Iskra
Established Member
Sounds good. Any chance of some pictures please?
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Do you have any model railway projects on the go?
- Thread starter Cowley
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Sounds good. Any chance of some pictures please?
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FrodshamJnct
Established Member
Sure. A before and after and a piece of brand new track for comparison. I’m taking inspiration from photos of Arpley Sidings and having a look at Junction Road TMD on Facebook.
Iskra
Established Member
Great work there! Thanks for sharing.
FrodshamJnct
Established Member
And most importantly what’s going to go on it!
Iskra
Established Member
Very nice models!
hexagon789
Veteran Member
It would keep you busy for a while!
I have now!The main thing that I seem to be missing looking at some examples is a centre road for carriage storage.
This would be a large town.
Something like Largs or Wemyss Bay might help for inspiration track plan-wise. Pre-rationalisation Largs had four platforms, a turntable and I believe a centre road between two of the platforms.
I’m absolutely loving everyone’s project updates I must say. 
@Tom Maddox - that spray is exactly what I used on mine and I was really pleased with the results. Thanks for posting the photos of your fleet, they look the business.
@61653 HTAFC - Don’t be afraid to have a go at building what you want yourself out of plasticard (which you can buy on eBay easily). As long as you’ve got some decent glue and a sharp knife it’s really enjoyable having a go at scratchbuilding something when you’ve got an idea in your mind.
I use balsa wood usually to make the basic shapes, and then clad it in plasticard etc.
I’d never really tried it before but it was easier than I expected once I got going...
@Tom Maddox - that spray is exactly what I used on mine and I was really pleased with the results. Thanks for posting the photos of your fleet, they look the business.
@61653 HTAFC - Don’t be afraid to have a go at building what you want yourself out of plasticard (which you can buy on eBay easily). As long as you’ve got some decent glue and a sharp knife it’s really enjoyable having a go at scratchbuilding something when you’ve got an idea in your mind.
I use balsa wood usually to make the basic shapes, and then clad it in plasticard etc.
I’d never really tried it before but it was easier than I expected once I got going...
You're welcome re:Wordsworth - it really is a brilliant website and I plan to use some of the kits somewhere on my layout soon.
Thanks for nice comment about the layout as well - I've actually just begun a little rebuild of the trackplan because now I've been using the layout a lot more I've noticed there are several flaws in the design I posted before. I'll post photos when it's a bit more tidy!
Thanks,
-Peter
It does look like a very good website. I just need some card firstYou're welcome re:Wordsworth - it really is a brilliant website and I plan to use some of the kits somewhere on my layout soon.
Thanks for nice comment about the layout as well - I've actually just begun a little rebuild of the trackplan because now I've been using the layout a lot more I've noticed there are several flaws in the design I posted before. I'll post photos when it's a bit more tidy!
Thanks,
-Peter
. Don't worry about rebuildingas I have done that on my layout a couple times around the point work and carriage sidings to allow the longer trains to stable.I've found that the kids' crafting card available from WHSmith is very good for Wordsworth kits such as houses. I'm not sure if their shops are still open though!It does look like a very good website. I just need some card first
Thanks for the rebuilding note. I've rebuilt my layout more times than I've had hot dinners but I think each layout is better than the last and eventually I'll find the best trackplan!
-Peter
I think they are still open as are The Range which is where I bought my card from and also this wire that I’ve just used to make a load of fencing out of (you’ll have to imagine the actual wire).I've found that the kids' crafting card available from WHSmith is very good for Wordsworth kits such as houses. I'm not sure if their shops are still open though!
Thanks for the rebuilding note. I've rebuilt my layout more times than I've had hot dinners but I think each layout is better than the last and eventually I'll find the best trackplan!
-Peter
I painted it, stabbed it into the cork and snipped it off. A bit fiddly but I’m quite pleased with the result (especially as it only cost me about £3).
Looks very good indeed!I think they are still open as are The Range which is where I bought my card from and also this wire that I’ve just used to make a load of fencing out of (you’ll have to imagine the actual wire).
I painted it, stabbed it into the cork and snipped it off. A bit fiddly but I’m quite pleased with the result (especially as it only cost me about £3).
View attachment 77029
As I'm viewing this on my phone I can't see the lack of wires but it's easy to imagine them being there.If you want a good way of making sort-of similar fencing, look up Budget KModel Railways on YouTube. They did a video a whole ago as part of their "Tutorial Tuesday" series where they made a type of fence like that. Link:
Having seen the title now I see it might not be what you're looking for but it could help
-Peter
I've found that the kids' crafting card available from WHSmith is very good for Wordsworth kits such as houses. I'm not sure if their shops are still open though!
Thanks for the rebuilding note. I've rebuilt my layout more times than I've had hot dinners but I think each layout is better than the last and eventually I'll find the best trackplan!
-Peter
Thank you. I know some shops are reopening but I don't fancy going into shops at this moment in time.I think they are still open as are The Range which is where I bought my card from and also this wire that I’ve just used to make a load of fencing out of (you’ll have to imagine the actual wire).
I painted it, stabbed it into the cork and snipped it off. A bit fiddly but I’m quite pleased with the result (especially as it only cost me about £3).
