A lifetime's work in pictures
Barchester Diary Feb 2005
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By Robert
Baseboards all finished then and ready for the next stage of laying out the track plan on the baseboard surface. It would help of course if I had a definite plan in mind but I still haven't got it right on paper. Never mind, press on with what I have got.
Barchester platforms cut out (card), side supports added and dropped temporarily into place. Have cut up loads of my saved up Corn Flake packets to the correct dimensions of left and right turnouts plus plenty of lengths of track of the correct width. These cut outs allow me to lay out the track plan fairly accurately, just to make sure everything is going to fit in where I want it to. I know the dimensions because I am going to use Peco Universal code 100 flexible track.
Dug out an old angle poise lamp and screwed it to the edge of my desk, can't have too much light when doing fine work.
Halfway through the month and I think I have finalised the layout after much messing about. I wanted it to follow something very similar to that of Peter Denny's 'Buckingham Branch', a layout that has been my inspiration for many years, particularly the entrance to Buckingham itself.
Image unfortunately Lost.
Track and turnouts ordered from 'The Signal Box' in the UK and while waiting for their arrival I have been making lengths of plank fencing as I know it is one of the items that I will need a fair bit of. The fencing is easily made from two different thicknesses of card.
Have wasted a couple of days trying to work out a timetable to fit the track layout but it isn't coming together at all. There is something basically wrong with the plan. One thing I have decided is that all my fiddle yard roads will carry the names of my favourite model railways. Bought sheets of thick cork for putting underneath the track. The sheets are cut into lengths of the appropriate width for the track I am using and then the sides of each length are chamfered to give a nice shoulder. Spare bits of cork which are too small to be of practical use are stuffed in the coffee grinder on it's finest setting and ground up for ballast. Waste not, want not, that's me.
Track has arrived so I can get on with laying that now, at least between Barchester platforms and maybe a bit further. Also found a supplier of Dylon dyes which I like using for my dyed sawdust, useful for grass scatter, earth scatter, ballast, foliage etc.
Laid out the track lengths and it looks as if I might just have enough to finish the job but I am a couple of turnouts short because of layout alterations.
Started laying track and it's coming along quite well. The mechanical point 'motors' I wanted to use won't be so easy because of the thickness of the chipboard surface so it looks as if I will be using Peco electrical point motors. That being the case I will use the stud and 'pencil' method to operate them.
Ah well, that's it for another month.
Barchester platforms cut out (card), side supports added and dropped temporarily into place. Have cut up loads of my saved up Corn Flake packets to the correct dimensions of left and right turnouts plus plenty of lengths of track of the correct width. These cut outs allow me to lay out the track plan fairly accurately, just to make sure everything is going to fit in where I want it to. I know the dimensions because I am going to use Peco Universal code 100 flexible track.
Dug out an old angle poise lamp and screwed it to the edge of my desk, can't have too much light when doing fine work.
Halfway through the month and I think I have finalised the layout after much messing about. I wanted it to follow something very similar to that of Peter Denny's 'Buckingham Branch', a layout that has been my inspiration for many years, particularly the entrance to Buckingham itself.
Track and turnouts ordered from 'The Signal Box' in the UK and while waiting for their arrival I have been making lengths of plank fencing as I know it is one of the items that I will need a fair bit of. The fencing is easily made from two different thicknesses of card.
Have wasted a couple of days trying to work out a timetable to fit the track layout but it isn't coming together at all. There is something basically wrong with the plan. One thing I have decided is that all my fiddle yard roads will carry the names of my favourite model railways. Bought sheets of thick cork for putting underneath the track. The sheets are cut into lengths of the appropriate width for the track I am using and then the sides of each length are chamfered to give a nice shoulder. Spare bits of cork which are too small to be of practical use are stuffed in the coffee grinder on it's finest setting and ground up for ballast. Waste not, want not, that's me.
Track has arrived so I can get on with laying that now, at least between Barchester platforms and maybe a bit further. Also found a supplier of Dylon dyes which I like using for my dyed sawdust, useful for grass scatter, earth scatter, ballast, foliage etc.
Laid out the track lengths and it looks as if I might just have enough to finish the job but I am a couple of turnouts short because of layout alterations.
Started laying track and it's coming along quite well. The mechanical point 'motors' I wanted to use won't be so easy because of the thickness of the chipboard surface so it looks as if I will be using Peco electrical point motors. That being the case I will use the stud and 'pencil' method to operate them.
Ah well, that's it for another month.
Edited