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2996 Victor

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Everything posted by 2996 Victor

  1. 2996 Victor
    I'm planning to use one of these as the basis for the M&H cabin on my project layout. Achill, I think, is a good example of a smaller cabin of this type. The ground level version seems to have the same superstructure as the full-height one. The locking room windows seem to be much smaller on Irish cabins than on the Ratio model of Highley (Severn Valley Railway, btw). As mentioned by airfixfan, the Signalling Record Society book is a mine of information. Cheers, Mark
  2. 2996 Victor
    Jane and I had a lovely trip on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway at Woody Bay today. The weather was perfect: sunny, just a light breeze. "Lyn" was in fine fettle with her beautiful 3-coach set. It was just a bit of a shame that there weren't more visitors: hopefully tomorrow will be better as they're doing Easter-related things for the younger ones. And I came away with the long-desired Heljan model of "Lyn" in her pre-1906 livery The box has been carefully opened and the prize within uncovered. But not handled, just looked at I'll post some photos once we're home again. Cheers, Mark
  3. 2996 Victor
    There's been a sneaky little bit of progress on the pub, aka The Prospect Inn, which sits at the back of the scene toward the right-hand end, next to the row of houses. I'm finishing it as a Starkey, Knight & Ford house, as they were a brewery local to where I grew up. My great-grandfather was landlord of the pub in the village I lived in as a child, taking it on in 1936, the family relinquishing it in 1968. It was a Starkey, Knight & Ford house, and their house colours were white with black trim. A large number of their pubs seem to have been rough-cast rendered as was "ours" so I was looking for a way to replicate that in a not-too-obvious way. Initially, I thought of sandpaper, and did go so far as to cover the building in some 180 grade but the window and door openings were a bit of a problem. Then I thought of that sandtex masonry paint, which led me by a roundabout route to some dark and cobwebbed recess of my mind where I'd filed away textured spray paint. A quick trawl through eBay and up popped Rust-oleum textured paint and a can was duly ordered. So here we are. The pub building has been given three or four coats according to the instructions and that was the end of that can! However, it's exactly what I wanted: And once that was touch dry (impatient as always) it was given a deliberately slightly patchy coat of Tamiya white acrylic: which I hope you will agree looks like the real thing ish! Onward and upward! Cheers, Mark
  4. 2996 Victor
    Fab workmanship, Patrick, just the right degree of greenery makes those setts and slabs look so convincing. The whole scene is looking really superb! Cheers, Mark
  5. 2996 Victor
    Sounds great, George! I'll look forward to seeing it progress have you been to Woody Bay? We're having a weekend away over Easter, staying in Lynton, and a visit to the L&B is a definite! Cheers, Mark
  6. 2996 Victor
    Just got a copy of this myself - fascinating stuff and well worth the money! Cheers, Mark
  7. 2996 Victor
    Hi George, What sort of layout are you planning? I did have a Manning but sold it a couple of years ago as I need the cash at the time! I need to "invest" in another one To backdate the cab, I'd like to get hold of the Backwoods kit as that has the early cab in etched brass; failing that I'll make one myself and modify the body moulding. But I expect Lyn will be the first loco to make an appearance!# I'm still tinkering with the point-work and the siding layout, but I've ordered a couple of wagon turntables to go in front of the archway warehouse. They won't be operational, though! Cheers, Mark
  8. 2996 Victor
    Very good advice, if I may say so! Just to add that the Alphagraphix CC-prefixed rolling stock card kits are available from Roger in 4mm/OO scale - just add 400 to the catalogue number so that kit number CC17, for instance, becomes CC417. Cheers, Mark
  9. 2996 Victor
    The baseboards are laser-cut kits from Grainge & Hodder, who have a range of modular sizes but who will also design to your specifications. Initially, this board was intended for a different project, and started out at 1m long x 0.3m wide. When I started out on this, I soon realised it wasn't really wide enough so ordered an extension board to go at the back. This arrived toward the end of last week and was assembled, and was then fitted to the "main" board yesterday by drilling, gluing and bolting together. I still need to order the fiddle yard boards, but there's no immediate hurry for those. This project has been underway since early last December, and rather than being "designed" is evolving in a slightly Darwin-esque way If you really want to be bothered, you can see all the previous drivel on my NGRM Online thread here but to be honest, apart from the inset track at the front of the layout, I'm virtually starting again. This is the current state of play. Almost bare boards with all previous cork track bed scraped off (what a blooming job!). The inset track at the front is PECO N Code 55, and is fixed and wired: Having fixed the timber baulk "buffers" to the quay wall yesterday, today I wasn't very happy with them - they're too skinny - so they've been unceremoniously ripped off again they'll be replaced with something heftier. The 25mm square pine strip at front will be the edge of the river, probably just 'orrible mud. And here is the current iteration of the track layout with the buildings I've got underway: There'll be a couple of wagon turntables in front of the archway warehouse at the left back. The tracks hanging off the nearest end will mate with a sector plate, of course. Lots more buildings to add! Thanks for looking in cheers for now, Mark
  10. 2996 Victor
