GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

Now this was well worth the wait. Interesting to read and lots of lovely pictures! :thumbs

Thomas

Oh my Lord.
Another load of stuff to buy and a vast compendium of knowledge to assimilate.

Extremely well done.

"Oh my Lord.
Another load of stuff to buy and a vast compendium of knowledge to  assimilate.

Extremely well done."


Woteesed x 2!


Is a model railway ever finished?

Thank you for taking the time to include an explanation, too.


Doug

John,
      Re the picture in post 119(last piccy),featuring the token apparatus…I'm not 100% sure,but I think they were usually on the firemans' side.(left for GWR),so your gadget should be on the same side as your Royal Mail pick-up!
      I don't recall ever seeing a token taken by a driver,he'd be busy driving!!

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

P.S. Ditto for the pick-up horn for the token!

Thanks for all the comments guys I was worried it would all be too dry so I am glad you liked it

Thanks for the question regarding the token, John B.

I may not have been clear enough……..The token is to cover access to the mine branch travelling  from left to right……so the token pick up  is positioned on the left, Firemans side…………similarly the horn and safety net are on the Firemans side for the journey out of the mine branch…………..does that make sense?? 

Kind Regards

 

Wow John - as you say, it's amazing just how many signals are needed and it's something many (I'd guess most !!) of us never think about.  We just put a signal somewhere "near a turnout" !! :oops::oops:  Well done for researching it all and "making it happen" - it does make a huge difference. :thumbs

hi john

i have been looking at my layout the past couple of nights trying to figure out haow i will put in my 3 aspect signals:eek: that is just half of the problem, the other half is working out how to use them in TC. you are right that the signals are the finishing touch.

great job:thumbs

John,
      Just re-read the caption to those token apparatus pictures again. My Bad!!!
In my defence,I was very tired,and not paying enough attention to reading your explanation.You were/are of course absolutely right,and I'm pleading a senior moment!!ops:ops:ops:
     (I even thought the net was for a mail pick-up!!:roll
ooooppps!!!

Cheers,John.B.

No problem John………..although you had me worried for a bit

Out of interest what colour(s) should the token be based on what you have seen?

Regards

 

 

White would be a more appropriate colour, although it was probably worn to shiny metal if anything!  Red would not normally used because of the danger of it being mistaken for an actual signal.

This rule held true right up until Chris Green painted all the lamp posts red and installed red platform seats everywhere, causing an outcry among drivers which was ignored.

Thanks Chris

So I didnt need to paint it after all……..its a white metal kit!

I guess next time I have the silver paint open I ll give it a once over

Regards

 

 

 

Ok so back to the brewery. I have decided that I am useless at posting weekly updates no matter how many resolutions I make.

It is now virtually finished and I think this is just the second post. This, then, is a kind of interim or linking post before I show you the finished module next week.

The embankments and walls you have already seen. I then ballasted the branch track and fixed the boundary fence in place. All a bit redundant because most of it will be obscured by the brewery buildings

I then used some spare Foam board to build up the baseboard to track level…….well actually as I found to my cost…..and as you can see about 1/8" above track level…….not quite the plan and caused me a load of problems later on.

On top of the Foam board I pasted Metcalfes Sets…….this is a new version, they are not self adhesive or embossed like the previous version but I think I prefer them…….they still have a textured surface and if you weather them with pastels they can look quite authentic




Operation in the Brewery yard is key because, using RR&Co, I intend to automatically shunt on a daily basis picking up 3 wagons and replacing them with 3 others. So I decided to sacrifice appearance to operation so the infill gaps are a bit wider than they should be.



This shows  one of the 2 uncoupling magnets and the single point. I deliberately departed from my standard practice of 36" min radius and med radius points and put in a short radius because I wanted to replicate those tight flange squealing curves one got on industrial track.

As this is a warts and all thread I must reveal that for reasons I dont understand I installed an insulfrog……to ensure the loco could really crawl…..didnt bother to switch polarity the way I normally do…….then screwed up the wiring…….then found the loco stalled repeatedly and ripped up everything before discovering that my infill had prevented the switch balde from making contact……………………so I took a deep breath…….two fingers of malt and finished the signalling!

A couple of weeks later I started installing some of the buildings



Followers of Matilda's Travels may be confused in that the building on the right was last seen at the Olympics masquerading as a ski lift building…….amazing the bargains one can pick up at post Olympic Sales. I have added some Wills drain pipes and done some weathering and detailing 

Here is a close up and you can see my attempts to dirty down the rather pristine pale blue that Metcalfe provide. Again I have added some drain pipes, guttering and detail



Here is a before for reference




As you will shortly see I really went to town on this one.

