tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706694562716361902024-03-13T11:37:14.732-04:00Anthony Yeates' 2mm BlogAnthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-84880379323841651182019-04-20T05:11:00.001-04:002019-04-20T05:16:30.967-04:00Banking tank<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As well as the signal cabin, the previous post showed my first (almost-) completed loco, a Drummond 0-6-4T "banking tank". This has been my main modelling project for the last few months, and I'm happy with how it has come together. As you can see, it still needs crankpin washers (I can't find the packet which I'm fairly sure I bought years ago from the 2mm shop!), transfers (I've drawn the artwork for these but am waiting for them to be produced), vacuum pipes, and tablet capture apparatus on the cab sides.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--N7ZBLO5FEo/XLrciIY7oVI/AAAAAAAABRs/uuuk6suhmNQ48UxgFVG73Kk9Dbp316CtwCLcBGAs/s1600/2019-04-20%2B08.33.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--N7ZBLO5FEo/XLrciIY7oVI/AAAAAAAABRs/uuuk6suhmNQ48UxgFVG73Kk9Dbp316CtwCLcBGAs/s400/2019-04-20%2B08.33.06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Below is a view of the chassis as it stands - the next step here is to fit a decoder, which will probably go in the coal bunker. Running is not bad, and hopefully will improve with running in a bit more. I've weighed the body down with some chunks of lead in the side tanks and the front of the boiler, but it looks like I might need a bit of weight at the rear end too - I'm not sure.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5t-Pz7FUBI/XLrciPwixOI/AAAAAAAABR4/dXkOhErFTtsL_cpMa53fG5zex6uC-suPgCEwYBhgL/s1600/2019-04-20%2B08.35.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5t-Pz7FUBI/XLrciPwixOI/AAAAAAAABR4/dXkOhErFTtsL_cpMa53fG5zex6uC-suPgCEwYBhgL/s400/2019-04-20%2B08.35.57.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The motor is an Association flat can, driving through a 30:1 worm and a 14:25 reduction with M0.3 spur gears to the central driving axle.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Ax9HWJGiog/XLrceaCaD1I/AAAAAAAABR8/NN2JsA4jkzMy_oRAfGLLtWz9MFtWkJSzACEwYBhgL/s1600/2019-01-02%2B17.38.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Ax9HWJGiog/XLrceaCaD1I/AAAAAAAABR8/NN2JsA4jkzMy_oRAfGLLtWz9MFtWkJSzACEwYBhgL/s400/2019-01-02%2B17.38.03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This exploded view shows the chassis in bits, prior to painting. As well as the coupling rods, I etched templates for the sideframes along with the body, and these templates were used to help cut the frames by hand out of thicker (18 thou, I think) nickel-silver. They are joined with PCB spacer strip from the Association shop. I milled a box for the worm gear out of a chunk of brass, and this screws on to one of the frames to allow for a bit of adjustment. A 12BA bolt at either end of the chassis screws up into a nut soldered in the body.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxRFu-aBYyY/XLrcdjqs5AI/AAAAAAAABRw/QfumHoBgfzA1eq6YFEl1XG-qiCQV-WeDQCEwYBhgL/s1600/2019-01-02%2B17.32.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxRFu-aBYyY/XLrcdjqs5AI/AAAAAAAABRw/QfumHoBgfzA1eq6YFEl1XG-qiCQV-WeDQCEwYBhgL/s400/2019-01-02%2B17.32.13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The bogie was made in a similar way, i.e. with the sideframes cut out by hand and a PCB spacer. As you see in this top view, they have a tab that folds up on to the PCB - this is to provide a bearing surface for the spring-cum-pick up that bears down on the bogie from the main chassis. In the centre of the bogie (top and bottom) there is a square brass washer with a hole for the fixing screw. The bogie is free to slide up and down on this screw. In fact, the hole is elongated sideways, in order to give the bogie a bit of sideplay (this is limited as I didn't allow much width in the centre section of the spacer!). The screw itself is just a 12BA bolt with a length of brass tube soldered on. Another length of brass tubing is soldered into a hole through the main chassis (see picture below), and finally a nut soldered on top.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5EiQ-lOmTw/XLrcgH1q-II/AAAAAAAABR8/M028Pi9M_sMO3cOrBqL7dLP3doelrP_wQCEwYBhgL/s1600/2019-01-02%2B17.40.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1571" data-original-width="1600" height="392" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5EiQ-lOmTw/XLrcgH1q-II/AAAAAAAABR8/M028Pi9M_sMO3cOrBqL7dLP3doelrP_wQCEwYBhgL/s400/2019-01-02%2B17.40.33.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The body itself was made from my own etch, although this didn't include the boiler or any of the various details. The etched cab roof turned out to be too flimsy so I made a new one from 10 thou material. In the photo at the top you can see that this is still loose and might be glued down once I am happy it is running ok and have fitted the decoder etc. The boiler furniture represent my first attempt at turning these items on the lathe, and I was pleasantly surprised with how straightforward these were (although they are not 100% dimensionally accurate!).</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TxRKctfer1M/XLrcf7WrqOI/AAAAAAAABR0/VlGr4_49JgUWQnrfKKO-yBPt6KLQk3WRACEwYBhgL/s1600/2019-01-02%2B17.39.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TxRKctfer1M/XLrcf7WrqOI/AAAAAAAABR0/VlGr4_49JgUWQnrfKKO-yBPt6KLQk3WRACEwYBhgL/s400/2019-01-02%2B17.39.47.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-62602789115361444602019-04-20T04:44:00.002-04:002019-04-20T04:45:48.424-04:00Completed signal cabin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RzPsXsjkgZQ/XLrbMwnQxeI/AAAAAAAABRI/4YfGpgTRyu0sb7irmJS7eKY8lhkmYuDlwCLcBGAs/s1600/2019-04-20%2B08.33.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RzPsXsjkgZQ/XLrbMwnQxeI/AAAAAAAABRI/4YfGpgTRyu0sb7irmJS7eKY8lhkmYuDlwCLcBGAs/s400/2019-04-20%2B08.33.50.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a photo of the painted signal cabin on the layout, although I haven't yet bedded it in to the surrounding ground.</div>
Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-35526903708114734432018-11-03T14:49:00.001-04:002018-11-03T14:49:13.816-04:00Signal cabin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Currently I'm working on the signal cabin for Corrieshalloch. This is the last major building planned for the layout. There would have been one of these at each end of the station, controlling each end of the crossing loop, but my layout only features one end of the station.<br />
