My layout in the making

[new to trains]

i always try and visit a model shop whilst on holiday too !- it just would not be holiday otherwise !

 

[rjwood_uk]

also being a little shiny dosnt it help light the room a bit?

 

[wonwinglo]

***It is called a busmens holiday Guy,when we were able to go on holiday I used to take a kit of parts to make up,never go without it.

i always try and visit a model shop whilst on holiday too !- it just would not be holiday otherwise !

 

[new to trains]

damm right too !!!!!!!

 

[wonwinglo]

Steven,looking most impressive,are you going to ballast all of the track in one go ? well what I mean is several because you have a lot of track there on your layout,it is going to take a lot of work to get that lot done,but no doubt you have plans for the future.

Your layout has come on leaps and bounds,top marks for sticking at it.

 

[dynamite25]

The ballasting will be done in stages to make it easier to do and to avoid mistakes happening and will be started once all the track is down as i still have all the upper level to lay, but once the last part of insulation is up i will get the rest of the supports built and in place with the small supports for the middle of them to stop then sagging.

Then i will get the point motors fitted for the fiddle yard so i can switch the points without having to walk back and too switching them by hand,and after that i need to get both inclines finished off then i can work on the track to the upper level to complete all the track work.

While on my hols i might buy some scenic stuff and maybe some other bits and bobs i might need.

 

[dynamite25]

I've decide that if my back problem doesn't get any better with these injections i am having in august is that where the loft ladder comes under the layout is that i will make a removable section see pic below,that can be removed to get in and out of the loft without getting on my knees and crawling to a point that i can stand up as it ain't doing me any good and then put the section back in place when the layout is in use.

Also i will cut this piece out see pic below and make it a removable piece that will attach to the removable section so i can just walk straight in without having to duck under or climb over it to get closer to the back of the layout,but i will need to fit two legs to stop the layout dropping as the only legs on that side are at the ends of the layout so two more will need to be fitted.

Haven't done much on the layout due my back being alittle stiff lately but only manged to get the boards re-attached to the end of the loft but might replace with some 9mm plywood to make it more neater.

 

[dynamite25]

Hello all not alot to report on the layout front as i haven't been feeling to good with my back and now have a cold that i caught while on holiday in wales,but to cheer myself up i have finally bought "The Northumbrian" trainpack and i will buy the "The Northumbrian" coach pack when i get paid in two weeks time to make them upto 6 as 3 is abit small for my layout.

I'm hoping to start working on my layout again after i have had my back injections on Tuesday as hopefully i should have less pain or no pain at all but we will see how it goes,but i have missed working on my layout and seeing trains running round and i can't wait to see this new train running when i get it.

 

[shadowmaker]

i have found that 3 coaches doesn't seem to look right when on a layout and feel it needs to look abit more life like!

 

[dynamite25]

I agree with you as for all my locos i will have either 6 or 8 coaches behind them and i hope to have the coach pack for the train in two weeks to make it look more better when running round my layout with it being so long,as just having the 3 coaches would look out of place and not right at all so 6 to 8 coaches for all locos even the diesels will have the same amount of coaches to pull.

So i still have alot more coaches to buy to make the others up to 6 or 8 as the most i have for one loco is 4 which is the western Pullman train,if i had a smaller layout i wouldn't be to bothered about having 3 coaches but my layout is rather long so 3 is to small and more will look correct and looking better running round.

 

[new to trains]

i suppose its not exactly a good comparison but i have had four x sante fe diesels hauling 49 freight cars in N scale......

now that is a long train when your layout is only 9 feet long !- anymore than 49 freight cars and i just get no traction, but it does polish the rails !!!!

 

[dynamite25]

Might be abit longer before i'll be working on the layout again as when i went to the hospital yesterday i thought i was just having afew injection like i did in April but i had 8 injection of Dry Ice into my lower back,and i was fine having them but today i am very stiff and my back is very swollen where the needle went in and sore so it could be either this weekend or next week when i can work on the layout again. :emo2: :emo2:

Still waiting for my new train and coaches to arrive which i hope will be sometime this afternoon but haven't heard a thing from hattons and didn't for two of my other buys from them,and i am still hoping to buy the coach pack for it in two weeks time but need to save alittle bit of money for my third holiday at the end of the month.

