faraway Wrote:

jonte Wrote:....Hope this makes things a little clearer....

Thank you very much. You do not plan the obvious. That will be very interesting.

Due more to ignorance than design, Reinhard

The anomaly of the main road following the diverging track was an idea picked up from an article in an old Model Railroader mag I picked up on the topic of 'oddities'.

It also provides an opportunity for the stock to 'deviate' it's route on what is essentially a typical, long thin shelf layout. As I want to create that 'between the buildings' feel, it will prevent the observer looking down a long corridor and seeing the whole layout at once; in essence, the alleyways will be in a dogs -leg formation. Although it's not exactly a micro, there's still not a lot you can do to create interest in a relatively short rectangular space such as this.

Finally, not a lot going on operationally, but I want to avoid the layout feeling ovrcrowded. I'm also conscious of the golden rule advocated by a number of UK modellers: (3 : 1)
i.e. the layout should be at least three train lengths in total viewing length. I want to run with a loco and two cars, possibly three, for that shortline feel, which is just about right.

Your right, this isn't a typical US outline plan; definitely the mark of the space-starved Englishman about it

Best wishes,

Jonte

A service hatch produced from scraps.

[attachment=7608][attachment=7607][attachment=7606]


Jonte

[attachment=7625][attachment=7624]


Jonte

[attachment=7640]

This the last of three boards requiring service hatches fitting.

[attachment=7639][attachment=7638]

Removeable hinge pins replace the originals, allowing each board to be secured to its neighbour - centre boards have hinges supplemented with bolts between the frames of each adjoining board.

Jonte

[attachment=7665]

All four boards pictured for the first time - supports removed to reduce weight and ease lifting onto trestles.

[attachment=7664]

Replacement hinge pins in place.

[attachment=7663][attachment=7662][attachment=7661]

Jonte

[attachment=7670][attachment=7669][attachment=7668][attachment=7667][attachment=7666]

Jonte

[attachment=7672][attachment=7671]

Traverser has been removed for time being to ensure the other three boards are level and true for refitting of pelmet supports.
Pelmet has been temporarily located until the morniong when I'll drill for holes for fixing bolts.

Jonte

Hi

Baseboards and lighting pelmet have now been painted and the whole lot reassembled in my office-cum-railway room.

Low voltage gimballed downlighters have been fitted to the pelmet, however, they provide insufficient light therefore additional lighting in the form of fluorescent bulbs will be fitted.

Photos attached to show progress:

[attachment=7796]
[attachment=7795]
[attachment=7794]
[attachment=7793]
[attachment=7792]

Jonte

[attachment=7799]
[attachment=7798]
[attachment=7797]

Jonte

A couple more, one of which shows the wiring in place on the layout.

[attachment=7802]
[attachment=7801]

This last photo shows how the lighting transformers and junction boxes have been placed in plastic tupperware boxes with 240V in, 12V out.
Male and female connectors fitted to the transformer leads and lighting leads, connected via a flex cable make the lighting units a little more portable.

[attachment=7800]

Best wishes,

Jonte

I had not looked at this thread for a while, far too busy with all sorts of random stuff. :-)
Those boards are coming along nicely, including the overhead lighting etc. !
I'm looking forward to the first couple of feet of track laid on them.

Koos

torikoos Wrote:I had not looked at this thread for a while, far too busy with all sorts of random stuff. :-)
Those boards are coming along nicely, including the overhead lighting etc. !
I'm looking forward to the first couple of feet of track laid on them.

Koos

Hi Koos,

Good to hear from you after all this time and a sincere thanks for your interest and encouragement.

Frankly, was gonna give up posting on here as it's not generating much interest; probably because there isn't any modelling just yet as you hinted, however, I'm learning as I go along here and I'm hoping that if nothing else, my experiences serve to encourage other newbies who might also be unsure of their skill levels etc. As a long time lurker myself, I also love to see finished products, but no matter how expertly modelled and whatever the subject, they've all got to rest on something so I consider baseboard construction essential and I expect this is the part that puts most people off!! So, if I'm boring any of you old hands here, I make no apology: we've all got to start somewhere and I'm hoping that if it works for me (or otherwise), then it can work for others to. Please consider me the lowest common denominator.