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The cabin is based on drawings of one of the two cabins at Garve, albeit in mirror image. Here are a couple of photos of the present state of construction:<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MWEjBbqDnXg/W93qPi0wJTI/AAAAAAAABN0/zqj0KfgJDfYgKFc0Nf23amp2CaZIFEaCQCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-11-03%2B18.28.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MWEjBbqDnXg/W93qPi0wJTI/AAAAAAAABN0/zqj0KfgJDfYgKFc0Nf23amp2CaZIFEaCQCLcBGAs/s320/2018-11-03%2B18.28.33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWl-9RN6y7w/W93qPd7PLZI/AAAAAAAABNw/L9gQipf_yvgNsbv4KfdaInZAba6vcnpkgCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-11-03%2B18.29.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1337" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWl-9RN6y7w/W93qPd7PLZI/AAAAAAAABNw/L9gQipf_yvgNsbv4KfdaInZAba6vcnpkgCLcBGAs/s320/2018-11-03%2B18.29.44.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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In building the model, I was strongly influenced by <a href="http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/95081-kirkallanmuir/page-4">Jim Watt</a>'s recent build of a Caledonian Railway cabin, the construction of which he described in the October 2mm Magazine. I followed Jim's cunning strategy of making an etched jig for soldering up the steps (albeit on a smaller scale!), and I drew these up on an etch along with the windows, doors and barge-boards with their finials. I decided it would be quicker to model the rest in plasticard than to spend time drawing it on the computer.<br />
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The windows are more complicated than they look, with up to 6 layers of 10-thou etch in places, to accommodate the panes of "glass" which will be slotted in after painting. To allow this, the windows are all still removable, and indeed some of them are not present in the photo. There's also a rather vulnerable handrail still to be added - I will probably do this after painting along with the downpipes. To facilitate removing the windows, the whole construction is in three pieces, as you see in the next photo:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ij8Sdcb5JDs/W93qQL3SrVI/AAAAAAAABN4/2dC6imatSgAceHWmitt1JVEcU8Ux0LAaACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-11-03%2B18.31.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ij8Sdcb5JDs/W93qQL3SrVI/AAAAAAAABN4/2dC6imatSgAceHWmitt1JVEcU8Ux0LAaACLcBGAs/s400/2018-11-03%2B18.31.05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Putting this lot together out of Evergreen styrene sheet has kept me busy for a while, but it is very nearly at the painting stage now. The roof was made last night from home-corrugated aluminium, in my usual way. It still needs finishing along the ridge.</div>
Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-76439935372542531612018-09-12T17:39:00.000-04:002018-09-12T17:40:50.822-04:00Progress update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Although it has been a year since I posted on this blog, I have made gradual progress with the layout during that time. While the layout was on show at the Darlington exhibition last week, I used the opportunity to take some photos. As the scenery progresses, it is starting to look more anachronistic when operating my 1970s stock!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWgG9hqMih0/W5l-0Bro_iI/AAAAAAAABLo/LI-c1ddH6cI8mw1n_ia9PoFnpRpSQT2tgCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-09-02%2B09.35.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWgG9hqMih0/W5l-0Bro_iI/AAAAAAAABLo/LI-c1ddH6cI8mw1n_ia9PoFnpRpSQT2tgCLcBGAs/s400/2018-09-02%2B09.35.36.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The station area. As you can see, the station building is now painted and glazed, although it still awaits some final details like posters etc. The windows are made of clear styrene with glazing bars scribed and painted on. I'm quite proud of the lamp which was made up from brass and nickel silver, and glazed with Microsol Krystal Clear.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ7-W1IsxgY/W5l-zzdIUQI/AAAAAAAABLk/UlgidHttJZoteCgD9WNppOSkPgluuIHpACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-09-02%2B13.50.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ7-W1IsxgY/W5l-zzdIUQI/AAAAAAAABLk/UlgidHttJZoteCgD9WNppOSkPgluuIHpACLcBGAs/s400/2018-09-02%2B13.50.58.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the station from the goods yard. The Farish Mark 1 RMB is the latest addition to my 1970s fleet. It is also significant as it is the first time I have turned down the wheels myself (on my Sherline lathe). This was much easier than expected, thanks to a tutorial from Edward Sissling at a NEAG meeting earlier this year. Basically, you just thin down the back of the flange, and then take as much as you can get away with off the front of the tyre. I didn't have a collet large enough to hold the tyres, so I had to use the chuck, but I followed Edward's tip to use a piece of small-diameter brass tube in the tailstock to hold the other end of the axle. The coach is yet to receive a weathering treatment to blend it in with the rest of the stock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cpLHE_Fmeqk/W5l_7o3TTVI/AAAAAAAABL0/4JcAeGee3loV60TxuIZGBrDmVuEILcnjACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-09-02%2B12.48.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cpLHE_Fmeqk/W5l_7o3TTVI/AAAAAAAABL0/4JcAeGee3loV60TxuIZGBrDmVuEILcnjACLcBGAs/s400/2018-09-02%2B12.48.00.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer view of the cattle dock, which is a straightforward build from microstrip. I also had a go at building a raised section of platform for loading the iconic double-decker sheep wagons. At some point, I will work out how to mass produce sheep; current thinking is to use an etched skeleton but if anyone can suggest an affordable source of ready-made animals that might be simpler.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-77e7IJ_g2V0/W5mAy9fNHYI/AAAAAAAABMA/LAsW7O01ddMYwiYKTHFMZfbSNb10Oi_8ACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-09-02%2B13.53.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-77e7IJ_g2V0/W5mAy9fNHYI/AAAAAAAABMA/LAsW7O01ddMYwiYKTHFMZfbSNb10Oi_8ACLcBGAs/s400/2018-09-02%2B13.53.56.