OAmloMDlsdxyJsOsTEKCmKoS1uuGmv6OgRjZU1C9tu_CKdAhBwn7oKHzln8dvt7yuEDE6al7NFH0vgUvCPNJUBvHsNK_-RiDJlfQBK9Snoaw9G-4Zk5MBt-djinayQbg/s320/11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
12. Add te 6x1 pieces on either side of the 4x4 piece.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3fW7aivgOO7Yt_F4ZzhFwKKw_RLdHC8_qowVaXtnmTVcqv4N0a0B8IKGZ3YcjgDcBuKQsV0uIvDUNA7mYQXon227WlZaUOHSX6gvy_Y5O_1BwUrJX2ue9zD3J5wmH_inbtn15w/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3fW7aivgOO7Yt_F4ZzhFwKKw_RLdHC8_qowVaXtnmTVcqv4N0a0B8IKGZ3YcjgDcBuKQsV0uIvDUNA7mYQXon227WlZaUOHSX6gvy_Y5O_1BwUrJX2ue9zD3J5wmH_inbtn15w/s320/12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
13. Add the 6x1 flat pieces on top of these.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54jnOOzDMwKvIsmwBkrNahyphenhyphenQnWC8e16wHgi4IquMs2GRNcuIS9En3JMYIXY7N9t_YGk9UjLv9quxKL6PGuhKzKJJfa1XEd0zpZmb_BIf6KcMi2lUMG6DP3H7d6gzGXA0nvoH6ZA/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54jnOOzDMwKvIsmwBkrNahyphenhyphenQnWC8e16wHgi4IquMs2GRNcuIS9En3JMYIXY7N9t_YGk9UjLv9quxKL6PGuhKzKJJfa1XEd0zpZmb_BIf6KcMi2lUMG6DP3H7d6gzGXA0nvoH6ZA/s320/13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
14. Insert the sliding bar.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTb90iDX732EmhIFkdEPp4l9Pxz5GMlB1SB5z0RX9rm-_psTHOzShEf5JsPCAzzYEjgDdGsaxUks23Fn149K9-GVm7kfwuCLrgsrYB5FabRPqgBbtFtyxJ9IVu5zmtC8IJcM9tRw/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTb90iDX732EmhIFkdEPp4l9Pxz5GMlB1SB5z0RX9rm-_psTHOzShEf5JsPCAzzYEjgDdGsaxUks23Fn149K9-GVm7kfwuCLrgsrYB5FabRPqgBbtFtyxJ9IVu5zmtC8IJcM9tRw/s320/14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
15. Complete the unit with the 6x4 piece on top.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYDgL5Ni5910Wc2ih5ltmSOVx2Fi_qThVPtGjCxoQhWtcNEhw0SFw72gNWCpBYq6eWM3DpMSKSZgOkFvQqj95V3waVTgHXKBHf-Mtgx6Q5MKiSOXDdhhCkO0R6M5zcDx_O5P5tw/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYDgL5Ni5910Wc2ih5ltmSOVx2Fi_qThVPtGjCxoQhWtcNEhw0SFw72gNWCpBYq6eWM3DpMSKSZgOkFvQqj95V3waVTgHXKBHf-Mtgx6Q5MKiSOXDdhhCkO0R6M5zcDx_O5P5tw/s320/15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Here's a close-up of the slot drilled through the baseboard adjacent to the tiebar. The brass rod attached to the TOU will project up through this hole to surface level.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFBqaYDH4YWfvUCs0jnDDsG5WbTOC-8pWFdKRAKUt3MU2Ozo9LtVPQo3fVzngp9Y2Ao4sDjQnEwDiaLz9BJjkhTGINDgLYzSdMsVp5C9gZd8hM_9kUtCBBoRXMBKsh8Fo1nl42w/s1600/track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFBqaYDH4YWfvUCs0jnDDsG5WbTOC-8pWFdKRAKUt3MU2Ozo9LtVPQo3fVzngp9Y2Ao4sDjQnEwDiaLz9BJjkhTGINDgLYzSdMsVp5C9gZd8hM_9kUtCBBoRXMBKsh8Fo1nl42w/s320/track.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And the hole drilled in the front of the layout from which the operating bar will protrude. Once everything is in place this will be covered over and disguised by point levers/cranks etc.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduWoMSnBPf-TiT3ormH22pWlI63sEQtjlNvImnS5AVhpjbrWwlj5eepQdD67Ec1U0latorSTtOGhwxhuGKPfvhjMd7ugZcQVT2LjNum0cR1ZS5-eMHmfvFPWS4F4zu5YWEgIX-g/s1600/hole-side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduWoMSnBPf-TiT3ormH22pWlI63sEQtjlNvImnS5AVhpjbrWwlj5eepQdD67Ec1U0latorSTtOGhwxhuGKPfvhjMd7ugZcQVT2LjNum0cR1ZS5-eMHmfvFPWS4F4zu5YWEgIX-g/s320/hole-side.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="241" /></a></div><div><br />
Next job - fit the TOUs to the underside of the baseboard. Then install the operating rods (still need to think up a locking mechanism and figure out how polarity switching will be managed). Finally, install the tiebars and surface level operating rods which will locate into the top of the brass rod.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-39418813730803672992010-11-19T09:16:00.001+00:002010-11-19T09:16:20.260+00:00<p><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfBbQE0M2QEy5F_WOLmnnChCsDv1VxLtrW864Wr-Ve7ftA8UJ4OBD61atyg67YPA31pmk5pjUZhc7xf85pEMLXHomhP39Va1uL5OhBdNqAXrQ8zy0ne4SIAJz47DMloo1qsyjIw/'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfBbQE0M2QEy5F_WOLmnnChCsDv1VxLtrW864Wr-Ve7ftA8UJ4OBD61atyg67YPA31pmk5pjUZhc7xf85pEMLXHomhP39Va1uL5OhBdNqAXrQ8zy0ne4SIAJz47DMloo1qsyjIw/s400/IMG_20101119_090822.jpg' /></a></p> <br/> <br/> Cutting and filing away cork underlay around the turnouts ready for the tiebars and point rodding. A messy job! If I'd used scale thickness timbers this wouldn't be necessary.