Branch Line - Roundy, roundy with some shunting

… telegraph/phone poles make such a huge difference to a layout… all those sort of details that keep us pottering along with layouts long after they are "finished" are one of the things that make this hobby fascinating.
Keep it coming Ed.
cheers
Marty

Did a bit of ballasting at the week end.

Platform on the right (Platform 2) isn't screwed back down yet, as I haven't finished ballasting around the points and it needs the rest of the edging stones put on, but I ran out of clear matt varnish spray.



Bit blurred but in the the background are the changes to the goods yard, with the middle 'siding' now longer (again!) but slightly curved away from the head shunt along with the goods shed, which is minus it's roof as I'm gradually covering it with Scalescenes tiles.


Ed

G`day Ed,

Those platforms have a realistic look and the whole scene is coming along quite nicely. Did you use the usual methods for ballasting.????

Carry on old chap!!!

cheers Gormo

Hi Ed,

 

coming on a treat. The platforms look the business as does the ballasting. keep up the good work Sir.

 

cheers

 

Toto

Usual method Gormo but Copydex instead of PVA for most of it.

I just lay a line of ballast with neat PVA along each side first and wait for it to dry, then the watery mix (PVA or Copydex) on the track in the middle doesn't spread too far.

Going to try something similar to Max's turnout ballasting,

http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=13263&forum_id=62

but lots of other jobs to do in-between.



Ed

Platforms are 'growing on me' Toto, certainly think they look better than the Superquick one I had in first as a marker, but that may well be my building skills :oops:

The Scalescenes print out has various patches of tarmac already within the print, so by cutting the bits you want the joins don't now look too bad.

It's just a patchwork tarmac platform, which looks pretty much like those I've seen in pictures on the web and in books.


Ed

Hi Ed,

 

I totally agree. Its not often that you see a perfect surface unless just newly refurbished so it certainly brings a touch more realism. Crack on, doing great.

 

cheers

 

toto

Nice progress Ed. those platforms look authentic to me.

Marty

Thanks Marty, I'm reasonably happy now with how they're turning out, although not really up to the standard of what many people on here achieve. But not too bad for me.

The ramps on platform one are actually the ramps cut off the Superquick platforms and recovered, just need to sort out ramps for platform two once it's finished.

Then there's a footbridge……………… maybe :hmm

Got to be careful though, already dented part of the embankment in front of the station. Must remember not to lean on scenery when doing things at the back of the board :oops:


Ed

Bought a fine tip glue applicator similar to the one on Max's thread, but a bit cheaper due to free postage.



Had a quick test yesterday with some slightly watered down PVA and hoovered off the loose ballast this morning.



Quite pleased with that, although I'll have to go back and fill in the missing bits.

The only problem is the bottle is a bit small so you've used it up before you've got very far and have to refill it, but certainly a good way of ballasting around points.


Ed

I used a fine tipped paintbrush when i did my points Ed with PVA. N scale by the way.

G`day Ed,
That ballasting looks pretty good to me. I`m fairly sure nobody would lay it all down clean first go and therefore areas missed would need attention.
I was wondering if maybe you should keep an eye out for other slightly larger, unwanted bottles around the house that might fit the cap of your fine tip applicator. You never know, you might get lucky??……it`s just an idea!!!



:cheers Gormo

You haven't seen my skills with a paintbrush Alan, would have been PVA everywhere, over the sleepers, on the rails, probably up the walls as well :lol:

As for N gauge, couple of times I've thought should have chosen N. Then a coach derails and I have trouble getting it back on the track, or I drop a screw when taking a OO gauge loco apart and can't see it, or the couplings lock on some trucks and I'm struggling to get them apart.
That's when I think O gauge would have been better


As for ballasting an N gauge point, forget it! You blokes that model in N have my undying admiration.

Already tried the cap on another small bottle Gormo, different thread :thudSo I've ordered a second one. The two together cost me £6.47 which I thought was pretty good.

