Branch Line - Roundy, roundy with some shunting

Tarted up the station a bit. Lick of paint, fixed the broken roof and added some glazing and LED lights.







They're just plonked and not fixed in place, and I still need to paint the interior and add a ticket barrier.

Although you can't really see in the pictures the lights are still too bright, although they come with a 1k resistor already attached and I'm running them at 9 volts.

I'm sure someone said you can paint LEDs yellow to tone them down a bit, so I might try that.


Ed

Still slow progress.

It’s all these small fiddly bits prior to installing the OHLE, that seem to be taking forever.  

Some platform fencing done and painted some benches, yet to be stuck on the platforms with a few figures. Also painted some P & D Marsh BR T shape station lamps, which also need sticking to the platforms.

The anchor mast for the OHLE is in, but I need to make up a security fence with some aluminium wire grill/mesh I’ve bought to go between the warehouses  and the track, before putting up the first bit of catenary.

Of course, getting side tracked by running various locos with the Bachmann track cleaning car is a bit time consuming, but well, you have to keep the track clean don’t you.

Class 55 Deltic pulls in to platform 1 with three new (auction site) blue/grey Lima coaches, while an AL6 waits under (the imaginary at present) wires on platform 2 to attach at the other end and take the train back out.



New addition to the fleet….





I know it’s the wrong period/livery, but at just under £60 and only £2 for delivery I couldn’t resist.

Along with the Deltic, it’s a bit too long to fit on the Atlas turn table I put in at the end of the fiddle yard to release locos. It’s also getting a bit crowded with only seven available storage sidings.



I’ve been having a rethink and more on that later.

Nearly forgot, I’ve also used the rotary tool I got at Christmas to cut a couple of gaps in the tracks leading to the hinged baseboard section making isolating tracks controlled by micro switches, after my Bachmann J11 took a nose dive on to the concrete garage floor when I left it open :oops::oops::oops:


Ed

Current plan/layout as it stands now………………….



f I have two three coach trains (main line?) alternating between  platform 1 and the fiddle yard, and two 2 coach trains (local?) doing  the same with platform 2, I only need to add a couple of freight trains  to more or less fill up the fiddle yard.

I'm thinking (maybe),change the current fiddle yard by removing the  turntable, reducing the available sidings to create a small passing  loop…….




then create some sort of traverser ………..



or sector plate on what is currently the workbench (junk shelf).



(the blue rectangles represent 16mm (approximately) gaps between the  tracks to give 46mm track centers, which I would hope would be enough).

Just thoughts and looking at the options at present.


Ed

Think the traverses makes the best sense, and you could put a lift off top above it so you can keep your work space.

Or…..What if you made the existing fiddle yard a depot and freight siding area, then the proposed traverses area a terminal station and break the scenic areas somewhere, although this means no fiddle yard and everything is on display. Probably not a great idea but food for thought.

Lift off top/table above the traverser, good idea Aaron.

Funny you should mention the existing fiddle yard as a depot and freight siding area. I did think a diesel shed might fit over the two loco sidings and the long yellow siding on the right is crying out to be a carriage siding.


:hmm



Ed

Bit of a milestone reached…..

First piece of Catenary up.













(I've also now installed the bit of fence leaning against the warehouse).

Now for the interesting bit, how to attach more than one section of Catenery to a single mast.


Ed

Time to pop the champers, Ed.  :cheers

Think I'll wait until I've a few more sections up Max :lol:

Ed

Looking good Ed!

Marty

Thanks Marty.

I've just sourced a footbridge that needs to go in before any more Cateneary goes up, due to height of wires etc.

Whose daft idea was it to have AC locomotives and OHLE :oops::oops::oops:

:lol:


Ed

You're a braver man than me!

And me .  Well done Ed looking forward to the next section photo.:thumbs

Thanks Reg.



Footbridge turned up yesterday (yes, Sunday)





Right sort of style and it will clear the Catenary.

(put it down to a lucky guess)


Ed

Wow, I was going to ask if you were going to cut it down but of course you need the height to clear the catenary. It's a Big beast but it suits the layout nicely.

Cheers

Marty

Really was a 'lucky guess' Marty as some footbridges are advertised as platform versions which are way too high and have to be cut down, and some are not advertised as anything in particular, but are probably made for just going over the tracks anywhere.

Think it needs an initial clean to get any greasy finger marks off and then a good dirtying up, probably a bit of paint.


Ed

Look forward to seeing the result of the weathering etc.

Marty

Having been playing around with a 1150mm x 150mm piece of MDF to simulate a sector plate, I’ve come to the conclusion that a 1220mm x 320mm version with six tracks and loaded with trains is just going to be too unwieldy.

A traverser is probably the way to go in the long term, meanwhile I’ve widened part of the base board and with two left over point and odd bits of track I’m adding another two sidings to the storage area.







Total cost = nothing!
    
I’ve also put the next two sections of catenary up temporarily in the station.







Not quite straight,  but they will have to come down again and be tidied up when the platform lights arrive (currently in a container somewhere between here and China).

There’s a slight sag in the wires in that the pantograph just touches the wires at the center of the span, whereas there’s a gap of a couple of millimeters elsewhere.  Considering the system is not properly under tension, I can live with it and these are the longest spans anyway at 510mm.




Ed

[user=1338]Ed[/user] wrote:

Total cost = nothing!

Ed

That is always a win!


The OHLE looks great. Just another how many linear feet to go?

No… Don't think about it, just keep building sections and one day it will all be done.

:shock::lol::lol:

Carry on, super work.

Marty

Thanks Marty.

I'm not in any hurry, just enjoying doing it.

Once I get through the station I'll hit a curve ………….. now that should be interesting :lol:



Ed

[user=1338]Ed[/user] wrote:

Thanks Marty.

I'm not in any hurry, just enjoying doing it.

Once I get through the station I'll hit a curve ………….. now that should be interesting :lol:



Ed

no prob just bend the wire  simples:pedal:pedal
:thumbs;-):cool:
Owen