what are people doing on their layout right now

[AndyRA]

Andy. Looks like a busy control desk. Ever thought of wearing signalman, controller, station master enamel badges or applying for a signaller job ? Hope that's easy to remember the contents if those clipboards.

The elaborate Panels stem back to my early Railway days at St. Pancras and Euston PSBs. Worked up through many of the Grades mentioned. I'm now well past retirement age by a number of years, so thoughts of going back to work don't crop up anymore. Besides, I'm far too busy for working now I like to keep all my paperwork together on the clipboards. They contain all the Plug Socket/Signal/Track Circuit wiring information, along with the Loco Stock Maintenance and availability schedules, plus the Rolling Stock formations. No rest for the wicked !!!

Andy.

[Trainfish]

That is just simply amazing in all respects
Think I'll give up and take up origami  :'(

I started up an origami club 2 years ago but Covid came along so it folded  :'(

Anyway, @AndyRA how big is that space? I'm jealous.

[crewearpley40]

At least somebody is organised. Impressive space and how tidy is that! I'm impressed you can trace faults and simply pick the relevant clipboard.

[AndyRA]

Anyway, @AndyRA how big is that space? I'm jealous.

The total space available is 32 feet by 11 feet. One end of the layout has 'borrowed' three feet from the unconverted loft section where the tracks cross over each other.

[123standish]

Not overly interesting but planning a new us L shaped layout. I have ordered a few layout books to get me started again.

[KevTheBusDriver]

This afternoon I've managed to add a correct headcode to my Dapol 'Western'. 4S36 Kings Norton-Bathgate (cartics) was usually a 47 but did turn up a 52 on odd occasions. The Wezzie came off at Walsall for an electric to take it north.

For those who like such details, the Dapol headcodes on the Western are printed/painted on the outside, so can be scraped off (carefully!) leaving a clear plastic which is illuminated from behind. A headcode printed on photo paper glued onto the front will then light up like the original. Happy days!

[crewearpley40]

Looks good. Did 4S36 change crews / locos in Bescot Yard Kev?

[KevTheBusDriver]

Looks good. Did 4S36 change crews / locos in Bescot Yard Kev?

Hi - 4S36 arrived plat 4 @ WSL with diesel & uncoupled. The 47's went light to Wolverhampton HS, the electric (anything from 81-86) would have arrived earlier & sat in Brook Siding, then backed on & coupled up. I imagine the Wezzie would have gone straight back to WR somehow. The return working changed locos at Pleck, so I never saw one of those!
On my layout the electric has to go into plat 3 in order to access Brook Siding (prototype could access it from the Down Fast at Bodley's), whilst the light diesel goes towards Bescot...



28 Mar 1978: 82002 is waiting to head north from Walsall. 47172 had brought the train in at 19:19 and 82002 departed 19:25 - slick changeover work!

[crewearpley40]

Thanks for confirming. Fabulous shot of 82002. Is this from your personal collection please?

[KevTheBusDriver]

Thanks for confirming. Fabulous shot of 82002. Is this from your personal collection please?

Yes, the shot is one of mine - with hindsight I wish I'd taken many more, though! Anyone out there building a model of an actual location - take lots and lots of photos!

[crewearpley40]

Pretty sound advice. Just a pity there are not more ac electrics ready to run available and require conversions. Love black and white photos.

[stevewalker]

Cutting things in half!

I've just put a complete row of terraced shops/houses (Gaugemaster) through my bandsaw (a metal cutting one, so a fine blade). I had built them as a single row and was going to buy more to be built in half-relief, but decided that as the half-relief ones need to be the first to be glued in place, I'd cut the set I've made up. So now I have the complete end row, plus a number of uncut ones. Still more to buy and build though.

[Trainfish]

Does that mean they are now semi-detached?

[KevTheBusDriver]

I've been cutting things in half, too...
Take a 1980s Farish 10'wb chassis and cut off the buffer beams WITH coupling boxes. Then take a Peco 15' wb chassis, slice off the buffer beams and cut the remainder in half... Then take a Peco pallet van and cut off the ends! Make up a 40thou piece of plastikard and attach all the bits to it. Print 2 sides and a roof and hey presto! VQX! I had the idea on Saturday morning (the chassis was built by lunchtime but I had to drive a bus in the afternoon...). Today the new arrival was running around the layout (temporarily with some VIXs built from Mill Lane Sidings kits)
Hope you like it - someone should have made these years ago!







The photos were taken in a brief period this afternoon when the sun was actually shining!

[Pjlons83]

Point motors whilst I wait for a replacement point that I managed to break the other day!