what are people doing on their layout right now

Started by B1 61126, August 16, 2011, 07:59:35 PM

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austinbob

Still wiring up second of three baseboards. Hoped to get it finished by wiring up Seeps this week but garden chores delayed it. (Sleeping in the sun!!).
:D
Size matters - especially if you don't have a lot of space - and N gauge is the answer!

Bob Austin

Newportnobby

#2701
Quote from: daveg on May 24, 2018, 04:07:15 PM
I hope you're doing that hammering away from the layout, Mick, or you'll be hoovering like mad for a week or more! :doh:

Dave G

I tried putting some smaller lumps into some kitchen roll and then into a polythene bag but everything just split and, yes, it did go a fair distance around the dining table. (I wonder why I  live alone?:hmmm:)
Having done the cryptic crossword in the Saturday Fail newspaper I then put everything between the folded newspaper and that worked a treat. Let's face it, I don't read the paper anyway. It provides me with a decent crossword to solve, a Weekend mag with TV listings and that's all. The rest of it just raises my blood pressure and makes me angry hence me not reading it any more.

Jerry Howlett

Getting ready to hammer in the golden spike....  Well it will be a Peco track pin, to connect the roundy, roundy bits.
Just got to work out why the elektrikery on the 3rd Diamond crossing isn't working and also solve the problem of why despite trying and making them work , my latest attempt at making 2 points "throw" together is a dismal failure.

I now suspect my old controller doesn't have the "guts" to load the CDU unit.  I have just purchased a Gaugemaster unit for the fiddle yard so some extra 8 metres of wiring and a lot of cursing may solve the problem.

Happy ?  yes cause its Vino time.

Jerry
Some days its just not worth gnawing through the straps.

Newportnobby

This morning I finished off my little project so here's some evidence of my poor workmanship.
I took 10 of these (paid for by selling some of my Collett coaches) and decided the weathering was merely dust and not much else ::)


Along with some grey and black acrylics (not in the same bottle you understand) and some of these I set to work...




Once I was happy with a really grotty/on their last legs finish I gave them a coat of matt varnish......


The coal loads were made from 2mm thick picture framing card obtained from a shop in Preston £1 for an A4 sheet :D) which was cut to size with a modelling knife, PVA glue applied and crushed real coal spread on it (of which more later). When dry I brushed off any excess, spread some more coal and then went over it again with a ballast mix (50/50 PVA/water with some washing up liquid) applied with an eye dropper. Finally, to avoid getting coal marks everywhere I matt varnished the load too.


To the underside I glued (PVA) a piece of 6mm square plastic and a washer.....


The finished article. I'm not sure the camera has done it justice with a cruel close up as the coal looks more like black sludge than actual coal :-\


Was it worth the exercise? Yes, I enjoyed the weathering although even I would admit to being somewhat heavy handed with it but, in my defence, I did want a very filthy finish and wanted to try out my paints. Sorry, but @dannyboy the coal was not the best idea I've had as it was a pig to break down to somewhere near correct size, was hugely messy and seemed to get where I didn't want it to get and, to be honest, I wouldn't use it on loco bunkers/tenders :no: I'll use packet real coal for those e.g. Peco.
Before anyone shouts "YES - BUT WHAT'S THE WASHER FOR!?" the idea was to use a magnet on a stick (e.g. the extendable Rolson one I have) to lft out the loads so I can run empties/loaded as I desire. The magnet has turned out to be too weak to get through the lacquer/coal/glue and card so is only a partial success. However, with a better magnet it would certainly work. As it is, by pressing on the end where there's a gap in the square plastic the other end lifts up and they can just be picked out of the wagon.
Finally, and to add insult to injury, here's a run past behind Dr Al's excellent Std 4 MT........

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t8hlf1dct1uoguz/Std%204MT%20%2B%20weathered%20Dapol%20minerals.MOV?dl=0


RailGooner


Train Waiting

These wagons look very realistic, Mick.  Unlike so many weathered items of stock I've seen.


:wonderfulmodelling:
And the Standard '4MT' was running very well indeed.

Thank you.

John
Please visit us at www.poppingham.com

'Why does the Disney Castle work so well?  Because it borrows from reality without ever slipping into it.'

(Acknowledgement: John Goodall Esq, Architectural Editor, 'Country Life'.)

The Table-Top Railway is an attempt to create, in British 'N' gauge,  a 'semi-scenic' railway in the old-fashioned style, reminiscent of the layouts of the 1930s to the 1950s.

For the made-up background to the railway and list of characters, please see here: https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=38281.msg607991#msg607991

port perran

That is indeed great work Mick.
And nice slow, smooth running from the locomotive.
Excellent stuff. 
I'll get round to fixing it drekkly me 'ansome.

dannyboy

#2707
I have to agree with the above comments Mick, your weathering has turned out to be pretty good.  :thumbsup: Not sure what you did wrong with the coal, it works perfectly on my open fire and when I fill the bucket up, it looks very realistic!  ;)
David.
I used to be indecisive - now I'm not - I don't think.
If a friend seems distant, catch up with them.

Newportnobby

I can't afford a tea strainer, or to get nicked for stealing next door's wife's tights off her washing line so I can only guess there was too much coal dust which became a sludge when wetted with the glue mix. It does actually look better than that cruel shot.................................honest.

Hailstone

Quote from: Newportnobby on May 27, 2018, 08:28:21 PM
I can't afford a tea strainer, or to get nicked for stealing next door's wife's tights off her washing line so I can only guess there was too much coal dust which became a sludge when wetted with the glue mix. It does actually look better than that cruel shot.................................honest.

I wouldn't worry too much Mick, if you are modelling the transition years there would be wagons like this which would almost certainly end up in a loco firebox as some depots, particularly freight ones got some real dross in the 1950's and 60's
I have a takeaway box half full of real coal that I crushed some time ago and I shake the box until the dust moves to one side and then pick the size of coal that I want with my fingers - hope this helps

Regards,

Alex

Newportnobby

Playing withtesting a few locos on the main lines of Kimbolted.
First - class 37 on passenger and class 25 on freight.
Next - Ivatt 2MT on passenger and J39 on freight
Then - Dapol Western on passenger with class 22 on freight
Finally - Castle on passenger and 94xx pannier on freight

Gawd knows how everything ran so well as I haven't cleaned the track in months ::) :-[

All this whilst entertaining the neighbours with some great classical toons :)

zwilnik

First test of my servo point control successful. I splashed out a whole £6 on a pair of servo power controller boards rather than build my own and now have 8 of my 11 point servos under control from my Arduino sketch.

zwilnik

Further successful tests with arduino point control. I've now got it running as a web server so I can remotely control points and power feeds via a web interface. That means I can now write a custom app to do my mimic board on an iPad :)

Train Waiting

Cleaning the track.  A lovely smell of meths is permeating the train set room!

John
Please visit us at www.poppingham.com

'Why does the Disney Castle work so well?  Because it borrows from reality without ever slipping into it.'

(Acknowledgement: John Goodall Esq, Architectural Editor, 'Country Life'.)

The Table-Top Railway is an attempt to create, in British 'N' gauge,  a 'semi-scenic' railway in the old-fashioned style, reminiscent of the layouts of the 1930s to the 1950s.

For the made-up background to the railway and list of characters, please see here: https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=38281.msg607991#msg607991

Newportnobby

Quote from: Train Waiting on June 01, 2018, 03:24:56 PM
Cleaning the track.  A lovely smell of meths is permeating the train set room!


Ooooh. Look at the colours, man 8)

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