Focalplane
Western Thunderer
The overhangs make all the difference, Larry! Glad to see you have made some progress.
7mm Corwen Road
- Thread starter LarryG
- Start date
LarryG
Western Thunderer
When the signalbox was being built, it's location on the layout had not been decided. It turns out that it will be some way from the stations facilities, so the signalbox required a toilet. A study of photos showed there were numerous GWR variants and so I built one from various thicknesses of Plastikard.
THe toilet roof is removable for the moment until the door has been glazed...
The lav had to be brush painted and so plastic primer was brushed on very quickly.....
THe toilet roof is removable for the moment until the door has been glazed...
The lav had to be brush painted and so plastic primer was brushed on very quickly.....
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LarryG
Western Thunderer
I converted my ancient diorama to 0 gauge track this morning. Most of the track was ballasted with Woodland Scenics B94 Medium Gray Blend. Track and ballast were glued down in one go using lashings of PVA. The track was then 'weathered'.
First wagon for the layout kindly donated by PhilH, and photographed on the diorama...
First wagon for the layout kindly donated by PhilH, and photographed on the diorama...
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LarryG
Western Thunderer
A slight shunt into a siding here. Five weeks ago I ordered a Canon 18-55 f3.5-5.6 lens. The company was in Hong Kong and five weeks later, so was my lens! Cancelled and re-ordered in the UK, it arrived next day.......Well done Park Cameras.
This a hand-held grab shot of a shelf in my room (1/20th sec @ f8 : 1600ASA). The image-stabilizer be doin' it's stuff...
This a hand-held grab shot of a shelf in my room (1/20th sec @ f8 : 1600ASA). The image-stabilizer be doin' it's stuff...
Peter Cross
Western Thunderer
Nice Larry. I would use a lower ASA will be less grainy, use a high F number, and longer or automatic. Stand camera on something and use auto timer. No movement at exposure time.
Edited for portugese "or"
Edited for portugese "or"
LarryG
Western Thunderer
Uncharacteristically for me progress has been pretty sedentary, not just of late but for some time. Distractions yes, but certainly no loss of interest. OO gauge was familiar, a doddle. O gauge is not just bigger, it is unfamiliar, so I am not just taking my time; everything takes longer.
One positive to come out of this is it gives me time to change my mind before things become fixtures.
One positive to come out of this is it gives me time to change my mind before things become fixtures.
LarryG
Western Thunderer
I suppose a junction station doesn't necessarily need a bay (Ellesmere didn't). A terminating train could always move to the Down platform and while it's there, all other traffic could use the bi-directional "Up" platform.
All this has come about because placing buildings on the baseboard has made it clear there isn't the space for a bay platform and a goods yard. The main running lines have been retained but have been slowed over to be closer to the backscene. I have gone for having a goods yard further down the tracks instead of behind the station, as this allows more space for a goods shed plus longer sidings. Below is the altered trackwork as of this afternoon. The track nearest the door is the yard headshunt behind the Down platform...
All this has come about because placing buildings on the baseboard has made it clear there isn't the space for a bay platform and a goods yard. The main running lines have been retained but have been slowed over to be closer to the backscene. I have gone for having a goods yard further down the tracks instead of behind the station, as this allows more space for a goods shed plus longer sidings. Below is the altered trackwork as of this afternoon. The track nearest the door is the yard headshunt behind the Down platform...
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LarryG
Western Thunderer
Books laid out like this only means only one thing........Track laying has commenced. In this instance, the extra layer of cork base on the curve...
The 1/8" cork is drying out in the evening sun so that it can be profiled with an electric sander in the morning. Each track will be cambered separately...
The track was placed back on the cork while the edges were trimmed...
The 1/8" cork is drying out in the evening sun so that it can be profiled with an electric sander in the morning. Each track will be cambered separately...
The track was placed back on the cork while the edges were trimmed...
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LarryG
Western Thunderer
This time I will use Woodland Scenics B94 Medium Grey Blend and spray the weathering on afterwards.That's looking very operational indeed.
Did you settle on a certain type of ballast?
David
I am now able to spend more time on the layout. Track laying and ballasting is usually a frenzied activity and there are station buildings and other structures to be getting on with.
I would still carry on collecting even if I didn't have a shed, as 7mm is so good to look at.
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Focalplane
Western Thunderer
With respect to ballast colour I think your choice is the right one as it forms a "blank canvas" to add the weathering. I have been thinking about this from a "professional" point of view. For example, where did the ballast for a particular location come from? Judging by the number of aggregate trains coming from the Mendips towards London it would seem medium blue grey (i.e. Carboniferous Limestone) would be ideal for that area, but quarries in most of North Wales offer a darker rock, being "greywacke" (a term for almost any fine grained hard rock in a mountainous area!). Here in southern France a lot of the ballast is near black, coming from volcanic rocks quarried at Bessan.
In the past I tried mixing colours to get a salt and pepper texture but to be honest this seems to be a very rare option in real life. When I did fieldwork in the North of England the roadstones in use there were easy to identify. Pink Shap Granite sparkled in the sunshine. But I was told the best roadstone was igneous dolerite from the Whin Sill because the structure of the minerals was perfect for combining with tar to give a very long life.