I did some more ballasting yesterday and when it finally stops raining I'll go out and hoover the excess off again.



Ed

The ballasting looks good, but I can't see it. :hmm Just so happens to be the same colour as your painted scenery !

Cheers, Gary.

I know, I know, the embankment needs bushes grass etc.  I will get aroundtuit :lol:

Still missed a couple of bits but they weren't actually visible from where I was standing, only in the photos.

Handy this, taking pics from angles that you can't see visually.



Once I've finished this cross over and the siding, I'll do the cross over at the other end and then platform 2 can go back.

It's currently sat on the worktable in front of the Metcalf Factory.



(it actually looks quite tidy in this view, you should see the rest of it :oops:)

Pug chassis/frame at the front with Milliput waiting to be shaped in to dumb buffers.


Ed

While testing after (more or less) finishing ballasting the points at the station, I found some trucks tended to derail on the point to the engine shed.

On close inspection I found the switch rails weren't sitting properly in the recess in the stock rails and there was therefore a slight bump which the trucks didn't like.

My fault, I should have checked the point before laying it as I have found the stock rails can slide within their chairs slightly, causing this problem and they just need to be slid back before laying.

Then I thought, should there really be an engine shed there. A small station wouldn't really warrant one and it's not very prototypical.

So there was an engine shed…………



(You can see the end of the switch rail proud of the stock rail in the picture above.)

Now there isn't.



I found a small piece of flexitrack to replace the point as a temporary measure, as I've decided to take the diamond crossing out in the near future, so the piece of  track from the diamond to the station is going to be lifted anyway.



I've now got a nice space next to the curve leading to the station for something else,  row of terrace house backs maybe :hmm


Ed


PS: After hoovering ballast into my dedicated hoover I thought I'd empty it out and sieve out the bits of dirt etc. so I could reuse the good stuff.

Couldn't find the sieve I thought I'd kept for this so assumed I'd thrown it out and used a spoon as best I could.

Then, when clearing up last night I looked in one of the garage cupboard drawers and




:thud

Progressing along nicely, Ed.    :thumbs

Can we see more of the engine shed?

Well Done Ed,
I think that curve looks better than the point and engine shed siding did ???…..Just my opinion but sometimes less is more??

Switch rails can be a pain…….usually they don`t show any probs until you`ve put them down. I have had a similar problem to yours and also the reverse, where the switch rail was sitting lower than the main rail. I put a piece of clear plastic under it and that worked…….it`s only in the fiddle yard so it doesn`t matter what it looks like. I`ve taken the file to a couple of others as well.

Your ballasting is coming along quite nicely………if your not busy I need some done too…

:cheers  Gormo

Just the Dapol kit Max, now consigned to the spares box.

I put it together ages ago before I read somewhere on here about straightening out bent bits of these kits with hot water.
 



I mixed acrylics to get different colours for brickwork and it ended up a bit too mauve and they grey roof did look better with an earlier coat of grey, but I kept thinking maybe I'll just give it another coat :oops:



I tested lighting by putting a led in it, but found you need to keep the voltage down so it doesn't shine through the plastic too much.

Still, it's all been good practise.


I've screwed the base of platform 2 back down and just used blu-tak to hold the surface on for now.



Not sure about the wall between the back of the platform and the line on the right running up the embankment.

Need some sort of break between the station and the running line, but if I do use a wall I think it will have to be at least the entire length of the platform, possibly longer.

(The plaster showing through on the embankment bottom right is where I lent on it and made a dent :thud)


'Less is more' was my take on it Gormo, but I'm afraid you'll have to do  your own ballasting. I'm getting fed up with it now and I only started this because the platforms I had kept moving every time I cleaned the track.

I've ended up building platforms, ballasting track, changing the track layout and removing an engine shed, so I'm now going back to creating dumb buffers on the pug conversion, for a break.


Ed

It's a little beauty, Ed.  :thumbs

To keep the light in, paint everything inside black, then repaint in the finish colour you want.