    Welcome to my Lynton & Barnstaple micro layout build thread. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway was a narrow gauge railway built between those two North Devon towns. It opened in 1897 and ran as an independent company until the Grouping in 1923, when it came under the control of the Southern Railway. It was closed in 1935, but a 1-mile section of track has been re-opened by the new Lynton & Barnstaple Railway as a heritage steam railway. The new company fully intend to rebuild the whole line and is making great strides with that purpose. Have a look at their website here if you're interested in this amazing project. This layout is/will be a micro/cameo layout portraying a small fictitious quay scene ostensibly in a Barnstaple backwater. Track will be Code 55 flat bottom rail, a combination of paved (i.e. inset) PECO N track and hand-built track. Hopefully, the latter will look a bit more like the real thing than the usual Toytown narrow gauge track available commercially, and will avoid the "RSJ rail" look! The layout is set in 1905 when the line was relatively new. This will allow me to run a Manning Wardle 2-6-2T in early cab condition and in the pale green livery. Locomotives and rolling stock will be mostly RTR PECO and Bachmann with a few 3D-printed and kit-built wagons thrown in courtesy of Custom OO9 and Dundas respectively; A/M chopper couplings that look a bit more like the real thing are planned. Overall sizes: the scenic board is 1m long x 0.5m wide, fiddle yard boards will be 0.5m x 0.5m. Thanks for looking in! There'll be some pics soon, but cheers for now, Mark
  11. 2996 Victor
    I meant to add that if you're going the OO route, it might be worthwhile considering the PECO bullhead track range as the rail height, sleeper size and spacing is so much better than their "normal" track, which is effectively HO track. These are the two types side-by-side: Alternatively, you could use SMP OO flexi-track and Marcway points, probably a little more expensive than than the PECO but a little more realistic still. Just a thought! Cheers, Mark
  12. 2996 Victor
    Hi @Jb1911, welcome to the forum - I'm sure you'll find everyone every bit as friendly, helpful and knowledgeable as I have. It's a great place full of great folk! @Galteemore has been very kind, but I really do have to say that I'm certainly no expert on the MGWR: everything I know (and lots that I've already forgotten) is entirely thanks to the people on here. John @Mayner and Jonathan @jhb171achill are the experts who know all there is to know. You might want to have a look through my layout build thread - link in my signature - as I've asked loads of newbie questions and got excellent answers to each and every one. There are also various books mentioned, but as a starting point, there are these: The Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland: An Illustrated History by Ernie Shepherd, Midland Publishing Ltd Irish Railways in Pictures No.2: The Midland Great Western Line by the Irish Railway Record Society London Area Rails to Achill by Jonathan Beaumont, Oakwood Press Rails through Connemara by Jonathan Beaumont, Oakwood Press Modelling Irish Railways by Stephen Johnson and Alan O'Rourke, Midland Publishing Ltd There were also some articles by David Malone in the short-lived RailModel Digest magazine: issues #1, #2, #3 and #6 are worth seeking out. New Irish Lines magazine published by Alan O'Rourke is also well-worth its subscription, link here Hope this helps and by all means ask me any questions you like - I'll try to answer! Good luck with your project, Mark
  13. 2996 Victor
    I don't know about going back to school - it seems to me that the way to a satisfying hobby is doing what you like and what you enjoy! And I think your results bear that out in spades, if I may say so! And I'm with you on doing things by hand - scratch-building a wagon, for instance, is immensely satisfying but I've tried to batch-build three or four of the same vehicle in the past and I just get bored with it where kits aren't available, I think that's where 3D-printing really scores. As for Templot, it's really "just another tool", and it serves an extremely useful purpose for setting out your point-work particularly where its on a curve or its particularly complex. Which I'll just leave to those who can do that sort of thing..... Cheers, Mark
  14. 2996 Victor
    Fantastic work on the cobbles - more like setts, if I may say so - but no doubt about the superb outcome! Cheers, Mark
  15. 2996 Victor
    Exactly, @Angus - I've just mentioned above that this is my third or fourth try at Templot, but its the first time I've got something meaningful out of it. All because previously I've expected it to perform like a CAD programme. The best thing I did this time was carefully read Martin's preamble at which time I had a light-bulb moment: basically, it ain't a CAD programme so don't treat it like one! And also that Templot's purpose is to design point-work, not layouts (although it can do that as well). Once I'd grasped that, it was a short step to producing my first 21mm gauge template, and then a double slip and a tandem. I've also produced a ladder for my OO9 micro. All these I've adjusted to incorporate EMGS standards, and its a joy to see the control template actually changing to confirm. My biggest eye-opener so far was attempting to rotate a RH turnout and tack it onto the slip: when it did it for me simply by dragging the connecting track centres together was an absolute "Wow!" moment. That's when I realised that Templot is incredibly clever and intuitive. And I've barely scratched the surface! If anyone is looking for the right tool to design their point-work, Templot is it! Read Martin's notes and watch the tutorials and prepare to be amazed! Cheers, Mark
  16. 2996 Victor