Hopefully I will post the conclusion and happy ending to the Brewery saga next week……….right now modelling is edging down the priority list as spring is on its way here and there is a ton of work to do on the boat before we head down to Seattle.

Regards from a very very wet Vancouver

 

 



 

You've done a good job on the "grubbiness" and detailing John - everything looks as if it's been there for years. thumbs

Has that post-Olympic sale finished ?  I could do with the odd bargain here in a very wet France…………….:roll::roll::roll:

I hope you're right about spring arriving - I'm sick of this lot !!!!

Well, Peter, I hope this cheers you and every one else up a bit!


Doug

Thanks Doug…………..that just reminded me that in addition to the boat I have to get cracking in the garden………….meantime here is the Brewery virtually completed.

This was before I put the end moulding on but gives an adequate overall impression. The aim is to create an image of a compact industrial site that has grown through the ages…………still active, busy and very grimy!




Starting from the right there is the relatively modern bottling plant and distribuition warehouse last scene as a ski lift building

The area to the extreme right will be a staff car park……even in 1947 there would be cars for the directors and senior managers…….I have always been short of road vehicles so this was a good excuse to get some ordered…..particularly with a strong Canadian $  (Thats the good news…the bad news part of my pension is in UK L!!)





On the left is a gatehouse/entrance lodge built from Metcalfe scraps

I decided to perpetuate Matilda's visit by naming the Brewery's principal product…."Sam the Ram Best Bitter"



Before anyone else makes the comment……If I had a day job I won't give it up for a career in advertising!

I want the brewery to look busy so I have raided my store of Dapol (ex Airfix) figures……………I am not sure if people rolled barrels this way but it looks fairly credible to me



This shows, rather cruelly, my attempts at painting out Metcalfe's pristine and somewhat unlikely Pale Blue. You can also see the start of the pipework I have inserted to connect the various buildings.




More Dapol figures, ancillary structure and clutter. The camera is very cruel I was certain I had water coloured the cut on the corner of the platform

 




 




The boilerhouse is a Metcalfe water tower and a Scalescene Chimney




Dooferdog has been known to browse these pages…….the scalescene freebie was made before your excellent tutorial……the bull nose corners are all my own work I am afraid




The cooperage is a Metcalfe Sandhouse and the timber for the barrel staves is stored in a Wills Kit which I thoght too small for a Timber Merchant but ok here

The shot below shows the coal dump complete with rusty corrugated iron as per Wheeltappers suggestion…..thank you Richard 

The 14 xx in the background is taking the autotrain from Cynwyd………….the 97xx is shunting the brewery yard…….and I almost have sorted out the RR & Co schedules! 




 



At the left end of the set up there is a gate for the brewery siding and a road level crossing and eventually when I start on the main line the road will be landscaped underneath







I have now fitted the edge trim 



And this shot…………despite the drunken Lowry………..fits the brewery into the overall layout context with the Branch Engine Shed on the right




It may seem a little childish but it was extraordinarily satisfying to nail in the last bit of trim and know that half the layout is now completed.

The next segment to work on is the canal scene at the other end of the room. I have ordered some lock gates and other bits and pieces from Langley and hopefully will start work in the next month……………meantime on Wednesday I have to set out on our annual pilgrimage to Seattle…………some 200 miles south of Vancouver…………there and back…a leisurely two week trip in a sail boat…………..so forgive me if I am a little slow in replying

Regards from ,happily, a warm and sunny Vancouver

 

  

 

 


 

John, bookmarked this post so I can flog/steal/borrow ideas from your brewery for mine.

Excellent work, John, and loads of good photos too.
I think your grime has worked very well.

Mike

"It may seem a little childish"

Certainly not.
Lots to like, John.

Hope you do lots of splicing on your trip.

The whole scene works very well and the detail gives that cluttered industrial look. Very nice. I like the way you have used card to provide the hard standing in the area of the brewry complex, that works well too. How did you eventually decide to conceal that point motor? It would be good to see the final version.

Bob(K)

[user=394]ddolfelin[/user] wrote:

Hope you do lots of splicing on your trip.

That would be the main brace would it DD :cheers

John,

Nice work with trying to change Metcalfe's "unlikely" blue, gives me courage to try and change the warehouse I have in N.

I like the brewery clutter too. Coming along nicely.