Know how you feel Kim when the job list starts piling up, if it helps I'm in the same boat... not done much to Elton Crossing nor the Hymek for a while either... just been too busy working. My track and pointwork is all scratched and that includes cutting Peco Flexitack down to scale 60' lengths and altering sleeper spacings to suit, Peco sleepering is a tad closed up for accurate finescale and gives the look that the ballast cribs are too narrow. However image all the problems that threw up particulaly as my baseboard is on castors and flexes whenever it is pushed around.. Oh dear and I thought it was a good idea at the time... answer make bases to allow for stress movement over carpets To get a good "line and top" as old railwaymen say I use a special PWay wagon... actually it's a Dundas Tube wagon which has had all its axleboxes fixed rigid so there's no compensation, as a long wheelbase wagon pushed along it can winkle out detecting any depressions and high spots in the track. My track is set on 4mm thick cork so if I needed to lower the "top" I'm able cut down into the cork and the way I treat "low spots" is to shim the alignment up with thin pieces of Plasticard. It works everytimehttp://www.click.Cheers for now Paul
Hi Paul, to get a realistic track sound I just cut a groove with a disk every 24cm, not right through though!! (Track was already laid!) Cheers Ron
Great tip Paul. I’ve noticed the bad spots, nearly all on the board joints, with the brake van which has a longer wheel base than wagons. I think as the temperature has gone up this last week it’s suffered a bit of expansion in the wood work department, something Lord Street Depot doesn’t suffer from as its built on foam boards. I’ve used Marcways Flexi track as the spacing are better but the real difference is the sleeper length is wider than the Peco track and just looks a lot better. Hi Ron, good tip re cutting the track, something I might do when it’s all ballasted and working correctly. Kim
New arrival on the layout....just had to have a little test run Wrong end of the train, as the Incline is not quite ready for her services.
Nice Kim but the 9F is on the wrong end of the Train The tender needs the top rail cutting out on the drivers side as well for the loading of the coal. See crop of photo sorry could find a better one with a quick google search Attached files
Happy new 9F Kimbo it looks and sounds great... may I ask if it is it an RTR aquisition or built up from a kit ? cheers Paul
Cheers Chris, I've the same picture and it is not very clear, all the best reference pictures only show the other side. I have a couple of books ordered which hopefully will have more detailed pictures. Hi Paul, thanks for the comments. The model is from Ace, great value for money with the added bonus of being the exact model I wanted, with working front light, fire box glow and correctly numbered and a bag of metal lamps, both red and white. Although weighing in at 4.7kg it's running on a standard small decoder used for oo Gauge. ( the sound track is from a recording played in the background...which is not a 9F but was the only one that seemed to fit in with the run round) The other advantage is she will run around a 27 inch radius, my Incline curves are not that tight but I think a kit built model would have had trouble getting around them. Cheers Pete, glad you like it. Hope you like it when the correct sound files are added and she's running at the rear of a train up my Incline.
Kim I remember watching a old film with it a few years ago that show the 9F being hand coaled via the cut out, but can't find it now. May be worth having a look on YouTube and doing a screen capture if you see it. http://www.click
9F running session today with a bit of freight, and yes there is a crew fitted in the cab, but I think I’m going to change them to crew figures leaning out as the cab is very dark.
Thanks Bob, the model is from ACE trains. https://thestationmastersrooms.co.uk/Ace-Trains-Locomotives I’ve changed the wheels and re gauged the back to backs so that she will run through peco pointwork, but if you had no points or you removed the check rails then the model runs fine on peco, Marcway trackwork with no modifications. Kim
The way those coke hoppers have been dirtied up is superb Kimbo, your layout has got to have been inspired by the industrial scenery that was once so regular around Wolverhampton and area down towards Smethwick.
Cheers Paul. Well yes your right, It not called “The Black Country “ for nothing. The Black Country museum there, has the canal dock display with the chain makers and small industrial sheds etc which I would love to model. https://www.bclm.co.uk/ Kim
I must be loosing brain capacity ten to the dozen... it hadn't clicked your layout was called "The Black Country"... I just remember those industrial landscapes from my time living in Wolverhampton along the Pennfields Road. I know the Black Country Museum and the very canal bridge with cobbled sets you mention.
I’ve always wanted a canal scene ever since I planned the extension, the weekend saw a start of the build. This is the area in question. I’ve still got a few extra timber beams spare which makes for a quick start. The boat kit was purchased a few years ago from Skytrex Timber support with a section of plastic pipework forms the small tunnel opening into the basin At the other end the larger opening uses a flower pot to form the tunnel. The basin will be on a removable board to allow easier access to clean the trackwork at the back. All the main timer work done ready for forming the embankment and hill side. I plan to use expanding spray foam again as I did on the other side of the track. Kim
Lots of neat wood work there Kimbo. So what is the name of your canal ? Flowerdale...?? Cheers, Gary.
Foam time The far “bank” side will be covered with vegetation. Last picture shows the remains of my pink fur stock....looks like a trip to spotlight Kim