    Ha ha it certainly seems to be best approached with an open mind - it doesn't operate like other programmes we use regularly. I've been an AutoCAD user for thirty years now, and I approached Templot as if it were a CAD programme. But now on my third or fourth go it's finally penetrated my ivory dome that it doesn't work that way And even on a short acquaintance it looks like a tool that's worth learning to get the best from. Cheer, Mark
  17. 2996 Victor
    Stunning work! The entire train, loco and carriages, looks beautiful. Jealous? Moi? Cheers, Mark
  18. 2996 Victor
    Well, following Ken @KMCE's pointers, I've had another little play with Templot and to be honest I think it'll repay a further investment in time. However, in the meantime I've managed to export my point templates in .dxf format and insert them into the CAD drawing of the layout that I'd started. With a bit of jiggery pokery to my initial CAD work, the Templot templates have slotted in nicely. There's still a fair bit of tweaking to do but.....I think the layout will fit into the space I have available. I'll post an image of the CAD/Templot design over the weekend. Cheers, Mark
  19. 2996 Victor
    I've tried it several times, downloading it and trying to get going, but not managed to make any sense of it. This time, I've done rather better and actually managed to create the LH point and double slip complex in my sketch plan, together with some OO9 point work for my Lynton & Barnstaple micro. But as Martin Wynne says somewhere on the Templot site, its not a CAD programme and I think that's the problem for CAD users. It seems a very clever programme in the way it aligns and connects different templates, and I think its well worth investing time in. BUT.....I didn't know the templates could be exported in .dxf format - that's something I can definitely use now, so a huge thank you for that pointer! That makes perfect sense, thank you - I guess it would be fair to say that its always going to be kinder to locos to use the highest letter number possible for a given crossing angle. I've been looking at the minimum radius thingy on Templot and could understand why it was so tight, but it was an A8 point and looking at it closely there's a nasty sharp bit halfway between the switch and crossing. Definitely! Thanks, Ken, its hugely appreciated Cheers, Mark
  20. 2996 Victor
    Hi Ken, many thanks for your reply - apologies, I'd forgotten that you're working to P4 standards! I must admit to ignorance when it comes to point work and the crossing angles/radii involved although I'm attempting to get to grips with Templot, which is fairly baffling although I think I can do enough to plan my layout properly. CAD is all very well and helpful in general laying out, but it doesn't account for the nuances of track design. I have to admit that I don't yet understand the differences between, say, A6 and B6 points when the common crossing is the same angle. Cheers, Mark
  21. 2996 Victor
    Hi again, Ken, I meant to ask what standards you're working to? I was thinking of using EM standards, i.e. 1mm flangeways, largely as I'm a member of the EMGS. I'd be grateful for your thoughts. Cheers, Mark
  22. 2996 Victor
    Hi David, glad its of interest! If you should like to see a bit more detail, I've got a thread running on NGRM-Online here where I go into unbearable detail about the process from about halfway down Page 1 Here's another pic which I think shows the results a bit better: As a process, the scribing doesn't actually take that long, and its really rather cathartic I might start a thread on here in the British Railways section (if anyone's interested). Cheers, Mark
  23. 2996 Victor
    Hi Ken, Many thanks for the pointers - I'd completely forgotten about Scalescenes, so I'll have a look at there products asap. I've got a copy of AutoCAD, so I've started drawing up the layout plan to scale - so far it's looking like it's a "go". I've got 3.6m clear length in my hobby room which will hopefully be okay for the scenic section. I'll have to measure the points and see if I'm anywhere near your dimensions..... If you hear a scream, that'll be me Incidentally, I'll be PM-ing you at some point about your 3D-printed wagons. Cheers, Mark
  24. 2996 Victor
    Hi, this is a bit of an odd question, but as its from someone "across the water" I hope you'll excuse my ignorance! For a layout set in Co Galway in the early 1900s, I'd like to know what colour(s) might be used on houses/shops/bars. I'm thinking primarily of rendered buildings, but also limewashed stone (could it have been tinted or was it always white). What about typical colours for doors and windows and their frames? I believe I read somewhere many years ago (in David Lloyd's writings on his 3' layout, I think) that the colourful buildings stemmed from a Papal visit and was perpetuated. Many thanks for any help and advice! Cheers, Mark
  25. 2996 Victor
    For one of my other current projects, I'm making use of laser-cut MDF building kits from a seller on eBay. They're described as "scratch-aids", and with a bit of chopping and re-arranging, I'm finding them a great boon in producing some terraced housing, warehouses and the like. A lot of them are half-relief, although there are some full structures, too. They're not terribly expensive, and with a bit of dressing up I'm pretty pleased with how they're coming along. I think that, suitably finished of course, they'd make a nice addition to an Irish street scene. Anyway, here are a couple of pics of how the terraces are coming along. Apologies for the iffy lighting! The interiors are printed "flats" cut out and folded up. I'm intending to add some internal illumination to some of the nearest houses, perhaps with an open window or two. The brick paper is also from eBay, and its printed on a textured wallpaper so I'm not entirely convinced by it. But in the words of the Greek Philosopher, Mediocrates, "Meh! Good enough!" I really must re-attached that missing piece of quay wall, too..... Cheers, Mark
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