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the other end of the scene, I've made some progress with trees, although there are more to do. All are made of twisted wire (of varying fineness), with Woodland Scenics polyfibre teased out and stuck on with Spraymount. The leaves are the excellent scatter material from <a href="http://www.treemendus-scenics.co.uk/">Treemendus</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjpKi1MmnVM/W5mBTGCax2I/AAAAAAAABMQ/6pMpFKcbyrQ2OFz51XQZ-IlVwhKtBylaACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-09-02%2B13.51.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjpKi1MmnVM/W5mBTGCax2I/AAAAAAAABMQ/6pMpFKcbyrQ2OFz51XQZ-IlVwhKtBylaACLcBGAs/s400/2018-09-02%2B13.51.57.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This close-up of the river shows the water that is made from artist's acrylic gloss medium, poured on fairly thick. This was a bit hairy as it is right on the edge of the board, but it is viscous enough that it didn't spill over. The final effect is similar to PVA glue but a bit more transparent. I didn't try to form too many "waves" but rather left it mostly how it landed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6gDA0E5vf8/W5mB2Q335LI/AAAAAAAABMY/5HopD23Hsfcs71W06N2gn9BpaW-87jUWQCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-09-02%2B09.33.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6gDA0E5vf8/W5mB2Q335LI/AAAAAAAABMY/5HopD23Hsfcs71W06N2gn9BpaW-87jUWQCLcBGAs/s400/2018-09-02%2B09.33.17.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The railway workers' cottages have also reached the painted stage. In fact, since the photo was taken I've begun work on the doors and windows. These I always find tedious and have to be in the right frame of mind.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fu6XMb7UL1Y/W5mAyOqSbZI/AAAAAAAABME/96Omf1JmRBEyqH_k5sN4_HrmZ460mvIWACEwYBhgL/s1600/2018-09-02%2B12.50.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fu6XMb7UL1Y/W5mAyOqSbZI/AAAAAAAABME/96Omf1JmRBEyqH_k5sN4_HrmZ460mvIWACEwYBhgL/s400/2018-09-02%2B12.50.47.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An overall view taken at the exhibition.</td></tr>
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As always, there are many jobs still to be done. As well as finishing the cottages, I've just received an etch from <a href="https://www.ppdltd.com/">PPD</a> that includes platform fencing and the signal box windows, so those will probably be the next tasks, along with the signal. Highland Railway locomotives and stock are an ongoing project (if "going" is the right word), despite the fact that a number of visitors at Darlington expressed support for the blue-diesel era!</div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-9711835157222682012017-09-25T13:49:00.001-04:002017-09-25T13:49:24.887-04:00Station building<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In recent weeks (months?) I've been working on the station building for Corrieshalloch. The styrene shell was covered in a layer of Fimo air drying clay (similar to DAS), glued on with PVA. Once dry, I carved the stonework courses using a needle held in a pin vice. The clock face (between the bottom left windows) is made from a short length of brass tube set in the wall and filled with filler.</div>
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The roof is a separate, removable unit. It has a basic structure of styrene with slates made from strips of paper, as for the goods shed. Slating was a little tedious owing to the three dormer windows and many angled cuts required. Microstrip was used to create the guttering and fascia boards around the outside. The chimneys are covered in clay like the main walls of the building.<br />
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The chimney pots are quite exciting (for me) as they are turned brass, and are the first items that I've made on my lathe (a Sherline). I was pleasantly surprised with how easy this was. I had to grind a left-handed turning tool (from 1/8" HSS bar), as the lathe only came with a right-handed tool and I needed to get into both sides of the bits that stick out (technical term?). I wasn't sure whether I could do this grinding operation on my little LIDL bench grinder, but it worked a treat. It actually took me a few months to work up the confidence to try making something on the lathe, but I needn't have worried and I'm looking forward to finding uses for it in future. It was quite fun trying to puzzle out the best order in which to make the cuts (the chimneys also have integral spigots for fitting in the roof). I don't have a parting tool so simply cut them off with a piercing saw. I think the results are at least better than the white-metal castings that I have in the drawer (and used for the goods shed).</div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-13665655726023987452017-06-06T17:09:00.003-04:002017-06-06T17:09:39.243-04:00Goods shed progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The goods shed was actually the first structure that I started, a few years back now. I recently decided to progress it further, which basically meant adding the roof, doors and windows. It is entirely modelled in styrene, except for the paper strip roof tiles (printed by computer), the brick paper covering the chimney (from the <a href="http://scalescenes.com/">http://scalescenes.com</a> free demo kit), and the chimney pot (a white metal casting of unknown provenance).<br />
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You can see that I've made a start on painting, although there is definitely more weathering to do. I'm going to leave this for the moment and try to blend it into the whole scene at a later stage. Missing also at present are the interior crane and the enamel advertising signs which seemed to grace most of these sheds in photographs of the period. According to <i>Highland Railway Liveries</i>, the shed walls were creosoted, while the doors and windows were painted burnt sienna. I've not found much guidance on how dark or light a shade of burnt sienna was used. so I opted for a reasonably light one as seems to be suggested by the black-and-white photos. Perhaps someone will correct me.<br />
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Another couple of problems to be fixed are (1) the gap around the bottom of the building, and (2) the lack of lighting on its front face. I cheated for these photos and used an extra lamp pointed at the layout, but in the long run I think I will need to add another strip of LEDs right at the bottom of the layout fascia.<br />
