4mm Llanfair

[LarryG]

UPGRADE using RATIO Goods shed PARTS.

Purchasing a Ratio 534 Goods Shed kit just because I was too idle to make some sliding doors proably looks extravagent. However, I also imported the roof with roof lights, gutter support boards, guttering and drainpipes, which to my mind have well improved the appearance of the building. The doors were widened and shortened to suit, so some modelling was involved after all...


The sliding doos are working too...


The inside door is cosmetic at this end. Measured to allow for track height...

One weakness of this 4mm kit is the steps. I have lost count of the number of times they have been broke accidently. They are just too fragile in this scale. If I ever produce another coach, I'll add sone side rails to the sheet..

 

[LarryG]

Tying up loose ends...


A short length of Ratio guttering was found and lengthened to fit on this side of the office to finish it off. Ratio drainpipe ftted as well...


Ratio fencing has also arrived so the long awaited gate was added to the signal box locking room entrance. This photo gives an indication of how small this "Barmouth" box is...

 

[LarryG]

I have since looked in an old Ratio catalogue and the black gutters & downspouts have been available separately for some time. Didnt know that, so upgrading of the station is on the cards. Sommat to do!

 

[Andy P]

Doing a Larry, = Hi Larry, I hope your well.

It was always going to happen, I have sold BOTH of my 7mm Layouts and all bar 2 of my Locos. My next project will be OO Roundy. Keep the faith, and I look forward to a resumption of pics and information on here soon.
Keep well and stay safe.

 

[pricei]

Nice work on the goods shed, Larry. Can I ask what paint you used as the base colour for the brickwork?
Ian

 

[LarryG]

Nice work on the goods shed, Larry. Can I ask what paint you used as the base colour for the brickwork?
Ian

It's cellulose paint that resembles PPC P952 Light Brick Red. In fact, the buildings were dry-brushed afterwards with P952 to give a really matt finish.

 

[pricei]

Thanks, Larry. I did try an aerosol of Halfords Red Oxide and, whilst it primed the MDF fine, it was a little too dark as a base coat. I'll get a tin of P952.
Ian

 

[LarryG]

Thanks, Larry. I did try an aerosol of Halfords Red Oxide and, whilst it primed the MDF fine, it was a little too dark as a base coat. I'll get a tin of P952.
Ian

I think that would work very well. Load the tip of a large modelers brush and wipe it on paper before dry-brushing the surface of the bricks. I worked at an angle to the brick courses.

 

[LarryG]

Peco 4mm/OO gauge bullhead points have been around a while now and I wondered if anyone has had any bad experiences with them. Slow running locos stalling for instance?

This question does at least show I have been in the shed looking at the bare baseboards.

 

[Phil O]

Hi Larry, no experience of the Peco stuff, but over on the other channel, there's a bloke has started producing scale turnout kits, the range is a little limited at the moment, being B7 left and right hand, they are able to be curved slightly, he's currently working on B7 crossover kits with a prototypical 6ft way. If I remember tomorrow morning I will post a link, unless someone beats me to it.

He also intends to produce other crossing angles, as well as diamonds, single and double slips.

 

[Andy P]

Hi Larry, They cant stall as the switch blades are hard wired to the outer rails, the only DEAD bit is the very small frog, about 3/8th inch long from memory. Its a really clever bit of kit, but dammed expensive.

 

[jonte]

They’re fine, Larry, but as per my current incumbent using Streamline, I cut the bonding wire twixt crossing and closure, bond the closure to stock rails, and operate via a SPDT switch.

Here’s a couple of pics of a brief dalliance I had with them:



They weren’t as smooth in operation as my hand built jobbies that they replaced, which were built for a U.S. based layout, dare I say so myself, but no worse than say the Code 75 variety that have been around since the 80s (I think).

Finally, here’s your Dean Goods during testing:



Best.

Jonte

Edit to add that during the pandemic, they were difficult to get hold of. Not checked of late to see if the situation has improved. Good luck!

 

[Phil O]

Hi Larry,

As promised, here are several links.

https://www.britishfinescale.com/Default.asp

New 00 Gauge and EM Gauge turnout kits available

New range of simple to assemble 00/EM gauge pointwork kits

 

[LarryG]

Thanks for your reponses and thanks for the links Phil O. The points certainly look fine, but track building is not my thing. Ready-to-plonk suits me. I did wonder about the short section of dead frog on the Peco bullhead's, but Andy Peters has answered that one.