Off the soap box, my ME turnouts arrived from US of A at the weekend (cocked up my order although have apologised although not going thro' rigmorole of returning all the way to America ) so I shall have to ever so slightly amend my original plan, however, track laying not too far away now. Also bought an Athearn switcher off ebay a couple of weeks ago (pig of a runner!) which I'm currently in process of attempting to repaint/redetail to an S2 of the LAJ Ry of the 1970s. Never done this before, but have already stripped original paint scheme (Burlington something or other) using a solution of Dettol and tap water. Just awaiting arrival of some drop grab irons and template to replace the moulded on ones together with some Micro scale decals for the stripes - again from America (by current form, it'll probably end up Norfolk and Southern!!).

Next job is to create portable curved backscene (seamles hopefully) to which I will attach side wings to shield entries and exits to traverser and sector plates (plus extra fluorescent lighting). Then perhaps the modelling can start.

Thanks again and think I'll take a look at your blog later.

Best wishes,

Jonte

Thanks Jonte,

now there is a new idea I will have to try myself in time, Dettol & tapwater. Did it come of easy or did it require some scrubbing?
I've recently stripped an Athearn shell using brakefluid, but if I can use something a bit less messy then that would be better. :-)
As for backdrops: I've read about using vinyl floor off cuts, as you can easily bend and shape it in all sorts of contours to follow the room/boards etc, the back facing the layout of course, and that being painted. I think that you'd be able to clamp it on to the posts to your overhead lights etc, and therefore could remove it and roll up when moving the layout. Just a thought.

As for the running qualities of the Athearn loco: I asume you got yourselves an older 'bluebox' loco there? It will pay to take apart the gear towers, and clean it all out, re-lube etc. If the original motor is there, you could either opt to use a repowering kit from A-Line (which uses a Mashima can motor), or give the motor some TLC. Cleaning & polishing the commutator (with some 800 or 1000 grid sand paper), and perhaps replace the carbon brushes + springs. The original wheels, when worn, can be replaced by wheels from North West Short Line (NWSL). In general there's a lot you can do to improve the running of these Athearns. Finally, a good quality DCC decoder (if you're going DCC) will also help to smooth it all out. :-)

Keep us posted, and by all means , don't stop posting. There are quite a few on here that read every thread, but don't always reply. Lurking about , as you suggested :-)

Cheers!

Koos

torikoos Wrote:Thanks Jonte,

now there is a new idea I will have to try myself in time, Dettol & tapwater. Did it come of easy or did it require some scrubbing?
I've recently stripped an Athearn shell using brakefluid, but if I can use something a bit less messy then that would be better. :-)
As for backdrops: I've read about using vinyl floor off cuts, as you can easily bend and shape it in all sorts of contours to follow the room/boards etc, the back facing the layout of course, and that being painted. I think that you'd be able to clamp it on to the posts to your overhead lights etc, and therefore could remove it and roll up when moving the layout. Just a thought.

As for the running qualities of the Athearn loco: I asume you got yourselves an older 'bluebox' loco there? It will pay to take apart the gear towers, and clean it all out, re-lube etc. If the original motor is there, you could either opt to use a repowering kit from A-Line (which uses a Mashima can motor), or give the motor some TLC. Cleaning & polishing the commutator (with some 800 or 1000 grid sand paper), and perhaps replace the carbon brushes + springs. The original wheels, when worn, can be replaced by wheels from North West Short Line (NWSL). In general there's a lot you can do to improve the running of these Athearns. Finally, a good quality DCC decoder (if you're going DCC) will also help to smooth it all out. :-)

Keep us posted, and by all means , don't stop posting. There are quite a few on here that read every thread, but don't always reply. Lurking about , as you suggested :-)

Cheers!