 

[dynamite25]

I think some Construction changes are needed to my layout as i think the station side really needs tobe 3ft wide so the station can look more better as at the moment i can't get the station right with only having a 2ft width to play with,so to do that i will shrink the other side from 3ft to 2ft 6" so i still have abit of room to play with and the 1ft wide baseboard that i will add to the station side i will have hinged so i can have a wider walk through when working on the layout and then lift it up and lock into place when running trains.

I can cut the 3ft side down to 2ft 6" this weekend but i won't beable to start the station side till next weekend when i get paid as i am broke now till then as i bought the train pack and i think the change will make the layout better to look at and for me getting in and out of the loft,and i have afew other ideas for the station side but will tell all once the construction has been done..

 

[dynamite25]

Managed to get some work done on the layout today.

But the work was to take up half the track in the fiddle yard as the baseboard from my old layout didn't have a complete square end and was 2mm-3mm out,so it throw the other two boards out by 5mm so i needed to sort that out so i have a straight edge for the hinged baseboard that will be attached to it.

But now that is sorted i need to replace the board on the fiddle yard entrance for the new track to sit on which i will get next weekend when i get the rest of the timber,and i will repin the track down next weekend once i have cut the two 3ft wide baseboards down to 2ft 6" as i will have more room to move about.

Also here is a updated track plan of the lower level with the hinged baseboard attached and with the track i will have on it,and the thin grey line is the retaining wall to the station above.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/dynamite26/NEWUPDATEDTRACKPLAN.png

 

[shadowmaker]

just started build my model lay out on to the boards and it is longer than i tought it would be it may stretch from 1 end of the house to the other (end to end lay out)and also may have to put a 90 degree angle in it to keep it going to the runaround end. slight modification to the Loughborugh great central layout pictures available at http://www.gcrailway.co.uk

 

[dynamite25]

Timber has been bought today aswell as a new bag of screws and 6 Hinges for the new baseboards so i will be starting it tomorrow dinner time,also i have decided to add a further 4" to the 1ft baseboard to make it 1ft 4" so i can move the steam sheds round to the station side and have afew other things there.

And with doing that i have lossed space for my control area so the cutout i made on the end near the station won't have a board over it now for the upper level as i will have my controls in there now,so i new station design is needed which i might design while on holiday next week as i will be busy this week building the new baseboards and shortening the others.

 

[dynamite25]

An update on the layout front.

I've decided to do my layout in small stages to make it easier to do.

So stage 1 was to cut the two baseboards down to 2ft 6" and fit back in place which has been completed,but still need to cut down and refit the board to the framework over the hatch way which will be part of stage 4 now.

Yesterday i started on stage 2 which was the fiddle yard side and i replaced a piece of the framework and today i finished the framework off and got the new board attached to the framework.

And stage 3 is

To start relaying the track in the fiddle yard which i hope to do tonite but will need to un-pin abit more track so i can move it forward abit to get two points in that will connect both parts of the fiddle yard to make it as one.

Stage 4 is

To refit the board to the shortened framework i cut down the other day and then to relay the track on that side to complete the lower track work.

Stage 5 is

To start fitting the point motors in the fiddle yard and wiring them up.

And after my holiday i will start on stage 6 of my layout which is the new hinged baseboard which will carry the lower two man lines and part of the station on the upper level.

 

[dynamite25]

Today i completed stage 3 of my layout which was to relay all the track in the fiddle yard to the new trackplan which took me 4 1/2 hrs to complete it,as i had to rest every half hour to ease my back up but i got there in the end and i also re-attached the supports for the upper level as i removed them to make it easier to re-pin the track down.

Stage 4 is next but not sure whether to do it tomorrow or leave it till i come back off my holiday but i think i will just see how i feel in the morning.

Photos will follow after my holiday as my brother has took his camera back.

 

[dynamite25]

Stage 4 has been started today and will be finished after my holiday so when i come back i should be running trains again within afew days,and i will also get the track down on the inclines to complete stage 4.

 

[shadowmaker]

GCR station scene