HSB goes indoors
- Thread starter ColinK
- Start date
Now I understand. A couple of weeks ago Network Rail installed a sort of level crossing base so road/rail vehicles can get on and off the tracks. They put in floodlights too which unusually are switched on all night, every night. But they are positioned perfectly for Pete to take photos.
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Hope leave them on all night, the last couple of times I've been past is on the empties to Hardendale around 3am! Must admit, I'm envious of the view from your house beyond the railway
I'm curious, no 'big pointy fence' (apparently) between you and the mainline. - Must be a carefully selected angle for the photograph.. 
Life has been very tough recently, working 3 days a week and caring for others on my days off. Today I finally got a much needed day off with some time for myself. It‘s exactly a month since I made a start on weathering my diesels and railcar and they hadn’t been touched until today. The morning was spent on dirtying the roofs and underframes - then it started to rain - which wasn’t forecast. Fortunatly it didn’t last long and after lunch I finished the job by applying two coats of matt varnish. Here is one of the locos. My aim was to get a sort of ‘well used but maintained’ look and I’m happy with the result, although the bogies could have more tonal variety. I did have some prototype photos to guide me.
So that just leaves my three steam locos in ‘out of the box’ condition. I’ve never weathered a steam loco yet, so I’ll have to give it some thought before tackling them.
PS for Pete, a railway man came along a while ago and the lights for the road/rail transition point are now switched off except when its in use.
So that just leaves my three steam locos in ‘out of the box’ condition. I’ve never weathered a steam loco yet, so I’ll have to give it some thought before tackling them.
PS for Pete, a railway man came along a while ago and the lights for the road/rail transition point are now switched off except when its in use.
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Deutsch pacer
just need to record one going down to Morecambe, mind you the squealing would break all your windows after 2 laps of your railway 
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I’ve got a 4mm scale pacer in bits on my workbench for fitting DCC sound. I had better keep the volume down to save the windows.
Todays G scale job started by splitting the layout into its 8 baseboards, first time I’ve had to do that. Where the tracks cross baseboard joints I’ve made removable sections, basically just a piece of track stuck to thin plasticard and ballasted. The rails are secured with Hillman rail clamps which have to be removed to split the boards and refitted when I put the layout together. Its proved to be a bit of a time consuming faff and I’m wondering if there are better solutions? i think the removable sections is a good approach as all the baseboard joints are on curves. I’m wondering if it would be better/easier just to use LGB fishplates/rail joiners. Whatever I use it has to conduct the power round the layout. Any advice appreciated.
Todays G scale job started by splitting the layout into its 8 baseboards, first time I’ve had to do that. Where the tracks cross baseboard joints I’ve made removable sections, basically just a piece of track stuck to thin plasticard and ballasted. The rails are secured with Hillman rail clamps which have to be removed to split the boards and refitted when I put the layout together. Its proved to be a bit of a time consuming faff and I’m wondering if there are better solutions? i think the removable sections is a good approach as all the baseboard joints are on curves. I’m wondering if it would be better/easier just to use LGB fishplates/rail joiners. Whatever I use it has to conduct the power round the layout. Any advice appreciated.
I would not rely on cross-joint rail connections to distribute power..
There are any number of connectors you can use for linking the track-power from board-to-board.. All will be better than two set's of push-fit joiners.
PhilP.
There are any number of connectors you can use for linking the track-power from board-to-board.. All will be better than two set's of push-fit joiners.
PhilP.
Take a feed from the track on one board and wire it into a female choc-block. On the board you are joining up to, the first piece of track has a male choc-block wired from it. Join the two lengths of baseboard and connect the two lengths of wire. The track on each length of baseboard can just end without joiners. The wiring can be fed under the baseboard so it is out of sight.
Easier to do than to explain probably.
Easier to do than to explain probably.
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Thanks for that, well explained as I understood it.
Meanwhile I’ve just finished todays job - weathering the track. It required taking each baseboard outside one at a time and airbrushing sleeper grime over the ballast. It has certainly toned down the cork chippings. Next task is to clean the rail head.
Meanwhile I’ve just finished todays job - weathering the track. It required taking each baseboard outside one at a time and airbrushing sleeper grime over the ballast. It has certainly toned down the cork chippings. Next task is to clean the rail head.
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Progress at last. As you may have read on another thread I had great difficulty getting backscene boards for the layout - I‘m no good at cutting straight and accuratly - I finally got some in June from White Rose Woodworks in Bedale, found quite by chance as my regular Summer Sunday job was driving the Lancaster - Richmond - Bedale bus service. However, with the project having been stalled so long, I just didn’t have the interest or motivation to do anything on the layout, instead I signed up for a online course via zoom learning to play double bass.
However, some enthusiasm came back a few days ago and with three consecutive days off work I’ve finally made some progress. The first day was occupied dismantling the layout and moving it all into another room - where it was very much in the way. Day two was occupied installing LED strips on the framework supporting the layout (the nice brown stained wood in the photo below). Today I’ve fitted the backscene boards and put the railway back in place.