Koos

Thanks Koos - you've reinvigorated me

The dettol & tap water method was one I happened upon quite by chance, after I was also advised to go down the brake fluid route. Although I'm a new to the hobby, I'm not totally naive and alarm bells rang at the thought of plastic being dipped in brakefluid and the possible consequenec of a change of state from solid to liquid! To answer your question, Koos, it was easy peasy with most of the paint/transfers dissolving into the solution. The more persistant bits of paint that remained, had turned to slime that was easily shifted with the stroke of an old tooth brush. A rinse under the tap and a quick polish with a clean rag returned the loco to its pre-painted factory state. Admittedly, I returned the bonnet of the loco to a fresh solution for a further day or so as the plethora of louvre vents on each side showed a faint residue of paint had remained, and as I was just too lazy to go over them with a tooth pick as suggested, took the easiest option by putting them back into the solution. A quick clean with the old tooth brush and rinse under the tap resulted in a bonnet that was as clean as a whistle and I shall get round to starting the detailing in the next few days (the Microscale order arrived this afternoon - Friday).
Here's a link to the original instructions which I trust you'll find useful <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Paint-from-Metal-and-Plastic-Models-with-Dettol">http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Paint-fro ... ith-Dettol</a><!-- m -->, and I've posted a couple of before and after shots of the subject. As a footnote, the best part of this - unlike the brake fluid - is that there are no noxious substances that require care in their handling and disposal, and it'll even kill a germ or two!! The only word of caution I'd offer is that plastic cement/adhesive will perish so no Airfix kits

Before

[attachment=7825]

[attachment=7824]

After

[attachment=7823]

Detailing parts as mentioned in text also shown, which will no doubt be familiar to readers from N. America.

Thanks for passing on the idea for the backscene; I shall give it much consideration.

With regard to the age of the Athearn, as you can see from the photos it's a red box not blue so don't know if that makes it older or newer? Anyway, thanks for the solutions to the issue with poor running qualities - it's okay at speed but I need this to crawl - however, the simplest solution ( I always opt for those!!) as I'm not going down the DCC route just yet, is to purchase a pulse controller from Black Cat Industries as kindly suggested by good old Jack shortliner - now here's somebody always ready to help I believe the proprietor is away until the 13th of June so will place an order on his return.

By the way, I had a quick 'butcher's' at you blog last night - an excellent purchase for your son BTW - my Bachmann GP 38-2 is a sweet little runner with one or two nice little details to boot - everything, I'm afraid, my Athearn switcher isn't. Their service is first class - being clueless, I emailed them to enquire as to how to remove the body after accidentally dropping the poor little loco from a great height, damaging a bogie in the process. I received a prompt reply with an offer of further help if needed. Despite the bad press Bachmann American HO has received, I am most impressed and I'm sure your son will be extremely happy with his new purchase. Talking of dropping locos from great heights: where did I put that darned Athearn switcher

Keep looking in and thanks again,

Jonte

Hi Jonte,

glad you found new motivation and are going forward. I will read the link you provided in regards to the detol carefully, I really do like the idea.

Well, part of my comments in regards to the loco drive etc may not be valid. Unless the loco came in the wrong box, that loco is an Atlas, not an Athearn. Atlas were constructed a bit better than Athearn's were in those days, they generally have a better motor etc. However, this poor little switcher may have seen a bit of action perhaps, and is in need of TLC. If it comes with the instructions, have a look how it comes apart and then some of my 'tips' will be equally useful, as in cleaning out the gears, re-lubricating, etc.
Should you not have these instructions, Atlas may be able to provide a copy, or otherwise have a look on the following site: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.hoseeker.org/">http://www.hoseeker.org/</a><!-- m -->
Unlike the name suggest , this is not a site that provides services for the 'lonely' :-) Rather, it has a nice selection of scans of instructions/drawings of many locomotives (including your Bachman probably) and part sheets. It may be useful to you.

If you'd like, post a picture of the loco you have with the shell removed, so we can see it's guts, that will probably help in identifying if it is an Atlas, Athearn, or any other make , and was shipped in an Atlas box. :-)

Koos