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Also in the top photo are some trees - I made a start on these a while back and need to make many more. They use traditional twisted copper wire, covered in solder. The foliage is represented by various products held on teased out Woodland Scenics poly fibre.<br />
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Evident also are the spaces where the station building and waiting shelter will go - these are on my to-do list!</div>
Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-31856557336956346962017-03-21T15:38:00.003-04:002017-03-21T15:44:41.979-04:004-wheel passenger brake van<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is the first major item put together from my recent etch. It is modelled on Highland Railway passenger brake van No. 5, as preserved at the <a href="http://www.srpsmuseum.org.uk/90008.htm">SRPS</a> in Bo'ness, and drawn on p.101 of Peter Tatlow's book. Pete Armstrong has also modelled this van in 7mm scale, in his case from the Lochgorm Models kit (see his blog <a href="http://petesnewworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/p/wagons.html">here</a>).</div>
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Still missing are vacuum pipes and handwheels, which I will add after painting because I need to make sure that I don't foul the couplings. Glazing will be added simply by slotting into the sides. The white bits are Milliput that I used to fill in some gaps where the parts join together.</div>
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Like my previous attempt at a Jones 6-wheel coach, the sides fold up from several layers. This time, I included fold-out footsteps on the inner layer of the end, which fit through slots in the outer layer. I'm very pleased with how it has turned out. The only errors were that I forgot quite a lot of the handrail holes on the inner-most layers. These were easily drilled out, however. Also, I included the handrails on the etch, but these proved too fragile and I replaced them with 0.3mm nickel silver wire.</div>
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The photo below shows that there are three main pieces. A 12BA nut is soldered on the inside of the floor (see bottom photo), and this will be used to screw on the chassis. Notice the etched tab on the chassis that locates through a corresponding slot in the floor of the body, to make sure that the two mate together squarely. I'm also showing you the roof here. Following problems trying to bend the full 10 thou thickness for my previous coach, I half-etched much of the material away, just leaving a strip around the edge and a series of longitudinal ribs. This made it much easier to get the curve parallel along the length of the roof, and bending was quite straightforward. I've modelled the lamp-holders in "day time" condition, i.e. no lamps. The covers (and the holes into which the covers fit when lamps are fitted) are made from lengths of brass tube. This was a bit labour intensive so I would quite like to find a quicker method in future.</div>
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How exactly I will attach the roof remains to be seen - you can see that it locates on a tab sticking up from the interior spacer. I should probably have included one at the other end. I might even solder in a 12BA nut and use the same fixing screw to attach it, but I don't know whether this will hold the roof down sufficiently around the edges. I may need to glue it. It can't be fixed until after painting because the glazing needs to slot down from the top of the sides - you can just about see the slots in the photo below.</div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-31666442300479511012017-03-03T18:12:00.001-05:002017-03-03T18:14:21.449-05:00On the bench<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This little project was conceived to fill a corner of an etched sheet that I just got back from the etchers. (Of the rest of this sheet, more anon!) It is a Highland Railway bench of the type shown in Plate 178 of Peter Tatlow's <i>Highland Miscellany</i>. Some photos of a similar bench are available on the HR chat group.<br />
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The etch went together OK. Although these are cruel enlargements, I do wonder whether it was necessary to double-up the ends. They seem a bit chunky and were awkward to laminate, so on the second (identical) etch I may try a single layer. The twiddly details are rather impressionistic, but hopefully are vaguely reminiscent of the pattern of leaves on the real metalwork. I certainly don't see that I could have produced them by any means other than etching. Next question: what colour to paint it?<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-88352618798961585862016-10-31T17:06:00.003-04:002016-10-31T17:06:34.507-04:00The gatehouse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've made some progress with the estate gatehouse on Corrieshalloch. This was designed to add a bit of interest to the background where it stretches up above the railway. Rather than model it on one of the real Braemore Estate buildings, I wanted something that was quite small but a little bit distinctive. The model I've made is inspired by the gate lodge at Ardkinglas in Argyll (<a href="https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1298177">https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1298177</a>).</div>
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This building has a distinctive octagonal footprint which challenged my abilities, particularly on the roof. These photos show the model which is basically a plasticard shell with some reinforcing bits. The walls are covered with cartridge paper to mimic the rendered texture, and the roof uses overlapping strips of slates printed and cut from standard copier paper. I embossed the vertical joints between the tiles first, although I'm not sure they show through much after painting. The small sections of dressed stone (chimney stack and gateposts) are also cartridge paper, with the mortar lines embossed. The chimney pots are some whitemetal castings from my scrap drawer.</div>
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The next photo shows the windows, which were the trickiest bit (with a few failed attempts). The glazing bars are just painted on clear plasticard, but to try and get them neat I first scored parallel lines for the straight ones with a knife. I had to wing it for the curved bits. After painting, a cocktail stick was used to scrape off any stray paint up to the hard scribed line. I glued pieces of microstrip around the outside to give a raised frame (made over-thick then sanded down afterwards). The bit of wall here is the second gatepost, on the opposite side to the building.<br />
