Thaxham light railway. A Great Eastern Railway themed terminus, in O gauge.

Another late update on Thaxhams track laying.
I have fixed a second point in and laid the track for the run round. I've started laying the connecting track for the front sidings. Once the glue has dried I can make a start on fixing the last point in place lay the two sidings and wire it all up.





I have also made a start on the loading and cattle dock. I will take some photos once I have got a bit further with it as I need to pick up some more foam board.

Cheer's, Pete.

 

Right, an update on where I am now. The last of the track and the final point are down and glued in place.
I still need to fit the point servos but first the brackets for them need finishing, then it will be the big wire up.











The cattle/loading dock and ramp carcass is ready for cladding. However I've not decided whether to do it in brick or timber. The original at Thaxted that inspired the layout is made of sleepers but I quite like the brick finish. Hmm decisions decisions

Cheer's, Pete.

 

After looking at the Thaxted station photos again I have decided to go with the timber built dock.
So to that end I have started cladding it with cut down coffee stirrers as I have a bag full off flea bay and it would be rude not to .

Any way a few photos to show how I've got on.

Pete.

 

I have spent most of the afternoon soldering the droppers to the rails, not a particularly interesting job but one that needed to be done. I was hoping to have the bus wires on the second board installed too but I need to dismantle the whole layout and turn it on its side first. If I do that I can install the servo point motors and micro switches but as I haven't assembled the motors yet it will have to wait a little while.
Progress, but slow

Cheer's, Pete.

 

Bit more done with the point motors. I,ve assembled the 4 now,



I had to do a little fettling on the operating arm from 3 to 1 arms, easy peasy with side cuts.

As I wanted to finish soldering up the droppers on board 2 I wizzed it on its end and completed the wiring bar two for the sector plate.
A bit of a rats nest of wiring, but no-one will see it but me so hay ho.



next up I decided to have a go at fitting the point motor, I expected to struggle a bit but it went on really easily.



Thats how it stands at the moment. I need to fit a micro switch for point V powering, I have an idea how, just need to figure it out.
Setting up the throw on the servo took a little trial and error but I got there in the end.

Cheer's, Pete..

 

Another thing I have been doing is building a cattle dock/loading platform. I decided to go with timber built and clad it in coffee stirrers. I then put some square approx 3mm timber framing on the outside and a timber buffer stop.
One of the problems I had as I was using the dock at Thaxted station as inspiration and I've not been able to find any photos of the top. However, after looking on Google images I found some photos of three or four docks and all had a brick or block surface so thats what I've gone for.
Still got to build the pen but I'm pleased with how it looks at the moment.







Right coffees drunk, back to the shed!

Cheer's, Pete.

 

Thanks Rob. It is a textured, near enough, 7mm scale brick paper that I found on Ebay a while ago. The seller is based in Cyprus and doe's mostly dolls house "stuff". He has brick in various finish's, stone of all sort of finishes setts etc etc in all the scales from OO, to G scale, maybe even N, not sure about that though. It is printed onto textured wall paper, some modellers don't like it but for me its bang on.
The only down side is having to wade through page after page on his sale site
I think I may have posted a link on our facebook page. Not sure though.

Cheer's, Pete.

 

I finally came up with a simple fix for the micro switch using a slightly modified Megapoints method.
I glued the switch, using my new trusty glue gun to a small block of wood which in turn I glued to the alloy angle I've used as a servo mount.



I had to notch the block slightly so it would sit flat on the angle and base board. And guess what? it works a treat!

Just need to sort all the c&^p out from under number one board so I can get to the underside and sort that out.

Cheer's, Pete.

 

Thanks York Paul .
The dock at Thaxted had a small penned area on the same level as a small loading platform with a very small timber shed on. But as i said earlier, photos showing the dock area are very few and far between, usually as a background image. Mine isn't a slavish copy more an inspired guess fore shortend to fit the space available.

Cheer's, Pete.

 

Cheer's for that mate. I was furtleing about in the shed earlier today,, and I have found a book of images for railway modellers and in it there is a photo of a small GER cattle dock and pen, very dilapidated but what interested me was that the pen was built with timber fencing rather than the usual steel bars thro' timber or concrete posts so thats the one for me.

Pete.

 

Had a session in the shed again this afternoon and got the wiring soldered up on board 1. I also installed number 3 servo, it will have to do for now as I need to get 3 micro switches (I was certain I had some in my stash but as usual, I've probably put them somewhere safe )
Any way a couple of photos of my progress, also note the, almost, tidy wiring .





Any way thats all for now. Got to get tea on and Karens not feeling too well, I hope she's not going to have one of her seizures.

Cheer's, Pete.