View attachment 77029
Very nice indeed. How did you do the grass/path? I am thinking of something simular but with some trees on my layout.
Well I painted all of scenery in a lightish brown colour (which was a mixture of light grey, black and red emulsions which I had kicking around in the shed), this has given me the added bonus that if the grass is a bit thin it just looks like earth underneath. Then when I laid the glue down for the grass I just didn’t put it down on the areas that I wanted bare like here which are a useful couple of before and after shots:
Obviously there’s no path there, but you can see where I wanted the actual grass to go.
At the end of the day if you get it wrong you can always start again.
Iskra
Established Member
Can I ask what approaches those who have already built their layouts have taken towards underlay please?
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FrodshamJnct
Established Member
I’m building a small yard layout so have gone for 1/8” cork from Charles Cantrill across the whole baseboard. If I’d have been building a layout with mainlines I’d have cut the cork to match the width of the track to create a nice ballast shoulder. I’m personally not bothered by the noise created by rolling stock and I’m not convinced that cork dampens the noise, but I do find it a nice underlay surface to work with and lay track onto.
I think for my layout I used 2mm cork underlay. However, if you're not too fussed about the ballast and the detail of it, using the Hornby Foam Ballast Underlay is amazingly good at lowering noise from the running of trains. However, a note relating to the cork: if you lay down the cork, and then put down the ballast and glue it, your soundproofing introduced by the ballast will be removed almost entirely as the cork goes a bit more brittle and the ballast provides something hard and solid for the sound to reverberate through to the baseboard.
Hope this helps,
-Peter
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
Used foam underlay back in the day, seeing it on layouts now really breaks the illusion for me- probably because the level of detail elsewhere has come on in leaps and bounds since the mid-90s.
Foam underlay should work in theory if coloured correctly, as similar-density foam makes decent coal inlays when painted matt black.
Foam underlay should work in theory if coloured correctly, as similar-density foam makes decent coal inlays when painted matt black.
Thank you go explaining. I will certainly try this out when I get round to doing my little park/woodland area.
I haven't used underlay on my layout. I have used some sort of foam before.
I’ve actually used 6mm cork from B&Q and covered the whole board with it.
Iskra
Established Member
Thank you all for your underlay responses
FrodshamJnct
Established Member
Cleaning of the railheads and track testing now completed. A few small kinks to iron out (extra cleaning required on the points and some fishplates) and now time to pin! Just had this lot through from Hatton’s to keep me going!
Ah now that’s a great selection. The oil spill kit looks interesting. I haven’t seen one of those before.
This morning the eBay fairy had delivered some tiny flowers and a little information board.
FrodshamJnct
Established Member
Ah now that’s a great selection. The oil spill kit looks interesting. I haven’t seen one of those before.
This morning the eBay fairy had delivered some tiny flowers and a little information board.
The oil spill kit looks pretty good from what I’ve seen on YouTube though possibly more suited to steam era layouts. It’s a bottle of oil spill solution and a bag of track dirt. I bought it out of interest and will test it out on a spare bit of track first. The Humbrol weathering powders and washes will probably achieve the same effect but was curious!
I’m going to have to have a look into that for my friend who’s building an 0 gauge fuelling point. That could be very useful.
I deployed the tiny information board tonight and put some fencing up...
(The platform waiting shelter is work in progress)
The van is a nice touch, @Cowley - is it a Commer or the later Dodge? The station buildings look good too.
I really must have another go at doing some modelling again. I've no room for layout (yet), but due to recycling collections being suspended I'm beginning to amass a substantial collection of thin cardboard... In my younger days I scratch-built a couple of small cottages, but I've never progressed to anything bigger than that.
Has anyone had any experience of building Metcalfe Models' kits? I've seen them advertised in magazines and there a few of them - the garage, for example - that look quite good.
I really must have another go at doing some modelling again. I've no room for layout (yet), but due to recycling collections being suspended I'm beginning to amass a substantial collection of thin cardboard... In my younger days I scratch-built a couple of small cottages, but I've never progressed to anything bigger than that.
Has anyone had any experience of building Metcalfe Models' kits? I've seen them advertised in magazines and there a few of them - the garage, for example - that look quite good.
It is a Commer, well remembered!
Regarding Metcalf cardboard kits - they’re pretty good (as well as cheap) and you can improve them easily if you want to make them a bit more individual.
I managed to get Mrs C to build the N gauge garage for me but it was quite fiddly, plus I supplied her with superglue (the only thing I had to hand at the time) which gave her about 00000.3 seconds to make adjustments before it stuck fast...
This was the result though:
For a first effort I was pretty pleased. It only cost a few quid too.
I might make a better roof for it at some point but apart from that it captures that late 80s look pretty well.
(She’s so patient with me...)
Yes, that is the very kit I was referring to. Now that I have some funds to play with I'll maybe have a go.
FrodshamJnct
Established Member
I’m going to have to have a look into that for my friend who’s building an 0 gauge fuelling point. That could be very useful.
I deployed the tiny information board tonight and put some fencing up...
View attachment 77308
(The platform waiting shelter is work in progress)
Lovely looking scene! Really like the information board. It’s the little touches of realism that really make the difference.
FrodshamJnct
Established Member
Half of the track pinned today and this arrived from Train Tech. Very impressive little signal.
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