what are people doing on their layout right now

[talisman56]

I suppose if you're going to make a model of Chester, make it a good 'un. 

Good Luck with that... 

[daveg]

Blimey JB!

Going to have to watch this one grow!

Dave G

[Newportnobby]

Hope you have bottomless pockets for all the track and wire you're going to need

[jivebunny]

Well the plan is to stick the fiddle yard along the bottom edge, with links from all three possible exits, making it a "sort of" roundy-roundy. In other words trains will have the possibility of going through the yard and back round again, but in practice they won't because it'd be odd to see a train arrive from Crewe just moments after it departed for north Wales or the Wirral... I intend to build a representation of the Roodee viaduct along the front of the fiddle yard to a) hide it and b) provide a nice backdrop, with trains running along it into the scenery and then reversing down a hidden track to get back to the fiddle yard. It'll be set between 1985 and 1999 (the year the old Chester DMU depot was knocked down) and I've already acquired about 75% of the stock of Mk1s, Mk2s, Mk3s, 31s, 37s, 47s, HSTs, multiple units and freight wagons... (and 70000 Britannia, just because).

All in all I'm going to need 175 yards of flex, 135 points and crossings, 15 bags of fishplates, an obscene amount of wire and of course all the point motors and decoders to make it work. And some wood. Needless to say I'm not buying it all in one go... I so far have 35 of the 135 points and 60 of the 175 required bits of flex... I'm concentrating on building the core of it first so I can get trains running, and then adding bits on over the months years. But before I start I need to actually prepare the room by putting in some new windows, adding a floor and ceiling at joist level (the staircase will be off to one side), and then taking care of insulation, plasterboard, power and lighting.

"Progress" thread here.

And a photo of the Roodee Viaduct, just for good measure (courtesy of Wikipedia)


JB

[paulprice]

What to do next? Carry on with my Patriot, or spend a little time in my Ivatt Calss 4 or just paly trains?

[Newportnobby]

What to do next? Carry on with my Patriot, or spend a little time in my Ivatt Calss 4 or just paly trains?

Or get your fingers working correctly

[daveg]

What to do next? Carry on with my Patriot, or spend a little time in my Ivatt Calss 4 or just paly trains?

Or get your fingers working correctly

Ignore him Paul1

He's just being pikcy! 

Dave G

[paulprice]

Its not my fault in stupid

[Newportnobby]

This afternoon I tested the security of the livestock on 'Bletchford' and found most of the critters were loose so have now glued them down a second time with EVA (thanks, Paddy)
Hopefully come tomorrow they won't have gone walkabout

By the way, next time you purchase any Pringles, can I suggest you keep the plastic lid as it's ideal to use as a glue bath to dip livestock/small model human feet into

[GeeBee]

This afternoon I tested the security of the livestock on 'Bletchford' and found most of the critters were loose so have now glued them down a second time with EVA (thanks, Paddy)
Hopefully come tomorrow they won't have gone walkabout

By the way, next time you purchase any Pringles, can I suggest you keep the plastic lid as it's ideal to use as a glue bath to dip livestock/small model human feet into

Shorely you would do better with a foot bath Mick   

[Newportnobby]

This afternoon I tested the security of the livestock on 'Bletchford' and found most of the critters were loose so have now glued them down a second time with EVA (thanks, Paddy)
Hopefully come tomorrow they won't have gone walkabout

By the way, next time you purchase any Pringles, can I suggest you keep the plastic lid as it's ideal to use as a glue bath to dip livestock/small model human feet into

Shorely you would do better with a foot bath Mick   

I have very small feet, Graham.

[paulprice]

Well I have managed to get a little more work done on my Patriot build, still a lot to do but its sort of taking shape

I must admit considering the amount of the original body I cut away I seem to have done, and still need to do a lot of filing, still it gives me something to do.
 
I have managed to get the old chassis running well, I just need to work on the front bogie, and then the tender.

I think it has the basic shape I need, but I would appreciate your views, I know its a bit of a way off but I'm kind of thinking LMS black livery??

[Newportnobby]

It's one of the LMS locos I always think looks really good in lined crimson (sorry)

[paulprice]

Nope your right lined crimson is brilliant, but I don't know with this one, perhaps I should build two of them, as the lined black livery still keeps popping up in my head 

[steve836]

Doesn't it depend on the period of your layout, or is it "anything goes" ?