<div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-73253029012859411782010-11-14T20:18:00.001+00:002010-11-14T20:18:17.723+00:00<p><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-em8941oJ8WCjxSL0a7Nx_PSRutzmiIsYhZsntvn1l54piaPbtl7XvxH0kqLfLfLViTXrdlWZ9TzWZEYOtPFoeiBNjxwMy5XHQuf-MoKVaRERNlPVRfRIa1B8iDFpFn6ModDZw/'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-em8941oJ8WCjxSL0a7Nx_PSRutzmiIsYhZsntvn1l54piaPbtl7XvxH0kqLfLfLViTXrdlWZ9TzWZEYOtPFoeiBNjxwMy5XHQuf-MoKVaRERNlPVRfRIa1B8iDFpFn6ModDZw/s400/IMG_20101114_192936-picsay.jpg' /></a></p> <br/> <br/> (Apologies for the photo quality and childish labels... taken and edited with my phone just now!) <br/> <br/> This is the result of 5 minutes rummaging around in the parents garage and a couple of minutes rooting around the Lego box for the right bits... <br/> <br/> The blue baseplate will be screwed to the underside of the baseboard (the opposite way up from in the picture). The brass tube that will project up through the baseboard will be inserted vertically through the holes in the sliding bar and be securely fixed in place with epoxy, and the operating rod/wire attached through the horizontal hole at the end. <br/> <br/> Simples! I made 3 of these in about 5 minutes. They're surprisingly robust. I don't even think the Lego blocks need glueing together. The sliding bars just require a bit of light filing across the top/bottom so they're not too stiff. <br/> <br/> I find the incongruity of a P4 layout with Lego turnout operating units rather amusing!<div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-66284501409984196932010-11-13T22:38:00.001+00:002010-11-13T22:38:12.245+00:00You know what? My comment about Lego may not have been such a silly suggestion after all! Watch this space...<div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-91157496444153923852010-11-12T22:46:00.000+00:002010-11-12T22:46:08.332+00:00Turnout operationWell well well, there's life on this blog after all! Sorry for the absence of anything at all on here for the last few months folks, but basically nothing much has happened in that time!<br />
<br />
However, I decided I really needed to just get on and do something - <i>anything</i>! I must confess to having a brief moment or two recently when I wondered if I should just jack in the whole P4 malarkey on the basis that <i>it </i>was to blame for my lack of progress, but I soon saw sense and realised that actually it's got nothing to do with the gauge or scale I happen to have chosen and a lot to do with the realities of daily life, coupled with a general tendency to get sidetracked into other things for months on end!<br />
<br />
Anyway, the two key areas that have been holding things up for goodness knows how long are: getting the turnouts operational, and getting my first P4-converted loco up and running. Both are less than straightforward, although this has been due in large part to a kind of rabbit-in-the-headlights instinct - it all seems t0o overwhelming so I'll just stand here rooted to the spot and do nothing...!<br />
<br />
The best course of action in these situations is to break things down into manageable chunks. So I decided I should start with the turnouts. They're built, and the Masokits tiebars are ready to install, but that's as far as I'd got. 1) I'm concerned that when I try to solder the tiebars to the switch blades I'll end up de-soldering the tiebars themselves and undoing all the hours of work I put in assembling them in the first place! 2) I really don't know how I'm going to operate them.<br />
<br />
OK, so the soldering business is just one of those things where I think you have to give it a go and hope for the best, and if the worst does happen then you just have to bite the bullet and backtrack a bit. Living and learning and all that!<br />
<br />
But on the operational side of things, some careful thought and planning was needed. I've spent hours in the past reading up on various different solutions for turnout operation, but none of it has ever quite fallen into place for me. What I need is a solution that is simple, low-tech, idiot-proof, and that I can put together using the most basic and readily available 'ingredients' possible.<br />
<br />
