amdaley

We now have a couple of cranes in the yard. Fiddly to make up but worth the effort I think. I have a list a mile long of things to do but that's what it's all about.

The station platform now has a canopy & the engine shed has a small coaling stage. Both are from Ratio kits which anyone who has made one will testify that they can be hit or miss. The coaling stage is a modern version which I only got this week but the platform canopy is much older as I've had it in stock for a number of years. The instructions for the canopy were a bit confusing so it ended up as a make it up as you go along kit. The coaling stage had a good diagram of the parts & was much more enjoyable to make up. They've both been painted but will need a little weathering. I now need to see where I need to install Kadee magnets & after that ballasting (maybe)

If anyone is buying from either Rails or The Model Centre in the UK beware. If you are buying items from The Model Centre with a value under €150 you can pay for them but have them stored in a trunk system for you for up to 3 months in order to build up the value of the order to €150. Once the 3 months are up or the value of your items reaches €150 you can have them shipped together & therefore avoid the extra €3 per item customs charge. If you are buying from Rails of Sheffield your items will be shipped straight away as Rails don't provide any kind of trunk service for customers. This means if your order contains say 5 different items you will be charged €3 Customs charge plus Vat on each item which is this instance would cost you an extra €15 plus Vat. This could make the order very expensive very quick If your order contains 5 of the same item the charge will be €3 on the whole order plus vat. Both The Model Centre & Rails ship items with British vat removed so you will pay €3 per each different item in the package plus Irish vat plus An Post handling charge of €6.95 if the total is less than €150. If the value of the package is over €150 you will pay Irish vat plus An Post charge of €6.95 as normal. I know a lot of people will already know most of this but the information may be useful to those who don't. Tony.

The yard now has a new coal merchant although he's yet to get a delivery The position isn't fixed as I'm still moving things around. Next up is a canopy for the station platform.

Bring your own billy can

A railwayman's canteen & store made from an old Triang Clerestory LNER coach that i had lying around I replaced the roof with one in card & covered with tissue paper & then coated in black acrylic paint. The body is just painted in dirty brown colour.

Facia has been fitted. Facia & shelf have been painted. Finishes off the front of the layout I think. A few buildings needed for the yard next.

All cobbles are done now. The rest of the yard between the yard cobbles & the station area will probably just be dirt / gravel ? I need to get a few buildings like coal merchants for the yard to utilise that long siding. I haven't decided yet ?

Believe me the temptation was there We've all been guilty of that.

Some granite sets put down. Just waiting for some more sheets for the station area.

Small update. I've finished some walls & railings around the warehouse & engine shed area. The next job will be to do groundworks around this area. I will have to raise the level of the ground to track level so I will use some 2mm card to being up the level before I put down some cobble sheets.

I had difficulty in deciding where to place the signal box. Where I wanted to put it would have meant that to face the main point work of the station would have meant that the front of the box would be facing the back of the layout which wouldn't be ideal. If I wanted to see the main features of the box & have the box facing the main point work of the station the only suitable place would be the end of the platform. The box was too tall to be placed on the end of the platform so I shortened the platform & the box now sits at the end of the platform.

They do indeed Norman. Some of the details are a little delicate so a couple of changes had to be made. With a little patience you can make a very passible model. Tony.

Thanks Colin.

Signal Box has been built. I've also fitted an interior & lights. Built from a Ratio kit with added interior details & lights.

Yes, great care but possible because I've done it.

I just used the cork as an underlay. The track is yet to be ballasted. You cut a hole in the baseboard & the uncoupler fits from underneath. I used a hole saw. It's easier if you fit the uncouplers before laying the track but its possible with care to fit them after the track has been laid.

I have been installing these Rapido Railcrew magnetic uncouplers for use with Kadee couplings. They are very affective. They come with everything needed & run off 12 volts DC. This is what they look like when installed. This is what the control panel end of the uncouplers look like.

Very strange George. They normally deduct the Uk vat on new items. Did you query it with them ? I presume you had it sent to you direct & not through An Post Address Pal or something similar ? Tony.

Was that for a second hand item ? Tony.

Hi John. I've never seen Peter Denny's Buckingham Great Central but I have a couple of books on the layout. I'm not basing the layout on anything real, just came up with the idea in my head & refined a design until I though it looked ok to me. I enjoy the building of a layout more than actually operating it, although i do like to s trains go round. I have another larger layout in another room which is largely finished except for some detailing which I will get around to some other time. Speaking of Peter Denny, here are some photos of a station building I made from scratch over fifty years ago when i was much younger I based it on a plan i saw in Railway Modeller at the time. It was in the late sixties or early 1970's. Nowadays everyone uses plastic card. back then I used timber covered in brick paper with the windows & doors painted & made from plastic strip I cut from some packaging I think ? I know it has nothing to do with Mill Road but someone might be interested. Tony.

40 thou plasticard scribed 12mm x 8mm & cut into strips Tony

Not much happening of late due to the holiday & other house commitments but the platforms have been slabbed & painted.

Very nice George. What voltage are they running on ?

That looks fantastic George, well done. What command system are you using? Tony