Looking forward to see the super-elevation!
In the past I tried mixing colours to get a salt and pepper texture but to be honest this seems to be a very rare option in real life. When I did fieldwork in the North of England the roadstones in use there were easy to identify. Pink Shap Granite sparkled in the sunshine. But I was told the best roadstone was igneous dolerite from the Whin Sill because the structure of the minerals was perfect for combining with tar to give a very long life.
Looking forward to see the super-elevation!
LarryG
Western Thunderer
Pemaenmawr Quarries have supplied railway ballast since the 1880's (off the top of my head), which is hard and bluish-cream colour. But whether it was supplied to the Western Region around Deeside I do not know.
The cork was shamferred before 10am using the coarsest pads in the box, so it is cracking on. A spray mask is essential as it is a very dusty job. It gets everywhere. The cork was tailed off to level at each end....
Track were laid in position for the camera to show the amount of camber from 1/8" cork down to zero for each track....
A telephoto shot............
If one is ballasting after the track has been glued down, then the easiest way is to lay narrow strips of 1/8" cork under the outside of the sleepers. I use the lay and ballast at the same time method hence the continuous cork support.
Back to wark....
The cork was shamferred before 10am using the coarsest pads in the box, so it is cracking on. A spray mask is essential as it is a very dusty job. It gets everywhere. The cork was tailed off to level at each end....
Track were laid in position for the camera to show the amount of camber from 1/8" cork down to zero for each track....
A telephoto shot............
If one is ballasting after the track has been glued down, then the easiest way is to lay narrow strips of 1/8" cork under the outside of the sleepers. I use the lay and ballast at the same time method hence the continuous cork support.
Back to wark....
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LarryG
Western Thunderer
I laid the track exactly where it will go as if it were being laid permanently. It entailed lining things up with long striaght lenths of timber and fine tuning with 2' steel straight edges. The curve was done with 250" diameter templates and transitioned into the straight....
There is a slight 'not-quite right' section of track at the end of the ladder below. This is because it won't retain a slight curve and will have to be pinned to shape when laying the track permanently...
A segment of baseboard was added to the 'goods yard' this morning to provide for coal bunkers and what-not. A goods shed will take up space on the second track from the left. Sidings at the front makes for easier coupling & uncoupling with a magnetic penlight. A dip will be made in the cork so that coal wagons can be fly-shunted. Free-running 0 gauge wagons makes this possible and I'm going for it (!)...
There is a slight 'not-quite right' section of track at the end of the ladder below. This is because it won't retain a slight curve and will have to be pinned to shape when laying the track permanently...
A segment of baseboard was added to the 'goods yard' this morning to provide for coal bunkers and what-not. A goods shed will take up space on the second track from the left. Sidings at the front makes for easier coupling & uncoupling with a magnetic penlight. A dip will be made in the cork so that coal wagons can be fly-shunted. Free-running 0 gauge wagons makes this possible and I'm going for it (!)...
LarryG
Western Thunderer
The reason for laying the loose track precisely where it will go is now clear.....
After masking the closure rails, the whole of the track was sprayed with Sleeper Grime from a Howes spraycan and the railheads wiped clean. This left an impression on the baseboard and so the track was split in convenient chunks and removed ready for spreading PVA....
We're off....... PVA down, track down, ballast firmly pushed in place, short strip of wood in place to firmly press on individual cambers, and books as weights. The rectangle of white Plastikard is my 6' spacer....
After masking the closure rails, the whole of the track was sprayed with Sleeper Grime from a Howes spraycan and the railheads wiped clean. This left an impression on the baseboard and so the track was split in convenient chunks and removed ready for spreading PVA....
We're off....... PVA down, track down, ballast firmly pushed in place, short strip of wood in place to firmly press on individual cambers, and books as weights. The rectangle of white Plastikard is my 6' spacer....
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LarryG
Western Thunderer
First 7½ feet of track laid. Ballast could be topped up at a later date using the eye-dropper method.
The ballast was given around two hours to dry out before the surplus was vacuum'd off in an old Dyson and put back in the bag....
The camber might be over-stated for a country branchline, but it looks effective to me...
The ballast was given around two hours to dry out before the surplus was vacuum'd off in an old Dyson and put back in the bag....
The camber might be over-stated for a country branchline, but it looks effective to me...
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
I just checked my ballast stocks and, guess what, no medium grey! Fine grey, yes, but that was for 4mm modelling. Plenty of coarse brown though and I have a barrowload of cork I ground up in the kitchen blender when no one was looking. That's brown as well. So, what to do? Birmingham in the late 1950s was beginning to leave the smog behind but the ballast certainly wouldn't be very clean unless it had just been replaced.
So, you guessed it, I am going to use the brown! But I do like that grey look in the Welsh countryside - Clean Air Act and all that.
Larry, you'll have it finished before I even start ballasting!
So, you guessed it, I am going to use the brown! But I do like that grey look in the Welsh countryside - Clean Air Act and all that.
Larry, you'll have it finished before I even start ballasting!