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Here are some pictures of the gatehouse in position on the layout, after some initial coats of paint. More work will be needed to weather and blend it in with the surrounding scene, but I'm quite happy so far.<br />
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You can just about see the gate itself below: this is from a Scale-Link etch and soldered to brass posts which sit in holes in the road. It is yet to be painted.<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-65562875185508554802016-06-03T13:09:00.001-04:002016-06-03T13:09:17.752-04:00Perth supermeet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Rather belatedly, here are a selection of photos I took during the layout's appearance at the 2mm Perth supermeet in April. The first two shots show my own stock.</div>
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All buildings except for the signal cabin are now plasticard shells, although the station building is missing its roof. I'm trying to progress the layout as a whole, rather than completely finishing one building before starting the next.</div>
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The next three shots were staged with some of Alisdair Campbell's fantastic Highland locos and stock (along with my four wagons mixed in...). This is what I am ultimately aiming for, although it will be some time before I manage to build up my own fleet.</div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-79012229866130643762016-06-02T17:23:00.001-04:002016-06-02T17:25:08.394-04:00Bank holiday engineering work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The civil engineers had been a tad unhappy with the road overbridge at Corrieshalloch; probably something to do with a number of non-finescale diesel locomotives getting wedged under it. A quick check of the gauge confirmed what I had suspected: when it was glued down it was somehow pushed down too much, and there was insufficient clearance even for scale rolling stock. There was no option but to rip it up again, so on Monday I finally plucked up the courage to do so. (There is definitely something of the "two steps forward, one step back" about my modelling.)<br />
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First is a photo with the bridge removed. I took the opportunity to widen the hole in the sky, in an effort to make its edges less prominent. I also painted these black rather than white, although I will probably settle for a shade of grey as melding into the background better. Unfortunately, I had plastered in around where the bridge joined the landscape, so some cutting and chipping away of plaster was necessary.<br />
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Next picture shows the modified bridge back in place (though not fixed down yet). It was a simple matter to raise it up a bit, although I will need to touch up the paint on the bottom edges. I took the opportunity to add the other parapet, which I had been too lazy to do at the outset. This will need painting too, and I will also have to touch up the joins in the (polyfilla + PVA) road surface. However, I can now run converted N-gauge locos without them getting stuck!</div>
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The backscene at this end of the layout may also receive some more attention - it has been suggested that it would be more aesthetically pleasing if the hills here had a little more height, so I will ponder it. There is also a bit of a join between road and sky that will need disguising better.<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-18012595229487219542016-01-01T06:06:00.001-05:002016-01-01T06:06:53.139-05:00New Year update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Since another year is upon us, I decided to take some new photos of the layout. Comparing with those in the blog from a year ago, I realize that I have made some progress after all, although perhaps not as much as I would have liked.<br />
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First off, here are three photos of the layout itself. Little work has been done on the buildings since the Nottingham exhibition in March - only construction of the small waiting shelter on the down platform. However, the overall scenery has progressed rather more. Track is now ballasted and painted. I've made a start on the basic ground cover, although there is much to do. I had a go at painting the backscene (in acrylics) and I'm reasonably happy with it, although it will probably need some modification once the final colouring of the actual scenery is set. The lighting has also advanced since the Nottingham show, although it is not obvious here - in fact, an LED strip from <a href="https://www.led-lighthouse.co.uk/">https://www.led-lighthouse.co.uk/</a> has now replaced the IKEA fluorescent strip.<br />
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The next two photos show four Highland wagons that I finished off during 2015. I was surprised but happy that they won the John Barker trophy at the 2mm AGM in October. The top two are diagram 6 opens while the bottom two are diagram 23 drop-side ballast wagons. All of the bodies were scratchbuilt in styrene (and I have an accompanying box of failed attempts!) The chassis were cobbled together from 2mm Association parts and don't bear close inspection. For future wagons, I am experimenting with etching more accurate chassis, so watch this space.<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-50531671330396996242015-09-24T17:52:00.002-04:002015-09-24T17:52:28.109-04:00Building bridges<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is the road overbridge for Corrieshalloch. Over recent days, I've been adding the stonework to the previously built styrene shell. It's a mixture of Slater's embossed sheet (intended for 4mm?) and plain white card. Into the latter, I embossed a simple pattern of mortar lines using the blunt end of an old screwdriver. This mixture of materials stemmed from the prototype photo I was copying, which appeared to use a mixture of dressed and rather less dressed stone. I'm hoping that the whole will look ok once painted.<br />
