<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
This is an Ongoing Project - More Updates Soon.
<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
LATEST UPDATE:- 08 - 02 - 10.
My 230 mile round trip to the Model Railway Exhibition organised by the Stafford MRC on Saturday 6th February 2010, was well worth it.
One of my favourite exhibitions of the year had no less than ten modern image layouts on display.
Six out of the ten layouts really grabbed my attention and photographic evidence of those layouts from the Stafford exhibition can be viewed via the following links.
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
OR .... VIA THE INDIVIDUAL LAYOUT PAGES ....
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
DIESELS-IN-THE-DUCHY
* * * * * *
NEWCASTLE-BY-THE-WATER
* * * * * *
A further update regarding the layout will be posted here soon.
<> <> <> <> <> <>
30 - 01 - 10.
LATEST ACQUISITION:-
Although released by HORNBY prior to Christmas, I’ve only just received my model from MODELFAIR.COM
This Manchester based firm, which advertises throughout the model railway press, appears to me to be the cheapest around. I’ve found that MODELFAIR is two or three pounds cheaper per item than RAILS of SHEFFIELD and with similar P&P charges. As I buy quite a few items each year, every pound counts … that's what I say!!
CLASS 153 in WESSEX TRAINS (Devon and Cornwall) livery.
Hornby Ref. No:- R2866.
* * * * * * * * Not wishing to bore the pants off you, January 2010 was a bitch of a month!
It started earlier in the month with a death in the family. It was the wife of my wife’s cousin from the dreaded “Big C”. A lovely lady, and being younger than us, her passing brought home what a cruel and horrible disease cancer is plus it can strike at any age.
Then our gas cooker went on the blink ....
Ten days later (and with microwaves banned from our home) it was fixed.
My wallet now being £140 lighter.
Blow me down ....
Last Wednesday the central heating boiler sprang a water leak.
We are now without our central heating and will be for at least another five days!
That bill will be at least double the cooker repair .... plus V.A.T!!
Presently, my wife can be found, most of the day, huddled around the three bar electric fire in the lounge wearing three layers of clothing plus her "snuggle blanket!!"
As we only possess one electric fire, needless to say, it's pretty cold here in the office as I try and type wearing gloves!!!
Next ....
My 88 year old mother is rather poorly in her residential care home on the other side of the country, some 200 miles away ... so ... car keys are permanently at the ready.
And finally … . On to the layout ....
I misunderstood the instructions of the SCALESCENES warehouse kit and spent three days copying / cutting / gluing / assembling roof sections of the kit only to find I’d cocked it up!
Oh Bother I said ....or something similar!!
.... so .... Roll on Summer!!
* * * * * * * *
I have today been out to the shed and positioned the four parts of the warehouse kit to see whether my thoughts of HOW it will fit together … WILL fit together. They WILL ... so it DOES!
It has turned out quite well, in my opinion. The low relief section that will be the scenic break looks quite good as does the similar (but smaller) low relief section that is positioned against the wall under the window. The two “full” buildings sit against the scenic break as I had imagined with only minor adjustments being made. The two areas where the tracks go through the scenic break work well.
The photos below show the recently completed work. Photos of the finished roof sections, now I have the instructions sussed, will follow.
My next job will be to give these exits / entrances a “tunnel-isation” to make the transition from scenic section to fiddle yard more prominent to give the effect of trains.going under the buildings above.
The "tunnel-isation" will be on the fiddle yard (below) side of the scenic break. The "face" showing will be painted to complete the effect.
Below left & right:- Driver's eye view leaving each of the fiddle yard exits.
Below left & right:- Driver's eye view accessing each of the fiddle yard entrances.
18 - 01 - 10.
The SCALESCENES Warehouse kit building continues unabated since my last update.
I have decided not to continue with the “internal” sections of this kit. As I have “printed” the kit windows onto ordinary paper (and not the transparency film suggested in the instructions) the windows are not “see-through” therefore internal features are irrelevant.
I have now constructed the kits that I will be using. As can be seen, I have used internal strengtheners to keep the kits in shape and rigid.
The kits don't come with the floors but I much prefer to give the buildings a base.
I have also constructed the “back scene” which will separate the viewing area from the fiddle yard on that side of the layout. The back scene will be positioned on the edge of the fiddle yard board and therefore 85mm higher than the two full and one low relief buildings.
This back scene has been created by using a piece of 6mm ply.
The length of this back scene is the same as the width of the baseboard it will sit on and the height I have given it is five floors.
The railway tracks will flow through the two gaps under the rusty girders.
The buildings will sit against this backscene; one to the "blank" wall to the left, the other will cover the "white section". One floor of the buildings will be below this base level as they are to be sited on the lower baseboard.
With the backscene (above) placed flat on the floor, this photo shows how the building between the tracks will be sited.
The two "full relief" buildings and the backscene (below) and the PVA wood glue used showing through.
The buildings' roofs still have to be constructed.
Due to both the odd shape of one of the buildings and the backscene not being "as stated in the instructions," there will be more "scratch" building to come before this task can be called complete.
The roofs will be done before I "plant" these building kits on the layout.
WATCH THIS SPACE!!
09-01-10.
Continuing freezing temperatures and further snow falls has meant that in the shed there has been no work nor playing trains at all since last Sunday's update.
Today I have finished the "walls" part of the SCALESCENES Factory / Warehouse kit. All the wall sections I shall be using are laid out below. There are one, two, three and five "section" walls in this photo. Below these can be seen the "ground templates" around which all the sections will be placed.
The completion of this kit is still a long way off as there are internal strengtheners, floors and roofs yet to be constructed.
The "ground template" (on the left above) will be sited between the tracks leading off the arch (raised) section to the fiddle yard.
The "ground template" (on the right above) will occupy the space infront of the left arches.
The photo below shows individual sections of the external wall of the kit.
There will be eleven individual sections making up the warehouse to the left.
There will be sixteen individual sections making up the warehouse to the right.
Above:- the sixteen sections around the "ground template".
Below:- the eleven sections around the "ground template".
The five section piece above that is the ultra-low relief section of warehouse that will be sited (glued) against the shed wall under the window and behind both of the others.
03-01-10.
Firstly, may I wish you all
a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
* * * * * *
Well ... Santa has been and gone; the inclement weather still abounds throughout the Cambridgeshire area. Not too much of the white stuff has fallen, but negative temperatures have been widespread, both night and day, and kept me in doors. I'm glad I invested in the convector heater prior to this cold snap as the shed, whilst not warm by any means, definitely keeps the temperature higher by a few degrees.
Mentioned in my last update; card modelling is progressing well in the comfort of indoors. I've been making up wall sections in the interim period. The fruits of my endeavours can be seen laid out below.
Many will think this a pathetic amount of work to have been completed in just a few days. In my defence, may I say that this kit is extremely fiddly, with many "add on" pieces to be glued in place.
Here is a completed wall section.
This five section wall will form the rear of the warehouse that will be sited between the two set of tracks that lead from the arch / raised section into the fiddle yard.
More sections of walling (below) with some "add on" bits added but not linked together yet into a full section. More sections are needed before another completed wall can be sited.
There are still many more items that need to be constructed before all three of these warehouse structures can be completed.
<> <> <> <> <> <>
CONTINUED FROM W - i - P:- Page 7
<> <> <> <> <> <>