If you are wondering why the backscenes are on the inside, it is just in case I ever exhibit the layout. They will normally be removed when the layout is at home. I need them on at the moment is to enable me to finish the scenery, especially on the far side of the layout which will have some low relief buildings.
You may also be puzzled as to why I fitted lighting underneath wherethe layout is. I’ve not totally lost my marbles, on the shelf below the layout there is a 00 gauge railway hiding amongst all the boxes/junk. The 00 layout is due to be sold or scrapped after its final exhibition appearance at Chapel-en-le-Frith in February next year (should have been 2021 of course). So when the G scale layout is finished, I’ll move it down a shelf where it will be nicely lit by the new LED strips. A new 00 layout will then be built where the G scale currently resides. I hope its not such a long time to the next update.
However, some enthusiasm came back a few days ago and with three consecutive days off work I’ve finally made some progress. The first day was occupied dismantling the layout and moving it all into another room - where it was very much in the way. Day two was occupied installing LED strips on the framework supporting the layout (the nice brown stained wood in the photo below). Today I’ve fitted the backscene boards and put the railway back in place.
If you are wondering why the backscenes are on the inside, it is just in case I ever exhibit the layout. They will normally be removed when the layout is at home. I need them on at the moment is to enable me to finish the scenery, especially on the far side of the layout which will have some low relief buildings.
You may also be puzzled as to why I fitted lighting underneath wherethe layout is. I’ve not totally lost my marbles, on the shelf below the layout there is a 00 gauge railway hiding amongst all the boxes/junk. The 00 layout is due to be sold or scrapped after its final exhibition appearance at Chapel-en-le-Frith in February next year (should have been 2021 of course). So when the G scale layout is finished, I’ll move it down a shelf where it will be nicely lit by the new LED strips. A new 00 layout will then be built where the G scale currently resides. I hope its not such a long time to the next update.
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I’ve pretty much lost interest in the layout for the last 12 months. The problems have really been over the backscene boards, especially little triangular infill boards where the track went slightly over the edge of the baseboards. Plus the backscenes are only required if I ever exhibit the layout and I had concluded that I couldn’t exhibit it because I have the original MTS system and if it went wrong I couldn’t run any trains - I saw that happen to someone else when their control system packed up in the first hour of a two day show.
Anyway, I came across some suitable backscene pictures quite by chance in my local model shop, they are by IDbackscenes and are actual photographs of Bavaria. Plus while at the London Festival of Railway Modelling I spotted on Malc’s Models stand a Mamod diesel loco, battery powered, radio controlled and with sound - if I got one of those I could use it in an emergency to pull trains on my layout. Then one of my friends offered to loan me his battery powered loco if I’m exhibiting. So both problems resolved.
With a day at home and the house to myself, I’ve fitted the photo backscenes to my backscene boards. First piece was a failure; I had bought some special backscene glue and it simply didn’t stick. Luckily it didn’t cause much damage to the printed sheet, so I tried pva glue which worked perfectly.
What that means is that the layout is pretty much complete, just needs a few details adding, although a little bit of work on the scenery would make it a lot better. I’m also not happy with two of the kit buildings; they just don’t have an East German feel to them, I could really do with scratchbuilding something more appropriate.
Anyway, I came across some suitable backscene pictures quite by chance in my local model shop, they are by IDbackscenes and are actual photographs of Bavaria. Plus while at the London Festival of Railway Modelling I spotted on Malc’s Models stand a Mamod diesel loco, battery powered, radio controlled and with sound - if I got one of those I could use it in an emergency to pull trains on my layout. Then one of my friends offered to loan me his battery powered loco if I’m exhibiting. So both problems resolved.
With a day at home and the house to myself, I’ve fitted the photo backscenes to my backscene boards. First piece was a failure; I had bought some special backscene glue and it simply didn’t stick. Luckily it didn’t cause much damage to the printed sheet, so I tried pva glue which worked perfectly.
What that means is that the layout is pretty much complete, just needs a few details adding, although a little bit of work on the scenery would make it a lot better. I’m also not happy with two of the kit buildings; they just don’t have an East German feel to them, I could really do with scratchbuilding something more appropriate.
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Well I've stuck my neck out and have agreed to exhibit my HSB at the Chapel-en-le-Frith model railway exhibition on 24th and 25th February. It's going to be an interesting challenge getting all 8 baseboards, back scenes, stock and myself in my vehicle. I've been very reluctant to take it to shows as it still uses the original MTS system and if that goes kaput I wouldn't be able to run anything, however a friend has offered to bring a couple of battery powered locos along 'just in case'.
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Due to having to go to a funeral tomorrow, the layout and stock are all stacked in the house ready for loading into the van on Friday. Just hope I don't get to Chapel-en-le-Frith and discover I've left something important at home. I would be a 180 mile round trip overnight to come back for anything.
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