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The curved wing walls and elliptical arch were a bit of a pain, but the use of a CAD template was invaluable for the arch.</div>
Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-5810772269285124172015-07-25T18:21:00.000-04:002015-07-25T18:21:15.429-04:00How I ballast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm rather surprised to see that I haven't updated the blog for several months. One of the main areas of progress since then has been the trackwork. First I glued on Versaline cosmetic chairs to the PCB sleepers (tricky to get them to stay put while the "handles" are cut off, even using Araldite).<br />
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Then I painted the track in two stages. First, a coat of Halford's red oxide primer from a spray can. Once this had dried, I used the airbrush to apply a coat formed from various shades of Lifecolor acrylic. For this second coat, I tried to spray mainly from above - by tilting the baseboard on its side - so that the rails would retain some of the rust colour in contrast to the sleepers. The whole lot is now too dark in colour but, since the ballast is also too dark, I will be able to lighten it and create more variation later.<br />
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The main point of this post is to show the process I have settled on for deep ballasting. I do a small area at a time, and the task seems to have gone on forever!<br />
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1. The area illustrated here is around the crossing of a turnout, so I first mask the crossing and check-rail gaps to try to minimise the amount of ballast ending up in them.<br />
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4. I apply the ballast to the glued area. I'm using a jar of Carr's "ash ballast" which I acquired some time in the past. It is probably too coarse for ash ballast in 2mm scale, but gives a good representation of stone ballast. I apply it from the folded piece of paper you see here, tapping it to release controlled amounts of ballast. This is then tamped by a combination of fingers, a paintbrush, and finally a cocktail stick to remove errant particles from the sleeper tops. This is the most painstaking task!</div>
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5. The next stage is to thoroughly wet the ballast. I've been using car screen wash which avoids the need to mix up washing-up liquid and water. I'm using this pipette rather than a fine plant mister because I don't have one to hand. I also don't particularly want to have to mask the rest of the layout to prevent it from getting wet. Where possible the drops are placed at the edges of the ballast and allowed to spread in by capillary action. This avoids creating the craters that you get if it is dropped straight onto the ballast from above. Once the screen wash has fully soaked in, I tidy up any stray grains of ballast using a cocktail stick.<br />
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6. The final stage is to add dilute PVA/screen wash to the already wet ballast, again using a pipette. This is something like a 50-50 mix, and can just be dropped on from above once the ballast is already wet. Leave it to dry and hey presto!<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tr0oqDq0hBc/VbQEbXqHtkI/AAAAAAAAA2s/Z4wZ4-hq7Es/s1600/DSCN4062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tr0oqDq0hBc/VbQEbXqHtkI/AAAAAAAAA2s/Z4wZ4-hq7Es/s640/DSCN4062.JPG" width="640" /></a>Actually this isn't really the end of it, as there is a subsequent painful stage of cleaning the rail tops and removing any stray grains of ballast that have somehow still managed to end up in the wrong place. Once all of this is over, I hope to restore the quality of running that I had at the start. Who said that model railways aren't fun!</div>
Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-85869199652799364412015-03-24T16:34:00.000-04:002015-03-24T16:34:13.381-04:00Seen at Nottingham<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here are a few pictures taken at the Nottingham show last weekend, where Corrieshalloch appeared as a work in progress alongside a sizeable demonstration of 2mm modelling. A first coat of paint on the nascent scenery has made a world of difference!</div>
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The next shot is rather grainy - we discovered that those seated at the nearby demonstration table had a nice vantage point:</div>
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Finally a visiting train from points (far) south, courtesy of Pixie:<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-29280804483493297642015-01-03T18:42:00.000-05:002015-01-03T18:42:03.121-05:00Progress on Corrieshalloch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's about time for an update on the layout. Recently, I've been focusing on basic scenic work: carving the basic contours from polystyrene and coating them with a layer of plaster bandage to give a solid surface.</div>
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I've also been working on styrene platforms to replace the rough, temporary foam-board ones that I put in place for the summer exhibitions. I would have used foam-board for the final platforms if it hadn't been the wrong thickness.</div>
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This photo shows how the platforms are constructed from a skeleton of 40 thou styrene sheet, with a facing of Slater's stone sheet. I had this sheet in store, otherwise I would probably have embossed my own stonework in cartridge paper. The coping stones were added individually. After doing this section (the goods yard loading dock), I decided to simply put the coping stones for future sections on top of the platform top surfaces.</div>
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Here you see both the front loading dock and down platform in place (temporarily). The platforms are topped with sheets of 30 thou styrene. The dark appearance of the loading dock is an experiment with a piece of wet and dry paper to represent the cinder surface. It looks a bit too neat and tidy so will need some more attention at some point. The rear platform is still in its foam-board state.<br />
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The photos below show the up platform, with only the cattle dock outstanding. You also see my mock-up of the exit road bridge. This has a simple styrene underframe (which will be used for the final bridge), and this is temporarily faced with an elevation printed on thin card. I drew it up on QCAD to get the elliptical profile of the arch and wing walls. I'm happy with the mock-up so will now need to recreate the shape in styrene.<br />
