Progress (or otherwise) on Jeff's new layout

I'll look forward to seeing those Jeff.

As you say, it always pays to "change" the generic form of buildings and use a variety of sources for kits otherwise, every layout would have identical towns/villages etc.

Today I started adding the Church Hill (I have capitalised it because the name actually sounds quite plausible and may stay!). Once again this is only rough but gives a good idea of what will be.

Church on the hill…? Hmmm, little closer to God..! Hopefully it won't require a grave yard.

Took a look at the bridge at Oxted on google maps and what a good looking bridge. Very interesting mix of masonry, steel and concrete (where repaired). I guess if you decided on that style of bridge at the front of the layout, it would certainly keep you busy building the steel trusses. It would be very impressive to say the least.

Cheers, Gary.

Funnily enough, Gary, I do have some gravestones to put in the churchyard! 

I'm not sure of the history of that Oxted bridge but I have seen it on a few occasions from the road underneath and it always gives me the impression that it was started, then stopped for a while then resumed with a completely different (possibly cheaper to build) style.

Hopefully the inturns won't be burried too deep, otherwise they may end up on the LT line…!

Cheers, Gary.

  

Hi Jeff,

Looking good, like the Tudor style building.  Allan Downes would be proud of you.

Mark

Thanks Mark but I can't take any credit for the building … it is a work of art though. I do intend putting interior details in and changing the railings to something a little more British in style.

I do have some scratch building skills with buildings but I don't think I'm up to Allan Downes' incredibly high standards.

I haven't done very much to the layout in the last two weeks but I do keep experimenting with the building positions and ideas for the locations of roads in the village. My new Hornby Town Houses arrived yesterday (so I haven't had time to modify or paint any of them yet!) so I have positioned them going up the slope for the moment.













For a little fun, I set up a running session with mainly Network SouthEast trains running today. The trains in view include a Hornby 4VEP at front, two Bachmann 2EPBs in multiple behind (one NSE liveried and one blue/grey liveried one), a class 455 on the other side of the platform (Bratchell kit) and a renumbered Heljan Railfreight class 58, 58 017, on a Speedlink service behind that.

Looking good Jeff,
So this is what you get up to when not being able to visit up north with the BRMA.

Hope you are feeling better.

Mark

Thanks Mark. Yes, I wasn't really up to any travel today, unfortunately. Still a little under the weather.

I hope your meeting today went well though. Brian F did offer to drive me but the new medication I'm on has made me a bit creaky. I hope to get up there in the not too distant future though.

[user=321]SRman[/user] wrote:

……………………………………..the new medication I'm on has made me a bit creaky. ………………………………

I manage it without medication Jeff …………….:cheers

I used to as well, Peter … now I have help to feel worse!! :lol::thud

I feel a little guilty having dropped out but I really couldn't face over four hours in a car going to Bendigo and back, although Mark and his friends quite regularly mange it when they come to Melbourne.

There are a few of us BRMA members in this forum. As well as Aussies.

 

edit by Sol to correct sentence formation.

[user=606]Sol[/user] wrote:

There is a few of us BRMA members in this forum. As well as Aussies.

Nearly too many ……………..:roll::roll::lol::lol::lol::lol::cheers.

'Ere. Wot are you tryin' to say, Peter?  :twisted:  :lol:

Who ?  Moi ? Zut alors mon brave…………………:cool wink:cheers

Low-res video of the same trains (from the photos earlier) running - low-res/low bandwidth:



 

Higher resolution version  of above - higher resolution but higher bandwidth:

The latest developments: not much progress lately but as I'm on two weeks holiday I cleared the top storage/fiddle yard of all trains and tracks so I could lift the hinged board and extend the lower level siding with another yard of track. This was simply glued straight to the baseboard and the buffer stop was heavily glued to prevent any accidental overruns.

The photos show the effect of the cleared boards and also my current thinking with the village buildings and orientations (still not final, though). The glue was deliberately left on there for effect!










Next, I'll mark out and drill/open up the holes for the point motors at the right hand end of the board. I am going to experiment with a hole saw to see if I can do this in a less traumatic way than drilling out each corner then using a jigsaw to join the holes … as soon as I can find where I have hidden my hole saw set!

[user=321]SRman[/user] wrote:

as soon as I can find where I have hidden my hole saw set!

And you will find it as soon as you purchase a replacement set !!!