what are people doing on their layout right now

[The Q]

For a variety of reasons work at the MRC on Tiree has ground to a near standstill. When work restarts hopefully next week, electrickery will be next. Connecting two boards together, upper and lower lines and the traveller.

Decisions have to be made on which buildings will be illuminated.

Meanwhile , authorisation from the authorities has been granted for a small layout at home. So board designing, and rough sketches of track layout have been completed, but no doubt will be revised, once temporary track is trialed for position.

A big order of hardware for the board construction will occur in the next two days.

Much effort has been put into the board design to reduce weight, but keep strength, as this is meant to be a show layout.
There is a very tight size limitation as it has to go into the back of the Peugeot 107...

It will be on 9mm track, standard Peco off scene and where buried through the town, but hand made on the surface through the countryside.

Why the handmade? It's H0e scale, aka 3.5mm to the foot narrow gauge in the style of WW1 track used behind the front line.

[Maurice]

Added paving around the dock in the Goods Yard. Trying to remember a technique for tar in the joint between patches of asphalt. Possibly using Artist's Gouche paint. Will have to give it a try. I used spackling joint compound to fill in some holes and level out and area between the Goods Yard and the roadway. I am thinking a small general store with a crushed stone parking area in front for that area. That would let me show off several Oxford cars. I added some flowering shrubbery between the end of the passenger platform and the roadway. I have also placed several weeds in the Goods Yard area though more is needed.

The area for a future business. Once it dries I will sand it smooth and paint it.

The Goods Yard area. The weight at the end of the loading platform is holding down a piece of foamie till the glue sets. Next I need to decide what shade to paint the paved areas.

Obviously, a lot of fencing is needed yet.
Cheers all and happy modelling. Maurice

[Foxhound]

Made the difficult decision at the weekend that Setrack wasn't really working for me, and that streamline flexi is also a bit of a nightmare, so I'm turning Japanese and replacing my track with Kato Unitrack. This could be an interesting few weeks....

[Newportnobby]

Re-doing the mimic panel track plan as I goofed with this one and found there wasn't room for all the studs on the points each side of the freight avoiding line



I did try to very carefully lift the pinstriping tape but, of course, it took some of the card surface with it

[RBTKraisee]

Birthday week, so I just bought myself 240 meters of code 40 rail to start building my fiddle yards.

And I've just laid a dozen ant baits to get rid of a small infestation of sugar ants in one of my work areas, so I must avoid using that area until they're gone.

Ross.

[Platy767]

Birthday week, so I just bought myself 240 meters of code 40 rail to start building my fiddle yards.
Ross.

I hope you have long arms! 

Was it MicroEngineering track that you got?

BTW: Happy Birthday 
Mark

[RBTKraisee]

Birthday week, so I just bought myself 240 meters of code 40 rail to start building my fiddle yards.
Ross.

I hope you have long arms! 

Was it MicroEngineering track that you got?

BTW: Happy Birthday 
Mark

Thanks!

Actually 2mm Scale Association. They had "while stocks last" limited quantities of 10m coiled plain track (essentially just rectangular profile nickel-silver strips about 0.5 x 1.0mm) ideally suited for cheap track going in non-scenic areas.   Given how much I'm going to need for my traverser shelves I wanted to get in there before they ran out.   It sounds like I got most of what's remaining!

I've got about 2 to 3 times as much Code 40 bullhead and flat bottom to buy over the next few years, but those quantities aren't limited, so there's not so much of a rush.   And 2mm SA is far, far lower cost.

Ross.

[Foxhound]

This weekend will be mostly laying this....

[Platy767]

Right now: failing to solder.

No need for that! Rail, wire, copper, nickel silver, white metal or brass?

Would you believe, I've been soldering all day! (White metal and brass)
Mark

[Platy767]

I always pre tin the wire before terminating to switch terminals. (Not everybody agrees)

After stripping the wire, twist all the wires together (if multistrand) and tin the bare wire end. Bend the pre tinned wire through and around the switch terminal and slightly crimp it with small long nose pliers. Clean your iron on a wet sponge, Touch the iron tip with rosin cored, lead / tin solder so there is a little bit of solder on the tip. Bring the iron and the solder together on the terminal and solder.You may need to lightly hold the wire to stop it moving.

You need a little bit of solder on the clean tip to get the heat transfer going.

As you have already said, you will be ok with rosin cored leaded solder.

Hope it goes well for you.
Mark

[Bealman]

Platy's advice is sound. Personally I don't know why some people have an avoidance to it (sorry, Mick).

[nickk]

I dont actually have a layout yet apart from in my head  but I've been clearing out the spare room and making a list for my visit to the timber merchants. In the meantime I've been learning CAD in the hope I can one day produce a 3d printed model of Rocket our Peckett 040 down here at Telford Steam Railway. Hopefully do a build thread of the layout if anyone can bear watching an incompetent build his first model railway since childhood (without dads help lol) and first in N gauge 

[Southerngooner]

I'm hoping to get all the track on "Brickmakers Lane" sprayed tomorrow, providing the weather stays fine as I want to do it outdoors - I don't like spraying in the railway room! After that the real work can commence - scenics, ballasting, buildings......

Dave

[SD35]

Ballasting. 

Truth be told, I don't mind the actual ballasting.  It's the scraping stray ballast off sleepers afterwards which I don't look forward to.

[crewearpley40]

Ballasting. 

Truth be told, I don't mind the actual ballasting.  It's the scraping stray ballast off sleepers afterwards which I don't look forward to.

looking good Mike. @SD35 Hope the quote is pride of place above that area