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Finally, there has been the small matter of taking over editorship of the 2mm Magazine to deal with...<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-16196006688651525202014-08-31T16:27:00.001-04:002014-08-31T16:40:49.166-04:00Lessons from an exhibition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Corrieshalloch made its exhibition debut last weekend at RailexNE in North Shields, albeit as a "work in progress" rather than a finished layout. Overall. I was relieved that it worked pretty well, with the soldering iron having to come out on only two occasions for repairs. A succession of three trains (all of my available locos) supplemented by a class 37 running light engine (courtesy of Mick Simpson) dutifully paraded back and forth. The comments of "oh, look at this one: it's a snowscene" were frequently heard, sometimes intended as a joke but not always. Alisdair Campbell (whose prize-winning Strath made a static cameo appearance) had the inspired idea that we block the line with a snowdrift and suspend operations for an extended lunch break.</span></div>
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One lesson learnt was in the setting up and taking down. It took me a whole hour from close of play to driving away, which seems like a long time given the size of the layout. Although I was working alone, I decided that a lot of time was spent fiddling with nuts, bolts and washers for assembling the legs. As a result, I have now glued washers and nuts to the inside of the legs, and modified the bolts to have a handy wing nut on the outside (photo below). This, coupled with a bit of widening of the holes, should mean that assembly is much quicker and easier in future.</div>
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The other major lesson relates to the appearances of the soldering iron alluded to above. Both repairs were to the homemade bolts that connect the fiddle yard turntables. These were originally just soldered to a couple of pcb sleepers glued to the baseboard, but this was far too flimsy to withstand constant use. As pointed out by Mick (after one came off in his hand), heavier engineering is required! So version 2 will see the rails attached to heftier pieces of pcb that are screwed right through the balsa trackbed and into the plywood beneath. Hopefully this will be better. The photo below shows the version 1, as it was at RailexNE.<br />
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The turnouts at the entry to the goods yard are also a little bumpy, causing some wagons to couple up again against the operator's will. So another task is to iron out these minor issues with the track.</div>
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The good news is that the layout will appear again at Shipley on 20th-21st September, along with the 2mm roadshow, so feel free to pop along and say hello. With any luck, some of the issues above will have been ironed out, and another loco will be in service to boot.</div>
Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-43790064631649628432014-08-14T06:35:00.000-04:002014-08-14T06:35:32.514-04:00Quick photo update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As you can see, I've started work on the landscaping, using various offcuts of polystyrene. At the front left there will be quite a steep river gorge, while you can see the beginnings of a hill and roads behing the track formation. The grey square is a planned foundation for some railway workers' cottages.</div>
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Tracklaying is complete in the fiddle yard, and I have put on all of the brass tubes for track alignment. However, there is still some wiring to be completed, along with some sort of "end-stop" to prevent disasters...<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-41846128073628480522014-01-04T17:09:00.001-05:002014-01-04T17:37:31.555-05:00New Year Progress<p> During some time off work this week I finally got around to fitting the curved backscene board:</p>
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<p> It is made from 5mm flexible ply, which turned out to be simple to use as I could bend it to shape in the existing framework, then fix with glue. Unfortunately I had to get a full 8x4 sheet, so I now have plenty spare. I thought about bendy MDF from B&Q but this was only a 4x2 sheet - not long enough for my whole backscene in one piece.</p>
<p>You can also glimpse the goods shed which has occupied idle moments over the Xmas holiday. There are still quite a few details missing, not to mention the roof, but the basic superstructure is in place. I will post better pictures in due course, but it is based on drawings of the shed at Garve.</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-67827449559359748522013-11-19T17:10:00.001-05:002013-11-19T17:16:02.979-05:00Turnout Operation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've recently been working on motorising the turnouts. Here is a short video of the first one in action:</div>
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Below is a side view of the trackbed. The turnout is operated by a servo motor mounted by screws onto a simple wooden frame. If you look carefully, you can see the operating linkage made from brass wire. I coiled it to give it extra spring length to protect against any inadvertent over-throw by the servo. The multicoloured wires from the servo simply plug directly into the ESU SwitchPilot Servo unit, which attaches to the main DCC bus and will control all four turnouts. Since the layout is small, I'm just powering this from the main track supply.</div>
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The last view is taken from underneath (with the baseboard upside down!). You can see the functional plastruct tie-bar, as well as the microswitch installed to change the crossing polarity. This is operated by a 12BA bolt through the tie-bar. The SwitchPilot Servo unit has some "programming" buttons which make it easy to set the start and end positions of the servo movement, as well as the movement speed. The turnout is changed via the "accy" button on my DCC handset. If I get fed up of the couple of key presses that are required, the SwitchPilot unit has a band of extra terminals allowing push-switches to be wired in for each turnout.<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-60342963008618880552013-08-12T17:05:00.000-04:002013-08-12T17:07:12.660-04:00Track 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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An update with some recent photos (of limited quality). I've just finished tracklaying on the scenic board, although testing and tweaking is still in progress.</div>