So, having a day off work, I popped down to B&Q to see what bits and pieces I could collect together. Perhaps this was the wrong way round to be doing things, but, as I say, sometimes you just have to get out there and do something, even if it is in the wrong order! (Actually, I did spend most of yesterday evening reading various posts on the Scalefour Society forum and RMWeb about turnout operation which planted a few new ideas and revived a few old ones.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, to cut a long story short, after a half hour or so browsing the aisles at B&Q, and a few pounds spent on random bits and pieces which may or may not come in useful, and then an hour or so sat with pen and paper musing over various ideas, I have come up with a plan. Well, half a plan anyway!<br />
<br />
Here it is!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_juNfFnT8BTc/TN2yYfpIWUI/AAAAAAAB6Ao/s0dU3yIHpQ8/s1600/IMG_20101112_170356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_juNfFnT8BTc/TN2yYfpIWUI/AAAAAAAB6Ao/s0dU3yIHpQ8/s320/IMG_20101112_170356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'm not expecting you to be able to figure out what it is just by looking at that load of scribbles though, so I'll try to explain roughly what I have come up with so far.<br />
<br />
I had already decided that I'd follow the recommendation that comes with the Masokits tiebars and attach 0.5mm wire that will run out under the stock rail. This will terminate in a 90 degree bend and a couple of millimetres of wire locating downwards into the top end of a piece of brass tube projecting through a slot in the baseboard up to surface level. The bit I hadn't figured out before was what the tube would be attached to underneath or how it would be moved! However, the theory at least is that the turnout/tiebar/wire assembly above the baseboard will be a separate unit from whatever is underneath the baseboard (including the vertical tube), hopefully making life a little easier when it comes to assembling everything (and potentially, disassembling it if that should ever be necessary in the future) as they can be dealt with completely seperately.<br />
<br />
For better or worse, I had already ruled out electrical point operation, or memory wire, or anything else that relies on purchasing 'specialist' equipment. As cheap and simple and basic as possible, that's what I'm after!#<br />
<br />
So, to try and figure out what exactly was necessary.<br />
<br />
Well, the first thing is, the tube that projects up through the slot in the baseboard needs to be held absolutely vertical with no possibility of 'wobble'. It needs to be attached securely and firmly to something under the baseboard. As I don't have the necessary tools to work with metal, the obvious answer is a block of wood, with a hole drilled to the exact diameter of the tubing, allowing it to be held firmly and vertically. Then this block needs to be able to slide back and forth under the baseboard in a controlled manner - in some sort of metal or plastic channel attached to the underside of the baseboard in which the wooden block can run. It will also need stoppers/buffers at each end so it can only slide the required 2 or 3mm to throw the switch blades - this will stop any undue stresses being placed on the turnout itself.<br />
<br />
Then the sliding block needs attaching to some sort of rod which will allow for manual operation from the front or back of the layout. I bought a coil of galvanised steel garden wire from B&Q along with one of those hollow net curtain wires. The steel wire runs nicely inside the net curtain wire, which can be attached to the underside of the baseboard using cable clips (the sort of thing you use to attach telephone cables to walls). At one end the wire will simply be bent 90 degrees and threaded through the end of the sliding wooden block, and at the other end it will protrude out of the baseboard edge.<br />
<br />
This just leaves the question of (a) how to translate a movement of say a couple of centimetres at the baseboard edge to the 2 or 3mm required at the turnout itself and (b) how to 'lock' the whole thing one way or the other.<br />
<br />
With regard to (a), by far the simplest solution to me seems to be to form a loop in the wire (without the constraints of the net curtain wire sheath at this point) which would act as a basic kind of spring. The wire is stiff enough that the loop would not diffuse the initial movement entirely, but flexible enough to take up the excess movement, so allowing a 2cm movement at one end to be translated to 2 or 3mm at the other, with the stress being taken up entirely by the loop in the wire - the stoppers/buffers on the sliding block mechanism ensuring that it and the turnout above don't take any unnecessary strain.<br />