Jonte hit the nail on the head about shortages from Peco during 2020. I havent checked availability this year although I do have around seven new bullhead points. I admit to preferring the far more robust Steamline track system during track laying. I'm a minimalist when it comes ot any sort of electrical wiring because it's a part of model railways I have no interest in.

 

[LarryG]

Shopping online is eating itself. I have lost count of the new passwords I have been forced ot make over the past 12 months even though I have been a regular shopper with the companies for years.

Two afternoons of juggling resulted in me adding another 3 inches width to the station end of the layout, reluctantly I add. I traced the path of an incoming goods train and its shunt manuouvers umpteen times in between moving and turning round points. But in the end it was obvious why the real station (Llanfyllin) had a siding beside the run-round loop, so I got one too now!

Track is roughly laid at this stage and some additional points have been ordered from a model shop I have found dependable. Widening was really for the benefit of road vehicles plus space for coal staithes and weighbridge...

 

[jonte]

Good to see activity on the layout again, Larry, and I shall look forward to more.

Further to your mention of Hattons earlier: Almost finished track laying on my own embryonic project when I ran out of flexitrack over the weekend; just needed one length, which was a bit of a pain, but as the rest of the plain track had been donated by my brother in law, it wasn’t too much of an issue.

Thought I’d pop to Hattons after doing what should have been a short job for my daughter who is currently expecting. In the end, the job took longer than anticipated and was a real chore! Anyway, made the short hop down the motorway to find the building open but the showroom closed. Since re-opening, for some reason, they’re closed on a Monday and Tuesday!! I rang them from the car park and explaining my predicament, offered to pay for the goods over the phone if somebody wouldn’t mind passing them out of the open back door to me. ‘Sorry; it will take 24 hours’ came the not so helpful reply. So that was that. Whilst I had the mobile in my hand, and from Hattons’ car park, thought I’d ring my local model shop in Formby - essentially radio control but do stock the odd train set item - who had all the bits I required. Best thing was, they were prepared to split the packet of switches so that the total bill for three switches and a length of Streamline came to less than the box of switches they were offering for sale alone!

When you consider that Hattons didn’t even carry the fishplates I needed last time but Formby Models did, I know where my first port of call shall be in future.

Just think Hattons has outgrown itself and turned into a bit of the ‘computer says no’ type hyper store which is so typical in this day n age. I remember when things were so different at the original Aladdin’s Cave on Smithdown Road. So much for progress.

Jonte

 

[Longbow]

Given that their showroom was closed, I'd say you have no cause for complaint. Try turning up at an Amazon warehouse and asking for instant back door delivery! These big online warehouses operate in a highly structured way and simply aren't equipped to fulfil ad hoc orders immediately.

 

[Flaxfield]

Given that their showroom was closed, I'd say you have no cause for complaint. Try turning up at an Amazon warehouse and asking for instant back door delivery! These big online warehouses operate in a highly structured way and simply aren't equipped to fulfil ad hoc orders immediately.

You can't compare Hattons with Amazon. Hattons are retailers whereas Amazon are distributors. They are a warehouse not a shop to which thd public would ordinarily expect to have access, unlike Hattons.
I think Jonte's phone call was reasonable in the circumstances .

I have found Hattons a bit hit and miss in terms of cutomer service. It depends very much on whom you speak to.

For that reason I don't deal with them very often.

Very much an exception to be honest.

Rob.

 

[simond]

Progress?

Look at all the progress in medicine & stuff, at least we don’t have plagues any more!

oh, er, hang on a moment…

 

[jonte]

Given that their showroom was closed, I'd say you have no cause for complaint. Try turning up at an Amazon warehouse and asking for instant back door delivery! These big online warehouses operate in a highly structured way and simply aren't equipped to fulfil ad hoc orders immediately.

Thank you, Longbow, for your input and welcome to Western Thunder.

Just me in conversation as we tend to do on this backwater of forums.

Wasn’t looking for a response or discussion; we don’t do differences of opinion here - especially those accompanied by exclamation marks

I’m sure you will find us a refreshing change and remember: the currency here is photographs

Good luck!

Jonte