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The photo below gives an idea of the underside of the board. Dropper wires from each section of rail have been attached, but I've yet to connect all of these up. I've also installed functional tie-bars beneath each of the four turnouts. These still need to have servo motors attached - some experimenting is necessary with springing and microswitches.</div>
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Close up of one of the functional tie-bars on the workbench:</div>
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These essentially follow Geoff Jones' design in the Track book. The blades themselves are attached to cut down 12BA bolts which sit in the tubes you see here.</div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-87277247121900620212013-04-03T15:33:00.003-04:002013-04-03T15:33:54.484-04:00Track 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Work in progress on the first turnout. The crossing was constructed separately in the Easitrac jig. Attaching all of the interlaced sleepers and wires in the correct order requires concentration. The plastic sleepers are still loose and not in their final positions. I'm thinking it will help with the other other stock rail and switch to leave the sleepers loose at this stage - in particular, it will allow me to clear a bit of space to solder the dropper wires. I'm attaching two droppers to each piece of rail as I go along - you can see some of these wires poking out from beneath the board.</div>
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Before laying the track I drilled/filed holes through the baseboard for the turnout operation. It's hard to see but I've attached a cut-down 12BA bolt to the switch blade, as recommended by Geoff Jones. This will sit in a brass tube and operate the turnout via a functional tie-bar beneath the trackbed. The current plan is to operate these from DCC via servos.<br />
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-15352479822460565142013-01-20T15:58:00.000-05:002013-04-03T15:35:39.194-04:00Track<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At long last I've started tracklaying. Here are a few progress shots.</div>
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1. I'm using a mixture of Easitrac and PCB sleepers. So far I've glued down the PCB sleepers on the printed Templot plan. Essentially I'm following Jim Watt's practice of PCB sleepers for the switches and crossing areas, with Easitrac everywhere else. With the interlaced timbering, most of the sleepers are ordinary length. The reason for this hybrid approach is that I'm worried about the flimsiness of all-plastic points in this scale, and also the inability to make easy adjustments.</div>
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2. Close-up showing one turnout where I've used more PCB sleepers owing to the interlaced catch points (I wanted my sidings to hold as many wagons as possible!). You can see that I've started adding etched chairplates.</div>
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3. On the PCB sleepers I'm using Versaline chair plates (and will eventually use the accompanying whitemetal cosmetic chairs). Following advice in the track book I'm pre-tinning these on both sides. I used solder paint which makes this job simple. Owing to the non-standard sleeper arrangement, I'm not using the Versaline jig, just locating the chairplates by eye. I'm also not using them at their intended locations.</div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-58583636961327436422012-11-12T16:22:00.000-05:002013-04-03T15:35:53.861-04:00Left-hand Fiddle Yard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a lengthy hiatus over the summer due to our house move, the second fiddle yard has now caught up with the first. The design is similar but not a mirror image. For one thing, there will be only a single approach track at this end.<br />
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The first photo shows the general arrangement, with some Farish Mk 1 coaches to give an idea of scale. Four of the six rollers can be seen.<br />
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The second photo from underneath shows a lesson learnt from the first fiddle yard: use diagonal bracing for simpler construction and greater strength!</div>
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The layout in its entirety, assembled for the first time in the new railway room:</div>
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Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-870669456271636190.post-51520715725447706072012-06-25T15:24:00.001-04:002013-04-03T15:36:04.070-04:00Fiddle Yard (2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here is a progress update on the right-hand fiddle yard. I plan to start its left-hand companion after this one is finished so that I can learn from my mistakes. As you can see, there is quite a deep plywood frame, so as to match the scenic board. I plan to install sockets for the controller in one of the spaces underneath, and use this as the main control position (operating from the front). Spare surface space alongside the approach roads will probably see some loco storage spurs.</div>
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The turntable itself is mounted on a roller-bearing like the one shown below right. It came from Squires, I think. Six of the roller bearings shown below left are set into the framework to give the deck some free-rolling support. These came from <a href="http://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/">Station Road Baseboards</a>.</div>
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I have yet to finalise the manner of electrical connection, and to decide whether all roads should be live or not (the electrics will be dcc). Then I should be ready to attach the balsa trackbed and lay some track. I optimistically went for six roads. Between the two fiddle yards, this should house all of the stock I build for some years...!</div>
Anthony Yeateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766789035139428636noreply@blogger.com0