<br />
With regard to (b), I have yet to come up with a solution, but again - I'm looking for the least complex one!!<br />
<br />
Polarity switching will be achieved by means of simple connectors engaging with the wire or sliding block (again, not entirely sure how but as simple and non-technical as possible!).<br />
<br />
I know that to the engineers out there this will all sound so ridiculously Heath Robinson-ish (whoever Heath Robinson is) that I'll probably be laughed out of town, but so be it! I'm not an engineer and honestly don't care what the stuff under the baseboard looks like, as long as it works, is reliable, and is quick, easy and cheap to make. If I had to make it out of Lego to achieve those aims I'd have no shame in doing so!!<br />
<br />
Anyway, let's see if I can actually have anything to show for all this in a reasonable timescale.... Set your reminders for 2015!!!!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-54010115609033458632010-08-05T13:48:00.000+01:002010-08-05T13:48:28.308+01:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Sorry there hasn't been much activity on here recently - my spare time of late has been all but taken up with various DIY jobs around the house and garden that I've been putting off for too long. On top of that, we just swapped round our 2-year-old daughter's bedroom with what was previously the office/railway room - a job that required some juggling of furniture in confined spaces! The layout was covered with a bin liner and taped all round to keep the dust out and remains in that state at the moment, now situated in the new, much smaller office/railway room which is awaiting a repaint, new shelving, etc. So I doubt much will happen on the modelling front until that gets sorted out, which could be a while.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-56256968958112710882010-05-01T15:34:00.000+01:002010-05-01T15:34:33.882+01:00Coal screens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-kZploYRG-DE4SnlqcyGFqdhIXpNTqoi4Hyo2AmZPlho7mekwRTL0V00sSno2IQma4nwjo6zSJA0Ap1IbeRpulE8suVMk5X_BXbumiYvYX8MZXYCMvEVN-kU-aQ9fLx7xr9_mA/s1600/coal-screens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-kZploYRG-DE4SnlqcyGFqdhIXpNTqoi4Hyo2AmZPlho7mekwRTL0V00sSno2IQma4nwjo6zSJA0Ap1IbeRpulE8suVMk5X_BXbumiYvYX8MZXYCMvEVN-kU-aQ9fLx7xr9_mA/s320/coal-screens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A few weeks ago I did this quick sketch to illustrate what I tried to describe in my last post. It shows the screens and wagonway at the left hand end of the layout. It's not intended as a work of art (clearly!) but hopefully gives a rough impression of what I have in mind, although it's still highly conceptual in terms of details.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-6040449861155458482010-03-22T22:23:00.000+00:002010-03-22T22:23:07.713+00:00Developments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Just over a year ago (is it really that long?!) I posted <a href="http://line2nowhere.blogspot.com/2009/01/quick-sketch-of-layout.html">a couple of</a> <a href="http://line2nowhere.blogspot.com/2009/02/another-quick-sketch.html">rough sketches</a> showing some ideas for the layout. Since then I have managed to get all the track laid, but that's about it. Despite the painfully slow progress, on the positive side it has allowed for my ideas to develop and evolve a little more.<br />
<br />
Since I originally came up with the track plan, one of the difficulties was trying to decide on a 'back story' for the layout that would tie things together and define it a little more. (I suppose I should have got that sorted before the track plan but there we go!)<br />
<br />
Around the same time I was inspired by <a href="http://line2nowhere.blogspot.com/2009/02/inspiration-for-industrial-buildings.html">some photos of the</a> <a href="http://line2nowhere.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-melingriffith-photos.html">Melingriffith Tinplate Works</a> but I didn't want to go down the route of modelling a private industrial complex as such. Then I suggested the idea of a branch line that had lost its passenger service, with the sidings at the front perhaps being part of a goods yard with the old station just 'off scene'. However, this was all rather vague and I still felt something wasn't quite right about it.<br />
<br />
(You might ask whether its entirely necessary to have a cohesive back story for such a diminutive layout, but its important to me - maybe even more so given the layout's small size, as it helps to set the small part you actually see within a wider imagined setting and context.)<br />
<br />
Recently, through reading a number of books, I have been greatly inspired by the railways of the Forest of Dean and this has proved a huge inspiration in thinking about the layout.<br />
<br />
I'm now pretty firmly decided that it should be set within the Forest of Dean during the late 1950s/early 60s. The single through-line would be one of the branches (such as the Coleford or Lydbrook branches - although I'm happy for these sort of specifics to remain vague) that ran off the main line through the forest, serving various collieries, stone works and the like. The line diverging from the loop siding at the back will be a secondary branch or long siding leading to one such facility some distance 'off stage', and the sidings at the front (for which I've had most difficulty coming up with a convincing purpose in the past) will serve loading screens for a closer to hand (though still off stage) colliery.<br />
<br />
The screens themselves will be of fairly simple, corrugated iron construction and relatively low profile as some at the smaller collieries were (suitably rusty and dilapidated of course for the era and atmosphere I want to portray). The sidings, which currently end a few inches short of the baseboard edge, will be extended up to the very edge, with the screens (in reality built in half relief) covering the last 4 or 5 inches. (A 'proscenium arch' type arrangement will eventually help to hide the front edges at either side and create the impression of the scene continuing to the left and right.)<br />
<br />
Running down from the back of the layout (where it will emerge from the trees) and into the top of the screens will be a trestle-supported rope-worked tubway (which could be made operational) to carry the coal from the pithead (off stage through the trees at the rear) to the screens. This, along with the screens themselves, and suitably placed small trees and scrubby undergrowth, will help to hide/disguise the 'holes in the sky' where the tracks exit to the left.<br />
<br />
The right hand end of the layout will remain as I have always imagined it, with a bridge carrying a minor forest road across the railway and disguising the exit at that end. At the back the road will bend round and be hidden by trees and at the front the proscenium arch (and more trees) will hide it. The ground will rise up steeply all along the back of the layout with trees and bushes disguising the join with the backscene.<br />
<br />
I know a picture would be better, but I haven't got round to it yet, so these words will have to suffice for now!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337599.post-20671016237070293422010-01-24T20:48:00.000+00:002010-01-24T20:48:08.134+00:00Encouragement for slow modellers!For anyone who, like me, is concerned at the rate of their modelling progress - take a look at Martin Goodall, who gives us an update on his 'Burford Branch' layout in the latest issue of MRJ (196). The layout was conceived in 1974, work started in 1981... and it still isn't finished!<br />
<br />
OK, so his layout is slightly larger than my eight square feet, but nonetheless I feel encouraged to know there are others for whom progress is similarly slow! One comment in particular resonates with me: "I suppose that, when it comes to the point, I have never felt there was any urgency in completing this layout; the design concept and the process of its gradual realisation are more important to me than the finished product."<br />
<br />
Despite this I wouldn't really like to think I'll still be building this particular layout in 20 years from now... but I do think its quite possible that if I do complete this one and move on to another it might well be a reworking of the same concept, just on a slightly larger scale. The amount of time that has gone into (and is still going into) establishing a complete and convincing mental picture of how I want the finished layout to look, means that it is already beginning to take on a life of its own, despite in real terms still only being track on a bare baseboard.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262907669256531193noreply@blogger.com0